What do kids know about productivity? Aren’t children, what with their sleepy heads and easily distractable attention spans, the epitome of UNproductivity? I guess it all depends on what productivity means to you.
Kids actually give us a few clues about how to be really, purposefully productive.
1.) Plan.
One important step to productivity is planning. If you wanna get stuff done, you gotta know what stuff you wanna get done. Simple, right? If you want to drive to Pittsburgh, but you’ve never been to Pittsburgh, chances are you’re not going to just hop in your car and start driving. You might go to Google Maps and print out some directions, a nice list of all of the things you need to do in order to arrive in Pittsburgh. There are all sorts of strategies and systems out there that offer their "best" way to plan. Lists are a good start. I have one big list of things I’d like to get done eventually. From that list, I make another list of things I’d like to get done next week. And every night before I go to bed, I make sure I have another simple list of what I want to get done the next day. Haven’t we all been doing something similar when we were kids? Didn’t you have a list of things you wanted to be when you grew up? (By the way, kids think it’s entirely possible to fit being a movie star, a cowboy, and President of the United States into one lifetime — and they’re right, just ask Ronald Reagan!) And most kids, when they go to bed at night, know exactly what they want to do the next day — "I’m gonna build a huge fort with my Legos tomorrow!"
2.) But Don’t Over-plan.
As true as it is that children have fixed in their mind the big thing they want to accomplish when they wake up, it is also true that they don’t over-plan the day. They don’t say, "I will wake up at 6:00 a.m. and play with my Legos until 8:00. Then I’ll color in my coloring book until 9:30, when I’ll have myself a snack before a quick ride around the block in my tricycle…" The secret that kids can teach us is that they have a definite idea of the MAIN thing they want to accomplish during a day (the thing that will make the most difference), but they leave a lot of air in their schedule for the unexpected things that come up. Like serendipitous opportunities, or the little moments that present themselves and make life worth living (such as a call from a long-lost friend, a quick stroll on a beautiful day, or an impromptu lunch with your significant other). These are the things that fly right by us when our knuckles are white and our nose is to the grindstone, as we try with all our might to be "productive."
3.) Mind Your Passion.
It is easy to get caught up in the idea that "getting stuff done" is the same as being productive. But what happens when all this stuff we’ve done leads us down a road we never intended on going down? It’s easy to get caught up in the almighty to-do list, where the most important thing becomes crossing everything off the list instead of keeping in mind why you made the list in the first place. I think it’s a good idea to consider the concept advanced by David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, which is the idea that when you die, your to-do list will STILL have items on it. Lots of ‘em. The idea that we’ll actually ever cross everything off our to-do list is a lie. It’s an Adultitis trap that tricks us into ignoring the little things, the little Cracker Jack prizes, that make our lives fun, enjoyable, and truly fulfilling. As it has been said, it doesn’t do any good to climb the ladder of success if when you get to the top, you find that the ladder was leaning up against the wrong wall. Every once in a while, we need to step back from the stuff we do and ask, "Why?"
"Why am I working on this project?"
"Why am I doing this right now?"
"Why is this the best use of my time?"
Kids mind their passion. They do things that excite them, things that are interesting, and fun. Being a "grown-up" means we sometimes have to do things that aren’t always pleasant, but it doesn’t mean we have to chuck our passions out the window. It doesn’t do anyone any good to accomplish all kinds of stuff in the name of productivity, if the stuff you’ve accomplished doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
The BEST way to be truly productive is to be working on something that inspires the heck out of you in the first place.
P.S. This post was inspired by a challenge put forth to me by Tara Robinson (and originally by Ben Yoskovitz.) And I’m officially tagging Chris Hollenback, Don the Idea Guy, and my wife.
Technorati Tags: ultimate guide to productivity, childlike, Adultitis, to-do lists, planning
If you have one of those anti-bacterial hand gels in your possession, think again.
Jason and I have been out and about enjoying spring. The grass is quite green in Madison, which tells you it’s been raining a fair share.
Spring brings puddles.
Puddles bring fun.
And wet shoes and socks, which is why at some point in our lives we start walking around them instead of jumping directly into them.
What if I told you that getting messy and dirty is actually good for your mental and physical health?
Last month an article came out entitled, Kids exposed to dirt at lesser diabetes risk. It has to do with the problems of our hyper-clean culture. The study reveals that our cleaner environmental living conditions and improved hygiene actually adds to the risk of type 1 diabetes in children. We have put ourselves in safe clean bubbles without trusting our complex and magnificent immune system to do its job.
The immune system also works to fight off depression with the many chemicals in the body. In the article, Depressed? Go Play in the Dirt, it shared how there are certain types of bacteria in soil that cause the immune cells to release chemicals called cytokines, which help to activate nerves that relay signals from the body to the brain.
“The stimulated nerves cause certain neurons in the brain to release a chemical called serotonin into the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain known to be involved in mood regulation, among other things. Only a very small number of neurons in the brain make serotonin, but they have massive branching projections to every part of the brain. Scientists think the lack of serotonin in the brain is thought to cause depression in people.”
In other words, in order to stay healthy we should be playing in the dirt. We need exposure to bacteria. This is not the natural tendency for us grown-ups, especially with the convenient hand gels that we can keep on hand.
The best possible strategy is to learn (or relearn) how to do this from the sherpas themselves, the kids. They seem to be having no problem getting dirty and messy. It’s just what happens to them when they are living their lives.
Are we truly living or are we just trying not to get our shoes wet?
Technorati Tags: spring, puddles, juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes, depression, anti-bacterial, sherpas, serotonin, Ker Than
by John Gundich
I’ve been able to escape adulthood by having my first child with my wife, Patrizzia. Before Miabella was born, Patrizzia and I would have a rough commute to and from Downtown Chicago every day, work, eat, watch TV to unwind from the stressful commute…and then do it all over again. It was mundane and empty after a while.
Then, Miabella entered our lives, and we have both been filled with such joy and life. Every day has been filled with new experiences and laughs. She makes every day special again….like it was when I was a kid. It’s not that we will live vicariously through her…it’s just that she brings us to a better place in our lives, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Club K&J members: share YOUR stories, strategies, victories and challenges in your quest to escape adulthood!
I tried to avoid using such a cheesy title for this post, but gosh darnit, that’s the only way I can describe the work of Jeffrey David Montanye. He has combined his photography experience and love for mazes to create intriguing puzzles from photographs. I’m not sure if the guy is a big kid, a veritable genius, or a dude with some serious OCD issues (maybe a little of column A, B, and C).
Every maze is made up of hundreds or even thousands of a certain item. Here’s the crazy part: the mazes are taken apart immediately after they are built and photographed. You just have to see them for yourself. Wicked cool.
Here are some more sample mazes. You can also buy a book of Jeff’s work.
(Hat tip to Bernie DeKoven.)
Technorati Tags: maze, mazes, puzzles, photography, Jeffrey David Montanye
by Kim Kotecki
A few years ago for our anniversary, Jason and I rented a cabin at Devil’s Lake in Baraboo, WI. We now affectionately refer to that cabin as the hobbit house, as we had to duck to get through the front doorway. Jason and I are tall, but we’re not considered giants.
One of the things we were really looking forward to doing was building a campfire outside the cabin, gazing up at the stars, and of course making smores. Romantic, right?!
It rained the whole weekend.
Did I say rained…I mean poured! We ended up reading a few books and getting a lot of rest, but were pretty bummed about getting jipped out of the campfire and smores.
We made the best of it, however. (Please note: Firefighters, stop reading now!) Jason had the idea of making our smores inside using the small flame on the gas stove. So we enjoyed our sticky treats while standing over a very old stove in our teeny hobbit-like cabin. We laughed and laughed.
I bet you didn’t think this birthday card we offer was actually inspired by true events. (I’m so glad we didn’t burn down that little house.)
Everyone who claims the title of U.S. citizen is familiar with the ingredients for your average smore. I found some fun recipes that will help mix up your smore routines.
Peachy Caramel Smores
This seemingly healthy but fun recipe is from FamilyFun.com. Find the whole recipe here.
“It’s summer, and peaches are abundant, ripe, and heavy with juice–just right for making this campfire dessert that tops off the natural flavor of fresh fruit with a light caramel sauce and toasted marshmallow.”
I also found an article written by Kelby Carr. She gives a bunch of ideas that will transform your everyday smore into something quite unique. Here are some of her variations:
Nilla Wafer, White Chocolate and Banana Smores
Put a half-banana on a stick and hold over campfire. Take two vanilla, or ‘Nilla, wafers, insert chocolate and banana. Tasty, and even kind of pretty.
Healthy and Happy Strawberry, Dark Chocolate and Oatmeal Cookie Smores
Get (or bake ahead) a whole wheat version of oatmeal cookies, which you can often find at organic and whole food stores. Bring fresh strawberries. Add dark chocolate, which is known to contain powerful antioxidants. Combine, cook and enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cookie, Marshmallow and Caramel-Filled Ghirardelli Smores
Get downright indulgent with this mix of oh-so bad but oh-so good ingredients. Heat your marshmallow over the fire. Place Ghirardelli or other caramel-filled and thin chocolates onto two oversized chocolate chip cookies. Place your marshmallow on top of one, and close like a sandwich. That is an extreme smore!
Our seventh anniversary is a month away. I hope Jason gets me a smore keyboard.
Club K&J members: share YOUR recipes, strategies, victories and challenges in your quest to escape adulthood!
by Katie Richert
I never realized I was getting, as I always called it, “old,” and that my childhood (and even young adulthood), was gone until a few days ago. I was sitting in the living room at 11 in the morning, still without a shower while my (as he puts it ALMOST) 4-year-old screamed about being a Ninja Turtle who had “team” and my 3-month-old slept comfortably in his swing. I glanced down at the cup of coffee I had been trying to consume to stay awake after pulling another all-nighter with the littlest guy, and saw the words “MOM” written on the cup.
That makes someone at 27 cringe. At that second, I crawled out of the chair and picked up the second little plastic golf club he was using to attack the “bad guys” and decided to join in. I guess it isn’t really a way to escape adulthood (I never really thought of myself in that term), but I guess I looked like a rather large child in a bathrobe at that time swinging at invisible monsters. But the squeals of laughter both boys were emitting by the time I was finished helping in the battle made me realize that sometimes to make it all seem better all we really need to do is play. So I guess my advice to escape the whole grown-up world is to find your plastic golf clubs (or whatever the kids may have laying around), shower or none, and just play.
Then go off and down 4 marshmallows as a way to refuel (which was the advice the oldest gave me), and continue the battle. So needless to say, 4 marshmallows later we were back at it — bathrobe and all.
Club K&J members: share YOUR stories, strategies, victories and challenges in your quest to escape adulthood!
I saw this photo the other day at This Is Broken. It’s a walker, with tennis balls on the feet. I had to stop and think, but yep, I’m pretty sure that EVERY SINGLE WALKER I’VE EVER SEEN has had tennis balls on the feet. (Granted, most of them are green, but that’s neither here nor there.)
I have lots of questions (Why tennis balls? Who decided tennis balls would do the job? How in the world did the idea spread to every single walker user in the universe?), but the most important question is the one that apparently hasn’t been asked.
"If the people who use our walkers feel the need to add a tennis balls to make them better (I’m presuming it’s not a fashion statement), why don’t we think about re-designing our walker to better suit the needs of our customers?"
Meanwhile, tennis ball manufacturers the world over are screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
As an ardent enthusiast of Seth Godin, I suspect that it’s too late to ask the question anyway. The story has already spread. Thanks to tennis balls, people no longer have a walker foot problem. And if a company did change the design to one that wouldn’t require tennis balls, I bet no one would buy it. Because the walker wouldn’t seem right without the tennis balls. People would probably add tennis balls anyway.
My big point is this: why didn’t the walker manufacturers start asking these questions long ago, before the use of tennis balls on walker legs become more popular than American Idol? Maybe Adultitis is the culprit once again. One of the symptoms of Adultitis is the suppression of curiosity and the unwillingness to ask questions. Somewhere along the line, it seems that people in the walker making business stopped asking questions.
What questions do you need to be asking about your products, your business, your life?
Technorati Tags: walkers, tennis balls, curiosity, questions, This Is Broken, Seth Godin, Adultitis
Perhaps some people raised their eyebrows when I suggested in my last post that our American educational system considers curiosity a disease. Well it sure seems like it to me, what with the OVER reliance on standardized tests and the OVER emphasis on fitting everyone into a standardized box.
Just the other day I was at a wedding, talking to an old friend who was a relatively new mother. Her daughter is a bit over a year old. I asked my friend what was her favorite part about being a mom. She didn’t hesitate with her answer.
“I love how much joy she has,” replied my friend. “She gets so excited about the littlest things; anything and everything around her. When she hears a dog bark, her ears perk up, her eyes get wide, and she wants to investigate. It’s really inspiring.
“I meet with a group of other moms I used to work with,” she continued. “And I asked them when kids start to lose that delight in the little things. They all agreed that it was about the time they enter school.”
Tragic.
I’ve recently watched a handful of videos about the guys who created Threadless.com. (Thanks, Don the Idea Guy!) They gave a presentation at Stanford University about the secrets behind their success (they sell millions of dollars of t-shirts every year and have only bought one ad. Ever. After which they decided to never buy another one again.) After the speech, a few business students approached them to share their disbelief. “All of the things you said you’ve done to build your business,” said the bewildered students of a very prestigious business school, “are the very things our professors have said will never work.”
Go figure.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that the Threadless.com guys were college drop-outs?
Technorati Tags: educational system, curiosity, standardized tests, Threadless.com, business school, business success
