Category: daily life
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What One Big Thing Will You Do Today?
Normally, I find articles about how to “minimize distractions in this distraction-filled world” to be unhelpful. They usually amount to: “Have more will power to avoid distractions, unplug, and do things in batches.” I sometimes get upwards of 200 emails per day. I have many filters in place, so the dross gets autofiled and ignored.…
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My 2011 Focus Areas For A Balanced Life
I believe in New Year’s resolutions, if only to focus my mind on the kind of person I want to aspire to be. (My friend Caryn has written a great article in praise of resolutions.) Typically, I focus on my shortcomings — things I want to improve. This year, I thought I would try for…
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I Had A Good Year. Thank You, and You, and You, and YOU.
It’s the last day of the year. Like many others, I am thinking back on how it went. Like Seth Godin, I am focusing on what I accomplished. While my sensations and experiences as I went through 2010 were mixed (there were times when it felt very hard), when I look objectively at all that…
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You Are Looking At The Problem
A long time ago, a friend of mine told me the story of how she was staying over on another friend’s boat down in Florida. She had been having a lot of problems, bumping up against the world so to speak. Things weren’t going her way at the time, and the harder she tried the…
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Working Ahead
Today I spent much of the day working ahead. A least it felt that way . . . I do have a deadline looming, but I am on track to get my work done with plenty of time for revisions before I submit. This is how it goes when I am feeling on my game.…
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What Two Questions Would You Like To Be Asked? What Would You Answer?
Last night, my 12-year-old son and I were spending some quiet time together before bed. I feel lucky in that we both were sort of in a contemplative mood, and we began asking each other questions. Things like: “Name two things you are proud of about yourself.” “What two places would you like to visit,…
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Using Square: Another Step Toward A Cashless Lifestyle
Yesterday, after long delays, I finally got my Square card reader, so I thought I would put it through its paces. What is Square? It’s a way of accepting payments from regular people using credit cards. You get this little card reader that just plugs into your smartphone. It is dead simple. Let’s say you…
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Brickfair, An Example of Cognitive Surplus
Over the weekend, I accompanied my son to Brickfair 2010 at the Dulles Expo Center. Brickfair is a completely fan-driven annual conference. People come together to share their love of Legos, to show of scenes and models they have built, and to swap bricks. Daniel and his friend Jeremy had created a rock concert model,…
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Two Ways to Use Google Voice
Google Voice is often referred to as the “one number to rule them all” service. That does not really describe what the service does — or can do. I have been a user of the service since it began (and used its predecessor, Grand Central, before that). Some of my friends have asked me about…
Brad Rourke 