Why deadlines are a waste of time
Monday, June 6th, 2011In most companies, and in the world in general, there is a pretty big focus on deadlines. Personally, I think setting deadlines is a waste of time and only serves to create an environment where subpar performance is normal and incomplete or rushed final products are acceptable.
For the sake of argument, assume I’m talking about a corporate environment where someone is expected to work 40 hours per week. If a worker is a good, honest, and hardworking person, they will work on their task at a pace comfortable to them and it will be completed in a reasonable amount of time, at which point the final product would theorectically be at the level expected when tasking it.
If a deadline is set or agreed upon ahead of time, really it’s all based on assumption. And if it turns out that something unexpected comes up and the deadline is too short, in [...]
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Personal development and positive energy
Friday, January 14th, 2011A few months back I mentioned that I was taking salsa classes. I did finish my 7 week course, and learned a few things, though I still far from being a good dancer. I was a little overwhelmed and frustrated with the course, so I didn’t continue, but I do expect to try it again in the future.
That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on trying new things though. Last night I had my first art class in over ten years. I enrolled for a basic drawing course at the Art Academy of San Diego. I actually had a really good time, the class had a laid back vibe, and it seems that it will be fun and I will learn a lot. I really hope to continue developing my creative skills, and hope this is something that is positive for me.
Also interesting is that I’ve had another potential business contact [...]
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New Year’s Resolutions
Saturday, January 1st, 2011I am not usually big on New Year’s resolutions, but there are and have been a few changes I’ve been wanting to make, so what better time than at the start of a new year? I want to focus on my own personal development while getting myself to a place where I am happier, healthier, and more in control of my life and my future.
So without any further ado, here are some resolutions:
Personal life
Embrace spontaneity and be open to new opportunities
Become more confident with both myself and my decisions
Focus on positive actions and solutions instead of dwelling on negative ones
Stop wasting time on useless things, make better use of my free time
Continue to travel and see more of the world (hopefully Hawaii, Key West, Costa Rica and Cambodia/Vietnam this year; New Year’s in Palm Desert, and the following weekend in Santa Barbara … great start!)
Health
Improve my yoga by taking formal [...] Read More…
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Feeling stagnant and lacking direction
Monday, November 8th, 2010There have been times during the years of keeping this blog that I have been literally bursting with ideas for things to write about. Sadly, this is not one of those times. At the moment I have an excuse, which is that I’ve been slammed with work since I’m back in an office and my company has had, in simple terms, a change in management. But prior to this, I didn’t have a whole lot going on, and was still at a loss for new ideas. Except for brief moments where great thoughts pop into my head (which typically fade into oblivion before I can get them out), I feel rather stagnant lately.
I suppose I feel like I am at a personal crossroads these days. Though I’ve said it before, and I’m not sure why it seems to be lasting so long. Something inside of me just seems to be [...]
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Conquering my fear of dancing
Monday, October 4th, 2010
Salsa Dance – “Dance All Night” photo by ted.sali
Something I have never liked doing, nor been any good at, is dancing. Any time I go anywhere where there is dancing, whether it’s a wedding or a nightclub, I always get a little pit in my stomach, wondering if I will inevitably get dragged onto the dance floor. I have other irrational fears like this, but finally I am working on overcoming this one.
Yes, just this past week I started my first lesson of salsa dance classes. It was hard for me to make the decision to sign up, but I finally did it. I have actually considered it several times over the past few years, but fear always got the best of me. Finally this time I just decided to make it happen.
Interestingly, it wasn’t all my [...]
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Life has changed
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010My life has changed quite a bit recently, but I’m really loving it. Don’t worry, nothing wrong with my personal life, however there’s been a big change in my working life. The end result is that I am still employed with the same company, but now get to work from home full time.
The company I work for has had quite a turbulent history. I was one of the first employees to come on board, and we grew quickly, too quickly. First We moved offices and had a nice office downtown with a great view. But within a year, it was decided that we outgrew our our lovely office, and so we moved again. This time to another downtown office with another great view, but now we had the entire floor. Problem is, around the same time, we stopped growing. Oh yea, and the economy took a crap. So over [...]
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Can I possibly create a business based on things I already know?
Friday, September 4th, 2009I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about this topic lately, and about how ordinary people are learning to monetize their existing skills, and ultimately employ themselves. Is it really possible? And do I have any skill or knowledge that people would pay for?
Often I’ll find myself browsing random job postings or gigs on Craigslist for non-traditional types of employment, and I’ll look and think, wow, I wish I had the skills they are looking for, then I could hire myself out rather than work for someone. (By non-traditional I really mean any jobs that won’t require me to sit and get paid for my time rather than my work, like most jobs in my field do)
My goal has been always to be self employed, but my major stumbling block is that I don’t feel like I am an expert at any one thing or skilled enough to [...]
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