LifeDev

Photo by Mr T. in DC

Post by Jason D Barr.

“It wasn’t that I was able to persevere. I was unable to stop! I just couldn’t give it up. It was just too important. It never entered the realm of possibility. But, I never was sure, really sure, that it was going to work and I would ever really be an astronomer.” – Vera Rubin, Astronomer (emphasis mine)

Is that an awesome quote, or what? Talk about putting yourself out there. Vera Rubin wanted to be an astronomer during a time when it just wasn’t acceptable for women to have those kinds of ambitions. She tried to enroll in Princeton’s graduate astronomy program, but wasn’t allowed. She found another school that would take her (Cornell) and studied under some of the greatest minds in physics. She’s currently 81 years of age and still teaching, having authored 114 peer-reviewed research papers (and counting).

Why is it that some people, like Dr. Rubin, are willing to do just about anything to accomplish their goals, and others are willing to let adversity (or worse, apathy) push them off their course?

“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” is a question that counselors and motivational speaker-types often ask. I like what my Twitter friend, life coach Tim Brownson, asks his clients, though: “What would you do, if you knew you would definitely succeed?”. Turns things on it’s head, doesn’t it? It assumes certain success, rather than just avoiding failure (because, as we all know, you can avoid failing without really succeeding).

So, what’s preventing you from doing what you want to do? Is it fear? Uncertainty of how to begin? Plain old laziness? I’ve experienced all of these, and trust me, they’re no excuse for a truly motivated individual. When you get to the point where, as Dr. Rubin said, “[giving up] never entered the realm of possibility”, you’ve moved past any chance of failing. It’s only a matter of time.

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by laszlo-photo

Ever have one of those days where everything you touch seems to break? I had one of those last week. In a period of 24 hours, my

• dishwasher broke
• car battery died (we only have one car)
• air conditioner broke (it’s currently 94F, but feels like 102F with Kansas humidity)
• dryer stopped drying clothes

And the icing on the cake: the local Internet was spotty (at best).

What this meant was on top of a borked dryer and dishwasher, I wasn’t able to leave (broke car) my sweltering house (broke AC) to get some work done. It wasn’t pretty. Apparently I had gotten on Murphy’s bad side.

It’s these unexpected hang-ups that can really push us over the edge. It took everything in me to not curl up in a fetal position and start sucking my thumb. Yet, there is a silver lining to every cloud. Through this awesome awful experience I learned some techniques for when disaster strikes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by AmUnivers

Ah yes. It’s almost officially Summer, and hopefully things are starting to slow down for you. Summer is the time for barbecues, baseball games, vacations, going to the lake or pool, and in general having more fun.

Or at least that’s what it used to be.

Thanks to the ever increasing connectivity that technology provides, it’s becoming harder and harder to really break free. In fact, for many we’ve forgotten altogether what it means to really kick back without the outside world clawing at our conscious. It’s not pretty, folks.

I’ve written many times on how to effectively take breaks (and their benefits) scattered here and there throughout the site. I’ve bundled them together into an easy-to-bookmark post. Hopefully you’ll find this useful and a timely refresher as we enter the season of Summer fun.

• Let Your Mind Unwind
  A great beginner piece on how breaks are absolutely essential to a great work day.
• Avoid Entrepreneur Burnout: Work Out of Rest
  Entrepreneurs are typically awful about taking care of themselves, especially with regards to sleep. (Not pointing the finger here; I’m guilty too)
• How to Work 8 Hours a Day Without Hating Yourself
  By using strategically placed breaks at intervals throughout the day, you can work longer and more efficiently.
• The 5 Day PM Computer Fast: Why I Got More Done In Less Time
  Don’t be mislead by the gangly title. (Come on, people. It was one of my first few months blogging!) This was a eureka moment, an early vision of what disconnecting from the Internet could be like. For five days I shut off the compy at promptly 5pm, just to a) see if I could and b) what it would do to my productivity. The results: awesome.
• How to Make Every Workday Feel Like Saturday
  Ever wondered why you can plow through work on Saturdays? I love working on Saturday mornings more than any other day of the week, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. This post shows how we can make everyday at the office feel like a lazy Saturday in our PJ’s, watching cartoons.
• Pacing Your Work Day: Are You Stopping to Smell the Roses?
  It turns out there is more to life than just work.
• Keeping Focus While Beating Back Distractions
  Focus is essential for killer productivity, but do you know the real secret to more focus? That’s right: Frequent breaks.
• The Morning Tea Break: Making Better People out of Nurses
  Studies have shown that nurses who take tea breaks are better nurses throughout the day.
• Prepare For Your Next Task Before You Take a Break
  If you’re wanting to maximize your work/break routines, this nifty little trick works wonders. It immediately sets you up to slam on the next task the second you get back, without distractions.

Photo by dawvon

Post by Ibrahim Husain. Follow him on Twitter.

One thing that I push my readers to experience is living proactively instead of reactively. A prolific lifestyle is one where you create your own opportunity, you take responsibility for your life and you go into your world and shape it into what you want it to be. A reactive lifestyle is just the opposite; you go out into the world and wait for life to interact with you, then you just react to each stimulus as it comes. People who live prolifically are more satisfied with their life, and I’ll tell you why.

People who live a prolific lifestyle decide what they want and create ways get it, rather than deciding what they want and waiting for the opportunity to arise. The difference isn’t necessarily in the end product, because with a little bit of luck they may both end up in the same place. Rather, the prolific one creates his own journey and therefore finds more satisfaction in it. It isn’t about the final product, the satisfaction comes from every step it took to get there.

With that in mind I urge you to try this little experiment. I started in 2008 and last year I experienced more stories worth telling than the rest of my years combined.

Read the rest of this entry »

As I sit listening to the rain pound on the Denver airport windows, I can’t help but compare my work spaces in the past couple of days. You’ll recall that one week ago I was typing happily in a serene location. Today: not so much.

Working by a scenic stream in northern California, exactly one week ago.

Working at the rainy Denver airport tonight. See the difference?

Instead of sleeping soundly in my bed, I’ll be “bunking” inside the airport terminal in Denver. The stormy local weather has delayed our flight until the early morning. So, with LifeDev to run, an ebook to launch, freelance work to do and Zen Habits to moderate, it appears that ideal work environment or not, I’ll have to rise above the conditions and just do it.

So with all the sappy “I love what I do soooo much that I’ll do it on vacation” out of the way, it seems that I’ll have to put my money where my mouth is.

Am I really that portable? Can I work in awful conditions?

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Pear Biter

I’m typing this post from the porch sunny Sacramento ranch. My fiancee is a bridesmaid in a wedding, and I was lucky enough to tag along for the ride. A peacock is nonchalantly grazing not three feet from me, and I’m sitting next to a babbling brook typing away, amazed at how different this surrounding is than most of my “normal” days.

Yet with these beautiful surroundings, I’m still able to write. In fact, I want to work. I’m called to it. Why is that? I have a few theories.

Is it REALLY work?

It’s hard to call what I do work. Sure, every job has aspects that aren’t as fun, but being a full-time freelancer means that I can run away whenever I feel like it, and tote my office with me.

When I leave town, I always try and do as much in advance, so I can unwind as much as usual. But I don’t crave a total disconnection from the outside world because I’m tired of it. I try to save the things I love for the trip (ie. writing for LifeDev), and leave the things that aren’t as fun for home.

Do as others do

It wasn’t too long ago that I came to the realization that I needed to set routines and schedules for my creative work. After reading everything I could get my hands on pertaining to working and creativity, I found an interesting trend. Nearly all successful and wildly creative people have routines. They stick to these routines religiously. Usually at a certain time every day, they attempt to create. And then the rest of the day they use to perfect their craft.

An example: A Stephen King writes 1,000 quality words a day, and spends another chunk of his day polishing his skill by reading. Has it worked for him?

The deeper the roots, the taller the tree, (and more importantly), the more those branches can sway.

Deep Roots are the Key to Working a Portable Lifestyle

These people have “rooted” themselves in routines that they follow every day, no matter what. I’m trying to do this too: I try to publish at least two articles a week on LifeDev. No matter what. Even if I’m at a beautiful ranch with a stream flowing through the backyard, with peacocks strutting around, covered bridges, horseshoe pits and gazebos scattered across the property.

Having cake and eating it too

So, you might be thinking by now that I’m a tad on the looney side for wanting to write, when I could be doing tons of other fun things.

Why don’t I want to completely disconnect? Am I so chained to this computer that I can’t get up and leave?

The fact is, writing this post is part of my vacation. It’s what I love to do. It’s allowing me to unwind; it’s a release.

So let me pose this question: Do you love what you do so much that you would want to take it with you on vacation? If not, than what is the one thing you find so much pleasure in that you could do it whenever and wherever, loving every minute of it?

Passion is everything. The business plan comes later.