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The Art of NOT Checking Your Email
Yesterday I tried a little experiment: I checked my email inbox precisely ONCE, just once in the entire day! Of course my curiosity nearly got the best of me at times, “Imagine what new and exciting or urgent emails could be waiting for me right now!” But I refused to crack, and checked and responded…
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My Ode to the Margin
Margins are the most under-estimated spaces on a page. I often find myself figuring out, my attempts to maximize each sheet of paper, exactly how close to the edge of a page my printer will print. I try to eliminate margins. Most all of us concern ourselves more with the content than the space around…
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The “Olivia Photostream” begins
Tomorrow will mark one week as a father. Olivia has already brought us more joy than we could have imagined, while at the same time bringing us to the end of ourselves on a daily basis. I had never understood what an enormous undertaking parenting is. But we’re loving every minute of it. I’ve always…
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Lost: Two confessions and a Mystery Box
Confession #1: I’m hooked on Lost. I never thought this would be me, eagerly awaiting each Tuesday, joining in discussions following each episode, mulling over key lines, speculating, wondering what might happen next. I’m hooked, and I’m loving it. But I must confess one other thing: I haven’t always been hooked. No, I’m a fair-weather…
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Reminiscing on a Friday Night
It’s a quiet, snowy Friday night, and I’m feeling sentimental. Within the next week or two our lives will be turned upside down forever. Our baby girl is due to arrive any day, our jobs are coming to a close in a week, and in a couple months we’ll be moving from the city that’s…
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Flipping the Switch on Change
I just finished Switch, the newest book from the Heath brothers (authors of Made to Stick). While I was surprised that the second book from Chip & Dan wasn’t about communication, as their first had been, I really enjoyed this one. Switch discusses how to make change happen, both personally and in relationships, as well…
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Lego and Obsessive On-Tasking
Dave exposed the myth of multi-tasking (thanks Chris). I used to be proud of having 10 windows open on my computer, moving swiftly between them giving the illusion of getting a lot accomplished. Lately I’ve been trying to focus my energies, removing distractions whenever possible. Nathan’s post last week made me re-visit the importance of…
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The Master Storytellers of New Orleans
I spent last week in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. While walking the streets of the French Quarter, I took note of some incredible communicators: the city’s tour guides. The Challenges Tour guides in New Orleans have at least two huge challenges: battling distraction and telling a compelling story. The French Quarter during Mardi Gras…
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Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize Wish
I just watched this amazing talk by Jamie Oliver about the need to teach children about food, and it gave me chills the whole way through. Watch it below, or on TED. Jamie came in with a chip on his shoulder, I think it’s his strong passion that made this talk so compelling. He calls…