When you have hit a sticky part of your project and a new opportunity or idea presents itself, what is your default? Do you quickly move to the new and get started – abandoning the thing that you were trying to do? OR Do you keep plugging away at what you are doing, even if […]
Dealing with the Siren Song of Distraction
It was amazing. The deeper I got into the book writing process, the more I wanted to distract myself. I had to keep reminding myself that we were past the point of “just one more source” and keep writing. I had a couple of epic ideas that just wouldn’t die, despite my attempts to keep […]
Adding vs Embedding in Real Life
I decided during a trip to Mexico that I was going to learn how to surf. I was over 40 and wasn’t known for my grace and balance. I had a great lesson, which sadly ended in a wave catching me and the board I was carrying, twisting me awkwardly as I walked onto the […]
What is Motivating Your Change?
Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, in their book The 12 Week Year, ask: Are you are being externally motivated to do things? How close is the alignment of your work and efforts to how you want your life to look? If the goal doesn’t align with your life vision, how inspired are you to work […]
The Myths Around Attention Spans
Do we really have less attention span than a goldfish? What does attention span measure anyway? The video above answers these questions and other myths. The material is from the first course – Sticky Learning. Sticky Learning is the first course in a masterclass series for instructional designers – Design Better Learning Sticky Learning isn’t […]
Dealing with Ideas that Won’t Die
Sometimes, I have an idea that just won’t get out of my head. I’m trying to prioritize my efforts and focus on what I am doing. I have scheduled when I am going to address this idea. I’ve put all the sub-ideas and research in its own little pile to be dealt with later. And […]
Evaluating Your Environment
Pretend you are a cactus. Specifically, a Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia). Prickly Pear Cactus thrive best in environments that are warm, sunny, dry, has alkaline to neutral soil, and drain incredibly well. Some Prickly Pear can do ok in cold weather, though they are not thrilled about it (Eastern prickly pear (O. humifusa) ) All […]
The Role of Identity in The Change Curve
It dawned on me, as I read Atomic Habits (Amazon, non-affiliate link) and Fisher’s 2012 version of the change curve, that the dip in Fisher’s change curve is driven by identity. How does the change challenge your identity? Fisher speaks to this in his 2012 paper, but I think we underplay the emotions and the […]
Fake It Till Ya Make It
I don’t think we have a true notion of how our identity needs to shift when we make a change until we get into the change. Furthermore, we tend to get into change initiatives from where we are now. Our old selves. There are rare instances where we can completely cut off everyone who knew […]
Change and Identity
James Clear, in his fantastic book Atomic Habits (Amazon link, non-affiliate), talks about the relationship between Outcome (Have) – Process (Do) – Identity (Be). Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads us to outcome-based habits. The alternative is to build identity-based habits. With […]
