How is your life different from last year? How is your life different from 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Since you left college (or high school)? How has your life evolved over time? Is it an orderly progression of steps towards mastery? Is it a series of plateaus punctuated by periods […]
The Power of Periodization
In 2009, I found myself carrying almost 25 pounds more than normal and having to go shopping (yet again) because my clothes were too tight. I knew it was bad when Mom began to give me her hand-me-downs because they were too big for her. I needed to do something. My weight had been stable […]
Combining Conflicting Goals
I abandoned my pursuit of a History Ph.D. in 1996. At the time, my colleagues asked “So what are you going to do? Teach?” They had images of me standing in front of a classroom of 6th graders. My response was “I’m not sure, but I have transferable skills as a result of this education. […]
Approaching Major Change
I was chatting with a friend a few weeks back. We started talking about how to handle conflicting major goals. As I reflected on the conversation, I realized that in my life, I’ve handled major (somewhat planned) change using these three approaches: Combination. Can I combine goals or activities? Example: If one goal is “Live in New […]
Focus and Prioritization
We live in a time of massive opportunity, massive choice, and massive distraction. We are no longer limited to our immediate physical environment when we make our choices. Friends are available around the world. Information is at our fingertips with electricity, internet, and a device. It feels like we are in a time of no […]
How to Use Video Games to See Patterns
Over the past few weeks, I started playing Stardew Valley –a farming life simulator (or what I would fondly call, an errand runner – where I do the tasks I SHOULD be doing in real life). Life simulators, like Stardew Valley and the SIMS, are agreat way to see patterns that you might miss while […]
Case Study: Health Goals
(Transcript) For this case study, I wanted to do a case study of a change that a lot of us attempt to make at one point in our adult lives for another. This is one for healthy lifestyle changes. I have a few caveats because I know this is a really sensitive topic. One, I’m […]
Case Study: Writing a Book
This case study applies to writing a book. You can also use this for any large personal project. (Transcript) I want to share with you a case study on how to use the change planning model and today’s case study really applies to projects that you want to start for yourself. In this particular instance, […]
Case Study: Personal Education
(Transcript) In this case study for the personal change planning model, I wanted to provide a case study for decision around whether or not to join a particular club or any other time-consuming activity. I would also think of this case study in terms of pursue a certification or pursue a new educational opportunity, one […]
I’m Writing a Book!
(Two actually….but this one will appear first.) I’m writing Personal Change Planning – Deciding What to Pursue and Shrinking the Gap Between Desired State and Future State (working title). Over the next month – I will be sharing case studies and facilitation techniques using the Change Planning Model I am developing. The book promotion is […]
