When I do errands, I like to plan them all out to be as efficiently as possible. I plan out my route to get as much done with as little driving, and try to time my departure so that I get everything finished with as little waiting as possible. I’ve gotten pretty darn good at… Read More How a conversation in the grocery store challenged me to slow down
I was talking to my grandmother about our family goals the other day, when she asked me to list them out for her. “We want to create close community and relationships, and we want to slow down and make time to rest,” I started. My grandmother interrupted me. “Aren’t those rather contradictory?” she asked. She… Read More The myth of balance
As humans, we sometimes have a tendency to look to the future with more anticipation than we should. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to make plans and be excited about the future. What I’m talking about is more the “grass is always greener” syndrome. We think that things would be better, life would be… Read More Living in the miracle
Productivity coach and guru Michael Hyatt recently introduced me to a concept that he calls “the three brains.” Of course biologically humans only have one brain, but there are actually three different facets of our brains that are constantly at war with each other.
Well week 1 of my experiment in Deep Work has ended. I had mixed results. The first three days of the week were fantastic. I woke up early, had my breakfast smoothie, and got right to work. Each day by lunchtime I’d accomplished more than I sometimes get done in a week. It was amazing!… Read More A chance to start again
I am a list person – always have been. I write grocery lists, daily and weekly to-do lists, bucket lists, lists of upcoming birthday gifts to buy. Pretty much any category you can think of to write a list about, I’ve written it. I’ve even been known on more than one occasion to write a… Read More How I’m changing my schedule to create a more focused life
One of the main points of Cal Newport’s book Deep Work is that if we cannot focus uninterrupted for long stretches of time on a hard problem, we will only be able to produce shallow results. For example, email is shallow work. It is something anyone can do – it does not require any particular… Read More What’s keeping you from reaching your goals
It’s hard for me to believe that we are already well into July. It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating last Christmas, and now I’m already seeing stores preparing for next Christmas! You know what they say – the days are long but the years are short. So often we go through life planning… Read More How to live deeply and deliberately
When I was a kid, I lived for summer. Afternoons spent splashing in the pool, sleeping on blankets in the grass, and slurping frozen ice pops – those were the days. It was pure bliss. Even when I was in college, I still thought of summer with eager anticipation. Summers as a college student looked different,… Read More Summer sweetness amid life’s bitterness
This is part 4 of a 4-part series. Click for part 1, part 2, and part 3. Judge Bishop wrapped up his inspiring graduation speech with one last inspiring story about Navy SEALs. As part of SEALs training, they are required to do a scuba dive in total darkness. No lamps, flashlights, or even… Read More Diving in the dark
