Getting Stuff Done

My notes on productivity, operations management, business and hacks to get things done.

books

I Confused Learning With Scrolling

The more I've thought about it, the more I've come to realize that I've confused consuming media with learning. I've gotten very good at taking information in. What I haven't been nearly as deliberate about is creating the space to process it and put it into action.

Getting Stuff Done

Them's the Rules

A few days of downtime in Taiwan gave me space to read—and notice a pattern: Most of the leaders I admire live by their own set of rules. That got me thinking—what are mine? Here’s what I came up with, and why defining your own “operating system” might just change how you work and live.

Areas of Interest

Build Knowledge Capital By Blogging

Knowledge capital is incredibly powerful, as it shapes our understanding, informs and accelerates our decisions, and unlocks new opportunities. Those who actively cultivate and expand their knowledge gain a significant competitive edge, whether in their careers, businesses, or personal pursuits.

Areas of Interest

SCALE and IDEAS - The Frameworks of the Exponential Organization

Last week I posted about framework thinking and provided a short list of a few of my favorites. Here are two more that I am convinced will become very important over the next decade: SCALE and IDEAS, the frameworks of the exponential organization.

Business

The Power of Framework Thinking

In the world of biopharm operations management (where I spend a lot of time), complexity is a daily reality. Over the last decade, I have become a believer in the power of framework thinking and even a collector of sorts.

Areas of Interest

Photography Is an Infinite Game

When it comes to the sport of photography, here is the game: If the camera I am lugging around captures the light and motion better then my phone can, it's a win. If not, what's the point....Why? Because photography is an infinite game.

Business

Communicating a Vision using PO3 Framework

Communicating a vision: The PO3 framework - Purpose, Objective, Outcomes, and Outputs - offers a powerful tool for leaders to communicate their vision clearly and motivate their teams to achieve it.

book

Building a Second Brain Review

"Building a Second Brain" by Tiago Forte offers a innovative approach to personal productivity and knowledge management in the digital age.

Getting Stuff Done

The Power of Habit Summary

"The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg is like a masterclass in deciphering the codes of our behaviors. This book dives into mechanisms of habit and how they control everything from our daily routines to organizational success.

learning

What Are the Stages of Learning?

The stages of learning refer to the different phases or steps that we go through when acquiring new skills or knowledge. The one I am most familiar with is the "Four Stages of Learning" model, also known as the "Four Stages of Competence" model.

Business

How To Create a Digital Commonplace Book

In the process of doing some research for our business I discovered how to create a digital commonplace book. It's my new favorite video game. For an investment of $8 a month and five minutes a day you can turn your brain into a giant tag cloud.

Business

How to Prototype a Framework

Over the last few weeks I have been prototyping a framework around my philosophy of operations management and distilling it down to a few fundamental ideas. This is how I did it.

Areas of Interest

Changes...

Socrates said that the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new. This nugget of wisdom is right up in my grill this week.

Areas of Interest

The Story of My $100 Cannon Rebel T1i

This is a post about the concept of "getting off zero". It involves a used, ten year old camera that underperforms every new camera on the market today. It's my new favorite piece of technology and I have been taking it everywhere....

Productivity

The Hemingway Bridge as an End of Week Unplug Process

Maybe this is common sense to most people, but not to me. I had to learn that I could use a few hours on Friday to create a bombproof Monday plan that allows me to completely shut off work mode.

About

The Project List

Below is a living list of projects that are either works in process or queued up in the hopper as bucket list items. I find that keeping a list of near-term and long term goals like this that I can refer to increases the probability that I will actually get around to completing them.

learning

Intelligence is the velocity of learning

This is pretty raw, we will see how it evolves over time. But I think that if you use the relationship I'm about to describe as a model, it could reveal weaknesses in systems where learning is important.

Blogging

Manage Your Energy and Not Your Time

"Fish or cut bait.." my friend John Glabas used to say when deciding if he was in or out one of our ill conceived climbing trips. I guess I need to do the same when it comes to this blog.

Concepts

The Power of Habit

If you can accept that our brains are wired to execute habits like software sub-routines, then you get the idea that you can hack that software.

Tactics

Always Sit At The Bar

If you are an operations geek, sitting at the bar at a nice restaurant while at maximum capacity is like getting backstage tickets to a concert.

Tactics

Buy A Giant Stack of Strengths Finder Books

Strengths Finder 2.0 is hands down the book that I have most gifted to others.  I give a copy to every leader I am mentoring, new supervisor, person who seeks career advice or even random people who ask me why I keep a stack of 15 copies of Strengths

Areas of Interest

What can Leroy Jenkins Teach us about Front Line Shift Huddles?

Leroy Jenkins is a ten year old internet meme. It’s also a great tool to initiate a discussion about shift huddle standards.

Business

If I Wrote a Book I Would Title it "WTF is Happening Here?"

If I were to write a book the title would be "WTF is happening here"? I actually think that this is a profound question that everybody should be asking. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't ask that question (sometimes multiple times each day).