Comments on: A Day in the Life of Me http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/ "Stand on the Shoulders of Giants" ... Insight and Action for Work and Life. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:04:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: David http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-310198 David Sun, 19 Aug 2012 19:11:41 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-310198 Yeah, a good manager can make all the difference. Perhaps that’s why successful companies focus on their employees.

I’m thankful to not be a cubicle warrior anymore, but this does make me hope if I have a boss again one day, I’m given the open road.

]]> By: JD http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-310175 JD Sun, 19 Aug 2012 17:59:44 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-310175 @ David — Sometimes I forget that I lucked out in a lot of ways.

I had a manager early on who put it bluntly — he didn’t care when I worked, how much I worked, or how I worked … he said be a team player, make things happen, and produce great results.

He was not a micro-manager. He was a mentor. He focused on grooming and growing great results, and creating glide-paths to do so.

His focus on results left all the space in the middle wide open for me to put my creative talents to work, and find a way to shine.

]]> By: David http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-310010 David Sun, 19 Aug 2012 09:00:30 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-310010 The drive home bit is the best part of this post. The change up of time should be offered to all employees everywhere. Instead of punching a clock we may actually see people seeking work they are passionate for….

It is an interesting read though. We all imagine what it’s like to work for a company that cares. Very cool!

]]> By: JD http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-309449 JD Sat, 18 Aug 2012 01:20:37 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-309449 @ Ian — No assistant, just technique.

A short story — when I first joined Microsoft, an early manager told me he doesn’t pay me to do email. I decided I would spend no more than 30 minutes a day in it. I studied “the best of the best” around the company to find the best ways to simplify and streamline. I refined it over years.

Here are slides that show the approach:
The Zen of Zero Mail

But I think you are right … I should write a deep How To on it. It’s worth explaining. Some folks also want the video.

The most important concept is to think of your mail as a stream of potential action and to pluck them out, and organize the actions appropriately.

]]> By: JD http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-309446 JD Sat, 18 Aug 2012 01:14:15 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-309446 @ Joy — Good question. I do like Limp bizkit’s version of “Mission Impossible”, but other days it would be more like, Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good.”

It’s tough to be bold when we’re burdened … so I want work and life to be as light-weight as possible. I found that putting just enough scaffodling, or just enough structure in place is the key. This makes spaces for all the ad-hoc, all the outrageous, all the random, and all the unplanned stuff … effectively all of the spice that makes up life.

Life tests us and it’s easier to respond to the challenges, if we get a fresh start each day.

]]> By: Ian http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-309439 Ian Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:55:49 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-309439 I’m also a Program Manager so I relate to much what you said. But have you ever blogged about how you control your inbox? I did not see it in your How-to section. 150+ emails… 30 minutes… you must have an assistant!!!?

]]> By: Joy http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-309435 Joy Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:35:47 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-309435 What would your theme song be?

You are very clear with what you share in this space, so I knew you would be organized in life, and also have ample time at the beginning and end of your day to wind up and down.

And, I *love* this: “After all, life is about the experience”…you seem to allow it to be one of depth and richness..thank you for sharing as you do :)

]]> By: JD http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-309414 JD Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:16:59 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-309414 @ Alik — I should have included a theme song with this post ;)

The most important thing I learned about clarity is to test it … test if often, and test it fast. So many things sound good or look good on paper, until the rubber meets the road. So few things stick, and success is a numbers game.

]]> By: Alik Levin http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-309403 Alik Levin Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:37:02 +0000 http://sourcesofinsight.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-me/#comment-309403 Geez… I was reading through this and I could clearly hear Rocky’s music in my ears so loud – BOOM BOOM BOOM!
I liked this one especially:
>>My strategy is to get clarity on the outcomes and to flow value as quickly as possible, while creating a learning system, so we get better, and better.

Yeah, baby, clarity is king!

]]>