There’s a commercial on Dutch TV about the risk of polarization. It’s short, cute, and full of great intentions.
You witness friends and a father and daughter argue over climate and immigrant issues. A voiceover enters the scene and states:
It was followed by making the point that our world is becoming increasingly polarized and that it’s really up to us to do something about it.… Read the rest
Are you a procrastinator?
Do you have days that go by without accomplishing anything? Days that you just looked at the work you needed to do, but in the end, you didn’t do anything?
You’re not alone.
Do you have, get, make time to think?
Or is your head mainly a six-lane highway full of traffic and trucks trying to make their way through day in and day out?
The highway metaphor and the cultural components from the book More Time to Think by Nancy Kline.
Proverbial highways with trucks that create a constant noise always seem distracting, preventing you from focusing. … Read the rest
Recently I had to say goodbye to a family member.
Relatively sudden.
I won’t write about the circumstances, no worries. I’ll just write about a sudden shift in priorities when something like this happens to you.
From one moment to the other, things change dramatically. What mattered yesterday is suddenly not that important anymore. … Read the rest
Good news!
The most depressing day of the year is behind us.
Last Monday was Blue Monday, the third Monday of the year. And apparently also the most depressing day of the year.
I was not aware.
Until I met with a client at 5 pm that day during a video call.… Read the rest
Let’s talk busyness.
I spent some time traveling the last weeks, visiting hotels with conference facilities.
I love hotels with conference facilities. They’re a source of inspiration for stories.
Not only are the hotels happy Covid is under control, but so am I.
You’re the most important person in your life.
Erikjan Lantink
When you agree with this statement, great! Read on and be inspired.
When you disagree, here’s why I’d like you to reconsider.
You may consider family, partner, friends, cats, or dogs more important in your life, but if you weren’t there, they would still continue living.… Read the rest
Last week I asked a business partner how he was doing.
I asked him what that meant.
He explained that he was almost always busy, ranging from extremely busy to good busy.
Good busy meant that work was not crazy but did not allow much thinking or reflection time.… Read the rest
I thought I would never write this insight.
Frankly, I still can’t believe that I do.
If there’s one thing I would expect that any team leader knows how to do well, it’s to run a meeting.
Have you ever seen a woodchopper running around in a forest trying to chop ten trees simultaneously?
Imagine the scene.
Every time he gets to a tree, he chops at it a few times, and then he goes on to the next tree. After some considerable time running around, all ten trees are still standing, and the woodchopper is worn-out and on his last legs.… Read the rest
Interesting article by McKinsey last week with the following heading:
Followed by the first paragraph:
“With endless meetings, constant emails, and casts of thousands, companies have mastered the art of unnecessary interactions. Winning in the next normal requires much more focus on true collaboration.”… Read the rest
I like to meditate in the morning.
It’s a relaxing and calm way to start my day.
Over time, I noticed that I’m more focused on what I aim to do that day when I meditate in the morning.
It’s hard to explain, but it feels like I’m more in control of my actions.… Read the rest
There’s still one month to go in 2020, and I’m already in book review mode.
Perhaps a bit early and out of the ordinary, but let’s face it. Things are off this year anyway, so why not talk about book reviews in November?
If you predicted one year ago what 2020 would look like and you expected this mess, you should put some money on the stock exchange immediately.… Read the rest
When you give a TED talk, you get 18 minutes to share your message. You get on your red dot, and when you start your talk, a big clock you can’t miss starts counting down. The good news is that you know this so that you can prepare for it.
When I prepared for my TED talk, I had divided my text into eight blocks.… Read the rest
