On the topic of habits, Jocelyn K. Glei makes the case for ensuring your have whitespace in your day (aka margin). She’s drawing from the design principle and applying it to every day life. > We need white space in our daily lives just as much as we need it in our designs because the concept carries over: If our lives are over-cluttered and over-booked, we can’t focus properly on anything. What’s more, this way of working actually shrinks our ability to think creatively. The older I get, the mo…
All posts in life
I’ve long struggled with putting people first, putting relationships ahead of the projects that are taking up my time and focus. As soon as I started writing online and learning about personal productivity, this theme was playing itself out in my life. Almost 10 years ago [https://chrisbowler.com/journal/tasks-versus-relationships], I was pondering how things were to fit together. > I started thinking again about what it really means to follow the concepts that make up GTD. And how that fits w…
There is one aspect of Christianity that causes more confusion and uncertainty than any other. At least, that has been my experience. In my life, and from what I’ve seen in the lives of others.
From my 15 year or so years of being involved in a church, I’ve come to see two basic approaches to being a Christian. Our pastor summed this up really well recently, putting this way. One way seeks to answer the question, “How do I fit Christ into my life?” The other way understands that Christ is my life. This is such a profound way to look at things. Let's contrast the two approaches. How do I fit Christ into my life? In this approach, life is full of responsibilities & commitments, joys &…
It’s been 8 years since I developed the habit of getting up long before the rest of the house. There is something about those early morning hours; the blessed stillness before the bustle of a family of 6 begins their day. I’ve long treasured the opportunity that this time offers, the ability to get the day started in whatever way suits me best. And it’s these times where I develop most as a person. Whether it’s time spent in prayer, meditation, studying the Word, or writing and creating in any…
Chris Savage, co-founder of Wistia [https://wistia.com/welcome], shares a little about how he had to change how he approached his own work. As their business grew, his time became more scarce as more and more things filled it up. And that was a problem: > There comes a point when your effectiveness falters, though, when you’re no longer focusing on the right things or doing your best work. In fact, you may have already passed that point, but you didn’t realize because your busy schedule made yo…
Does our industry have a problem with contentment, always looking for something better?
Susan Dominus, writing for the NYT Magazine, writes about the importance of team culture over policy. The focus of the article is to illustrate the point that even when companies tout flexibility through corporate policy, it can take time for team members to feel comfortable allowing their personal life to encroach upon the boundaries of their professional life. The article is a good one (part of an interesting series titled, “THE WORK ISSUE: REIMAGINING THE OFFICE”). Dominus states that making…