Posts Tagged ‘Self Management’

In 100 Words: Work Your Craft Daily

Tuesday, August 1st, 2023 by Troy Schrock

Your craft is the technical work through which you produce value for others – external customers or internal team members.  It is also work you enjoy and gives you energy.  You may get tired, but this work doesn’t drain you.

What is your personal craft?  How much time do you work your craft each day?  How can you:

  • Fill your schedule with more of your craft?
  • Build support systems which facilitate smooth transitions into your craft and keep you in the zone?
  • Identify tools and processes which help you excel at your craft?
  • Develop your skills to improve in your craft?

“Real success is finding your lifework in the work you love.”  David McCullough

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In 100 Words: Capability Multipliers

Tuesday, June 15th, 2021 by Troy Schrock

Five capability multipliers are listed below. Each factor will expand a person’s contribution regardless of the individual’s base level of talent, skill or knowledge.

1. Attitude – positive and pleasant with a desire to openly engage and serve people.

2. Energy – a result of physical and mental conditioning through diet, rest and exercise.

3. Focus – concentrated attention and effort toward the task or situation at hand.

4. Strengths – leverage unique strengths within the particular work.

5. Teachability – willing to absorb and apply both new knowledge and instructive feedback.

Managing these five well amplifies existing capabilities. How do these resonate with you?

“When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” George Washington Carver

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In 100 Words: Savoring Quiet

Wednesday, August 1st, 2018 by Troy Schrock

Reflection time is a luxury many people find too expensive. Consequently, the skill of quiet thinking can be under-developed. We live in 24/7, visual-rich, noise-saturated, media-stimulated environments. Who dares unplug and go quiet? What might we miss?

Physiologically, our minds don’t function well “always on.” Reflection time is where our minds work subconsciously connecting stored dots of information.

Practice quiet.

• Turn off devices
• Sit or stroll outside – nature is conducive to mental meandering
• Close your eyes – other senses awaken

When we are thirsty we gulp. To savor a drink, we sip and swish. Reflection is savoring quiet.

“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” Albert Einstein

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In 100 Words: Position Well

Wednesday, January 31st, 2018 by Troy Schrock

Where do you produce your greatest value and are you positioned to do so? Do you know what activities lead to your best work? Do you orient your time accordingly? If not, start a time log.

Identifying what keeps us out of position is a good first step toward contributing our best. Many of us don’t properly structure our work activities. Maybe we haven’t given thought to which activities yield the highest returns. Possibly we hold onto work that should be delegated or stopped altogether. Then, there are those pesky distractions.

Evaluate how you can reposition to deliver higher value.

“There’s an awful temptation to just keep on researching. There comes a point where you just have to stop, and start writing.” David McCullough

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In 100 Words: Being Present

Monday, August 1st, 2016 by Troy Schrock

How well do you concentrate your mental and emotional faculties on the situation at hand? Can you tell when someone else in a conversation is “miles away?” Here are four reasons why being present is a difficult skill to do well in our person-to-person interactions:

• we are naturally self vs. others focused
• we allow distractions (phones, email, etc.)
• we aren’t emotionally invested
• our minds wander

If we cultivate the mindset of being present we will have greater impact in the current situation. More importantly, we send people the message that they, and the tasks at hand, are important.

“The mind is never satisfied with the objects immediately before it, but is always breaking away from the present moment…” Samuel Johnson

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In 100 Words: The Snare of Easy Success

Saturday, October 31st, 2015 by Troy Schrock

In any endeavor – academics, athletics, career or business – performing at the top is exhilarating! However, if success comes too quickly and easily, a deceptive snare is laid – blindness to the need to improve. The motivation to form healthy work and learning habits is missing. It’s simply a matter of time until performance peaks out.

Remaining a top performer – sustaining success over time – requires continuous growth and work. Life is a progression, not a single event. The factors influencing achievement are constantly shifting, so only deliberate improvement prepares us for more challenging future pursuits and enables us to elude the snare.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” Benjamin Franklin

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