I’m not more creative than you, I just write things down
Want to feel more creative? Write things down. Use a pen. And a piece of paper. And when you think of a thing, write it down.
I have blogged intermittently since the mid 90s. Thankfully, much of the early teenage angst is lost to time. This collects my writings from this site, an earlier personal website, and some newsletter projects over the years, in mostly chronological order. I also publish new writing here. I publish somewhat more formal writing about content strategy and design careers at Content Career Accelerator.
Welcome to Meeting Club
Welcome to Meeting Club. The first rule of Meeting Club is: we do not talk about meetings. We just have them.
Noticing isn’t the same thing as caring
There’s a difference between “people might notice this” and “this is going to cause a problem”.
People Like Free Things (and that’s okay)
I’m sad that Google Reader is going to be shut down. I really like Google Reader. I liked it even more before they stripped some of the social features out to sandbag it for Wave. Judging by my Twitter timeline and blog subscriptions, I’m in the minority. The prevailing sentiment seems to be that being … continue
Clipboard managers are a writer’s best friend
Do you write things on computers? You do. So you have a clipboard manager, right? My clipboard manager makes me feel like a ninja. I’m sliding and striking and chopping and spinning words and text and URLs without any worry about losing my balance or missing my objective. A clipboard manager is just what it … continue
How to Not Lose Your Voice
If you have to give a presentation, lead a meeting, or just do a lot of talking as part of your job, losing your voice is not option. The best thing you can do for your voice is to speak only as loud as necessary, with plenty of breath support, at a comfortable pitch. Most … continue
Smaller Paper
A big blank canvas? Scary. A new Powerpoint deck with no slides? Scary. Designer notebooks packed with crisp, white, empty pages? I’ve abandoned dozens. My big ideas are built out of small ideas. I try to capture my small ideas in small, simple ways. Index cards. Plain text files. A few words added to a … continue
40 Stupid Questions to Reframe Your Next Meeting
One well-timed and innocently-asked stupid question can be a powerful tool for reframing problems, redirecting conversation, and encouraging a decision-oriented mindset.
Take a walk to save some time
I work on many independent projects outside of my 9-5. When I need to get a lot done on a weeknight, I make myself take a walk between logging off the VPN1 and settling back down to work again. I haven’t always done this. Not taking the time to reset has made for many stressful and … continue
Keeping a Work Journal
I started a new job March 5 of this year. The new job also meant a new town and new apartment, filling a newly created position, and working on new projects with new people. On top of that, my start date was just two weeks before my first speaking gig at a major industry conference. … continue