Mike Vardy's Blog, page 124

Powering Through

It was an awfully nice day yesterday. Sunny, warm(ish) and the type of day where you just want to be outside. My kids played outside, my wife took some time to do some outdoorsy stuff and I…well, I stayed in. 1

Why did I stay in? Because I had a lot of writing (and editing) to get done…and Sunday is a work day for me. It was really a no-brainer.

I gave up one sunny day now, but by doing so I won’t have to give up many more sunny days that are going to come later.

With a book in the works, editing duties for Lifehack that I needed to get ahead on (due to a day in the skies happening today) and packing for my trip all needing to be worked on, spending time outside yesterday wasn’t in the cards. The sunny days in Victoria are rare at this time of year (although they are becoming less rare as we get into May), but I simply couldn’t justify going outside for the bulk of the day so I could catch some scarce rays.

I decided to power through instead.

I know that June is around the corner. I’d like to have the time then to go outside, enjoy the weather and have some much-deserved free time. July isn’t too far off either. With my daughter out of school then, I’d rather power through now to get stuff done so I can spend more time doing less work then. Same goes for August and September. By doing a lot of front-end work now, I’m setting myself up for free time later.

Having the foresight to power through now will allow me to power down later.

Photo credit: Quinn Dombrowski (CC BY-SA 2.0)

1 Save for mowing the lawn, which had to be done before I took off for Ontario for a week.

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The Wrench

The wrench is curious and versatile tool.

It can be used to loosen or tighten things, which is important for making adjustments. Whenever you think of cranking widgets – which is a common productivity term – the tool being used for said cranking is…a wrench. (You may have noticed that I’ve used quite a few images of wrenches to support my articles here at Vardy.me.)

What is it about the wrench that makes it so efficient and effective?

Did you know that those tools that IKEA includes with pretty much everything is a wrench? It’s the one thing you can expect when you buy a piece of furniture from them, and it’s the primary thing you need when assembling the furniture.

There are a lot of different types of wrenches, and some do certain jobs better than others. You can have a ton of wrenches in your toolbox, and know that one will do one job better than another – but in a pinch you’ll likely have another wrench than can do the trick as well.

That said, some wrenches simply won’t work in certain situations. That’s why it’s important to wave a wide variety of them at your disposal. Perhaps that’s why in the UK, wrenches are commonly referred to as spanners. They tend to span different use cases, but some span more than others.

When someone says that they had “a wrench thrown into things”1, it often means that the plans had to be adjusted as a result. Wrenches help with adjustments, and sometimes the wrench being thrown in takes you away from the wrong thing and closer to the right thing — rather than the other way around.

I may not be a very handy person, but I do know how to use a wrench. And I certainly have a ton of them in my toolbox…just in case. Do you?

Photo credit: Sara (CC BY-NC 2.0)

1 To be fair, the wrench often mentioned in this idiom is the monkey wrench.

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How I Get Writing Done

I’ve talked a lot about what tools I use to write, how I planned to write and things of that nature. This is an ongoing process for me, as priorities shift and new opportunities take hold. Still, it’s always fun – and a bit humbling – to go back and look at what I’ve said regarding writing habits and revisit them.

So I’m going to do that before I discuss how I get writing done as of today.

How I Don’t Get Writing Done

I don’t do what I said back in November of 2011.

Here’s what my schedule was back then:

Sunday: Fresh, grade A material.
Monday: More great new written work.
Tuesday: Teaser quote and brief summary from the latest episode of ProductiVardy.
Wednesday: Shiny words, straight from the presses…of my mind.
Thursday: A teaser from the latest episode of Dyscultured, which I return to this coming week.
Friday: Newness to start your weekend.
Saturday: A quote to whet your appetite from Talking is Dead’s weekly exchange, a podcast where Anthony Marco and I simply talk.

I’ve switched to a more prolific writing pattern as of late, and I’ve actually stuck to it more than I ever did with the late 2011 approach. I no longer offer as many “teaser posts”, ProductiVardy no longer exists, and five days a week I’m serving up two posts per day as opposed to just one. All of this is a bit of an evolution, considering I’m doing more of what I intended to do now instead of back when I suggested I would.

I don’t write every single day.

I simply can’t keep up with that kind of schedule. I take at least one day per week and write absolutely nothing, and usually that’s a Saturday. I have a family that I love spending time with and I need at least one day per week to recharge the battery.

But I do read every day, which makes me a better writer.

I don’t stick to one app or platform for writing.

I use Evernote for ideas that are for my own use. I use nvALT for shared ideas for the Mikes on Mics podcast. I use Asana for shared ideas for Lifehack. I use Scrivener for long-form writing and Byword for weblog posts. I use Writing Kit on my iPad and iPhone. I use iThoughts HD for mindmapping.

One app doesn’t have to rule all, and I don’t believe it should (or can). I’m actually of the mindset that by using different apps for different types of writing (or for fostering your writing) you put yourself in a position to be better focused on what realm you’re writing in…or for.

How I Get Writing Done

I stick to a ritual.

I don’t start writing until about 10 am on most days. I read my RSS feeds, I take the time to wake up properly, I check my schedule and review Asana, I go over email (time permitting), and I wait for my son’s caregiver to arrive at 9:30 four days a week. I work from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and much of that work is actual writing (although some is editing and going through email and social media). But I always get some writing done off the top. I generally start with a post here, because I’m often raring to go with fewer barriers to worry about at the start of the day. On my personal weblog, I can write about almost anything. Elsewhere, there are limits to what I can write about – either by the restrictions of the website or project.

Lately I’ve been able to produce an average of 3500-5000 words per day by doing this. I write in 90 minute chunks, as follows:

10 a.m. -11:30 a.m.: Weblog writing
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Book writing
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Other writing

The “Other” writing I am referring to above usually consists of guest posts I’m preparing to pitch, articles for my regular portals and paying gigs (such as Lifehack), the developing of talks, and other writing that I want to work on that isn’t directly related to my work here (for example, Eventualism and other creative endeavours).

The best way to get disciplined about your writing is to put a framework in place. You may not have the freedom I have, but you certainly can create a framework that works for you that will allow you to get your writing done.

I write at night.

This isn’t really a part of any sort of ritual, but I do work at night after the kids go to bed when I’m not scheduled to do a podcast recording or I’ve had appointments that have occurred during my usual work day. I’m also a night owl, so I’m up fairly late most evenings in order to get writing done – along with the other things that need doing.

I get back to the grind most nights at around 9 p.m. and keep going until 1 a.m. or so. I usually sneak a break or two in there as well. Again, this isn’t something I do every single night. I try to avoid writing on Friday nights…and I never write on Saturday nights. And since we record Mikes on Mics on Monday nights and Dyscultured on Wednesday nights, I normally don’t write as much on those nights, either.

For many of you, the reality of “night writing” is your only option to get writing done. Just be sure to take time during your day to set up a plan for it and you’ll wind up getting writing done a lot more efficiently and effectively. I’d suggest taking my regular ritual and adapting it for your night writing so that you can get it done and not lose sleep over it. You’ll also be able to deliver the goods during the day when you’re working on the things you need to be working on without being weighed down by fatigue.

Here’s a template to consider for night writing, using the timeframe of 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. as a scheduled time block:

Night 1: Weblog writing
Night 2: No writing
Night 3: Other writing
Night 4: No writing
Night 5: Weblog writing
Night 6: No writing
Night 7: Other writing

On the nights where you are scheduled to do no writing whatseover, spend that time either catching up on emails, reading or spending it with friends and family. You’ll also notice I didn’t put particular days of the week in this template (Monday, Tuesday, etc.). That’s because everyone’s week works differently.

You can also start to shift this to where you write two days on and one day off, or simply switch the days where you don’t write with the days that you do in order to fit your time commitment. You can also do this in the early morning hours if that’s what you prefer, like during the time block from 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. or similar.

The bottom line: Stick to the 90 minutes per night and you’ll get writing done – no matter how many days a week you plan to do so.

I write about what I love to write about.

“Write what you know” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Thanks to the Internet, you can know a lot more than ever before. However, writing what you love to write about isn’t something the Internet can bestow upon you – at least not on an emotional level.

I love to write about productivity tools, ideas, processes and the like. I happen to know a lot about this stuff as well, mainly because I sought out the information. Why did I seek it out? Because I really love the stuff.

Whether you write online or offline, write about what you love to write about. Without having that love at your side, all the knowledge and rituals in the world won’t fuel your writing.

Some Final Thoughts

I write a lot on my iPad. The platform is conducive to focused writing, since it can’t display more than window on its screen. If you think that the iPad is all about consumption, try creating your written work on it. You’ll change your mind pretty quickly.
If you’re going to make a real go of writing as your work/career/side job, then take it seriously. Read up on tools, pick one and use it. Spell check. Grammar check. Proofread. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t do this all the time, but I’m taking steps to make it more the rule than the exception.
If you’re facing a writer’s block of any type, try putting your thoughts and words down on actual paper. I find that by moving from a digital medium to an analog one has been the quickest way for me to break free of writer’s block.

I’m always looking for ways to right my writing. The Resistance is one of the biggest battles I face – as do others in this field. My methods allow me go to war against The Resistance and get writing done.

Are you a night owl and want to level up your late night productivity? The Night Owl Action Plan will help you do just that. Click here to purchase this combination ebook, guided audio program, and quickstart PDF for just $10 now!

Photo credit: xlibber (CC BY 2.0)

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Being Taken to Task

Earlier today1 we released the latest episode of the Mikes on Mics podcast, where Michael Schechter (the fine gentleman behind A Better Mess) and yours truly talked about task managers.

Here are some highlights:

You should use one.
This Mike likes Asana.
The other Mike likes OmniFocus.2

We even deliver a shout out to Rob Cottingham regarding one of his recent Noise to Signal cartoons (of which I’ve always been a big fan).

You can listen to Episode 5 of the Mikes on Mics podcast here.

Photo credit: Tom Magliery (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

1That’s 3 posts in one day for me. Highly unusual, but let’s just say I’m making up for lost time.

2Not a chance I’m linking to Schecky’s blog on this one. (Maniacal laugh)

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Fault Lines: A Summary of Screwing Up

The past couple of months haven’t been my best. I didn’t live up to my obligations, and rather than face them head on I panicked and ran away from them. It happens to the best of us, I suppose…but it doesn’t mean it’s okay.

I could say that it’s because I took on more than I could handle, and as a result dropped all of the balls1 while trying to juggle them.

I could say that it’s because I said “yes” to things I should have said “no” to, either because I had a lack of passion or excitement for them…or simply didn’t have the time to do them justice.

I could say that that I underestimated the challenges of staying at home and being with the kids while still trying to write and do my work.

No matter what I could say, I’m at fault. And if you were one of those that expected more from me and got less, I truly apologize. I can’t undo what I’ve done (or not done), but I am going to do my damndest to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Ever again.



There will be open loops where there should be closed ones as a result of my lack of follow-through. Some of them I can close and some I can’t.

There will be relationships tarnished — some of which had just been forged. Those ones may even be broken beyond repair. I’ll have to deal with that and hope that my future work can overshadow the mistakes made over these past couple of months.

There will be blemishes on my reputation. I’ll have to work twice as hard to erase them. And some of them won’t come off at all no matter how hard I work to get rid of them.

While I spent this long weekend wrapping my head around Markdown, I also spent it contemplating how I wanted to handle my problematic spell. This piece was what won out.

Now if it comes off as self-righteous, then so be it. I knew going into writing it that there was a real chance it would. But it’s also therapeutic for me to write this. It gives me a catalyst for a clean break from an irresponsible couple of months and a fresh outlook and resolve for the ones ahead.

Some of those that I let I down will read this, and some won’t. Many who read this will have no idea as to what (or whom) I’m referring to in this piece, and that’s more than fine. But there’s still something to be gained from this piece for those folks as well.

Hopefully this piece will give all of you a moment to think about whether or not you’ve been or went down this road before — perhaps even as recently as I have. Better still, I hope it prevents you from heading down that path again. Because it’s a very slippery slope…and there’s nothing to break your fall when you hit bottom.

I knew there were cracks in my foundation, and yet I didn’t do anything to stop them from shifting me into a full-blown disaster area. The fault lines were there, but I chose to ignore them and try to go onward and upward.

The problem with fault lines is that when they break, the only place you can go is down.

1 C’mon, I’m a humourist. I need to offer a bit of funny business. Even in a post as serious in tone as this.

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A Little Birdie Told Me

Turns out that Chris Bowler isn’t the only one dishing out podcasting thoughts and advice these days.

Myke Hurley (co-host of Enough1) has started to put together a series at The Hurley Bird podcast that will essentially be a podcasting clinic. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Myke before, and his passion for podcasting is strong and refreshing.

He knows his stuff. Give the series a listen so that you can know yours.

1 Speaking of which, the latest episode that covered the theme of “solitude” really resonated with me. Methinks I need to go to an isolated cabin somewhere so I can really work on the book.

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37 Life Lessons in 37 Years

While my neighbours to the south celebrate their nation’s birthday, I celebrated mine yesterday. After the craziness of my month of travel (better known as June), my family and I chilled out at home and enjoyed the day with some Devil’s Food cupcakes. And as I took the time to reflect on my 37 years, I realized that I’ve learned a number of things during my time on this planet. Here are the 37 that I think are the most worthy to mention.

If you’re going to buy something, spend a little more to get a better quality of that something. Whether it’s beer, technology, coffee or a hotel, it’s always worth the expense…and the time to save for the expense.
We all have the same amount of time in a day, but we don’t all have the same amount of time on this planet. How we spend that time each day will impact how much you enjoy what time you do have on this planet.
“Cutting the cable” is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. I don’t miss any of the shows I used to watch.
The first sign of wisdom is finding out the sex of your second child so that you know whether or not to get rid of all of the first child’s stuff.
Social media is a means to an end. If you don’t have an end, then why bother announcing it?
Take lots of photos. Be mindful about them, but still take them.
Take time to be nostalgic. It’s one of the most human things you can do.
The day is better when you get up early.
It’s okay to have idiosyncrasies. In fact, it’s more than okay…it’s ideal.
There are few actors more versatile than Alec Baldwin.
Baz Luhrmann was right about the sunscreen.
Stand your ground if you believe you’re right, but don’t condemn those who you believe are not.
Standing desks lend themselves to inspiring more productivity.
There’s no better place to be than outside.
While it is hard to quiet the mind, it’s essential to do so that you can mind the quiet.
A house is a constant work in progress. So is a home, but the monetary cost is lower and the reward is much higher.
Just like Conan O’Brien became popular when many thought it was unlikely, so will Jimmy Fallon.
Feed your mind and body with quality stuff. Organic material is always best in both realms.
Hug often. Very few feelings in the world trump that of getting a hug.
Guys, don’t wear hats too often if you want to have hair when you’re older.
Teach your kids how to read an analog clock. And paper books. Don’t lose sight of these things.
A ringing phone does not have to be answered.
Just because you’re louder doesn’t mean you’re automatically right. It’s often the opposite.
If you look at anything with an unfettered mind, a positive outlook has a better chance of emerging.
If you hate lifting weights, try running. If you hate running, try lifting weights. Either way, do one or both of them regularly.
Wait until you’re at least 30 to have kids. You won’t be really ready until then.
Do what you love — it’s never too late to do so. You owe it to yourself to do so.
One the first words we ever learn is the most important one we have in our arsenal. That word is “no”.
Pets are great, but they are a real proving ground for responsibility. Remember that.
One of life’s simplest pleasures is swinging on a swing set.
Use the tools to do the job that make the job more pleasurable for you.
Don’t make wholesale changes. You’ll give up long before the changes are implemented.
Uncertainty is the enemy of flow. If you don’t know when the kid is going to wake up from the nap, don’t do creative work. Do the stuff that you can walk away from at any given moment.
“Doing” productive ultimately gets you nowhere. “Being” productive is where it’s at…and will be. Make sure the productivity system works for you — not the other way around.
If your significant other has a pet cat and it knows you’re not fond of it, the cat will stick around until it’s had enough of you. Just ask my wife.
There will never be a movie version of what you watched or read growing up that will live up to your expectations.
I’ve got a lot of life left to live…and a lot of lessons left to learn.

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Taking Time

After speaking gigs and travel, I need to take some time to reconnect with the family and household. I spend time with my kids and take part in some much-delayed household improvement tasks. During that time, I also give myself the time — and permission — to breathe. I catch up on some reading and often do very little writing.

That idea – to do very little writing – is contrarian to much of the advice you’ll find online about writing.

Yet as with anything else, you need to take the time to recharge. I’ve been blogging for some time, so I make the call to take some time to do that and not write very much. In fact, once you’ve invested some time in your writing (having blog posts scheduled, proactively written newsletters, etc.) you can – and should – do the same.

It’s important to get your alignment checked every once in a while. The longer between those alignments the more time is needed to complete them. If you don’t take the time to get you alignment checked, then you make it that much more difficult to stay on track.

You are as good as all of the work you put out there on the web and by taking the time to recharge your batteries you’ll give yourself the best chance to do just that.

 

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JoCo: A Thank You Letter to Jonathan Coulton

On my blogroll page, I mention several people who have had a positive impact on me over the past few years. I say this about Jonathan Coulton:

Then, there’s Jonathan Coulton.

He is a truly inspiring guy who responded to a letter I wrote to him when I was thinking “career shift” back in my Costco days. He made me promise not to have my wife kill him based on his encouragement to make the shift.1



Furthermore, when I interviewed him way back when for Eventualism, he changed the lyrics in the chorus to Code Monkey to incorporate my little girl’s name in the chorus after we concluded the interview. She loves that song. She likes his princess one better now, but back then it was all about monkeys of any sort.

This is a guy who followed his passion. More of us should be like him.

Way to go, JoCo. You pretty much rock. And when I sing “You Ruined Everything” to my one year old son Colton as I put him in his crib for bedtime, he seems to think so too.

1I’d like to think “Still Alive” is based on that, but it’s probably not.

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