Category Archives: Productivity

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Can Scrum Projects Work in Small Offices?

This is a contributed post to JMLalonde.com. For more information on contributing a post, please see our contributing policies.

Work agile. The Scrum method. For many big corporations, this is the new way of working. However, this new way of working poses big challenges to office interiors, because now companies need workplaces that are suitable for several scrum teams. These teams need to work simultaneously in the same open office space.

So, what does scrumming mean exactly? And how does it affect the interior layout of your office?

The Meaning of Agile and Scrum

If we look at the true meaning of the word, agile means that you can maneuver with ease. Scrum, on the other hand, is a term used in rugby and football, and it’s basically a way to restart the game by packing together, heads down, and trying to get the ball. In project management, this is translated to putting all heads together and finding a solution.   Read more...

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5 Ways To Find Balance In Work, Life, And Play

Last year was a year out of balance. I forgot how to find balance in work, life, and play. Things were out of whack and I felt the consequences of being out of balance.

My blog writing suffered. My health suffered. And my relationships suffered. All because I wasn’t balancing life in the right way.

Leaders need to find work life balance

I’ve begun a shift in my life where I’m finding more balance. I’m getting the important aspects of my life taken care of along with the business side.

You can too, my friend. This article will help you find balance in work, life, and play.

5 Ways To Find Balance In Work, Life, And Play

1. Create a list of what is important to you:

We often lose our balance in life because we have never listed out what is truly important in life. By creating a list of what is important to you (you can get a FREE downloadable template at the end of this article), you begin to mentally take note of what activities, people, and tasks should take priority in your life.  Read more...

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How I Find Time To Create Blog Content

One of the facts that I hope I’ve gotten through to you is that regardless of what you think, we all have the same amount of time in our days. 24 hours. No more, no less.

I preface this blog post with that fact because many people have wondered how I find time to create blog content on a regular basis.

Today, that’s what I want to share with you. My so-called secret to writing blog posts.

You don't have to be the Flash to have time to write

Image by JD Hancock

There’s no magic bullet that helps me create new blog posts. There’s nothing special you need to do either to be the next blogger who shares regularly.

You’re not the Flash and move at superhuman speed. Luckily that’s not the secret sauce to writing regularly. Though having the power to write at superhuman speed would be awesome!  Read more...

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Why I Gave Up On Inbox Zero

So many bloggers have been promoting the idea of Inbox Zero. This is the feat of keeping your email inbox at zero.

Hearing my blogging friends talk about having their inbox at zero intrigued me. My email inbox was always filled with tons of emails. Over 100,000 emails at one point.

These bloggers talked about the feelings they had when they saw an empty inbox. They said it was liberating. It was freeing. It was calming.

So I decided to try it for myself. I wiped out those 100,000 emails and started my inbox at zero again. Just like starting a new email account.

At first I was thrilled with my inbox being empty. It did feel freeing.

I felt like I’d made a dent in something that mattered. After all, so many others were saying how great Inbox Zero was.  Read more...

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The Right Time To Visualize

Visualizing where we want to end up is a big part of leadership. We’ve got to have an idea of where we’re going.

When we visualize, it’s like painting a picture of the end. It’s beautiful and we know the way we want it to end.

Did you know though that you can visualize the end at the wrong time?

Sunset Vision at Kalalau Trail

Image by Paul Bica

Visualizing At The Wrong Time

There’s a right and a wrong time to visualize. The wrong time can kill your momentum.

You shouldn’t visualize the end victory while you’re in the middle of the work. It can cripple you. Taking away vital energy you need to complete the work.

Meb Keflezighi, an Olympic runner and the 2009 New York Marathon winner, discovered this the hard way. In his book, Run To Overcome, he describes an incident where he visualized his win only to fail miserably.  Read more...