Tony's Originals

This is a personal account of how I regain my productivity when I've dug myself into a productivity hole at work.  Hopefully some of what I do works for you.  Some of the remedies are taken straight out of the pages of Lean and Agile. Occasionally, I look at my inbox, my ticket queue, my project backlog, and I say to myself: I have so much, so much to do, I don't even know where to start. This is the point where I sometimes just give up and react to whatever gets in my face.  It usually doesn't end well for me or the people I'm trying to help.  A different approach is needed. Tactic One: Give yourself permission to relax and get some space to think. Get a cup of coffee and go somewhere quiet, lock yourself in an enclave, take a walk.  Get away and collect your thoughts.  Staring at the endless stream of IM's, Emails, Stories, and Tickets isn't going to help.  In fact, if you're feeling overwhelmed right now, go ahead, take a walk, sit outside and admi

8 bits of information that can help you be successful in this fast-paced tech world we find ourselves in. Format, idea, and presentation shamelessly ripped off from Tom Sachs. If you haven't, check out 10 Bullets . Seriously. 0001: Respect The One Image Credit: Jack Keaton The One is singular, focused, determined. The One should not be disturbed when accomplishing their mission. The One creates the space it needs in order to achieve their goal. The One is sometimes predictable, but can also occur spontaneously. It is important to understand the signs of being The One, and seeing The One in others. What The One looks like in real life: Image Credit: Alper Çuğun Image Credit: Vandenberg AFB Image Credit: Vnik (ShutterStock) What The One looks like online: Image Credit: Google Image Credit: Apple           Image Credit: Microsoft Respect The One in others by giving them space. If you have a q