Category Archives: Misc

The Motivation Manifesto

Our challenge is that we have been conditioned to believe the opposite of these things – that bold action or swift progress is somehow dangerous or reckless. But a certain degree of insanity and recklessness is necessary to advance or innovate anything, to make any new or remarkable or meaningful contributions. What great thing was ever accomplished without a little recklessness? So-called recklessness was required for the extraordinary to happen: crossing the oceans, ending slavery, rocketing man into space, building skyscrapers, decoding the genome, starting new businesses, and innovating entire industries. It is reckless to try something that has never been done, to move against convention, to begin before all conditions are good and preparations are perfected. But the bold know that to win, one must first begin. They also deeply understand that a degree of risk is inevitable and necessary should there be any real reward. Yes, any plunge into the unknown is reckless – but that’s where the treasure lies.

From The Motivation Manifesto

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Habits: Challenge 01: Food Log

As originally posted on the Habits.MarkJacobsen.net blog (2 weeks ago – apparently I forgot to hit publish over here)…

Ok, here’s the first 66 day challenge/habit… Log everything you eat and the time of day. Doesn’t matter if you take photos of everything, write it down electronically, on paper, or do some combination, but by the end of the day have 1 consolidated list of everything you ate – including those little snack size Snickers I know you’re eyeing – seeing as it is near Halloween and all 🙂

Now, do that for 66 days. Every day. Every thing you eat (and drink).

See, super easy! I’m not even asking you to change anything about what you eat or drink. Just write it all down. Now, this may be simple for some, but if you’re like me I’ve tried to do this time and again. Usually by about the 4th day I miss something, then just say “ah, what’s the use” and quit.

Using HabitShare this is actually pretty easy – as I’ve been piloting it for a couple days. On any day, you can tap the circle for the day, then just click the triple ellipse “…”, I select the “Empty” icon at the start of the day, add your entry to the text area, and save. At the end of the day, just set the status to “Success” (the green check) if you’ve logged everything. You can even setup multiple reminders throughout the day so that you have a little tickler. For me I have 3 reminders for my “Log Food” habit scheduled at 7:15am, 12:30pm, and 7:15pm.

Now, obviously this is setting us up for future challenges, but for now the goal is to get in the habit of tracking and logging something daily. As I mentioned, don’t worry about analyzing or adjusting now unless you truly get the itch. Just build the logging/tracking habit.

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Habits: Return of the Challenge

As originally posted on the Habits.MarkJacobsen.net blog

So it’s been a few years since my last series of challenges, and a few things have changed since then 🙂

For one, as posted yesterday, I’m now using HabitShare to track my habits and that’s where anyone that wants to participate in these new set of challenges can share their progress as well. Just be sure to let me know what email address you signed up under or look me up in the app to share.

Also, between reading things like Atomic Habits and The One Thing, the challenges will be a little longer (66 days to be exact) in an effort to make the habit a little more ingrained, but feel free to work on them as long as you see fit. That said, my plan is to start a new challenge monthly until I run out of ideas or fall off the bandwagon – which is why I’m hoping some of you will join in – to make the journey a little more fun.

Now, don’t worry, I realize the holidays are coming up which is why the first few challenges will be relatively easy to get you in the habit of following a habit on a daily basis.

Hope to see you on the journey!

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Habits: Habit Tracking

As originally posted on the Habits.MarkJacobsen.net blog

I’ve used habit tracking apps off and on for years to try and get my life in order. The last one I tried, Coach.me, seemed to hold promise, but then they switched their model to be more coaching centric and less focused around social sharing. Plus, let’s be honest… I fell off the bandwagon a bit myself.

Anyway, I recently started considering getting into coaching, but still wanted to find something that would be more social and flexible in terms of being able to share certain things with some people and not others – as well as not locked into sharing 50% of your income.

Well, I think I may have found that app. It’s called HabitShare. Check it out on the App Store of your choice or start by visiting https://habitshareapp.com/

Once you’ve installed it, let me know if you’re interested in joining any of my 66 day challenges, or want some free coaching on a habit of your choice! It’s my treat as I see if it’s something I want to do on an ongoing basis, and so I can build up my skills.

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

25 Productivity Tips and Hacks That Actually Work

Listen to/watch the video for details on all the below items, but this is a great list!

  1. Be proactive about being productive
  2. Outsource the Small Stuff
  3. Batch Similar Small Tasks
  4. Don’t Watch Too Much TV
  5. Focus on the 80/20 Rule
  6. Never Sit Down Without Knowing What You’re Going to Work on
  7. Time-Block Activities
  8. Wake Up Earlier
  9. Don’t Multitask
  10. Stop Paying Attention to the News
  11. Have a Dedicated Work Space Free of Distractions
  12. Focus on Being Effective, Not Just Efficient
  13. Sharpen You Ax
  14. Say No a Lot More – “Every yes is a no to your wife and kids”
  15. Reduce Social Media Usage
  16. Shorten Your Deadlines
  17. Review Your Goals Regularly
  18. Don’t Anwer Your Phone
  19. Do What You Love
  20. Find More Ways to Get into Flow
  21. Moderate Your Screen Time
  22. Hire a Coach
  23. Join a Mastermind Group
  24. Track the Things that Matter
  25. Get Really Good at What You Do

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Moments That Change Lives with Dan Heath

Love the idea of creating peak experiences. In fact, I’m reading the book now.

The EntreLeadership Podcast: #259: Dan Heath—Moments That Change LivesPlease remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Herding Tigers

Loved this Entreleadership podcast, and the book sounds like it could be interesting as well.

243: Todd Henry—Be the Leader Creatives NeedPlease remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Cousins Maine Lobster – Pushing Past Fear

Great episode on risk, entrepreneurship, and bootstrapping.

#257: Cousins Maine Lobster—Pushing Past FearPlease remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

It’s Your Ship

Just finished It’s Your Ship, and can’t recommend it highly enough! I haven’t read a book in a while that spoke to what I might call a “personal philosophy”, but this is about as close as it gets. Love the focus on feedback, fun, and treating people like responsible adults.

Leadership principles outline in the book:

  • Take command
  • Learn real leadership
  • Lead by example
  • Listen aggressively
  • Communicate purpose and meaning
  • Create a climate of trust
  • Look for results, not salutes
  • Take calculated risks
  • Go beyond standard procedure
  • Build up your people
  • Generate unity
  • Improve your people’s quality of life

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

The Culture Code

Just finished reading “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle, and have to say that I would highly recommend it especially to anyone in a management or leadership position. You can find the 3 parts and some recommended actions below.

  1. Build Safety
    • Overcommunicate your listening
    • Spotlight your fallibility early on – especially if you’re a leader
    • Embrace the messenger
    • Preview future connection
    • Overdo thank-yous
    • Be painstaking in the hiring process
    • Eliminate bad apples
    • Create safe, collision-rich spaces
    • Make sure everyone has a voice
    • Pick up trash
    • Capitalize on the threshold moments
    • Avoid giving sandwich feedback
    • Embrace fun
  2. Share Vulnerability
    • Make sure the leader is vulnerable first and often
    • Overcommunicate expectations
    • Deliver the negative stuff in person
    • When forming new groups, focus on two critical moments (1st vulnerability & 1st disagreement)
    • Listen like a trampoline
    • In conversation, resist the temptation to reflexively add value
    • Use candor-generating practices like AARs, BrainTrusts and Red Teaming
    • Aim for candor; avoid brutal honesty
    • Embrace the discomfort
    • Align language with action
    • Build a wall between performance review and professional development
    • Use flash mentoring
    • Make the leader occasionally disappear
  3. Establish Purpose
    • Name and rank your priorities
    • Be ten times as clear about your priorities as you think you should be
    • Figure our where your group aims for proficiency and where it aims for creativity
    • Embrace the use of catchphrases
    • Measure what really matters
    • Use artifacts
    • Focus on bar-setting behaviors

Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.