Let’s read more … but not with the iPad

We have a practice at home: one day per week we have a ‘reading evening’. No TV is allowed: after dinner we take a book and we read all together.

Now what’s happening lately is that my 8-yrs-old digital-native heavy-iPad-user computer-enthusiast son started saying:

“OK Dad tonight we have our reading evening and you cannot read with the iPad, you have to use a paper book”

So I asked:

“why????”

And he said …. ok I don’t want to tell you the answer immediately :).

You guess: why he doesn’t want me to read with the iPad?

PierG

Procrastination and people management

hiding by Lance Neilson, on Flickr – Some Rights Reserved

Procrastination is evil .. almost always. When you think it’s probably the time in which procrastination is ok, double check: you are not that smart, you are probably cheating yourself 😉 (fear?)

And there is an area in which procrastination is even more evil: when you deal with people so procrastination and people management (can be your direct, your son, a friend …).

Procrastinate a negative feedback? You enforce a wrong behavior.

Procrastinate a positive feedback? You have chances that a good behavior is changed in search of a (potentially) bad one.

PierG

Change for Change’s Sake

IF you are above 40, have a look at this post.
If you are not … have a look at this post anyway 🙂
PierG

Teach to deal with change: any recipe?

Dealing with change. I believe this will be one of the most essential skills as our kids grow up, as the world is always changing and being able to accept the change, to deal with the change, to navigate the flow of change, will be a competitive advantage

via » 9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn :zenhabits.

A very tough and very important task for us as fathers … teach to deal with change: any recipe?

PierG

Invent more!

Nice post from Seth Godin author of some books like Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? Or Poke the box called Isolate yourself.

I paste here the post …

Insulate yourself from anonymous angry people
Expose yourself to art you don’t yet understand
Precisely measure the results that are important to you
Stay blind to the metrics that don’t matter
Fail often
Ship
Lead, don’t manage so much
Seek out uncomfortable situations
Make an impact on the people who matter to you
Be better at your baseline skills than anyone else
Copyedit less, invent more
Give more speeches
Ignore unsolicited advice

… and my personal translation in Italian.

Isolati dalle persone inutili che sono sempre incavolate
Esponiti all’arte che non capisci e non conosci
Misura in modo preciso solo i risultati che sono importanti per TE
Ignora le metriche che non ti interessano
Fallisci spesso
Rilascia, consegna qualcosa
Ispira, non gestire troppo
Fai la differenza per le persone a cui tieni
Sii il migliore di tutti nelle tue competenze fondamentali
Pensa meno ai dettagli, crea più cose nuove
Parla di più davanti ad un pubblico
Ignora i consigli non richiesti

Inspiring?
PierG

See – Feel – Change

Interesting tweet by Pamela Slim from Escape From Cubicle Nation written during the Work-Life Focus 2012 and Beyond Conference:

We think change happens by: Analyze, Think, Change. It is actually: See, Feel, Change. @heathbrothers #workflex11

— Pamela Slim (@pamslim) November 9, 2011

I’m not sure of the first see as it is too visual, for some of us could be more hear  or touch. So probably perceive is more correct even if see is more immediate. The sense is in any case it is more the perception of what’s happening than the anlysis.

I do love the feel part: we know that we decide with our gut and then we put in place the logic to justify our decisions, don’t we 🙂

By the way, nice Tweet: thank you @pamslim .

PierG

Self motivation or discipline ?

Interesting post on zen habits blog about the fact that discipline is overrated:

Every single specific action you can take to make yourself do something is motivation. Not discipline.

And that’s why discipline is a myth. It might sound good, but it’s not a useful concept. When it comes to taking specific actions to make yourself do something, the only things you can do are motivation. Not discipline. I’ve challenged people to come up with a discipline action that isn’t motivation for years now, and no one has done it.

via The Myth of Discipline | zen habits.

Do you agree? What does motivate you when you need to change? What are your strategies for change?
PierG

Il principio del progresso

This matrix got my attention today. If it’s the same with you, read Luca Baiguini‘s post: Il principio del progresso (in Italian).

PierG

The (right) definition of Knowledge Worker

Here is a great paragraph from Linchpin, a beautiful book from Seth Godin: I think it gives what can be considered the (right) definition of Knowledge Worker (the artist) … or at least as it should be:

The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed.

Someone can always do your job a litlle better or faster or cheaper than you can.

The job might be difficult, it might require skill, but it’s a job.

Your art is waht you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challengin the status quo, and changing people.

I call the process of doing you art “the work”. It’s possible to have a job and do the work too. In fact, that’s how you become a linchpin.

The job is not the work.

Thoughts?

PierG

Red and Blue

So it seems also San Francisco is Red and Blue like Genova !!

PierG