Over the past year I've been building TeamworkHub. Before that it was something else, and before that another thing. All the way back to when I was a kid building things with an erector set and whatever broken appliance and electronic parts I could confiscate from my parents. I guess I've always been building something.
It's easy to get caught up in the trap of wishing I had more time to focus exclusively on building. "If I could just have 6 months to work exclusively on this, I'm sure I could [make millions, paint the Mona Lisa, write that Piano Sonata]!" But, there are bills to pay, fun to be had, and demands on our time each day. Often the things we are building aren't what pay the bills (at least not at first!) We are left to our own desires and motivations to find time to build stuff.
The ironic (and awesome!) thing I've learned is that having long stretches of uninterrupted devoted time isn't always the most productive way to build something. Often, smaller blocks of planned time to build can actually be more productive!
When I do manage to have large chunks of uninterrupted time my mind tends to focus less. "Ah, all this time to work. Finally! Let me pick just the right music to play for this grand occasion! I'll find my comfy coding hoodie, brew some coffee, …." and before I know it I've eaten up most of the day embracing my time to code, but getting very little done.
I find that short bursts of planned work, with time to reflect afterwards can actually be the the most productive for me. I don't like to think thats the case. I like to think if I had those large chunks of time I could get more done. But a lot of my "aha" moments seem to come subconsciously when doing something else after short bursts of focused work. The brain can be pretty strange about that.
Sure there are exceptions. Sometimes you get into the zone and are cranking away, and another few hours would be really productive. But you can't always force those things to happen on the day you have a large chunk of time available. They happen when they happen. You embrace them when they do happen. Maybe go to work or bed an hour late while you run with an idea. But just because you have a large chuck of time available doesn't mean you'll be able to get into the zone.
A few months back I was reading Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. I came across a passage from a letter that Mozart wrote to his sister shortly after moving off on his own to Vienna to be a freelance composer and performer. Mozart wrote to his sister that he could only find a couple of hours a day to compose, usually between 7 and 9 AM.
From around 9am to 1pm Mozart taught piano lessons to pay the bills. From 1pm until late in the evening he socialized at whatever event he could get an invitation to in order to schmooze and get his name around while looking for composing and performing work. He would sometimes compose again for a couple of hours in the evening around 9pm, but often after wining and dining he couldn't get back to composing.
This is Mozart. Mozart! And even he wasn't able to always dedicate all his time to composing, but had to pay bills and do other things like the rest of us at various points in his life.
Don't let the current circumstances of the day prevent you from carving out your time to do your calling work. Find an hour or two a day to build something, write something, work on something, or learn something.
Embrace your time to compose in the hour or two that you have.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Introducing TeamworkHub
TeamworkHub is a workplace team collaboration and productivity application perfect for self-organized, cross-functional and remote teams.
I've had the pleasure to consult, contract, and work for quite a few companies over the years; everything from small businesses to large enterprise organizations. One consistent thing I've discovered along the way is the need for better team collaboration and knowledge sharing.
I've seen multiple "Welcome to the team" processes that involved an email packet with 100's of attachments. I've been in status meetings where people go around a table giving status updates to work item numbers! How much collaboration comes from the employee next to you saying they are 25% done on item #123?
What tools do you use to promote teamwork at your organization? Do these tools promote collaboration? Do they promote knowledge sharing? I think you are missing out on a lot of team productivity if email and status meetings are the only real tools to your current teamwork solution.
There is software out there that tries to solve this problem, but outside of the tech community, I haven't seen it used at most organizations. Most of what is out there is either too complicated or misses the mark on what it takes to make your teams productive.
Earlier in my career I had the opportunity to be a member of very productive cross-functional team in a manufacturing and sales company. The team was made up of key players from each respective department; sales, manufacturing, marketing, information systems, and logistics. I represented the information systems department and organized the meetings.
The team was lifeblood to the success of the company. Everything from weekly promotions to major company reorganization were coordinated through this team. And we thrived for years.
I learned a lot in those days about what it takes to make a team successful and productive over the long haul. During my subsequent contracting and consulting career I've yet to come across many teams that have had the long term impact that team had on the success of that company. I know your teams can be more successful than they are today!
For years I've seen companies struggle to find ways to keep everyone productive, engaged and on the same page. At TeamworkHub we are working to change that. We are building an application with a sole purpose of sustainable team productivity. I welcome you to follow along with what we are building at the The TeamworkHub Blog.
If you are part of an organization that currently struggles with team productivity, I encourage you to take a look at TeamworkHub.com and see what it can do for you.
As of this writing, the first 30 days at TeamworkHub are free, so there is no obligation on your part to pay for anything before you get a chance to try it out. If you decide that TeamworkHub can help your teams be successful then we have monthly cloud plans that range from small businesses to larger companies. We also offer tailored solutions for bigger enterprise organizations.
I hope TeamworkHub can help your teams be the sustainable lifeblood to your organization that I know they can be!
Happy Teamworking,
Scott
Accomplish More When Teams Work!
I've had the pleasure to consult, contract, and work for quite a few companies over the years; everything from small businesses to large enterprise organizations. One consistent thing I've discovered along the way is the need for better team collaboration and knowledge sharing.
I've seen multiple "Welcome to the team" processes that involved an email packet with 100's of attachments. I've been in status meetings where people go around a table giving status updates to work item numbers! How much collaboration comes from the employee next to you saying they are 25% done on item #123?
What tools do you use to promote teamwork at your organization? Do these tools promote collaboration? Do they promote knowledge sharing? I think you are missing out on a lot of team productivity if email and status meetings are the only real tools to your current teamwork solution.
There is software out there that tries to solve this problem, but outside of the tech community, I haven't seen it used at most organizations. Most of what is out there is either too complicated or misses the mark on what it takes to make your teams productive.
Earlier in my career I had the opportunity to be a member of very productive cross-functional team in a manufacturing and sales company. The team was made up of key players from each respective department; sales, manufacturing, marketing, information systems, and logistics. I represented the information systems department and organized the meetings.
The team was lifeblood to the success of the company. Everything from weekly promotions to major company reorganization were coordinated through this team. And we thrived for years.
I learned a lot in those days about what it takes to make a team successful and productive over the long haul. During my subsequent contracting and consulting career I've yet to come across many teams that have had the long term impact that team had on the success of that company. I know your teams can be more successful than they are today!
For years I've seen companies struggle to find ways to keep everyone productive, engaged and on the same page. At TeamworkHub we are working to change that. We are building an application with a sole purpose of sustainable team productivity. I welcome you to follow along with what we are building at the The TeamworkHub Blog.
If you are part of an organization that currently struggles with team productivity, I encourage you to take a look at TeamworkHub.com and see what it can do for you.
As of this writing, the first 30 days at TeamworkHub are free, so there is no obligation on your part to pay for anything before you get a chance to try it out. If you decide that TeamworkHub can help your teams be successful then we have monthly cloud plans that range from small businesses to larger companies. We also offer tailored solutions for bigger enterprise organizations.
I hope TeamworkHub can help your teams be the sustainable lifeblood to your organization that I know they can be!
Happy Teamworking,
Scott
Accomplish More When Teams Work!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)