1 min read
Pushing back
Marie Kondo, in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, suggests getting rid of everything in our lives that doesn’t ‘spark joy’. Clearing clutter...
Change and personal development (4)
3 min read
Five important lessons i learned in 2020
If 2020 had one thing going for it, it was lessons. Buckets of them. We learned, together, about what we were capable of. About what really mattered....
2 min read
10 business and self-help books for your summer
Over the past 10 years, I reckon I've read over 500 self-development and business books. (That's why I instituted a three-month non-fiction ban in...
2 min read
Endings: letting go of the good
Last week, I wrote about beginnings, so it seems fitting to talk about endings this week. Unless you're an immortal with unlimited time, energy,...
2 min read
Upgrade your worries: reduce anxiety about your life choices
Welcome to another Wednesday Wisdom. Every week, I share with you what I'm thinking about life, work, and leadership. This week we're talking about...
1 min read
Act as if: how your identity changes your habits
Goals motivate us When I started running, I could only motivate myself to train if I had an event coming up. I started at a 5K, and a few years...
1 min read
Create a personal strategy
I just finished reading Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber, which is a thoroughly excellent book about the modern world of work. According to...
3 min read
7 ways to feel better about your job
Work is a pain in the proverbial. It's also where most of us will spend most of our waking hours. The average person spends over 13 years of their...
2 min read
Embrace your inner rebel
I was at a wedding on Saturday and, thanks to what I was wearing, received some inquiring comments about a tattoo that’s usually covered. It sits...
4 min read
How to lead people when you’re feeling worried: 5 top tips
In this post: It's hard to lead when you're worried It's OK if you're feeling worried Five things you can do. It's hard to lead when you're worried...
1 min read
Commit or quit
Do you ever sit in a conversation where everybody furiously agrees, leave feeling great about what you’ve decided – but then nothing happens? I see...
2 min read
Nurture a network of freaks
Your peer group will shape you Choose a new normal Be a freak of nurture. Your peer group will shape you The company you keep will shape your life...
1 min read
Reasons, seasons and changing jobs
You're probably familiar with the opening line of a poem by Brian A. Chalker:
6 min read
You deserve this. Bye. (Dealing with jealousy)
Why do people get jealous when you shine? How to recognise that behaviour in yourself. Two things to focus on when people are negative. The single...
4 min read
Set your own direction
The unhelpful pressure of a master plan Navigation needs a starting point Get perspective on your past Set your future compass Take the next right...
3 min read
A fresh take on SMART goals: Crazy-SMART goals!
Are you aiming too low? What are your most important goals right now? Do you have them written down? If you do, take a moment to pull them out—I have...
8 min read
Learn from your mistakes: 7 steps to growth
In late 2019, I interviewed a Mayor on stage at a conference in Australia. His Council had done some seriously impressive work for which they were...
1 min read
Happy people don't judge you
Do you find yourself worrying about what people think about you?
2 min read
Why people are opting out of corporate bullshit
I only lasted four years as an employee. I loved the work I was doing (strategic planning and policy in local government) and wanted to keep doing...
6 min read
How to make hard decisions more easily
Have you got a hard choice to make? Whether it's at work or home, having tricky choices ahead weighs on you, even when you aren't actively thinking...
1 min read
Pick your path: boundaries, decisions, focus
What problems are you battling with this week? If it's one of these three things, I have some stuff that might help.
3 min read
How to stop AI from stealing your job
Have you been keeping up with new AI tools like MidJourney and ChatGPT?
1 min read
The problem is never the problem
Picture this: you're frustrated with your partner. They've loaded the dishwasher wrong, again, and they've left the door wide open for you to knock...
1 min read
Use your personal compass to make tricky choices
The average person makes 17,000 decisions a day. Most of those are easy, like what to have for breakfast or what time to leave for work, but some are...