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I am Only as Good as What I Can Teach

I am only as good as what I can teach as the title says, but that is not completely true. I can do quite a few things that I cannot teach, but in order to consider myself good, I have to be able to teach it. Good in this case is the ability to do a job or task so well that I can break something down to its component parts. This allows me to better deal with one-off situations, and generally be more flexible and adaptive. Why does any of that matter? It is my strategy to git gud at something. When I force myself to teach I have to break a job or task down into its finer parts as stated above. As I do that, I start to get an idea of exactly how much I don’t know. Just like with any sport or activity, beginners don’t know enough about a situation to be able to tell what makes something good or not, and usually misattribute the wrong skill as the reason for others being better. Maybe it is the right skill they are picking up on, but the differences in being good are too subtle for a ...
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Current thoughts on Meditation

Another gap has appeared in my writing schedule, so I think I will venture to a different topic that I am working through. Meditation. Most people have meditated in one way shape or form in their lifetime. Highway hypnosis while driving and the entire concept of shower thoughts are two of the most common ways people initially experience meditative state. Ever know a friend that takes a long drive whenever they are upset? I do, and when they get back they have a better understanding of the upsetting situation. I have found similar results which have led me to numerous situations where I have been able to immediately alleviate stress associated with a negative situation. Here is how I break it down for myself. When do I Meditate? While doing chores and other daily tasks. The biggest ones for me are doing dishes, vacuuming, driving, and mowing. Something about having a mundane task allows my brain to think more freely. I have read in a couple places that it is because a ta...
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How I Capure

Hi there. It has been longer than I would have wanted. I have stories and excuses, but those are topics for a different day. Today we will cover my personal process and how I handle my day to day business. We last left off with a brief history of why I started doing this, how it helps, and a little about the tools I use. I want to reiterate that any software can work as long as you can input things quickly and consistently. I have mulled over how to present this, and I think I will walk through my folders and lists with a description of each. Capture Lists (in Wunderlist but these can be generalized to work with any other task software like Todoist and Microsoft To-Do) Inbox - inbox is the default list in Wunderlist and I use it to capture things that don’t fit in with any of the defined lists below. My capture shortcut (iOS) and Google assistant will use this box for ubiquitous capture so I work out of this list regularly as a catch-all. Personal - Thi...
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My history with Capture

Before we get into today's blog I want to make something clear. When it comes to capture and productivity I am only sharing what I find to be valuable for me in the hopes that others will be helped by that. There are tons of people out there that are better than I am, and I understand that. If you are one of those people and you read this, know that I want your feedback. I welcome any suggestions that could save me time and effort while not impacting the quality of what I do. Feel free to leave a comment or reach out on twitter (@minorleagueCEO) and lets figure some stuff out. As I mentioned in my first blog, I have worked my way from an entry level employee to CEO in just under a decade. When I started I had very little experience with work email, calendars, or anything we traditionally associate with an office job. What I did have was a willingness to learn and the wiggle room to improve my personal work environment. We were issued laptops in those days, but that was it....
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Benefits of Capture

Now that we have walked through Capture and Processing, let's talk about the benefits that come with doing Capture right. Before I get into it I want to reiterate that Capture requires discipline. Any time Capture has failed, it was because I did not have the discipline to maintain either Capture or Processing. When I first started to fail I would beat myself up over it. If I slip now I think of it more as letting my room get a little too messy so I must do the extra work to clean it up. It doesn’t stop being something I do anymore. I need it like I need sleep and I just don’t work well without it. Productivity is the heart of Capture. I find that when I consistently capture tasks that life gets easier. I give someone a task, I schedule a follow up when it is supposed to be completed. I remember a topic I want to bring up in a meeting next week, I put it in a list that I pull up in the appropriate meeting. While planning I will break large projects down to its component tas...
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