work | Fatherhood Remixed

Scheduling is important

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Workshop Joe

I’ve never been real good at keeping a schedule. Now let me clarify for a moment. That doesn’t mean I’m not on time it just means that I don’t keep a schedule. When I think of a schedule I think of some sort of planner with every minute of my day mapped out. To me that suffocating. I keep track of the stuff I have to do like work, a doctor visit or a kids game. That’s easy. It’s important. It’s the other time that I don’t plan for. I sort of just let it happen.

What I’m finding is that time is either spent or lost. Well, maybe it’s just always spent. Sometimes on something worthwhile and other times on nothing. Time is my greatest asset right now. I have just as much as everyone else. That’s a crazy concept right? Bill Gates may have more money but you have the same 24 hours in the day. What you choose to spend those 24 hours is probably a bigger difference maker than the money you don’t have.

In fact I would go so far as to say that if you invest your time in something or someone you’ll have some sort of return. Actually, I guarantee it. If you pick any pursuit or idea and invest time in it you will see a return. I don’t know how big that return will be and I suppose that depends on how efficient you are with that investment.

Distractions

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Workshop Joe

Sometimes there isn’t even a notification. I’ll check my phone, swearing I heard or felt an alert and there is nothing there. As if that wasn’t bad enough I work at a computer all day with the freedom to have multiple windows open. A few of those windows are always Facebook and Twitter. I see the indicators that there is a message and I’m compelled to click or I might miss something.

I was a very early adopter to digital media. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and I loved to be in the know. At one point, when Blackberries were still cool, you could reach me a million different ways. I had BBM, Twitter, Email (several accounts), SMS, Facebook and of course you could call. I had custom alerts for each one so I knew what I got without even looking.

Today I’m so connected that I’m constantly being interrupted. The problem is I don’t see them as interruptions. I see these alerts as fuel for my creativity. I see new ideas, posts or thoughts and it sets me off into my own rabbit hole. Just as I’m getting ready to really dive in there I get another alert, another idea and another rabbit hole. I’ve dug so many but none are very deep.

D.I.Y.

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Workshop Joe

I gave my wife a new nickname yesterday. I call her Bob. It’s short for Bob Vila or Bob the Builder. Take your pick. She can and will build just about anything out of anything. She must have been an engineer in a past life. With sites like Instructables and the DIY Network it’s no wonder so many people are able to take on projects they never thought they could. One place this doesn’t work is music for your event. With easy access to unlimited libraries of music through Google Play, Pandora and Spotify some people might even consider just hooking up their Iphone to a PA system and hitting shuffle. But there is so much more to a proper DJ than just playing music. When you hire a professional you are able to rely on their expertise to keep your event running smoothly. They will be there to help direct the crowd and make announcements. In case there is a technical difficulty they will have the know how to correct things without downtime. We have been working as a team to make sure we can deliver the best experience possible. I take care of all the technical details and John is the life of the party. One thing we also put a big emphasis on is making sure that what is being played is appropriate for the event. The last thing you want in grandma being told to put her back in to it or your CEO that money ain’t a thing. You want to have an awesome time and we want to make sure that happens. So the next time you have an event leave it to the professionals. There are lots of D.I.Y projects out there. The DJ isn’t one of them.

Sunshine & Rainbows

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Workshop Joe

A great boxer once said, “It ain’t about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” When I first heard those words spoken by a battered veteran of pugilism I knew he was probably right. I also knew he was speaking about a lot more than the boxing ring. He was speaking about life. Now I must confess that I’m talking about a fictional character. A figment of someone’s imagination but it doesn’t make those words any less true. I imagine that most people look to self-help books or blogs by inspiring writers for their inspiration. I could be wrong but based on the number of self-help books published every year I don’t think I’m that far off. Now I know I was supposed to share how inspired I was by a blog post and share that with you but I don’t read blogs. If it weren’t for a certain class assignment I wouldn’t even be writing this one. But here we are and I did happen to find a blog post with my favorite scene from Rocky Balboa in it. Whether you view the clip at Joseph Michael’s blog or on Youtube the message should be the same. As Mr. Michael summarizes, “Success isn’t determined by how smart, talented, or skilled you are; it is determined by how hard you can persevere through challenges.”