**This Jason’s Blog entry is a bit more personal than usual. I hope you still find it helpful** Today, our family will travel together to move our oldest child and only daughter (and sister) to college. I’m a first generation college graduate. I grew up professionally in the higher ed. administrative and teaching spaces. I’ve…
Category: Work-Life Balance
Taking The Time vs. Making The Time
“Taking the time,” implies that we are squeezing into our schedules an unplanned activity, engagement, or task. When we “take the time,” we deduct from our current schedule. It implies something we should do. Perhaps, even, a burden. “Making the time,” on the other hand, suggests that we are proactively planning to use our time…
Committing To Quiet
Last night – Christmas Eve – we had snow in East Tennessee. This is a uncommon occurrence for us but a welcome one, especially given the holiday. Falling snow is mesmerizing to watch as it dances toward the ground under the watchful eyes of street lamps. And I spent some time bundled up on our…
The Problem With a Shift-Worker Mindset
Development work can become a 24/7 lifestyle. There are always more events to attend. More lunches to have with donors. More trips to visit prospects. It can seem never-ending. And ultimately, if one is not careful, it can produce an unhealthy, out-of-balance lifestyle. In response to these very real pressures, some people apply a…
Begin With The Journey In Mind
You’ve heard the saying, “Begin with the end in mind.” (Habit 2 of Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”). With all respect to Covey. . . I think this isn’t completely right. Here’s why: What is it that we plan that ever ends? I mean really ends? Stopped. Completed. No more. Finished. Finito. A successful…
The Critical Question for 2010: Will You Be An Investor or Spender?
Two thousand and nine is almost behind us and no one seems to mind. Most of the news was financial and it wasn’t good. We all know the headlines and our retirement accounts continue to feel the pain. So, at the dawn of 2010, I’m asking a question that, on its face, appears to be…
The 3 R’s
Success emerges from habits. Doing the right things over and over leads to sustained success in any endeavor, but especially in fundraising and leadership. In order to form effective habits, you must have balance in your life. And I’ve come to believe that balance can be achieved by following the 3 R’s. If you do…
Achieving work-life balance? Is that even the right question?
A see-saw doesn’t balance for long. That’s the visual I have always conjured when people talk of “work-life balance.” In a former life, I studied the concept by surveying employees only to find that sustaining work life-balance is, you guessed it, awfully hard. I think the problem is that the very phrasing we’ve used to…