In the April 6th issue of Parade Magazine, terminally ill professor Randy Pausch provides an excerpt from his last lecture: The Lessons I Am Leaving Behind . Pausch writes, “At many colleges, professors are asked to give a “last lecture.” In this talk, they ruminate about what matters most to them. As they speak, audiences mull the same question: What wisdom would you impart to the world if you knew this was your last chance?”

Shortly after being asked to give such a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University where he is a professor in the computer sciences department, he found out that he had terminal pancreatic cancer. This lecture was no longer a hypothetical. Pausch is in his 40s, married to a woman he describes as the “woman of my dreams” and the father of three young children, ages 6, 3, and 1. This lecture would be not only his gift to the university but also his legacy for his children. In his lecture, he told his audience to “dream big, ask for what you want, dare to take a risk, look for the best in everybody, make time for what matters, and let kids be themselves.” It is all very good advice.

Reading about Randy Pausch made me wonder what I would say if I was in the same situation. If I knew I was dying soon, what lessons would I want to leave for my children? Here are a few of the things I would tell them:

1)Spend time with your own children. If you are ever blessed with children of your own, remember that I was very rarely too busy to do something with you. I hope that you recall the hours we spent reading books on the couch or playing games, or simply spending time together. Enjoy your time with your own children, because childhood flies by all too quickly.

2)Love to learn There are so many wonderful things to learn in this world. Never stop learning. The library and the internet are wonderful tools to help you find out more about whatever interests you. School is just a starting point. Your real classroom is the world.

3)Be Generous There are so many who have less than we do. Always be generous with your time and your money.

4)and most importantly, Live Your Faith God is the foundation of all that we are. Pray morning and night and during the day. Go to mass. Read your Bible. Connect with the one who made you. Follow the commandments – your life will be better for it.

The truth is, of course, that none of us have a guaranteed tomorrow. I read somewhere that death gives our days importance. We have a limited amount of time on this earth and we need to use it wisely. Each day we have the opportunity to pass on important lessons to our children by both what we say and what we do. Life is short. Randy Pausch's last lecture is a good reminder to focus on what matters.

What lessons would you want to leave behind for your own children? Please leave a comment and share your wisdom!

- Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com http://momentofbeauty.blogspot.com

My desk has stayed clean now for five months. It used to stay clean for maybe five hours if I was lucky.

Five months ago, right before Thanksgiving, I started productivity guru David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) system (thanks to posts by other writers on this blog). It was kind of complicated to set up.

Picture a series of lists made up primarily of "next actions" and projects with the idea being to get EVERYTHING, personal and professional, out of your mind and onto a particular list that is regularly reviewed.

I'll let you reread that last sentence.

GTD takes all your projects and to-do's that are clamoring for attention in your mind and breaks them down into "next actions" that you put mostly on a series of lists.

It has. Not only that, the system is easy to work, and it's easy to maintain. And if I get out of the routine for a few days, it's surprisingly easy to get back into the GTD system.

In fact, it was so easy, I was suspicious. I thought that maybe I was just being efficient on my own and it wasn't the system.

Then recently the system was tested. I got a call from my daughter away at college. She had some symptoms that we thought might be serious. I told her to go to the emergency room. After hanging up, I decided to make the three-hour drive and meet her at the E.R. I hastily packed a suitcase (which I left on the bed) and grabbed my laptop.

By the time I arrived at my daughter's college, she had been examined and released. She was okay and her symptoms were chalked up to stress. Since I was already down there, I decided to stay and make a long weekend out of it. (I actually stayed in my daughter's dorm room one night, but that's another article.)

After that four-day trip, I was dreading going home. In the past, whenever I have taken even a two-day well-prepared-for trip, I have come home to a horrendous job of catching up and getting back up to speed. I particularly dreaded coming home from this trip because I hadn't preplanned for it.

When I got home and began my next workday, I started going through all the lists and figuring out what I had to do. The morning was busy but not so bad. I scheduled an impromptu lunch with a business associate that took three hours as it was out of town; yet I still finished a considerable amount of work in the afternoon and early evening. The rest of the week was filled with schedule-killers like a hair appointment, judging a speech contest, and other things. But I finished my week getting all my work done and more.

That has never happened before. Usually, it takes me a week to catch up!
The beauty of the GTD system is that it's not rigid at all. In fact, it's very intuitive. That's what makes it so liveable.

Not only am I now getting more done, I'm able to do it with a lot less stress. And because things are not "on my mind" anymore, I'm sleeping a lot better, too.

David Allen says it takes about a year of working GTD to really get soaring. I can hardly wait.

If you would like to learn more, you might enjoy watching this 45-minute video at a corporate Google seminar. It's really good. And do let me know if you jump on the GTD bandwagon.

Copyright Katherine Andes

A fellow Massachusetts mom has started a magazine devoted solely to Organization. The copy that follows is from "Organize" Magazine's website: www.organizemag.com 

 

Organize is the brainchild of Joyce Dorny, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief. As a busy mother of six, Joyce has had ample opportunity to develop a knack for organizing both people and places. In creating Organize, she has taken what she learned from her real life experience and the knowledge she gained working for storage and organization retailers and turned those skills into a profession. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) with her own organization consulting practice, Joyce is passionate about organizing and is especially passionate about the need for, and service provided by, Organize magazine.

Organize is the first lifestyle magazine dedicated solely to helping people find practical, doable organizing solutions for their home, work and self.

According to the National Association of Professional Organizers:

• 80 percent of the clutter in most homes is a result of disorganization,
  not a lack of space.
• 50 percent of homeowners say their garage is the most disorganized
  place in their house.
• 80 percent of what people file away for safekeeping never gets looked at again.
• 40 percent of housework can be eliminated by getting rid of clutter.

But Organize is more than just a magazine about organizing “stuff.” It’s a magazine that serves as a lifestyle management tool with information, ideas and advice about such subjects as time management, personal goals, relationships, and the many emotional and psychological issues that relate to how people behave and interact with their surroundings. The magazine’s mix of reported articles, personal essays, expert advice and visually informative how-to guides are geared toward our diverse readership, which runs the gamut from singles living in small spaces to families juggling houses and kids to empty nesters trying to scale back and, ideally, relax a bit more.

It’s our mission to provide readers with organizing solutions for living. 

 

CNN Money has an interesting article today entitled Should Your Business Be on Facebook? 

The Q and A formatted column from Forbes Small Business looks at the pros and cons of having a corporate presence on the social networking darling.  As a Facebook fan, I would answer "yes" to this question.  I have seen the value of the platform as a networking tool.  My favorite Facebook moment to date occurred when a very important potential contact/Facebook friend noted in my "status" line that I was packing to attend a conference.  As luck would have it, he was attending as well and we were able to arrange a ninety minute meeting.  I will keep you posted on the eventual outcome, but that occasion was enough to convince me of the power of Facebook.

This column rightly focuses on things entrepreneurs need to be doing to ensure that Facebook succeeds as a marketing tool, and not just another productivity detractor.  If you're going to spend  all your Facebook time playing "Ninjas vs. Warriors" or losing at Scrabulous rather than seriously networking, take a pass. 

I have been working on my resume lately. It is one of those things I've had on my to-do list for ages, but keep putting off. I'm not actively searching for a new job, but it is good to always have one ready in case the opportunity arises or in the event you find yourself suddenly out of work. It is also good as a tool to help you look over your work life and see what you have accomplished and where you would like to go.

So, I finally bit the bullet, took some books out of my local library on resume writing and got to work. If your resume is in need of updating (or if you have never put one together), this might be the perfect time. It can be intimidating to summarize your life and accomplishments in one or two pages, but once you get going, the process is really relatively painless.

If you would like more information on how to put together a resume, check out: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumes/a/aa040801a.htm. They had links to many good resources. Your local library, career center, or college career office can also be a tremendous help.

Also, once your resume is completed, be sure to have someone else look it over. This is one time when spelling and grammar and the impression you put forth definitely matter. 

I know I'm jumping the gun by a few days, but the lovely weather hear in Fresno has filled me with Spring fever.  Last night, I sat with my son at a Boy Scout Court of Honor, listening to young men from our parish receive various scouting awards. One of them had earned a merit badge for personal management.  The young man had spent over ninety days accounting for his personal finance and engaging in time management tactics, including creating and adhering to a personal schedule.  Our Scout Master commended this young scout for the fact that his daily schedule, created by his own hand, always commenced each day with time for prayer.

Wow, what a reminder to the many time starved parents in the building that we all need to keep our priorities straight.  What better way to start and end your day than with silent worship time?  It was a potent reminder for me that creating blocks of time for silence and prayer in my daily schedule is a must.

On a separate note, congratulations to our Mike St. Pierre for his inclusion in this list of Top 100 Productivity Blogs .  A well deserved recognition for a man who helps so many of us live our lives better each day. 

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself enjoying 75 degree sunshine and sitting court side at my son's first tennis match of the season.  The day was beautiful and my son won his first ever Varsity doubles match, so overall it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours.  But I realized I'm out of practice since I haven't attended an outside sporting event since our last football game in mid-November.

And I'm not alone here - we're about to jump into the thick of little league, softball, track and field, and swim seasons as well so many of us will find ourselves cheering on our favorite athletes for at least several hours per week.  Are you prepared to make the experience comfortable, enjoyable and maybe even productive?

Here are a few thoughts for making the most of time spent at children's sporting events:

• Use the time wisely - Don't spend the entire time with your BlackBerry, but do carry in your bag a few "odds and ends" that you might be able to attend to in a down moment.  I usually carry school forms that need completing, light reading material, and a notebook for jotting writing ideas.
• Take your seat - Invest in a light, portable chair and a waterproof blanket so that you are ready for any seating situation.  These are easily kept in the back of your vehicle and will come in handy when the playing terrain is muddy or made of concrete or asphalt.
• Remember snacks - Especially if you have younger siblings in tow, but even if you are on your own, pack plenty of water and healthy snacks.  Avoid being hit up for the "snack shack" (or finding yourself tempted by the "frito chili boat") by bringing apples, cheese sticks, popcorn and other easily portable snacks.
• Apply sunscreen - The sunscreen should be a regular part of your game kit and should be used liberally on both the kids and yourself prior to any sun exposure.
• Pay attention - It's tempting to spend the entire game or match chatting, but you don't want to miss the amazing pop fly catch or the ace serve because you were swapping gossip about the third grade teacher. 
• Remember your purpose - You are in attendance to show love and support for your child.  Do not be the parent who coaches louder than the real coach from the sidelines.  Make only positive remarks and save your critiques (if you must make them) for a time when you are in private with your child.  Be the loving parent who sets the example for all the knuckleheads who are reliving their "glory days" through their kids. 
• Have fun - Most importantly, set the tone for your child's experience by delighting in the time you have to spend with him and let him know how very proud you are of his efforts and participation.

Part of the genesis of The Daily Saint was a desire to find purpose and meaning from daily work.  Having worked with plenty of folks who seemed miserable doing the work that they had chosen, I set out to find a medium for promoting the marriage of ordinary work with personal values.

When I came across Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations, I found what I was looking for- a blend of business success with spiritual focus.   The approach that author Margaret Benefiel uses is simple and direct, providing snapshots of organizations and how they attempt to integrate spiritual principles into everyday life.

What is 'soul at work'?  Quite simply, as Benefiel writes, it is an organization that allows the human spirit to realize its fullest potential.  When an organization provides an employee with the space to accomplish this, great things happen. 

I especially enjoyed the chapter called Leading from the Inside Out: The Inner Life of the Leader.  Benefiel provides a snapshot of four leaders who are principle-centered to the core.  CEO Bob Carlson of Reell Manufacturing discusses his struggle to maintain times of sabbath and rest.  Matching his personal life of faith with his role as the leader of a major corporation, Carlson has found a way to integrate the two.  He and several other executives end their meetings with what they call 'inspirational wisdom'- a period of silence which lasts for seven minutes.  Imagine if Microsoft and Google followed suit!

How do great leaders make decisions?  Benefiel discusses such concepts as listening and keeping grounded in spiritual practices.  She also provides a nice look at what she calls 'corporate discernment'.  This is, I believe, at the heart of what others have called staying power- you don't stick if you can't make the decisions which allow for endurance.  As an example, we all have seen too many universities that were once founded on core principles, only to find that years later they are trying to be all things to all people.

Mercy Medical Center in Iowa features one model for making decisions with a greater cause in mind.  When faced with the opportunity to open a preadolescent psychiatric services program, CEO Jim Fitzpatrick gathered a team in order to discern how the venture would fit within the mission of the organization.  In the end, Mercy made a decision that worked for them and honored those in need, within the framework of the organization's broader mission.

Soul at Work is a solid read.  I highly recommend it for readers of The Daily Saint who wish to keep their faith in sync with their work.  I've made copies of certain chapters for some colleagues in order to encourage and motivate them and I think that would work for your team as well.  In the next month, we'll feature an interview with author Margaret Benefiel herself which should provide a perfect complement to this review.

 

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I have been reading Never Better: All Things Considered by Sally Connolly. The book is primarily how she learned to cope after losing her husband of 37 years, but in it, she offered this wonderful explanation of how to achieve success:

To achieve success, thus, follow the lead set by the exemplars of excellence. First, look carefully at your interests and find something you are passionate about. Then, look realistically at the skills you possess as well as your potential for developing them or acquiring new ones. Rather than a headlong, helter-skelter dash, set a plan. Bolster your self-confidence by celebrating minor accomplishments along the way. Don't be surprised by setbacks, and don't be fearful of them. Detours on the road to success are only temporary glitches. Work through them and keep your eyes on the ultimate goal. Follow the roadmap you have set, enthusiastically devote time and effort, and visualize success. And finally, enlist the aid and support of family and friends. Telling them about your plans can help keep you on track. Most importantly, never give up."

It is a little late, but February 11 - 17 was "Random Acts of Kindness" week in the US. Still, kindness never goes out of fashion no matter what week it is. For some good ideas on how to spread kindness in the world, check out The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

Do something nice for someone today :)