Most people could use more career independence.  Many have some big idea they want to offer the world.  A few thrive on building authority by taking on greater responsibility.

But these do not necessarily go hand-in-hand—they often make for a risky and stressful formula.  If you want freedom, impact, or authority, let’s talk about some paths to these beyond the “go launch a business” suggestion we hear all too often.

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I haven’t blogged lately because I’ve overcommitted.  When I figure out how to say “no” to more things, I’ll be sure to write about that.  But I have figured out how to make better use of the time I do spend working and relaxing.

The following is a video of me from WordCamp Mid-Atlantic talking about both productivity at work and balance in life.  Though the presentation was initially geared toward blogging, there are 13 minutes I’ve highlighted that I hope you’ll enjoy.

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Applying concepts of productivity to simply work more is missing the point.

Tonight I delivered a presentation at Ignite Baltimore that addressed applying concepts in productivity to make for a happier life.

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Radical change does not happen every day, but when it comes to your influences and relationships, it’s easier than you think.

If you’re like me, much of your information comes from the web, and you choose who to subscribe to.  And if you’ve been online for a while, there’s a good chance that those you paid attention to way back when are less relevant to who you are today.

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This is an entry about me.  About a year of change as well as growth, and about what I’ve learned.

I’m going to explore what expectations were met and what themes reoccurred.  Thank you again for your time.

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When you’re making a decision, especially an important one, there are often ‘necessary evils’ as part of the equation.  On the one hand, the ‘evil’ may sound like a ‘cost of doing business,’ but it may be more serious than that.

Perhaps you should strongly consider just how ‘necessary’ the ‘evil’ is.

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A few days ago I announced AwayFind.  That was the technology.  But that’s less than half the story to killing email interruptions.

The rest: an immediately practical, very readable, and quite beautiful 26-page guide that may not be available in 48 hours…

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It’s 4pm, and I could use a nap.  B-bye.

Our body forces moods and energy levels upon us that just don’t work with real world schedules.  Or perhaps those schedules are insufficient.

Sometimes it’s better to be a slave to your body: the benefits are huge.

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There’s a formula for change that I’ve come across in the past year: embrace people with diverse and seemingly extreme views.

Someone a couple steps ahead might bring you forward a few inches.  Someone a mile in the distance can change your life.

If you’re the product of the people around you, then it makes sense to have a few outliers in your friends.

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At the core of getting organized and staying on task, there are really only a few requirements.

Rather than a dozen ninja lifehacking tips, this post will help you to identify the core strengths and weaknesses in your process. I feel that these five things define the workflow of a productive knowledge worker:

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