OK, so January this year was just... weird and hard. It was cold, long, and COVID-confusing. Normally it is a somewhat dormant month for me with clients, who are (in normal years), either struggling to rev up for a new year, or scrambling to complete year-end requirements. But this time I was packed with appointments, and most of them were of more a reflective, existential nature. People needed to talk through mental health challenges, motivation, or just plain old stress. I am grateful for the many significant conversations, but hoping and praying that February is a bit of a lighter load for all of us.
With the hope of stirring the pot creatively or giving you a smile, I'm adding some resources that are perhaps a little off the beaten path from my normal fare. Let me know what you think!
📲 Turn an old phone into a free wireless security camera in minutes. OK...wha-a-a-a-t? I haven't tried it yet, but heck yeah, I have some old phones laying around. I'm a bit technology-challenged, but if any of you try this out, please let me know if it works for you.
🌵🚲 They’re building a 15-minute city from scratch in the Utah desert. As someone who has not owned a car since 2010, and rides a motor scooter or bicycle to most places, I will tell you that this seems appealing. Perhaps as people start taking remote jobs in locations where they want to live, concepts like this will become even more feasible? Interesting reflection to ponder.
📽 The Banality of Genius: Notes on Peter Jackson's "Get Back." Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I pushed through the 8 hours of the "Get Back" documentary about the Beatles on Disney+. Sure, the whole thing got tedious at times, but overall I believe it not only captured the reality of the creative process (95% noodling/procrastinating; 5% something mildly worthwhile), but good grief, we got to watch the Beatles create music and do their last concert! If you are interested, this is the best review/essay on the documentary I've seen so far.
🛥 Rotterdam bridge to be dismantled so Jeff Bezos’ yacht can pass through. Apropos of nothing. But so... lame.
⏳ If you need a new tool for organizing your tasks, projects and plans... OK, I can't help myself. I found something SUPER DUPER useful and need to share it. I'm a huge fan of mindmapping, and the best website I have used is MindMeister. Here is a 1-hour "how-to" on how you can maximize and organize ALL of your stuff into a dashboard: MindMeister for Personal Productivity - Jan 2022. The first 10 minutes might be a teeny bit tedious as he sets the context but HANG IN THERE. It's worth it, I promise! (PS if you're hooked on MindMeister, don't let the annual fee daunt you. Dig around and find their .edu discount. If you've got an .edu email address, you're set!)
🤔 Embracing Sadness in the Pursuit of Happiness. Have no fear, this is actually an uplifting episode. I found it very useful and it gave some practical advice.
As always, thanks for reading... please reach out with feedback or questions at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Onward and upward!
