I’ve been working on “redesigning” this site for longer than I care to admit. There are many different things I’d like to do with it, and the sheer wealth of options has kept me from making much progress in any one direction. One thing I can do, though, is commit to a regular posting routine. […]

Hey, remember the seven points of focus that I told you about on Monday? The ones I hope to contribute to in at least some small way each day? Well, today’s the day I try and kick those sets of habits into motion. So far, I haven’t done a bad job. When I got up this […]

A few months ago, I signed on to write zine reviews for Broken Pencil. The first three reviews I’ve written – one glowing, one positive, and one damning – can be read in the Spring 2012 issue. I don’t believe they’re available online, but you can pick up the print edition. Don’t buy it for […]

“We’ve taken care of gifts for your mum, haven’t we?” my wife asked me the day before Mother’s Day. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing her tomorrow.” “No trouble,” I said. “On top of the one little gift we’ve gotten her, we’ve got time to do some extra shopping this weekend.” “Good,” she said. “And my […]

I recently read an old blog post by nonprofit social media expert Beth Kanter, about a book she’d read called 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done. Kanter praised a number of the book’s ideas, but she was especially excited about picking a theme for the year ahead and applying it […]

Today I’m headed down to the Sheraton for a full-day Getting Things Done workshop. I’ve been using David Allen’s productivity system for about three years, but I’ve never attended one of his seminars. My company thankfully felt it would be a good use of my time, so that’s where I’ll be today. I’ll try to […]

Once in a great while, someone on Twitter with many more followers than I’ve got retweets something I’ve said, bringing it to the attention of a much wider community. Yesterday, that person was David Miller, our former mayor (with what I’m guessing was an assist by writer, professor and prior retweeter Tim Falconer, since Miller […]

Speaking of Be Prepared, I took a moment yesterday morning to try out one of its many simple suggestions: “Surprise [your wife] by writing notes on the baby’s diaper with a Sharpie, making sure that she’ll be the next one to change him.” Why not, right? My wife works hard all day, and she could […]

They call it “unhappy hour,” and it’s arguably one of the toughest things about being a new dad. Knowing you won’t see as much of your kid when you go back to work is one thing, but knowing she’ll probably cry the minute you come through the door is another. “This fussy period is believed […]

Speaking of DJ sets and great guys named Paul, my friend Paul Desaulniers has just become the president of the Toronto division of the Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association, and he’s currently in need of a DJ for their annual Toronto banquet. I’ve worked with these guys before, and although I’m unable to do so this […]