In today’s episode, our hosts are talking all about the importance of pausing, taking a stop and planning for the year ahead. So without further ado… Let’s get into the show!
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Show Notes for This Episode:
[1:00] The spider monkeys try to distract Tom during his intro.
[2:00] This time of year is when most set goals for the coming year.
[3:00] Big announcement!
[4:00] Tom shares why we are taking some time off.
[5:10] Who are the planners on the team and who are not?
[6:00] Dustin has been inspired by Seth Godin and is making big exciting changes.
[7:00] Through discussions with Cliff, this is what Lisa has learned about business plans.
[8:00] Lisa needs a more loose approach for her goals.
[9:45] Ian opens up about how he plans his yearly goals.
[10:00] Last years goal – 100,000 YouTube followers.
[11:40] Ian wishes he was a better planner.
[12:15] Construction contractor planning envy.
[13:00] Ian needs someone to impose hard goals so he can achieve milestones.
[14:25] Guess who’s not a big planner?
[15:40] Dustin is intrigued and digs deeper to get a sense of Tom’s planning.
[16:00] Tom shares how he setup everything for his site in 1.5 hours.
[17:30] Ian plans very loosely with daily priorities.
[18:10] Lisa has learned she’s got to stop over-planning.
[19:00] Stop trying to put a square peg into a round hole.
[20:00] The key is to find a process that works for you.
[21:00] No app will solve all your life’s planning problems.
[22:00] You have to learn new skills to save time in the future.
[23:00] Apps like Listonic have really helped Ian get organized and plan.
[24:00] Trello and Airtable work well for Lisa.
[25:00] Dustin swears by the Zequenz notebooks for ideas and SnagIt.
[27:20] Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.
[28:00] The importance of understanding why you want something.
[30:00] Showing up every day is the real secret.
[31:20] Fall in love with the act of discipline.
[32:40] Motivation is like a rocket booster to get you going.
[33:00] Exercise motivation and discipline.
[34:00] Running and motivation.
[35:30] The dreaded question, “what’s your 2-5 year goal?”
[36:00] Goals are like living, breathing beings. Tom shares some Design Cuts goals.
[37:00] Personal, business and personal business goals.
[38:00] List and tick off.
[39:20] Lisa talks about mental morale and list making.
[40:10] Tom shares how mundane acts combat mental overwhelm.
[41:10] Organizing to gain control.
[42:00] Small things make a HUGE difference for good and for bad.
[43:00] This is the definition of insanity.
[45:45] Tom wants to remove as many intention pauses as possible.
[46:00] Find a way to stop time sucks, not put off.
[47:00] Life’s perpetual hamster wheel.
[48:00] We are all in the same boat with these feelings.
[50:00] Unthinking the to-do list.
[51:00] Dustin killing it with the humor.
[53:00] Wishing you all an amazing and relaxing December.
[54:00] We will see you all in 2021!
[55:00] That’s a wrap!
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Hi there,
I wanted to put my name in the hat for being a guest on your podcast. I was looking for something like the “Design Matters” podcast, but a little more modest!
I’m a 4x Emerging Scholar and have taught undergraduate level design in 3 countries. My TEDx talk at Emily Carr University of Art and Design has been translated into 18 languages.
Check me out at thomaskgirard.com
T
tgirard@sfu.ca
Hey Thomas,
Thank you for getting in touch and it is wonderful to hear that you are interested in being a guest on the Honest Designer’s podcast. I have passed your details onto our Podcast Team who will hopefully get back to you in the near futurw, however, it is worth noting that we have organised our upcoming guests for the current season.
I think it’s social media. I come from the blogging era, before Facebook, and I never had these issues.
Hey Meda,
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It is really interesting to hear that things were very different for you and hope you still found value in this episode :)
Thank you all for a great 2020… I know that there was not a great deal to relish this year but you guys made stuff to lighten the load. Again, I couldn’t help but comment on this episode as it has helped me better frame my own troubles around planning. Seems to me that a huge obstacle to most creatives is that there are only so many hours AND, if we are truly being honest with ourselves, the BULK of that time (in our minds) should be directed towards “creating!”. So, even though organizing or planning may prove beneficial… it, in itself, takes time – that we are easily able to convince ourselves would be better spent… well, um, creating. AND, even if we do convince ourselves of the wonderful merits of planning and organizing, we are still able to argue with our subconscious that IF we’re going to find time for planning… shouldn’t that time be better spent with family or admin or working out or getting more sleep yada, yada, yada??
I’m so glad you all are taking some time to refocus and recharge (like my opinion is important :))… and despite the fact that you frequently come to the mics with very little in terms of an organized approach to it… there is something here. Hmm, I wonder if the podcast itself is indeed a mechanism of organization… helping you all address pent-up frustrations about your chosen creative lives and then allowing you to bounce ideas around? I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts when you’re back in the new year as to whether you “missed your weekly venting.” What say you?
Hey Dave,
Thanks for commenting. It has been really interesting to read your insight on the episode and I am pleased it has helped you. I will pass on your thoughts to the Honest Designers Hosts – We all find our community’s feedback extremely important. :)