I was at London’s airport, en route to Helsinki for Teemu Arina’s Biohacker Summit, with 20 pounds of cash burning a hole in my pocket. The airport bookstore called my name. So many options, but one book stood out: Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant. I picked it up, put it back down, and wandered off to browse other titles. Yet, I kept coming back to this one. Something about the idea that “we can all improve at improving” hit home. So, I took my last 20 pounds and made it mine.

When I first heard about hand analysis, I was admittedly skeptical. Like many, I associated it with fortune-telling and mysticism rather than science. However, after attending a session at the Biohacker Summit in Helsinki, my perspective completely shifted. Brent Bruning, a renowned hand analyst, delved into the fascinating correlation between fingerprint patterns and human behavior.

Holding yourself accountable can be incredibly challenging. Whether you’re working from home, overwhelmed with a long to-do list, stuck in freeze mode, or facing a task you’re unsure how to start, it’s easy to get sidetracked. But what does it really mean to be accountable? According to the dictionary, it’s being "required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible." But sometimes, we need a little help with justifying our actions and holding ourselves responsible to get things done.

In today’s fast-paced world of business, terms like "wellness" and "wellbeing" get tossed around interchangeably.

“This initiative is for our employees’ wellness.”

“We care about our employees and their wellbeing.”

So many things to think about. So many decisions to make. Naveen Jain's keynote speech at the Biohacker Summit I recently attended left me contemplating a profound question: “What am I willing to die for?”

Last Thursday marked the culmination of an intense five-month period for me. I had just wrapped up three major projects, all on the same day. The following morning, I enjoyed breakfast with a friend and then set out on a solo trip, an activity that I cherish deeply. There's something liberating about hitting the road alone, where you can stop wherever you want and take your time without worrying about anyone else's schedule.

If you know me, you know I love relating ideas about Agile and Scrum Project Management to real world scenarios. Recently I signed up for a raw portrait session with Elle Photography as part of The Body Project.

In this post by Peopleside on the importance of gratitude and thankfulness, they explore how renewing emotions can positively impact our well-being. We want to delve into the power of recognition and celebration, which are closely related to gratitude, but with a slightly different focus. As we approach the end of the year, it's a perfect time to reflect on how incorporating these elements into our daily lives can improve accountability, enhance project success, and foster a healthy work-life balance.

Hey there, productivity enthusiasts! In our crazy, fast-paced world, we’re all chasing productivity.

But guess what?

In doing so, we’re often overlooking the game-changing secret ingredient that can skyrocket performance: rest!

Yup, you heard me right. Rest and productivity aren't rivals; they're actually best buds constantly helping each other out as they work together.

Effective project management is not just about following a process or using tools and technology. It is also about building a strong team that can work together towards a common goal.  

People-centric project management is a holistic approach that prioritizes the well-being, communication, and collaboration of team members. In short, it puts people first.  

As someone who has worked remotely since 2016, I was ahead of the curve on the hard truths that many discovered during the pandemic. While there are plenty of advantages to working from home, it can also become overwhelming and lonely. This is where I found myself in the Summer of 2022. My to-do list already felt never-ending, with new tasks pouring in each day, but I needed to make time for two major project finishes that had deadlines looming. With a staff count of one clocking in at my home office (although he has a great attendance record, my ragdoll cat isn’t yet on the payroll), I knew that if I really wanted to get stuff done over the next few months, I needed to look for some outside accountability.

What is PMI-ACP? The world’s largest non-profit membership association for the profession of project management Project Management Institute (PMI) offers an Agile Certified Practitioner certification called the PMI-ACP

A maturity model is an assessment tool that measures the respondent's maturity in one or more areas through a series of questions. In doing so, it allows that person or group of people to determine their current state of maturity and what they need to learn or implement to advance their state. 

Think of Agile Meetings as tools. Tools you can utilize to achieve a particular goal. If you need to place a nail in the wall, you grab a hammer and start pounding. Yes, you could use a screwdriver, but you’re going to nick up the wall (or maybe a hand).

What is a roadmap? I like the word… roadmap. Road. Map. When you think of a map, what do you see? There are details. But not ALL of the details. A map simply includes the features that specifically will help you in knowing you’re going in the right direction.

Over time, as we become adults, this expression falls by the wayside a little bit. We don’t readily express, “I want…” or “I need…” In fact, some people come to view needs as weaknesses and wants as selfishness. This social conditioning is grounded in the belief that putting our needs and wants above the needs and wants of others is wrong. Even if we know that the concept of putting on our own air mask before assisting others applies in way more situations than just loss of cabin pressure.

The Organization Development Network defines Organizational Effectiveness as how effective an organization is in meeting its intended outcomes. While the OD Network was founded in 1968 as a way for leaders in the field of organization development to connect and advance, there’s not a specific organizational effectiveness industry-governing body like the Project Management Institute or the Change Management Institute.

It’s no secret that I value the power of a good pause. Each year, I like to spend December reflecting on all that has transpired – what worked, what didn’t – to identify what I want to bring into the year to come and what I want to let go of.