Peaks and troughs
Chatting to my brother at the weekend who was concened he hadn’t ‘achieved’ a lot during the weekend and he felt a bit guilty.
I recognised the feeling – if I don’t do everything I set out to do, it can be a bit disappointing.
I do have a to do list, which is a wonderful thing.
But it’s almost as if by the time something makes it onto the list, it becomes an obilgation, a chore = no fun.
Then, getting round to looking at the list turns into a chore in itself.
My wise friend Elaine mentioned looking at the outcome in order to motivate the action.
I thought about the letters that I’m going to get back from my friends once I’ve written to them.
Think that bit of advice did the trick. I’ll meander around some stationary shops today…
Leo has done a lovely simple post on getting things done.
Pic credit: Rick McCharles
MJ the innovator
In a philosphical mood following the sad news about Michael Jackson.
Granted, there are some people who would point to the more questionable things he did in his life in recent years, but from my perspective his songs were the soundtrack to a lot of memories in me and my friends’ lives.
Without doubt he was a master at what he did and in his earlier years at least, came out with songs, unexpected styles and dance moves that broke from the norm. Take, for example that scary Thriller video and the ‘leaning’ move in Smooth Criminal – it plays at 7.15 in this video.
In so many fields, one of the pillars of enduring success is innovation. Michael Jackson was great at this and it’s probably one of the reasons that he has created so many classic songs and dance moves. He could always be relied upon to make the audience sit up and take notice with something fresh, energetic and exciting.
However, even though innovation was a natural talent with Michael Jackson, it also needs to be combined with focus, because, as the last few years of his life show, it appeared that his self absorbtion and various personal dramas clearly took the edge off his ability.
Whatever your opinion, the force of emotion is clear – not sure that news about anyone else would have the effect of slowing the web down!
RIP MJ
Regular reads
Some good sites…
Personal Finance and investment site with advice and comparison tables
A great personal finance site 
I love the design of this marketing site – I like the way the information is organised.
Functional design and reliable content
All the latest news on the web
I love Leo’s Zen Habits site – it’s really nice, not preachy, with loads of ideas on how to simplify your life in all areas. I always look forward to reading the feeds in the morning
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