And we're off

The Blinderclip List has moved to http://bindercliplist.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!

Power of the Word

"Take everything off your desk. Today we're having a vocab test!"

Unless you have children in middle school, you probably have not thought about a vocabulary test in years! Like it or not, the words we use (and the way we use them) help paint a picture of the type of person we are. A strong vocabulary and clear, intentional speech is such an asset for leaders. 

Words are tools we use to communicate thoughts and ideas. Increasing your word bank and ability to use it in everyday conversation enhance your power to communicate effectively!

Six Random Points about Vocabulary  

1. Be intentional with your vocabulary. Many people talk to fill empty space or to retreat from an uncomfortable position. As you build your vocabulary pay attention to what you are saying and when you are saying it.  If you say, "hello, how are you?" make an effort to actually mean it! 
2. Double check your motives. If you are using big words to impress people I guarantee that your strategy will backfire on you at some point. 
3. Commit to building your vocabulary over time. There are many tools and techniques available to help you build your vocabulary... books, CD's, classes, techniques.  My personal favorites are listed below. Find something, and do it!
   
   

Get Personal with your Office Supplies!

Doane Paper Daily Arsenal Kit Giveaway from The Pen Addict

Get personal about your office supplies! There are so many products out there, find ones that fit your needs and likes! There are several office supply blogs out there, a few to which are linked to in my blog roll.

One of my favorite, The Pen Addict, is currently running a giveaway contest.  Simply make a comment on his post and you have a chance to win a great package entitled, "Doane Paper Daily Arsenal Kit." This is the direct link to the contest entry from August 3, 2010.

Asset Building & the Calendar Conundrum

Check out this Work Smart Video from Fastcompany.com. I am trying to embed the video but am having difficulties. Work Smart: Take Back Your Calendar With Defensive Scheduling 

Tips like these are great! If you are like me they get my mind racing for new and exciting ways I can organize my life and become more productive. Yet once I begin thinking of new ways of organizing my mind immediately fills with questions that quickly throw all my old ways of doing things into question. Before you know it I'm spending hours building a brand new, fool proof process for planning and keeping my calendar. Then after one day of this new method I realize it is way too complicated and I ditch it completely!

If you can relate maybe taking an asset building approach to the calendar conundrum would help!

You are a humanBEING, not a humanDOING

“It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the result of our efforts.”   - Henri Nouwen

BOOK SUGGESTION: Henri Nouwen: Adam: God's Beloved.

Henri Nouwen finished writing Adam weeks before his own death in 1996. I found it a powerful book about the power of BEING rather than DOING. Nouwen learns this powerful lesson through his experience with the L'Arche Community. It is an easy read that can be finished in one or two sittings. Even if you are not a Christian, I believe you will find a powerful message in Nouwen’s reflection.

“In short, we are worthwhile because we have successes.  And the more we allow our accomplishments – the results of our actions – to become the criteria of our self-esteem, the more we are going to talk on our mental and spiritual toes, never sure if we will be able to live up to the expectations which we created by our last successes.  In many people’s lives, there is a nearly diabolical chain in which their anxieties grow according to their successes.  The ark power has driven many of the greatest artists into self-destruction.” Henri Nouwen

More on Nouwen:

Silk.net: Biography, Quotations and More 

Henri Nouwen Society

What's my password?

E-mails, banks, blogs, computer, phones, web subscriptions... If I had to make a guess, I'd say I have at least 2 dozen passwords floating around on my different websites and gadgets. It throws a big wrench into my day when I can't remember the password for some service I want to access. I often have to reset passwords or worse, get locked out of services I do not use regularly.  Ahhh...

Lets get that under control!  Simply devoting some time to creating and sticking to a "system" for logging and remembering passwords will provide great benefit! Put your mind to in and find something that works for you. Here is what worked for me:

1. Create a password document that contains all important information.  
2. Either store this information on your hard drive or archive it in your main e-mail.  
3. If you add or update a password, update the information. 

This tip probably drives the security conscious crazy.  If you are really concerned about a password you can always enter a hint or a code for more protection, or keep your most secure passwords in a locked safe.  Passwords for less risky accounts (like ebay, iTunes, Livestrong...) shouldn't cause you too much stress!

For further reading, including password management services:
About.com: Storing and Remembering Passwords Securely

Breakfast? Yes, please.

"It’s amazing: It can help improve your memory, help you to concentrate, and help you to maintain a healthy weight — and it tastes good, too! So, what is it? Breakfast. Research has uncovered numerous benefits associated with the morning meal." (Kashi, Breakfast Ideas to Jump-Start Your Day)


We hear it all the time, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Yet unfortunately many of us fail to put it into action. The benefits of eating breakfast are so immediately tangible that you think it would be easier for us to adapt its practice into habit. 


3 Simple TIps for making this important productivity tool a habit:
- Find some easy options you like (see mine below) and stock up! 
- Keep portable options available for mornings you run out of time. 
- FORCE IT! Even if you are not hungry in the morning, force it down! 

Do it today!

Do one thing every day that scares you. 

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Be inspired: Learn more about Eleanor Roosevelt

Maybe scary isn't the perfect word for this quote... it might be better to say, "do one DIFFICULT thing each day" ... or even, "do one healthy thing YOU WOULD RATHER NOT each day."  Eleanor might have got it right, though.  The implications of the word SCARY add a lot the meaning of the phrase, doesn't it?

In reality, if you're putting things off its most likely for some reason other than FRIGHT. But there probabally is some "feeling of alarm" that is keeping you from doing any number of important things.

By making a conscious choice to do one difficult thing a day not only helps us get things done, but also gives us an opportunity to strengthen our will. If you are like me, most of the SCARY things turn out to be a lot easier than expected. If we're putting things off because we've worked ourself up for some reason, what we're really doing is creating an unnecessary cycle of stress. When you think about it, that's pretty silly.

Summer is slipping by... jump on board!

It is the LAST week of JULY! Summer is rounding her last corner. Before we know it the busyness of Fall will be upon us.

How have you enjoyed this Summer season so far?

What can you still squeeze out of this rejuvenating season?

Make a plan as if your livelihood depended on it! It really does! Make some time for fun. Make some time for relaxation. Make some time for family. Make some time for yourself.

-BCM

Conquering the Informal Thank You Card

There are those people, I'm sure you know at least one or two. Quite frankly, I'd like to be one of them and I recently developed a strategy to do so.

My friend Mary is an ALL STAR at sending thank you cards. Mary is a close friend and industry peer. In the 5 years that I have known Mary I would say that I have received 6 or 7 notes of appreciation from her. While simple and to the point, each, each card was sincere and timely. None of them were expected, but each one meant a lot to me. While simple and to the point, each card was sincere and timely.

I recently took a few simple steps that have helped me conquer the informal thank-you card. I hope you find them helpful!

1. Gather your addresses. Do you have a system for collecting addresses of friends and co-workers? It is so much easier to send a card if you don't have to track down an address! I purchased a small and durable, old fashioned address book. Moleskin has a nice collection. In addition, I keep an address file in my box of easily accessible files to place the contact sheets I frequenlty recieve from family and work. If you SLOWLY accumulate addresses the task won't seem overwhelming. Of course many phones and computers are great places to store addresses, but I find the hard copy works best for me!

Write it down, silly! The Chaos List

Make a chaos list. It sounds too simple to be considered a valid suggestion. Yet in today's technology driven world (don't worry, technology is my friend), sometimes we overlook the obvious. Take out a scrap piece of paper and write a list... one by one.

In a nutshell: You're on a time crunch, you have dozens of things to do. Some tasks may be trivial or ordinary functions, others essential... and they are all racing through your noggin. The simple function of a Chaos list is to WRITE IT ALL DOWN on a small piece of paper. Your tasks are much safer written down on a list than they are floating around in your head. If you find yourself in a stressful time crunch, create a Chaos List and cross the items off as you complete them.

Welcome to the Binderclip Blog!

Hello and welcome! I spent a good portion of today (a lazy Sunday) organizing my MacBook. As I was busy tearing through old files and pictures, I was searching the Internet for a quality blog that offered simple productivity and organization tips. While I did come across some pretty interesting blogs, I did not find quite what I was looking for. Most of the productivity websites were either rather technical (which incidentally often further complicates and clutters my life) or more geared towards a home maker.

I was looking for a blog that I that would offer tangible and practical life-skill suggestions for a person on the move. It is painfully obvious to me that when my life is an organizational mess, I am not the only person to suffer! Those around me, my family and friends, and the businesses and organizations I work for suffer as well! Picking up helpful new habits along the way will not only help make my own life a bit smoother, but help me be able to give more to the people and groups I work with.

Plus, in a nerdy way, this stuff excites me! The anonymous nature of this venue makes it easier to say that!

So here we go.... none of the personal crap (I promise not to bog you down with monotonous details of my last family vacation) ... just straightforward, practical pointers for the people making a difference in the world today. Not from an expert (I was 10 minutes late for church this morning because I couldn't find my keys) but from a fellow earthling who is often knee deep in his own chaos. I certainly welcome and anticipate helpful pointers and suggestions that have worked for you!

- BM