Basketful of goodies

Helping Friendly Newsletter, 02.05.21

Feb 05, 2021

Friends,

If you’ve been on this list for a while, you will notice that I’m trying a new format. The big idea is more consistency, less fuss, and lots of sharing—things I create and ideas I encounter that I believe will:

interest you,
support clarity,
energize your work,
broaden your perspective, or
encourage you.

I scan constantly for resources to support my clients’ and my own learning. And sometimes just for fun. So, I take in lots of inputs, from books to podcasts to trainings and beyond. The best of it feels like buried treasure, and I want to share more.

You can expect a handful of concise ideas in each newsletter, covering topics like:

OK, enough with the preliminaries. Thanks for being here! Commencing basketful of goodies…

You Get an Eisenhower Matrix, and You Get an Eisenhower Matrix…

If you struggle to find time for long-range work like strategy, professional development, creative projects, and team building, try this: Map your priorities onto an Eisenhower matrix, then (on a clean copy) map how you actually spend your time. Look at them side by side. Are they aligned?

The top, right quadrant is easy to neglect. These goals are un-squeaky wheels, until the day they become urgent—and by then it’s too late for robust impact. To give “important, not urgent” work the attention it deserves, you must (a) stop putting out fires, (b) find a path to consistency, and (c) access your deep work flow. It’s a heavy lift, but worth the effort.

This is the Eisenhower matrix. It is also me trying the Procreate app with a cheap stylus. Proof positive that anyone can scratch out their own version. 😂

Secret Powers

My 10yo son wrote an essay recently about his hero: me. His thesis hinged on how awesome I am for allowing screen time, buying food, and ensuring he had a great summer. It was super sweet and a comical reminder to pay attention to my gifts. Sometimes I forget that what comes easily, whether simple chore or specialized skill, is highly valued by people who can’t do the same. As Derek Sivers teaches, “Obvious to you. Amazing to others.” There is tremendous power in claiming your talents—especially those you may be taking for granted. Doing so roots you in purpose. And that will edify you for the work of honing your craft.

A Letter to the Future 💌

Last week, one of my research digs uncovered this missive from concerned Icelanders and scientists, which was dedicated as a plaque at the location of “Ok,” the nation’s first disappeared glacier in 2019. It reads:

A letter to the future, Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years, all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.

Faced by serious challenges like white supremacy, a global pandemic, and climate change, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the disparity between what one person can accomplish and everything the world needs. The Ok memorial is an encouraging reminder that, even when we can’t fix a problem, the courage to truly see it—to bear witness—can itself be impactful. Thank you, Iceland, for such a moving example of quiet power.

I Didn’t Know. Did You?

Recently, while reading Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents, I learned that Nazi bureaucrats drew from racist American legal logic for their cruel Nuremberg Laws. The veneer of respectability is a particularly horrifying aspect: “The Nazis wondered how the United States had managed to turn its racial hierarchy into rigid law yet retain such a sterling reputation on the world stage.” Caste is loaded with beautiful writing, painful truths, and ideas that may help us do better. It is easy to see why it was one of 2020’s nonfiction stars. For this bit of history, see Chapter 8: “The Nazis and the Acceleration of Caste.”

Jenny Phillips

Discussion about this post