October 4, 2007
So, I did it again. I have spent much of the last two days trying to edit a technical document into something that I can understand and that exceeds my standards for clear and informative writing. I’ve been line editing, I’ve been working on organization, I’ve been pinging subject matter experts for examples and to clarify points that do not come across well to me, I’ve been excising passive voice. Essentially, I’ve been a tech writer again. And I’m struggling. The document is due, I’m not happy with it, and I don’t think I can line edit my way to nirvana.
I came home tonight frustrated, needing a break from the document, but fretting about the looming deadline. And then, sitting on my yoga mat starting my practice, I realized that I was trying to grope my way through this document towards the perfect document. And, I realized I was wasting energy beating myself up for not knowing which thread to pull or which angle to pursue to get there.
June 30, 2007
At a small place, one cool thing is that individual positions can be tailored to the innate talents of the staff. A downside is that jobs that are built around an individual are not readily handed off to others. People have different skills, this is a good thing. It does interfere with interchangability, though. It [...]
June 17, 2007
It’s been a strange week. I’ve learned of several deaths in friends’ and colleagues’ families. Two of my favorite yoga teachers in town are moving to Chicago. My yoga studio ripped out a wall of equipment. DTE decided to tear up my front garden again, this time to insert plastic pipes, 6 months after tearing [...]
May 23, 2007
Stand-up may be the highlight of my workday. There’s something about it–quick status updates, celebrating achievements, sharing milestones, the rhythm of it, team bonding, flagging confusion or misunderstandings, in-jokes (ending of course with “let’s be careful out there”), the ritual… We briefly tried chat standup, but it was annoying and boring, so we went back [...]
April 29, 2007
While I’m still playing with the idea of ridding myself of my automobile, more angst is coming from wrestling with whether I need to leave my job, or how I can change it so that I can stay. It’s funny. I have been reading Go Put Your Strengths to Work, and after the exercises in [...]
March 27, 2007
I have been meaning to write a blog entry about 12: The Elements of Great Managing since I finished it in December. I have a few excuses, none of them particularly good. Let’s see: I liked it so much I loaned it to a friend (HSG Consulting’s Principal), I liked it so well that I [...]
March 22, 2007
Here’s my statement of interest for becoming an officer of the local chapter of the Usability Professionals’ Association. I am ready to volunteer as an officer of the Michigan UPA. I have enjoyed the UPA events I have attended over the years – they often provide me some nugget I can go back and apply. [...]
February 5, 2007
I finally got to The Art of War. I had been intrigued by this book for a while. Tony Soprano praised it in one of the first seasons of the Sopranos. Someone else recommended it to me as a book for people interested in management. Maybe I’m just unimaginative, but most of The Art of [...]
January 29, 2007
So, I’ve owned a copy of Michael E. Gerber’s E-Myth Mastery for about a year and a half now. Something about its size (over 400 pages) and the grandiose subtitle “The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company” put me off. I think the timing was also bad. I purchased it near the [...]
December 10, 2006
We went to my former employer’s holiday party last night. Even though it has been two years since I worked there, my husband and I still go to catch up with the people and enjoy the celebrations. My old boss’ wife is a trained opera singer, and each year she brings in live music. She [...]
not particularly objective musings on odds and ends – Dunrie Greiling, Ann Arbor, MI 48105