This past week – my first small sabbatical – was definitely needed. During the last couple of weeks I’ve taken traveling, talking and trying to a whole new level.
The sabbatical was well-timed as I needed a break from all the travel I’d undertaken. The travel was rewarding, make no mistake, but it was taxing. I knew that going in, which allowed me to enjoy it all the more.
There were several stops during my travel schedule, but here were the highlights:
Productivityist Coaching
I was able to do some in-house Productivityist Coaching for the first time ever. There’s something about spending time one-on-one with clients over Skype, but it’s altogether different when you’re right next to them. The connection was all the greater for them, but being there in person really allowed me to convey my passion for productivity in a whole new way. I’ve given plenty of talks and workshops on the subject, but never individual sessions. On this trip I was able to offer three of them, and it wasn’t just rewarding for the client, but for myself as well.
I’m currently offering 50% a one hour session of Productivityist Coaching to interested clients. Just click on this link, select the one hour session, and upon checkout enter the offer code GRETZKY to get one hour of Productivityist Coaching for just $100. This offer expires on October 15th, so take advantage of it today!
Speaking
On this trip I gave my first ever keynote at the NYSBA Digital Leadership Academy event. It was truly an honour to have followed a speaker with such presence as Seth Godin at this event, as he had spoken at it in 2012, and my talk “Don’t Just Ship…Deliver” was able to refer to his “shipping” philosophy and still speak to the core message of being productive rather than “doing” productive that I strive to convey.
My presentation solution of choice is now Haiku Deck. I was able to build my slide deck on my iPad and use my iPhone to present in a way that even wowed the seasoned technical crew. If you haven’t looked at Haiku Deck yet, I strongly recommend you do. I’ll be using it for every presentation I do for the foreseeable future.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area was my last stop, and I got in less than 24 hours before I was to deliver my talk at the inaugural SimpleREV.
SimpleREV is an event that – at its most basic – celebrates the art and craft of living simply. My talk focused on the idea of focusing on task over time in order to really live a more simple life, as being task-oriented simplifies things in a way that time does not. I had an amazing (although abbreviated) time at the event, and would like to thank Joel Zaslovsky of Value of Simple and Daniel and Vanessa Hayes of Simple Life Together for having me present at this truly stellar event. I’m really looking forward to where the SimpleREV movement goes, and reconnected with so many wonderful people while there all while meeting other for the first time that truly embody the spirit of simple living.
I also got to finally meet Patrick Rhone in person after years of conversing online. We had a great time and I can’t wait to see him again.
How I Made This Trip Work
This trip was definitely a whirlwind. I was on six airplanes, four trains, one boat, and several Uber and cab rides throughout. I managed to keep up with my work obligations for Productivityist by being proactive, and was able to travel with just my iDevices as a result. I’m going to discuss how I made all of this work in the next episode of The Productivityist Podcast, which goes live on Tuesday.
If you’re not already listening to the podcast, you can find it here. The podcast will always be free, but if you’d like to support the podcast, I’m running a Patreon campaign to help me take things to the next level. You can learn more about that here.
Beyond Trying
The travel schedule I kept earlier this month can be trying. It can be trying for not only the person doing the travelling, but for those affected by it. It can take a toll on productivity…and a lot more.
That’s why I have timed the release of my newest compendium eBook so that it launches in limited release today.
First off, it’s Thanksgiving in Canada. I’m feeling incredibly grateful for all of those who have read my work, listened to my podcasts, watched my speak over the years and I wanted to unveil my latest product on a day where gratitude is celebrated. Secondly, I re-read all of the pieces I chose for the eBook and noted that after such a hectic schedule that they really offered some solid perspective. Thirdly, it’s been too long since I’ve delivered an eBook of any kind that could be purchased.
So I’m offering my latest effort – Beyond Trying – to Productivityist readers today.
Beyond Trying is an eBook that compiles some of the best work I’ve written at Productivityist since its transition from a personal blog to its present state. Featuring three formats (PDF, EPUB, and MOBI), you’ll get 23 articles of various lengths delivered in one easy-to-digest eBook format.
I’m also offering Beyond Trying through Gumroad initially. Why? I really like what they’re doing there and like how they deliver product updates to customers – something that isn’t currently offered by Squarespace. For example, I’m working on an audiobook version of Beyond Trying as well, which you will get in a future update for free upon purchase of this product. Gumroad will allow me to update this seamlessly to anyone who purchases Beyond Trying between now and when the audiobook is ready.
That said, Gumroad does not support Paypal. Want to pay via Paypal? Buy Beyond Trying here and you’ll have that option.
The trip I just returned from was fun. Taxing…but fun. I was able to be productive and focus on the right things, which isn’t always easy. The idea is to not just try to be proactive and set things up in advance, but to go to a whole new level. You need to have the courage and awareness to make that happen. You need to go beyond.
That’s how you know you’re really being productive over doing productive; you can do it no matter where you are.
