Garage Door Opener
11: Garage Door Opener
Sometimes the projects pick you.
I had no intention of replacing our garage door opener as part of my 52 projects. But in a weird coincidence, on the same day my car wouldn't start (while parked in the garage, and the first time in 3 years I've owned the car), our garage door opener also broke. Perhaps some wierd electical aura on that side of the garage.
I had hoped to find the "exact" same model as the one that was already installed so I wouldn't have to replace any of the hardware that was connected to the ceiling and wall. Although I had purchased the same brand, there were enough differences that I needed to replace almost of the components. Including needing a second trip to The Home Depot to buy additional metal brackets to attach the the ceiling.
For last week's plumbing project, I expected it to take longer than it did. For every minute gained last week, it was used up this week. I expected this project to take a couple of hours, it took several nights to get it installed and functioning.
The easy part was getting the old unit down and the new unit up, which took only a couple of hours. Calibrating the unit was the biggest challenge. Inconsistently, it will go down all the way and then reverse itself. It took me several days of tuning to finally get it working normally.
With each project, the goal is to Try, Learn, Create. I learned patience.
Plumbing
10: Plumbing
Electrical I can do. Plumbing, not so much.
Since moving into our house, I've replaced nearly all of the light fixtures and switches. And fixed two leaky toilets.
While certainly you can mess up electrical, you generally know whether you got everything connected correctly if the lights work when you flip the fuse back on.
With plumbing, even if everything appears to be installed correctly, a tiny leak can cause major damage. Last year, We had a leaky toilet in a bathroom that seldom gets used that nearly ruined the flooring and cabinetry.
So most of my plumbing has been reactive, to fix a leaky toilet or a broken garbage disposal there. Not something I usually initiate. So when I was asked to replace our kitchen sink to something more functional and modern, I resisted as long as I could.
This weekend I plunged into replacing our kitchen sink. The most difficult part was navigating around the garbage disposal, water filtration system, and plumbing for he dish washer to remove the old faucet.
Once the old faucet war removed, the process of installing the new one was relatively easy. The plumbing parts have certainly gotten easier since my previous experiences. Thankfully no copper tubing or plumbing tape required, now replaced with plastic hoses with built in screw-in fittings. Even bolting the faucet to the counter was easy, it came with throw-away wrench that made it easy to navigate around the sink basin.
Surprisingly it only took 45 minutes to finish this week's project.
As a fail-safe, I placed a water alarm under the sink in case of any leaks. So far no alarms.
Networking
9: Networking
I'm a "Learner®" and am always looking for ways to improve, whether at home, at work, or at school. But one of the best ways for me to learn is to share.
Last week I was asked to speak at a Minnesota High Tech Association leadership training. I had the opportunity to share a few stories on networking, leadership, and staying competitive in a global economy.
Small talk, working the room, and swapping business cards has never been something I've enjoyed doing or have been very good at. But one area of networking I believe I have excelled at is within the company. As part of my talk, I created a few exercises for the group; one of them was on networking.
All you'll need is:
- a pen
- a blank sheet of paper
Try one of the exercises for yourself:
- First, on a blank sheet of paper, write your name in the middle of the page. Circle your name.
- Next, create a larger circle on the outside of that circle. Inside this circle, write "all" of the names of the people that you (or your team) rely on on a daily/weekly basis for you (or your team) to be successful. This may be your boss, peers, your direct reports, or others.
- Now make another circle. In this circle, include anyone that you (or your team) rely on on a monthly/quarterly basis for you (or your team) to be successful.
- Make another circle. In this circle, include anyone that relies ON YOU for them to be successful.
- Lastly, on the outside of that circle, list anyone you would call upon in the time of need, during a crisis, or a significant opportunity.
I call this your networking universe. You may prefer to call it your "Circle"
Finally, circle all of the names you've had coffee, lunch, drinks, dinner, or some other “formal” setting (to build on the relationship -- and not focused on “task” talk), within the last month.
While not surprising, very few people spend time outside the office working on their relationships with those that they rely on to be mutually successful.
How about you?
I recommend you make a note for yourself to send emails to those people within your circles and invite them to a coffee, lunch, or drinks. I'm confident that you and your team will see added value in building these relationships, just as I am.
As for the leadership training, I was humbled by the opportunity to share my experiences and found it extremely rewarding. By the number of LinkedIn requests, I believe the attendees also found it (and the exercise) valuable. Now it's time to update my own circles.
Academy Awards – Red Carpet
8: Red Carpet
This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend the day on the Red Carpet for the 2011 Academy Awards.
Several years ago a friend and collegue told me about winning a chance to be on the Red Carpet for the Oscars. For one week, you can register for a chance for two (2) of 700 seats available along the red carpet. So for the last few years, every fall I've registering to win a chance to sit in the bleachers for the big event. I had no idea how many years it would take, if ever, to actually win since some years they receive up to 20,000 registrants.
This was our year.
In late September we were notified that we had been selected to attend, contingent on submitting to a security and background check. And in early 2011 we were cleared to attend. And so the countdown and anticipation began.
We arrived on Friday evening so we had all day Saturday to tour Hollywood. Hollywood Blvd in front of the Kodak Theatre had already been blocked off and dozens of workers were finishing the setup of Red Carpet.
Sunday we were required to be at the Kodak Theatre by 9 am to get checked in. After making our way through security we were given our access badges and assigned seats. Security was an obvious big concern, and overnight several blocks in all directions from the Kodak Theatre had also been blocked off, large concrete barracades in place, and 10 foot chain link fencing around the all of the sidewalks prohibited pedestrians from walking in the street.
The Red Carpet is approximately 500 feet long and only approx 25 feet across. The bleachers were right up against the Red Carpet so we were closer to the action than I initial imagined.
We spent the morning watching the media reporting from the Red Carpet. At noon they cleared the Red Carpet of the media, and for most of the early afternoon we were just waiting for the stars to arrive.
At 3 pm the stars began arriving, and for next 2 1/2 hours the Red Carpet was packed with the celebrities, flash bulbs, and cheers.
Mark Walberg, Justin Timberlake, Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, and Sandra Bullock were the most actively engaged with the fans in the bleachers. Celine Dion and Cate Blanchett were the coldest to the crowds. And no sign of George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, or Russell Crowe. No major fashion mishaps, with the exception of Sharon Stone's hair (see slideshow above for photos).
Overall, it was a long day sitting in the bleachers but I'm very glad I had the opportunity to see it in person and an experience I won't soon forget.
And the Oscar goes to...
Give.
7: Give.
When I was first decided to follow Summer's lead to do 52 New Projects in 2011, I knew there would be other types of projects and activities that I would use in addition to her TLC (Try, Learn, and Create).
This week is "Give."
Twice a year the American Red Cross bloodmobile makes at stop at our company. And this week I took advantage of the opportunity to use it as part of my 52 Projects. Even though donating isn't "new", since I have been donating regularly for the last several years (at least once a year), this year I decided to be more committed to giving.
The process of donating is so well coordinated that it took me less than a half hour from when I first got on the bus to take the mini-physical to the time I walked off the bus (not before staying for some juice and Oreo cookies). I even remembered to bring my donor card which sped up the process even more! The actual donating takes approximately 8-10 minutes.
Thankfully I'm not nervous about the needles and normally I barely even feel any discomfort. Usually you'll feel the initial needle prick and a bit of a sting for a minute or two. This was the first time that it had a lasting stinging feeling during the entire donating procedure, and not surprising, this was the first time that I bruised up from donating.
In addition to the "I gave blood. Please be nice to me" sticker I received, they also handed out a sticker to be placed on a calendar to remind me of when the next time I can give (similar to the oil change reminder sticker). Surprisingly, sooner than I expected.
I never paid close attention to how often you can donate blood but I found out that you can donate every 54 days, which means I can donate another 5 times this year.
As part of this TLC(G), my goal for the year is to donate more than twice by scheduling an appointment at a local American Red Cross chapter.
Give.
Treadmill Desk
6: Treadmill Desk
This week's project was an attempt to combine getting a little exercise while doing school work.
What started off a few week's ago of reading my text books while on the treadmill lead me to wanting to construct a full treadmill desk. A quick online search proved that pre-made treadmill desks are thousands of dollars, which lead me to start the week thinking of building out a desk frame. After making drawings, measuring, and a trip to Home Depot, I decided to look for alternative options to buy instead of build.
I settled on the IKEA Fredrik Workstation. It was just the right width to fit around my existing T9600HRT VisionFitness Treadmill, and it provided the flexibility to move the desktop and shelves high enough to allow me to stand at it.
I removed the console from the treadmill and connected it to one of the desk shelves, and set up my new desk with my laptop, desk lamp, tea, and water.
It took me several attempts to find the right speed of the treadmill (I've settled on 1.9 for now) and the height of the desktop for optimal typing. But I was surprised by how easy it was to adjust to standing and walking while doing my work. The best part has been staying more alert. The most difficult adjustment has been physically writing with pen to paper, which up until now I had to step off to the side of the treadmill to write.
According to my Fitbit, on the days that I am on the treadmill, I more than double the average amount of steps I walk in a day.
I'll report back in the coming months on how successful this #52newproject is working out (no pun intended).
Mind Map
5: Mind Mapping
After reading The Mind Map book, I decided to give mind mapping a try for all of my meeting notes. A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea.
While I was familiar with the concept of mind mapping for brainstorming, this was the first time that I tried it for note taking during meetings. Historically, like most people, I took very linear bullet-point notes. And for me, I usually found that I didn't provide enough context in my notes for them to be entirely useful after the fact. By contrast, the notes that did have the most value were ones that I had drawn sketches, wireframes, or process flows. So I shouldn't have been surprised by my findings of using mind maps.
I was amazed by how much more I was able to capture during a meeting, but with far fewer words actually written. Since you only write a word (or two) per branch but the branches are associated with other branches, you are able to make associations (and recall the details) with very little additional detail.
Here are the basic guidelines for creating mind maps:
- Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
- Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your Mind Map.
- Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
- Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
- The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic and thinner as they radiate out from the centre.
- Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.
- Use multiple colors throughout the Mind Map, for visual stimulation and also to encode or group.
- Develop your own personal style of Mind Mapping.
- Use emphasis and show associations in your Mind Map.
- Keep the Mind Map clear by using radial hierarchy, numerical order or outlines to embrace your branches.
So far all of my mind maps have been in black and white and with very few symbols/graphics. But I expect as a refine my process and find the right rhythm, I will be able to efficiently add images and color for further enhance the context (and recall).
Fitbit
4: Fitbit
One activity I am pretty good at is sitting. I spend many hours each day perfecting the art of sitting; Feet on the floor, cross-legged, the lean-forward, the lean-back, the lounge, and the slouch.
On-and-off for years, I've tracked my activity through a variety of tools and sites; a traditional pedometer, a Heartrate Moniter/GPS, MapMyRun.com, Nike+, and through Nintendo DS Personal Trainer: Walking.
This week's #52newproject, I decided to invest in the Fitbit a digital activity/pedometer, using similar technology used for the Wii to track your movements. What intrigues me about the fitbit, over other tools/monitors, is the ability to track my sleep habits as well as my activity. During the day I have it on my belt but in the evening I move it to a wristband to wear it while I'm sleeping.
So far I haven't necessarily learned anything new: I fall asleep quickly, wake up a dozen times a night, and sleep less than I should. But now I have metrics that I can measure to make adjustments in my diet and activity routine to see the impact. Another interesting feature is through Fitbit.com, I can benchmark myself against all other Fitbit users, or a select just my demographic.
After a week, it hasn't help change my behavior but I am more aware of my activity levels during the weekday.
Pomodoro Technique
3: Pomodoro Technique
I often struggle to find time to start/finish certain tasks. Last year I started keeping a todo list on my iPhone which has helped remind of tasks I want to complete, but there are still a subset of tasks that never seem to get the top priority. This past week I decided to apply the Pomodoro Technique to clean up the bottom of my todo list.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that has been around since the '90s, but I first learned about it two weeks ago when @jennapederson mentioned it on Twitter.
The process is pretty straightforward:
- Choose a task to be accomplished
- Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
- Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
- Take a short break (5 minutes )
- Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break
I installed a Pomorodo Timer Iphone App to use as my timer, and have used it to complete several tasks this past week, including writing this #52newproject update.
The best part of using this is to keep you on task and focus on finishing one task before moving on to the next.
For more information on the Pomodoro Technique visit: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
James Gagliardi
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