Workplayce

- - - | written by Jason on 5/13/2018 | - - -

When Your Life Feels a Little Off, Try This

When I’m working on a painting, I have to step back from time to time. I have to literally stop the activity of painting and be still before the work. You might think it slows down the process. What it really does is help me make better paintings. Otherwise, I can’t see the painting through the brushstrokes. If I don’t step away every so often, I’m liable to get stuck overdoing part of the painting and end up ruining the whole thing. Giving myself some distance helps me notice things I can’t see when I’m up close. I can examine the overall composition, the balance of color, and if the …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/22/2018 | - - -

Something New to Try in the Bedroom

"Fork & Spoon" by Jason Kotecki. Prints available here. I’ve been married for almost 18 years. Every single night that I’m at home, I sleep on the right side of the bed. Why? How did that come about? I don’t ever remember having a discussion about it with Kim, and yet, here we are; our assigned spots have not changed since the day we got hitched. Weird. Why do we do any of the things we do? The little habits that make up our days, where did they come from? Which way do you take to work? How do you typically run your meetings? On-board new employees? Welcome new customers? Deal …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/1/2018 | - - -

“Go Big or Go Home” is a Dumb Way of Doing Things

I was speaking in Reno about one of the most controversial "rules" I wrote about in Penguins Can’t Fly, which is “Thou shalt not swap sides of the bed.” Just the mention of it can give people who have been in long-term relationships the heebie-jeebies. Shortly thereafter, an attendee named Laura emailed me to tell me she had tried it with her husband. “He was hilarious,” she wrote, “and he did not like it at all. We were laughing so hard through the whole thing!” That same day, I got a note from Jeff, who heard me speak in New Orleans the week before. He reported that my talk really hit …

- - - | written by Jason on 3/18/2018 | - - -

Why You Shouldn’t Accept That Promotion

What idiot says no to a raise? Chip Gaines, co-star of the hit TV show Fixer Upper, writes this about his dad in the book Capital Gaines: "When I lived at home, he was willing to forego promotions and advancements at work just to have more time to throw a baseball with me in the evenings. He was teaching me the game, but on another level, he was showing me how to be a man and a father. He taught me the value of investing in one’s family above anything else.” We almost always consider promotions and advancements at work to be the best thing for ourselves and our families. And they …

- - - | written by Jason on 3/4/2018 | - - -

Lessons in Adultitis Fighting from the Revolutionary War

"War Games" by Jason Kotecki. Digital. Prints and canvas reproductions available here. I was thinking about the American Revolutionary War the other day (because I like keeping up on current events), and a few things struck me. I imagine it would have been easy for the American colonists to look at all the advantages held by the British and wallow in the land of “Must Be Nice”... They have the most powerful navy in the whole world...must be nice. They have way more professionally trained soldiers than we do...must be nice. They have a ton of money to buy food, supplies, and …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/12/2017 | - - -

The Magic Question That Will Make You The Most Innovative Person You Know

The world is changing at an ever-increasing pace. Meanwhile, most of us are being asked to do more with less. The answer to a prosperous and glorious future, it seems, is innovation. That’s all well and good, except for the fact that innovation is often regarded as one step away from sorcery. It is reserved for the super smart, super creative, or super inhabitants of Silicon Valley. Hogwash. You can be more innovative, right now, today. (I don't care if you are reading this in your pajamas or your hair looks like it just took on a tornado.) The dictionary tells us that innovation is …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/5/2017 | - - -

Purple People

If you are reading this, you are in an amazing company of people. Seriously. I hope that you get value out of these weekly messages from me, but there is so much inspiration to be found within this merry band of Adultitis Fighters! Of course we highlight some of them with our Adultitis Fighter of the Month award, but that’s just scratching the surface. A few weeks ago, I wrote about purple goats. Maybe you had to be there, but you can read that post here. The idea was about how we can make a big difference in our families and workplaces by making a conscious decision to stand out. I …

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- - - | written by Jason on 10/22/2017 | - - -

The Post-It Noted Desk

Once upon a time, a woman named Janie went to a professional development conference for her job. After being out of the office for several days, she returned to work to find her desk had been vandalized. More specifically, it was aggressively "post-it noted" by two "fun, funny, and amazing co-workers." (Her words.) She reported, "It was so great to see and read what they wrote, I felt this lift like you can't imagine." In a related story, Adultitis was heard nearby weeping silently in a restroom stall. It's no secret that the workplace is one of Adultitis' favorite breeding …

- - - | written by Jason on 10/15/2017 | - - -

Purple Goats

One my favorite books is "Purple Cow" by Seth Godin. Sounds a little like a children's book, but the premise of this marketing classic is that brown cows are not very interesting. Purple cows, on the other hand, are remarkable. They get people talking. Godin suggests that in order to stand out in business, you need to become a "purple cow." I saw this in action during a recent vacation in Door County, Wisconsin. We were at the famous Al Johnson's restaurant, where they have goats hanging out on the grass-covered roof. We happened to be seated near a window where we could watch passersby …

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- - - | written by Jason on 10/1/2017 | - - -

One Way To Keep Your Team Energized During Football Season

"Jump Around" by Jason Kotecki. Acrylic on canvas. Original available here. This painting was inspired by a tradition that Badger fans have at University of Wisconsin football games. Between the third and fourth quarters, the song “Jump Around” is boomed through the loudspeakers and all of the red-clad fans do exactly that. It reminded me of those old electronic football games in which tiny plastic athletes buzzed around on an green metal field. Readers of a certain age will know exactly what I’m talking about, and this painting will bring back all sorts of memories. For the of you …

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