“How do I fit
it in?”
The question I’m most often asked is how I fit everything into a 2.0 lifestyle. What is my time management plan? Or, if you’re clever, what is my time danagement style?
How am I able to fit in 3 kids (aka the goat rodeo of 7, 5 and 3 years of age), a lovely better half, fitness, friends, employment, hobbies, and of course … all those distracting 2.0 ‘sharing’ tools.
The bottom line is that I realized several years ago that consuming AND contributing is far better than merely being a bystander in life. Consumption is a dead end street.
To not blog, or micro-blog is a travesty to this theory.
To not coach, mentor or form communities of practice that give (and take) is preposterous.
To not public speak, develop webinars or deliver live webcasts (and allowing for Q&A or discussion forums) is ludicrous.
Find a way to augment your current habits and incorporate the model of consumption and contribution into your way of being. It may take you some time to unlearn your existing habits, but in the end, it will serve you well. The benefits are plentiful. Your networks will expand, your level of creativity will grow, your opinions may amplify, your attitude will strengthen and your competence will most certainly enlarge. And it doesn’t matter where you live; simply ask
Luis Suarez, a role model in terms of this type of thinking.
I did it how then? I simply decided that I had to fit it in. There isn’t a secret sauce. When I have a spare moment, I may issue an internal or external microblog about something I’ve learned, or something I’m willing to share. Sometimes I’ll book some time into my calendar to develop a longer (perhaps more like drivels) blog, a video or a webinar. Often I’m jotting things down in OneNote or Evernote as reminders to share at some point down the road. And when I’m at home, particularly Monday to Thursday nights when I’m not out doing something between 8pm and 11pm … I’m thinking, reading, writing as well as commenting on the thoughts of others out there in the blogosphere, microblogosphere, discussion forumosphere, and any other sphere you can conjure.
Your time management plan needs to be updated with the 21
st century. You need to both consume and contribute. You need to recognize that dead end streets will crash the car if you’re not careful.
Need some help? Start with a comment here, and I’d be happy to contribute back.
