Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips As much as we might wish otherwise, reality applies to us, too. I was recently speaking with a group of people age 13 to 60. My question was: How far back can you remember? The near-unanimous answer was, “age three.” Some people could vaguely remember some things that happened when they were [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips Frenzied paralysis – so many things in my mind that I cannot do any of them. I make a list to clear my mind and move from paralysis to action. I can’t think. Well, that’s not true. I guess the problem is that I am thinking too much. Well, that is not [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips Our works need not be final; we need not be finished with anything. Using a couple of magic words, we can give ourselves a choice of coming back to our work. Consider the statement: I am finished with this. Writers often say this. (I’ll use the example of writers and their writing. [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips In a common usage, the word “but” erases all that has been said previously. This is a writing nicety. It is also a bad way to confuse conversation in the workplace. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but you need to check with me on things like this. Quick, without looking back, [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips There are words we can say that change situations and sometimes even our lives. “Up until now” are a few words that can erase reputations from our past. I have learned a few magic words through the years. Say these words aloud, and the situation changes. A few magic words are “up [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips Most organizations have “magic words.” Utter these words and things happen. If you don’t know the words, work slows and frustration rises. None of this makes any sense, but nonsense continues to exist and often thrives. Years ago, a colleague who lived in a nearby rural area wanted to construct a building [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips Shortcuts have always led to more work for me, not less. The past two weeks have emphasized that to me. They have also taught my a new definition to “shortcut.” Sorry, there is no magic here. Wiktionary.org: A path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths; A method [...]

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