Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Building systems, managing efforts, raising kids – these and many other worthwhile endeavors can be difficult. I see no good in attempting to make those things sounds easier than they are. The reframe discussed here changes the description of tasks to be attempted. We will just… I don’t know how many times […]

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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 Here is another example of a reframe. In this reframe I change an inability to do something into a choice to attempt it or attempt something else (for a while). Here is another post on reframing things – changing a situation by merely changing the words we use to describe it. I […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Exotic locations inspire writers to great writing. Well, sometimes that happens. What I find more important than location is attitude. A few years ago my wife and I went on a short cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. It was great fun. Such an exotic experience. Who could not help but be […]

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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 A technique that I use in writing and editing concentrates on the paragraph. It works for me. As with all writing tips, I suggest you try it. If it work, use it. If it doesn’t, move on. Thirty years ago, Chris Bachman took the time to converse with a 21-year-old kid from […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A quick note about the writing aspects of the movie “Julie and Julia.” I took my wife to see the movie Julie and Julia this past weekend. My wife is an avid cook, so this movie attracted her (the last movie we saw was the action-packed District 9 – she didn’t like […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I am working a on process improvement this week. I wish I could state a brilliant insight. Alas, all I have is, “let’s try harder.” That reduces to having good people spend the time necessary to do a task well. Blogs don’t always announce breakthroughs in any field of endeavor. Let’s downgrade […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A recent manager wrote his thoughts in the air with his finger. There was some good, some bad, and some annoyances with this habit. But, as with most things people do, there was plenty to learn. I worked on a short project recently where the project manager wrote in the air. To […]

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by Dwayne Phillips There are various techniques to start a piece of writing. One involves copying the words of another writer for a sentence or two until your brain warms and your own words flow. I think of those words as writing seeds. Staring at the screen with the little cursor bar blinking with a […]

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