Courtesy Bob Stiller
VERMONT VOICES : BOB STILLER
becomes immaterial . You have deadlines , yes , but there ’ s the overarching passion to realize the vision , whether it ’ s for the company or yourself .
I don ’ t know if you ’ re familiar with David Allen ’ s work — but everyone in the company had David Allen ’ s training . He ’ s wonderful . We had our own trainers within the organization . Some would call him a time management guy , but he was really a productivity guru . His first book , Making It Happen , gets into the fact that the brain can ’ t keep track of everything , so you need a system to track your goals , projects , and tasks . There are little tricks to organize things , and what you have to do next . For example , if you have to bring your car in for repair , the next action isn ’ t “ bring the car in for repair .” It ’ s “ make a call for an appointment .” When you have time , you can pick up the phone and make calls . You can organize categories of tasks for when you don ’ t feel like doing anything . These don ’ t require mental energy but get you back on track to have the energy to do something you might not want to do . Personal development is about building good habits . Willpower is like a muscle — you expend it , and then you don ’ t have any left . If you don ’ t have good habits , you use a lot of willpower to figure out what to do .
Having tricks like organizing your day or doing something you dread first frees you to enjoy the rest of your day . It ’ s personal development that helps with doing something or not doing something .
Another point we learned through surveying our team is that people wanted to know what was coming down the pike , and they wanted to be involved . One of our project leaders spent a lot of time in the beginning making sure everyone had a clear vision of what we wanted to do , why it was important , and engaged people in making the project successful . When that happened , communication wasn ’ t an issue . If you give people the skills to manage themselves , they understand what they need and want to do .
There ’ s always Addison County
• a charming , vibrant college town at its center
• equidistant to Montreal and Boston
• easy driving distance to VT ’ s major ski resorts
• 20 minutes to the Middlebury Snowbowl
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ANITA KUNZ : ORIGINAL SISTERS
Portraits of Tenacity and Courage
November 9 - May 26
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46 VERMONT MAGAZINE