by Andy on January 1, 2010
I sometimes feel cheesy about setting goals and resolutions for the new year. I am not very good about keeping many of my goals (I am often overly ambitious), but I think that not setting goals is worse than setting them and failing. If nothing else, it will be a fun thing to look back on at the end of next year to see where my dreams/thoughts were at this time.
I am also going to try a new strategy for goal setting this year: rewarding myself for accomplishing specific goals. I don’t get the prize if I don’t reach the goal.
For 2010, I resolve to:
- Read 20 books. I want to read most evenings, and not just focus on heavy reading (philosophy, religion, etc.). Prize: A Kindle or the rumored Apple Tablet (if it turns out to be a good e-book reader).
- Read the entire Bible, cover-to-cover. I have attempted this feat several times, but I want to fully read the entire book. I want to make my own decisions about what the Bible says instead of relying on others to interpret it for me. Prize: A goatskin R.L. Allan Bible.
- Be capable of performing all Crossfit “Girl” workouts as Rx’d (without scaling). I think this is ambitious, but I want to try. It will require a year of hard training and solid nutrition. Prize: A longer, healthier life + new workout gear.
- Have less possessions. I want to end 2010 with a lot less stuff than 2009. I love the spirit of the 100 Things Challenge, but I haven’t committed to that yet (but I am getting close). Prize: Freedom
Happy New Year!
by Andy on November 25, 2009
A year ago I was a Crossfit evangelist. Actually, I was a junkie. It seemed like I was having a conversation with everyone I knew about the awesomeness of Crossfit. I ponied up $1K to get my Crossfit Level 1 cert so I wouldn’t kill myself and with the aspirations of opening up my own Crossfit gym. I tried to get an affiliation for DailyBurn to do some stuff there, but got a little jaded when they turned us down.
Then, for a number of reasons, I stopped doing Crossfit a few months ago. I took a stab at running, tried some P90X, etc. None of them were sticky. However, some friends of mine opened a Crossfit Gym about a mile from my house (Crossfit Impulse) and I joined up this week. And I love it. I really can’t wait to get to the gym today, knowing that it is going to kill me.
Working out at an actual Crossfit gym is worth the price in my opinion. The community, access to the proper equipment, and training is worth the extra bones. If you have never heard about Crossfit, you can check out crossfit.com, or if you are in Madison/Huntsville I really recommend coming to check out Crossfit Impulse.
Side note: I learned something over the past few months that is related to my recent gym woes. I am never going to be an early riser. The main reason I was dreading going to the gym was that I had to get up early. I am 30 now, and at some point I have to give up the dream of getting up early to go to the gym and go with a schedule that works for me. This Crossfit gym meets in the evening, so it is perfect. No excuses now, but honestly I don’t think I will make any. I really enjoy it, and I can’t wait for a 400m walking lunge tonight!
by Andy on November 12, 2009
As the main business development contact for DailyBurn, I have a constant battle: new business opportunities and inquiries. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to be in a place where people are reaching out to us, but the management of the constant emails/calls/meetings can be a real drain on productivity.
Maybe it is because I come from the South, but I tend to at least want to respond or have a quick call with most of the new incoming inquires. You never can tell which opportunity will result in a big deal! Plus, it is just polite to follow up with people.
The problem is, if you schedule calls and do emails every day, you don’t have the time to do other things that are typically more important. My strategy is the Thursday Afternoon Call-a-thon. Here is what you do:
- Reserve Thursday afternoons for your Call-a-thon. I block off time later in the afternoon because I am more productive on other work in the mornings.
- Schedule back-to-back calls, every 30 minutes, on Thursday afternoon. These will usually be all new opportunities so I can gauge how important it is and whether or not I should devote more time to the opportunity. 30 minutes is a good time amount… it prevents calls from dragging too long, and gives you an out if the opportunity isn’t going anywhere (e.g., “Sorry, I have another call I need to take”). In fact, I usually state that I have 30 minutes at the beginning of the call so that they won’t be shocked when I need to jump off.
- Recommend two time slots, and let them pick. This prevents unnecessary back-and-forth over email, another productivity drain.
Thursdays work for me, but you might pick another day. Trust me though, this works!
by Andy on November 9, 2009
Choosing a name for your child is a very difficult job for parents. My wife and I have three children now, and each name was very hard to decide. Boys names were much harder than girls names, and I think I have a theory for how my mind chooses a good name for a girl.
- Did I have a good experience with a girl/woman with that name in the past? My first daughter was named Abigail Nicole. I have never had a difficult time with anyone that has either of those names. In fact, after Abby was born, my mother informed me that I was in a playgroup while in preschool. There were three girls in my small playgroup; one of the girls was Abigail and the other was Nicole. Subconsciously I had two good experiences with girls that had those names.
- Did I know or “know of” a large number of girls/woman with the specific name that were cute/pretty/attractive? My second daughter was named Katherine Birdie after my grandmothers. We call her “Katie Bird”. I can think of both cute girls and attractive woman named Katie/Kate. Same with Abby and Nicole. I think subconsciously we do not want to chose a name for a girl if there was some “not-so-attractive” person we know with that name.
