Another Year

As the years roll up behind me

All the things I think I know

Fade into the passing time

As on my way I go.

As the writer said long years before

There's nothing new to see,

What's happened on this spinning earth

Again will someday be.

You'd think we'd learn from what we've done,

Mistakes no more repeat,

But, often it's just wishes

That go down in defeat.

Wisdom comes along the way

To those who give it heed

It serves us well if we but hear

It's voice in time of need.

Passing time has made me gray

And wrinkled up my face

But, I'm still here and learning

Simply by God's grace.

Memories

In the garden of my dream

I looked through all the many windows

And saw faces of long ago,

Smiling from their compartments,

Of place,

And time,

As if waiting

For reunion.

Organizing Thoughts

Sometimes you need a spot of shade in which to sit

And contemplate.

There's nothing like blue sky and green grass

And quietness

To aid one's mind in the drift to rolling scenes

Of remembrance.

The images that shift and morph across the inner screen

Need organization

Which takes time and a lack of distraction

For placing

In their proper context that they may be recalled

As needed.

Time spent thinking helps us to find

The patterns

That escape us when we rush from place to place

In busyness

That stacks information sequentially

As occurrences

Rather than contextually in a manner

That connects

Disparate events recorded in our passage

Through life

So that they may be recalled as needed

For solutions

To new things we might face as we continue on

Our journey.

Heart of the Farm

It stands against the wearing time --

Rusted, used and worn --

With smells of dust and hay and horse

This massive ancient barn.

A place of shelter filled with things

Of wonder to a child

Like harness, old and brittle

Hanging on a wooden stall.

There's a set of scales with hanging weights

Suspended from a chain

Used to weigh the cotton sacks

And calculate the wage

For Pickers paid by the pound

Harvested each day

And stuffed in sacks they drug along

As they stooped under its sway,

The new is parked beside the old

As time has changed all things;

A diesel tractor now is there

Where plow horses once stood

Patiently waiting to be harnessed

To the wagon on which was piled

The heavy sacks of cotton

To be hauled to the gin.

Through it all the barn has stood

Witness of the change

From cotton crop to livestock;

Still the heart of the farm.

Some Things Last

Monument Rocks, on the Smoky Hill River in Kansas, is a little off the beaten path today, but it was once an important marker for travelers headed west.  The formations are also known as the Chalk Pyramids.  They are made of Niobrara Chalk and are the remains of an ancient seabed formed during the Cretaceous Period.  I made a side-trip to them a number of years ago and was happy that I did.  They are an interesting remnant of a time long ago.

I was browsing through old photographs on my computer and came across these.  They made me think about how some things, and some people, manage to weather the onslaught of time much better than others.  These have managed to stand for roughly 80 million years.  I don't think I will make it that long.

These formations make me think of the things that endure no matter what fad may come and go -- things like integrity and honesty.  They are anchors to which we can hold fast -- or, be held fast -- in times of storm.  When all else fails, they remain.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do every thing in love." -- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Losing Track of Time

Do you ever lose track of time?  Is there some activity that engages you so completely that you forget lunch or, supper or, even that you need to sleep?  What is that activity that engrosses you so completely you forget where you are?

For some people it is work.  I have worked with a couple of people through the years who would become fixated with solving some problem and would literally work around the clock to come up with an answer.  They were computer programmers.

I recall more than once coming into work to find them asleep with their head on their arms at their desk where they had worked all night to complete some project.  I told them to wake up and go home and get some rest.  Their behavior was driven by multiple factors including:  1) a desire to resolve a problem for a customer, 2) a desire to solve a problem simply to prove they could and 3) a focus on the problem so intent that the passage of time and bodily needs became irrelevant.

I think there are lessons for all of us in such behavior.  1)  We need to find the things about which we are passionate.  2)  We need to hone our desire to meet customer needs.  3)  We need to realize that we can overcome any obstacle if we will zero in on finding solutions.  4)  We need to learn to focus.

I'm usually pretty good with #2 and #3, but fail at #1 and #4.  How about you?  What makes you lose track of time?

Urgent vs. Important

Many years ago in a job interview I was told by a member of the Board of Directors of the company that he would rather hire someone who worked smart than just worked hard.  He said, "I can find plenty of hard workers, but it is hard to find workers who know how to effectively manage their time and who work on the right things."

Those words have stuck with me through the years.  I have always tried to work smart at whatever the task.

Don't misunderstand, I have always worked hard too, but I have found that if I invest the time to think through things and to identify those things that are most important -- i.e. to work smart -- I am not only more effective, but I get more done.  Age and experience have helped with that too.  Through the years I have tried and failed enough times that I can apply that "learned wisdom" to the tasks I face now.  Prioritizing is something of an art form because if done well, many tasks go away simply because they no longer are required.

Again, as I mentioned in a previous post about planning, I am thinking of the Franklin-Covey Time Management advice to identify what is "important" and what is "urgent."  I always thought about these two things differently prior to being introduced to their system.  These two definitions are key to being more effective.

Items identified as "urgent" are those that seem to be "in your face," "deal-with-me-now" things that pop up during the day.  An example would be a flat tire.  It obviously must be handled immediately.  It is an "urgent" item.  On the other hand, an "important" item that might prevent the frequency of the "urgent" items occurring is to replace the worn out tires with new ones.

That is the difference between the two.  The "important" things are what you can do that helps everything to run more smoothly long-term.  They tend to eliminate many of the "urgent" things from popping up.

If you devote -- set aside -- some time every day to focus on the "important" things, over time, your life becomes less stressful and better manageable because many of the "urgent" items stop popping up to ruin your day.  It frees even more time to work on what is truly important.

This, at its heart, is the difference between "working smart" and "working hard."  You can work hard all day long, day-after-day on the "urgent" things that seem to continually be happening and never truly make progress, or you can spend time each day addressing the larger, systemic, "important" issues that can eliminate many of those problems from ever being an issue.  Work smart and work hard, but work hard on the things that will make the bigger difference.

Random Thoughts on Changing Time

It's that time of year when we "cut a piece off one end of the blanket and sew it back on the other."  Whoever invented daylight savings time must have had a town job.

I saw a funny meme yesterday in which an agricultural expert was asked by a television reporter about the impact of daylight savings time on plants....  Some of you may not get it.  Oh, well.

If I had a normal 8 to 5 job -- is that really normal anymore? -- daylight savings time might be useful.  It would give me more time to mow the lawn in the evening when I got off of work.  I suppose that is the reason for it.  If I recall, it was originally explained to me that it was designed to reduce energy usage.  I can't figure that one out since everyone is getting up and going to work or, to school in the dark.

Ben Franklin was the first to suggest the idea of daylight savings time in an essay written in 1874 as a method to reduce the cost of light.  It was first adopted by the U.S. to begin March 15, 1918.  It was met by a good deal of resistance.  In 1919 Congress decided to make it optional at each state's discretion.

Daylight savings time was again enforced during World War II, however, after the war it became discretionary once more.  Under the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (which is something I remember receiving much discussion at the time although I was very young) it was determined that it should be observed uniformly by all states -- if they participated.  Hawaii and Arizona chose not to participate with the exception of the Navajo Reservation which did.  I find that interesting considering the opening comment supposedly attributed to a native American of that persuasion.

I apologize that today's post is going out a little late.  Blame it on the time change.  If it had been yesterday, it would be going out early....my mind and body are still a little confused by this trying to arbitrarily adjust the natural rhythms of the photo-cycle by moving the hands on a clock -- oh, yeah, it's hard to find a clock with hands anymore -- by changing the digits on a clock.

The animals aren't confused except by the behavior of their human caretakers.  They are wondering why they are suddenly being fed at a different time.

Being Patient

Being patient can sometimes be the most difficult work one can do.  Our natural tendency is to want things to happen quickly once we see a course of action.  Allowing the time for things to take their natural path to conclusion can be stressful.  Stress is draining, just like physical labor.  It makes us tired and often, irritable.  Waiting is hard for most of us.

Many things through the years have forced me to be patient.  I suppose that is an interesting choice of words -- forced.  It seems the antithesis of patience.  Enforced waiting would be a better way to describe the situation.  The result is learning to accept that there are times when we must allow events to occur in the correct sequence in order to obtain the desired results.

Impatience is the opposite of faith.

Faith is believing that events will unfold according to a plan that is often beyond our comprehension while accepting that the result will be what is most desirable.  Face it, we are not omniscient, nor are we able to control everything that can affect events leading to a desired outcome.  Sometimes, our lack of knowledge obscures the fact that what we desire may not be truly desirable.  Things don't always turn out to our expectations.  Once again, it is the journey, not the destination.

I believe one of the most important areas of growth for a Christian is faith.  We must learn to accept that God is in control and knows what is best for each one of us.  We must also accept that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."  That is the key -- His purpose.  In choosing to place our faith in Him we choose the position of adopted son, or daughter.  It is a subordinate position, yet a favored one.  He has our best interest in mind, just as we desire the best for our own children.

Patience is faith.

The passage of time is merely our arbitrary measurement of our lack of faith.

Pulled Curtains, Open Doors

It is said the eyes
Are a window to one's soul.
I think sometimes
That is true, however,
There are times in which
The shades are drawn,
The curtain pulled,
So that which is deep within
Is obscured
From prying eyes.

Laughter,
Pain,
Loss,
Life itself,
Are hidden.

The tiny lines
That etch the corners
Of the windows give a hint,
As do the creases
Around the mouth
And chin,
Which reveal a tiny piece
Of the wear and tear
They have received
Through the years.

Kindness,
Love,
Patience,
Invested time,
Open doors.

Time for Rest

There's never enough time to get the things done
I think that I should do
And yet I find time to do the things
I really want to do.

I sometimes leave things 'til it's almost too late
To get them done in time
And sometimes the order of things I get done
Has no reason or rhyme.

I make lots of lists to keep my tasks straight
And then sometimes I find
I add things to my list long after they're done
As a palliative to my mind.

Then there are days I get nothing done
While thinking alone as I sat;
Those are the days I find time to relax
And I am quite happy with that.

We are made to work but, we need to get rest
Or, we pay a toll with our health
Even though the world teaches us "no time to waste"
In the continual search for wealth.

But, God has a different plan that he defined
And I find that His plan is the best;
He said we should have a full day of rest
As a rule and not just suggest.

Backlog

One of the things that I face after a long bout of travel is to deal with the things that seem to accumulate on my desk while I am gone.  I handle most of the crucial business tasks from the road but, there are some items that end up in various piles on my desk that require my attention when I can.

One of those items is to go through the seemingly endless pile of trade publications for items of interest.  I suppose that I could leave this task for someone else, but I've found that I pick out things that others deem irrelevant.  It isn't that my eye is any better or worse than theirs, it's just that I have things in mind that items occasionally fit that aren't obviously related to my job.  One thing that might fall into this category is things that illustrate points that I want to emphasize in a presentation.  They don't have to be directly related to the specific subject -- just good illustrations of a point.

Some of the other things for which I look when scanning the publications are 1) articles directly related to my business, 2) articles written by others in my business, 3) articles written by or about friends, 4) advertisements related to our business, 5) advertisements of competitors (mere pretenders), or 6) items referring to customers or prospective customers.  Hmmm....that doesn't leave much.

I sometimes will cut articles out of the publications and put them into 3-ring binders.  This is primarily reserved for articles specifically related to our business -- especially research.  Occasionally I will scan a particular article and e-mail it to others.  I sometimes will cut out an ad from a competitor and place it in a file.  I will visually scan or sometimes read thoroughly, any articles about customers or prospects.

It doesn't seem like a big deal until you consider how quickly the publications pile up.  I faced an eight-inch stack this morning.  It took about one hour to get through them.  That included all of the activities in the previous paragraph.

The key is to handle them once, then "chunk" them.  Don't put them aside for later; deal with them now (although now sometimes gets delayed).  If you have to pick them up more than once you are wasting time.  I don't know about you, but I never seem to have enough of that!

Shaping the Grand Canyon

This week, work has taken me on travels into some old stomping grounds. It is interesting to renew old acquaintances and see old faces. That's the problem though. They remind me that it has been 15 years since I last saw some of them. A lot can change in 15 years.

Time has a way of getting away from us. We are so focused on daily activity -- of pursuing our lives -- that we lose track of the passage of time. It's like going to a High School class reunion and wondering why everyone else has aged so much. You still feel the same and don't notice that you've aged along with them. We see the gradual change in our own lives and accept it easily. Absence for extended periods makes that change seem dramatic when we reconnect.

Our lives move inexorably forward. If we weren't such ephemeral beings in our earthly time it would be as though the Grand Canyon was being carved upon our very substance. Slowly, unceasingly, we would be re-shaped into something unrecognizable to our previous self. I wonder if the process continues into eternity?

Daylight Savings Swing Time

Each Spring with Daylight Savings time
We set our clocks ahead

Then gripe and moan of that lost hour

Of sleep we missed in bed.

We wish to leave well enough alone

And forego the seasonal fix

Until we readjust internal clocks

To 5 o'clock being six!

Once again the sun is rising

As to work we drive.

And though for a day or two it's hard

We know that we'll survive

Especially as the days grow warm

And we see the blooming of the spring.

Then we dig out that bag of clubs

And get back in the swing!

Fighting Fires vs Focus

Where has the week gone?!? It seems like only yesterday that we were driving home from New Mexico. I guess it seemed to fly by because it was so busy.

On Monday I drove to Kansas to work at our business location there and to meet with a couple of customers. On Wednesday I returned home late and spent yesterday and today at our business location here in the Panhandle. After being off last week (although admittedly I did work some from home part of the time) I had a rather large pile of things that had accumulated while I was out of the office. I have been diligently checking items off of my "to do" list throughout the week and feel that I accomplished quite a lot -- but not everything that I had planned.

That "to do" list is critical to keeping me on task. I spend some time each morning reviewing items from the previous day, adding additional tasks that have popped up, and thinking about priorities so that I can organize my day in a fashion that moves me toward my goals. Without planning, it is easy to become sidetracked into tasks that need to be done, but may not be as important as other things. I rank my tasks according to priority -- I use a modified Franklin-Covey time management system. I always allocate some time for working on long-term projects that are not necessarily "critical" but are important to my long-term goals.

The daily "fires" can be a killer if you do not spend time on the things that will prevent the fires from occurring. The best way to describe that is to give an example from my past. In a previous job I was given the task of evaluating an operating distribution warehouse in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I was to determine if it should remain open and if so, how it could be turned around from a loss situation to a profitable one. It was a disaster. The warehouse was disorganized, the products were not in assigned locations, the computer system was not set up to match the warehouse, the inventory was off by several hundred thousand dollars, and the employees had no clue what to do. They were working 14 hour days in survival mode.

The "fires" were to get products out the door to meet the orders that were coming in on a daily basis. The solution was to get the warehouse and computer system in order and the employees properly trained. It took almost 3 months to get everything lined out and functioning on a reasonable basis. Then it was a matter of "trimming" the operation so that it became more efficient. I focused on the most important factor in the situation -- correcting the issues in the warehouse. Piece by piece, as the "operating system" was corrected, the fires began to disappear.

While correcting the warehouse operations I also had to work with the salesmen to adjust how they were working their territories. They were doing everything backward. Without going into detail, we turned the division completely around in less than two years. It went from a loss of approximately $350,000/year to a profit of over $400,000/year in that two year time frame just by re-focusing everyone's efforts.

My point is that when you focus on the deep issues -- the things that will move you toward your goals -- the panic response to daily fires disappears. That doesn't mean the occasional issues won't come up, but they become fewer and much farther between.

Priorities

Twenty-six hours in a day
Would help me an awful lot.
The way it is now
The things I want done are not.

I run out of time in the twenty-four hours
Allotted to me every day.
The things that I want to do never fit in
For the have-to-do things in the way!

I spend some time each day
Prioritizing tasks to get done.
But after the tasks are laid out at hand
There's no time left for fun.

If only I had a couple more hours
To be scheduled as time that is free
I could accomplish the things that I must
And still have time just for me.

But I guess if I'm honest about my wish
It would only be fair to say
I probably couldn't keep my eyes open
For those other two hours in a day.