Last week we had a 3 day team retreat, and it was amazing and inspiring and difficult and challenging and we did things wrong and we did things right. As a team, we read the book Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar…
Category Archives: Karens Notes
12
Feb
Feb
“I just trust my gut”, you think. You hire someone you feel right about, and reject to the ones you don’t. A new prospect says and does a few things which feel dodgy, but seems like a nice guy, so you take him on as a client anyway. Many weeks or months later something happens and you think, “I knew it. I KNEW IT.”
Karens Notes, Plans & Strategy, Content, Onboarding
Do I need to block out a full day at a time to get marketing done?
12
Dec
Dec
Right, you’re going to be serious now. You’re going to focus your energy and attention on marketing a bit more (maybe this is your 2021 plan). But you know marketing always gets put off. You plan an hour or some time to “do marketing” and then you get emails and messages and phone calls and
28
Nov
Nov
This week is the American holiday of Thanksgiving. As a dual British-American citizen, it’s still a holiday I celebrate here in Scotland, and it really is one of my favourite holidays of all. Because the premise is: things are (or have been) very hard, so you gather together with family, eat good food and lots of it, and you give thanks for it all. For the food, the family and friends and tribe, and all the good things you’ve received or experienced even through the hard times.
20
Nov
Nov
I’ve been having various levels of back pain for the past seven weeks. (Just in case you don’t read the full note: don’t worry. I’ve seen a doctor, several physios, and am doing the work, and it is getting better. It’s just slow. That’s sort of the point of the note.) When it first started,
Karens Notes, Sketchnotes, Values, Team
Choosing personal pillars and values (and how this helps a team)
14
Nov
Nov
Not long after I set up PF, I identified what I saw as the core foundational “pillars” of the company. Things I personally stood for and what I wanted the agency to stand for, too. Those are creativity, integrity, generosity, and rest. (For a while there was one called “service”, but I decided that was less of
03
Oct
Oct
We don’t like change. No matter how we dress it up, even when sometimes it can feel adventurous or exciting or bold or brave, there’s still a part of us which is uncomfortable with any change, and therefore resists it. Some of us are more like that than others. Or perhaps what I mean is,
01
Aug
Aug
You know what’s more dangerous than a really sharp knife? A dull one. This week I was chopping walnuts with my favourite red kitchen knife, which my sister gave me for Christmas years ago. Probably more years than I even realise, because lately it hasn’t been chopping as cleanly and I kept thinking, “I’ll need
Karens Notes, Sketchnotes, Plans & Strategy, Content
Try sitting in the same place at the same time every day
16
May
May
The most significant change happens in small increments, day after day. Month after month, year after year. In the past year, I’ve lost over 52 pounds (almost 4 stone) by counting calories every single day. Walking, every single day. Cutting out sugar, and choosing not to eat it every single day. In the past 6
21
Mar
Mar
There’s a lot out there about how to “use” your coronavirus time. Or your quarantine time. To rise to the challenge, be strong and valiant, own this and crush this and win win win. Last week I was feeling that a bit. I thought “My business is already remote, so this is business as usual”.
