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Thomson Reuters

Best Week Ever / Oak Lawn / Thomson Reuters

Perma-vacation

BOA Tower Dallas

I did not make any plans for my 30th birthday (to the exasperation of my friends.)

My neighbors tried to make plans when we met at the dog park.

Jack: “You’re not celebrating?!”
Jill: “You have to do something for your 30th!”
Me: “I am not a big holiday person, and a big party feels gauche in light of the Dallas shootings.”
Jack: “I get that, but you should do something.”
Me: “Like what? Pool time? Bars and drag shows? Brunch? That’s every weekend.”
Jill: “Yeah, living in Oak Lawn is kind of a permanent vacation.”

We did get out of the house this weekend, spent some serious time at the pool, and even had a few long walks downtown.

Downtown Dallas

New and old buildings at the edge of downtown Dallas (near the farmers’ market.)

Flower Reign Oak Lawn

A mannequin with a fabulous hat at Flower Reign in Oak Lawn, Dallas.

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Dallas Morning News / Life / memories / Thomson Reuters

A New Path

A forest path photo by Nick Scheerbart via Unsplash

I have been in Dallas for almost a year and this city exceeded my expectations.

Although the decision to move to Dallas well-informed, I am still continually surprised by this place.

Downtown Dallas

Exploring downtown Dallas in summer

Gay Bingo at Station 4 Dallas

The crowd at the March Gay Bingo / Resource Center Event at Station 4 in Dallas.

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Books / Marketing / Thomson Reuters

Machiavelli and Marketing

Computers at work

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is one of my favorite books. I re-read it constantly.

This Italian political treatise is about 500 years old, but contains a lot of insights into human behavior that translate well into modern life, particularly politics and marketing.

I recently thought of my favorite passage from The Prince during an awful client meltdown.

This situation will be familiar to many of my digital marketing friends:

The client previously had significant engagement on their blog and social media.
Organic visibility fell off now that Facebook and other social networks started pushing paid ads.
The client doesn’t want to spend money on social media advertising, and blames your firm for supposedly providing subpar content.
A competitor comes out of the bushes, and makes unrealistic promises of organic reach and other snake oil remedies.
Client is now pissed.

When dealing with a client who refuses to accept digital marketing changes, I think about Machiavelli’s warning to leaders who face resistance to change:

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Dallas / Thomson Reuters

Networking at the Dallas Stars Game

Dallas Stars Hockey Game Suite

We recently experienced the Dallas Stars in Style.

Michael started at the Thomson Reuters Carrollton office last week and already managed to score us free tickets to a Dallas Stars hockey game.

We also saw a Dallas Stars hockey game last fall because Michael won free tickets from his gig at 7-Eleven Corporate. The 7-Eleven seats were nice, but Thomson Reuters has a suite!

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Minneapolis-St. Paul / Thomson Reuters

Minnesota Homecoming

February 17, 2016

Starbucks on a Delta flight

I survived the trip to Minnesota, somehow.

I was initially very apprehensive about returning to Minnesota. After being gone from a place from an extended amount of time, it is natural to plot a dramatic entrance.

But reality often looks very different.

Despite the awful weather and shady Delta checking agents, it was actually a fun and productive work trip.

The flight from Dallas and Minneapolis was wonderfully short and empty. I did not have anyone sitting next to me, but instead received the gift of seven toddlers behind me.

This is why they invented on-flight cocktails, and Starbucks!

The Texas Countryside from the Plane

A shot of the Texas countryside from my Delta flight to Minnesota.

Minnesota winter landscape

The wintry landscape in lower Minnesota.

Starbucks on a Delta flight

So grateful for the Starbucks on this Delta flight.

I did Minnesota in style.

Our annual Account Management meeting was at the Radisson Blu, a swank new hotel attached to Mall of America.

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Dallas / Minneapolis-St. Paul / Thomson Reuters

Return to the Cold

February 9, 2016

Victory Park in Downtown Dallas, Texas.

Winter in Dallas is absolutely amazing.

The temperature is perfect – about 60 to 70 degrees every day.

iLume Park's large dog park in Dallas, Texas.

iLume Park’s large dog park in Dallas, Texas.

Chiweenie at iLume Park

Gunter at Ilume Park’s small dog park.

Perry Heights neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, in February.

Perry Heights neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, in February.

The Harwood District of downtown Dallas, Texas

The Harwood District of downtown Dallas, Texas

That is one of the reasons why I am not thrilled to go to Minnesota tomorrow.

Thomson Reuters is flying me back to Minnesota for an awards dinner and training.

It’s going to be cold as hell, but I get to see some of my friends and my company is putting me up in the Mall of America hotel, so things could be worse.

That doesn’t mean that I won’t miss the warmth…

I always thought my mother was dramatic about hating the cold (she still lives in Miami) but now I fully understand.

Brr.

Dallas / dogs / LGBT / Life / memories / Minneapolis-St. Paul / Thomson Reuters

From Minnesota to Texas: 2015 in Review

December 31, 2015

The Dallas Skyline as seen from Reunion Tower

I celebrated last New Year’s Eve in Minnesota and now I am ending the year as an official Texan.

2015 was wonderful, but exhausting.

Gay Wedding Pierce House

James Sanna and Aaron Kraemer getting married in Boston.

Bloody Mary Washington DC

A bloody Mary and the New Yorker Magazine at the Washington DC airport.

Alyssa Edwards at iLume Dallas

Alyssa Edwards at the Dallas Gay Pride iLume block party.

iLume Block Party

Dancers at the iLume block party.

Highland Park Mansion

A dramatically lit mansion in Highland Park.

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Productivity / Thomson Reuters

Other People’s Monkeys

October 7, 2015

I spend a lot of time thinking about monkeys at work.

One of my favorite time management concepts is “Who’s got the Monkey?” by William Oncken, Jr. This time management classic is targeted at managers, but I think this time management skill works great for non-managerial employees too.

The author uses the “monkey on your back” metaphor to describe how we assign tasks to each other. The “monkey” belongs to whoever has the next move.

You typically have a monkey on your back when someone has a task that you agree to take on, or a problem that you agree to look into. You get the monkey because the burden is on you to act.

The monkey doesn’t jump back to the other person until you complete your task and the next move is theirs.

Other people’s monkeys can quickly pile up and prohibit you from focusing on your own priorities.

Monkeys from bosses and customers are inevitable, (and part of your job to deal with), but monkeys from peers and subordinates can sabotage your performance.

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Oak Lawn / Thomson Reuters

Things that Happen on the Dog walk

October 6, 2015

katy trail dallas

I can tell something is wrong when I arrive at Starbucks.

It is 5:15 a.m., and I am typically one of the first people at the café. (It is the first stop on the morning dog walk.)

Aside from the normal collection of doctors and nurses, there is a strange, short man standing by the half-and-half. He’s mumbling and shaking.

I look over to the barista, who is glaring at the man, who is apparently high.

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Thomson Reuters

Reconsidering Corporate Jargon

September 16, 2015

Office Building

“Corporate speak” was one of the most jarring things about transitioning from law school to work life.

The bigger someone’s title was, the harder they were to understand. I found myself leaving large meetings wondering what, if anything, had been said.

Who talks like that?

I thought that corporate jargon was the verbal equivalent of bad writing – a pretentious and unnecessarily convoluted way of speaking.

I prided myself on speaking plainly and avoiding the vague language that was so rampant throughout my company. However, I’ve come to realize that there are a various types of corporate jargon that serve specific purposes.

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Productivity / Thomson Reuters / unsolicited advice

Lessons from #ReutersReplyAllGate

August 27, 2015

Thomson Reuters

Note: This post reflects my personal opinions, and not those of my employer.

You know that you work at a big company when the Wall Street Journal covers your email problems.

Thomson Reuters is a conglomerate with about 50,000 employees across the globe.

Thomson Reuters is different than other conglomerates like Berkshire Hathaway or Samsung, because it has a standardized set of operating principles, consistent branding across divisions, and shared IT and HR resources.

My company apparently also has massive shared listservs.

I first noticed the problem after glancing at my email around 8 a.m. yesterday. I somehow had 54 emails despite being at inbox zero the night before.

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Productivity / Thomson Reuters

Deliberate Practice

August 19, 2015

performance and productivity quote

“If you just show up and work hard, you’ll soon hit a performance plateau beyond which you fail to get any better.” – Cal Newport
Deliberate Practice is one of the most important concepts in Cal Newport’s book, “So Good They Can’t Ignore You.”

Deliberate Practice is what separates amateurs from professionals, and key to avoiding a career plateau.

My college literature professor Lindsey Tucker described a career plateau perfectly: “Just because there’s a continuation doesn’t mean there isn’t stagnation.”

In other words: It is possible to do the same thing for years and never gain meaningful expertise.

This is one of the reasons why “years of experience” is a stupid job posting criterion.

The Comfort of Mediocrity

Amateurs stay in their comfort zone.

The mediocre karaoke singer does not spend time practicing difficult songs.
The weekend basketball player does not do repetitive drills.
The middling office worker waits for company-mandated training instead of proactively learning skills.

Deliberate Practice is a method of avoiding stagnation by systematically improving your skills.

This practice is all about stretching your limits beyond your comfort zone.

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Life / Productivity / Thomson Reuters

The Juggling Act

Time Management Quote

Figuring Out This Time Management Thing

I am the guy who signs up for too much – the guy who takes too many classes, works too many jobs, and joins too many organizations.

In high school, I was gunning for the valedictorian spot while attending community college classes at night and participating in several extra-curriculars.
During college, I maxed-out my course limit, worked as a residential assistant in a huge dorm, had side-jobs, joined a frat, ran student clubs, and kept a pretty busy social schedule.
Things only got busier in law school – with internships, boys, dogs, and eventually a career.

I felt that time management was always a problem for me.

Or rather, I always thought that I struggled with time management until I recently read Elizabeth Grace Saunders’ time management article in the Harvard Business Review.

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Dallas / Life / Lowertown / Thomson Reuters

Preparations

Artist Pictures in Lowertown

Next week I’ll be in Dallas.

The logistics of moving are exhausting – choosing a power company, contracting with a new internet provider, closing accounts, getting paperwork together, and that nagging sense that I’m overestimating what fits into my car.

Almost all of my furniture is already gone.

I just have my ratty couch, my work desk, and a mattress on the floor (it kind of looks like a crack den.)

Also, apparently this is what $21 in used books looks like:

What $21 in used books looks like

What $21 in used books looks like. I sold them at Half Priced Books in Roseville, Minnesota.

I hauled the books to the Half Priced books in Roseville.

That store is one of the strangest places I’ve ever been to.

It looks like a normal book store, but it’s staffed by very thin and bored-looking hipsters. The customers were equal parts young parents, old people, and tatted 40-somethings.

I sat around for about 30 minutes while waiting for my books to get appraised. I was so bored by the time they called my name that I would have accepted any amount. (This is probably not by mistake.)

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memories / Thomson Reuters

The Company Man

Employees at printing presses, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 1912

Today was very difficult for me.

I had marathon meetings with our division’s biggest client. This was the culmination of a lengty, often painful, process that involved senior directors and VPs from across the company.

For weeks my life consisted of accommodating “stakeholders”/cooks with competing interests, resulting in way too many spreadsheets and draft contracts.

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Lowertown / memories / MJD / Thomson Reuters

Summer of Change

Downtown St. Paul in Spring

This summer marks the end of an era for me.

Mitchell and I are not renewing the lease for our Lowertown apartment. He may purchase a house closer to his job, and my boss approved an out-of-state move for me.

He’s keeping Hugo, and I’m taking Gunter.

Gunter the Chiweenie

Gunter the Chiweenie, who is thrilled that it is no longer freezing in Minnesota.

I’m still undecided of where to move.

My company specifically cleared me to move to California because we have offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. I also have a lot of clients in both places.

Both San Francisco and Los Angeles seem insanely expensive. Do I overpay for a closet-apartment in a trendy area, or banish myself to the suburbs?

I’ll likely have to sign a lease based on pictures – what if I end up with another nightmare building? Will I end up in a terrible situation and wish that I kept my Minnesota lifestyle?

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Productivity / Thomson Reuters

Reclaiming my inbox

Workplace productivity

It is 4:30 pm on a Thursday. I have been in phone conferences, webexs, and in-person meetings since 8am.

I finally return to my desk and open outlook.

That’s when I see it: 102 unread emails as of 8:05 a.m.

I’m horrified.
I knew that to get control over my day, I needed to change my approach to meetings and emails.
This is what I did:

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Life / Thomson Reuters

Grad schools bearing gifts

considering grad schools

One day something interesting popped into my inbox.

Among the newsletters and freelance cattle calls was an email from NYU Law School’s Tax LLM program.

It contained a fee voucher.

I was shocked and flattered – tax law was my passion during law school, and NYU’s LLM program is consistently ranked #1 in the country.

A Master of Laws (LLM) degree is a post-law school master’s degree. Tax is one of the few LLM specialties not considered an utter waste of time.

I immediately filled out the LSAC application and strategized how to get recommendation letters from law professors who have long forgotten who I am.

After my initial wave of enthusiasm, I remembered the fraudulent employment stats and starting salaries published by law schools. I also remembered how angry everyone was 2L year when we realized that our school lied to us about our prospects.
After some research into the value of tax LLM programs, I realized that there’s simply not enough reliable information available for me to make an informed decision regarding the purported benefits of an LLM.

What I’m fretting over:

What if I can’t find tax law employment after getting a NYU LLM? Would I just return to Thomson Reuters with $80,000 more in student loans?
What if law firms ignore the LLM degree due to my University of Minnesota degree? An outstanding LLM isn’t going to cut it for a firm looking for an Ivy League Law Review alum.
Even if I get a job at a top Manhattan law firm, would my (supposedly) higher salary overcome the significant opportunity cost of giving up my current corporate career?

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Books / Productivity / Thomson Reuters / unsolicited advice

Why “follow your passion” is bad career advice.

Cal Newport - So Good They Cant Ignore You

Cal Newport is one of my favorite bloggers. A mathematics professor by trade, Newport is better known for his tips on studying, productivity, and careers.

After regularly reading his blog for a year, I decided to buy his book “So Good They Can’t Ignore You.” I was intrigued by the premise: if you want a great career, don’t worry about following your passion.

Newport’s book was an excellent companion piece to Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art.” Pressfield focused primarily on overcoming self-sabotage and focusing on your work. Newport describes how to turn your work and skills into a great career.

The most provocative rule in Newport’s book is “Don’t Follow Your Passion.” Newport systematically debunks the underlying premise of most career advice books – something he calls the passion hypothesis:
“The passion hypothesis claims that the key to occupational happiness is to first figure out what you’re passionate about and then find a job that matches this passion.”
Newport argues that approaching your work from a “passion mindset” is wrongheaded because your focus is primarily on the value your job is offering you. A focus on pursuing your passion “ultimately leads to chronic dissatisfaction and daydreaming about the better jobs you imagine existing out there waiting to be discovered.”

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Books / Productivity / Thomson Reuters

Author Steven Pressfield on Overcoming Self-Sabotage

February 22, 2015

self sabotage

“The professional is prepared at a deeper level. He is prepared, each day, to confront his own self-sabotage.”

The Great Discontent is one of my favorite magazines. It’s comprised entirely of interviews of creative individuals like designers, illustrators, writers, and entrepreneurs.

Interviewees are asked a standard set of questions, including whether they have any favorite books.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield kept coming up during these interviews – from business writer Seth Godin to photographer Paul Octavious.

The diversity of people recommending this book made me curious enough to purchase it and see what the fuss was about.

Simply put – The War of Art is fascinating, but slightly depressing because it destroys my ability to create excuses for not getting important work done.
Steven Pressfield explores three aspects of living a productive creative life:
1. Combating resistance

2. The importance of craftsmanship

3. Playing for money

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