Garrick van Buren

What Can You Achieve in 30, 60, & 90 Minutes?

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 20:40:25 +0000

When I ask my clients where they found the biggest benefit in my How to Use a Calendar program, they often reply: “Scheduling for 30, 60, or 90 minutes.” It’s tempting to block off a massive chunk of time for a big project. Whether that massive chunk of time is a an afternoon, a day, …

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You’re Not Going to Need It

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 21:55:36 +0000

Neal Conan: “You had solar panels (on your sailboat) for electricity.” Matt Rutherford: “I did, but they broke.” Neal: “They broke?” Matt: “One by one.” Neal: “I think you had a Kindle for reading books.” Matt: “I did. It broke in a storm.” I like Matt’s story for all that it tells as about our …

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Red Flags? What Red Flags?

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 21:35:46 +0000

This was going to be a crappy project. The red flags were there from the very beginning. The first: when my my buyer said, as I was about to sign the contract, “Today is my last day.” I should have set the pen down right there, replied with a ‘Thank you for letting me know’ …

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Correction Canary

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 20:49:53 +0000

About fifteen years ago now, I was reorganizing how search results are displayed in a popular travel site (one you’ve probably used). The goal of the project was to to increase readability and scannability. To do this, I needed to move a few bits of information around. In my rush to prepare the prototype for …

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Switching Costs

Thu, 12 Jan 2017 21:22:55 +0000

In CBS’s world adventure race program ‘The Amazing Race’ there’s a game element called the ‘Detour’. The ‘Detour’ is a team activity requiring completion before continuing on the race itself. Each ‘Detour’ includes two activities – each team needs to select one from an opaque two- or three-word description of each. The goal is to …

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Both – or the Underly Deceit of Focus

Thu, 12 Jan 2017 21:20:14 +0000

As I write this, I’m slowly, steadily, recovering from a running injury. Pain so bad in my right knee that it’s painful to walk and stand. A visit to the sports chiropractor diagnosed the problem as a lack of flexibility in my left hip. The right-side of my body continually compensated for this lack of flexibility, …

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To a Stronger Second Half

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 21:23:39 +0000

It’s the first week of a January 2017. I’d like to raise a glass of my homebrew to the new year. When I crack open the bottle and pour it gently, perfectly into a glass half the size of the bottle, it’ll be brilliantly clear. So clear you can see the other side of the …

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I am White

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 20:39:53 +0000

A blank canvas A surgical studio The color of healing The color of health The birthplace of progress The backdrop of achievement The commitment to beginning Again

I am Silver

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 20:38:24 +0000

I am a clean tomorrow reflecting back a soiled today. I am as much a solution as a problem. I am the color of Definitively Solved.

Where are You in Your Calendar?

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 16:37:43 +0000

Your email inbox is one thing. Other than turning the spam filter to 11, having an unguessable address, and or sending everything to dev/null – if you have an email address – it’s going to receive email. Your email inbox is, painfully, for others. You’re calendar is something completely different. Nothing goes on your calendar …

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