As much as we’d sometimes like to, drawing a thick line between work life and personal life is impossible. Our work is inherently personal. And our work is a big part of life. So how can we begin to talk about a balance between the two?

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer out there. But it is important to address it. After all, we are a group of crazy, passionate, and creative people, who needs both our heads and our hearts at work. Our personal lives intensely affect the quality of our work. So keeping things in check there will give us the freedom to be more creative and productive in front of the screen or sketchbook (and vice versa). And if you’re in a left-brain mood, studies show that people who work for organizations that provide work/life benefits are more productive and loyal.

We’ve all learned by now how to make a list of priorities and, unfortunately, how easily it gets tossed by the wayside in favor of more pressing daily activities. Don’t get me wrong, doing an exercise in defining your priorities is important, but what about some practical ways to achieve them?

Here are a few ways to become who you want to be and achieve that elusive equilibrium. We are going to focus more on outlining the demands of your personal life, since most of us have career responsibilities that are already fairly well defined.

There are a few things that you need to commit to examining in your personal life to achieve a healthy balance:

1. Your family. Communicate with them as far as their needs and commit to meeting the ones that are at all possible. After all, you keep your family for life.
2. Your health. Schedule blocks of time for physical and mental well being. We all know how essential that is.
3. Your social life. Staying in touch with friends is essential for mental health.
4. Your habits. Be honest with yourself, and set limits on anything you do in excess. This might be work, internet surfing, TV, etc.
5. Yourself. Make “me” time, which is healthy for relaxation and personal reflection.

Now comes the part that might be hard for some of us. Ask for advice from someone close to you; it could be employees, family members, or friends. Have them help you point out anything to change, and then have them help you stick to your plans.

Once you’ve determined the needs of your personal life, consider your work responsibilities. Could you adjust your schedule in any way to balance both sides of the demands? Could you commit to being more productive at work in order to make more time for other healthy pursuits? (Tip: there are lots of productivity posts here!) Talk with your team to develop an environment that accommodates both work and personal development. In the creative environment, everyone will benefit.

Work/life balance might be a bit of a moving target, but the more effort you put into achieving it, the closer you’ll be to achieving it. What’s worked for you in your pursuit toward balance?

Pull up a chair and watch this 11 minute illustrated video on what motivates us. This tasty talk was from Dan Pink’s talk at the RSA. You can also see a 18 minute version on the same topic at TED.

What motivates you? How do you motivate your team or your coworkers?

#76 - Want to Give Your Team Perspective and Appreciation for Each Other? Try Role Swapping.

Think about your team and the roles each person plays. Does everyone fully understand what each others’ responsibilities are and the unique pressures, time, and skills they entail? Is there any mystery, uncertainty, or even (eek) jealousy between the team members? Perhaps switching things up will offer some perspective, understanding, and mutual appreciation amongst your team.

Role swapping can take many different forms, and you’ll need to give it some thought to make it work for your company. It most likely will never take the form of a complete job switch, but something more like a single assignment, a couple of hours, or a full day of new responsibilities. You could make it subtle or a full blown team building activity.

Not only will this help all of your employees understand and appreciate the various moving parts of the company, but it could also spark innovation and offer a fresh perspective on how things work and possibly bring big improvements.

Have you done this before? Let us know about any ideas or results in the comments.

Have you ever wondered what makes an inspirational leader and what makes people follow them and believe in them? Simon Sinek thinks he has found the link and shares his theory in this must see TedX video. After watching, tell us what you think about the Golden Circle. What leaders inspire you or with whom do you wish you could work?

#75 You can either talk to or listen to your clients. We recommend learning to listen; otherwise, there will be nothing to talk about.

We spend so much time preparing to talk. We plan to wow our clients with our brilliance, stories of our qualifications, case studies, images of our earth shattering portfolio, and the list goes on. But in preparing your presentation, did you allocate time for listening? I mean really listening. Have you researched questions to help you have a meaningful conversation? One that allows you to learn about your client and give them the opportunity to talk – so you can listen?

By asking the right questions and carefully listening to the answers, you can gain the trust of your clients. Clients want to feel like you are someone with whom they can share their story. And if they do, you will be a keeper of that story – one who is not only trusted with it, but also responsible for telling its next chapters.

But telling the right story is key. The right story will connect your client with his or her potential customers. The wrong story will alienate them. So how do you know the difference? It comes down to taking the time to getting to know your client. So next time, before the meeting, make some observations and ask some questions. Then put down the pen and just listen. And when you are done with the meeting, ask if there are any other things they want to ask you or tell you. This is a discipline, only to reach full potential and power once it has been practiced and turned into a natural part of how you interact.

For a further tip of hot to foster great communication, see a little tip from the one and only Ken.

So is this you? Are you only sort of listening? What do you do to listen to your clients?

Designer Sobriety began two years ago after a great response from my HOW presentation in Boston. The talk communicated the 12 steps we need to consider when trying to manage our careers. Since then, this blog has been dedicated to giving tips, and other thoughts, on the intersection of life and running a creative business. My goal was to evolve that concept into what we called “LifeKerning™” and develop a presentation, some helpful products, and ideally, a book.

So in early June I presented Life Kerning™: Where Life and Creativity Meet. You know how to design a beautiful layout, but what about balancing a busy creative life? Is it possible to build an inspired life that honors both your passions—a rewarding creative career and a joyful personal existence? We are here to tell you that it’s more easily achieved than you might think.

The main concept was that sometimes the slightest adjustments in your life could lead to a more enjoyable and rewarding career. The main points are summarized below:

Perspective: This point asks you to remember what you’re passionate about. Often when we get overwhelmed or discouraged we simply need to take a step back. Make a list to recall these passions that you can review every 3 months, 6 months, or once a year. Whatever works for you to keep them in the forefront.

Nudity: When you’re naked it’s hard to hide who you are. Your unique self is what makes your work different, important, and powerful. Are you being “nakedly” honest with the things you want to do that help you stand out? If not, then start. The more “you” that you are, the more you will enjoy your work and bring unique perspective to your team and clients. Read the rest of this entry »

When Google officially gained predominant (search engine) market share in 2000, the world wondered what they would do with such a vast audience. The answer?

Get more users.

While Google continues to (and should) consider itself primarily a search company, it has continued to increase its user base via its collection of communication tools, web apps, and mobile products. Of course this is no real surprise when one of the primary tasks of Google’s engineers is to create and implement new applications (via Google’s “20% Rule”).

The playground for this creative space is better known as the Google Laboratory, where popular products such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Earth, and Google Maps (to name a few) were all birthed into existence. In fact, the Google Labs are spitting out new apps and reworking old ones at a rate that often makes it difficult to keep up. So, rather than have you waste a few hours (as I did) playing in Google’s playground, here are a few worthy of (seriously) considering putting to use.

#1 Google Places

Ever wonder how businesses show up on Google Maps when you do a basic Google search? It’s all dependent upon whether or not a business is appropriately listed via Google Places – Google’s local business center. Here’s why you this should be your first stop. It’s a free listing on Google!

Here’s the deal. Google’s algorithms are like the Coke formula, nobody “officially” knows what it is. However, those familiar with Google’s “ways” understand that Google gives preference to those who play by their rules and with their toys. Ready to play? Start here.

TIP: Be strategic about listing your 5 categories. List categories in which you believe might best match someone’s search string (i.e. Design Agency, Graphic Design, Creative, etc…)

NOTE: Many third-party services, such as DexKnows often list your business without you being aware. You might want to make sure you have control over what information and categories that are listed.

Check out the Google Places video

Read the rest of this entry »