When meeting people in a group for the first time, one question that comes up often is, "How do you find the time to do all that you do?" They're talking about the daily blog posts, the Twitter, the speaking at events, conversations, my actual job, and my family life. I often answer somewhat jokingly that I just type a lot. It's only somewhat jokingly. Part of it is typing. But I can share more.
Side note: It amuses me that people are always telling me that I seem very busy. (1) I am. (2) That's okay. It's a good thing. (3) Gandhi had the same number of hours in a day that I do. Time is never the answer. Learn to master your calendar, or it will master you.
I have help in this department (children).
But I find that by sleeping no more than six hours (not recommended, but you asked!), I have a few more hours in the day.
I don't have cable. I watch some movies, and I watch video stuff from the Internet in doses, but I don't have a TV habit. That gives me a few hours each day that some of you occupy in other ways.
All day long, my head is formulating information. I'm thinking about things I've read and researched, things that I've learned through my own trial and error, and things I've gathered through conversations and other learning avenues. But my processing of that data goes on when I'm at the grocery store, or the gas station, or on my long commute. This gives me the opportunity to choose how I use the information I gather.
Sometimes, it's appropriate for work. For example, I have a newsletter (my job newsletter) deadline coming up, so I'm reading about emerging technology trends. But instead of just reading about them, when I'm standing in line, waiting for the man in front of me to finish arguing with the automated cash register, I'm wondering how Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of EDS further advances the mind-set of business processing over traditional IT computing.
All day, I learn from people inside and outside my space. I use Google Reader to subscribe to lots of blogs from various interests. I read books daily, too, and often magazine articles. Reading and learning good stuff helps me come up with great stuff for my writing.
Oh, and I watch TED and Pop!Tech[271] and really clever stuff like that, too.
Want to know my secret to writing well? Write often. Write a lot. Read it aloud. Write even more. The more I type, the better I become at formulating my thoughts, the more easily my language flows in a way that helps you read it, understand it, and find parts to act upon.
Okay, for the bonus round, let me tell you about the whole thing, all in one place, in a way that you might understand it. Don't tell people. Shhh. Come closer.
Ultimately, I've come to believe that we are writing a new kind of code (like software, but also like genetics and also like secret code). This code requires human interface, which is us, but it's also the way we use our chosen tools and devices to convey information. What I am doing, more than anything else, is trying to use these tools, to master them, and to understand how this relates to human needs, human behavior, and how I might encourage behaviors to move in certain patterns that match my original intent.
Programming. I'm learning how to program, and to do that, I have to write lots of code.
Why? To be helpful. To know how to connect others. I met some brilliant people recently, and my first thought was, "How can I loop these people into the network, such that they can provide resources to others?"
Let me recap all that: I'm learning how to use these tools to build human networks, and then using what I've learned to help others achieve their business and organizational goals.
How? I don't sleep, and I type a lot. Right? Maybe that's all it is. You decide.