Anyone who knows me knows that I talk a lot about theoretical stuff. I’m big into innovation. I like stuff that’s never been done before. I like hacking (in the metaphorical sense; I don’t have an ounce of programming know-how). Really big, gigantic, completely impractical thinking – that’s my cup of tea. (That and redundancy, apparently.)

And to some extent, that’s a problem. Guys like Chris Brogan will tell you that if you’re weak in one particular area, that’s okay; you can always hire someone to do the stuff you’re bad at. Of course, when you’re the bottom rung on the corporate ladder, it’s difficult to convince your boss to hire someone to do the practical work while you draw up all the blueprints. That’s my boss’s job, after all – to architect things.

So then for someone in my particular situation, the best possible solution is to learn to be more practical. I need to ship more work. Stop (only) thinking, and start doing.

I’m not talking about my actual job, of course. I ship work for that all the time. My company didn’t hire me to (only) think. They hired me to ship work. And I do, all the time. What I’m talking about, rather, is the extra-curricular stuff. Thought leadership. Developing my personal brand. Networking. Promoting. That stuff.

I’m also talking about my personal life. I’ve been telling my wife for two solid years that we should save more. I’ve been telling myself that I need to be smarter with money. I keep saying I need to find a better work/life balance, to be more involved with my kids’ education, to dedicate more time to the things I’m passionate about, to be a better father and a better husband. Now it’s time to do all of those things.

I’m also pleased to announce to the rest of the free-thinking world that my wife and I are going to have a baby in April. That, of course, comes with its own set of commitments – and I won’t regale you with those.

Who’s about to dump a whole lot of extra work on his plate?

This guy.

So to begin, I’m making a list of commitments. We’ll start with the professional ones.

1. One blog post, every day. No exceptions.
2. At minimum, one half-hour per day dedicated to finding and interacting with (in a meaningful way) one new person on social media.
3. Ask for higher-quality work, when possible.
4. Learn the skills necessary to do even higher quality work.
5. Revamp my resume. Not because I’m looking for new opportunities, but because 1/3 of success is telling people about the great work you do.
6. Read more from people I admire – Seth, Mitch, Chris, Amber, Naomi, Johnny, David, etc.

And the personal ones:

1. Be okay with unplugging.
2. Listen more, and listen better.
3. Get unapologetically involved with kids’ education.
4. Play more guitar, brew more beer.
5. Save more money.
6. Keep a calendar of personal commitments (crazy, I know, but something I’m terrible at doing).

So here’s the favor part of this equation. These are big changes for me, and I know I’m going to have a hard time chunking them up. So if you know of any resources that could help me – books, seminars, people to connect with – please point me in their direction. Frankly, I need all the help I can get. (Don’t we all?) I’m not sure what I can offer in exchange for this graciousness of yours, but if you can think of anything I can do to repay you, I’ll do everything in my power to get it done.

Here’s to rolling up your sleeves.

-MS