Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - January 30, 2013.#759 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,879 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: Learning Directions Blended Seminars 1. Mini-Tablet Usability Soars.2. Sleep and Memory Evidence.3. Learning Directions Seminar. 1. Mini-Tablet Usability Soars: My full-sized tablets are getting very lonely! Over the past six months, I have migrated to the small, mini-sized form factor for my tablets. First, I fell in love with the Amazon Kindle Fire - shifting from the full-sized to a palm-ready version. Then, when the iPad Mini came out, it was "so long" to the full-sized tablet. In fact, although I have six different tablets at The MASIE Center Lab and at home, I have not put a finger on a full-sized device in 3 months! Why? It is a clear case of Usability. In fact, as I travel around the country I am watching this size format shift in action. Here is what makes the smaller format a winner for me: * Less Disruptive Visually: I can set it up at a restaurant while eating, at a meeting while using notes and viewing documents, and on my lap while watching TV or a movie - and it is less disruptive! It fits into the scene and into other activities easier and with fewer space and visual conflicts. * Fits into Pockets, Purses and Lab Coats: The mini goes simply into the inner pocket of my winter coat. I have seen women place it in purses and a team of doctors/nurses slip it into the pockets of their white lab coats. The "wearability" adds to the use and acceptance. * Fingers Fit Typing Naturally: My typing is easier, either using 2 thumbs from the side, or all fingers for traditional use. Add the voice recognition element and I have no trouble responding to emails or creating new documents. * One-Handed Video: I am using the video camera for shoots with the great advantage of one-handed holding that’s not tiring. This makes it easier to use for even longer shoots. * Hold While Speaking: At the TedX Broadway conference in New York City on Monday, the keynote host used his iPad Mini for all notes and introductions. It fit into his hand and was a digital set of note cards that made the day. We think that the smaller sizes will rapidly challenge the larger tablet format. My one concern was that reading larger forms on the Mini would be impossible. But, almost all forms are either in PDF, eBook or Browser formats, which can be resized and shaped easily. It has not been a problem to access and use all size forms and documents. What is next for the smaller tablets? * I’d love my iPad Mini to also allow for telephone calling with a Bluetooth earpiece. It would replace much of the need for my phone.* More inputs and outputs. I’d love to see all tablets have a USB input and easier HDMI and other media outputs.* Better Lens. I would pay an extra fee to have a top-end camera lens to facilitate great photo and video capture. Watch for this form factor ahead! 2. Sleep and Memory Evidence: Here is a great article to read about the role of Sleep and Memory from a summary in the New York Times: "Scientists have known for decades that the ability to remember newly learned information declines with age, but it was not clear why. A new study may provide part of the answer. The report, posted online on Sunday by the journal Nature Neuroscience, suggests that structural brain changes occurring naturally over time interfere with sleep quality, which in turn blunts the ability to store memories for the long term." Check it out at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/health/brain-aging-linked-to-sleep-related-memory-decline.html 3. Learning Directions Seminar: There are seats available in our Learning Directions seminars, focused on what is up, down, hype and opportunity in our learning field. I will be leading this in six cities around the globe. Check it out at http://www.masie.com Yours in learning, Elliott Masieemail: emasie@masie.comtwitter: @emasie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning Directions Seminar: Blended and in 6 Cities Globally.* Learning 2013 - November 2013 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - February 1, 2013.#760 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,887 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: Learning Directions Blended Seminars 1. OK, I Binge! - Shifts in Media Consumption.2. Logitech Business Camera - Skype for the Classroom!3. Learning CONSORTIUM Memberships Available. 1. OK, I Binge! - Shifts in Media Consumption: Yes, I will publicly admit that I binge! I binge view TV shows. In the "old days" I would wait each week for the next episode of a favorite TV show and watch it at the designated time. I have fond memories of anticipating the arrival of the next "West Wing", "Hill Street Blues" or "Mary Tyler Moore Show". It was both fun and frustrating when the show had a deep mystery element  and there was at least a week to ponder who did it or what was next. Now, I binge! Using on-demand video, I will consume an entire season of a TV series in a very short time frame.  Once, when I was home alone for the weekend, I watched an entire season of 24 with just occasional breaks for food. Or, my binging might be stretched over a few days or weeks, but the compression factor is sometimes very attractive to me as a viewer. The TV series becomes a 15 hour marathon that the compulsive Elliott thrives upon. I have even gone back and done a binge consumption of an entire season of "Car 54 Where Are You", a goofy comedy that I watched as a kid. It is fascinating to see how binge viewing is growing. At the same time as we are consuming 3 minute short video spots on YouTube, there is also an occasional appetite for binge viewing. Just today, Netflix, which has started to produce TV shows as well as stream them, announced a binge viewing decision. In a departure from television tradition, the entire season of "House of Cards" — all 13 episodes, nearly 13 hours of tense Capitol Hill drama — will be available at once, with the click of a button. There may be an impact on the world of corporate learning as well. A number of longer online programs have been historically offered over a "semester" or at least a few weeks. The assumption was that the learner would stretch his or her engagement over time. We are now seeing the trend of learners who want to take a more "binge learning" model, transforming the intensive weekend boot camp type experience into a 15 to 20 hour binge learning experience. This is not for everyone or for every topic, but part of "Learning Personalization" will be increased demand and delivery of agile schedules. As we explore the concept of "binging", or perhaps it’s better to say "intensity", of learning, our designs have to adapt for learning processing, focusing time, assessment, feedback, social/collaborative interaction and more. We have never called 3 days in a management classroom a binge so why not see a learner take 3 days in a cafe or home-based office for a highly intensive, digitally connected learning experience? We can’t lower the competency bar, but this will be an interesting arena for design innovation. As you try out video binging (from on-demand or a DVD) for entertainment, start to consider when an intensive 10 to 12 hours of learning might also be attractive, enhancing and extending your knowledge gain. The MASIE Center’s Learning LAB, in association with our Learning CONSORTIUM, will be conducting experiments in the coming months on "knowledge binges". Stay tuned! 2. Logitech Business Camera - Skype for the Classroom! I almost never endorse or highlight a product, as Learning TRENDS is vendor-neutral, but we have been on a quest for a simple technology that has finally arrived. We wanted a camera with High Definition capability that could be remotely Pointed, Titled and Zoomed (PTZ) and also work perfectly with Skype and Gmail Video as well as be a capture camera for content.  Why? In all of our classrooms, we have multiple large Plasma/LCD Screens and want to add cameras for video conferencing, class capture and knowledge clips. While we could mount a nice single-focus camera, the PTZ capability was missing. Logitech BCC950 Conference Cam Video Conferencing Camera is perfect! We have tested it in multiple settings and are delighted with the focus, quality and ease of use in a classroom or meeting room. It has extensions that allow it to be mounted apart from the base and it would be ideal to add video capacity to a classroom - in our effort to evolve to the "connected classroom". The price is around $220 and we have purchased several for our Center. Here is one supplier: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/877890-REG/Logitech_960_000866_BCC950_ConferenceCam_Video_Conferencing.html 3. Learning CONSORTIUM Memberships Available: We have several spots available for membership in the MASIE Center’s Learning CONSORTIUM. Join over 230 global companies in ongoing Learning LAB experiments, work on emerging learning issues and participate in a collaborative to design the future of workplace learning. Currently we have LAB’s underway in "Big" Learning Data, Kiosks as Learning Resources, eBooks and other key topics. Details at http://www.masie.com Yours in learning, Elliott Masieemail: emasie@masie.comtwitter: @emasie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning Directions Seminar: Blended and in 6 Cities Globally.* Learning 2013 - November 2013 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - February 15, 2013.#761 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,889 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: Learning Directions Blended Seminars 1. TeleWork 2013 Announced by MASIE Center.2. Arch Lustberg Passes - Great Motivator.3. McKinley Belle Boughton Arrives - Congrats to Lauren. 1. TeleWork 2013 Announced by MASIE Center: We are proud to announce a new global event, sponsored by The MASIE Center, focused on the growing phenomena of workers working from home: TeleWork 2013.Focus: TeleWork & HR, Talent, Technology, Legal, Learning and Lifestyles.June 23 to June 25, 2013.Saratoga Springs, New York, USA.http://www.telework2013.com Increasingly, when we hire someone new, the conversation is shifting from "When can you move?" to "When can you start from your home?" We are very excited about this new event, co-hosted by The Learning CONSORTIUM and facilitated by Elliott Masie and Hunter Arnold. Check it out at: http://www.telework2013.com 2. Arch Lustberg Passes - Great Motivator: One of my favorite speakers, who keynoted at several of our Learning events, passed away - Arch Lustberg. He taught thousands the art of presenting and communicating in an authentic and persuasive manner. Here is a video of me interviewing Arch about facial expressions of political candidates: http://www.masie.com/Videos/arch-lustberg.html Arch Lustberg lived every year with passion and he will be sorely missed! 3. McKinley Belle Boughton Arrives - Congrats to Lauren: Life has a balance. This morning, Lauren Boughton, the Producer of The MASIE Center (along with her husband Luke) brought their first daughter, McKinley Belle Boughton, into the world. I guarantee McKinley will be hiking mountains and designing on her iPad before she is 1. Congrats! Yours in learning, Elliott Masieemail: emasie@masie.comtwitter: @emasie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning Directions Seminar: Blended and in 6 Cities Globally.* TeleWork 2013 - June 23 to 25 - Saratoga Springs, NY.* Learning 2013 - November 2013 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

 Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Feb. 28, 2014.#816 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.56,384 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: MOOCs & Corporate Learning: Symposium & Lab. 1. Internal "Google Ads" with Expertise.2. Badges Conversation Growing.3. Baby Horse Born Thursday - Hello Video! 1. Internal "Google Ads" with Expertise:  We are quite accustomed to having Google or Bing or Yahoo "ads" pop up as we do a web search, linking us to a site, vendor or content collection.  But, what about an internal "ad" that links us to a person with expertise within our organization? Imagine if an employee is conducting a search on compliance issues on your internal search engine and the results page included 2 or 3 small boxes with the name of a key fellow employee who has relevant experience or expertise on the topic. Much of the knowledge base of your organization is in the minds and experiences of current employees, who are often unknown to the rest of the workforce. Let’s experiment with appropriate and non-disruptive ways of building personalized "ads" that would link employees to other employees with sharable expertise. 2. Badges Conversation Growing:  Are there any fellow Girl or Boy Scouts out there as Learning TRENDS colleagues?  I have deep and powerful memories of the various Boy Scout "badges" that I earned in my teen years.  I even earned one in group leadership techniques.  The badges required Scouts to demonstrate a skill or competency and often successfully complete a project. There is a growing conversation in the world of learning and higher education about bringing back the badge model for workforce competencies.  The badge might be smaller in scope than a certification.  And, it might not imply instant readiness to do a job.  But, it could be one of many badges that a worker would gather/earn over time - visible to others in the workplace and an input to future deployment decisions.  Many of my colleagues are looking towards industry-wide recognition of badges that are used and valued by a larger group of employers.  Let’s imagine a badge in Customer Complaint Handling earned by an employee of a fast service restaurant that would also be honored when he/she applies or is hired by another food service employer.  The MASIE Learning CONSORTIUM and Learning 2014 will be focusing on badges and some of the opportunities and hurdles with adapting this model to our workplaces. If you are interested in being part of this conversation, please send a note to me at emasie@masie.com 3. Baby Horse Born Thursday - Hello Video! As many of you may know, MASIE Stables owns several thoroughbred horses.  Yesterday morning, we got a great phone call.  At 6 am, Miss Matzo gave birth to a healthy and cute female (filly) baby horse.  Four hours later, this video was taken in the barn where she is with her mom.  Note how long the legs of a baby horse are, which were important when they were born on the wild "range".  Watch her at https://vimeo.com/masie/babyhorse UPDATE: We are quickly filling spaces in the upcoming MOOCs & Corporate Learning event to be held in Saratoga Springs from April 2 to 4th.  Info and online registration are available at http://www.learningmoocs.com Yours in learning, Elliott MasieHost, Learning 2014 email: emasie@masie.comtwitter: @emasie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2014 - October 2014 - Orlando, Florida.* Learning Directions Briefings.* MOOCs and Corporate Learning: Symposium and LAB.* Video & Learning LAB.* On-The-Job Learning LAB.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - March 20, 2014.#818 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.56,419 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: MOOCs & Corporate Learning: Symposium & Lab. 1. Learning Budget Survey Results - A Shift in 2014.2. MOOCs Lab Draws Colleagues from US, Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, UK and More.3. Melinda Doolittle - Update from Learning 2007 & American Idol. 1. Learning Budget Survey Results:  Our Learning Pulse survey for 2014 is underway and we already have over 400 responses from organizations throughout the world.  In a few weeks, we will publish the complete results.  But, I wanted to share the responses to a question about the sizing of budgets for Learning in 2014: Overall Learning Spending/Budget Direction in Your Organization: (Based on 430 Responses)-  5.5% Increasing Significantly.- 27.7% Increasing Modestly.- 37.3% Staying Stable.- 14.6% Decreasing Modestly.-  6.3% Decreasing Significantly.-  8.5% Did Not Respond or Do Not Know. While there is usually a fairly even "bell curve" of increasing, stable or decreasing, we did notice a real shift this year.  There are more organizations that are increasing their learning budgets modestly (27.7%).  When we sorted by size of organization, this trend was similar from organizations with over a million employees to ones with a workforce under 5,000.  We will continue to gather data and have a full report in several weeks.  There is still time to take our 9 minute confidential survey at:  http://www.masie.com/2014pulsesurvey 2. MOOCs Lab Draws Colleagues from US, Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, UK and More:  We are honored to report that our upcoming MOOCs & Corporate Learning event (April 2-4) has drawn learning colleagues from across the globe. Participants from major corporations and government agencies in the US, Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Netherlands, UK and other countries are coming to Saratoga Springs, NY for a robust and highly interactive exploration of how MOOCs might be adapted or evolved for use with Corporate Learning.  There is space for about 15 more participants. Registration at http://www.learningmoocs.com 3. Melinda Doolittle - Update from Learning 2007 & American Idol:  Last night, I had an incredible time at 54 Below, a concert club in New York City, where I reconnected with one of my favorite singers, Melinda Doolittle. Many will remember that she was the 3rd finalist on American Idol in 2007 and I then featured her for her first commercial singing gig at Learning 2007.  Melinda has a golden voice, a stage presence and an honest and warm spirit that is incredible.  Last night, I spent time with her before and after her concert and we chatted about Learning 2007 and her father, who works in the learning industry. I brought along a friend who is a Broadway Director and we hope to see Melinda starring in a show before too long. Check out her site and listen to a few of her songs. She sings magically: http://www.melindadoolittle.com/ Yours in learning, Elliott MasieHost, Learning 2014 email: emasie@masie.comtwitter: @emasie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2014 - October 2014 - Orlando, Florida.* Learning Directions Briefings.* MOOCs and Corporate Learning: Symposium and LAB.* Video & Learning LAB.* On-The-Job Learning LAB.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

TO: Corporate Learning, Training and Higher Education ColleaguesFROM: Elliott Masie, Editor - Learning TRENDSDATE: March 26, 2014RE: Can Learning Go Massive? Dear Colleague, In just 7 days, we invite you to join a unique gathering of 75 global learning professionals exploring the future of truly "Massive" learning programs at: MOOCs & Corporate Learning: Symposium and LAB.April 2 to 4, 2014 - Saratoga Springs, NY.Host & Curator: Elliott Masie.Info: http://www.learningmoocs.com . MOOCs are an experimental model, gaining traction, hype and innovation in Higher Education.  We will explore if a workplace can adapt the MOOC to offer a Massive, Open, Online Course (with Collaboration). We are honored to have participants attending from Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies and countries like the U.S., Canada, Russia, Netherlands, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and others to consider these questions: M is for MASSIVE: Can we scale learning activities to hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of workers?O is for OPEN: Can we leverage and adapt Open content from TED, Universities and User-Created Sources?O is for ONLINE: Can we design and structure Online Delivery, Community and Support for massive programs?C is for ???: Does the C stand for Credit, Certification, Cost, Competency or Compliance? I will lead this program and include perspectives from corporate MOOC implementers, technology platforms and Higher Education partners. Although the event is only a week away, there are still a dozen spaces available.  Space is limited. Details and online registration are available at http://www.learningmoocs.com Yours in learning, Elliott MasieThe MASIE Center & Learning CONSORTIUM

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 13, 2015.#875 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.56,919 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: Learning Directions in Dallas, Seattle, Chicago & New York City. Elliott’s 65th Birthday Today! I am so excited that I turn the young age of 65 today, May 13th.  It puts me in the middle of my career and probably in the middle of my life.  I want to deeply thank my colleagues and friends from the world of learning.  Over the past 40 years, you have supported and enabled me to stretch my thinking, advocate for innovation in our field and provide me with connection and feedback to learning in the workplaces of thousands of organizations. I am grateful for what technology - when combined with creativity, design and collaboration - can accomplish.  Every day, my inbox is filled with cool comments and thoughts from learning colleagues around the world. I am excited to continue my exploration of the worlds of learning and technology.  On this birthday, I wanted to be the one to say Thank You!  Thank you and let’s continue our exploration of the ever changing world of learning globally together. Would love to hear from you - drop me a note at emasie@masie.com Yours in learning, Elliott MasieHost, Learning 2015 MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM- Learning Directions - Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and NYC in June.- Gamification & Learning LAB - Led by Elliott Masie - June 23-25 - Saratoga Springs, NY.- Learning 2015 - Nov 1 to 4 - Orlando, Florida. Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 14, 2015.#876 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.56,922 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.Host: Learning Directions in Dallas, Seattle, Chicago & New York City. 1. Learning Entrepreneur Killed in Amtrak Crash.2. Video Segments vs. Video Programs.3. Going to ATD in Florida? Let’s MeetUp! 1. Learning Entrepreneur Killed in Amtrak Crash: Sadly, one of the Learning Entrepreneurs in our field was killed in the Amtrak Crash outside of Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Rachel Jacobs, the recently-hired chief executive officer of online training startup ApprenNet LLC, died on the train at the age of 39. Jacobs, a Columbia Business School graduate, joined Philadelphia-based ApprenNet in March. The company produces Web-based educational video tools and markets them to customers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Kaplan Inc.’s Open College at Kaplan University, and Newark Public Schools in New Jersey. A resident of New York, Jacobs commuted twice a week to Philadelphia and planned to move to the city after completing a round of financing for the company and expanding its seven-person staff. ApprenNet was founded in 2011. Jacobs, a native of a Detroit suburb, helped found Detroit Nation in 2009. The organization brings expatriate residents of the city together with current residents for mentorship and support. Her path to ApprenNet included four years at McGraw-Hill Cos. From 2007 to 2009, she was a director of strategy and planning. From 2009 to 2011, she was a director of education services at McGraw-Hill education. Jacobs’s survivors include a husband and two-year-old son. Here is an article about Rachel Jacobs: http://tinyurl.com/pe269ou 2. Video Segments vs. Video Programs: Learners and Producers are wanting to access, deploy, view or forward smaller segments of larger videos. For example, a company might have a 20 minute video program detailing all of the steps in setting up a key piece of equipment. Yet, learners might want to "mark" a much smaller segment - perhaps just the key content from 1 minute 20 seconds to 1 minute 59 seconds. So, how do they do it? Some systems have a timecode for each video program - and the learner can then create a link to just that segment. For example, it might be something like name-of-program: View 01:20 Step 01:59. As instructional producers, we need to prepare for more and more segmentation of larger video programs. This will require agility of our LMS, Video Systems and even our coding of internal links - that will start and stop as required.  I am intrigued if learners could create their own smaller segments and forward the links on a personal basis.  3. Going to ATD in Florida? Let’s MeetUp! If you are planning on attending the ATD Conference next week in Florida, I’d love to meet up with colleagues. Send me an email to emasie@masie.com or stop by the Learning 2015 Booth #1030.  I will be in Florida from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon. Yours in learning, Elliott MasieHost, Learning 2015 MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM- Learning Directions - Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and NYC in June.- Gamification & Learning LAB - Led by Elliott Masie - June 23-25 - Saratoga Springs, NY.- Learning 2015 - Nov 1 to 4 - Orlando, Florida. Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie  

I'm thinking a lot lately about how we get in our own way. It's easy to look around at this economy and to just want to give up. So many barriers and challenges--makes you want to stay in bed with the covers over your head. I get it. But even in the midst of challenge there is opportunity. We have to go after it though, creating possibilities where others only see the barriers.  One way we keep ourselves stuck is by keeping our dreams and ideas to ourselves. Interestingly, I find that people are willing to talk all day about what's wrong, but they have a much harder time talking about their aspirations and what they'd like to have happening in their lives instead.  I know all the reasons we keep our dreams to ourselves, but there are bigger reasons to start sharing them with others.  1. Others might be able to help.  When you start talking about your aspirations to other people (rather than your problems) you will usually find that the first thing they want to do is give you some help. They may know a good connection or have some information or resources that could help you further your dreams. Putting it out there might just invite what you need to get moving on a more positive path. If you keep thing to yourself, there's no way anyone else can help.  2. Others might share your dreams and want to join in. In the past few months, I've had some amazing conversations with people when I tell them what I'd really like to see in the world. Turns out they want to see the same things and have some ideas of their own about how we could make our dreams happen.  It can be hard to create positive momentum on your own. But when you are working with other people who share your vision and beliefs, the load gets a lot lighter. And the ideas get a lot brighter.  3. Talking to other people can help you get clearer about what you really want. If you're like most people, you can get caught in the echo chamber of your own mind, where the more you think about something, the less clear you become.  Talking to someone else about what you want in your life can help you get a lot clearer, especially in the beginning stages. You hear yourself saying things that give you that deep "aha." Or they ask a simple question and suddenly everything shifts into place.  Talking about what you want is a powerful clarifier. And the clearer you are, the more likely you are to start taking action.  This is partly a post about being more positive--talking about what you want, rather than problems and what you don't want. And it's partly a post about connecting with people on the basis of your dreams and aspirations, rather than based on your problems and anxieties. There's a negative energy we create in our lives when we're focused on what needs to be fixed. If we want to create more positive connections and energy in our work, we need to start talking with people about our dreams, not our problems. 

  At the end of July, my husband said to me, "We need to take off the last two weeks of next month." I immediately felt two things.  Panic--how the hell could I "afford" to take off two weeks? Desire--OH I want to do this! I sat with these two feelings for awhile. They represented the two aspects of myself that are always at war with each other it seems.  The panic came from the person inside who believes that I must always be "productive"--doing, accomplishing, making shit happen in the world. She fits in well with dominant culture, especially in the US, where it's all about the disease of being chronically busy. The desire came from that other person inside me--the one who knows that sometimes we need to just BE. The one who recognizes that the purposeful, centered DOING that is what I really seek can only come about when I allow myself the time and space to breathe.  I ended up taking off the two weeks. We didn't go anywhere--it was the classic staycation. Instead, I took time to make art, to write in my journal, to read novels and re-read some personal development books that had been calling to me from the shelves. With our neighbors, we hosted a dance party, where we invited friends over for drinks and dancing to Pandora on our tiny patio. Days unfolded with no particular plans and no need to "accomplish" anything. It was incredibly replenishing for my spirit.  I know that I've written in the past about the need for slow times and retreat to rejuvenate. But like most people, I still struggle with honoring these in myself. I can tell YOU that you need this, but it's harder for me to take my own advice.  Slowly, though, I'm recognizing how absolutely critical it is for me to start with myself. It's the old "put on your oxygen mask first before trying to help someone else." So I'm claiming this need and already looking forward to scheduling two more intentional weeks in December. This is as necessary to my "productivity" as my to do lists. It's also essential to the other parts of my life--the relationships I value, my own creativity, my spiritual and emotional self who does not thrive on daily accomplishments.  I keep spiraling back into this essential knowledge--of the need for stretches of time where we stop pushing ourselves and just revel in where we are now. As I return to the "real world" this week, I'm  trying to bring with me some of the peace and centeredness I felt with time off, restructuring my days to focus more on what really matters and less on all the stuff that feeds a frantic, anxious pace. I do my best work when I do it from my calm center. The more I can feed this place in myself, the better I am for myself and for the world.