Work productivity, time management, organization, tools and tips

Last week, I was fortunate enough to get a copy of Lisa Gates' new e-workbook, Scaffolding Your Personal Brand.  After reading it the first time, telling you about it here was a no-brainer.  Lisa, who writes Design Your Writing Life, offers the workbook alone or as part of her coaching program, The Architecture of Identity.  No matter which way you want to go, Scaffolding Your Personal Brand is well worth the read.

And what, you might be wondering, about this book makes it different from any other personal development book on the market?  Lisa scaffolded her personal brand before she tackled the monumental task of helping us with ours.  She's a Completion Catalyst who can coach anyone to "move forward with alacrity and focus, and challenge yourself to be and do more than you ever thought possible".

From the Introduction, where the discussion centers on vision vs limiting beliefs, the choices we make, our commitments to ourselves, Scaffolding Your Personal

Brand applies attention to detail to allow for no excuses, no failures.  "Before you express your authentic self as an offer for the world . . . surface your limiting beliefs and handle the everyday, physical world so your foundation is solid."

Do we ask ourselves the right questions to get our lives on a productive track?  No.  But Lisa does.  She asks and leads us by way of an activity log (don't freak, it's only for a week), lists of Daily Definites and Distractions (ours, not hers), a wishlist.  The presentation isn't merely a bunch of vague suggestions; it has its hardware so we can see what those suggestions produce.

And how about core values and how they integrate in our lives?  Do we think about them when we make day-to-day decisions?  Those times when we just don't feel like it are perfect times to set aside core values for an easier choice.  Do we consider our values when we tolerate our own or others' unacceptable behavior?  There's a core value worksheet, too.

In a section about commitments, Lisa asks, "Who and/or what are you becoming?"  That might be the single most important question in the workbook.  The answer isn't given, but the path is laid out for us, as are the paths to the answers to all of the questions in the book.

You'll see when you go over to Design Your Writing Life and order your copy of Scaffolding Your Personal Brand.

For additional information, see my post, Climbing The Perfect Personal Life Ladder, at Thoughts & Philosophies.