The Lull

The lull is dangerous. Deceptive. It gives a false sense of security.

The lull is a test. It questions you, silently. What should you be doing now? What can you do now? Are you taking steps to improve, to get better, to excel? Or are you sitting on your arse waiting for the next thing to happen rather than making it happen yourself?

The lull is an opportunity to show your commitment. An opportunity to dive in and do the hard work, the work that will get you noticed.

The lull is a trap. Don’t fall in it, exploit it.

by Colin Brosnan

Make the Note

Last night I came up with an idea for a post.

Laying in bed, the lights off, my eyes closed, my mind was still working, putting thoughts together. I had the title and two examples to write about to make the point I wanted to make. I thought the idea was good and I was happy with what I’d come up with. You’re not reading it today because I didn’t write it down and can’t remember it now.

After waking up this morning I remembered that I’d had an idea but not the idea. The shape of it eludes me. When I reach out to grasp it my hands just pass through the ghost of what could have been.

The thing is I could have made the note. I could have taken a minute, just a minute, to reach for my phone to make a note. I told myself I’d remember the idea. The idea is gone. The memory of the excuse lingers.

It’s a good lesson, a good reminder. Don’t assume the idea will wait. Capture the idea before it escapes. Make the note.

by Colin Brosnan

Not Wasted

Sometimes you have to scrap everything you’ve done and start again. It feels like a waste. But it’s not. It’s an investment. You learned a lot, even if it’s just what not to do, or how not to do something.

Start again if you have to but what you’ve already done was not a waste.

by Colin Brosnan

Lifespace

Whitespace is the area or areas of a page or document left blank or unmarked. It’s the space between all the other elements on the page. Whitespace makes the other elements more legible, easier to understand and comprehend. It also helps draw attention to the elements that are placed on the page.

Our days are often stuffed, cluttered, and chaotic. We end up feeling like we’re constantly switched on, constantly busy.

We need to give ourselves some ‘lifespace’, whitespace for our lives. Time in between everything to consider what we’re doing and where we’re going.

It doesn’t mean we have to stop doing the things we want to do. Maybe we just need to stretch everything out a little bit. Some extra time between items to give ourselves a chance to breathe, a chance to reflect on the parts of our day and enjoy them. Or if we didn’t enjoy something to take the time to understand why.

If you drive, creating lifespace could be as simple as not turning the radio on for a few minutes. That few minutes is enough time to reflect on whatever you were doing just before you got in the car.

Lifespace is for you looking at your own life. Lifespace is to bring balance to the life you live through your own eyes. It’s to bring more order, to make it more visible, more tidy, to separate the different elements.

Different designers use whitespace in different ways when designing a page.

You’re the designer of your life. Use lifespace in the way you choose to improve the life you live.

by Colin Brosnan