Summer and dreams

Summer has finally come to Berlin. I love the sun, the flowers, the warm air, the mood of people outside. Summer traditionally is the most busy time for publishing as lots of stuff should get finished before Franfurt book fair. Graphics, proofreading and printing all take their - so the writing part needs to be finished by August if one wants to avoid pressure and stress in autumn. So I am writing, writing, writing - but also taking time to be with friends, Jesus, myself and to just lie in the sun.
By the way. In the last 2 years or so I have produced 34 mini-books on faith and life (self-help books) and 11 small books...they are all doing well and people love and buy them and read them and give them away as gifts. 4 of them have now been published in Dutch and one in Japanese! But I am still looking for an English language publisher for them. You can find the whole collection (in German - sorry) on my web page....

1 inside, 2 out - even for files

Puh. My computer just forced me implement my practical tips to electronically stuff. In relation to acts, objects, utensils, clothes and other stuff, I have it quite accustomed to me now, to follow the rule: 1 inside, 2 out. Every time I drop one thing, I look in the same department to see if I can take out two things and dispose. That works very well.
My two areas of inconsistency:
- Journal staple: a lot just comes on it without taking something away.
- File: When I save a file, I almost never look to see if old, unnecessary files can be deleted.
For the garbage in the files my computer takes revenge right now. Some of the hard disk partitions are so crowded that not even defragement works, because there is not enough free memory to let the program run. Such a waste ...
Some partitions, I have now disposed, for others, I need professional help in order to decide which programs I can safely delete ...
And in future I will also make sure: 1 inside, 2 out, so that everything remains slim.

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 @ 12:33

Relaxed working

Today I have practiced further with the lightness. Not quite simple if 150 e-mails in your inbox waiting for an answer ... but I've always made breaks in my activity, if I felt: Now it will be too tiring, I lose the lightness. And nevertheless (or perhaps that is why) I made a good progress.

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 @ 17:39

The bearable lightness of being

The only resolution that I've made for 2009, is to do things with playful ease. Much is therefore difficult, because we have an attitude with which we make it difficult for us. Many people think they must go to work. They cannot see how beautiful it is to designe something, taking care for you or a family ore supporting others in projects.
This lightness, I want to take in my life. Today I prayed for success and had only a bit later the first challenge. Just when I wanted to start to work, I got a phone call. It was clear that it would take longer and what I had to do would be delayed. I have deliberately switched, I have decided, to be there for the person and not to think: "I have to work now." It was an important, enriching conversation. And now I have to do the things I still want to do otherwise.

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 @ 14:11

Symphony of Life

Today I look forward to hearing the different sounds of life in New York. Lightning Blue sky is waiting for us. Later, we intend to participate a "guided tour" along the Wall Street.
Wall Street got its name from the long wall, that protected "New Amsterdam" (Today's tip of Manhattan) against that the slaves of the Dutch settlers who lived here would escape, and also protect against Indians who could rob the treasures of the settlers. There has not changed much until today. Even though the physical wall is gone, the function of Wall Street, to protect the rich, has remained ...

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Saturday, January 03, 2009 @ 15:22

Growing naturally

"For he (God) grants sleep to those he loves," one says. I experience this again and again. Tonight, I woke up and had the title "Growing naturally" for a new impulse booklet in my head and the rough idea on the topic of "maturity", which I obviously have quoted immediately - without ever having planned the subject. I found that pretty cool!
But then I could no longer sleep because the brain was so inspired. Bad luck, if the Lord grants sleep to those he loves, but then they themselves can no longer sleep. But now I try to write down all good ideas, so that they are not lost. If anyone of you want to read the finished product and to tell me whether my night-thoughts also stand up to daylight, you can tell me!

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Friday, December 05, 2008 @ 13:34

Rejoicing

Another reason to look forward: My email inbox is empty - all questions are answered. I only kept an e-mail which contains a warm "thank you", simply because it was so beautiful.
And even the clipboard is completely cleared away. This didn´t happen very often in the last few weeks due to all the travelling I did. I enjoy being able to let this day and week end so tidy.
Weekend - here I come!

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Friday, November 07, 2008 @ 22:07

Solution

A friend who is currently on a visit, told me that her parents once a while openly talked about the expectations and wishes about the partner. The mother told the father that she expects more support from him in the household. Then he (he is a professional computer scientist), gave her a robotic vacuum cleaner. He programmed it in the morning and then Mr. Robot cleans the flat. What a solution!


Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Sunday, October 05, 2008 @ 18:29

Power and reflection

The last week was also dominated by Quadros. I have designed three of the new Quadro books with my graphic artist and so they should be printed next week. I am looking forward to it very much. It is a completely new product - an impulse booklet for a month - and I am curious if the Quadros will be popular for people. The fourth is still in work, but I hope that all be finished in September.
After so much "power" I need some reflection. Tomorrow I´ll go to Rügen for a week where we have intensive training on "self-reflection and self-coaching". I am very excited what I will learn about me and my coaching work. I reflected a lot anyway, but am open to anything new. There are not many Internet cafes on Rügen, so there won´t be many entries in this blog during the next week.

Originally written on Friday, August 29 2008 by Kerstin Hack @ 12:51

Archiving

Yesterday I read 30 minutes to cope with the flood of information. 75 -85% of the things you somewhere archived in folders -because they still could be used sometimes- will NEVER be used again. This motivates me even sharper to ask whenever I am archiving:
-- How quickly will this information be outdated?
-- How high is the probability that I really need this document another time?
-- Are there other options in case of emergency (eg Internet) to provide this information?

I think it's just very cool,to read again some "old books" (such as The way to the best or the one here). While I am reading I have many successful experiences: "I really implemented that and maintained", but also see where there are gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Sunday, 10th August 2008 @ 10:07

The way to the best

A few years ago I read the book "Good to Great". The author describes the way companies have gone, which have developed from good companies with good yields to a great company with outstanding earnings. Although the companies described with sometimes tens of thousands of employees in the size significantly differ from Down to Earth, the book inspired me.
Especially the idea that success doesn´t happen suddenly has touched me. Success is the result of a process of continuous improvement and change. The author compared this with a flywheel, which gets more momentum by every change.
After reading that, I decided to go on the "long march", steadily, step by step through improvements in work: Better communication, home layout, distribution, etc. Many of the measures were good and right, but didn´t have an impact on the operating profit (sales figures, etc.) immediately.
Yesterday I received figures from July: It was financially one of the ten best months in the history of Down to Earth. The best: There were better months, but these were all "exceptions": High sales figures at conferences, through special promotions. July, however, was almost without extraordinary events (only a few new books). A good result in a relatively normal months indicates that the long process of continuous improvement seems to bear fruit.

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Thursday, 7th August 2008 @ 09:29 0 Comments

80/20 Thinking

Think 80:20

Something that relieved me much in the last few years, has been to learn the "80/20 thinking" to learn. In short: Not all things have the same effect. 20% of the effort often leads to 80% of the result.
If you discover what the 20% are, they can be targeted and significant improvements can be made. It is not neccessary to have 100% always. Small changes can have a major impact.
This is also related to negative things you want to get rid of. I currently causing one of my technical equipment. 80% of all my anger: My printer that is about 10 times per day several sheets at once distance and then stuck. Each week I spend about 1 hour with pulling out paper etc.
I have decided that my anger will reduce dramatically (80%) by getting a new printer .
Problem: I do not know what is best.

I'm looking for a laser printer (b / w),
-- Quiet (important!)
-- Relatively economical to use toner (I print about 1000 sheets per month)
and
-- Environmentally friendly as possible
-- And a good price / performance ratio.
It is not neccessary that it is extremely cheap, because I will save so much time by not pulling out the paper.
Previously, I had a Laserjet 1100, which was good so far.
I would be delighted if you could give me good tips.
THANKS!

Labels: work, Buchtip, Publisher

Originally written by Kerstin Hack on Wednesday, 6th August 2008 @ 11:55