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“We cannot solve the significant problems we face today at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them…” Albert Einstein

When I was a kid I couldn’t stop reading comic books.  I loved superhero adventures.  When DC and Marvel comics came to life and started appearing in theaters with advanced storylines and special effects I was once again captivated.   Certain to thrill, I anxiously made my way to the theater.   The one that stuck with me the most, with similarities to the emergence of Social Media in business and life, was Iron Man.

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There is a song that has become absolutely iconic, even if you don’t know its name.

It’s the song that was used in Looney Tunes cartoons every time the characters were around an assembly line or factory. If you ever saw a Looney Tunes cartoon as a kid, it’s probably etched so well into your brain you can probably hum it right now.

The song is called Powerhouse and was composed by Raymond Scott in 1937. It’s still being used today as a kind of audio shorthand for automation and mechanical processes.

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Putting my seven year old daughter to bed last night, I tucked the covers under her little chin.  She is such a precious little person.  As I leaned down to kiss her and whisper good night in her ear I saw her do what kids do. “I caught you,” I said and we had a good laugh as she pulled her little finger out of her nose!

It starts there doesn’t it?  Habits that we learn.  What is acceptable, what is minor, what is major.  Somewhere between starting kindergarten and turning 10 we start forming the habits that will be with us for our whole lives.

By the time we’re adults, we’ve formed routines for everything, whatever they might be: coffee (my favourite 5am routine), alcohol, tobacco, working out, meditating, brushing our teeth or even checking our email… we are naturally creatures of habit and our routines become the paths of our lives.   The more the habit affects our health, our time, our personal or professional life, the higher the stakes and the more serious the outcomes are for us and the people around us.

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Are you too busy?  If you answered “no,” read no further. This isn’t for you.

If you answered "YES!! LORD YES!!” like most people would, take solace in the fact that you’re not alone. Let me make a quick guess at what you to do to stay on top of your life. Does your day look something like this?

Wake up. Check email. Make notes of stuff to do - possibly in your notes program. Add a few tasks to your calendar. Recheck email. Send email. Send email with file attachment. Realize file is too big. Add file to your file sharing program. Finally send email. Recheck email. Open up CRM or contact management system. Think wistfully about breakfast. Drink coffee. Run out of house. Check email on Smartphone. Check voicemail. Make notes in Smartphone app. Get to office. Draw a diagram. Go to meeting. Handwrite notes. Respond to text messages during meeting. Run out of meeting. Check email. Check twitter. Check Facebook. Check LinkedIn. Respond to more text messages. Lunch meeting. Back to office. Check email. See paperwork on desk. Ignore paperwork. Check email for responses to emails sent before breakfast (coffee). Meeting with coworkers. Send email to coworkers with notes about the meeting you were just at. Check email. Send email. Recheck email. Go home! Use hands free headset on Smartphone to return phone calls while on the way home. See family. Eat dinner. Check email. Take notes from Smartphone app and transfer to notes program. Attempt to relax, pass out from exhaustion. Wake up…

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