March 20, 2023: Overheard on the street

As I was walking to the ships, I overheard two people talking about approaching retirement.

One said: I hope I’m dead before I need a nursing home, with the way the government is right now.

Pretty damning of the provincial government.

Meeting Time

Meetings!

They can be useful to resolve complicated issues, bringing together the perspectives of stakeholders at the same time.

But that’s also an expensive use of time. And the value of that investment of time depends on how well-prepared one is for the meeting, and on the clarity of actionable items to come out of them.

Here are some of the tactics I use to help me organize effective meetings, and manage my time around them.

Block time: First thing in the morning, and after lunch

Every business day, I have a repeating schedule to block off time first thing in the morning and after lunch. This gives me time to prepare my action/agenda items for meetings later that morning or afternoon. It also gives me time to check my email in case any of the other attendees have indicated a change to the meeting, either in the agenda, or the schedule.

Block time: Before and after meetings

Back-to-back meetings are. The. Worst. That’s why, with every meeting I schedule, I block off time before and after it.

Before a meeting, this gives me time to transition from my work and prepare for my meeting, including taking a bio-break and refilling my coffee.

After a meeting, it gives me time to consolidate notes and process takeaways, and prepare action items before resuming my work or joining the next meeting.

I also offer this courtesy to my colleagues: I avoid booking a meeting immediately following an event in their calendar, and never on the same day unless it’s urgent.

How do you manage your meeting schedule? Let me know in the comments!

#work #meetings #timemanagment #courtesy

I miss my bicycle. #BikeMattawa

“I don’t play to win. I play to ruin everyone else’s day”

My 16YO, on gaming.

A funny thing about packing up to move

I now have more socks.

My last BikeBrampton signoff from Brampton

As we get closer to moving to Mattawa, I had a chance to reflect on the last 10 years of cycling advocacy in Brampton, courtesy of Dayle Laing at BikeBrampton.

On Wednesday, January 25, I joined my last BikeBrampton Zoom meeting. I said my goodbyes to colleagues and friends that I’ve spent many hours within the trenches of City Hall, trying to make the city experience a little better outside the automobile. Many of them were supportive when Toby was diagnosed with cancer. I’m going to miss them dearly.

I’ll try to make it back to Brampton when I’m able. But it could be a while before the twins are big enough to hold themselves upright and can sit in a bicycle trailer or cargo bike.

So long, Freedom Mobile

I received my last byte from Freedom Mobile last night. They don’t offer service in the area where we’ll be moving for Papineau Homes. We’ve switched to Koodo, but I recommend Freedom to anyone where that service is offered.

Final U-Haul truck booked.

What should be the last truck has been booked. It’s a big one — 26 feet. I was hoping to have it for a week but it seems that one-way rentals from U-Haul don’t allow this. 48 hours max, so, we’ll have to maximize staging to load the truck as soon as it’s picked up, and hit the road the next day, 24 hours later.

Health care: We ride or die together.

For-profit health care means we don’t have a compelling enough case to keep it public.

By this, I mean that people have become complacent. After all, governments are elected to represent the people.

Even if one argues “broken democracy”, “proportional representation”, etc. It’s people that haven’t cared or been desperate enough to change any of it. Our election turnout in Ontario speaks for itself.

We ride or die together.

Update: Twins, and Papineau Homes

My first update post of the year — So, Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas 2022

Last Christmas, we were still feeling a little raw at our first Christmas without Toby. We didn’t do much. But with newborn infants this year, we didn’t want to let “doing nothing” become a habit. We had recently purchased Costco memberships in anticipation of our move north and decided that our first purchases were going to be movie theatre confections.

Christmas Eve was kicked off with decorating cookies and watching a holiday classic: Die Hard

On Christmas Day, we were going to watch the Marvel cinematic universe in chronological order — Toby’s favourite — but chickened out for Star Wars instead.

2023

I’ve been taking parental leave since the twins were born in November. January is my last month off before returning to work. In that time, my goal is to get our house ready for sale and move so that our primary residence Mattawa, Ontario with Emily’s parents, before returning to work in February — no pressure!

We’ve already started moving some of our non-essential stuff, and it’s definitely looking like winter up there, compared to the dry ground of Brampton (as of this writing).

This move, when finished, will mean that everyone in the Papineau Homes project will be located close to where we will be building. I expect updates will come more readily at that time, and I already have topics I want to record content for. I’m hoping it’ll be easier to provide context by recording on location.

We’re excited to feel like our move is picking up momentum again.

Anyway — here is Em and the twins!