Priorities and Aging

I’ve noticed my priorities have changed a lot over the years. What mattered most in my 20s doesn’t carry the same weight today, and I suspect you’ve felt that too. Life has a way of reshaping what feels urgent versus what feels meaningful. What was SO important years ago barely makes a blip now.

Research shows that as we age, our values and goals naturally shift. A 2017 study in Psychology and Aging found that older adults tend to focus more on meaningful experiences and relationships, while younger adults emphasize exploration.

Small Shifts Create Big Clarity

Even small adjustments in priorities can make a big difference. The same study found that people who consciously reflected on what mattered most experienced less stress and greater satisfaction. Taking time to list our top priorities can help us act intentionally instead of reacting to every demand or distraction.

When priorities feel unclear, it helps to ask, “Does this align with what matters most to me?” Research from Developmental Psychology shows that aligning decisions with personal values increases well-being and long-term satisfaction. Pausing to reflect before saying yes to something can save time, energy, and emotional strain.

Patterns Reveal What Matters

Tracking how we spend our time and energy helps us spot what consistently feels rewarding versus draining. Awareness of these patterns allows us to focus on what truly contributes to growth, relationships, and fulfillment, rather than what just seems urgent in the moment.

Even as priorities shift with age, we can stay intentional about what matters most. And what's important today may not be years from now.

Let's make today count.

Scrolling Through Life And Missing It

We live on our devices. Clips, viral videos, news alerts - they’re everywhere, and they grab our attention like magnets. Did we see that thing? Did we hear about that guy? 

Sometimes it feels like we’re keeping up with the world, but are we keeping up with ourselves? Hours slip by while we react, scroll, and double-tap, and the life happening right in front of us quietly passes by.

Missing Moments That Matter 

 Life isn’t a feed. The laughter around the table, the quiet moments at sunrise, the small gestures that mean the most - they aren’t trending, and they aren’t going viral. When we’re glued to our screens, we risk missing the very moments that make life rich. 

Relationships weaken, opportunities pass, and our own story gets lost among everyone else’s highlights. That doesn’t mean we ditch tech entirely. Devices are tools, not life itself. The trick is balance. Let’s take a walk, have a conversation, or just pause to notice what’s happening around us. Being present, opens doors: we see people, ideas, and moments we would have scrolled past. 

Finding Life Between the Notifications 

Ask questions, notice details, and truly listen. Life is happening, whether we’re looking at it or not. When we reconnect with our own world, the digital one becomes less distracting and more of a choice rather than a habit. We live on our devices - but life is happening for us, right now. 

 Let’s not miss it. ____

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Balancing Act

We’ve heard it for decades – we need a healthy balance between work and life. Family, sports, hobbies, down time, relaxing, all the stuff we enjoy doing outside of work are some of the reasons we go to work so we can afford such luxuries. Nigel Marsh shares some ideas of how we can tackle this critical issue.


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Striking a Balance

We’ve heard it for decades – we need a healthy balance between work and life. Family, sports, hobbies, down time, relaxing, all the stuff we enjoy doing outside of work are some of the reasons we go to work so we can afford such luxuries.

As we struggle with the boundaries between work and life, Nigel Marsh shares some ideas of how we can tackle this critical issue.



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Work Life Energy Balance

We’ve heard it for decades – we need a healthy balance between work and life. Family, sports, hobbies, down time, relaxing, all the stuff we enjoy doing outside of work are some of the reasons we go to work so we can afford the luxury of such activities.

We’re all going to die so there’s no sense immersing ourselves in a work-work imbalance. If you are working long hours at a job you hate, it’s time to look hard at alternatives. That is no way to live.

But as we struggle with the boundaries between work and our lives, Nigel Marsh shares some ideas of how we can tackle this critical issue.

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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Progress

TED | Nigel Marsh

Spring Into Fall

A daily routine I started late last year was to post a saying or thought each morning on Twitter which may make you think, do, move, or create. Some are insightful, some from great leaders, some silly, and some derived from pop culture.

Here's the list from September 2012

Two ears, one mouth. Dance like everyone's watching. A day to relax, a day to reflect. Would you rather improve on your strengths or work on your weaknesses?

Leadership is not found in an annual report. Don't waste too much time worrying about what you could have done, it's done.

Go easy on yourself, you deserve it. What will you do for you? Never underestimate how much you can accomplish. We will never ever forget. (9/11 reference)

Let's keep our best foot forward, going back won't help us. Help someone without the need for payback. Leadership demands that we make tough choices. Alan Autry

Life/work balance shouldn't be a theory. If you worry too much about the past or future, you may miss now. Meet five new people this week, you'll be glad you did.

Laugh at yourself often. Our perspective can often obstruct our view. Busy is a choice. Reflect on three things that went well this week and how can you build on them.

Embrace you wisdom. Learn from those you lead. Asking for help is a strength. Spend less time doing email and more time helping your team.

Leadership is listening. Dream. Do. Repeat. Never underestimate the power of your ability. Data, experience, and opinions are helpful but don't forget your gut.

Pick up the phone and call them, they'll appreciate it. Breathe.

Go forth and inspire

Kneale Mann

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Inspiration and Opinion

I was recently hanging out with three buddies I have known for a long time and perhaps it's an age thing but we remarked how we care less and less about others’ opinions.

There’s a successful home renovator, a thriving real estate broker, a well established professor, and a leadership consultant. I met them when we were starting our careers and perhaps worried more about what others thought about us. But the realization that your own fulfilment is key can be a great motivator.

Each of us is responsible and does good work. But it’s more about how things change as you grow through your life. When you start out, you’re climbing ladders and establishing yourself, and perhaps the thoughts of others weigh heavier on you.

Why Do You Do That?

As you get more mileage under you, hopefully you realize your contribution is more critical than judgement. The challenge is how you get inspiration from others while keeping their opinions in perspective.

My professor friend asked me why I blog. He doesn’t get the point. His opinion is that it’s a waste of time. I told him that I began blogging simply to get my thoughts organized.

Learn and Share

If you enjoy the content, that’s fantastic! If you feel I can help your company, let’s chat. If you just want to drop by once in a while, that’s cool too. If something inspires you, that makes me happy. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine.

Through my work, I have the privilege of meeting business leaders who seek new learning and strategies to improve their leadership skills. Like my buddies, they have moved from relying on opinions to inspiring themselves and others.

That’s a pretty good work/life balance.

Kneale Mann

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Your Summer Business Strategy

If you live in the western hemisphere, you've been enjoying the warmer temps for a month or more and summer officially begins in a couple of weeks. So it's only natural to want to slow down at this time of year.

A growing trend is the remote office approach. I was on a conference call this week with members of a client's company from around the world. It didn't matter if any of us was in an office, we accomplished a lot. With wireless, gadgets, wi-fi, webinars, telepressence, live meeting, email, phones, and many other solutions, there is no reason we need to sit at an assigned desk or in a meeting room every day.  

Remove the Office Walls

I was speaking with a colleague a couple of weeks ago and the number one reason she moved companies recently was because her previous "boss" insisted everyone was in the office at all times. He didn't trust his team if he couldn't see them. How sad. Relax the reins and you will be surprised how ideas begin to flow. Let your team fly, let them out of the routine, and they will enjoy their work even more.

And when the weather begins to cool and you've taken some needed vacation time, you can keep this more relaxed workflow model. If you haven't tried it, you will be quite surprised how people will appreciate the freedom to think and create their best work in a way that best suits their process.

Your busy mind and your team will thank you.

Kneale Mann

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Your Digital Potluck

Plenty for Everyone

When I was a kid, Mrs. Johnson always loved to have potluck dinners. The families would gather at her house with their item to add to the bounty. I was a kid, I was happy there were always hotdogs. But Mrs. Johnson would always ensure each family would know what to bring. She issued assignment orders. There was no guesswork. After some deliberation, tasks were assigned, and the potlucks went off without a hitch.

Years later I was invited to a potluck and all guests were asked to bring a food item. We ended up with 80 burgers, five Caesar salads, enough potato salad to feed a small nation and no plates. Each person had good intentions but there was no plan.

Creating Your Organization's Buffet

Digital discussions still may be in their infancy and that is not a reference to the length of time a company may have been on Facebook or thought through the reason they have a mobile app but rather a reflection of acceptance throughout the organization.

Here’s where the decision makers start to get nervous when they can no longer measure it in relation to driving business. The digital purists are defending the conversation, the advocates are pointing out the benefits of finding like minded people to connect with the offering but the people holding the wallets are wondering if all this stuff is going to pay off. After all, we can't reside in "it takes a while" land forever.

Same Agenda - Different Language 

Communication can be the single biggest way for companies to improve or fail. Building a social business is not easy. Departments are necessary to chunk up the work and align strengths but the challenges reside in both knowledge levels and acceptance of the digital opportunities.

The purists say now is the time to move, the advocates remind others the past is not where the future lies while the people accountable to the money haven’t quite added it all up. There are a lot of choices and opinions. Some cost money while others start disagreements. The evolution will not be swift. It would be cool to see a day when the early adopters can appreciate the necessity of the bottom line while the ones with the wallets continue to let believers assess value.

Do you have a plan for your digital potluck?

Kneale Mann

image credit: thepinktruffle

Summer Business: It’s That Time of Year

Out of the Office and Not Checking Email

Flowers blooming, trees full, sun shining, if you live in colder climes then you are enjoying some warmer temperatures, ah yes, it’s time to just enjoy life for a bit. For two decades I used to be the martyr who would work on through while others took time to enjoy the weather and family. I’d often get praise from the boss and little else. After missing four seasons of golf the biggest fool in the organization was easy to find. The accolades are nice, the time never returns.

Time away from the endless content and busy work is imperative. More than a few times I have seen people write about the fact their Klout score went down or they lost blog subscribers because they took a vacation. Who cares! It's not important. You and keeping your sanity is the priority.

We all need to recharge and remember what all this work is for and it’s not simply to do more work. If you have kids, there is a very real reminder that summer is here. If you work from home those reminders can affect your ability to get anything accomplished.

Business Could Slow Down Too Much

This is not just common with the self-employed, it happens in large enterprise as well. You adopt summer hours, a casual dress code and there are simply less people around because of rotating vacations. You discovered renewed interest in the other important parts of life and suddenly the workplace doesn’t seem so daunting.

The social web is a great way to keep the lines of communication open and you don’t need to be sitting at your desk to accomplish that. And perhaps this summer is a chance for you to experiment and learn how the digital world can in fact enhance your business offering. Channels and technology can allow us to continue doing business no matter where we are with others doing the same.

Perhaps while your competitors have their hands off the wheel, this is the time to gain more ground?

Kneale Mann

image credit: maoyang

The Platform For Change

Sounds good on paper.

Yesterday in Ontario, Canada – where I live – millions went to voting stations to cast their ballot in municipal elections.

During any election – at any level – there is usually at least one candidate who stands on the platform of change. But change is powerful yet ambiguous word.

It sounds good on the surface but do we know what it really means? The Obama team orchestrated a masterful campaign a couple of years ago on the platform of this sucks and we can make it better. We love change – in theory.

Change is a way of life.

However the human mind is finite and has difficulty grasping concepts that have no solution, end, cure or a job well done. We don't build businesses on the concept of change, we build them on revenue models and market share.

Change is by definition a moving target. We often view change in a positive light with regards to our situation. Things aren’t going our way but change will improve your lot in the organization.

But we know what it feels like when the rumours begin about changes in the company. The whispers begin. The conversations among stakeholders at lunch and after work increase and all the while the worse case scenarios are examined. If changes are coming, will you be one of the ones let go?

Think about your organization and the daily changes you experience. How can you embrace change for the better without causing panic while paying close attention to those items that are working and don’t need to be revised?

knealemann
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