Welcome to the online home of me, some guy given the name John Cleveland Payne. In the grand scheme of life, I am just another guy with another blog. But to myself, and hopefully to all of you who actually read this, I am something a little more special. From a young age, I fell in love of the idea of ‘the message’ and medium in which you try to transmit.
Basically, everyone has a message to give to the world. Some are basic, some complex, some have the power to up lift and some are just out there to bring as many people down as possible. But everyone has a message, and most people have problems identifying their message. And the ones who get that far can seem to figure out how to get the world to listen.
Well, I have a message, and this is where I will get a chance to share it. Hopefully, you’ll get plenty of things to keep you motivated or inspired, provide knowledge and comfort, and just have a little fun. Apologies for the state of flux and state of seemingly confusing messages that you’ll get here for a while, as I am doing a lot of personal soul searching, and scrubbing of old ideas to take the best of the past to build a new beginning.
In 2007, I changed the name of blog from “The Mis-Adventures Of The Jazzy Cool One” to “Life In Fast Forward.” I began to tear down old blogs and newsletters and try to find places for them here. My goal is to take the focus off of me the person, and show the world the life I live and share with every human on the planet. I aspire to life at a very high standard, and instead of dealing with people who rather slow us down, I want to find ways to help people pick up there own pace. As you get to see an insight to the further adventures I hope to lead, hopefully you’ll enjoy the ride, and want to come along.
Other things
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Other things
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Handling Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes & Moving Ahead On A New Track
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
It's been a little over two weeks since I shifted duties at work. I was for almost three years the morning show producer at the news/talk station in the radio cluster, a job that had grown well beyond where it should have about a 18 months ago. Luckily, I wasn't losing my job like so many others in this industry, I was getting an opportunity base on the fact that I am pretty much a computer geek with no life to spearhead some cluster wide initiative with our websites.
It's also been a little over two weeks since I have been suffering from a sense of blah, which only subsides when I am flooded in a whirlwind of emergency work (and it's almost never my emergency). Since I technically have less responsibility, I should see more productivity and a cleaner desk. Instead, it seems like a lot less productivity, less energy, more stress, and a desk that is returning to the messy state.
After a little analysis of the situation, I've come up with a few issues that are contributing to the problem:
- no chain of command: I don't have a 'boss' for all the new initiative, per se. There is the head sales manager, the sales exec he put in charge of tracking, then all the sales people, station directors, and air talent, all of who are coming to me with various bits and pieces the ad up to the things I am being told need to be done
- lack of focus: With no hierarchy to follow, there is no straight line to receive inputs, so they come from all directions, and at all times. The piece of paper that ends up at the top of the stack usual gets immediate focus, and that stack is being continually fed.
- lack of energy: I could blame the puppy, since I am getting up at 3am to walk and spend time with him before work. Only I was always getting up at 3am, and sometimes earlier, because I needed that extra time before being at work at 4:30am. And even if I am going home at a decent hour (only working 11 hour days instead of 14 hour days), I find myself even more drained, even earlier in the day.
- lack of resources: As I said, I was giving new duties based on the fact I had a little bit of knowledge a a few share ware programs to make things work for the websites. That being said, my slow work computer is still slow, and my person computers and wallet are not very happy for the extra tasking they are being forced to do.
All these things are making me feel unproductive and extra cranky, and with me not directly producing any shows, I don't get the right to cuss profusely at work anymore. So I'm just going to have to solve my problems. My current plan of action includes:
- establishing a process for incoming and outgoing projects: I've already drafted an 'Interactive Production Order' sheet, have revamped the tracking spreadsheet we threw together to keep up on interactive details, and have learned that while I cannot curse, and can be pretty stern went getting a message across to the inhabitants of the sale bay, as long as I am pushing for positive results. Getting everyone to buy in on a 'process' have take a little effort in the current wild-west nature of the initiative, but I never said I was afraid of challenges.
- pin point focus: Starting with cleaning up my work area, I have to ensure that all the incomings are kept in some semblance of order. I had already established a few methods to keep incoming information in check for producing and show booking, and will attempt to modify them for use on interactive initiatives. Granted, training air staff to working within parameter didn't exactly work out very well either, but I do have plans.
- exercise & diet: To increase my energy, I've got to get a steady exercise habit down, especially since I'm spending $24 a month on a two-year gym contract. The puppy was supposed to help out on getting out to walk, only the puppy isn't quite up to cooperating in the walking park. I do have a cool GPS fitness watch that I like to use (computer geek remember) that has be great in tracking walks and runs to precision, but I have to make the time for them. Also, despite all the convince my wife may do, there will be less eating out. Its way to expensive now anyway. I will have to make more time to cook, which I like to do
- beg for a better computer: This one is going to be tough, since no one is getting anything new, even if we are just asking for an investment for this new revenue source. Aw well...
