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“A picnic is a state of mind and can be made anywhere”
— Unknown

We celebrated Independence Day here in the U.S. this week with lots of picnics and fireworks. We spent a lovely couple of days by the lake. It was nice having such a great view and a cool breeze while I worked and my family snuck off to ride roller coasters and water slides at Cedar Point. I hope your week is bursting with goodness. Here are some of the best things I found this week from the learning, design, and technology world.

How to Undertake the Artist’s Journey

I’ve been a fan of Steven Pressfield (@spressfield) for a while now, especially “Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It”. This is an interesting conversation with Tim Ferris about the artist’s journey that resonated with me.

We are all artists—whether we realize it or not, whether we like it or not—and we are all on an “artist’s journey.” Whether you’re toiling in a cubicle or wheeling and dealing in high finance, you have an artist’s journey just like the filmmaker or the dancer or the novelist. Will you embrace this adventure consciously and morally, or will you deny it and reject it?

https://tim.blog/2018/07/05/the-artists-journey-steve-pressfield/

How to Form Habits the Smart Way with BJ Fogg, PhD

Stanford behavior scientist Dr. BJ Fogg shares his evidence-based insights into forming “tiny habits” and other powerful tools for transforming behavior.

https://awesomeatyourjob.com/317-how-to-form-habits-the-smart-way-with-bj-fogg-phd/

Reclaiming RSS

Before Twitter, before algorithmic timelines filtered our reality for us, before surveillance capitalism, there was RSS: Really Simple Syndication. Guess what? It is still alive and kicking. Do you RSS? Aral Balkan says that as we move away from the centralized web to the peer web, it’s time to rediscover, re-embrace, and reclaim RSS.

Everything old is new again.

https://ar.al/2018/06/29/reclaiming-rss/

Start with Who: the Golden Circle for Learning Design

See Ger Driessen (@GerDriessen) in action at Learning Tech Day as he explores how the elements of Simon Sinek’s popular “Start with Why” talk resonates with learning and development?

https://www.anewspring.com/starting-with-who-for-learning-design/

Why Letter Casing Is Important to Consider During Design Decisions

Everyone has their own opinion about when to use all capital letters (AC), normal mixed case (MC), title case (TC). Nudge an English teacher and she will lecture you on the rules of grammar. Ask a person who is a marketer and she will argue extensively about the importance of grabbing attention (go for the headings!).

A few years ago such small details didn’t matter. But now, when every design decision impacts the user experience, it has become important to pay attention to every detail. UX Planet (@UXPlanet) gives you the 411.

https://uxplanet.org/why-letter-casing-is-important-to-consider-during-design-decisions-50402acd0a4e

Do You Have an Online Home-base?

Having an online presence is like career insurance. Get it before you need it. It is an investment in yourself that everyone should make.  I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!?

https://mike-taylor.org/2018/07/05/do-you-have-an-online-home-base/

Miscellany

A few other things just because I can.

Conference News

• Call for speakers for Learnovation 2018 which takes place on Wednesday, 3 October in Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.
• One of my favorite conferences, Learning Solutions, is now accepting proposals for 2019!
• Looking for your next conference? Check my global collection of L&D events.

Design Resources

• Shotsnapp – Quick and easy mockup designs.

Apps I’m trying out this week:

• Moovly – Make your own explainer video, marketing video, presentation, etc.

Books/Courses/Podcasts:

• Establishing Credibility as a Speaker by Laura Bergells on Lynda.com

What I’m listening too

• Ever heard of Lunch Money Lewis? He allways makes me feel good.

Thanks for reading! If you found anything good, forward it to a friend or spread the word with a tweet. 😎

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I enjoy sharing my ideas and experience with corporate professionals via workshops, keynote presentations, podcasts, and webinars. Learn more in my Speaking and Workshop Information Sheet.