Author Archives: David Pesta

Learning from Writer’s Block

A Journey into the Cold Dark Nothingness of Unwritten Words I’m pretty stressed right now. This blog post is way past due and if I’m being honest here, I’ve got nothing. For a while I thought I had a thought. … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Learning, Lessons Learned, Motivation, Quality | 4 Comments

About July and August

As summer ends, my thoughts about the months of July and August are likely different than most folks. Here is a little brain teaser to explain what I mean. An octopus is an animal with 8 arms. An 8-sided geometric … Continue reading

Posted in Learning, Time Management | 4 Comments

Four Fears That Can Block Creative Problem-Solving

Recently, I attended a workshop on Design Thinking, an unconventional approach to innovation and problem-solving developed by the Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. Design Thinking seeks to apply the mindset and methods of designers to develop products, improve … Continue reading

Posted in Accomplishments, Knowledge Areas, Learning, Motivation, Planning, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

The Neuroscience of Mind-Wandering

Brain Researchers Say It’s Good to Zone Out Have you ever found yourself driving on the highway for a long stretch of time, like say on a long trip, and just zone out? This happens to me all the time. … Continue reading

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How to Do the Impossible

Recently, I read the book “The Fight” by Norman Mailer that chronicles the 1974 heavyweight boxing match known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Set in Kinshasa, Zaire in Africa, this fight saw the imposing brute champion George Foreman challenged … Continue reading

Posted in Lessons Learned, Motivation, Planning, Productivity, Risk Management | 1 Comment

2015 Review: The Year of Clicking on Stuff

Anyone that publishes anything seems to be offering up their 2015 Year in Review material these days. At first I was a bit put off by the exponential growth of such clickbait this year. But then I remembered that here … Continue reading

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I Broke the Buttonmaker

A Low-Tech Photo-Essay Fever Dream I broke the buttonmaker. This statement is not poetry or metaphor. “The buttonmaker” is not slang that the kids say these days. The buttonmaker is a real, literal thing. And I literally broke it. The … Continue reading

Posted in Accomplishments, Lessons Learned, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

What Would Churchill Do

Winston Churchill has been on my mind lately, for a funny reason I’ll explain at the end of this post. The Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, Winston Churchill, is widely regarded as the most important leader … Continue reading

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Snowpocalypse 2015

So let’s just cut to the chase and address the 800-lb gorilla in the snowbank.  This is crazy. This is unprecedented, unrelenting, snow-covered craziness. I don’t know how you all feel, but I for one may lose it. Snow madness … Continue reading

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Project Management for Dogs

Lately, our dog Colby has been waking up in the middle of the night barking. Colby is a pug so he is both opinionated and weird. The event usually goes something like this: Colby:    bark, bark, bark Me:        … Continue reading

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