Beat the Monday blues with Korgi

It's Monday, all — how did you feel when you first turned on your computer or looked at your phone today?

A) stressed/anxious

B) tired/resigned

C) excited/motivated

If it's A or B, take a moment now to reset. Here's how:

A) means you might have started today in response to other people. Maybe you opened emails and texts and started replying, or you ran into someone and pivoted to their last-minute request. Take 30 seconds now to write down something you could do today that would give you a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Now schedule one step towards that, and enjoy the feeling of anticipation about getting to do it.

B) means you might be experience a disconnect between your current work or role and how you want to show up in and contribute to the world. Take a few minutes to think about what gives you a sense of meaning in the day. Maybe that's mentoring, or solving problems, or creating beauty. Reflect on what you're planning to do today, and find one way to infuse that meaning into one of those to-dos.

And what about C?

C) means you might be using Korgi. We're on a mission to make it easy, fun and possible to turn your daily chaos into organized, joyful accomplishment. All from our beatiful, home base boards with AI, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 apps built right in.

Here's how to make the most of a Korgi Monday:

  1. Create a blank board (or open your existing board, if you already track tasks).
  2. Make the first column "Accomplishment." Add 2-3 cards of accomplishments that motivate and inspire you. Then brainstorm and add mini-actions you could take today towards any of those. Who could you call? Add them as a contact to the card. What could you write? Create a Google Doc from the card. Finally, schedule a small block of time to take that card, and add it to your Google or Outlook Calendar straight from your card.
  3. Create a second column called "Meaning." Add 2-3 cards of what gives meaning to your day. What makes you feel whole and at your best?
  4. Create a third column called "To-Dos" or "Tasks." Just for today. Braindump all the items on your mind, add the ones on sticky notes and in notebooks. Now take a look at the meaning column. Where are the opportunities to add that personal layer to any of those tasks. Drag the meaning cards under the tasks they match up with.

Return to your day with more of "you" infused into it. Let us know how it goes, sincerely. There's a contact button on the bottom right of every board.

How — and why — to start writing story from the inside out (Step 1)

When you're writing a television pilot, your goal isn't to create a completed script, but to create a complete, and resonant, character. The reader has to know in the first 10 pages how your main character enters a room, what trait they fall back on in daily moments, and what they long for most deeply in their hearts.

You could describe those things right now for your best friend and your worst enemy. It's how well you know someone that tells you what situations to avoid putting them in and being in with them. Because they won't handle it well! Those situations, by the way, are the foundations of every episode of your series — and most importantly, your pilot. So you can't spin out dozens of episodes if you haven't reached that understanding of your character first.

The reader has to know in the first 10 pages how that character enters a room, what trait they fall back on in daily moments, and what they long for most deeply in their hearts.

Try this exercise with someone you know very well in mind. What would they do if:

Notice how utterly basic these scenarios are? Keep that top of mind. It's a reminder that it's your character's traits that make your story interesting, not the scenarios you weave. Your scenes are only as interesting as our understanding of your character makes them — and our anticipation of how this circumstance will test them compels us to keep reading.

As you approach this exercise, don't just make anything up that comes to mind to complete it. That's what you may be doing with your scripts. You write scenes you have in mind, then move your character through them. That's writing from the outside in. Instead, examine and change the details of the scene itself to create specific circumstances that will put pressure on your main character and their core trait. Craft the scene in response to your character. That is at the heart of writing from the inside out.

Craft the scene in response to your character. That is at the heart of writing from the inside out.

Next, do a practice run on this with evergreen characters from hit TV shows. In the first example, the classic "check splitting" scene, I'm going to use Archie Bunker, start with his core trait, then explore possible beats that will put pressure on him. I've added some sample beats below that I might add to my board, knowing I can organize the best ones into an escalating flow after the brainstorm. Also, this is an exercise to illustrate this approach to character, rather than to align with or add to the entire canon of All in the Family! If you aren't familiar with this show, it wrote about '70s society from a working class white man's perspective, which informs what you are about to read:

This example is to show that the scene doesn't make the character, the character — and their essential trait — is what makes your scene. And your show. And your series. Continue ideating from here, with an eye on creating escalating pressure and choices for Archie and exploring all levels of conflict available in the physical, cultural, interpersonal and timeperiod space. You don't need to ever have watched this show or to like this character. You only need to understand this character and how know-it-alls behave in the world, then add the layer of 1970s America to more deeply inform the scene.

Next, give it a try with one of your favorite TV characters. Keep designing and reworking the scene until you've created a memorable, specific journey for them.

Finally, try this with your pilot's main character. Don't focus on anything you've already written, focus on truly understanding what that guiding trait is and how you can shape the scene to create conflict and choices based on that trait. The next time you revisit your script's first 10 pages, you'll be able to do so with this new lens on character at the center. Fade in.

Korgi Releases v1.2.1!

KORGIVILLE—We're learning from Korgi HQ that the infamous "Pop-Up Blocker" for new boards has been vanquished by Super Korgi. New boards immediately open in new tabs. Light content and design updates round out our report.

How do I manage a hectic schedule that is always changing? (Part 3)

How do you optimize your workflow in the course of routinely hectic days? This is the third post in a three-part series, so don’t begin here. First, decide on your Blue Sky — even just for today — then audit what creates chaos in your schedule, along with any fixable patterns you can identify for yourself and your team. Now, note the reframing of the original question in this post’s first sentence. Your new focus is “How do I optimize my day?” rather than “How do I manage a hectic schedule” because, again, what you focus on ignites. 

Your new focus is “How do I optimize my day?” rather than “How do I manage a hectic schedule” because, again, what you focus on ignites. 

In my work as a strategist, I use tech best practices in non-tech spaces. There’s a reason tech companies tend to quickly and powerfully disrupt the non-tech ecosystems they enter. Part of it is their approach to big picture executions. Where analog world amplifies ideators and their ideas (“I have a vision!”), techies obsess over customers and their pain points (“We solved a problem!). Since customers are the currency of success, tech companies dismantle whole industries that are still top-down, visionary-leader-celebrating entities. Tech companies are bottom up, constantly iterating worlds. Until they get big enough that their visionary leader becomes the central focus of the company. And then…well, you know what’s going to happen.

Tech has the edge in small executions, as well. In addition to their customer focus, tech cos (Okay, it’s us. We’re tech cos.) liberally incorporate data into daily thoughts and processes like Himalayan salt. Data inspires, drives, and validates some part of every decision, no matter how minor. So where and how your data is stored, cared for and retrieved is mission critical to your success.

Your hectic days are filled with multiple small decisions and requests, too, the many “Tasks” and “Asks” that collectively add up to overwhelm. Each one of those events is its own data point you may need to reference for great decisions. So here are three tech-inspired tips to transform your current approach to time and task management:

  1. Commit to getting everything out of your head and into tangible form. To start, you absolutely have to decide that the minute any idea or task pops into your head, you’re going to put it into tangible form. No exceptions! That fleeting reminder to call someone, that nagging question of did I do that thing, that fun gift idea for two months from now? Every piece of information, without preference, fail or exception, must be written or typed into a form that can be saved, retrieved and reviewed.
  1. Commit to storing every one of those things in a single place. Tech teams often speak of the “single source of truth,” or SSOT, for their data. As obvious as that seems, it’s rarely practiced in analog OR tech world! Think about all the places you currently squirrel away information. Your email inbox is in the thousands. You have sticky notes or a notebook for things you want to speedily capture. You use a digital notes app on each different device you use. You stick your head out of your office to ask your assistant, “Remind me to…” And that’s just from the first few hours of any day. You cannot get a handle on your days if you can’t immediately and simply see what the demands of your day and life currently are. And that requires a single place where all things live. That includes ideas, brainstorms, tasks, etc. — the content doesn’t matter. And if you have a team, hear this clearly: the entire team needs to work from a single source of truth. 

There are many ways to do this. If you decide to write things down, then a single notebook has to be with you at every moment. Bring the fanny pack back in style, but let there be a pen and notepad in it. If you decide on digital task lists or note apps, then sync them across all of your devices. And for speed, use your keyboard mic to speech-to-text items straight into the app. Whatever you choose, commit to it. And no matter what, back it up! (Yes, even your notebook has to be scanned at least once a week.)

There’s a lot to learn by doing this. With my clients, we discuss the times of day they’re most inundated with ideas and asks, the buckets or types of items on the list, and the trends in volume over times or periods of the week or year. Please don’t create additional steps with interim sources of truth. Don’t make a list on your phone and a written list on your desk and decide you’ll cross-check them later. You shouldn’t, and you won’t. Decide on and stick to a single source of truth. It won’t last forever — it’s just a starting point. Whatever’s the easiest right now, choose that so you can begin the practice of and shift to maintaining a single source of truth.

  1. Commit to reviewing and prioritizing your SSOT at least once a day. Once you’ve consolidated all of your piles of information and to dos into a single place, you’ll finally be able to build an organizing workflow that delivers for you and your team. The goal isn’t to clear your list. By nature, to-do lists are always replenishing. Instead, the goal is to plan your day. Ideally at the top of the day, every day. As you start this approach, it’s helpful to review and plan at the end of the day, to, because many things may shift over those few hours. It will give you peace of mind to read and even reorder your list in preparation for the morning, so you wake up to a clear sense of purpose and possibility. 

Don’t make a list on your phone and a written list on your desk and decide you’ll cross-check them later. You shouldn’t, and you won’t. Decide on and stick to a single source of truth.

Years ago, at a job where my daily schedule constantly changed throughout the day, I remember checking in with my team in our Friday EOD about how to make their experience better. To the one, each said, “I just want to feel like ‘I’ve got this!’ at the beginning and end of each day.” I loved that, and I related to it, and I committed to having a solution for us on Monday. Reader, I had NO idea how to accomplish this. But I know what decisions do for the universe, so I committed and began my research. And within an hour, I received a phone call that included a random mention of a book that was, indeed, a system for reaching your goals. It was "4DX" by Sean Covey and Chris McChesney. In that book, they leveraged Dwight D. Eisenhower’s approach to prioritizing to dos. Whereas we often evaluate items strictly based on “Urgency,” Eisenhower expanded this to include “Importance.” And prioritizing tasks requires a combination of both. We'll put that on its feet in the next post.

I added that framework to the lean methodology and design thinking from my professional background, and I had a way forward for my team on Monday. Our productivity skyrocketed, and we were having fun at work, with the even heavier load that landed on us right after.

Before moving on to the execution of an optimal day, commit to all three steps above. Braindump relentlessly. Put that SSOT into practice. Highlight it, use different colored pens, make it your own. Because it’s about to change your life.

How do I manage a hectic schedule that is always changing? (Part 2)

In the first post in this series on how to manage a hectic, constantly changing schedule, we reframed individual hectic moments within a big-picture lens of your “Blue Sky.” What’s a higher, meaningful purpose for your being in that space today and/or every day? Applying that filter to those smaller moments will focus and motivate you.

In this post, we’re tackling the elements of your day that make it “hectic” and “constantly changing.” You might initially think this is as easy — or impossible — as just clearing your schedule. Don’t mass delete just yet! To truly fix an issue, you have to understand its root cause, then solve for that, or the issue keeps cropping up like a weed. So your next step towards effective time management is another internal one (of course!). It’s asking yourself where you fit in all this chaos. You might assume you are the victim or target of other people’s bad time management — and you may be at least partially right. But an earnest audit of how you arrived at where you are will help you permanently fix what’s actually causing the upheaval.

Your next step towards effective time management is another internal one (of course!). It’s asking yourself where you fit in all this chaos.

Here are three questions to ask yourself in a quiet moment:

  1. What specific experiences made today feel hectic? Write them down so you can interact with them as information, not emotionally resonant memories.
  2. For each one, ask: “Why did this make my day feel hectic?” Write the literal answers down. For example, you might say, “I already had two meetings set first thing this morning, and a third one was too much.” Or “I was running behind when they stopped me in the hall and asked for that favor, and it set me even further behind in the day.”
  3. What would have made the experience better? (And how active, vs. passive, can you remain in your answer here?) If you’re resisting any possible options, write them down anyway…then ask yourself why “better” isn’t a possibility. Yep, write that down, too.

As you’re conducting your audit, especially the last part, check for any internal reasons your day might be overbooked, in addition to external things you don’t control. Are you seeing patterns of leaving or arriving late that quickly back your day up? Are you suffering the consequences of putting off prep work until the last minute? These are common habits that you’ll more easily undo after your Blue Sky starts connecting even routine or dreaded tasks to meaningful possibilities. Now go deeper: ask yourself, “Is my feeling hectic and overscheduled in any way in service to myself?” For instance, do I have a fear of saying no and being disliked or marginalized…do I associate being busy with relevance or value…do I stay extra-busy to avoid bigger or more complicated tasks, conversations or thoughts? This isn’t to blame you for your too-busy days; it’s to see what part of your scheduling issues might be in your control to fix.

Ask yourself, “Is my feeling hectic and overscheduled in any way in service to myself?” This isn’t to blame you for your too-busy days; it’s to see what part of your scheduling issues might be in your control to fix.

Write this down: “When my day is busy, I feel bad about ______. And I feel good about _____.” It’s important to think about both of these things, because in trying to eliminate the things that make you feel bad about a jam-packed day, you want to preserve the things that actually make you feel effective and even proud. As an example, you might feel bad about missing lunch or not spending enough time prepping for an important presentation. But you might feel good about having interacted with every team member that morning or about having solved a critical problem for someone. 

With all of this information before you, there’s one more step: rewrite your hectic day as a blissful one — but only change the things you control! Do you wake up 20 minutes earlier to allow for unpredictable commute times? Do you tell the friend you chatted with in the garage that you’ll check in with them after your morning meeting instead? Do you stay after the meeting to review priorities with your boss after being given a second big assignment that's due the same day as one you’re already working on? Write down multiple possibilities for each of the hectic moments on your list. Bonus step: now write alternate responses to the “constantly changing” moments in your day. How might you respond differently to a last-minute meeting being added to your day or to a critical meeting being canceled? We’ll talk about this more specifically in a later post in this series, but brainstorm even small moments of agency on the page now, to continue shifting away from feeling like a passive participant in your own day. Remember to connect all your choices to your Blue Sky as you go!

With all of this information before you, there’s one more step: rewrite your hectic day as a blissful one — but only change the things you control!

Once your audit and do-over are done, it’s important to socialize what you’ve learned and decided. Tell a colleague, friend or boss that you’re working on optimizing your workdays and may have questions, conversations or requests of them over the coming week. And if you’re a leader, go through the same steps and questions with your team members about their hectic days. That will help you find patterns within the team you have the ability to fix with new workflows or technology. And, at minimum, it can earn you trusted partners in prioritizing and executing when your own days get way too full. Then you can begin the actual work of overhauling your hectic days with support behind you — and possibly help others take control of their days, too.

Ready for the next step? It's time to optimize.

How do I manage a hectic schedule that is always changing? (Part 1)

Korgi recently asked users for questions to help them get organized and realize their goals. This question is a great fit for everyone who’s trying to get out from under an overwhelming schedule. The answer is in a three-part series of posts, to give you time to reflect and practice each step before moving on to the next.

The first step in shifting away from being caught in a hectic, always changing schedule isn't fixing your environment. It's changing your focus.

  1. What is making my schedule hectic? An audit of your day will help fix this, along with clear steps to create and retain calm in what once was chaos.
  2. When and why is my schedule always changing? This calls for another audit because the right fix is grounded in the reasons for those constant shifts — and whether those reasons are internal, external or both.
  3. How do I manage my schedule better? Whether your days are hectic or calm, it’s important to create a consistent, effective approach to your day.

Before we solve for those, let's lay a new foundation for your day. The first step in shifting away from being caught in a hectic, always changing schedule isn't fixing your environment. It's changing your focus. I regularly say, and firmly believe, that what we focus on ignites. So focusing on an overwhelming or disrupting daily schedule will create more of the same.

The first step in shifting away from being caught in a hectic, always changing schedule isn't fixing your environment. It's changing your focus.

Instead redirect your focus to your “Blue Sky”: What is the most meaningful possible outcome of my being in this role or space? Why should you think “Blue Sky” before solving your problems? Because Blue Sky adds context that, at best, transforms those problems into opportunities, and at worst, usually lessens their daily blow. Limitlessness is very forgiving of granular stuff and moments that aren't perfect or rewarding and may, in fact, be irritating or upsetting. Chaos-inducing things can't compare to the vastness of anyone’s Blue Sky (think of the tiny cars and houses you see when you’re flying in an airplane…they’re little postage stamps from the window where you are). So getting to a Blue Sky mindset is your first step towards joy and freedom in the exact environment you’re currently feeling hectic in.

Focusing on an overwhelming or disrupting daily schedule will create more of the same. Instead redirect your focus to your “Blue Sky”: What is the most meaningful possible outcome of my being in this role or space?

Even better, unlike the meetings and tasks and drop-ins that disrupt your day, Blue Sky is something you completely control. It’s internally defined. It doesn't depend on what your job or family or friend group, etc. thinks your role or usefulness is in that space. It is your own true north, from your mind, heart or spirit. And it can — and will — evolve or change as you do. So when you step outside of the chaos to ask, “What is the best possible outcome, to me, of my being in this space?” That’s when the shift towards tranquility begins.

I was in a difficult role many years ago where there was a lot of chaos and friction in everyday moments. But my Blue Sky absolutely was leveraging my position to create limitlessness and career opportunities for all of the young, amazing people on my team and outside of my door. Everything I did, I led with that lens. And each time chaos materialized, it became easier to navigate because whatever the issue was would always pale compared to being an invested mentor and champion. That’s why the internal shift to thinking about and articulating and embracing and leading with a Blue Sky is the first step in changing your current hectic situation. You’ve heard that you can’t control events, but you can control your reaction to them. Blue Skying offers even more agency: you can’t control events, but you can define your opportunities inside of them.

You’ve heard that you can’t control events, but you can control your reaction to them. Blue Skying offers even more agency: you can’t control events, but you can define your opportunities inside of them.

What does this look like in practice? Here are two examples:

  1. You’re a staff-level writer in a room, a short-content editor at an agency, or a social media volunteer for a non-profit. Enter Chaos and Friction. Recently, you’re being inundated with additional work requests, added to a two-hour weekly standing meeting, etc. Before Blue Sky mindset, you’d be looking at your schedule and trying to move things around, maybe frustrated about even more being put on your plate. Now stop and think about your Blue Sky in this space. You might say: this role is an outlet for your endless creativity. Next, reframe the new demands as more possible opportunities to be creative. In your writers’ room, maybe you're asked to write dummy text for the magazine article prop that one character waves at another. It's not your job, no, but...is it an opportunity to be creative? To write something that deepens the moment for the cast and show? At the non-profit, you’re asked to do an email blast to upcoming event attendees. How beautifully can you design that? How inspiring can the language be? That is the power of leading with Blue Sky.
  2. In my own Chaos and Friction experience I referenced earlier, I was Blue Skying career and personal championship of my younger colleagues and team members. So asks to do more became perfectly aligned for me. I started saying yes to every big or little request. Then I'd let people know I'd be working with a team member. And that team member would join me in the beginning, then replace me over time. It was a great mentoring opportunity, and suddenly, the constant shifts and requests made me joyful.

What does reading this inspire or reveal for you? As you face another frenetic day, can you pause to do this Blue Sky exercise? It will help you build a practice of reframing everything that doesn't necessarily matter to you so that it's in service to something that truly does. 

Blue Skying is the first step to getting out of experiencing a hectic, always changing schedule and into a state of constant possibility. Next up? The audit.

What to do (immediately!) when your story's lead character ISN'T your story's protagonist.

Quick! Who was the star of The Office, A Different World and The Big Bang Theory? If you said Steve Carrell, Lisa Bonet and Johnny Galecki, you're right (at least at the beginning of each series).

Now, slower: who was the protagonist of those shows? If you said Michael, Denise or Leonard...well, and I think you know where I'm going with this...that isn't right. I'm going to explain why so you can review your existing or upcoming projects and make sure your main character actually is your protagonist, as understood by the industry you're shopping your projects to.

As I may have mentioned a few times before, sellable stories are driven by conflict, and conflict is rooted in character (NOT plot). Not conflict of the moment — a missed bus, an argument with a friend, etc. Conflict that is informed by who your character is and by the new world you've dropped them into. Your main character may experience conflict within themselves, with other people, and with cultures, rules, norms, the environment, etc. And all of that conflict, ideally, is driven by the core trait they lead with in most spaces and by the organic population, rules and environment of the new world.

Sellable stories are driven by conflict, and conflict is rooted in character (NOT plot).

This makes identifying your protagonist a breeze: whoever's in active, continuous, escalating conflict with their new world is your main character. Use this simple checklist to review your projects:

  1. Who's entering a new world? Remember, the new world isn't required to be a new physical environment, though it often is. It also might be a new circumstance in the old world (a new boss, being asked for a divorce, discovering a magical gift, etc.).
  2. Who is rejecting the new world? Multiple characters may collectively experience the new world (e.g., all of the co-workers, the parent and their kids, etc.). But we are laser-focused on the one who doesn't accept the change and takes steps (however tiny and always ineffective) to return to the old world.
  3. Who is in multiple layers of conflict with the new world? This is the key - whoever has the most layers wins because all of those layers of issues are where your character arc and evolving relationships and episodic possibilities are going to come from.

Whoever's in active, continuous, escalating conflict with their new world is your main character.

In the pilot of The Big Bang Theory, Penny moves in across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon. Both Leonard and Sheldon now have a new neighbor, so they both are in an altered world. But Leonard moves towards the change — it's love at first sight! Let's invite her to do something! It's Sheldon who rejects the possibility — they already have plans for the afternoon. And with that, incredibly early in episode 101, we know it is Sheldon we'll be following through the journey of this show. Add to that the conflict that Sheldon's central trait always generates with others and with the rules of a world he believes he's above, a world that says he is "wildly racist" and, "apparently ridiculous" yet fails to penetrate his superior point of view...and you have an undeniable protagonist.

That's why when we see shows like A Different World or Fresh Off the Boat, it's inevitable that the central story of the show will shift to Whitley and Jessica. Denise was not in conflict with her new college life; the world of the show was as besotted with her as the real world itself was. It was Whitley who felt the school, the students, the men, the campus and even Denise were beneath her and would benefit from her superior point of view. She was in conflict at every turn. The same with Jessica versus her son, who was delighted to move to this neighborhood, found friends, etc. It was Jessica who felt the neighborhood, neighbors, etc. were beneath her and would benefit from her superior point of view. (Hmm...if we reflect on Frasier moving to Seattle...and Diane taking a job at Cheers before that...you'll see at least one clear archetype for protagonists that drive conflict and have room to arc.)

It was Whitley who felt the school, the students, the men, the campus and even Denise were beneath her and would benefit from her superior point of view. She was in conflict at every turn.

So how to fix a missing — or misidentified — protagonist in your own story? Here are two options:

  1. The easy way. Make the person in conflict with the world your protagonist. Done! Why wait for Season 2 or a "retelling" of the story? Ah, you don't want to do that? Is it because...the character you want to be the protagonist...is the one that's based on you?
  2. The deeper way. Often, when we write passive or flat protagonists, it's because they're representations of ourselves. And we're writing them into a world in which they are good, blameless and mistreated by others who can't appreciate how awesome they are. To keep "them/you" absolved of any accountability for the things that go wrong in their worlds, you sanitize them. You strip them off a governing trait because that would make the things that go wrong their fault. Does this resonate at all?

    Here's how to get past your protectiveness of your alter ego on that page. Core traits aren't inherently negative traits. "They/You" doesn't have to be greedy, rude, selfish, etc. They just have to have a central, go-to, defining trait (and we all do!) that is in conflict with the new world. Their flaws are only "fatal" in the new world. In Enchanted, Giselle isn't a wicked princess. She's just a fantastically naive one from a fairytale land. You drop all that innocence and warbling into New York City, and ta dah! You have conflict. So get real about a central trait for "they/you," then adjust the new world so that trait will be a liability

Core traits aren't inherently negative traits... Their flaws are only "fatal" in the new world.

With your eye on characters with core traits that conflict with new worlds and who arc over the course of the series...which character would you say is the protagonist of The Office? Of Friends?

And most importantly, of course, who is the real protagonist of your script?

The Single Quote that Changed My Life...and is about to Change Yours.

I spent my 20s jumping on planes to places I didn't tell my parents about until I got there. "Collect call from Taipei" remains my dad's favorite side-eye memory. I had an enormous vision for my life, astonishingly little street sense, and the limitless sense of possibility and agency that is the birthright of youngest children everywhere.

(I see you, older siblings — you know what I'm talking about! Years ago as a showrunner, I would informally poll the entire team about their birth order. Consistently, my line producers, accountants, HODs and other wildly responsible colleagues were oldest children. Our hidden team members making the set run or quietly editing, mixing, transcribing and sweetening away in post: middle kids. And the freelance, hop on a plane, who-knows-where-the-next-job-is-coming-from creatives were a smorgasbord of "babies" and "onlys." When you've had a safety net of parents, guardians and older siblings reliably snatching you out of oncoming traffic all your life, your gauge for what "risk" is does not exist.)

Multiple collect calls and exhilarating career leaps later, at 30, my list of what I'd planned to accomplish in life was fully checked off. To be clear, I had not become POTUS; I had, instead, removed that item from the list after working in politics for two years and abandoning it summarily for even wilder times trying to walk the runway. With nothing specific remaining to pursue, I faced an unusual challenge: What do I do next? I had no answers. There were several opportunities in front of me I'd recently dived into, and I loved them all. So I pursued them all, simultaneously and sleeplessly, and figured the universe would decide for me. And every time, it did.

I pursued them all, simultaneously and sleeplessly, and figured the universe would decide for me. And every time, it did.

That's when I began to grasp that whatever I focused on with action and intention would deliver a response. Never what I thought it would be, and usually bigger and better than I'd even known to imagine. (And I'm a youngest child, so the imagined version already was ludicrous.) When I first started sharing my career story as a speaker, people would say that my trajectory was unique, or I was lucky, or I probably hadn't experienced the pushback others faced. And that certainly wasn't the case. I had primarily experienced resistance and friction, particularly in entertainment. Every job, from my first fellowship until I sold my first show and beyond, was filled with people actively opposing my presence and role, along with a few amazing champions who impacted the course of my career. I leaned into the latter! Later, when people would ask, "Did you prove your detractors wrong?," I would say, "No. I never tried." Because what you focus on ignites, and focusing on people's negative reactions to you predictably delivers negative outcomes. Instead, I would speak up then focus on a vision for myself in, and after, this experience. Then I would learn what next steps were required and make the choices to get myself there.

You're wondering where the quote is. It's coming. I'm sharing all of this first because I didn't change my behavior after I read the quote. I read the quote years into my professional life, and it finally explained why my behavior had delivered so much reward. I'd never taken a job solely for the paycheck and never taken myself out of consideration for a "reach" position or experience. That's not because I didn't many times need a paycheck, and quickly! Or that I didn't have to push hard for a big opportunity when someone couldn't see the "me" in me that I saw.

Instead, for each "what's next?" moment, I opened with the biggest possible vision I had for myself and pursued that. Why? Because I understood that it was just as much work to pursue an opportunity I didn't want as it was to pursue one I deeply, definitely did. And as I say in presentations, if it's the same amount of work, then it isn't the work that's keeping you from turning your dreams into firm decisions and excellent outcomes.

I understood that it was just as much work to pursue an opportunity I didn't want as it was to pursue one I deeply, definitely did.

Then, one day, I read a quote online that made me yelp out loud at my screen. It was such a stunning, searing truth. I called my (middle!) sister to read it to her. I turned it into multiple graphic designs. I shared it with everyone who would hear me. And now, finally, let me share it with you:

We are kept from our goals not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal.

— Robert Gault

Again.

We are kept from our goals not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal.

— Robert Gault

Think right now on a vision for your day, your year, your life that you are not actively pursuing. That you make no time for because you have allocated all available hours and energy to that thing that is or is going to pay the bills. Your vision can pay the bills, too. Not in its "vision" form, but in its "strategic" form, in the moment after you decide it is what is going to pay your bills. Then you begin to take the steps and learn the things and meet the people and pursue the roles that will make that vision a reality.

Or you will not. You will see that clear path to a "surer" thing. A thing that, in reality, you have invested enormous time in and is not delivering for you yet. And you will pour more into that thing you don't want, that doesn't appear to want you either, not because of obstacles, but because of clarity. You will do it because you know how to do it, or who can help you do it, or some other thing that you think reduces the chance of failure or losing your place or your kids not eating.

And there it is. That thing you're really focusing on, that's really igniting: What could go wrong. What you could lose. What you don't or won't have.

So I will amend and extend the magical quote that put my wild ride into such sharp focus for me: "We are kept from our goals not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal...and by following that lesser path, we focus on scarcity rather than abundance. And that is, inevitably, what we create for ourselves."

By following that lesser path, we focus on scarcity rather than abundance. And that is, inevitably, what we create for ourselves.

Clearly, I write — and lived! — all of this from the relatively fearless perspective of a youngest child who was never held responsible for the meals, laundry, and literal lives of her siblings, never had a curfew, never had to overcome a parent's hyper-protectiveness of their first few kids. But it wasn't the circumstance of birth order that made my particular experiences possible. It was the mindset that came with it. So while none of us can change our relative roles amongst our siblings, all of us...ALL of us...can change — can set — our minds to a new perception of our own possibility and agency.

As ever, I say, begin.

These Two Short Words Will Change Your Career — No Matter What Level You're At.

If you want to:

Make this commitment right now, today:

Make your first response to a Yes or No question: "Yes" or "No."

Literally.

When the person you asked to read your script says, "Are you repped?," you aren't, and you may want to say, "It's really hard to get an agent when you can't even get people to read your script. Hollywood has so many gatekeepers." When they then decline to read you, that's further proof to you of how impossible it is to get to the next level of your creative career.

Instead, just reply, "No." And stand by for why they ask. Or politely include, "Why do you ask?" If, in fact, they don't read repped writers, they may ask you to sign a waiver. Or they may recommend a reader or competition they trust. Or they may say sorry and wish you well. Doesn't all of that seem simple when you read it? And incredibly quick? On to your next request - with this relationship still intact for when you are repped.

When your boss asks you if you were in the office at 9 a.m. yesterday, and as a manager, you're always the first one in, you may long to say "I'm here at 9 every day!" Because you know what they really mean is "You're an unnoticeable or ineffective team member." The shift in your boss's tone then further confirms your sense of how underappreciated you are in your role.

When your boss asks you if you were in the office at 9 a.m. yesterday, as a manager, you may long to say "I'm here at 9 every day!"

Instead, reply, "No." And wait for the follow up. Years ago, when I was the boss in this conversation, my planned next question was, "Do you know anyone who was? I got a message my package was left with someone, but I can't read the signature." But we didn't get there immediately because my team member came back with that surprising response. I knew we needed to pause right then to connect so I could clearly state how hard-working and conscientious I believed them to be...and so they could relax some of the guard they'd put up after a series of horrible bosses (as I learned in that chat).

Leaders, the same approach builds team trust and wipes out a lot of unnecessary confusion. The answer to "Can we set time to talk about a raise or promotion?" is not "Well, we're looking at a pretty tight budget this year." It's "yes." That's right. "No" is off the table. Their question wasn't "Will you give me a raise or promotion?," even if that's the goal. The question was "Will you talk to me about it?" Answer the question that is asked. And as a leader, strive to over index on the "Yes" side.

For the rest of your day today, practice saying a simple (not a defensive or hesitant or snarky) "Yes" or "No" in response to a Yes or No question. Then breathe. Don't fill in any blanks for the person who's talking to you based on: 1) what happened in the past (with them or with others) or; 2) what might happen in the future (based on this conversation or others). Stay right in the moment and allow the present to unfold before you. Be open to the unknown neutral, or even beautiful, possibilities on the other side of your simple answer. Then be confident that you have both the brilliance and the boundaries to calmly navigate whatever follows after you reply.

Be open to the unknown neutral, or even beautiful, possibilities on the other side of your simple answer.

Will you give it a try?

☐ Yes

☐ No

☐ Why do you think I won't give it a try?

Why your script's first page has to be the last page you write. (Trust me.)

You've done it. You've fleshed out realistic, compelling characters with conflict-driving dynamics, you've beat out and outlined a solid story based on that work, and your treatment urges the reader forward, eager to know where the protagonist is headed. (It even propels you forward, and you already know what happens! Or so you think...)

You've just opened your screenwriting software and confidently typed up your title page. It's time, at last, for page one. One of two things is about to happen, and there's a fix for both:

You confidently fill page one with paragraphs of descriptive text and audio and visual references, believing you are providing critical context to the reader before your story begins.

When you're in "Unbridled 'World-Building'" mode, this is what you see:

And, gently, this...is what your reader sees:

Of course, when you're in blank page syndrome, no one's seeing anything. Even a tumbleweed rolling across the page would be welcome. Maybe you could make it a Western!

Breathe in, breathe out. The answer to both dilemmas is simple. You never start writing your script on page 1. You actually start writing your script on what will become page 3 or 4 (or 5 — we see you, genre, fantasy and period pieces). If you've enjoyed exercising your craft to get here, you have a clear storyline that's ready for the page. That's what you'll begin writing. And, as you know, once you type that first character's name, they're going to take over. They're going to sound like they want to sound, thanks very much. They're going to spar with the antagonist in a surprisingly different...unexpected...wait, are they flirting with each other? Anyway, they're going to snatch the keyboard away from you and bring you along for their ride.

You never start writing your script on page 1. You actually start writing your script on what will become page 3 or 4.

Congratulations! You've entered pure creative, channeling mode.

If you haven't entered script stage with strong character and story development already in place, this may still happen, but it won't make the remaining pages any better than the first one that you're struggling with. Shut down your screenwriting software and do the preparatory work that will make this part easier and delightful and sometimes fascinating and often, honestly, still terrifying. Let's just focus on the "easier" piece and call it a win.

The time to write your real page one, and the rest of your 1-4 page Set Up, is after you've typed the very last word of your script, stepped away, revisited a few times and adjusted, and shared with a trusted reader. Is the character consistent on the page? Do they arc in the course of the story? Is there a single theme? Do the relationships evolve; does the tension keep escalating? Do you care what happens and feel driven to find out what does?

Once all those answers are yes, it's time to, literally, start your script. And now you have the building blocks you need for a memorable and effective set up, one that clearly establishes your main character's core, governing trait and why it works for them in their current world. You absolutely cannot know that until you finish the script. Believe me! Your characters will take on lives on their own. Let them. Then capture that lightning in a single moment that helps us understand why they are accepting of their "old world," no matter how awful it may be, and why, as a result, they are going to reject the "new world" that's about to be sprung on them in a few pages. As I write in "Write It, Pitch It, Sell Your Screenplay":

"The Set-Up establishes the normal existence and expectations of your Main Character.  But not every minute and action and person in every typical day! Just the specific values and relationships necessary to give meaning to the upcoming Unexpected Change." — DMA Anderson

If you save the Set Up for last, you will find yourself facing a wide world of possibilities again, but this time, they come with a clear, filtering purpose: prepping your protagonist and the reader for the ride ahead. And this time, it's based on establishing your character to center your story in their change, rather than establishing the physical environment to center your reader in the location. Stop trying to prepare your reader for the entire story, and switch to preparing your reader solely for the Unexpected Change. What do they need to know in order to understand and care when the Main Character says no? That's what makes them want to know how you're going to organically force your protag reluctantly into that journey anyway. (And not because someone is going to die and grant them an inheritance if they say yes. Remove that beat!)

Stop trying to prepare your reader for the entire story, and switch to preparing your reader solely for the Unexpected Change. What do they need to know in order to understand and care when the Main Character says no?

Of course, there's a third possibility as you face that blank screen: you've done all your foundational work, you know exactly how you want to kick off the story, and you're ready — and prepared! — to begin. Still wait. Let your characters have their day and their say and their way with what will soon become their words. You may end up using the same Set Up at the end; you may come up with several more. But you'll have all the insights you need to make an impactful choice that draws a delightful, indelible line from Fade In to Fade Out.

Now take a moment to revisit that title page. Are you suuuure that's the best name for your script?