All I could do was laugh at myself. Laugh at the situation.

There were too many ironic things about it: the fuss I had made about everyone figuring out their tech issues beforehand, the fact that my laptop decided to die literally fifteen minutes before the Huddle was to begin, and finally, the fact that this was my first workshop — the beginning of my career as a speaker — and I had planned out a ten minute speech on fear.

One of my points involved addressing your “worst case scenario” and asking yourself what you would do to remedy the situation if this did happen.

Well, what I experienced tonight was pretty much the absolute worst scenario I’d defined in my mind. And you know what? I survived. In fact, now that it’s over and I lived through it, I feel a lot better about hosting these Huddles.

This is why we should all strive to fail from time to time. Once you fail, you see that it’s not so bad, which makes it that much easier to get back up and try again. Screw perfection. It’s too late for that.

I’d like to thank the Huddle participants for being so understanding, and for jumping in the Puttytribe chat room instead. Our rescheduled Huddle will be awesome, I promise!

I’d also like to thank my fantastic new roommate (who doesn’t yet read my blog) for calming me down, lending me her own nearly-dead computer, and rushing me off to my orchestra rehearsal afterward so that I wouldn’t be late.

I think the most ironic thing about all this, is that today’s post was supposed to be about how great last night’s Huddle was. I was then going to invite you to jump in on the next one.

Well you know what? I still am.

That’s right, we’re doubling down. The worst case scenario already happened, and I really needed a new laptop anyway.

And so with that, I invite you to join us for the Productivity Huddle on January 31.

The Productivity Huddle

When I was trying to figure out what topics to address in these Huddles, I sent out an email asking you about your biggest multipotentialite struggles. Now, I’ve always known that productivity was a big issue for scanners, but I had no idea just how many responses I would get specifically about the F-word: “focus”!

So here it is, us multipods struggle with knowing which projects to choose among all our interests, delegating time between our multiple projects, fighting off resistance, managing distractions and other ADD-esque symptoms, fitting our projects into our busy schedules, and knowing when we’ve finished a project versus when it’s only resistance/fear.

Sound familiar?

Well, in this next Huddle, we’re going to address the issue head on. I enlisted the help of my favourite productivity expert, Michelle Nickolaisen, who will be co-hosting with me. Michelle has a super unconventional (and scanner-friendly) take on productivity, so I’m really excited that she agreed to join us.

This is a Brainstorm, not a Lecture

This isn’t class or group coaching. It’s a collaborative process where we’re going to smoosh our heads together and our only goal will be to provide support and resources to each person in the group.

While we’ve all got our productivity issues, we also all know more than we think (plus it’s almost always easier to help someone else with their problems, than see the solutions to our own). Lets join forces and see if we can’t battle some of these F-word problems together.

The Cost? Free

Yup. The only catch (and it really is a benefit) is that you’ll become a founding member of the Puttytribe. This means you’ll get free, early access to the PT, which is the membership site we’re building. The beta version of the community is up and running, but we need some enthusiastic puttypeep to get the discussion going.

Before the Huddle, you’ll each write about your productivity struggles in the forums. This will give us a chance to get to know each other and make the brainstorm as fruitful as possible. The Puttytribe will also remain open to you once the Huddle has ended. That way, if you like, you can continue the discussion and keep providing each other with that support and accountability that is so vital.

The Details

The Productivity Huddle will take place on Tuesday, January 31 at 2:00pm PST/5:00pm EST.

You will need the following:

• A webcam
• A microphone
• A Google+ account (which you can get for free here)
• A decent internet connection and a quiet place from which to “huddle”
• A positive attitude

Important Point #1: Tech Problems

Oh crap, here we go… I’ll send you all the technical instructions. Just do your best to test things out beforehand okay? Heh.

Important Point #2: Commitment

Since it’s going to be a very small group and the success of the brainstorm depends on everyone being there, please do not apply if you’re not serious about showing up.

Trust me, we’ll notice if you’re not there.

If You Don’t Get in, Don’t Worry

Spots are very limited for these G+ Hangouts. The small size of the group is what makes the format so much fun. However, it obviously also means that we won’t be able to fit in everybody who applies.

The good news is that we’re planning on running a few more Huddles in February, so if you don’t get picked for this one you’ll still have a chance to jump in on another.

How Participants will be Chosen

This time around I will not be choosing based on first come, first serve. I’ll be looking at quality (hint: one sentence responses don’t usually get picked, but five paragraphs are annoying to read through. Be detailed, but concise please). I’ll also be trying to ensure that there’s a diverse mix of goals in the group.

Priority will go to those of you who have not already participated in a Huddle. I’d like to get as many different voices in the Puttytribe as possible.

While this isn’t first come, first serve, it is still time sensitive. Registration closes on Sunday, Jan 22 at midnight.

Apply

All set and ready to go? Here’s the sign up form:

Name:

Email:

What is your biggest productivity challenge as a multipotentialite?

I am committed to showing up on Jan 31 at 2:00pm PDT.

Ask any questions you have in the comments, also feel free to share your own stories of experimentation and failure.