With two kids under two, we don’t always have a free hand. This paternity leave, I’ve found a new friend in voice technology.

Not too terribly long ago, I ran across this marketing campaign for Wente Vineyards. I had never heard of Wente but learned that they are the oldest continuously operated family winery in the country. Pretty cool, right? Well, they're recent #MakeTime campaign seemed pretty cool too. At least at first.

Ford James Hawkins joined us on Wednesday July 25, 2018, weighing in at 7 pounds 5 ounces. The delivery went smooth and both baby and momma are back home and doing really well!

Unless you are backed up against a wall with a client deadline, maybe take a step away from the grind. Don't zone out. Find something else productive to do. Work another part of your brain. You may find that you get more done when you get back to the grind. 

This wasn't mind blowing. It's super simple. That said, I'm a firm believer that the most simple details can have profound results. 

A few months back I mentioned starting to use Exist, a dashboard for tracking different areas of my life. Their tips were to give it about 60-90 days before you really start being able to track interesting correlations. What did I learn about myself? A quick recap of what I used to track:

A really dark video…but drives home a powerful message.

You were the best mommy, even before you officially had the title.

In my opinion, respecting people's data and boundaries is just good marketing. It's a more efficient use of a marketer's time and makes fewer people mad along the way.

We feel busy. We feel overwhelmed. We may feel an obligation to everyone. However, I think we have more control over our schedules than we think we do.