Thankful

Now would probably be a good month to write about thankfulness ;)

despite my complete abandonment of this blog, life has been...well, awesome. There are many reasons to thank our God.

Parenting

Getting into this will be interesting! We are due Christmas Eve. (hoping for earlier) with a little girl :) :) :) (interestingly enough, we were both hoping for one)

I  am assuming this is probably abnormal, (?) but I have pretty much zero fear or anxiety about stepping into this role- almost as if this is exactly what is supposed to be happening in my life. I felt the same way about marriage beforehand. I think part of the reasoning is the amount of examples of both successful marriages, and parents in my life.

We are immensely blessed to have parents who have been where we are, and give sound advice! It always excites me to look at how God has fit the pieces together in mine and Jen's life, to put us in a place where He is glorified, and we are provided for. Looking forward to 12/24/13.

Church

Church has been  one of the biggest blessings in our life. This year in particular has been very geared (for myself) towards bending my everyday rhythms towards God, incorporating Him into all that I do- A big part of this is being accomplished through Huddle, and while I am not (at all) the biggest fan of meeting at 6:30 am on a Wednesday, every single time has been worth it- as it is encouraging me to seek after God more and more.



There are a few other things going on, but overall I am excited to be apart of a community that is both unwavering on God's word AND boldly loving people the way Christ instructs us to do.<------- This, is a very hard balance to strike in a lot of churches I have noticed. Something I don't think can be done apart from Him- very excited (and thankful) to see this take place on a regular basis!
 




Work

Oh work....The many things I would like to write about and can't ;) BUT, this year has been awesome. I have instituted a lot of change over here at Genesis. This year, probably more so than any other, is less about learning my role- and more about just flat out improving fundamental office/company practices.

I am indefinitely thankful of where I am in career- seriously love what I do.

Finances

I include this section because things really did change at the beginning of the year. I think God got a hold of these and urged a change in direction.

Back at the end of October- we started attending FPU (and are currently attending through December) and love it. We have a fantastic coordinator! ;) Long description short, it covers a lot of money topics. (insurance, investing, emergency funds)

It has been a long year of financial reworking, but the progress has been AWESOME. This year, I have really taken a passionate interest in money- and especially what God has to say about stewardship in general...I have much (MUCH) to learn, but know more than I ever did..So, very thankful for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How I Work

My days at work are very interesting. Dabbling in AP/AR, IT, HR, Accounting, Financial planning, Crisis handling, Problem solving, Equipment delivering, and much more. A lot tends to happen in my day and this is a sort of blog that spells it out. (Look familiar? Format from Lifehacker.com How-I-Work series.)



Name: Sean Coleman
Occupation: Jack-of-all-trades for Genesis Fiber Optics.
Location: Portsmouth, VA
Current mobile device: iPhone 5
Current computer: Dell Desktop running 2 SSD's- Windows 7
I work: Joyfully

What apps/software/tools can't you live without?

Quickbooks online is an amazing program. Completely cloud based, not a day goes by without heavy usage of it. I am discovering new uses for it on a very regular basis as well.

I use Evernote to cut down on as much paper as possible. Almost all mail is scanned, put into Evernote, then shredded. I love having the digital database to search through as well, as opposed to having to sift through a filing cabinet.

I use Lastpass on a daily basis for filling out MANY forms. Fantastic program.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?

The iPad has essentially replaced my computer at this point. Since most of my tools are in the cloud, I can do a lot of things from it.

What's your workspace like?

Somewhat messy- but a structured mess. Just about every item on my desk is a physical to-do list, reminding me that in order to clean it, I have to attend to what it refers to. I tend to shy away from open windows, and personal things on the desk. When i am working, I am definitely in this type of "zone" or other-world mindset where I am completely focused on the task at hand- this has been brought to my attention as being "odd"- I do have a few books (Bible, Case for Christ, Case for Faith) and video game cases though!

What do you listen to while you work?

Depends on the type of work I'm doing. Most of the time I enjoy working in complete silence, but if it's a type of data-entry or not very thought intensive- I'll throw on a Spotify playlist, or a Podcast.

  

What's your best time-saving trick/life hack?

Reminders reminders reminders- my whole life is based on them. I love putting something on some sort of reminder basis, and moving immediately to the next task. between that and intense note taking- it's how I get through the tasks of a lot of days.

As noted in the picture above, i tend to leave important things on or around doors as to not forget them when leaving. This has not always worked...

What's your favorite to-do list manager?

I use multiple! Sticky notes for things that have to eventually get done, email, paper on desk, Outlook calendar, and my favorite- Siri/Iphone. It's on me all the time- so it will always remind me when that all important task needs to be done.

What's your sleep routine like?

Most of the time I am to bed at 10-10:30pm- up at 7:30-8. Oddly enough I am still capable of the occasional 3am video game binge every once in a while.  

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else? What's your secret?

I would say not ever forgetting a task. It immediately goes into some sort of system designed for me to remember it later, if it is not done right then. Oh, and driving. I'm an excellent driver, but some talents are just God given ;)

 

What's the best advice you've ever received?

"It's ok to make mistakes. Learn from them and try not to repeat" -Dad

"Break down the seemingly giant mountain into smaller, scalable hills."-Dad

"Every time you avoid getting into a useless argument with a hater online, an angel gets a snowboard"- Jon Acuff

"We don't have to serve God, we get to serve God. Grace is a gift. Through grace, we get to serve God. For His glory, we serve."- Pete Berlin

 I would love to hear your responses to these questions!