The Categories Of Your Life
The Value of Categories
In the right side column is supposed to be a list of topic categories, similar to an index, to allow readers to find all the articles on that topic. My list includes:
Personal and Professional Development
Supervision and Management
Safety and Security Planning
Life and Work
Assessment Centers and Interviews
Service to Customers, Clients and Coworkers
Training and Technology
Food, Fitness and Fun
I never realized the importance of that list until it disappeared. (It’s a code problem and will be fixed soon–it may be fixed by the time you read this.) Not having it reminded me that, like you, I have several areas of interest, knowledge and skills and each of those may appeal to different people for different reasons–or some people may find none of them appealing.
Yesterday a church leader told me he had looked for church security material on this site, but only found the article on this first page and didn’t realize there was anything more. (The Category column would have directed him to several articles.) A couple of days ago I recieved an email from a police sergeant who wanted to know how to find something on Assessment Centers in all the articles on the site. Categories would have certainly benefited that reader. The thing that has concerned me most is that without a category list a reader would not know the range of information he or she could find here. They might look at the six most recent articles shown on the home page and not realize there is information on other topics available.
The categories of your personal and professional life. How many categories do you have in the list for your life? If someone really gets to know you, how many interests would that person find? At work, in how many categories do you have expertise? Do you think it’s preferable to have a narrow focus, but with tremendous expertise, or a wide range of interests with a smattering of knowledge about each, or a mix?
Is it time to change your Category list? Make a list of the categories of thoughts, activities and interests that comprise your life. Are there some of them you should remove? Are there some you can combine with others? Are there some you’d like to add? Have you ever changed your life so much that many of the categories changed too?
I’m thinking about those things as I wait for the Category list on this site to return. The next list may look different than the last one.
I noticed the Categories were missing last week when I was reading here and wondered why you took them away. Now I know, huh? I can tell you the category I took away last summer and it has made a big difference in my life. I took away the category of “Girlfriends.” I added the category of “Marriage and Baby.” 🙂
Comment by Mike | June 24, 2009
The Categories are back now, but I think they are the same. I’ll be looking to see what you add or take away. I have read the post about Jennie at least a dozen times. I love it!
Comment by denisek | June 24, 2009
How could you say someone might not find any of your topics appealing? I vote for all of them! I’m trying to make up for the last comment I sent, that you knocked me down for!
This might sound funny but it’s serious…I used to have categories for carpentry and house remodeling. I replaced those with books and carving. The older I get the more I end up sitting to do everything.
Comment by Wiseacre | June 25, 2009
Hi! I didn’t get to hear you speak at the Ascent Conference at New Life Church, but I heard you were awesome. Could I get the material you distributed there?
Obviously living for Christ is the primary category of my life, but I find I can serve Him better when I develop myself as a whole person. I have added and taken away many categories of interests and activities in my life and have learned something from all of them.
Thank you again for your work.
Comment by Shawn | June 25, 2009