Today was one of those rare moments where the work you do in quiet rooms suddenly gets a very public spotlight. The Psychology of Technology just received the 2025 Best Indie Book Award in Non Fiction: Psychology from the BiBA organization. Writing this book was basically an 18-month experiment in stitched-together research, case studies, and too many late nights spent asking why humans build systems that overwhelm them and then wonder why everyone is stressed. Seeing it recognized in a field full of incredible thinkers is something I am genuinely grateful for. If anything, this award reinforces the core idea behind the book. Technology is never just a tool. It shapes how we think, how we decide, how we connect, and how we lead. When we understand the psychology underneath the systems we build, we design workplaces and products that work with human behavior instead of against it. Thank you to the Best Indie Book Awards team for the honor, and thank you to everyone who has supported this project from day one. My cats claim full credit, but that was expected. If you want to see the review and listing, it is here: https://lnkd.in/gxJUDgiQ

🎶 Happy Wednesday — and a quick reminder that sometimes a little humor is the best way to level the playing field. Back when the world was told to “hold on to what we’ve got,” nobody guessed a few decades later it’d be a Project Manager holding the risk log and a lukewarm coffee. Genia still pours the coffee, Johnny still fights the timeline — and together they remind us that heart and hustle still beat scope creep every time. Featured Tracks: 1️⃣ Genia’s Grind (Latte Mix) 2️⃣ Baseline Blues 3️⃣ Change Request Rhapsody 4️⃣ Risk Register of Love 5️⃣ Halfway There (Acoustic Version) So when your roadmap’s on fire but the coffee’s strong — crank this up. A power ballad for every PM who’s ever battled scope creep, missing stakeholders, and Monday stand-ups that should’ve been an email. NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! 🎤

Have you seen the new album from PMP? 🔥Their hit single “Don’t Go Planning Waterfalls” is stuck in my head! Other tracks on the album include “No Scope Creep” and “Unprioritized Backlog (Don’t Want None).” The B-side? “Gantt Chart My Heart” featuring a killer bassline and way too many dependencies. Alright, satire aside for a second. Most projects don’t fail because of bad planning. They fail because someone greenlit a waterfall when the budget covered a drinking fountain. The PMs who actually deliver? They’re the ones willing to have the uncomfortable conversation early. Not the ones who smile, nod, and quietly update their resumes when the timeline gets cut in half. Scope discipline isn’t about killing dreams. It’s about building something that actually works instead of drowning in commitments nobody could meet. So stick to the MVPs and the timelines you’re used to. Your team will thank you for it and make sure to add this to your next status meeting playlist.

Today I explore a highly personal topic, work-life balance around high pressure projects. The balance isn't about equal time division, but creating meaningful boundaries that allow for recovery and prevent your burnout. High-pressure projects demand long hours, but burnout doesn’t come from effort; it comes from never disconnecting. When I work teams, I remind them: the a pause must be part of the plan. Reflection, rest, and small resets keep clarity sharp when the noise gets loud. We don’t manage balance by accident, we build it into the system. #ProjectManagement #Leadership #WorkLifeBalance #PMO #TeamCulture #ChaosNavigation Edit: Typo (Thanks Ben Custer)

Emotional contagion in teams isn’t theory it’s the hidden KPI most leaders ignore. We all talk about communication, alignment, and execution. But none of those stick when the emotional tone is off. You can teach skills. You can document process. But teams don’t respond to documentation; they respond to energy. So before you fix the workflow, check the temperature. What do you think? Have you been Subconsciously led down an emotional path?