# Keep a Journal, Don't worry about wearing pants
*Published: 2013-09-17*
*Tags: coaching*
*Source: https://chrislema.com/dont-worry-about-wearing-pants*
---For a year I spoke across the country, at [**various WordCamps**](https://wordpress.tv/2013/03/17/chris-lema-success-in-distributed-contexts/), talking about the need to put on a shirt. My focus was on virtual teams.

I introduced my concept of [**#donedone**](https://chrislema.com/what-is-done-done/) while sharing with developers and designers, and those who manage them, how to work best in a distributed environment.

I even wrote about [**virtual teams**](https://chrislema.com/books/). And about creating a [**Done Done culture**](https://chrislema.com/books/).

But you know what I never did? I never wrote a best-selling book and stuck a pair of underwear on the cover. Genius! And clearly, that was my mistake. That, and of course, I can't tell stories nearly as well as Scott Berkun can.

If you don't know Scott, he wrote on another favorite topic of mine: [**execution**](https://wordpress.tv/2013/03/27/chris-lema-execution/). His book, [**Making Things Happen**](http://www.amazon.com/Making-Things-Happen-Mastering-Management/dp/0596517718/?tag=chrlemsit-20), is required reading for my distributed teams - and they all received it a few years ago as their Christmas gift.

So given that he's written about things I love - you can imagine that when his most recent book came out (I pre-ordered mine), I was on it. In fact, I've read it twice in two days. And here, in a quick summary, is why I loved it.

> *Even if you didn't know who Scott was (which I did), or what WordPress is (which I do), this book would still be a must read.*
> 
> *First and foremost, it's an entertaining read that draws you in and keeps you hooked. If it takes you more than two or three sittings, I'll be impressed.*
> 
> *Second, regardless of whether you're wearing pants or not, it's a fantastic look into how a distributed culture is created. That's worth the price of the book alone.*
> 
> *Lastly, every chapter has a key, important observation about work, life, and culture. It's worth a second read just to capture those - because they're so easily skipped as you read an entertaining story. But they're there.*
> 
> *Like I said, a must read.*

I left that review just now over at Amazon, where you can get your own copy: [**The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work**](http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Without-Pants-WordPress-com/dp/1118660633/?tag=chrlemsit-20)

Do me a favor - go pick up a copy. It's a better read than I could write and yet I'd want you to know everything that's in there. I'd tell you what to look for but in two readings I found different things interesting.

The one thing I will say, which won't spoil anything, is that I realized, in reading it the second time, how valuable it was for Scott to keep a journal. It allowed him to tell a fantastic story with tons of details (not just facts but fears and worries) that I don't think would have been possible without a journal.

*So keep a journal - even if you're not wearing pants.*

And check out the book, come back, and tell me how you liked it.