I must not check my email every five minutes

Hugh MacLeod is a very tallented cartoonist and commentator on life.

Today's featured toon hits those who constantly check and recheck their inbox.

The Mad Unsubscriber

I have been madly unsubscribing from newsletters lately. In the past I was, well, promiscuous in signing up. Now, for the most part, I can not be bothered.

I use RSS feeders for the people I really want to follow. I looked at the time spent looking at all the ads and newsletters and realized it was more for the sender's benefit than mine.

More time saved.

Sending Files

I am finding that having a place online to store documents is quite valuable and a time saver.

I'm using SendSpace.com. I can upload files then tell people where they are so they can grab them.

I use it for videos, teleseminars, and large files of client data that I need to get to insurance agents. Much easier than sending the docs as email attachements when there are multiple docs that add up to 50MB or so.

There are certainly other services like this. SendSpace.com is working well for me.

(I have no financial interest in this company. They are just doing good work.)

Dumb Stuff

A heavy hitter in the world of marketing (weekly newsletter with a subscriber base of over 30,000) has a website that is almost unreadable because of the back-ground color and font style. There is no information on the site how to call the guy and only a frustrating form on the contact us page.

I well known advertising consultant and I are emailing back and forth. We are trying to set up a phone call. His email has no signature file and his website does not say where he lives - I have no idea if setting up a 9:00 phone call means he has to get up before the sun.

The above is friction in business relationships. Ask any engineer, car buff, relative, or lover - friction is always bad.

Add A Signature File!!!

Three time today I have had to call someone who emailed me and they didn't have a signature file on their email!!!!!!!

Every email you send in business should have your phone number and address at the bottom. All email programs allow signature files. If you dont know how to add one ask you IT people or a 12 year old.

The Magic Time-Saving Box

A slender boy of 14 moves slowly across the room. His full head of long red hair bounces as he walks. His mind is racing. He sits at the oak table near the window of the vast room.

On the table is a box; a box that glows with flashing lights and a screen. Printed on the screen is less than 100 words. At the top of the box is a single word printed in a playful font. Under the word is another box ready for the boy's command.

The boy smiles as he realizes that before him is all the knowledge of the world. Sitting before him is almost every idea and thought that mankind has ever put onto paper, stone, papyrus, film, video, or in bytes.

He is about to use Google.
Read the whole article here.

I'm on the hot seat!

Seth Kahan and I are active members of a consulting community founded and run by Alan Weiss.

Several months ago he started a project of interviewing some of us.

Here is the recording of his interview with me.

We talk about my practice, how I started, some of the tools I have used, and some of my breakthroughs that have helped me succeed.

Are You Next Weak?

In my insurance consulting work, I have been building a new approach to the insurance renewal process. Part of that is a review of what insurance buyers think of when they are deciding to change agents. One idea I came up with is that business leaders have, on some level, a fear of the future. Actually, we all do.

Stay with me, though.

I started looking for what this was called - a phobia with a fancy, sexy name.

Turns out there is no such a word. The fear of failure is without its own word.

I started asking around, and posted on an Internet forum I frequent. Alan Weiss threw down, "Next Weak."

It doesn't work for me in the above concept. However, I have long thought that one of my strengths was the fact that whatever I was doing, I would look out and say, "What's next?"

From Alan's jab I drew the idea that many people are, in fact, next weak.

Being ready for what's coming at you is valuable.

Looking down the road and asking what could come next is equally important.

Being in the now is fine. If you are not ready for what is coming ahead, your chances of getting your doors blown off are pretty good.

Look at where you are, and ask, "What's next?"

While you are congratulating yourself on today's success, ask, "What's next?"

If things are not going well, stand up and ask, "What's next?

Do not wait for next week for the prevention of being next weak.

TimeWise Twitter Posts

I have a spreadsheet in Google Docs where I can sit and write out a bunch of tweets in a single sitting.

My proofreader (AKA Daughter #1) goes into my twitter account every day and posts one of the items - while correcting my typos.

She is also pulling stuff from my books for blog posts.

www.ChristineSimmonds.com

Reduction of labor intensity achieved.

Tracking Projects / Write it Down

I have mentioned before that I use RememberTheMilk.com as my way to track projects, tasks, and the minucia of my life.  The only weakness I have found in the system is the notes section.  It is way too small and does not auto-save.

They did recently add a field that helps me to overcome the weaknesses - a place for URLs.  Now on bigger tasks and projects I use a Google Doc, linking RTM and the Doc by use of the URL field.

Writing down every action on a project allows me to be sure I am not missing something.  It also allows me to go back to see what has already been done so I don't double up on actions.