Julie Wright of (W)right On Communications posted a comment on my blog yesterday: “This is a great post, but I’m clamoring for a follow up post on the need for a 28-hour day. What do you say?” I say, I’ll take your challenge, Julie Wright! And thanks for the idea! As summer quickly flies away, and the world around us slips out of sleepy summer mode into the normal post-Labour Day madness, we’re all thinking about ways we can maximize our time and minimize our stress and exhaustion. Each year, we say to ourselves “This year will be different. There will be no more morning rushing around, no more late nights replying to emails, no more traffic, no more sleepless nights.” Over the past few years, I’ve been working hard at streamlining my life to the point where I really do feel like I’m living a 28-hour day. I am more productive in my personal and professional life than ever before, and here is some of what I’ve learned. Get Help The single most life-altering thing I’ve done in the past year is hire a cleaning lady. I love to have a clean house, but I hate cleaning. Having a dirty house stresses me out. I will sit and worry and fester that the bathtub needs to be cleaned. We also have four pets, which means that every week there is at least one other pet’s-worth of fur lying around the floor and furniture. I really don’t want to have to spend any time cleaning. So I outsourced it. It has changed my life, and I am telling you, it is worth every penny. So give up the daily latte, and get yourself someone to clean your place. Set Daily Goals Every morning, I spend an extra 5 minutes in bed. It’s an investment in my day. You see, when I first wake up, my mind is at the clearest it will be all day. So it’s the perfect time to set my goals. I lie there, stare at the ceiling, and make my mental checklist of everything I need to get accomplished that day. Then I prioritize. Anything that’s lower on the list, if it doesn’t get done today, can wait till tomorrow. If you choose, you can write stuff down in a notebook, but I like to do it this way because it helps me to get straight in my mind first. Then I can go down to my office and write lists till my heart’s content. Think of this morning goal setting session as a sort of meditation. It’s not a time to worry about everything that has to be done. It’s a time to set your plan. And it will save you from that scatter-brained feeling we all get when we have too much to do at once. Plan Ahead I have a friend who is a single mom with two young children. Both kids are in pre-school. She has a busy career, social engagements, and a house to run. Keeping the kids organized is key. The thing I see her do that saves the MOST time in her day is this. As SOON as she gets the kids home from school, she gets them settled with some sort of activity, and then unpacks their lunchboxes. But instead of putting them away, she IMMEDIATELY re-packs them for the next day. How brilliant is that! Now, she doesn’t have to even think about the lunches again until tomorrow. She can spend time enjoying her family, and in the morning it’s just grab and go. My point is, a little bit of planning ahead goes a long, long way. Just getting one simple task done ahead of time can save you tremendous amounts of time and grief in the long run. One Thing at a Time I’ve just finished reading Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”. In it, he talks about focusing on only the present moment. The past is gone. The future isn’t here yet. What’s the point in concerning yourself with either? Take your days one thing at a time. Don’t worry about the end result, worry about the process of getting there. Don’t think about all you have to do, think about what you are doing at this very moment. The truth is, we DON’T have 28 hours in a day. But time is really irrelevant. If you ask Tolle, it’s an illusion. And I tend to agree. All you really have is right now. So focus on what you are doing at this moment, and not only will you be in a space that allows you to be open to experience and creativity, you will also enjoy the ride a lot more. photo credit RBerteig from Flickr
The Art of Shameless Self Promotion
I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts and tweets lately about people being averse to “tooting their own horn”. And I’m not sure I really understand the aversion. Ok, I know there are lots of spammers out there. I know there are certain types of people that seem to do nothing but shamelessly self-promote their wares. But I think that they are really in the minority. The blogosphere, the Twitterverse, the Plurk Nation – they are all run by people. People who have something to say. People who want to have conversations, make connections, establish relationships. If we aren’t all out here “tooting”, then what are we doing? When I update my blog, or my Twitter feed, or my Facebook page, am I not, in some way, promoting myself? Even if I am just saying what I’m up to right now, or I’m replying to someone, or commenting…that’s all promotion of myself, my ideas, my sense of humour…what have you. I agree that there are good ways and bad ways to toot your horn. Here are a few things that I’ve learned about what I like to call “The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion”. Admit it. Louis Gray writes about disclosure and transparency on his blog. So does Chris Brogan. It’s pretty essential and important to consider. Sneaky tricks to promote your stuff are just that…sneaky. So, if you are going to shamelessly self promote, at least admit it! I’ve sent emails to colleagues and friends entitled “Shameless Self Promotion”. Even if they delete the email, at least maybe I’ve got their attention for a second and made them snicker. (Note that I said “friends and colleagues”. I don’t recommend sending these kinds of emails to people that you don’t have an existing, pretty solid relationship with. Make sure the people on your list have a sense of humour about this stuff.) Be Subtle. This may seem to be a contradiction to my last point, but it’s not, really. Self Promotion done well is a balance of putting it out there, but doing it in such a way that you are not putting people off. It’s kind of akin to giving someone a gentle tap on the shoulder to get their attention and grabbing them from behind in a giant bear hug. The gentle tapper says “I’m here, if you want see what I’m about”. The bear hugger says “Here I am! Here I am! No, right here! Pay attention to MEEEEE!” See the difference? So go ahead. Self promote, using all your channels, like Twitter, your blog, Facebook, FriendFeed, LinkedIN. Just make sure you aren’t too “in your face” about it. Gauge Yourself. Not sure if you are being too overbearing? Well for starters, if you are, people will let you know pretty quickly. Usually they will just start ignoring you, or blocking themselves from your line of fire. What it comes down to is common sense. Does it make sense to send out an unsolicited email to everyone on your contact list and all your Facebook friends and all your Twitter followers about your latest blog post? Of course not. Does it make sense to do a quick post to Twitter, and maybe a link on your Facebook profile? Sure. Why? Because the latter method is non-intrusive. It gives people a choice if they want to buy in to your self-promoting ways. And if they don’t? So be it. At least you’ve put the word out. The #1 Way to Shamelessly (and subtly) Self Promote I am surprised all the time by the new people that come across my blog. And you know the #1 way people find me? Through comments I make on other people’s blogs. Yup. Not through my Tweets, not through my Facebook, LinkedIN or anything else. I comment on people’s blogs. Probably 5 to 10 a day. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying go out and put inane comments on a bunch of blogs to get your name out there. What I AM saying is go out there and make a contribution to the community. Get involved in the conversation. Express yourself. If you do this with integrity, people will visit you because they are interested in what you have to offer. This is the give and take game of social media. And when you play it right, the rewards will be real and fulfilling. So go ahead – toot your own horn! Photo credit: Fiskfisk on Flickr.
Why It's Important to Keep the Well Full
I spend a lot of my time teaching other people things. I might be teaching my clients how to envision their perfect web or video project, or teaching them about what options and technologies are available to them. I might be teaching (more coaching) staff on projects. This Fall, I’ll be teaching college students the basics of digital audio and video production. Whatever I am teaching, in whatever capacity, it’s a lot of output. I’m spewing forth a ton of information each day, week, and month. I’m not complaining. I love to teach. I get a real kick out of showing someone something new, of helping them to see things in a different way. It’s a real high for me. But the absolute key to being a good teacher is being a good learner. To love teaching, you must love learning. To be able to have the kind of output that teaching requires, you must keep inputting new information all the time. I find that my input/output goes in cycles. I will have cycles when it’s all about output…I’m teaching classes, teaching clients, teaching staff, all at the same time. But then I have times, like right now, when I’m in the learner’s seat. I’m online, learning about new technology. I’m attending things like Podcamp Montreal. I’m attending train the trainer sessions at the College. I’m working on my inner self. This input is critical. I NEED to learn. It is something I crave. If I spend too long on the output, I get tired. It’s almost as if my well of knowledge empties out. I need to fill it back up again before I can continue. I guess that is true about everything in life…you need to empty out once in a while, so you can fill back up – whether it’s knowledge, work/family balance, or technical work/creative work. How do you keep your well full? Photo by szlea, from Flickr.
CBC Radio 2 Gets With the Times
This Fall, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is making what some would call a radical shift in its programming of CBC Radio 2. Traditionally a classical music station Radio 2 has been looking for ways to expand its audience. This new transformation of the programming line up is making a break away from classical music in a large way, and moving towards a more eclectic mix of Canadian pop, folk, rock, as well as World music and jazz. It’s about time. For those of you who may not be from Canada, CBC is our publicly-funded broadcaster. Being publicly funded, of course, means people continuously complain about the content presented on both the TV networks and the radio. But, according to Leslie Smith of CBC’s audience relations department, of all Canadian radio listeners, only 3.2 percent listen to CBC 2. 3.2 percent! If CBC 2 were a commercial station, it would have been off the air a long time ago. So these changes are long overdue and eagerly anticipated by many. Of course, these ‘radical’ changes have the classical music traditionalists in a tizzy. The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (don’t even get me started about these guys) are, of course, opposed to the whole thing. The FCB feels that their precious 3.2 percent of listeners are going to be alienated because the airwaves will be taken over by a bunch of young kids playing weird music all day long. That’s not exactly the case. There will still be much room for classical music, if you look at the new schedule. But from what I can see, there are going to be a lot of really listenable new shows, like the drive time songwriter show with Rich Terfry. And, you classical music types will still have your Tom Allen in the mornings and your Saturday Afternoon at the Opera (while I’m over on CBC 1 listening to DNTO, that is). My point is, if the CBC is going to survive, it has to evolve. And this evolution is the best one I’ve seen in decades. It’s about time that our public broadcaster started to become relevant again. I look forward to the new lineup and to rejuvenating my CBC listening habits. As for the detractors, you can always get your Beethoven fix by tuning into one of the many CBC classical music podcasts while those “young kids” are taking over the airwaves with thier kooky music.
Kids These Days: Can We Really Say They are "Dumb"?
In our local paper yesterday there was an article about Mark Bauerlein’s book “The Dumbest Generation”. Now, I’d like to start off by saying I have not read Mr. Bauerlein’s book. Based on the article, I probably still won’t read it. Mostly because I think it’s a load of crap. The article points to a few quotes from the book. “Something insidious is going on inside their heads.” “Young Americans today are no more learned or skilful than their predecessors, no more knowledgeable, fluent, up-to-date, or inquisitive, except in the materials of youth culture.” “They care so much about the trappings of cool, are are so conversant with pop culture. But they blink uncomprehendingly at the mention of the Reformation, the Second Amendment, Fellow Travelers, or Fellini.” Ummm…Mr. Bauerlein, with all due respect…have you MET the average teenager? Back in the 1980’s, when I was a teenager, cable TV was the big new technological marvel. We now had 24 hour a day movies, 24 hour a day news, 24 hour a day music videos. Music videos were a HUGE distraction for me. All I wanted to do was watch music videos. I didn’t want to do my homework. I didn’t want to read King Lear. Michael Jackson’s new video was coming on. I HAD to see it. I HAD to call my friends and talk to them about it. It didn’t mean I was flunking out of school. I still graduated with honours. But, my priorities were a bit off. Just like every other teenager out there. And guess what. I didn’t end up some dumb, unworldly oaf. I came around. Mr. Bauerlein wants to blame the Digital Age for the dumbing down of children. But his argument can’t hold up. People now have more opportunities to learn than ever before. It’s not that they aren’t consuming the information. They are. They are just doing it differently. Yes, no longer does one have to go to the library, check out 10 books on Fellini, pore through them, and hand-write a 2000 word essay. Nope, they can go to Wikipedia, look up Fellini, and find the basics. Then they can Google Fellini, find a bunch more info. If they really want to get serious, they can use social networking to contact someone who is an expert on Fellini and talk to them. Then they can type up their report in Google Docs, and use the word count tool to know when they have enough. Does that make them dumb? Because they didn’t read a bunch of books? No. In fact, they may actually know MORE about Fellini once they are through with their essay. The fact is, the ability to search for and scan information online makes research more effective. I can Google, scan, pinpoint exactly the most important information, and throw away the irrelevant stuff. Try doing that with a stack of library books (I have – it’s a pain in the butt). This makes me think that kids these days have something on us. They can find anything they need to know at the click of a button. Therefore, is it really necessary to retain it all in your head for all time? Not really. And for the digitally-focused, right-brained generation, it’s not the secret to their success, either. Sure, there will always be a place for the academics of the world. Those people who get their PhD’s, specializing in one subject or another. We need those kinds of thinkers. But we also need the kind of thinkers who can absorb information, and invent new and creative ways to work with that information. And this is what our young people ARE going to be able to do. Just because someone sees the world in a different way doesn’t make them dumb. And this seems to be what Mr. Bauerlein wants us to believe. He significantly underestimates our youth. In my estimation, students who ARE able to disseminate vast amounts of data, be it on their cell phones, Instant messengers, Google searches, iPods, video games, etc, will be in a better place to succeed in what IS going to be important in the future: what author Daniel Pink calls the right brain qualities of inventiveness, empathy, and meaning. What do you think? Is the Digital Age making people “dumb”? Or making them learn smarter?
Why Having a Bad Day is a Good Thing
I had a bad day yesterday. Oh, nothing horrible happened to cause my bad day. I was just not in a good way. I was over-tired, and reeling from a super-busy and stressful week. Physically, I was in pain, because my shoulder is acting up again. And yesterday, it all kind of compounded, leaving me just a little “off”. By 5pm, I was exhausted and grumpy. I shut off the computer, put on my pyjamas and spent the rest of the evening motionless on the sofa. I went to bed at 9 and fell asleep at 9:30. I’m thankful for my bad days. Here’s why: Crash and Burn I have a weak sense of when I’m overdoing it. I always have. I go go go go go until I crash. My “bad days” are my crash. It’s my body, mind and spirit’s way of telling me to take a break. When I was in my early twenties, I didn’t recognize my “crash”. So I just barrelled through it, kept working and playing and stressing. Until I got sick. Had mono that kept me in bed and off work for weeks. Then I got sick again. Had to have an operation. Only at that point, did I realize that not listening to my “crash” had become the “crash and burn”, which takes much longer to recover from. I’ve learned to recognize my crash point. I respect it by taking a break, resting my body and mind and focusing on myself. Moving Forward Everytime I have one of these bad days, my mind overtakes me. My thoughts become irrational and I get highly emotional. I am extra sensitive to everything. My buttons push more easily. But once I’ve had the opportunity to rest, and I’m on the other side of it, I almost always learn something new about myself. I think about the combination of things that have put me in that state of mind in the first place. And I gain a new sense of self-awareness that helps me to avoid letting those same things overtake me in the future. Life is a balancing act. We all need to make sure that we are able to create balance in our lives. But balance is just that. The pendulum swings back and forth – to the extreme of contentment and wellness, and to the extreme of stress and confusion. In each of those spaces resides an opportunity to learn and to move forward. So don’t let the bad days get you down. Accept them for what they are, respect what your body and mind is telling you, and wake up the next day with a new perspective.
The Art of Discomfort
Tim Ferriss can’t swim. Yes, Four-Hour Work Week, World Kickboxing Champ and World Record Holder in the Tango Tim Ferriss, until recently, couldn’t swim. Was actually AFRAID of it. When you read about people like Tim who seem to be incredibly successful at everything they do, it’s a bit of a shocker when you discover that even the most amazingly successful people are not good at everything. We all have weaknesses. We all have things we are either lousy at or afraid to do. Sometimes, when we are working really hard to reach our goals, we are forced to do things we either are no good at or are afraid to try. There are two choices in this situation – either walk away from that which makes you afraid, or just figure out a way to do it, even if it makes you uneasy. Usually, walking away is not an option. So the latter is often the more uncomfortable, but necessary choice. Lots of people are afraid of cold calling and performing in front of crowds. I used to be terrified of both. I am an inherently shy person, and that shy little girl inside me couldn’t BEAR the thought of having to pick up the phone and sell something to a total stranger. That shy little girl would freak OUT at the prospect of having to stand up in front of a bunch of people she doesn’t know and speak, or (Heaven forbid) sing. But, in order for my business to survive, I had to learn to cold call. In order for me to teach, I had to learn how to stand in front of a room full of people and present. 15 years ago, I was really bad at both of these things. The prospect of doing either made me immensely uncomfortable. But, my success was dependent on it. So I did it anyway. The Art of Discomfort is all about embracing that which makes you uncomfortable. Recognize that it freaks you out. Feel the discomfort. Then, take a deep breath, and try it anyway. You’ll do it, possibly make some mistakes, probably even fail the first couple of tries. Feel that feeling of failure, but then try it again. Lather, rinse, repeat until you’ve mastered it. But each time, feel the feeling, learn the lesson, and move on without dwelling. Tim Ferriss, over-achiever, non-swimmer, is now preparing to do a 1 kilometre, open water swim. I regularly cold-call clients and advertisers and succeed at getting new business in the door. And I teach and present and even sing in front of large crowds. Does it still bother me? Well, I admit that sometimes that shy little girl pops her head in and tries to shut me down, but all in all I really enjoy these aspects of my job now. The Art of Discomfort – try it on something that makes you uncomfortable and let me know how it works out! Photo credit: Flying Pete on MorgueFile.
Twitter's Imaginary Cliques
Recently I’ve heard rumblings around the Blogosphere and the Twitterverse that “cliques” are forming on Twitter. Cliques that are intentionally excluding people from conversations, cliques who are self-interested, existing only to promote their latest book or seminar, or just trying to be the most popular. I know the self-interested promoters exist. I unfollow them all the time. But, I have a problem with people throwing around words like “cliques” when it comes to Twitter, and other social networks, and here’s why: 1) Communities are like that. I follow some 700 people. When I decide to spend some time hanging out on Twitter, I probably scan tweets from 50 to 100 people. Of those 50 to 100, I probably follow conversations of about 10. Of those 10, I probably get into conversations with about 3. Typically, I have about 20 or so people I converse with regularly on Twitter. Does that make me cliquey? No. It makes me part of a community. I couldn’t possibly have conversations with everyone I meet on the street in my neighbourhood every day. I simply don’t have the time. So I centre out those people who share common interests, a common sense of humour, etc. And I engage them. I’m not out to exclude anyone, I’m trying to be practical about my interactions. And so are most Twitterfolk. 2) Some of these people are friends. I have several people on Twitter that I consider friends. Many of those friends I have met in person, spent time with. Others I haven’t met yet, but for whatever reason we have connected online. It stands to reason that friends will talk with friends. They are not trying to be exclusive of others, they are just being friends. 3) Jealousy will get you nowhere. It seems that most of the “clique” accusations are aimed at the celeb bloggers. Someone sent a Tweet to Robert Scoble and he didn’t write back right away? Oh, he must be a snob. He must be in a clique. I’m serious, these are the things I’m reading sometimes. Here’s the unique thing about the social media celeb phenomenon. The famous people are part of our community. It’s like we all show up at the same nightclub, and they are in the room with us. But you know what? They are there to have a good time with THEIR friends, too. So if they don’t run over and talk to YOU, don’t take it personally. Make a nice comment if you want (as long as you are sincere). But don’t expect Mr. or Ms. Celeb Blogger to come rushing over to give you a big hug and be your best friend. Like you, they have other things to do. Move on and make your own communities. I find that just about everyone is as interesting as Mr. Popular. I do believe that Twitter’s “cliques” are imaginary. In my social network interactions, I find overwhelmingly that people are open, sincere, helpful and just plain nice. And the ones that aren’t those things – they aren’t worth my time.
Them = Us – The Best Presentation in the World
Allan Isfan is a busy guy. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting with him over some pints and learning about all of the amazing stuff he’s in to: There’s FaveQuest, his startup, a nifty personalized video sharing tool that has tons of potential (check it out on Facebook). He’s a video podcaster, doing a weekly show about hockey, one of his favourite subjects. He also runs a business with his wife called Isfan Solutions, and is a proud Papa to three gorgeous girls. Somehow, he also finds time to create really cool presentations. One of them is over here at SlideShare’s Best Presentation in the World contest. You see, Allan has a great idea. He wants to, in his words “Change the world, one child at a time”. How? He wants to create a place where kids from all over the world can learn, talk, share, teach and play. And he wants to build a community that can help him create this place. He knows that everything isn’t a one-person show. That it will take the creative vibe of many to make an enormous project like this come to life. Go check out Allan’s presentation, and the web site he’s built around the idea. He’s got a knack for communicating in pictures and words, and his passion about his idea shines through. Vote on the presentation while you’re there. And, if you are inspired by his idea – get in touch with him. Like Allan, I believe that the power of many can make positive change in the world.
Overcoming The Busy
I am Busy this week. Aren’t we all? Here’s a synopsis of some of what is on my to do list: Research, write and submit two proposals, meet with at least 3 advertisers, record, edit and publish a podcast for GeekGrls, post a bunch of ideas on my blog, come up with my lesson plans for school which starts in a little over 3 weeks, follow up with current clients. And oh, yah…crank out at least 2 scripts for a television show. And it’s only Tuesday. Of course, that doesn’t count the personal stuff I need to get done. Busy is great – I wouldn’t have it any other way. But Busy can go two ways – you can either let it get the best of you (and end up curled up in the corner in the fetal position for the rest of the day), or you can embrace it. Feeling overwhelmed? Here are a few tips for overcoming the Busy in your life: 1) Find a partner in crime. I have a business partner. Half of the stuff we get done on a weekly basis wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have each other. We both have crazy lives outside of work and crazy deadlines inside of work. We rely on each other immensely during the Busy. Finding someone to split the workload will make you more productive, and ultimately more profitable. Just make sure it’s the right person. My partner and I have spent 13 years building a relationship of mutual understanding and respect. It’s like a marriage of sorts – we have to work at it. Good partnerships are hard to find – but when they work, they work really well. And it helps tremendously knowing there is someone there to share the load. 2) Make lots of lists. Don’t try to keep everything in your head – you will never sleep at night. I can’t stress enough how much lists can help you to over come that overwhelmed feeling. I have multiple lists. My calendar, my white board, my BlackBerry, and my notebook all have different lists for different reasons. There’s no tried and true way – find a system outside of your mental list that works for you. 3) Delegate delegate delegate. One of the main stresses of the Busy is trying to do too much yourself. If your to do list is getting you down, figure out which tasks you can delegate. The biggest task hubby and I outsourced this year was housecleaning. Sure, it costs a bit, but less than you think. And now, the last thing on my mind is having to clean the bathtub or mop the floor. And that makes it worth every penny. So, figure out where you can outsource. Hire an intern. Ask your spouse or kids to help you. Hire a virtual assistant. Still don’t think you can delegate? Read Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Workweek and your mind will be forever changed. 4) Stay in the Now. Perhaps the most important rule for overcoming Busy is to stay in the present moment. Really, the present moment is all we have. All the to do lists in the world cannot make up for the fact that everything on that list is in the future. And the future ain’t here yet. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed thinking of all those things on your list that haven’t happened yet, stop. Sit back. Take some deep breaths. Regain your presence in THIS moment. I promise you will not only feel less overwhelmed, you will enjoy the process of the Busy much more. And read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, it’s life-altering. At the end of the day, the Busy is good. But managing the Busy is the way to truly get the most out of life and work. How do you manage your Busy?