blackberry tips
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How To Set Smart Daily Goals
You're busy. I'm busy. Everyone is busy. Yet, despite all
this bustle, we often don't feel particularly productive
from day to day. Whole weeks can flash by in a blur of
relatively meaningless emails, meetings, and admin
tasks while the "big stuff" goes untended. As the 19th-
century thinker Henry David Thoreau wrote, "It is not
enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is:
What are we busy about?"If we want to take back control of our workday schedules and
priorities, the only way to do it is by relentlessly questioning how we're
spending our time. But what questions should we ask?
I reached out to a handful of regular 99% contributors and 99%
Conference speakers to get their insights on daily energy and task
management. Here's what they said:
From Leo Babauta of Zen Habits:
What are you doing in this moment?
The simple act of becoming more aware of where your attention is
helps you to focus it where you want it to be - on creating something
great. Too often we get distracted or get caught in unimportant tasks -
coming back to the moment often will help.
From Tony Schwartz of the Energy Project:
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Are you scheduling time daily to focus without interruption?
Set aside at least one time period during the day - no more than 90
minutes at a time (and as close to that as possible) - to focus without
interruption. Time, in other words, to do something important but noturgent - to write something, reflect, strategize, imagine, work on a
longer term project.
The key here is control of attention. Were so distracted, and were
feeding that instinct every time we move between tasks. We need to
(re)train our attention. Focused attention can serve tasks - thats the
left hemisphere at work, doing rational, deductive, logical, step-by-step thinking.
The other kind of attention, which serves creativity, is where the right
hemisphere is dominant. That requires deeply quieting the mind. It
was Betty Edwards (Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) who
discovered that one powerful way to prompt a powerful shift from left
to right hemisphere is to copy an upside down line drawing. Or simplyto draw, for that matter.
But there are lots of ways to prompt the shift: take a walk in nature, go
for a run, listen to classical music... Even take a shower. Its repetition
that matters. The more we train any muscle - including the right
hemisphere - the stronger and more active it becomes.
From Mark McGuinness of Lateral Action:
What's the ONE BIG THING you want to accomplish today?
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The big danger for hyperconnected creative professionals is that
incoming demands and digital distractions get in the way of real
productivity - i.e. making inroads on your big, scary, difficult, and
(ultimately) rewarding creative challenges.
If you do ONE BIG THING today - one draft design, one chapter, one
photoshoot, one intensive rehearsal - it feels like a productive day.
(Two or more is for superheroes.) But if you don't nail that one thing,
it doesn't matter how many little jobs you get done, you know in your
heart it was a wasted day.
Asking yourself this question first thing helps you focus and prioritize.
After that, the only things that can get in your way are emergencies
and excuses.
From Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity:
Why do you do this every single day?It's very hard to be productive in the long-term when trying to do
things for which you aren't motivated. You might have to "suck it up"
once in a while to complete a certain task, but for the "big rocks" it's
much easier to construct your work around things you're excited
about.
From Scott Belsky of Behance:
Is what I'm about to do (or say) moving the ball forward?
Oftentimes, in creative projects, we act out of impulse rather than
reason. Shiny objects and other fleeting fascinations have a tendency
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to drain our resources. Before you allocate time to any task, question
your intended outcome. The same goes for your contributions in
meetings. When you speak, are you "content-making" or simply
"commentating"? Be intentional. Everything you do or say shouldmove the ball forward toward your goal. If it doesn't, it is liable to
waste precious energy and get you off track.
From Cal Newport of Study Hacks:
What is your training regime for increasing your ability to
focus hard on something without distraction?This "hard focus" is at the core of completing outstanding work in a
compact amount of time - be it a book or problem set. Hard focus,
however, is also a muscle that requires training to develop. (When
helping students with this ability, for example, I have them start with
20-minute blocks of undistracted work, and then add 10 minutes
every two weeks.)
To ignore this muscle, and continue to work with your email open and
Facebook refreshing, thinking up excuse after excuse why this
connection is "crucial" for your job, makes you like the wannabe
athlete who refuses to hit the weight room. You're not a contender.
The Top 3 Daily Time-Wasters & How To Tame Them
If you removed Email, Social Media, and Meetings
from your life, how much time would you have for the
rest of your work? Are you envisioning an expansive
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vista of focused, productive time opening up before
you? Or are you already feeling the painful twinges of
information withdrawal? If youre anything like the
typical creative professional, its probably a bit of
both.
All three of the above elements are work essentials on one hand, and
potential productivity destroyers on the other. Which means we must
walk the fine line between participating with efficiency and impact,
and getting sucked into endless discussions.
To help you streamline these three core daily tasks, weve collected a
handful of our favorite insights and tips:
1. EMAIL
Dont check your email first-thing in the morning.
Productivity coach and blogger Sid Savara has some great advice on
this one: If youre blindly checking email first thing in the morning,
the real problem isnt that youre wasting time checking email the
real problem is that you dont see checking email as a low priority
activity, because you havent decided what the high priority activities
are. When you dont have a clear list of priorities, checking email
becomes an urgent activity that you do at the expense of your
important ones.
[Read full article]
Do your best to write concise, actionable emails. This may
seem obvious, but as much as we struggle with email, many of us dont
practice the Golden Rule when it comes to writing them. The more
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poorly written and unclear your email is, the more likely it is to spawn
a long chain of replies and counter-replies that demand clarity. As Ben
Brook sputs it: Tell me what I need to know and what you need from
me. Thats it.[Read full article]
Try Priority Inbox if youre a Gmail user.According toFast
Company, Compared to Google employees without Priority Inbox, PI
users spent 6% less time reading email, and 13% less time reading
unimportant stuff in their inboxes. PI users were also more confident
to bulk archive emails, or delete nonsense. Ive been using PI for quitea few months now, and have to admit it really does separate the wheat
from the chaff.
[Read full article]
More 99% tips on email strategy.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA
Treat social media like your digital embassy. In a great Zen
Habits article, Tyler Tervooren advises: Focus on the essential.
Cultivate your ties in social networks where it makes sense and is
beneficial, but dont let them become second homes. Having many
homes adds clutter to your digital world just as it does in your physicalworld. Remember: Its Facebooks job to serve you, not the other way
around.
[Read full article]
http://zenhabits.net/digital/http://www.fastcompany.com/1714786/how-good-is-googles-priority-inbox-itll-save-you-13-of-time-reading-craphttp://brooksreview.net/2010/07/email-mistakes-that-irratate-smart-people/http://zenhabits.net/digital/http://zenhabits.net/digital/http://the99percent.com/tips/browse/78/Email-Strategyhttp://the99percent.com/tips/browse/78/Email-Strategyhttp://www.fastcompany.com/1714786/how-good-is-googles-priority-inbox-itll-save-you-13-of-time-reading-craphttp://www.fastcompany.com/1714786/how-good-is-googles-priority-inbox-itll-save-you-13-of-time-reading-craphttp://brooksreview.net/2010/07/email-mistakes-that-irratate-smart-people/http://brooksreview.net/2010/07/email-mistakes-that-irratate-smart-people/ -
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Spend your energy on communicating with the people that
matter. All social media interactions are not necessarily created
equal. Just like we prioritize items on our to-do lists, we can (and
should!) prioritize who we communicate with, and spend our timeaccordingly. Consider analyzing who you spend most of your time
messaging with: Is it the friends, family, and colleagues who provide
the most professional value and emotional reward? Or do you give
your time and energy to anyone who demands your attention? Being
open to new interactions is essential, but it must be weighed against
the fact that we have limited time and energy.
[Read full article]
Practice letting go of the stream of social chatter. One of the
nice things about social media is that you can swim into the stream
and swim out. You dont have to be on 24/7. As @tinybuddha
recommends, its okay to take a zen approach to social media: It may
feel unkind to disregard certain updates or tweets, but we need
downtime to be kind to ourselves. Give yourself permission to letyesterdays stream go. This way you wont need to catch up on
updates that have passed but instead can be part of todays
conversation.
[Read full article]
3. MEETINGS
Always, always question the meeting. Before you schedule a
meeting, recognize the enormous cost of pulling yourself and your
team away from their regular workflow. Often, certain issues can be
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resolved more quickly with a quick face-to-face conversation, phone
call, or IM session. However, if a meeting must be had, be sure to ask
yourself exactly who needs to be there. Be ruthless, and imagine that
you are guarding your colleagues time as preciously as you guard yourown.
Dont let your calendar app tell you how long your meeting
should be.Once youve decided a meeting is required, be realistic but
aggressive when you set the timing. As Scott Belsky has written
elsewhere on 99%: Most impromptu meetings that are called to
quickly catch up on a project or discuss problem can happen in 10minutes or less. However, when they are scheduled in formal calendar
programs, they tend to be set in 30- or 60-minute increments. Why?
Because it is the default calendar setting. Ideally, meetings should just
have a start time and end as quickly as they can.
[Read full article]
Take an active role in leading the meeting. Much of the timewasted at meetings can be chalked up to a failure of leadership. If no
one takes control to ensure that something is accomplished, its highly
like that nothing will be accomplished. Since youre setting the
meeting, go ahead and take charge of it: State the objective of the
meeting at the start, take notes if its necessary, keep people from
wandering off-topic, and articulate the next steps at the end. Its a lot
of work, but it will save you from spending more time in meetings inthe long run.
Why We Should Declare War On Friction
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At the 99%, we talk a lot about the big obstacles and
burdens that impede the realization our creative
potential. Most ideas never happen, thanks to the
ever-powerful status quo and our built-in
psychological artillery, which supplies us endless
excuses to cease our efforts. But the day is getting
brighter!
Modern technology and shifting mindsets in many industries are
giving us a new and exciting upper hand. The notion of a free-rangeworkforce has become a reality. The terms "entrepreneur" and
"freelancer" are no longer subpar to a "regular job." The creative
pursuit is more celebrated now than ever before.
The accessibility of DIY (do-it-yourself) business tools paired with a
crappy economy has created fertile ground for risk-taking. We no
longer need the rich resources of large companies to do remarkablethings. Our team has seen thousands of creative professionals (within
the Behance Networkand beyond) embark on their own journeys
either alone or in small teams to build incredible careers and, in
some cases, change industries.
Now, as we embrace our newfound autonomy, we face a different
enemy. With the traditional obstacles aside, we are now up against abarrage of small, daily hindrances that, collectively, pose a great
threat.
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I call this stuff "friction" its the tax filings, paperwork, waiting time,
protocols, forgotten passwords, spam clearing, bureaucratic nonsense,
big egos, and the ever-increasing information overload that we try to
digest every day. It kills us with a thousand tiny paper cuts.
Sure, this stuff has always existed, but when we worked for large
companies, we could rely on other departments to handle it, or simply
"pass the buck." Not anymore. With our newfound freedom and
independence, we must learn to fight friction on our own.
It's time to start thinking about friction as an endemic problem ratherthan a series of one-off annoyances. Friction can't be tolerated. Left
untreated, it will build on itself and ultimately wear us down.
The Pursuit of Frictionless Work
Imagine a world where you glide forward in your pursuits. Yes, you
would still need to generate great ideas, work hard, and take risk, butyou could do so with the wind at your back. Less bureaucracy, lower
start-up costs, and fewer obstacles in the operations of work and life.
So how do we win the war on friction? Here are a few thoughts toward
an effective battle plan.
1. Draft, Don't Be The Rabbit.In most marathons, there are always a few runners that jump to the
front of the race at the start and quickly tire. These folks are known as
the "rabbits," and nobody ever takes them seriously even though they
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appear to be winning the race for a short period of time. The rabbit
runs fast but quickly tires.
A truly great marathon runner or cyclist understands the benefits ofpacing over the course of a race. Rather than lead, they carefully
manage their energy, and even use the other runners in front of them
to block the wind and sustain themselves during the race. This practice
is called "drafting," and it involves running a few feet behind a runner
to minimize the wind resistance and pace the race.
In our creative pursuits, we often reinvent the wheel and assume thatwe must create everything ourselves. By doing so we fall victim to the
rabbit syndrome as we expend our energy quickly and unnecessarily.
When we fail to leverage existing resources like open-source
technology, we get stuck doing redundant stuff.
Instead, we should draft off of competitors and public creations.
Before creating anything, look for another version of it that alreadyexists. Also, consider the benefits of launching second rather than
first. Learn from others mistakes and leverage public opinion instead
of preempting it.
2. Question Anything You Do "Just Because."
All too often, you'll find yourself going through the motions. Perhaps
something ambiguous was proposed, but nobody in the room wants topoint out the flaws. Maybe there is a meandering discussion, and
nobody is jumping in and asking "what's the point?" or "why is this
relevant?" Sometimes there's a process you're supposed to follow even
though it seems redundant or pointless.
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Great creative leaders consider the contrarian view whenever
something is being done "just because that's the way it's always been
done." If you think about it: One interjection could increase yourproductivity by a substantial percentage. You just need the guts to
make the point and advocate for the change.
3. Keep Optimizing.
Don't be satisfied with the way you do everyday things like run
meetings, manage email, or schedule your time. Oftentimes, we fail to
optimize our everyday processes because we assume that we shouldn'tfix something unless it's broken. When something is working, it's hard
to see the simple, little tweaks that we can make to remove the friction
and be even more productive. Consider conducting smallA/Me tests
to find ways to incrementally improve the way you manage your time
on a daily basis.
///
It's time to declare war on friction. More great ideas will see the light
of day when we find ways to reduce the everyday obstacles that suck
our energy dry. After all, it's hard enough to push a bold idea to
completion. In these exciting times, we need to eliminate the friction
that consistently gets in the way. Stay tuned as we explore more ways
to optimize in our day-to-day.
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Stop the Insanity: How To Crush Communication
Overload
Tina Roth Eisenberg of Swiss Miss recently declared
that she had reached a personal communication
crisis: Too many channels. Too many messages. Too
much noise. Too much guilt The world sends me
tweets, direct messages, texts, chats with me on
skype, sends me Facebook emails (!) and actual mail
and also calls me Responding on all these channels
is a full time job, extremely distracting and exhausting.
I feel constantly behind.
Amen, Swiss Miss. I doubt I know a single person who cant relate.
Communication overload is an all-too-familiar sentiment in the 21st
century. We feel anxious, we feel overburdened, and, most of all, we
feel overwhelmed. If we could spend all day just responding to the
incoming messages we receive, when does the REAL WORK get done?
How can we find enough time in the day?
Complaints about information overload date back as far as the
invention of the Gutenberg press (What are we supposed to do with
all these books?!), and were experiencing similar anxiety in the face
of a wave of new devices and social media tools. While it may be
natural to take a poor me! approach to communication overload, its
foolish to pretend our own output doesnt play a huge role in what
comes back to us.
As a recentBoston Globe piece points out, it takes two to tango:
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A new technology does not act alone, after all, but in concert with our
ambitions for it. Overload has long been fueled by our own enthusiasm
the enthusiasm for accumulating and sharing knowledge and
information, and also for experimenting with new forms of organizingand presenting it.
Well interrupt dinner to send a quick email on our phones, check
into Foursquare as we settle in for a beer at the local bar, or tweet a
picture of a memorable experience as its happening. We gorge
ourselves on communication in the now. Then, later we complain
about our overflowing inboxes as if there were no connection.
Its time to take responsibility for our communications. And I dont
mean take responsibility in the sense of taking on another distasteful
chore, I mean take responsibility as a means of declaring your power
over your communications. As Stephen Covey uses it when he says,
"Look at the word responsibility response-ability the ability to
choose your response."
Whenever someone sends us a message, we always have a choice. Do
we respond? And if so, how? Below are a few tips on sorting out the
IFs and the HOWs of responding:
Step 1: Define your rules of engagement. Every message is not
created equal. To separate the wheat from the chaffe, you need tocreate a set of communication rules that relate to your objectives.
How many hours are you willing to spend responding to emails and
social media messages? Who are the colleagues, clients, and contacts
that you need to take care of to move your business forward?
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Anything can be a rule: They can be time-based, situation-based,
contact-based. For instance, one of my time-based rules is that I dont
respond to emails before 12pm when Im focused on writing. Asituation-based rule could be that I will not respond (beyond a simple
request for clarification) to any email that does not have a clearly
articulated, actionable request. A contact-based rule would be that I
respond to my in-office colleagues as a top priority above everyone
else.
The main goal is you have some criteria for swiftly deciding whether ornot to respond to a message; and if you plan to respond, how quickly
must it be?
Every message is not created equal.
Step 2: Organize a system to execute on your rules. Maybe youalready have a good idea of who is important in your communication
hierarchy. Most of us do. But where we often fall down on the job is
doing the organizational grunt work to facilitate the execution of those
rules. What does that mean? It means setting up your Gmail, your
Twitter, your Facebook, your LinkedIn, and so on in such a way that
you have to do as little work as possible to get to the good or
valuable messages.
There are many, many ways to do this it just depends on what works
for you. For email, I use Gmails priority inbox because its a no-
brainer to setup and it smartly bubbles up more urgent messages
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those from key contacts to the top of my screen, while shunting less
important messages (e.g. subscription-based emails, auto-
notifications, etc) below the fold. In this great HBR post, Alexandra
Samuel describes how to configure your Twitter account for maximumefficiency and value. Or maybe you want to consolidate all of your
social media updates into a single digest email with NutshellMail?
Lifehacker can tell you how.
Where we often fall down on the job is doingthe organizational grunt work.
Step 3: Share your rules and set expectations.With new
communication channels coming online every day, theres no great
baseline for communication etiquette right now. And worse: Theres
not going to be any time soon. Given this situation, our greatest
weapon is setting expectations. One of the best ways to do this is by re-
thinking how (and where) you share your contact information.
Lets take Study Hacks author Cal Newport as an example. Heres his
About page. First, rather than just give a contact email, Cal clarifies
how he communicates (e.g. very judiciously). Second, he parses out
the different channels for inquiries (one for advice, one for
opportunities, and one for advertising); behind the scenes, he no
doubt has different priorities for how he checks these email accounts.
Thirdly, he includes a wishlist for the types of opportunities hes
interested in.
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Our greatest weapon is setting expectations.
So, when I emailed Cal to ask if he wanted to contribute to 99%, myexpectations were set. He didnt have anything on his opportunities
list about wanting to guest blog, so there wouldnt have been any hard
feelings if Id never heard a peep. Then, when he did respond, I was
thrilled.
Of course, your contact page is not the only opportunity for setting
expectations. In your office, you can set expectations with yourcolleagues by over-sharing on your meeting calendar. Planning to
devote tomorrow morning to 3 hours of deep thinking about the future
of the business? Put it on your calendar. Now everyone knows what
youre doing behind that closed door, and theyll be less likely to
interrupt you.
Step 4: Actively prune your communication channels.Acommunication channel can be anything from an email list
subscription to your Twitter profile to your new Spotify account.
Basically anything that has your contact info and might be sending you
updates. Its great to experiment with new social media platforms as
they come online to see if theyre right for you. At the same time, you
should be constantly pruning your stable of profiles. Never read your
Daily Candy emails anymore? Unsubscribe. Checked in a few times onFoursquare but couldn't stick with it? Delete that profile.
To ensure that the influx of messages is never too great, we have to be
constantly assessing which channels are providing meaningful value in
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our lives and in our work. If theres no value, its just a time and
attention suck that we need to get rid of. Whats more, it doesnt do
your business or your reputation any good to have outdated profiles
floating around in cyberspace!
***
As Seth Godin wrote recently, We dont need more time, we just need
to decide. This is as true for managing our communications as it is for
any other situation. To stop the insanity, we have only to make some
hard decisions decisions about who, when, what, where, and how werespond.
Brainstorming 2.0: Making Ideas That Really Happen
One of the most common questions we hear at 99%
is: How do I get more out of my brainstorming
sessions? While brainstorming sessions have
become perhaps the most iconic act of creativity, we
still struggle with how to give them real utility.
The problem of course is that most brainstorming sessions conclude
prematurely. We all love to dream big and come up with blue sky
ideas. Were less fond of diving into the nitty-gritty details of creativeexecution. As a result, we spend 90% of our time coming up with a
bunch of great ideas, and maybe 10% (if any!) of our time discussing
how to actually make those ideas happen.
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which tasks? Whats the timeline? In Disneys case, this stage would
involve sketching out characters, discussing plot, and ultimately
building out storyboards.
Room Setup:A practical room with a large dry-erase board or wall
facilitates strategic planning. The team should sit in a semi-circle
facing the board as everyone participates in the execution planning
process.
Mentality: This is the step where you role up your sleeves and fill in
the blanks. You may find a gem of an idea from the first step thatneeds to be fleshed out. During this phase, seek to resolve every
uncertainty around timing, logistics, and feasibility. When something
doesn't make sense, question it.
Seek to resolve every uncertainty aroundtiming, logistics, and feasibility.
Step 3 asks WHY are we doing this?And, Is this the right
approach? In this final phase, the critic enters the fray, asking hard
questions. Is the plan really gelling? Are their unwieldy aspects that
need to get cut? Are you meeting the overall project objective?
Room Setup:Analytical thinking is best done in smaller, more
constrained spaces. (The Disney crew used a small room under the
stairs.) The team sits in a single row facing the project plan, which
promotes criticism of the project, but not individual people.
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Mentality: Pose the difficult questions and share the earth-shattering
doubts. In step two, you're likely to get lost in the weeds. The third
step provides the perspective from the balcony as opposed to the
dance floor. In this phase, consider your plan in the context of yourbusiness and your long-term mission.
Pose the difficult questions and share the earth-shattering doubts.
Where traditional brainstorming approaches would probably have us
patting ourselves on the back and adjourning the meeting after Step 1,
Disneys method goes deep: its methodical, its disciplined, and its
time-intensive.
Brainstorming should be creative and subsequentlypractical. The
various rooms prompt us to take the right mentality at the right
time, ultimately giving great ideas the thoughtful consideration they
require to see the light of day.
Why You Should Be Optimizing
If you work in technology or web development, youve
likely heard the term optimization thrown around
quite a bit. Its the process of incrementally improving
a product or service through small iterations. As
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anyone who manages an online business knows,
launching a great site is just the beginning constant
tweaks and upgrades are required to create
something truly extraordinary.But why should we limit the concept of optimization to the world of
technology? I would argue that we should spend just as much time on
optimizing ourselves and our teams. Although the natural tendency is
to stick with what works, true growth comes from constantly
challenging ourselves (and our projects) in little ways every day.
Here are some insights to consider when pursuing optimization:
1. Tinker With What Works
When you make an error, you are likely to persevere and keep trying
until you get it right. But when you get it right when you hit a home
run the human tendency is to rejoice and then move on to the next
challenge. Despite research that encourages us to build on our
strengths, we spend more time fixing whats broken than optimizing
what works. Why? Because any measure of success impairs our ability
to imagine something better.
I call this the horizon of success effect, because its hard to see the
potential that lies beyond something that works. While it seems logical
to risk failure by trying something completely new, its unsettling to
tamper with a known success. The old adage if it aint broke, dont fix
it cripples us when it comes to optimizing what works. Yet, the very
premise of optimization is that we must constantly fix what isn't
broken.
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The old adage if it aint broke, dont fix itcripples us when it comes to optimizing whatworks.
2. Make Incremental Tweaks, Not Drastic Changes
Optimization isn't about making drastic changes. Introducing too
many risk factors into a successful project or system IS dangerous. The
key to optimization is making incremental tweaks in a controlled and
measurable way.
Google is famous for its relentless "A/B testing," a form of
optimization that involves making minor adjustments to their
applications and then testing them, side by side, with their previous
versions. Using the world as their testers, Google will run a "version
A" (the current version) and "version B" (the experiment) - with minor
tweaks - and then compare the results. Version B might have a sign-up
button moved one tenth-of-an-inch to the right, compared to version
A. If version B garners 3% more clicks, then version B becomes the
standard and replaces A. And then the process repeats itself.
By running isolated tests and measuring the outcome, Google is able
to improve their products without the risk of damaging a successful
business. When you decide to tweak what works, introduce one factor
at a time and identify how you will measure the impact before you
start to test.
3. Conduct Some "A/Me" Testing
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We should optimize not only our projects but also ourselves. Just as
you might run A/B tests on your products, services, and marketing
efforts, you can also optimize your own workflow. Doing "A/Me"
testing involves you comparing the way you always work "Me" to aslightly tweaked approach (the "A" in this case). As you encounter
problems like reactionary workflow and check-in addictions, you'll
want to experiment with optimization in your own life.
Perhaps you question the usefulness of checking your email on your
mobile phone as soon as you wake up every morning? Try shifting the
time for one week, instead waiting to check it until you begin yourcommute or arrive at the office. Then, comparing how the week felt
under this new discipline, you can decide whether or not to institute
this change going forward.
Introduce one factor at a time and identify howyou will measure the impact before you start to
test.
Whatever your quest for self-improvement, its important to approach
A/Me testing and all optimization efforts with three best practices
in mind:
1 Seek forms of measurement. The more quantifiable the
outcome, the better. Look no further than the burgeoning
"Quantified Self" movement to see the benefits of data for self-
improvement.
http://quantifiedself.com/http://the99percent.com/tips/5902/Beware-of-Reactionary-Workflowhttp://the99percent.com/tips/6985/How-To-Control-Your-Check-In-Addictionhttp://quantifiedself.com/http://quantifiedself.com/http://the99percent.com/tips/6985/How-To-Control-Your-Check-In-Addictionhttp://the99percent.com/tips/6985/How-To-Control-Your-Check-In-Addictionhttp://the99percent.com/tips/5902/Beware-of-Reactionary-Workflowhttp://the99percent.com/tips/5902/Beware-of-Reactionary-Workflow -
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2 Introduce only one change at a time. Remember that, by
introducing too many changes at once, you will increase risk and
lose the ability to track the impact of a particular change.
Sweeping change is not optimization.3 Don't assume that just because something works it can't
be better.On the contrary, efforts to optimize should be spent
on your strengths. The difference between 95% and 100% is
small tweaks. Find your 95% and bring it home, because this is
the area where you are most likely to change the world.
***
Optimization isn't about drastic change or self-help, and it isn't
spiritual. It's all technique. You can't rest on your laurels. Despite the
quality of your ideas and output, the impact you will make largely
depends on your ability to constantly optimize to build on your
successes and grow them into something greater.
How To Control Your "Check-In" Addiction
Have you ever been caught sleeping with your mobile
device? Perhaps checking your email first-thing in themorning when youre still in bed? Given what we know
about the emotional voids that are fulfilled by our
electronic devices - the search for thrill, the alleviation
of anxiety and panic - our intense attachment makes
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sense. When we wake up we want to be greeted.
When we fall asleep we want to do so knowing that all
is well.The mobile phone has become the securityblanket of the 21st century.Our ubiquitous connection to everything around us (and everyone we
know) presents both a mesmerizing capability and a powerful new set
of challenges. We need to be more thoughtful about how we lead a
connected life that is both creative and productive. A sound mind and
sustained sense of connection come not from looking to our devices
for guidance and reassurance, but from using them wisely - from
"checking in" with clear intention.
Here are some insights to consider:
1. Understand your emotional connection to your device.
In the bookThumb Culture, author Jane Vincent talks about the range
of emotions she observed between people and their mobile devices.
"Although few people think about their mobile phone in emotional
terms," she noted, "they do appear to be using it to achieve emotional
goals. She goes on to outline the emotional states that are commonly
referenced:
Panic:Absence from the device; being separated from it.
Irrational behavior: The inability to control heart over mind (e.g.
driving and talking).
Thrill:Novelty, multi-tasking, intimacy of the text received in public.
http://books.google.com/books?id=BizR2ICiGUAC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=mobile+phone+studies+attachment&source=bl&ots=wmI9KskrSN&sig=n98SV3UM5v6bcM_CqLu22XYYWhA&hl=en&ei=i-w2TaP1OcnagQe918mFBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=mobile%20phone%20studies%20attachment&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=BizR2ICiGUAC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=mobile+phone+studies+attachment&source=bl&ots=wmI9KskrSN&sig=n98SV3UM5v6bcM_CqLu22XYYWhA&hl=en&ei=i-w2TaP1OcnagQe918mFBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=mobile%20phone%20studies%20attachment&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=BizR2ICiGUAC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=mobile+phone+studies+attachment&source=bl&ots=wmI9KskrSN&sig=n98SV3UM5v6bcM_CqLu22XYYWhA&hl=en&ei=i-w2TaP1OcnagQe918mFBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=mobile%20phone%20studies%20attachment&f=false -
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Anxiety:Fear and desire (for example, wanting to know about others vs.
too much knowledge).
The take-away here is to understand what lies beneath our behaviorwith our mobile devices. Self-awareness is crucial, because how we
allocate our time and attention is closely connected to our deeper
anxieties and concerns.
2. Tune in with intention not impulse.
Have you ever just scrolled through your various mobile apps with a
blank stare and no actual intention? Its like when youre bored athome and you wander over to the refrigerator; youre not really
hungry, you just want to feed your boredom.
Our devices tap into our impulsive side, our penchant for seeking
information. If you're concerned about your business or a loved one,
you'll impulsively glance at your messages. Even if its midnight, you
might still scroll through your email despite the low probability of amessage. Rather than no news is good news, we think any news is
good news.
One solution is to manage our attention with intention rather than
impulse. We must strive to tune into our devices only when we have a
specific purpose. It should be about acting on our ideas, rather
than reacting to other peoples communication habits.
Our devices tap into our impulsive side.
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3. Use your device for communication "sprints," then take a
break.
There's nothing wrong with checking your device. The problem is
getting sucked into the device! You decide to quickly check your emailor texts, and before you know it you're checking Twitter, Facebook, or
any number of other apps. The extensive options that our devices put
at our fingertips are very effective at engaging our attention. To escape
their siren song, we must be disciplined in our approach.
Taking a page from the Scrum playbook, think of each interaction with
your mobile as a mini-sprint. For instance, you need to respond to oneurgent client email, and text your web developer about a key decision.
Once those tasks are done, its time to disengage. One person we spoke
with shared the tip that he counts down from 20 when he does a quick
check-in on his phone, especially when he's surrounded by other
people. Just the mindset of counting down forces him to quickly check
rather than meander.
Think of each interaction with your mobile as amini-sprint.
4. Observe good "attention etiquette."
Our devices should empower - not impede - better communication.
When you're alone, it's no problem to check your device whenever you
need to (keeping the above insights in mind). But, in social settings -
meeting with a client or going out on a date - it's time to start
contemplating some guidelines for proper "attention etiquette."
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Writer Farhad Manjoo crowd-sourced an answer to the attention
etiquette question on Slate.com, and came up with a great approach.
He proposes, "If you're in a situation where you'd excuse yourself to go
to the bathroom, you should also excuse yourself before reaching foryour phone." He goes on to suggest that, if you do feel compelled to
reach for your phone, "don't play with your phone longer than you'd
stay in the bathroom."
The exception to this rule would be when engagement with your device
actuallyindicates attention. For instance, gadget lovers might prefer
to take notes on a tablet in a meeting, rather than using a pen andpaper. In this situation, focusing intermittently on your device can be
a positive indication that you are paying attention, documenting notes
and action steps in real time.
It's time to start contemplating someguidelines for proper attention etiquette.
Every opportunity comes with new responsibilities, and the mobile era
is no different. We must commit to using our devices more efficiently
rather than more often.
How To Become A Self-Management Superhero
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Increasingly creative careers are location
independent. Almost all of us are working remotely
in some capacity - whether you're a manager who
works from home once a week taking conference
calls, an entrepreneur working on the road while
traveling, or a graphic designer, film editor, or
copywriter who works full-time from a home office
with all the amenities.
This shift is nothing new, of course. But as it becomes more
entrenched - not just away we work, but the way we work - it'schanging the currency of creative collaboration. The skills required
to succeed as a remote worker are not the same as those required of an
office worker.
Without the facetime and watercooler catchups provided by an office
environment, a new set of skills - centered around self-management
and proactive communication - are becoming essential.
A few skills you'll want to cultivate to succeed as a remote worker:
1. Write well. In the book,Rework, 37signals founder Jason Fried
notes, Writing is todays currency for good ideas. You write more
everyday in emails, text messages, and IMs so make an effort to write
clearly. When you cant see the person youre communicating with, itseasy to misinterpret tone or verbal cues. It helps to be concise and use
simple language.
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2. Know the business case. Inquire with team leaders about the
context of your work. You may be writing a tagline for a campaign, say,
but how does that line fit into the clients overall objective? What is
your companys stake in the client, and how does your output bestrepresent your company or brand? What is the financial consequence
or benefit? Having this information in your back pocket can help you
ask the right questions and create more informed work.
3. Practice consistency. The number one challenge managers have
with remote workers is not physically witnessing productivity. Its
easy for them to imagine you doing laundry, eating ice cream, orwatching reruns on the company dime. To alleviate this concern,
establish a pattern for consistent communication. Be at your desk at
certain intervals, do regular check-ins, and be responsive when
problems arise. If youre known to be accountable there will be far less
suspicion.
4. Ask too many questions. Shane Pearlman, an expert ondistributed teams who co-runs the user interface design firm Shane
and Peter, calls this being artfully intrusive. He advises to keep
asking questions, whether you want to or not. The communication
gap inherent in remote teams requires constant double-checking. In
person, you may see a confirmation of understanding from a co-
worker. When working remotely you may need to seek confirmation:
Do you understand me? or, How can I help you understand thisbetter? It may feel like youre being a nuisance but clarity is king.
5. Perfect informality. The water cooler effect. Its tough to drop by
the office of a co-worker when youre not located down the hall. Yet,
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unscheduled informal encounters can be the lifeblood of an
organization. For this reason its important to purposely build in hang
time before or after virtual meetings and learn about the people you
work with. Hone your chat skills. The more you know about yourcoworkers, the easier it will be to find information where and when
you need it, and become a source of information yourself.
6. Seek stability. The future of teamwork requires constant change
and a resulting adaptability. Seek a stable center. Given the turmoil,
what is it you need from your employer or team to avoid burnout or
becoming overwhelmed? What patterns of stability can you constructto keep pumping out exceptional work?