Be a Linchpin!

Jun 302010
 
Grain Of Sand.jpg
Grain Of Sand

Western society exists in a state of over supply. I’m not just talking about what is on grocery store shelves, but our jobs, skills, etc. How many of us are truly irreplaceable?  Are there 100, 1000, 100,000 people who can do what you do, as well or even better.

A goal of life must be to find your purpose and do uniquely, exquisitely, and in a way that keeps you off the beach
via us1.campaign-archive.com

Yes, be different and excellent in all you do. No one will miss one grain if it goes missing from the sand.

To do more, keep it simple and keep it to minimum

Jun 182010
 

I am a sucker when it comes to increasing productivity or doing things the smarter way and I am a bigger sucker when it comes to trying out software and services that helps to do the same. I think there will be millions of more like me! So every time there is a new productivity improving service out there or a great deal on web services, I pull myself aside for a minute and ask two questions:

  1. What problem of mine is this tool solving?
  2. Which of the existing tools or services that use can solve the same problem?
Answering these two questions, almost all of the time I come to a conclusion that my problem is either already solved with one of my existing tools/services or CAN BE solved by my existing tools or services. To improve your productivity you have to get more done in the time you have or even less time. To improve your productivity, keep your systems/workflow simple and get more done. Optimize your existing system instead of fragmenting your workflow too much and introducing more distractions. More systems/workflows means there is more management of systems and more distractions, which does not necessarily equate to getting more done.

So next time, before you spend a weekend trying a new tool or a new service, see if it will keep your existing workflow simple and to the minimum or will adding an extra tool going to add a lot of value in the long run.

Deadlines – I mean ‘Deliverables Due Date’

Jun 072010
 

Deadlines work. Products that are about to disappear, auctions that are about to end, tickets that are about to sell out–they create forward motion.

  • They have a lousy name. Call them live-lines instead. That’s what they are.
    • via sethgodin.typepad.com

    I loved the post from Seth about ‘Deadlines’. I don’t like the word myself. I find it negative although it’s intention it to move forward. Instead I like the ‘Deliverable Due Date’ [although it's long].

    Yes, setting up a date is important. It makes us take actions. A very common due date by which we act regularly is paying bills.

    Urge to staying always connected comes with a price

    May 292010
     
    Hyper-Connected.jpg
    Hyper-Connected

    I remember a few years ago, back when social media was relatively new and intellectually interesting, I felt the strong need to “keep up” with everything. Every time a new toy or widget came along, I would give it a try. Staying “connected” seemed to be the future, so I wanted to be connected. The more connected, the better.

    I was subscribed to about 900 blog feeds at the time. Again, Connectivity, Baby!

    Of course, in the end I found out the same thing a lot of us did… that you can be so busy trying to stay connected, trying to be EVEN MORE connected, that you forget to get any actual REAL work done. You know, the kind that other people pay you for.

    Live and learn…
    via us1.campaign-archive1.com

    This post is a good reminder that the urge to staying always connected comes with a bigger price, we not doing enough work done, not producing, not shipping out our products.

    There has to be a good balance of staying connected with people and things and getting work done, shipping out products and adding value to yourself and value to others at the same time.

    Staying connected does not equal to value created.

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