Time & Follow Through on Your Goals

Manage time and follow through

Several years ago, I moved to Silicon Valley to pursue a healthcare-related postgraduate degree. The first six months or so of school was the most rigorous academic experience I’ve ever had. Forty plus hours in the classroom per week plus study time crammed into short quarters was much more than I could handle.

After things started lightening up a bit, I began expanding my horizons in the local area. I started meeting people who were young like me, but working at some of the local famous tech companies. It seemed like everyone was incredibly busy at work but were always making time to meet with other people to talk about startup companies.

I soon started attending some of these meetings because my background was related to the tech industry. It wasn’t long after that when I decided I too wanted to try a startup.

I didn’t know where to begin so I started making a list of the most important things a startup needed. I started asking questions around venture-capital, fundraising, software development, and all the other things which can go into a new company. All of these things were great, but without a rock solid idea I didn’t think I’d have a chance of succeeding.

I partnered with a local entrepreneur who had experience building and selling companies. He also had experience in the healthcare space so we decided to do a healthcare startup. On top of all my personal responsibilities at school I spent long hours trying to manage my time and develop our idea into a fundable business.

It’s been a few years since we set everything in motion but now after countless hours of hard work we’re finally seeing the company take off.

It’s definitely been an interesting journey through the wilderness to get to where we are. We’ve had to set milestones and goals and work diligently to achieve them. Business plans don’t write themselves. Strategic partners aren’t formed on their own. Software coding doesn’t happen out of thin air. These must all be accomplished by making a target and aiming for it. If I had to sum it up in two things, I’d say I only succeeded in starting up my business because I learned to manage time and follow through my goals.

Manage Your Time… Continuar leyendo «Time & Follow Through on Your Goals»

What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day

BY KEVIN PURDY | fastcompany.com

How much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. It can be the hour you see everything clearly, get one real thing done, and focus on the human side of work rather than your task list.

Remember when you used to have a period at the beginning of every day to think about your schedule, catch up with friends, maybe knock out a few tasks? It was called home room, and it went away after high school. But many successful people schedule themselves a kind of grown-up home room every day. You should too.

The first hour of the workday goes a bit differently for Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, career writer (and Fast Company blogger) Brian Tracy, and others, and they’ll tell you it makes a big difference. Here are the first items on their daily to-do list.

Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Seriously. Stop That.

Tumblr founder David Karp will “try hard” not to check his email until 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to an Inc. profile of him. “Reading e-mails at home never feels good or productive,” Karp said. “If something urgently needs my attention, someone will call or text me.”

Not all of us can roll into the office whenever our Vespa happens to get us there, but most of us with jobs that don’t require constant on-call awareness can trade e-mail for organization and single-focus work. It’s an idea that serves as the title of Julie Morgenstern’s work management book Never Check Email In The Morning, and it’s a fine strategy for leaving the office with the feeling that, even on the most over-booked days, you got at least one real thing done.

If you need to make sure the most important messages from select people come through instantly, AwayFind can monitor your inbox and get your attention when something notable arrives. Otherwise, it’s a gradual but rewarding process of training interruptors and coworkers not to expect instantaneous morning response to anything they send in your off-hours.

Gain Awareness, Be Grateful

One smart, simple question on curated Q & A site Quora asked “How do the most successful people start their day?”. The most popular response came from a devotee of Tony Robbins, the self-help guru who pitched the power of mindful first-hour rituals long before we all had little computers next to our beds.

Robbins suggests setting up an “Hour of Power,” “30 Minutes to Thrive,” or at least “Fifteen Minutes to Fulfillment.” Part of it involves light exercise, part of it involves motivational incantations, but the most accessible piece involves 10 minutes of thinking of everything you’re grateful for: in yourself, among your family and friends, in your career, and the like. After that, visualize “everything you want in your life as if you had it today.”

Robbins offers the “Hour of Power” segment of his Ultimate Edge series as a free audio stream (here’s the direct MP3 download). Blogger Mike McGrath also wrote a concise summary of the Hour of Power). You can be sure that at least some of the more driven people you’ve met in your career are working on Robbins’ plan.

Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First Continuar leyendo «What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day»

Wasting Time on Productivity

brasstackthinking.com

For the most part, we all really think we’re busy, and that our work is important.Ask anyone you know how they are, and their likely response: “Busy!” I’ve been guilty myself.We talk about slaying the inbox dragon and achieving “inbox zero” (which is a terrible objective, incidentally, but that’s a different discussion). We scramble for the latest productivity apps, shortcuts, or new-shiny methods, lamenting how over-communicated and over-connected we are all the time and hungry for something, anything to help us feel less overwhelmed. We tweet about it and Facebook about it, sharing our busy with everyone so they know we’redoing a lot of stuff.To an extent our overwhelm is a product of our environment, but mostly it’s a monster of our own making. Too often, what we’re really doing is focusing on our “busyness” because we feel desperately powerless over the actual things we need to achieve or get done, or we’ve no idea where to start and we think that being more “efficient” is the answer. Continuar leyendo

La red social “anti-Facebook” ha cerrado

En noviembre del año pasado os hablábamos de Unthink, una red social que acababa de lanzarse, tras tres años de desarrollo, y cuyo lema principal era el ser la red social “anti-facebook”.

Se distinguía sobre todo por su férreo control de la privacidad y por llamar la atención de aquellos que estaban cansados de las normas estrictas impuestas por Facebook.

Unthink llegó a tener cierta repercusión mediática, y aunque para inscribirse había que solicitar invitación, fueron unos cientos de personas las que se decidieron a probarla. Continuar leyendo «La red social “anti-Facebook” ha cerrado»

3 Ways to Get More Time Out of Less

HERDING GAZELLES | Karl Stark and Bill Stewart | inc.com

You can achieve more in a constrained market without running your employees into the ground. These three steps will get your team focused on the work that really drives growth.

Across the country, businesses are being pushed to do more with less. Typically this has taken the shape of longer hours, later nights, and a big group of unhappy employees. Achieving in a constrained market should not mean spending more time at the office doing less exciting work; it means that you should stop wasting time.

There are three steps managers and staff can take toward a more efficient, more productive organization. By 1) identifying and focusing on your biggest priorities, 2) completing two objectives every week, and 3) outsourcing work, you will find a smoother running organization that employees are happy to contribute to every day.

1. Identify and focus on your biggest priorities. Continuar leyendo «3 Ways to Get More Time Out of Less»

The Simply Business Productivity Series

By Jasper Martens / Hannah Smith | simplybusiness.co.uk

A series of tools and resources to help you to increase productivity

Increasing productivity is a challenge – whether your primary objectives are to increase the profitability of your company, to grow and expand; or if you’re just trying to spend a little more time with the people you love and a little less time battling with your inbox!

A key part of the challenge is the sheer amount of information on productivity there is out there – blog posts, books, videos, tools and apps – who has the time to evaluate this stuff?

Well, help is at hand

We’ve put together a series of tools and resources to help you to increase productivity:

How to increase communication and collaboration between individuals and teams.

Collaboration

Click image to open interactive version (via Simply Business ). Continuar leyendo «The Simply Business Productivity Series»

Tell-Tale Signs Your Employee is Overworked [INFOGRAPHIC]

See on Scoop.it – human being in – perfección

Are you stressed at work? You’re not alone: A recent Gallup poll indicates that on-the-job pressure is the top reason for employee dissatisfaction in the American workforce, and nearly half of American workers say their job is “very or extremely stressful.”

And whether you notice it or not, you’re broadcasting clear signs that should indicate to your employer that you are overworked and need a change of pace. The infographic below, developed by Column Five in conjunction with employee wellness company Keas, shows exactly how employees behave when they’ve been pushed to their limits. Workers tend to develop classic symptoms when their workload gets too much to bear, such as poor memory, fatigue and bad time management. They also exhibit odd behaviors, working too much or too little in response to the level of stress in the workplace. Employers should be watching for these key symptoms and redirecting overworked employees to a more manageable situation.

Continuar leyendo «Tell-Tale Signs Your Employee is Overworked [INFOGRAPHIC]»

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

HBR Blog Network

TONY SCHWARTZ

Tony Schwartz is the president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything. Become a fan of The Energy Project on Facebook and connect with Tony at Twitter.com/TonySchwartz and Twitter.com/Energy_Project.

_________________________________

Why is it that between 25% and 50% of people report feeling overwhelmed or burned out at work?

It’s not just the number of hours we’re working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time.

What we’ve lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries. Technology has blurred them beyond recognition. Wherever we go, our work follows us, on our digital devices, ever insistent and intrusive. It’s like an itch we can’t resist scratching, even though scratching invariably makes it worse.

Tell the truth: Do you answer email during conference calls (and sometimes even during calls with one other person)? Do you bring your laptop to meetings and then pretend you’re taking notes while you surf the net? Do you eat lunch at your desk? Do you make calls while you’re driving, and even send the occasional text, even though you know you shouldn’t? Continuar leyendo «The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time»

wetweetapp – Herramienta para que varias personas colaboren en la creación de un tweet HOT APPs | recommended

Si pensáis que escribir un tweet de menos de 140 caracteres es una tarea sencilla, contádselo a los creadores de wetweetapp, aplicación que permite la construcción colaborativa de un texto para que sea publicado en twitter después de discutir su contenido.

Por Juan Diego Polo | http://wwwhatsnew.com

Si pensáis que escribir un tweet de menos de 140 caracteres es una tarea sencilla, contádselo a los creadores de wetweetapp, aplicación que permite la construcción colaborativa de un texto para que sea publicado en twitter después de discutir su contenido.

Sin necesidad de registro solo tenemos que acceder a la herramienta informando nuestro email y comenzar a escribir el texto, divulgando la url única a los otros colaboradores que podrán discutir sobre el contenido del tweet en el panel derecho de la página, tal y como se muestra en la captura superior. Continuar leyendo «wetweetapp – Herramienta para que varias personas colaboren en la creación de un tweet ***HOT APPs | recommended ***»

My Revised “Most Important Task First” Model

Are you more focused and energetic in the morning?
Doing your “Most Important Task” first assumes that you’re most focused first thing in the morning. The idea is to shift this big task to the time when your mental powers are at their height. If you’re naturally inclined to be more focused later in the day, this model might not work for you. You’ll want to calibrate your MIT time to your natural creative rhythms.

http://the99percent.com/tips/6980/Lab-Rat-Do-Your-Most-Important-Task-First

Step 1: Spend 30 minutes scanning email and responding to urgent items.

Step 2: Turn off email and other distractions. Focus for 2-3 hours on completing your “Most Important Task.”

Step 3: Take a lunch break away from your desk. Leaving your computer and recharging is the key to being productive after your MIT time.

Step 4: Devote the post-lunch day to taking care of ongoing tasks and other “reactionary work” that requires less mental stamina.

The Caveat

Although tackling hard work first seems like a no-brainer, I did have to alter the model a bit for it to work for me, which made me realize that this approach really depends on your personality. For some, it may be an easy switch that will exponentially increase productivity, but for others, it might cause extra stress. Continuar leyendo «My Revised “Most Important Task First” Model»

How to use OneNote as a Task Manager for the iPhone

Microsoft Office OneNote, the best note taking program for Windows, is now available for your iPhone as well. Like most other iPhone-only apps, this new OneNote app can also be installed on your iPad and the interface looks decent even after the 2x zoom.

OneNote is now cloud aware. You can take notes on your desktop computer and they get synched with your laptop or you may access them from the browser using OneNote’s web app.

[*] The OneNote app is available as a free download on iTunes.com but is currently limited to US users only. If you are outside the US, please read this workaround on how to install US-specific iPhone apps from international locations.

onenote icon

http://www.labnol.org/software/onenote-as-iphone-task-manager/18514/

OneNote is now cloud aware. You can take notes on your desktop computer and they get synched with your laptop or you may access them from the browser using OneNote’s web app.

Get Organized Now: 3 Ways to Get Organized

Getting organized can be a huge pain the butt. Tasks pile up, your to-do list gets out of control, you feel overwhelmed with all that needs done, and you dread home office organization. Yet, if you want to have peace of mind and a clean work space, you need to get organized. So how to get organized, then? Well, you’re in luck, because this article features three ways to get organized.

Learning how to get organized is very simple. The point is to get organized so that you then focus on your important task at hand. Or your life. But definitely not focusing on the organizing itself. Getting organized is a means to an end.

So without further ado, here are the three ways to get organized:
1. Productively Procrastinate

You will inevitably procrastinate during part of your week. It’s fine – we all do. We’re only human. But just because you procrastinate doesn’t mean you need to waste time. You should productively procrastinate.

When you want to avoid doing the major task in front of you, take care of some not-as-important-but-still-useful tasks on your to-do list. The ones that don’t require much thought are especially good. Maybe it’s cleaning and organizing files and folders on your computer, or doing some home office organization. Anything that’s been lingering on your to-do list.

While these tasks aren’t the really important ones, they’re still useful. And rather than wasting your time surfing the web or watching cat videos, you can more effectively spend your procrastination time. Plus, you don’t have to set aside special time for getting organized: you simply use the pockets of time for when you feel like procrastinating. Productive procrastination is actually some of the best moments to get organized.

Oleg Mokhov
http://workawesome.com/productivity/get-organized/

Organized

So without further ado, here are the three ways to get organized:

1. Productively Procrastinate

14 Essential Utilities for Managing Your Freelance Design Business

While millions of people share the dream of working from home, very few understand its difficulties.

From online distractions to technical malfunctions, online entrepreneurs and freelancers face thousands of potential setbacks, each one threatening a decline in income or a pause in cash flow. We’re all familiar with this problem.

Yet the problem doesn’t affect every designer and developer. With so many tools available, anyone can optimize their work routine and increase productivity.

Becoming productive is about changing not only your behavior, but also your office environment, work style and software.

By using the right collection of software, online applications and utilities, changing your routine and managing your business can be fairly simple.

The following 14 applications are geared toward the design industry but would be effective in almost any online field.

1. EchoSign

From security to legal simplicity, there are hundreds of reasons to insist on a contract before starting a project. EchoSign is a simple online contract application that allows you to send and edit agreements before commencing a project. The pricing plans are clear, and the system itself is secure-some of the world’s largest banks, wholesalers and client-driven businesses use it.

2. Google Apps

Technically, Google Apps is a collection of several applications, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll consider it one all-purpose suite. If you host email through your server or hosting account, forward it through Google Apps’ hosted email service. It will help you not only set appointments efficiently, but also manage your contacts and other data easily. Continuar leyendo «14 Essential Utilities for Managing Your Freelance Design Business»

Productivity Doesn’t Mean Doing More

Create Your Own Meaning

What counts as “productive” work for you?

Everyone’s definition is a bit different and it depends on your context. Perhaps your day job feels productive, along with your home improvement projects, but reading novels is just a way to relax. An English Literature student would feel differently!

One particular area where people struggle is bringing up small children – it might feel like your “real” work isn’t getting done. I love Charlie Gilkey’s take on this:

If you’re ever trying to balance being productive with hanging out with your kids, it’s time to reevaluate how you’ve framed ‘productivity’. Being a good parent is one of the most meaningfully productive things you can do.

(Charlie Gilkey, Being A Good Parent *Is* Being Productive, Productive Flourishing)

Utlimately, no-one but you can say what’s productive. And often, a truly relaxing break, or some quiet space to think and plan, is much more productive than simply knocking another chore off your to-do list.

Try this: Look at one area of your life which feels like a waste of time. Is it really? Or is it just something which society doesn’t value enough? You can decide that it’s meaningful.

How could you do less and start being more productive today?

Written by Ali Luke
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/productivity-doesnt-mean-doing-more/

Ever tell yourself “I should be more productive?”

When you think that, you’re probably imagining doing more. Working more hours, getting through more work during those hours, clearing your inbox, cleaning out the garage … just thinking about it is enough to make you feel exhausted already.

The truth about productivity, though, is that we don’t necessarily become more productive – producing more worthwhile results in our lives – by constantly doing more and more. Real productivity might actually come from doing less.

Less Really Is More

I expect you’re familiar with the Pareto principle – that 80% of results are derived from 20% of effort. (For instance 80% of your profit is from 20% of your clients.)

While this doesn’t hold true for every single situation, it’s a good principle to keep in mind. There are probably some areas in your life where you’re expending a lot of effort for negligible results.

By doing less – cutting back in the areas which don’t really matter – you’ll have more energy, focus and enthusiasm for those things which do make a difference. Continuar leyendo «Productivity Doesn’t Mean Doing More»

5 Tips for Handling Pricing Objections

One of the most difficult aspects of business for many freelancers is the pricing of projects. While some designers offer package-based pricing, most will have to provide a custom quote for every new client. Making an accurate estimate as to how much time will be required is often a challenge, but for many freelancers what is even more difficult is closing the sale and getting the client to commit by signing a contract and agreeing to the price.

By nature most designers are not interested in sales, but it is a necessary part of being a freelancer. Of course, the more demand you have for your services the easier it will be, and the less pressure you will have to land each potential client. But in reality most freelancers today are not in a position to lose out on projects if it can be avoided.

In this industry pricing objections from potential clients are relatively common. Maybe the client doesn’t have much knowledge or experience in the area and they have unrealistic expectations of what is involved in the process and how much work is required. Or maybe they have a friend or family member who claims they can get a website for much cheaper somewhere else. Whatever the case, freelance designers never enjoy dealing with pricing objections.

In this article we’ll look at a few key things that you can do when you are in a situation where a potential client is hesitating to move forward due to price. While there will always be some clients who expect a top notch website for a bargain basement price, most clients are very reasonable and effective communication can often lead to some way to come to an agreement.

Via
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/business/pricing-objections/

One of the most difficult aspects of business for many freelancers is the pricing of projects. While some designers offer package-based pricing, most will have to provide a custom quote for every new client. Making an accurate estimate as to how much time will be required is often a challenge, but for many freelancers what is even more difficult is closing the sale and getting the client to commit by signing a contract and agreeing to the price.By nature most designers are not interested in sales, but it is a necessary part of being a freelancer. Of course, the more demand you have for your services the easier it will be, and the less pressure you will have to land each potential client. But in reality most freelancers today are not in a position to lose out on projects if it can be avoided.

In this industry pricing objections from potential clients are relatively common. Maybe the client doesn’t have much knowledge or experience in the area and they have unrealistic expectations of what is involved in the process and how much work is required. Or maybe they have a friend or family member who claims they can get a website for much cheaper somewhere else. Whatever the case, freelance designers never enjoy dealing with pricing objections.

In this article we’ll look at a few key things that you can do when you are in a situation where a potential client is hesitating to move forward due to price. While there will always be some clients who expect a top notch website for a bargain basement price, most clients are very reasonable and effective communication can often lead to some way to come to an agreement. Continuar leyendo «5 Tips for Handling Pricing Objections»