tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86270892024-03-07T14:33:22.538-05:00ThinkHammerCreate. Connect. Conquer. :: Be Unforgettable. Build Your Tribe. Conquer Resistance.Thinkhammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03514425687797138086noreply@blogger.comBlogger1232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-7673263603315788172016-06-16T06:00:00.000-04:002016-06-16T06:00:26.505-04:00What are you building?Every day You are turning out bricks. The building blocks of your life.<br />
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Sure, some days and some bricks are better than others, but they are coming out one after the other.<br />
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The question becomes, what are you building with them?<br />
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Are you building with intention? If you are not, you are not alone.<br />
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But is that what you had in mind?<br />
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A planner builds with intention. It may take years to build, but even with setbacks, if the planner's intention is unwavering, the majestic building gets built.<br />
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It's too easy to end up with a dog house.<br />
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I want a castle.<br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-35470339995175298812016-06-15T09:21:00.003-04:002016-06-15T09:21:55.999-04:00Tools to delightIt's so much easier to work with tools that delight. I look at some of the staid old interfaces of applications that haven't gotten a meaningful update in years and I find myself wanting to use them less and less.<br />
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The tool isn't getting worse. The rest of the world, the other agents, apps and devices competing for my attention are becoming more engaging. They do it so that I will pay more attention to them. They are fighting for a scare resource -- the diminishing supply of seconds in my life.<br />
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It may come a time when a tool is no longer the right one for me. for you. It may be time to move on.<br />
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It is ok. Just move.<br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-72424524013541727482016-05-02T08:59:00.001-04:002016-05-02T08:59:49.020-04:00It's coming...<p dir="ltr">We're working on something new. Really. </p>
Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-4933598354407887832015-09-22T11:10:00.002-04:002015-09-22T11:10:59.754-04:00A meditation on when to start your big projectI love this advice from Alan Watts to aspiring writers...<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Advice? I don't have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you're writing, you're a writer. Write like you're a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there's no chance for a pardon. Write like you're clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you've got just one last thing to say, like you're a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God's sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we're not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don't. Who knows, maybe you're one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to. -Alan Watts</blockquote>
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If you think you want to do something, then get started on it. </div>
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There is no point in waiting for permission... no one is authorized to grant it. </div>
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There is no point in waiting for perfection... you may never get there -- and for the lack of perfection, your flame may never shine. </div>
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There is no point in waiting for the timing to be right... there is always an excuse, but it's never as good as you at your best. </div>
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You want to do a thing? Do it. </div>
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Don't wait for it to be authorized. That will come later. </div>
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Don't wait for it to be perfect. You can fix it as you go. </div>
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Don't wait for the right time. The right time is almost always right now.</div>
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Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-21575461504434001032015-05-06T15:31:00.000-04:002015-05-06T15:31:16.157-04:00Magic Leap reveals another brilliant video<div style="text-align: center;">
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This is the future of gaming. I think I'm in. Ok... I think we are all in.</div>
Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-73298758486340242222015-03-26T14:52:00.000-04:002015-03-26T14:52:08.223-04:00Everyone should have a loving family... 500 miles away<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/197822350&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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I can't imagine you'd want to hear this, but it's a very <b>personal interview</b> I did with Loyd Ford of <a href="http://greatupstate.com/">GreatUpstate.com</a>. After opening with an overview of my very early life, we get to talking about the <a href="http://gsatc.org/" target="_blank">GSA Technology Council</a> and <a href="http://techafterfive.com/" target="_blank">Tech After Five</a>. We celebrate our 300th Tech After Five event and talk about how I came to Greenville and how those groups came to be. We talk about the power of podcasts, including some of my favorites <a href="http://freakonomics.com/radio/" target="_blank">Freakonomics</a>, <a href="http://www.radiolab.org/" target="_blank">Radiolab</a> , <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/" target="_blank">99% Invisible</a>. We talk about kids and technology, building your podcast audience, getting closer to your listeners, finding your way and serving your tribe.<br />
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ps: I didn't edit the audio or put a wrapper on it. It's just the way Loyd Ford presented it <a href="http://www.upstateisgreat.com/blog/2015/3/25/the-stories-of-the-upstate-8-i-did-not-spend-much-time-around-people-as-a-kid" target="_blank">on his website</a>.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-57071457468931522502015-03-06T09:19:00.000-05:002015-03-06T09:19:02.868-05:00How to be INVINCIBLE at your work...<div style="border: 0px; color: #383838; font-family: gotham, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.571428em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
There are days you feel like the Universe's whipping boy. Everyone and everything is taking a whack at you. The car breaks down, a filling falls out, a paying customer goes out of business. Things happen.</div>
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It feels bad.... It's ok to feel bad.... It would be crazy and possibly delusional not to feel the pain of the disappointment.</div>
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But if you love what you do... then you know you'll be alright.</div>
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Actually, if you love what you do and you are not afraid to do the work, then you can't be beat.</div>
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The reason is simple.</div>
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If you love what you do, then you're going to do it again...</div>
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even if it hurts. even if it doesn't work just right.</div>
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You'll keep at it -- because it's the work you love.</div>
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That makes you invincible.</div>
Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-50035637939467687332015-01-14T06:44:00.001-05:002015-02-06T11:06:15.600-05:00Is the Productivity Pack a good deal?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge02eTgCDh0WYElWrQRLX3sx6dW7s_Z8AQ1nK1cdGWdOrB8k8N8UNc_YbXRLkudbO2frKNksfpOLk6jt_fIaRX6DJkq40yFcpYa9988oRik5hW-dVJXdqVrN9G4Z8eg2DybWmL/s1600/evernote-bundle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge02eTgCDh0WYElWrQRLX3sx6dW7s_Z8AQ1nK1cdGWdOrB8k8N8UNc_YbXRLkudbO2frKNksfpOLk6jt_fIaRX6DJkq40yFcpYa9988oRik5hW-dVJXdqVrN9G4Z8eg2DybWmL/s1600/evernote-bundle.png" title="Evernote, Lastpass, Pocket, Wunderlist Bundle" /></a></div>
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<b>UPDATE (2015-2-6)</b> : Now a three month Dropbox Pro subscription has been added to the deal. (You get it even if you have already paid.) This makes the deal even sweeter -- if you are into good deals.<br />
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<b>Original post:</b><br />
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On Tuesday, the Productivity Pack was revealed. It offers the awesome Evernote, password manager LastPass, to-do-list app Wunderlist and the read-it-later service Pocket bundled premium subscriptions to all four services in a single “<a href="https://aproductiveyear.com/">Productivity Pack</a>” for $59.99 </div>
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I have used all four services at various points in my software evaluations. At this point I pay for Evernote Premium, which is $45 per year and LastPass Premium at $12 a year.<br />
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If you aren't using these apps, then maybe you should be giving the free versions a whirl. If you're quick to make decisions on these things then you can get that first year at a discount.</div>
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qv: <a href="https://aproductiveyear.com/" target="_blank">The Productivity Pack</a><br />
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Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-87540483256744935182014-11-21T13:36:00.001-05:002014-11-21T13:36:46.000-05:00Will you please describe what you do? (So people will get it.)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I listened to an <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/329-mario-batali-speaks-up-close-and-personal-with-a-celebrity-chef/" target="_blank">interview with restaurateur Mario Batali</a> a few weeks ago. He said that you must be able to describe a restaurant's concept in <b>less than three sentences</b>. He said the message needs to be clear so that the customer can determine if they want to be a part of your experience. If you can't describe your endeavor succinctly, people are going to lose interest in you before you even have a chance to connect with them.<br />
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I think the same is true for our personal and business endeavors. This especially matters if your endeavor looks to build a tribe or a network to help you find the customers you need. The person you may be attempting to connect with wants to be able to slot you quickly. Can you help them do that?<br />
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If people are going to listen to you... If people are going to remember you... If people are going to be able to recall <b>you</b> when they need <b>you</b>, then you must get this right.<br />
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If you fail, they wander off.</div>
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<b>Can you tell me what you do in in 3 simple sentences or less?</b><br />
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Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-60697127386603161772014-11-06T14:58:00.002-05:002014-11-06T14:59:36.249-05:00Adventures with Google Wallet. Why your iPad is Wonky.<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/175524444&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false"></iframe>
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Listen in on a full hour of live calls about personal technology and the problems it causes. We discuss Apple Pay and Phil's adventures with Google Wallet. We take calls on new iPads, iMap email problems, iPhone syncing, Minecraft, upgrading to an iPhone 6, why is my iPad wonky, storing photos online, the perils of a suspended Google account, backing up and more. This show originally aired on the ETV Public Radio network in South Carolina.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-21415275947837002182014-11-03T06:03:00.001-05:002014-11-03T06:03:53.340-05:00The Fastest Way To Find Your Elevator PitchIf someone asks you what you do -- can you tell them?<br /><br />Chances are you have a tight 30 second commercial ready to roll off your tongue at a moment's notice.... Or not.<br /><br />Most people can't tell you what they do. <div>
It's not because they are terrible public speakers. </div>
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They can't articulate what they do because they perform their jobs on autopilot. They may be great at that they do, chances are they are at least good at it. They've never thought about the people they help and the stories those people tell.<br /><br />If you can't tell your story, just ask a happy customer what you did for them. They will give you at least one good answer you can share.</div>
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That guy on the elevator should get a clear answer from you. He might need your help.</div>
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Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-64965924961388202782014-09-16T14:04:00.000-04:002014-09-16T14:04:07.754-04:00How can you use Pinterest to build a business?<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/168016466&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Learn how the website Pinterest works from blogger and Pinterest expert Cynthia Sanchez. Have questions about getting started with Pinterest for your business or blog? Not sure if Pinterest is right for you? Get the basics on Pinterest and learn how Cynthia Sanchez has turned Pinterest into a successful blog, podcast and business. (<a href="http://www.ohsopinteresting.com/">www.ohsopinteresting.com</a>)<br /><br />ps: I met <a href="https://twitter.com/OSPInteresting">Cynthia Sanchez</a> at <a href="http://ta5.com/">Tech After Five</a> in Charleston. When I think of the benefit of showing up at a place just to discover someone new, I think of our chance encounter. She is a cool cat doing cool things and from her I learned about a social media platform I didn't even know how to ask the questions about.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovcZhrfEWK3MXg6RZHFRFijNhyphenhyphenASca3a6qsJ2TcSRaedPlogENUKScKSGGuoWegOdGsMhOX_enGyCUVf0yjAaeCbeodzlqZMVCAdJmwlW850EioMjrtdMUN7zYyQyHvij4Ybw/s1600/Ta5-Charleston-Sanchez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovcZhrfEWK3MXg6RZHFRFijNhyphenhyphenASca3a6qsJ2TcSRaedPlogENUKScKSGGuoWegOdGsMhOX_enGyCUVf0yjAaeCbeodzlqZMVCAdJmwlW850EioMjrtdMUN7zYyQyHvij4Ybw/s1600/Ta5-Charleston-Sanchez.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynthia Sanchez (OhSoPinteresting) and her husband Rob at Tech After Five in Charleston, SC.</td></tr>
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-10854838005699009042014-08-14T06:00:00.000-04:002014-08-14T06:00:07.645-04:00Should I buy now or wait for the next generation of smartphone?<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/162979296&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>
This is a show from our archives...and one of our favorites. We talk about the buy versus wait decision for any new technology and then answer questions on how to make your internet experience faster. We tell you what you need to know about using a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. Is it worth upgrading your Mac? Also, how do you pick a tablet? Plus we discourage a caller from having us in her home. Really. You don't want that. Do you?
</span>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-78606898300919087302014-08-05T09:39:00.000-04:002014-08-05T09:39:05.257-04:00What If You Could Engage Your Community?<iframe frameborder="no" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/161797703&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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What If You Could Engage Your Community?</h2>
I recently got a chance on <a href="http://yourday.clemson.edu/" target="_blank">YourDay</a> to sit down with Adam Gautsch and talk about the birth of <a href="http://whatifgreenville.com/" target="_blank">WhatIfGreenville</a>, <a href="http://whatifanderson.com/" target="_blank">WhatIfAnderson</a>, and now <a href="https://imaginethat.io/" target="_blank">the tool</a> that any community can use to engage it's stakeholders. We learn that the wisdom of the crowd can be brought to bear on many community problems and you are likely to learn <b>a great deal more</b> along the way.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-12875990861513690672014-07-25T10:41:00.000-04:002014-07-25T10:41:16.795-04:00The easiest way to video conference an iPad with Android plus your calls<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/160231458&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Join me, Phil Yanov and Eric Rodgers in a live and lively discussion of computers, cameras and all the other electronic and digital technology in our lives. We talk about Amazon Prime Music, how to use Google Hangouts to video conference between Android and iPads, how to pick between tablets, and editing video on an iPad.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-26584739415030444312014-07-01T11:02:00.002-04:002014-07-01T11:02:59.283-04:00Do Something New This MonthIs there something you've been meaning to learn, but haven't? Are you letting Resistance stop you from beginning? Sometimes you just need a little push. Getting started can be the hard part... but it is so easy. Just start. Do it today. Use the calendar to give you that little push. You can do any thing for 30 days. Read a book. Write a book. Learn Yoga. Practice Meditation. Write a blog. Just do something. new.<br />
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In this TEDTalk, Matt Cutts will inspire you to try something new in just three and a half minutes. I dare you to watch it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://embed.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe>
Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-26051632747956904612014-03-10T10:50:00.001-04:002014-10-06T21:01:29.264-04:00Nine Ways To Make Networking Work For You<iframe frameborder="0" height="541" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.haikudeck.com/e/dKSyi6Az60/?isUrlHashEnabled=false&isPreviewEnabled=false&isHeaderVisible=false" width="640"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">Created with <a href="http://www.haikudeck.com/p/dKSyi6Az60/network-awesomely-how-to-make-the-most-of-any-professional-mixer-?utm_campaign=embed&utm_source=webapp&utm_medium=text-link">Haiku Deck, the free presentation app</a></span><br />
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Are you tired of networking events that are a complete waste of time? Are you sick of always meeting the same people and the "wrong" people at events? Do you feel like you don't know what to do, who to talk to, or what to say when at a professional event? Well, here are a few steps you might take to help.<br />
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By the way, this is a Haiku presentation that I created as part of a talk I give on Professional Networking. It is also my first swing at a Haiku deck and I'd appreciate any feedback you can offer on how to make it more engaging, more helpful, or more relevant to you. If you think I've missed something, please let me know. Send me email. I'm Phil at Thinkhammer or press the email me button on my <a href="http://about.me/thinkhammer" target="_blank">About Me Profile</a>.<br />
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<h2>
Nine Ways To Make Networking Work For You</h2>
<ol style="color: #444444; font-family: QuicksandBookRegular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
PLAN TO CONNECT</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">THERE IS A WEB OF PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP YOU</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Networking events can be scary and useless. It is too easy to come away from an event feeling like you've wasted your time and didn't meet any of the "right" people. If you follow a few rules, you can keep that from happening and turn any room into your advantage.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
BE PREPARED</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">KNOW WHO IS GOING TO BE IN THE ROOM</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">For many events it is possible to know who is going to be in the room before you even get there. Get the list either from the event site or one of the organizers. If they don't share the list, then ask the organizers if they can give you some idea of who to expect so you can make a list of who you'd especially like to meet. At Tech After Five events (ta5.com) there is even an app that you can use to target contacts that would be especially useful for you. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
HAVE A PLAN</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">MEET FIVE NEW PEOPLE</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Having an activity goal is particularly useful at networking events. It will keep you moving forward and maybe even keep you from using all of your time talking to people you already know well. Sample goals might be "Meet Five New People" or "Collect two business cards from people I can have a follow up meeting with."</span></div>
</li>
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
TALK TO STRANGERS</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">THEY ARE THE QUICKEST WAY TO ADD DIVERSITY TO YOUR NETWORK</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">It is too easy to spend all of our networking time with people we already know. Decide that you are going to add diversity to your network as well as rekindling conversations with existing contacts. New people bring fresh ideas and networks to you. Chances are, you will be able to help each other in ways you hadn't thought of.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
ASK QUESTIONS</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">WHEN YOU ARE LISTENING, YOU ARE LEARNING</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">When you are cool, or work for a cool company, or have a particularly awesome product or service, it is too easy to be talking when you should be listening. Ask questions. Learn about the people you meet, both old and new. When you ask the right questions, you learn from them. The more you know, the more likely you will be able to come up with ways to connect.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
BE HELPFUL FIRST</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASANT SURPRISE</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Once you've started asking questions, be sure to ask how you can help others first. At many events the participants can be exhausted from hearing one pitch after another. Be different by offering help first. Perhaps they are looking for a particular company or person and you can be the one to help them make that connection. Start by offering help and then they will be wondering how they can help you.</span></div>
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<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
WHAT'S YOUR STORY?</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN WHO YOU HELP AND HOW</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Don't start with your pitch, but have it ready. When someone asks how they can help you, be sure you have a concise answer. Let them know specifically who, or what, or what situation you are looking to uncover and then ask them who you should be talking to. If they know, they will help. If you can't articulate what or who you need they probably won't know where to start.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">IT PUTS YOU IN CONTROL OF FOLLOW UP</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Hand out business cards to anyone who asks for one, but more importantly ask for a business card from anyone who you think you'd like to follow up with. Carry a notepad and pen for those people who didn't bring a card. You want to be able to take the next step in terms of follow up. You need contact information to make that happen.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="font-size: 24.5px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><h3 class="header" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 24.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">
FOLLOW UP QUICKLY</span></h3>
<div class="subheader" style="font-family: QuicksandBoldRegular; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: white;">MAKE A CALL, DROP A LINE, DO SOMETHING</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Try to follow up while the conversation is still fresh. Best practices means you send a note that evening or the following morning. I know it's hard, but if you are going to go to the trouble of making contacts, then set aside time to do proper follow up. If you follow these steps you are going to absolutely distinguish yourself as a professional networker and undoubtedly be awesome at whatever else you are trying to do as well.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-61069819853130063242014-03-07T10:40:00.001-05:002014-03-07T10:40:12.152-05:00How to have dinner with George Takei for $6, and why you should<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKlMST7ybh1nvVYlea3XUIx55N3akQ3GIclmaWsRANRBobPbUyx1CmXvmMeIPaY4Qx73cnB_M83uua-nkFSRPYVB8X4LnaLy3Jm8lOGwK0RMYPu1PQMIt3glXMpAS2H7mPIYW/s1600/medium_5777843905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKlMST7ybh1nvVYlea3XUIx55N3akQ3GIclmaWsRANRBobPbUyx1CmXvmMeIPaY4Qx73cnB_M83uua-nkFSRPYVB8X4LnaLy3Jm8lOGwK0RMYPu1PQMIt3glXMpAS2H7mPIYW/s1600/medium_5777843905.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/5777843905/">Gage Skidmore</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">cc</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=philyanovcom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00AHP5NY6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Like most Americans, I follow George Takei, the man I once knew as Star Trek's Leutenant Sulu, on social media. I started following because of the many fond hours I spent with him at the helm of the USS Enterprise when I was a kid. I've kept following him because he has a wicked sense of humor and posts incredibly funny items on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/+GeorgeTakei/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>, and twitter feeds. His posts are gems. He is a funny and charming guy. His posts feature clever word play on Star Trek, Star Wars, unfortunately misspelled signs and goofy animals photos over improbable captions. They make me laugh and sometimes think -- with just the right amount of each.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSKtKCafa3bYI1hdANSQ23v-SFDl7e3FyUDAS5y0ZnN80GVYcren5Vx7G9pp4X0KqVhQpecBYnqc2qdBLUr4I_hjxeZSyC0PhHz3ggZ4QunS3R6_ZxkJINdps5y4tA6lQf7SV/s1600/oh-myyy-200x280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSKtKCafa3bYI1hdANSQ23v-SFDl7e3FyUDAS5y0ZnN80GVYcren5Vx7G9pp4X0KqVhQpecBYnqc2qdBLUr4I_hjxeZSyC0PhHz3ggZ4QunS3R6_ZxkJINdps5y4tA6lQf7SV/s1600/oh-myyy-200x280.jpg" /></a></div>
I've yet to meet George Takei, but I have just finished his latest book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHP5NY6/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AHP5NY6&linkCode=as2&tag=philyanovcom-20" target="_blank">Oh Myyy!</a>, How was it? I feel like I've just had a lovely dinner with George Takei and I enjoyed every bit of it. Oh Myyy! is a breezy 246 pages where the author talks about the title, his life, and his adventures with Twitter and Facebook. Just in case you haven't been watching, George Takei has 6 over million followers on Facebook and another million on Twitter. When he talks, Facebook listens and when he talks about Facebook, he should certainly be worth listening to. He comes across as a caring guy who would be a lot of fun to engage in conversation. He cracks jokes, tells you what's important to him, and talks about how he balances his goals against the expectations of the tribe that has built around him. My guess is that reading this book might actually be better than actually having dinner with George. The book contains more conversation than you could fit into any one evening, you can go back over the most interesting parts more easily and he has already anticipated the best questions you might ask of him and he has answered them personally and succinctly. Like I said, it was lovely.<br />
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ps: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHP5NY6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AHP5NY6&linkCode=as2&tag=philyanovcom-20" target="_blank">The Kindle edition of Oh Myyy! is about $6</a>.<br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-475151396240505832014-02-18T08:58:00.000-05:002014-02-18T08:58:01.624-05:00Live Radio - How do I keep my online self safe? Is this Mac worth fixing? We take your calls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-y0r-09phYPcDB9xGMHrxk2jY7hJcneBhVd5Jt78VODabuJr_nLAIy7S79jKgYHAEgEvKthM1rrCpWQqsToD4SZwHRwzAa48ha9LZHCegCK2pEmqutDDwCXLoCEqbSQ3Xlyh/s1600/Radio+2013-08+-+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-y0r-09phYPcDB9xGMHrxk2jY7hJcneBhVd5Jt78VODabuJr_nLAIy7S79jKgYHAEgEvKthM1rrCpWQqsToD4SZwHRwzAa48ha9LZHCegCK2pEmqutDDwCXLoCEqbSQ3Xlyh/s1600/Radio+2013-08+-+11.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a> </div>
In this show we talk to callers about:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Why we like rugged phones</li>
<li>When do you fix your Mac? (or buy a new one.)</li>
<li>Should I buy a Roku or Apple TV or something else?</li>
<li>How to keep your online self safe.</li>
<li>A cool virtual globe.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<audio controls="">
<source src="http://psaweb.clemson.edu/psaradiopod/YDPodcast/YD140130.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"></source>
</audio><br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-59531446907672499472014-01-13T11:48:00.000-05:002014-01-13T11:48:17.517-05:00One Easy Way To Keep Contact Information Current<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Z1Y72R5N052bfuIEouutWcd4SctWe1BhmZuQdqhEqaPZqH6KrYy7TAyUd7SEAV3xSVmT1FAYj41RyACsKfHGFy7KffhAvz7SNXVDi8vnOA3MXAIcFJD6HggAPFiZRpturr8P/s1600/Ta5+Columbia+2014-01+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Z1Y72R5N052bfuIEouutWcd4SctWe1BhmZuQdqhEqaPZqH6KrYy7TAyUd7SEAV3xSVmT1FAYj41RyACsKfHGFy7KffhAvz7SNXVDi8vnOA3MXAIcFJD6HggAPFiZRpturr8P/s640/Ta5+Columbia+2014-01+24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Knowing and keeping up with people is important to me.</b> I like knowing awesome people and it bothers me that I lose track of them from time to time. Even though I scan business cards, use LinkedIn, and try to keep my address book up to date, people move, change jobs, or otherwise slip my net and I lose them. I typically find out when I got to call them or shoot them an email and see that my address book has info from two jobs ago. Grumble.<br />
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<b>Keeping contact information up to date can be a chore. (so it doesn't get done.)</b><br />
<br />
A few months back I found a sleek tool for keeping my address book up to date -- automagically. It is sleek, fast and invisible -- and I just don't get to use the word "automagic" enough.<br />
<br />
The app I use scans my GMail emails, looks for contact information that people typically put in the signature block of their emails, and then compares it to the data that's in my address book. If changes are needed, it sends me a daily roundup email of all the suggested changes and I can approve or ignore them.<br />
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It's awesome. It's <a href="http://bit.ly/1gawNHU" target="_blank">Evercontact</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPfxTjlYtsxftSznVIwXfknClWUgsX8K6NG5mlLwqMhH47LpCqnsrQHW6S9nmpichnPL_3UnXHcJxnb49kE0ZbbCY0G-UhA-t8MJL1n3ZTKl9kQjqp4_ZMZJCgHWyxalf3JKy/s1600/evercontact-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="evercontact logo" border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPfxTjlYtsxftSznVIwXfknClWUgsX8K6NG5mlLwqMhH47LpCqnsrQHW6S9nmpichnPL_3UnXHcJxnb49kE0ZbbCY0G-UhA-t8MJL1n3ZTKl9kQjqp4_ZMZJCgHWyxalf3JKy/s320/evercontact-logo.jpg" title="evercontact" width="320" /></a></div>
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So far, Evercontact has updated more than 470 contacts in my address book! I might have lost these people. I have certainly saved many hours that I might have spent updating them manually. If you spend time going to networking events, meeting people at conferences, or even making contact with them on LinkedIn, I can't imagine why you would not want to give the <a href="http://bit.ly/1gawNHU" target="_blank">Evercontact free trial</a> a spin. you might not know who you've been missing.<br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-2141910846975349372014-01-02T09:52:00.000-05:002014-01-02T09:52:02.990-05:00More..<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 48px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>More</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">More love. </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">More laughs.</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">More cool cats. <b>More accolades.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">More flashes of brilliance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>More awesome moments with friends.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">More celebrations with those who love you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>More sleep.</b> More wakefulness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>More passion.</b> More purpose. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>More peace.</b> More light. <b>More joy.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>More you being the best you ever.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">May these be your blessings in the New Year.
</span><br />
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<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-69580819589251390022013-12-24T12:17:00.001-05:002013-12-24T12:19:40.995-05:00Happy & Peaceful Holidays to All<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lFynSyH1tro" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-46493616352115557112013-07-31T15:26:00.000-04:002013-07-31T15:30:55.317-04:00Five Techniques for Creating The Time You Need In Your Day<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWDQmaGH8551_fj-qUPS-dhgHORVF9WvQocw0rP8nRzLdIHQEhbb-IFmOF68CdCOYUImHMjzT6xhyphenhyphenPemXfpVNxgbfpyDmJyeh9hKlzuoAWcmZlxjyI0Us3hzmmQV1egA0pEDA/s1600/medium_6887194370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWDQmaGH8551_fj-qUPS-dhgHORVF9WvQocw0rP8nRzLdIHQEhbb-IFmOF68CdCOYUImHMjzT6xhyphenhyphenPemXfpVNxgbfpyDmJyeh9hKlzuoAWcmZlxjyI0Us3hzmmQV1egA0pEDA/s1600/medium_6887194370.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/conradoplg/6887194370/">conradoplg</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you too busy to do what’s good for you? I just finished watching Nigel Marsh’s brilliant TEDxSydney talk on <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/nigel_marsh_how_to_make_work_life_balance_work.html" target="_blank">how to make work-life balance work</a>. It reminded me of a comment I hear a lot from people as they express their regrets for not showing up for a networking event. They’ll say they can’t make the event because they are so busy. There are a couple of problems with that statement, but let’s see if I can help with just one of them. Maybe you can have more room for all of the things that matter (including building professional relationships) if you could just create a bit more time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Here are some strategies you might try...</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) Make a list of things to stop doing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you made a list of everything that takes up your time in a day, you can probably stop doing ten percent of them and nobody will notice. In a week you’ll wonder why you ever thought they were important. At the end of the day today make a list of everything you did. Look at the list and put a circle next to every item likely to come up again tomorrow. Then scratch through every one you think you could stop doing. My guess is you get an hour a day back doing this.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Ask those closest to you what is the most important thing you can be doing for them.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You may not be prioritizing your efforts in a way that will have the highest impact on your life and the lives of those around you. How do you determine what’s important to them? Ask! They may not always be right, but it is the perfect place to start a conversation. You will immediately find things that are not important at all and you can kill those projects entirely. Poof! More time for what matter most to you. If you’ve got someone who is particularly needy in your life, then make them prioritize for you. Tell them you’ve got limited time, and ask them where they would have you to start. It’s empowering for you and them. They know you care. You let them know what to actually expect.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) Handle things once.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have three different email programs all looking at the same email inboxes, you are actually reading emails three times! Tell me I’m the only one...and I won’t believe you. Read and either respond or decide you never will immediately. The new Google GMail inbox actually makes this much easier. You can now scan entire categories of email, make decisions about them in bulk and make them go away. You can select them all, or all but a couple, and deal with those singles as needed. I sign up for the events I plan to attend, and archive or delete the rest. The same thing goes for actual mail. Is it a bill? Put it in the bill paying stack and know you will get to it at the right time. Don’t shuffle through your paper mail every day looking for a bill. This wastes countless hours you could be using for bigger projects (like hanging out with friends or playing with the cat.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) Schedule your interruptions (and regain focus.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a rule, I don’t let emails pop up on my screen and interrupt my focus time. To make this work for me, I have disabled email popups, and I grab the tab of my browser and pull it away from the others so I have a single window open and the object of my attention when trying to do focused work. If I’m writing, it can be hard to get back into a thought. I keep the interruptions to a minimum.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) Work while you wait.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casual gaming nearly ruined me. While I never got into Farmville, there have been others that sapped my every free second. While I didn’t (usually) stop work to play a game, I would find myself waiting for a car, or sitting on an airplane or waiting in an office and firing up some game because I thought it needed me to do some sort of maintenance. I know it’s likely just me, but is a game, Facebook, Twitter, or texting stealing a valuable part of your day?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6) Singletask.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be here now. Your brain is processing lots of other things, but there is no reason in the world to ask it to try to process multiple conversational threads at one time. We’d like to think that this is something we are really good at, but the truth of the matter is that will take our brain several minutes to recover from an interruption. Even if it takes only 30 seconds to answer the question , it will take us a few more minutes to recover and return to work. That’s quite a loss and one that few factor into their day. Allow yourself an uninterrupted time to work on what’s important. The focus is a force multiplier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">There you go. Hopefully one or two of these strategies will help you create some additional time to get the things done that are important to you and the stakeholders in your life. If you have got some ideas or have some feedback, use the comments section or <a href="http://gplus.to/thinkhammer" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-79735609687832012722013-06-04T15:22:00.000-04:002013-06-04T15:22:29.623-04:00What Living Person Do You Most Admire?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnx5YxLy4H8kvYm2NoSUv4UK_a9h0So3q7KvBIPuqbzq_rugqRg3LkuMci7klSa6jd2Oa8hhyiw9SJA-Po7S-mRBZQGVe-yNCojWJFMV-fXi7J7YChSJ7ZcDmO9y2kYFuthGD/s1600/large_4595276262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnx5YxLy4H8kvYm2NoSUv4UK_a9h0So3q7KvBIPuqbzq_rugqRg3LkuMci7klSa6jd2Oa8hhyiw9SJA-Po7S-mRBZQGVe-yNCojWJFMV-fXi7J7YChSJ7ZcDmO9y2kYFuthGD/s320/large_4595276262.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/4595276262/">kevin dooley</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a></span></td></tr>
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I have a group of friends and business associates who get together once a week for <a href="http://cigartherapy.com/">cigars and drinks</a>. The idea is to get to know a few new and interesting people and see what happens. We've been doing it for years and it seems to work pretty well. One of the tools we use to get to know each other is to ask a new question each week. The answers may be hilarious, outrageous, poignant, or personal. I thought it might be interesting to try that experiment out on the web with you. I'm asking the question publicly, but probably only people I know and send the link to will bother to answer. Maybe, by reading the responses, we might find someone new to connect with, learn about, maybe even do business with. <br />
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Here goes. <br />
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The question is... <b>What living person do you most admire? </b><br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/110595349134612087989/posts/9jxTyo4LrAL">ANSWER ON GOOGLE PLUS</a><br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627089.post-7930543474762145662013-05-02T15:33:00.000-04:002013-05-02T15:40:24.743-04:00How to Make Something Happen Every DayIt's pretty easy to have a whole day go by and have nothing to show for it. Ever have one of those days where you say, "I know I got up. I think I ate breakfast. I got to the office. And then it's a blur..." It's a real problem when you start stringing those days into weeks, because they eventually become months and then years. That's not much of a story to tell and it's all too common. If you want to break out of that pattern then you need some strategies. These are some that have worked for me.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandoncwarren/3593583038/">Brandon Christopher Warren</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
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Five Strategies for Making Something Happen Every Day</span></h3>
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1) Start the Night Before. </h3>
Part of my inspiration for this post was Michael Hyatt's <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/productive-day.html">Productive Day</a> post. He said that he gets to bed on time. I don't know how much sleep you need, but you know how much you need. Get it. I'm an early riser. I know lots of people who say they aren't. When you ask them a few more questions you find that they typically don't get to bed until after midnight. If I went to bed at midnight, I wouldn't be an early riser either. I know how much sleep I need by listening to my body. You can too. If you need 7 hours a night, then get it. If you need 9, then plan accordingly. Failure to get your minimum keeps you from performing optimally each day. If you are going to make something happen, why start the day in a hole?<br />
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2) Plan before you Stand. </h3>
Movie directors plan their movies before they shoot them. They sketch them out on story boards. I do the same thing with my day, in my head. After I wake up, but before I stand up, I visualize the BIG things I am going to do during the day. I think about what it will take to accomplish them, why they are important to me, and how I will feel once they are done. I sometimes discover during this process that I have forgotten some needed element. This give me a chance to correct my action plan before I've even started. Most importantly, the plan before you stand methodology lets you validate your approach, before you actually begin.<br />
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3) Do the Hard Thing First.</h3>
The list of things you are going to get done in any given day is always shorter than the list of things you'd like to get done. Why not go for a big win first? I guess if you need encouragement, you might want to start with the easy stuff, but that can sometimes kill your drive. So start big. Do the thing with the most impact first. After that, everything else will be easy.<br />
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4) Avoid Low Value Distractions.</h3>
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The Internet has made getting distracted easier than ever. I could be writing my book, writing things that matter, or reading all of the cool stuff flowing past my screen in Twitter. My phone beeps, and I am off looking at Facebook. The real book, the work that matters can easily get lost among the distractions. The only real way to make this problem go away is to turn it off. EMail, Facebook, Twitter, that's my list not yours, I put them in a box. I don't allow alerts, I set my phone to DO NOT DISTURB to get the focus I need to get the big things done. When working on an extended project, I only read emails at specified times during the day. If you are going to get the big thing done, you can't let the little stuff sap your attention. Turn it off.<br />
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5) Reward Yourself.</h3>
The race is long and if I don't break it up into pieces I find it hard to keep up my best effort all the way to the end. So, I set up rewards for getting hard things done. Incentives work for the economy, they work for my kids and I figure they must work for me as well. There are certain things I really like to do during the day that I set up as rewards for getting things done. It might be a trip out for a special cup of coffee, a ten minute conversation with a friend, a walk around the block or smoking a cigar. I consider those activities, as well as the sheer internalized joy of getting good work done in front of me, as rewards. This can help me move forward when the going gets tough.<br />
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These are just a few of the techniques I use to try to create things that matter every day. If you've got some tools to add to this list, then drop me a line or post a comment below. I'd love to hear your ideas for staying focused.<br />
<br />Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089301605973956247noreply@blogger.com