We have a problem when we equate busyness with productivity (or, worse yet, success). We have a problem when we let people know we’re fitting them in to our schedules. We’re all busy people, and some of us might be considered productive, but none of us have the right to make others feel less important. A productive person is one who gets a lot done but doesn’t feel busy (or make others feel that they are).

I was talking with one of my employees about how much I had to do and when I would be able to get him some feedback. A few minutes after our conversation I cringed–I may have leeway with when I get him the feedback, but he didn’t deserve my listing out my to do list. He has just as much to do, if not at work then in other places, and I should never let my “busy life” be more important.

I got a phone call last week and the client exclaimed, “I’m so lucky I got you on the phone…I know how busy you are.” Maybe he meant it as a compliment, but it sort of irked me. Here I am trying to feel on top of my life/schedule…and I’m making an important client feel like I don’t have time for him. No, that’s not quite what he said, but it bugged me. It’s not that I’m not busy, but I want it to be clear to people (especially friends and, well, prospects/clients) that I have time for them.

It’s all about the approach: Continue reading…

This morning I spoke at a Meet the Members event for the Greater Baltimore Technology Council on the ROI of Social Media. It was great to see so many Baltimore & DC friends looking to get involved! Below you’ll find slides from the speakers that used slides, links to their websites, a video of my talk, and some places to go to get more involved in social media.

Greg Cangialosi of Blue Sky Factory:

Continue reading…

When was the last time you listed all your work responsibilities and ranked them according to enjoyment and value? If you’re spending much time on tasks that aren’t fun or valuable then you shouldn’t be doing them–automate, delegate, or eliminate them. And, if possible, try to get the things you enjoy most to produce the most value for you.

Example: my blogging. Two years ago when I started this blog I had little reason to write entries like this–most of the business I sought related to Microsoft Office productivity…and, to be frank, I no longer get a thrill out of explaining most Microsoft Office end user issues online. But I like writing about bigger issues and offering advice. Now that I’m working on a productivity application and have become more involved in certain circles, it makes business sense to write about this stuff. What I enjoy is aligned with where I derive value.

Counterexample: software development. I really enjoy solving technology problems…and getting my hands dirty with the code (when I’m familiar with the language). But it’s not a good use of my time because I can’t make much progress on a programming challenge when I have a dozen other projects to manage. Instead I now focus more on the architecture or user experience of technology problems, which gives me a similar buzz without the same timesuck.

I’d encourage you’d to make a list of all your responsibilities and figure out why you’re doing them, and what you get out of them. Consider Continue reading…

I made a list yesterday of everything I have to do. It felt liberating at the time, and it still does now. Here’s the why and how.

The most important lesson I took from Getting Things Done was that the key to productivity was to get your thoughts out of your head and into a system. For instance, while you’re working on a proposal it doesn’t help to think about the bills you have to pay or the presentation you’re delivering in an hour. Those items belong in a system that you can trust–so that you won’t forget your bills or your presentation, and you can focus on the task at hand. David Allen referred to this as Mind Like Water.

Yesterday my mind was not at peace–it needed to be emptied. I felt I had to write a blog post, to work on AwayFind, to organize my photos, to work on taxes, to see a movie, to read–I was stuck and overwhelmed. So I went through the exercise–I started with blank 8.5×11 sheets of copy paper and listed, line-by-line, everything I could think of that I had to do. I didn’t categorize or order anything, I just purged. When I felt I had everything I could think of, I looked around my house, and then at my Outlook and Basecamp calendar and to-do lists–I didn’t want to miss anything. Four pages later I felt in control.

That afternoon I tackled a few easy things on the list and crossed them out. This morning I’ve completed more, placed a bunch on my project list, scheduled a few as appointments, and delegated many of them. I even came up with and planned an idea that some of you might appreciate: Continue reading…

The most surprising part of building a portfolio for our new web site was that many businesses didn’t understand the value of links to their websites. When I’m so involved with all things social media, it often surprises me just how wide the information gap is when it comes to online PR/SEO.

In planning our portfolio, we asked each of our clients if they would be comfortable with our offering a few paragraphs, screenshots, and a link to their website. Once we had a draft available, they had the opportunity to tweak. They all accepted their case studies…but there was one thing that slowed a few down:

• “I have asked our PR people to take a look and get their blessing since you are linking to our site.”
• “I assume the link to the website is no big deal but I’ll want to check.”
• “Doing the study is fine but I cannot promise that you’ll be allowed to link back to us.”

All of them came around–but the hesitation surprised me. Linking to their website is PR and SEO–so long as they respect the image we’re projecting of ourselves and we say nice things about them, they have nothing to lose and at least something to gain.

So here’s my very basic advice for those new to participating online Continue reading…

I can’t stop reading about the MacBook Air, but that’s because I’m a geek who loves sexy technology. Deep down I know that, like the iPhone, it doesn’t really make me more productive. While I do connote portability with productivity (in that portability enables mobility), a few ounces one way or another doesn’t play a role in my travel decisions. We’re in a world where there’s fashionable technology and dull-looking technology…but we’re missing the point. Or at least my point: technology should help us to get work done first and foremost.

Regularly I’ll toss my Dell M1210 into a Waterfield sleeve case with an extra battery and a book. That’ll get me 8 hours for 6 lbs (or 4lbs before the other stuff) with more power than the MacBook Air. Tack on my Motorola Q with an extra battery and I have unlimited free internet if I can’t find a hotspot. What more would I need? (oh, I’ll bring my 1st generation iPod Nano along, too.)

But that’s not really doing my comparison justice. With the MacBook Air I can’t bring along DVDs for a planeride (plus I have two headphones jacks on my Dell). The very thin keyboard, like the iPhone’s missing keyboard, is an adjustment that I wouldn’t look forward to. And the pricetag isn’t exactly forgiving. Continue reading…

After many months of effort, I’m happy to say that my company, SET Consulting, has released a completely redesigned website with mostly new content: www.setconsulting.com. Some new stuff: our team, examples of our work, and filtering our tips based on a particular product (like Word, for instance).

While we regularly work with talented web designers and developers, this was a completely home-brewed effort. No, we’re not planning to offer web design or development as a service to our clients…but we have realized two things:

• (When you have the talent,) a “do-it-yourself” effort for something so important to the company feels incredibly rewarding
• Occasional challenges with coding are worth overcoming when both our work on AwayFind and Office projects often have web components

Deep thank yous go especially to Keith (the design), David (the code), and Kate (the tireless proofreading — here’s her blog) for bringing this to fruition. And, of course, thank you to the wonderful clients who allowed us to create case studies for our portfolio: Continue reading…

The recent fare hike by WMATA (DC Metro) further irks me with regard to how they handle parking–both in terms of a failed ideal and poor application of technology. Many of Metro’s incentives are in the wrong place and their technology could be applied to fix it. Parking during short trips and late nights is expensive but overnights and week-longs stays can be free. What makes this particularly frustrating is that it wasn’t always this way, and SmarTrip cards could have improved the situation.

Let’s look back at how things worked before the SmarTrip cards (at least in College Park, which after my researching seems fairly similar to the overall system). If I wanted to metro into the city in the evening (departing after 7), the parking lot was free. If I wanted to take a short trip during the day, meters were available to me. All parking was paid for by cash.

But a lot has changed since those days–Metro made a number of improvements:

• Metrorail operating hours were extended on both weekdays and weekends
• SmarTrip sped up the process of moving through stations and exiting the parking lot
• Many stations have added garages
• (And though unrelated to this article, the electronic time indicators (and many online systems) improved the trip time estimating process (despite Metro’s decline in timeliness))

Two prime reasons for these changes were:

• To make it easier to park (before it was harder to get a space, and it took a long time to check out)
• To provide a safe way home for people (i.e., mitigating drinking and driving)

But it now costs me Continue reading…

In this post I’ll offer advice both on how to cancel an appointment and how to show that you respect your own time when people cancel on you. In this world of instant electronic gratification and RSVP’s with “Maybe” categories, etiquette sometimes slips by the wayside. This advice is designed to facilitate better use of your time and demonstrate that you care about the person you’re meeting with.

Caveat

First of all, don’t cancel an appointment unless you really have to. Do you think of yourself as someone who sticks to their word…as someone who people can count on? Then don’t cancel on people unless you’re sick or out of town. And if you’re out of town, let them know the minute you find out about the trip. If you must cancel because you’ve got some “big client meeting,” then it had better be a week in advance or more.

If you must cancel, here’s how to do it:

1. Apologize and make a comment about how you respect their time
2. If you have a DAMN GOOD REASON (a funeral, you’re deathly ill, etc) mention it. Otherwise, don’t mention any reason at all. Don’t ever say that you have to do something more important like a big client meeting–that’s adding insult to injury
3. If at all possible, suggest that you meet at their office or some place closer to them than the original appointment
4. Offer possible dates for rescheduling in the same email; don’t let time go by before expressing that you want to get together

Here’s a skeleton message that’s both apologetic and to the point. It also will serve to minimize the amount of back and forth by being very clear about available dates: Continue reading…

This is the first in a (most likely very short) series of articles about lack of efficiency at various locations I frequent. The purpose is not to put them down but to apply those same ideas to our own businesses and lives. It’s far easier to be a critic then to put this into practice, but well, one’s got to start somewhere.

My doctor has a solo family medicine practice with 2 or 3 assistants that serve various roles. I’ve always enjoyed his company and the kindness of his staff, and have been going there since maybe 2000. But the practice hasn’t utilized much technology, and I believe it’s to the detriment of both the patients and the staff. Here I’m going to look into how that relates both to their productivity and customer service. (I don’t think productivity should ever be an end in itself–it should facilitate more customers, higher revenue customers, better customer experience–something more than just working quickly.)

These are the issues I intend to comment on and explain how they could improve their practice or efficiency. While the lacking may be obvious, hopefully my solutions will be interesting.

1. They “kind of” have email, but not really
2. They don’t use or accept faxes
3. They have a voicemail greeting but don’t allow one to record a message
4. They can mail referrals if I provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope (circa 1995), otherwise I have to pick them up

At first glance you’re probably thinking one of two things: they’re extremely backward or they have very successfully limited their inputs. Their reasoning is probably a combination of convenience, lack of technical comfort, and resistance to change when “the system works.” But here’s where they’re missing out: Continue reading…