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…

It’s almost a new year and it’s time to remember why we work. To find a little balance. To live.

Now that it’s June, we’ll sleep out in the garden
And if it rains, we’ll just sink into the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there’s no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who’s pressing would like you to believe.
(Bright Eyes, Nevaeh)

It’s not June. And even though people seem to think St. Michael’s is in the Carribbean, it really is just Maryland. But tomorrow marks my annual escape to the Eastern Shore–warm weather or not–and this time I’ve exchanged my laptop for a girlfriend.

It is kind of insane how much of a role technology has played in 2007, but I have to remember sometimes that it’s just an efficient facilitator for connections, work, and entertainment. I’m so thankful for those connections, for that business, and for the aforementioned girlfriend (more than entertainment ;-).

But once again technology is just a means, and work is just a means; we don’t need to read Tim Ferriss to figure that out. Continue reading…

Today was spotted with conversations from friends who want to save the world but just don’t know how. They’ve followed the path–good schools, grades, and jobs–but haven’t felt they could make a difference. My advice for them: new media.

I’m not going to lie–I’d long stereotyped marketing, communications, and public relations as necessary evils, at best. They’re rarely attention-grabbing, not usually great writing, and brand awareness is about as far as most of them get. But my opinion has somewhat changed in the last few years, especially since I heard Seth Godin speak (and enjoyed Purple Cow). Godin’s creative approach to marketing made it fun for me…and the internet is what made it much more accessible and effective.

I’d always seen the internet as a place to find your voice and to be heard. I’d always seen web design and web development as the tools to get online and make an impact. However, understanding and applying the connectivity of the internet–its inherent community–is what can really make a change. If someone wants to make a difference, they ought to learn how to use the web to spread their message. Continue reading…

I like to have fun at work. I may not have gray hair yet, but I don’t plan on accelerating the process by working with difficult or (gasp!) boring clients. No, really, most of the work we do is actually quite enjoyable–especially because of the wonderful clients we have–and I don’t want to sacrifice that quality of life for another paycheck. So, after a painful conversation with client that was being altogether too serious, I started thinking about what my clients need to know about the way I work.

I tend to be playful (or sarcastic), but I follow through with what I say I’m going to do. I also don’t keep quiet when I’m not happy with an approach. When a company first starts working with us they may feel we’re overstepping…but they soon learn that my team and I know our stuff . Anyhow, this inspired me to come up with a sort of manifesto to consulting.

My approach to consulting:

1. If I say I’m going to do something, I will.
2. If I believe there’s a better solution than the one I’m tasked with, I’m going to mention the better solution before proceeding.
3. I’m going to have fun.

I mean all of those things to their logical conclusions. Continue reading…

In the last day I’ve had some emotional reactions to business-related decisions–one by me and one by a peer.

I think I’ve learned my lesson, which is essentially twofold (and I hope is valid):

Continue reading…

We’ve all heard the mantra that a business must grow or die. Over time it’s begun to sink in. At first it was just me working too many hours, then it was contractors, then it was employees + contractors. And at each phase there was always a point where I worked too much. Now is one of those times.

Grow the business I must do–or sure as I heck I’ll be the one that takes the fall.

I bet no one’s following this site just now, but I assure you it’s not because I haven’t had things to share or that I’ve lost my motivation. It’s that I haven’t had anything worthwhile to say. The web is full of ideas from all sorts of people and I didn’t (and probably still) haven’t found a voice that I like hearing out of my blog.

This issue of grow or die is one that I have to focus on. It’s probably a big part of the reason why I haven’t been writing. It’s certainly what’s been usurping my time. Or rather, the fact that I don’t have time. It’s the evening and I haven’t paused from work-related things yet today. If I want to be happy I need to give SET a chance to live on its own:

SET must grow or it won’t ever get a real chance to live.

Four and a half years ago I decided to start a company. Within six months it was able to pay for my livelihood. Within a year or two I was debt free. But if I had just found a job in the tech-world I could have made more money quicker. If it’s taken me this long to be where I am then I need to have something to show for it. And what that thing must be is not me, and not some material object–that thing must be greater. I need to be able to say five years from now that SET exists completely outside of me.

So this blog post is me putting my foot down. Maybe it’ll mean that I write more here. Maybe it’ll just sit here as a landmark. But it’s time to grow.

Every once in a while I’ll read something that gives me a swift (but helpful) kick in the butt. Such was the case with Kathy Sierra’s post on the Creating Passionate Users Blog: “How to be an Expert.” She points out that in order to be an expert one needs to be dedicated enough to make it through both the fun elements and the difficult details of their field. Sierra argues that neuroscience suggests that the truly successful are not merely “naturals” who started at a young age but are the people who were willing to suck it up and fight through the challenges. She points out:

Most of us want to practice the things we’re already good at, and avoid the things we suck at. We stay average or intermediate amateurs forever.

Continue reading…