This weekend’s School of Blogging Conference in Chicago will be very productive; after all, there’ll be many there who write about personal growth and productivity.  I’m anxious to see how everyone does at practicing what they preach.

Below are some great articles by each of these excellent writers (so if you’re not attending, check them out!), an open invitation to get together with them and others in Chicago, and a nifty map for those who are attending.

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Three quarters of the meetings that “merit a face-to-face” really don’t. It’s not “telecommuting” (that’s so 1997) and it shouldn’t even be called “working remotely”–it’s just WORKING. I’m putting my foot down and removing any distinction. Working from home has greatly improved my business, my sanity, and my life. So I’m opening up the kimono here on my tools. No, you don’t need to come in, you can read this from anywhere in the world.

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Social media rockstar Chris Brogan suggested that we spend more time today reading and commenting online.  I sometimes feel like I don’t link enough to other sites I enjoy, so I’m going to combine those two ideas and let you know about some great posts I’ve come across and commented on lately.  They range from productivity to self-growth, and from social media to springtime…

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A pet peeve of mine is receiving unprofessional email–but I realize there’s no easy way to learn the subtleties. I’m not talking about email content, but how you format and configure it. This stuff is visible to your recipients and easy to fix. If you’re not familiar with this, then that’s the point–I hope you’ll read on to improve how your email reflects upon you.

Next week I’ll tackle the much harder topic of the email content, but for now…

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Social networking and blogging can feel like a high school cafeteria, full of cliques and at-times silly symbols of popularity.  But unlike high school, there are always more people to win over and stages to advance.

Take a step away from the contests and consider applying the lessons you’ve learned in the real world to build deeper relationships online.

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Why is it that in school we always got our work in on time? We had outside pressure. If you have unfinished projects, commitment is often the missing ingredient.

Learn 7 commitment hacks that’ll get your project done. I guest-posted this article at Dumb Little Man: 
 

–> CLICK HERE to read this article on Dumb Little Man <–

This article is the third in a series on Everyday Productivity…

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Actually it’s curiosity that prevented him from ever becoming one. There are formulas, many formulas for spreading your message or building a personal brand online. These formulas actually work, but not if you let curiosity be the death of you first. Here you’ll find advice on spending your time a little more wisely on the internet so that you find your formula and stick with it.

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There’s nothing easier than entering your credit card information and clicking Buy It Now. But there’s more to online shopping than books and electronics. Here are some purchases you might consider making online. As a special bonus, I’ve also listed some of the tricks I use when making regular purchases.

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Don’t feel you keep up enough with your friends? Have a lot of things to do around the house that never get done? Here’s how to solve both of these problems.

I don’t like doing chores around the house, and sometimes I feel too busy to take phone calls (yes, even outside of work hours). But if I can do both at the same time, then I feel productive. Caveats and warnings are also provided below…

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Being a rockstar is a damn good use of your time. Many struggle to find their career path, and others advise something like, “don’t settle: do something where you’re happy.” But what could be more elusive than happiness? I suggest that you surround yourself with objective validation that you’re awesome. Then you’ll feel like a rockstar.

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