My Favorite Ways to Not Get Things Done

1. Leaping Before Looking
   I have a bias to action that leads me to want to get started NOW.


2. Diving Too Deep

   Sometimes it’s not that I don’t see the forest for the trees, it’s that I start climbing the first tree I see, before I see the forest.


3. Allowing Distractions

   I’m social, so when the phone rings, I like to answer it. When I see a new book, I read it. Sometimes this leads to new books or a googlathon.


4. Trying to do Too Much

   I don’t have a lack of ideas, I have a lack of time. And I'll find myself switching from A to B to C without finishing anything.
   


5. Re-organizing

   If I don’t really want to work on something now, I can always decide that I need to clean out my desk, organize my files, etc.


6. Analysis Paralysis
   
I tend to decide that things need more thought. Frequently. And then do it again. I think it’s a sort of perfectionism (which is also a huge impediment to success).

Next, how I fight back!

NOT Getting Things Done

All of us have habits that prevent us from getting as much done as we could. The trick is to identify those habits, and work on eliminating them, or at least toning them down.

For most of us, this is actually MORE important than finding someone else’s system for getting things done, and using it. Your “don’t” habits have years of practice behind them. Your new “do” habits barely have a chance, if you don’t also work on your “don’ts”.

What are your favorite “don’t” habits?

Finding Your Lost Cell Phone

If you are like me, you may

1. Have only a cell phone
2. Be a bit disorganized

If you have a land line, and you misplace your cell phone, you can just call it, and listen for the ring. If you have no other phone, though...

But I do have internet access at home (cable). So what I can do is send a text message my phone via the SMS gateway for Verizon (##########@vtext.com), and in a moment it rings and I know where it is. I believe all of the major carriers (sprint, t-mobile, etc) have this ability. Wikipedia has a list.

That's all for now, gotta go, my refrigerator is ringing. :-)

Economics of the Middle Class

Today's book is Jim Rodger's A Bull In China. It's a overview of the business climate in China. It's an interesting read. I'm still reading it, but one thing already has my attention.

There's a discussion of the middle class in China, and an attempt to define it in terms of a dollar value. It occurred to me that it is not only meaningless, but ridiculous to try to measure someone's economic standing in terms of the exchange rate of their income to a foreign currency that they probably never use. (The number given is $1200/year). Especially since things like medical care, education and vacation time are not necessarily indicated by income, but more by government policy in some countries.

A more useful definition might be:

1. Poor: Possible malnutrition, limited medical care, no security. Limited access to education
2. Middle class: Adequate nutrition, access to some, but not all medical care. Ability to deal with some economic setbacks without loss of standing. Access to education. Working is required.
3. Rich: Adequate nutrition. Access to all medical care, education. Economically secure. Working is not required.

How would you define rich? Middle class?

I also recently read The Middle-class Millionaire, which describes people having assets between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000 as "Middle Class". Not a definition I would use.

Would you call the middle class?

If someone is living in country XYZ, and they have food and medical care, their children get a good education, does it matter in the slightest what their income translated into in US dollars?

Little Red Book of Selling

I just read Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Red Book of Selling, and I highly recommend it. I picked it up in the bookstore, and started reading. About ten minutes in, I felt like I had to go out and do some of the projects in the book, so I bought the book and left with it.

It's a quick read, and ou should read if, even if you are not in sales. It's the motivational part that I found most interesting. But we're all in sales, one way or another, so it's good to understand, no matter what your job is.

Toastmasters

I'm giving my first speech at Toastmasters this week. It's the "Icebreaker" speech. I've done it once before, but I wasn't "In Transition" at that point. The whole transition thing makes it much hard to talk about who I am, since it's changing pretty quickly at this moment.
On the other hand, writing a speech to give to a bunch of relative strangers about the state of your life does tend to cause a bit of introspection.

If you are not familiar with Toastmasters, you should check them out. They are a group that promotes public speaking, and one of the best (and cheapest) ways to improve your public speaking. This is also good for your self confidence, and your ability to express yourself, even when not on stage.

Northern California Chapter Meeting, National Speakers Association

I think this weekend has two main activities to it. There's the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association Meeting on Saturday. That'll give me a chance to talk to people that speak for a living, and then on Sunday, it's off to The Maker Faire.

If you haven't been to the Maker Faire before, and you are anywhere near San Mateo, CA, you really ought to look into it. The Maker Faire is one of the coolest things ever. Of course, as you may notice at the head of this blog, I have spent my life in high tech, so I have a slight bias. But where else can you find new forms of art (ok, Picasso did it first, but it's still cool), movement controlled flame throwers, and, of course, giant robots!

I don't think there's any sort of career path for me at the Maker Faire, but I have to admire the people there that pour so much energy and creativity into their arts! I think that's the lesson I need to pick up from the show.

Northern California Publishers and Authors 2008 Conference

The conference was very interesting. I got to meet Dan Poynter, who has written and published 76 books (so far!). I went to workshops on book design, and a very interesting one on spinoff products by Karl Palachuk

People don't realize how much of a writer's time needs to be spent on things other than writing (even for author's that are published by the mainstream press). It was a fascinating look behind the scenes of an industry that I might want to more towards.