Since working with Google Apps is a bit buggy more often than not, I’ve been trying to find a better way to work online. I keep looking at Zoho, but there’s something about it that just makes me walk away, quickly. I’ve looked into some other online apps that focus just on organizing (I kind of like having my documents online, too, though.), but so few of them organize the way my mind organizes.
I considered moving to an offline PIM, but quickly found that neither the Mozilla productivity apps nor Evolution would let me work the way I want, either.
What is a poor girl to do?
I guess for now I’m stuck cobbling together apps I like (like Todoist) and wishing favorite apps (like EverNote) would either develop on online app or a Linux version, and use Google Apps while I work on finding a suitable replacement.
Posted by Rebecca as Organizing at 7:30 AM EST
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I’m working on trying to revamp my professional life, find my brand, and hopefully get my feet pointed forward for a change. One of the things I will eventually have to work on is my visual branding, how I present myself to the world on paper and on the web.
Of course, I’m thinking about visual branding design in what’s become the traditional sense, but I think my thinking might just be outdated if these business cards are any indication. They’re vibrant. They’re expressive. They say something about the person behind the card. I’m willing to bet people who receive these works of art don’t forget the person, and that’s always a good thing.
I don’t know how to express the person I’m finding hiding out in here, but I’m hoping these inspire me to do it authentically. Maybe they’ll inspire you, too.
Posted by Rebecca as Networking at 7:47 AM EST
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I am a huge fan of Todoist. I love being able to set up a list for each area of my life and for separate projects. I love being able to form smaller projects out of larger ones. I love setting due dates and then manipulating those dates as necessary. (I want more colors for the labels…in a wider variety.) I love being able to manage it from my iGoogle page.
I just love Todoist. It’s like the to-do list on steroids.
I love playing with my lists, too. I try every evening to sit down and go through all of the to-do lists to pick out a handful of items to work on the next day (sometimes, this doesn’t happen until the following morning). During the day, I also comb through it at least once or twice to find more work.
Here’s the funny thing, though: I can’t “walk through” Todoist without doing at least two or three smaller tasks…just to get them off my list. It never fails. I’m just looking for a project to work on for a little bit, and boom, I’ve knocked another five things off the list. It’s really pretty funny.
Productivity gurus say to stay focused on the tasks at hand, but I find letting my to-do list have a certain amount of flexibility keeps me far more productive.
Posted by Rebecca as Organizing at 7:33 AM EST
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With 2008 rolling in at midnight, a number of people are talking about resolutions for the new year. Some are sharing their own resolutions. Some are offering the advice to make very few resolutions because no one ever keeps them anyway, or they’re suggesting that resolutions by ignored all together.
I actually gave up on resolutions a couple of years ago because I was getting frustrated at not meeting them. Somehow, in the discussion that took place in my head, the resolutions were replaced with goals. It was no longer a case of, “I resolve to (some unfeasible feat).” It became, “This year, I’d like to (task), and this is how I’m going to do it.”
My goals for the new year became a to-do list, and I found myself more capable of doing what I wanted (except for when the program I was using to keep track of my to-do lists was no longer available to me because I migrated to a different OS before I discovered the joy that is Todoist).
So…don’t make resolutions for 2008. Really think about where you’d like to be a year from now, and then set those goals, break them into smaller steps, and make them part of your to-do list (or a similar motivation tool). See how far you get!
Happy New Year’s!
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized, Creativity, inspiration, and motivation at 9:37 AM EST
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Goal-setting can be a daunting task. It’s easy to set small goals because you can see where they’re taking you.
Long-term goals, especially ones changing a part or three of your life, are a bit harder to see because you don’t actually know what the end of the rod is going to look like. You can make your best guess, and try to visualize it from your current knowledge, but even that can be a bit taxing.
Lately, a number of people have been talking about writing these goals into a screenplay rather than a to-do list. Screenplays, by their very nature, are visual creatures. They are scripts to be followed, and reworked when a scene isn’t working.
It’s a great visualization tool because it really forces you to think about the story, or the flow, of your life, and then allows you to find your path through the flow scene by scene, act by act. You can measure the actions of the character (yourself) against a character bio that you’ve hopefully drawn up.
If you’re a visual person, give this method a try and see if it helps you move forward more than other methods. You might find it fun and productive.
(In case anyone wonders, I’m laying the groundwork for my “screenplay”, which is more a television show than a movie because an episodic structure fits my life much better at the moment.)
Posted by Rebecca as Changing careers at 8:23 AM EST
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If the posts collected in Reader are any indication, the hot topic at the moment appears to be gaining attention by taking care how you hold yourself.
It’s been true for a long time that you can do certain things to attract people to you, but they’ve always seemed to escape the notice of image consultants and personal development gurus. If you walk into a room like you belong there, people are going to notice. This is especially useful if you’ve never been to a certain place, among a given group of people, or are shy.
Really, your posture is what tells people who you are. They size you up in a single glance by how you stand or sit. Body language is a powerful nonverbal communicator.
Feel like you aren’t being seen for you think you are. Try adjusting how you present yourself and see what changes.
Posted by Rebecca as Networking, Leadership and management at 9:03 AM EST
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Last month, I shared how one man manages his to-do list to stay on top of everything. Today, I present this great article from Lifehacker on another way to manage those tasks that keep coming up, with or without a particular end date in sight.
The biggest benefit of both of these methods, in my own opinion, is the ability to move things off today’s list and onto the next day’s list. I’ve wanted that kind of flexibility in my to-do list for a couple of years now. Edward’s post (the Basecamp link) actually inspired me to develop my own using Todoist, which I love for managing my projects and various other lists anyway. Using the Today view (which I have set to show up on my iGoogle page), I can see not only what’s on my agenda for the day, but I can also see neglected tasks and how long they’ve been neglected. When I’ve done something recurring, I simply change its due date to the next time I want to do that task.
For me, it’s an ideal situation. I’m keeping on top of everything far better, and I can easily rework scheduled tasks if the current schedule isn’t working. (It’s also a great way to remind myself of those little tasks that get overlooked sometimes.)
The trick really is find what works for you, and go for it!
Posted by Rebecca as Freelancing, Entrepreneurship, Organizing at 3:01 PM EST
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When you manage, you learn you have a few resources that you always need to keep an eye on: time, materials, money, and people. The problem is, you have to manage people completely differently from how you manage time, materials, and money.
I realize I’ve written on this before, but I really think this is where managers who are otherwise good completely fall down.
People are people not human resources. You manage people. Living, breathing, feeling, imperfect, lovable, exasperating people. People will enliven you, deaden you, excite you, disappoint you, thrill you, and contort you into many different shapes. In short people will have a profound impact on you. As a leader, always remember you are also doing this to them. (Source )
People are people. Their skills are resources. It’s their time you’re managing. They’re unpredictable. They’re feeling. Many of them try their best against next to impossible odds.
You cannot manage people the way you manage everything else. You have to remember that you’re a person, and that the “resource” you’re dealing with is a person, too. They deserve the same respect and application of common sense that you would expect.
You also have to remember that if you continually forget that you’re managing people instead of one more resource, people can find somewhere to go where they’ll be seen as someone who has a lot of relevant skills as opposed to a number on a piece of paper.
Posted by Rebecca as Leadership and management at 7:54 AM EDT
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Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.- Peter Drucker
The guys over at Slacker Manager are asking what the difference is between management and leadership. Reading over the comments, it seems that no one agrees. For some people, the two are synonymous. For others, there’s a distinct difference.
For me, managing and leading are two different things. Managing is overseeing things, making sure everything is running smoothly, making decisions and changes to keep everything running smoothly. It’s about processes. It’s operational.
Leadership, on the other hand, is an underlying set of governing principles. Where management is often something everyone can put their finger on, leadership is a bit more elusive. You know someone is a bad manager because they aren’t handling resources well. You suspect someone is a bad leader because it feels like the person never really knows where they’re going, and that translates to confusion in the ranks.
Management is a practice. Leadership is a trait.
Posted by Rebecca as Uncategorized, Leadership and management at 7:49 AM EDT
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Freelance Switch (which has graciously linked to CareerNiche for a while now) has this great article on good ways to build your skills.
Regardless of whether you’re a freelancer, an entrepreneur, or an employee, it’s always important to work on strengthening the skills you already have, and learning new tricks along the way. It keeps you on top of your field. It keeps you motivated, and helps avoid those energy-sapping ruts. It can also make you look more attractive to the people you want to do business with by showing your versatility and commitment to your field.
Skill-building can also be a great form of networking. When you look to others to learn something, they get to know who you are in the process. This can help generate leads. It can also help form collaborative relationships, and it gives you people you can refer others to. Word-of-mouth and sincerely trying to help others are always good things.
Try to incorporate one or two of the suggestions into your routine. See how they’ll help you not only become better at what you already do so well, but how they can benefit you in unexpected ways.
Posted by Rebecca as Skill building at 8:18 AM EDT
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