Ask More of Yourself

I am grateful for the birth of our new born son, Sebastián Mateo. And I'm certainly thankful to have finished the MBA program at Notre Dame with my wife this May. The growth was certainly worth getting uncomfortable.

Be Anti-Social (Media)

Social media is a great way to stay engaged, but it's also a great way to not get other things done. How many of you check your FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts every hour? I'm now trying to set limits for my social media use, setting specific times of the day to check updates. By scheduling social time, you’re actively managing your online life, not compulsively checking in on auto pilot.

Secrets of the Most Productive People

We can make ourselves crazy trying to eliminate the waste, or we can embrace the daily chaos and use it to our best advantage.

Here's a couple of lessons from the front lines;

Time I get up: 6am

First thing I do each morning: Spend a few minutes praying in bed and then straight to the shower. I do my best thinking in this spot.

Apps and Other Assists: If I have one thing with me its my iPhone, and I'm always utilizing the LinkedIn app. Between work email and the business Facebook (LinkedIn), those two capture the majority of my attention.

Philosophy: Success on the outside means nothing unless you also have success within.

Last thing I do each night: Brush my teeth and spend time 15-30 minutes with my wife reading in bed.

Time I go to bed: I don't go to bed at the same time every night. Every day has a different demand. Most often I'm asleep by 11pm.

Ferguson's Formula

Some call him the greatest coach in history. Sir Alex Ferguson spent 26 seasons as the manager of Manchester United, the English football (soccer) club that ranks among the most successful and valuable franchises in sports.

The Harvard Business School developed a case study around his approach to management. Here are a few key takeaways from the reading;

1. Working hard all your life is a talent, too.

2. If you give young people your attention and an opportunity to succeed, it is amazing how much they will surprise you.

3. It's important to have confidence in yourself to make a decision and to move on once you have. it's not about looking for adversity or for opportunities to prove power, it's about having control and being authoritative when issues do arise.

4. No one likes to be criticized. Few people get better with criticism; most respond to encouragement instead.

5. Rely on the Power of Observation.

6. Never Stop Adapting. You have to control change by accepting it.

Detroit and Selling

The original Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller best describes decaying cities such as Detroit and its recent bankruptcy. The story is about a negative guy named Willy Loman who refused to change his ways as society grew and changed their ways. He eventually died, broke and a miserable man. And so will you if you fail to recognize what's happening.

Get used to the change and get over it. Understand the sales opportunity it creates. And take advantage of it. If you don't, society will take advantage of you.

App Sumo

I found a group called App Sumo who creates email templates. Here's a useful example for connecting your network;


Hey John,

Hope things are well.

I really want you to meet Steven.

Steven is one of the sickest graphic designers on the planet. He helped a LOT with AppSumo.

He's looking for work and I remember you saying you were on the look out for a good designer.

-----

Steven,

John is a long-time friend of mine from Boy Scouts.

He runs HappyJot which is a hugely successful online games website.

He's looking for a designer so I thought it made sense for you two to know each other.

-----

I'd suggest you two grab coffee since you are in the same city.

Be amazing

Noah

Get More Done

A few basics for avoiding distractions and the wasting of time.

1. Check your email just a couple times a day and train the people you correspond with not to cc you on endless threads.

2. Avoid instant messaging which tends to promote a focus on unessential details.

3. Avoid meetings and when you must have them, make sure they have scheduled end times.

4. Adopt a low information diet and read only the headlines in the news.

5. Develop template responses for customer service and supplier or media queries. Empower employees to use them.

6. Calculate how much your time is worth by the hour, and outsource administrative and research tasks to people who will handle them for less.

Tips and advice was taken from Tim Ferriss, the author of the 4 Hour Work Week and productivity guru.