© iStockPhoto/leminuit

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”–Paul J. Meyer

Work hard..and don’t play. Or just plain work but how much have you done? Between surfing the internet for work, checking email, reading the news or whatever you spend your time online doing. What have you really done? If you’re looking for a job this is super important to know. If you are a small business owner you definitely need to know if you are spending more time on activities that make you money or not.

Three tools to help you figure out what you are actually doing:

1) RescueTime is a web-based time management and analytics tool. It’s automated to track how you spend your time, so that means no actual data entry is necessary.

One of my favorite features is the RescueTime Focus Mode; it allows you to selectively block the distracting parts of the internet..(Email, Facebook, Twitter…or whatever site you spend too much time on) for a period of time you specify.
Fear not if you want to give this a try Mac and PC versions are available.
View the Intro to RescueTime below:

2) iDoneThis is frankly the easiest tool there is. You sign up for an account and you get an email everyday to find out what you’ve done. You just respond to the email. No logging into the site to update. Just type and send. No complicated settings to deal with. It’s a simple way to stay on track and see what you’ve done to motivate you to keep going. No operating system issues to worry about this tool lives on the web. Nothing to download.

3) If you can’t get anything done and money motivates you I would recommend giving StickK.com a try. Here you create a contract with yourself to achieve a goal/task. There are predefined goals or you can create a custom task. You can ask for support and have a referee who makes sure you stay on task (you can pick a friend you trust for this role or you can do it yourself but if you’re at this point outside assistance might be a great idea).

Here’s what I love about StickK, you can tie success to a dollar amount each week. If you are successfully you get to keep your cash. If you aren’t you will give that amount to charity. Some people have found picking an organization they hate motivating…they have zero desire to give their money to them; so they make sure they complete their tasks and submit reports on time.

There are certainly other tools out there – more complex, etc; anyone with a iPhone, iPod touch or iPad can start using the new Reminder app where your to-do list shows up in your iCal calendar. Tools are only good if you are consistent and actually use them. Don’t switch to something new if your old method already works. Try something new if you aren’t getting the results you want and need to stay motivated.

My system involves multiple apps, sites and plain ole paper…too complicated for some but it works for me. I’ve adapted methods, tools and tips from a variety of sources and take what works for me and forget the rest. Productivity tools are only useful if they help not hinder your process.

Becoming an expert takes time but it’s well worth it. Practice is key. You don’t need to know everything before you start teaching…most people don’t. Avinash Kaushik, the author of Web Analytics – An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0, didn’t feel like he was when he gave his first Web Analytics presentation in 2003.

Becoming known as an expert can lead to more business, speaking engagements or book deals…you are only limited by what you put into it.

Teaching online is gaining in popularity. It’s cheap and easy to get started for most people. Offline classes you have to rent a space.

There are lots of options to get your message out to the masses. There are a wide range of options in the e-learning space.

Udemy, a free platform for teaching online offers a variety of tools for delivering content online. Learn more about Udemy in the video below.

WizIQ is another teaching platform. It isn’t free but has a 30 day trial period for all 3 of it’s plans. Tools include virtual classroom, student recruitment tools, and payment collection mechanisms.

Moodle, an open source course management system that is widely used and free. Moodle was created in 1999 by Martin Dougiamas, a WebCT administrator at Curtin University, Australia. Moodle like the blogging platform WordPress has Themes available that allow you to customize the look of the site. Check out the video for an overview of Moodle.

Moodle can easily be used to:
Create, deliver and manage web-based content for courses.
Create interesting classroom environments without learning HTML
Communicate , real-time and/or asynchronous collaboration and communication tools
Allows for payments integration

Several books are available to help you get started, visit Moodle.org to learn more.

Udutuis a free web-based tool for creating online courses and resources are available to help you get started.

There are other platform options out there at various price points. Or alternative forms of content – webinars, podcasts and ebooks just to name a few.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” ~ Dr. Seuss

I recently read an email newsletter from Daily Worth (a blog geared towards women that talks money) – Want a New Job? Ditch That Old Email.

In the article the author sited a source that stated:
“If an applicant applies for a job with us and is still using Hotmail or Yahoo for email, they’re immediately eliminated,” one successful CEO said.

While I do agree that employers and recruiter, will use whatever they can to cull thru the large amounts of resumes they receive in the economic downturn; this method is crap. An uncool domain how ridiculous is that. I know people who still have AOL email addresses. Why? Because they’ve used them for years and don’t want to switch over. It is a hassle.

With so many email services out there at some point they will all become uncool. I’m an advocate for getting your own domain even if you don’t put up a website. It’s cheap and easy to do. You can get your own name and in most cases still use the email services you already use. Gmail for example allows you to send and receive email from an external domain.

Seriously who wants to work for a company that eliminates potentially great candidates because of the domain they are using for their email. It says more about how superficial they are than anything else.

Typos, sloppy grammar and a host of other things I can see as legitimate reasons for eliminating candidates but an uncool domain?! Someone said it perfectly:-
This is ridiculous. Really, truly, ridiculous.

A Yahoo, Hotmail, or AOL email address could signal that you’re not exactly tech-savvy—or not comfortable with change. Gmail (or a personal domain) is considered leading edge.
Source: Daily Worth

Get real. People who are not tech-savy use Gmail. Changing your email address is a hassle if you’ve been using it for years. And not every service makes it easy to export your contacts. If you’re worried about companies that take part in this ridiculous practice get a personal domain. You’ll never have to worry about your domain being uncool…your name will never be trendy. Well, unless of course you get famous.

A friend recently shared details about a new client.  She landed a contract to market the services of an expert in her industry – alongside several trainings that she already promotes within her target market.

I congratulated her on landing the client and asked how she was using social media to market her client.

She openly admitted that she hadn’t used it much within her own business.  However, she was interested in learning.  Her biggest concern was where to start.  The amount of options was overwhelming to her as she manages the day to day logistics and now realized she needed to learn several new marketing platforms.  She asked for advice on where to start.  Continue Reading »

© iStockPhoto/123render

Recently I read a post on PCWorld.com called Leaving Your Job? Take Your Data With You and I posted it to my Facebook wall because I realized that it’s something a lot of people don’t think about. We spend hours a day on the computer at work sending emails and creating files. Very few people think about what they should do if they get fired or decide to leave because of a new opportunity. The only group of people I know that seem to keep their contacts are recruiters. We could all stand to learn something from them in that regard.

The three things the author pointed out as key are:
Your contacts
Important e-mails
Recent work files

Your contacts
If you aren’t already you should be connecting to your contacts outside of work. If you’re using Microsoft Outlook export your contacts regularly to a comma separated values or cvs file.

To export your contacts from Outlook

1. Open Outlook and choose File -> Import and Export.
2. In the dialog box that appears, choose “Export to a File”.
3. Select “Comma Separated Values” in the next dialog box. You may need the Microsoft Office CD, if the import-export feature is not installed on your computer.

If you’re on a Mac using Microsoft Entourage

1. Open Microsoft Entourage.
2. Select File/Export.
3. The menu box that appears asks you what you’d like to export. Select Contacts to a list (tab-delimited text).

Important e-mails
For important emails, there are several options for example put them into one pdf and either save them to a flash drive or upload them to a cloud account like SugarSync, Box.net or whatever cloud storage you currently use. Another option is to blind carbon copy (abbreviated Bcc:) yourself to a personal email account on emails you think might be important as they happen.

Personally I use Evernote for keeping track of important emails. I also keep a work log in there so I know what happened on a particular assignment and I can attach relevant files to the notes I create.

© Mimoco

Recent work files
A folder on your desktop to save important work files is a must. I’d go a step further and organize the folder by project or something relevant so when you review it later you won’t have to go hunting for a file. I save work both in the cloud and on flash drives. My system may not work for everyone.
Since I’m a visual person I have one Mimobot I use exclusively for work – Swirl.

Use whatever method works for the way you work and think. But backup your digital life. Not just at work but at home.
If you aren’t doing regular data backups you are in for a world of hurt if something happens. Some idiot spilling liquid on your laptop when you’re out. Or heaven help if your computer is in your luggage and the airline mysteriously can’t find it. I’m all for redundancy …backup online and on multiple drives. Hardware goes bad and cloud sites go down.

Too much of our life is dependent on technology to not make an effort to protect it.

Technology… is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ~ Carrie P. Snow

© iStockPhoto/swedeandsour

So do you need a strategy for social media? Or can you just wing it? Well it depends. Having a Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook fan page without knowing why is really pointless. I’ve been asked by friends and acquaintances if they need to be on a specific social networking site. And the answer is no. Pick what works for you and forget the rest. There isn’t time in the world to be on every network.

What are your goals and objectives
First understand why social media matters to you; what are your goals and objectives also how they tie into your overall career goals. Use S.M.A.R.T – (Keep it Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, and Timely) goals as a starting point.

The next step for creating an effective social media strategy is research.
Make a note of which social media sites you would like to engage with people. The list will most likely consist of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and some select blogs and forums. Review each of the social media sites on your list and do additional research to determine how relevant looking for your competitors, your target keywords and people/businesses you’d like to work with.

Have conversations
They build relationships. Respond to blog posts. Answer questions on LinkedIn, Twitter or Quora. Start developing relationships by following and friending influencers and those in your industry. Quality not quantity is what matters. Tons of followers without a “real” connection isn’t going to enhance your life. Because ultimately it isn’t only about what you do but who you are.

Strictly Business or Personal?
Personal choice really. I know some people who only connect with friends and family on Facebook and keep networks like LinkedIn and Twitter for all other connections. I connect with 99% of the people who send me invites on LinkedIn. However, I don’t give recommendations to people I’ve never done business with.

Create stronger connections
Take the relationships offline. Have a tweetup – an in-person meeting of Twitter users. HOW TO: Organize a Successful Tweetup has some great tips and ideas on how to setup an event. Can’t meet in-person have an online meeting. Virtual options are only limited by your imagination – dinner, coffee, maybe even a movie night.

Measuring your success
Well increased site traffic, more true partners are all indications of success. More referrals from your network. Positive feedback from others.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Failure to adapt kills many an idea.

If you want to know what others are doing in social media then take a look at the Social Media Marketing Report from 2010.

It’s all about connection so reach out and touch someone in a way that works with your personality not against it.

© iStockPhoto/cogal

No official statistics exist on how many workers in the United States participate in virtual teams. According to a report by Gartner produced in 2005 about 11.2 million workers in the U.S. worked from home at least one day per week.

Biggest Worry
The greatest concern expressed about working virtually is a potential negative impact on business relationships.

Challenges to Working Virtually
Are you a good communicator? How well do you function independently. How are you going to communicate and share information and files with the members of your team?

Obviously a lot has changed since 2005, the tools available have gotten better and more people are working virtually. Virtual assistant businesses are on the rise. Managing projects, scheduling meeting and having face to face contact are all some issues that need to be addressed. While being in the same room might not be feasible because of geographical location other options are available.

Project Management
Teamwork Project Manager an online application that helps you get organized and take control of your current projects, task lists, milestones, files, notebooks, resources and time. A 30 day free trial is available for all accounts. Paid plans start at $12. The company also offers a free plan with a limit of 2 projects and 5MB storage space. An all-in-one solution for working as a team and with clients when sharing files is necessary.

Basecamp is another online application for tracking projects, sharing files and tracking time. It’s starting price for their basic plan is $24/month.

File Sharing
File sharing allows a number of people to use the same file or file by some combination of being able to read or view it, write to or modify it, copy it, or print it. Typically, a file sharing system has one or more administrators. Users may all have the same or may have different levels of access privilege.
Dropbox
Box

Scheduling Meetings
Doodle scheduling tool that has both a free and premium version.
It connects with the following calendars:- Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, iCal, Live, Yahoo!

Tungle.me scheduling application that syncs with your existing calendar. Ability to setup meeting with individuals inside or outside your team or organization. Syncs with Outlook, Google Calendar, iCal/Entourage, Lotus Notes, LotusLive, Windows Live and Yahoo!

Collaborative Brainstorming
Simultaneously work on mindmaps with your team and see changes as they happen using the following tools:
Mindjet Catalyst
Mindmeister

Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is a form of real-time communications RTC in which multiple computer users, all connected to the Internet, see the same screen at all times in their Web browsers. Some Web conferencing systems include features such as texting, VoIP (voice over IP) and full-motion video. The most effective Web conferencing solutions require high-speed Internet connections at all user sites. – WhatIs.com

Below are a few different options, some completely free and others with various pricing.
WebEx
Adobe Connect
GoToMeeting
Zoho Meeting
Yugma
Mikogo

Online Whiteboard
Online collaboration application that’s centered around the whiteboard
Scriblink
Dabbleboard
JotSpace
Twiddla

Of course there is always Skype for individual/group video chat and quick screen sharing.

Try a few different tools to see which one works for you and your team. Trial periods are great for that.

“The most powerful force in business isn’t greed, fear or even the raw energy of unbridled competition. The most powerful force in business is Love. It’s what will help your company grow and become stronger. It’s what will propel your career forward.” – Love Is The Killer App by Tim Sanders

The chart below is the U.S unemployment rates from 1990 – January 2011. It’s no secret that the numbers have been hovering around 10%. Rates are higher in some states.

U.S Unemployment Rate © Google, 2011

About 40% of people find jobs through their network. Showing some “love” or playing the networking game is a full-time job. It’s like a garden it needs attention and not just when you need help…especially when you’re job hunting. People who wait till they need something before cultivating or paying attention to their network are parasites.

According to Allison Hemming of The Hired Guns in her book Work It! wrote -
The best networkers are people whose enthusiasm for meeting other people and learning about them is driven by genuine interest, not hard-nosed agenda of maximizing the short-term return on every encounter. They know that every exchange is a two-way street.

Develop a keep-in touch strategy if you aren’t naturally good at maintaining connections with others or just find it hard to fit into your schedule.

If you’re already on social networks. Ask yourself how you are using them.

For example if you use LinkedIn start creating tags for the members of your network. Put notes about the person when you connect… be it where you meet them, or anything you feel that’s relevant for that connection.

Gist provides the only full view of the contacts in your professional network by creating a rich business profile for each one that includes the most news, status updates, and work details. Gist is a Social CRM and Online Contact Management system.

Other tools to try are :-

• BatchBlue – Turn business cards into Batchbook contacts, generating invoices, sending email newsletters or simply syncing your address book
• Zoho CRM
• HighRise – Store every conversation, email, call, meeting, document, and deal you’ve ever had with a contact. If you have less than 250 contacts HighRise has a free plan. Great for an individual or solopreneur.

Don’t keep your relationships digital. Handwritten notes or small gifts are great. Don’t wait until someone does something big, show your gratitude regardless.

© Shelley-Ann J. West

Organize your hard-drive:
I know a lot of people who complain about never being able to find anything on their computer. After looking about others hard drive I’d say the biggest problem is that most people don’t have a home for the files they create. They just save to some default location that the software they are using has and never pay attention to where the file is actually going.

Setting up folder structure is one place to start.

Your folder structure is essentially a list of your directories. It’s where you store and archive all your electronic documents. It’s best to keep the structure you create simple and logical. Organize and name your folders in a way that makes sense to you. If you work with others who have to access your files and folders then make sure the structure can be easily understood by them especially if your goal is to have a paperless office. Create names by purpose or function.

For example at work, here is a simple structure to follow:

• Projects (root folder)
• Project Name (sub-folders)
• Archive (for older versions of documents)
• Marketing
• Contracts
• Administrative

• Projects (root folder)
• Project Name (sub-folders)
• Archive (for older versions of documents)
• Marketing
• Contracts
• Administrative

Another example works for a home office:

• CompanyNameFiles (root directory)
• BankStatements
• Checking Account
• CreditCardStatements
• CardName1
• CardName2
• Taxes
• 2009TaxReturns
• 2010TaxReturns

The Desktop
Limit the number of short cuts on a Windows desktop to the programs you use most frequently. Over 20 icons tends to create a lot of visual clutter and most people can’t easily find the software they want to run. If you are a visual person you might find using a mind-map to organize your desktop shortcuts helpful. In my post Creating Order from Chaos I discuss how I implemented this and there are links to download a mind-map to use as your background image. You can create your own mind-map if you so desire.
On a Mac keeping your desktop clear is easier. I limit the number of items I put on my desktop to about 5. The applications I use the most are in my dock and I have mine set to auto-hide. I like having as much screen real estate showing as possible. At home I use a laptop where as at work I have two monitors. It makes focusing on what I’m doing easier if the dock is hidden.

Email
Don’t leave reminders on all day. The interruptions make you less productive. If you must read email all the time set times to do so. Respond immediately to messages that require short answers. If something is going to take longer schedule time to address it. Email is a time suck.
I create folders for dealing with email at work – Project folders, General Administrative and a Miscellaneous folder for corporate email that isn’t very important. Some companies use GMail so you can create relevant labels. This makes it easier to keep track, sort and archive the emails you get from co-workers.

Finally don’t forget to backup your computer somewhere. An external hard drive, a Cloud application like Carbonite, Box.net or Dropbox but backup your files on a schedule – daily, weekly or monthly. At a minimum weekly. Automatic backup is best.

a Shelley West creation

No matter what career you choose to be in there is always something new to learn. To stay competitive you need to stay on top of trends or new advances in your industry. Or you may simply need to learn new software to make your work life easier.

There are many ways to acquire new skills -

• Read a book
• Take a course at a local university
• Attend a webinar
• Subscribe to a podcast

However many universities are offering free online access to their courses:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)
2. Open University (open.ac.uk)
3. Carnegie Mellon University (cmu.edu)
4. Tufts University (tufts.edu)
5. Stanford (stanford.edu)
6. University of California, Berkeley (berkeley.edu)
7. Utah State University (usu.edu)
8. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (kutztownsbdc.org)
9. University of Southern Queensland (usq.edu.au)
10. University of California, Irvine (uci.edu)

Other places to pick up a few new skills though not all for free are:

• Lynda.com where you can learn digital photography, web design and development, motion graphics or other software skills
• O’Reilly School of Technology for more hard core technology skills and certifications.

Since I didn’t list all the universities that have content online a good place to look for free lectures, videos, films, and other resources — from all over the world is iTunes U.

What is iTunes U?

iTunes U brings the power of the iTunes Store to education, making it simple to distribute information to your students and faculty — or to lifelong learners all over the world. With an iTunes U site, your institution has a single home for all the digital content created or curated by educators, which can then be easily downloaded and viewed on any Mac, PC, iPod, or iPhone.

via apple.com

Top 10 Categories on iTunes U

Right now I’m listening to the Cognitive Psychology lectures from Open University via iTunes U. So what do you plan on learning this year?