Amazon Prime Just Got Even Better

OK, so I know I’m doing two Amazon-related posts in a row (the Kindle price drop was just before this one).  But I just got an email from Amazon that made me happy – they are improving their already-awesome Amazon Prime shipping features.  In case you weren’t already aware, Amazon Prime is an annual, fee-based program that gives you automatic upgrades to free 2nd-Day Air shipping for any Prime-eligible item.

The big news is that they have improved Prime so that items ordered on Thursday will be delivered on Saturday now, instead of Monday.  Gotta love it – here is the blurb I got:

 

Why is Prime handy?

Other than just wanting things ASAP, I like Prime for a couple of key reasons:

1. I often order presents for friends and relatives in other states.  I love being able to order something knowing it will show up 2 days after I place the order – it makes the gift seem even more special or important, and it gives me the freedom to wait until almost the last minute before ordering. 
• This is especially valuable around Christmas, when I can order things until December 22nd and they’ll still arrive on Christmas Eve. Note that this even helps if you’re going to your relatives’ house – you can ship the gift (pre-wrapped by Amazon, if you wish) and not have to worry about trying to carry it on or putting it in your checked luggage.
2. Sometimes I ‘need’ a gadget before a trip, and I only realize it at the last minute.  Because of Prime, I can order a couple of days before I leave and still get it in time (in some of these cases, I’ll buck up for Overnight shipping for an extra $3.99 – very handy when you need it.

Amazon Prime costs $79 per year (averaging to a bit more than 6 bucks a month), and I know it saves me much more than that every year. Not sure if it's for you? Give it a try - they'll let you take a test drive for 30 days - just click here if you want to take an Amazon Prime free trial.

Kindle Going Global And Getting Cheaper

If you haven’t heard yet, Amazon has just announced a couple of exciting things about their Kindle Reader:

They’ve dropped the price (hooray!) and the Kindle will now be available in two versions which differ by the wireless technology with which they are equipped: 

• a US Kindle version (the one I have), which is now $259
• a US and International Kindle that ships worldwide, and will cost $279 (the International version will start shipping October 19 and is available for pre-order now)

This is very good news on both counts.  As you know from my previous reviews of the Kindle, I love it and use it whether I’m traveling or not.  In fact, I read a couple of books on my flight back from Amsterdam this week (and I’d have loved to have had the international wireless version of the Kindle whilst in Europe).

So, if you’ve been procrastinating on your Kindle purchase, that procrastination may actually have helped you this time.  And I suspect more people may now get a Kindle for Christmas this year.

One note:  The links above are for the “original size” Kindle, not the larger Kindle DX.  I had my hands on one of the bigger Kindle DX’s and I just couldn’t travel with a device that large.  I’m glad I bought the smaller one.

Do You Have A Permanent Record?

One skill I wish I could acquire from someone else is to be more disciplined about writing things down.  OK - so I do write a lot of ideas and tasks down (thanks to GTD I’ve gotten much better at this).

What I mean is “bigger” things, and writing them down more explicitly and earlier.  I have a friend that is very good at writing ideas down even while they are vague, then refining and clarifying them over time.  I, on the hand, tend to wait until I think the ideas are almost “done” before I write them down.  That means a lot of things get thought about, talked about… but not recorded.

You’re only hurting yourself with this rambunctious behavior…Right?

As a consequence of this tendency to leave things open-ended, it seems a lot of my grand  ideas don’t go anywhere because I never finished developing them, or I just move on and forget about them.  This, I believe is caused by a combination of:

• my introverted thinking style (I’m an INTJ / INTP on Myers-Briggs),
• my love for “fluidity” in the options I pursue, and
• fear of failure (or dislike for being held accountable?), at some level.

Until recently, I didn’t think of this as a big deal.  However, I have been very introspective lately and thinking about a few problem situations where I can see the negative consequences of not writing things down…and it bothers me.  You see, I have seen situations where the lack of a written record of ideas, commitments, and such has led to ambiguity that caused problems later.

Revising Verbal History Is Pretty Easy

In my opinion,the problem lies in the fact that human memory is fallible, and is much weaker than the human ego.  In the situations I’ve observed, this inherent conflict has led to things like:

• people not getting credit for some great ideas, because others didn’t remember where the idea came from;
• people not being held accountable for commitments they’d made because the commitments were never documented;
• people “adjusting” what they committed to, bringing it more in line with where things actually ended up;
• people moving accountability to someone else, when that wasn’t the original intent (sort of a scapegoat maneuver);

and things like that.

In most of these cases, the “revisionist historians” weren’t malicious – they were just trying to turn things to their own advantage and, I believe, in some of the cases they actually believed the altered back-story was true.

Permanent Records Are Harder To Change

What do I take away from this?  Writing plans and “big ideas” down is important – even when they are in their formative stages.  That will help you hang on to your ideas so they don’t drift away, help you keep track of where the good ideas (and bad ones) came from, ensure accountability, and – perhaps most importantly – give you the means to compare what happened to what you thought was going to happen so you can learn from your successes and failures.

So – my question to you:  what’s your advice to someone trying to develop this habit?  How do you overcome a tendency to take life as it happens and move to a more concrete model where plans, goals, and intentions are actually written down? 

Do tell.   And in writing, please!

So much for Exercise…

Thanks to Twitter, I found out about a new gadget Honda has created, called the "UX-3."  It is like a Segway but intended for use in the office, while seated.  The video below is in Japanese, but the coolness transcends all languages - check it out (here is the link if you don't see the embedded video).

From a technology perspective, I think this is extremely cool.  But come on - we have enough challenges with people becoming unfit from a sedentary lifestyle!

I still want one, though.  If you work for Honda and want a US-based blogger to do a review of the UX-3, just let me know!

[Review] Success Mapping

I read a lot of books.  A lot of them are just good information to build my knowledge in a certain topic area.  The best ones are those that inspire me to take action, and Arlene Johnson's "Success Mapping" is one of those books. 

The subtitle of the book is "Achieve What You Want…Right Now!" and, while I think that's a pretty bold promise, I think Johnson's book pays it off.  This book takes a step-by-step approach to guide you through the process of challenging yourself, setting goals, and building out the texture to make those goals feel real to you.  This all culminates in the creation of a detailed execution plan with milestones and check-ins.

What's the big deal about this book?

I know, I know…there are a lot of books that help with setting goals and making plans.  "So what makes this one different?," you might ask.  In my opinion, one thing that sets this book apart are the excellent 'worksheets' throughout the book.  They take the concepts Johnson explains in her book and make them concrete and actionable.

I'm using the worksheets as I go along, and have found them to be very powerful in getting me to show my work around the ideas bouncing around inside my head.

The worksheets alone are worth the price of the book (I'm not kidding - the worksheets are sold in standalone form - check out the prices and you'll see that the book is a bargain).

Not just idealism

The other thing I like about the book is it tackles Obstacles head on.  What I mean is it spends a fair amount of time taking the reader through an examination of various obstacles to success, and helps you create plans to mitigate the risks those obstacles represent.  This basically means you can go into execution mode with your eyes open, and that you've already thought about contingency plans if one of these obstacles appears in front of you.

There is also practical advice on how to garner the resources you'll need (financial, people, skills, etc.) to achieve your successful outcome.

I recommend this book to anyone who's pursuing a goal (or who has lots of ideas but doesn't know where to start.  While the book is definitely biased toward business people I think the concepts presented can apply to any goal you may have in your personal life, as well.

You should also check out the Success Mapping web site, where you'll find book excerpts, additional reference materials, and audio & video clips.  And best of luck creating your personal success map with "Success Mapping!"