A few useful tools

It's been a while since I highlighted some tools here, so how about it?

Mp3cutter (any platform) - free

The iPhone is a bit of a pain when it comes to creating free ringtones from songs you already own (seems they want you to pay, and pay, and pay...) but if you're using just about any other smartphone, you can use any .mp3 file for a ringtone. The challenge is getting just the right portion of the .mp3 file so that it sounds as awesome as you want it to be.   

The answer? the online tool "mp3cutter"  which provides a web interface to clip your .mp3's down to just that part you want to hear when someone special calls. It's pretty straight forward, and very much free. One note: it seemed temperamental when using it with Safari, but seems to work fine with Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Go through the editing and cutting process, save it to your local computer, copy it to your phone, and you're in business.

Fresh (Mac) - free to try, $9 to buy (and worth every penny)

Fresh is a cool app. It sits unobtrusively at the edge of your Mac OS X desktop as a gray tab. It's job is to hang on to recently accessed files for you, as well as things you'd like to have available for immediate access.

When you click on the tab, Fresh extends out into the desktop (screenshot below) and has two main panels

"Fresh Files" (the top one) - this is a list of the most recently opened or accessed files. It's very handy when you realize you just closed something you weren't finished with. You can not only open the files, you can right click on them and take other actions. Pretty handy. And if there is a type of file you never want to see there (like temp files or your iTunes database), you right click and tell it to stop showing you that file (or that type of file). Pretty slick.

"The Cooler" (the bottom one) - this is a list of files you've selected. You drag files, folders, etc. there and it hangs on to them so you can get to them quickly. You can drag them from Finder, the Desktop, or even from the Fresh Files pane and they stay there til you remove them. This is handy for keeping things that you want to get to in a couple of clicks - such as your "stock" presentations, files or folders related to your current projects, etc.

This was the surprise hit of the spring for me and has saved me more time than I'd have imagined.

Fences (Windows) - free basic version, Pro version for $9.99

On my Windows system, I've developed a nasty habit of putting things I want to get to quickly on my desktop. That means a messy Windows desktop. When I discovered Fences, I loved it immediately. I actually have Fences Pro, and I think it's worth the $10 - at least for me.

What does Fences do? It helps you organize the icons and shortcuts on your desktop. You create "Fences" which are little corrals that icons live in. You can show or hide each Fence, which allows you to hide icons you don't care about at one moment, but bring them back instantaneously when you need them again.

My favorite feature is the "Quick Hide" capability. By double-clicking on a clear area of the desktop, you automatically hide all the icons on your desktop so you can instantly clean up before a presentation, a demo, or when you just want to focus.

What's that you say? There are a few icons you don't want to hide? Easy. Just right-click the icon when it's visible, click "Exclude from auto-hide" and that icon will stick around when you hide everything else. It may not sound like much, but try this for a day and you'll be hooked.

The Pro feature has an additional function I really like - you can set a default Fence for new icons. For example, I created a fence for documents that automatically "collects" any .doc, .docx, .pdf, and .xps file that I save to my desktop. Snazzy.

Gadgets, Personal Productivity

Master Your Work Day - Now!

I've just finished reading Michael Linenberger's book "Master Your Work Day Now!" You may recall I've reviewed Michael's previous book, "Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook," (TWC) here in the past. You'll also recall that I'm a big fan of his views on productivity and focus, as well as the framework he's created to achieve both. His methods are very consistent with David Allen's "Getting Things Done," but he definitely has his own (pragmatic) spin on the techniques, plus some changes that may make the methods easier to implement.

This book was timely, at least for me. I loved Michael's last book, which focuses on using Microsoft Outlook as a productivity hub; however, I am using a Mac for most of my work these days which means I use Entourage which is very different from Outlook. The result? My old tools, tips, and tricks have to be adapted to a new platform. This book works well for that, since it is system-agnostic. In fact, the basics of the system Michael takes you through are demonstrated using a couple of sheets of paper (yes, ye olde paper).

At first I was wondering whether this was just a rehash of Michael's last book. Verdict? It's not. While I recognized a lot of the core concepts that carried forward from TWC, but this is by no means a re-hash of the previous material.

Layers of work

There is a hierarchy in Michael's view of the world from most "important" to most "optional" -

• Critical Now: Must do today
• Target Now (would like to do today)
• Significant Outcomes (SOCs): Achieve or make progress toward, within this week
  
• Opportunity Now (start this week or next; review daily)
  
• Over the Horizon
  • Review Weekly
  • Review Monthly
  • Review Every 3 Months
  • Review Every 6 Months
  • Review Every 12 Months

My favorite new concept here is the "Significant Outcome," or "SOC." A SOC is used to keep your attention on a "milestone" toward a goal - you can think of it as a way of identifying something as "I want to make progress on this area this week" - it's not a specific task, just a specific zone of activity you want to move forward in a given week. This is a good reminder so you can move things ahead when you have a few moments here and there.

To make this easier to jump into, Michael also provides a great set of free resources on the Master Your Workday Now! web site. These resources include a workbook, some Word and Mind Manager templates, and other resources to help you apply the techniques in the book (you can sign up now, just by providing your email address - which isn't shared with any other organizations).

The bigger picture

One other thing I loved in this book was the section (and the tools) that deals with how to create a Vision, Goals, etc. These are not new concepts to me, of course, but I never can seem to write goals or visions that feel "right" to me. Finally, from this book, I have found a process I can actually use.

As a visual person, the many examples in Michael's book really helped me "get" the concepts faster - in addition to the mindmaps he shares, there are examples of goals, projects, filled-in templates, and other visual artifacts.

The book also guides you through very specific steps to connect your actions to your goals & aspirations, and take specific steps to "activate" your goals so they are more likely to stick.

In summary, I was expecting this book to be more of the same with regard to productivity, email management, "Getting Things Done"-like techniques, etc. I found it to be way more than that, and recommend it to anyone looking to use their time more effectively and more meaningfully.

If you read Master Your Workday Now! I'd love to hear what you think.

book reviews, Books, gtd, Personal Productivity, productivity, Productivity

Phones, PDA's, and Bad Habits

I landed in London today and am happy the volcano seems to be calm for the moment. On my flight over, I read Michael Linenberger's new book and about half-way through writing the review. Meanwhile, I wanted to share an interesting article by Francis Wade on Stepcase Lifehack. The article, "Fight Bad Cellphone Habits for Better Time Management," touches on some interesting points - and some interesting observations.

Francis starts off talking about how a percentage of students in the time management classes he teaches just won't turn off their cell phones, PDA's, etc. for the duration of the class.

None of the people sitting in my classes are emergency room surgeons, firemen or policemen. I am not delivering these programs in a war zone, during a hurricane or in the middle of a tornado.

Yet, they find it absolutely essential to be checking their email every few minutes.

Sounds like an addiction, to me! I know - I've been there - that's why I got the Foursquare monkey off my back a month or so ago (I just noticed I did that on April 1, but it was no joke):

(By the way - haven't touched Foursquare since then and I'm still the mayor of 17 place as of today. Yes, I was hooked.)

Can't get enough...

But it's not just fun stuff like Foursquare, Facebook, and those sorts of things that create compulsive behaviors. Work does just the same thing, and some managers make it worse:

For aspiring micro-managers, it’s easy: simply give the employee the gift of a Blackberry. Then, send them “important” emails at odd hours (5pm is a good choice.) When you don’t get a response within minutes, make a critical comment, and mention their need to improve their time management skills. Praise them for their responsiveness as they inevitably knuckle under in time, and thank them for becoming a good “team player.

I know - I've been on the non-manager end of that, including a written policy from one of my past managers:

It is not my expectation that each person work 100 hours a week, although some weeks may seem like it. I do expect that each of you invest enough hours to get your work done, and done well. I also expect you to ‘check-in’ on e-mail during the weekend, busy periods and when we have critical international activities underway that you may be involved in. We are in a ‘Sun never sets’ mode.

Needless to say, people were obsessively attached to their company-provided Blackberries. And "check in" meant more than that - it meant we were expected to answer within a couple of hours, any time - day or night. Woohoo.

Inspect what you expect

So this article was a good reminder to me to think about:

• What message am I sending when I get caught up in obsessive email management?
• What expectations am I sending to my team with my actions?

We shouldn't have to freak out when we aren't on email for a day - do you?

Personal Productivity

Nail it or fail it?

"A small thing you nail can be better than a big thing you fail."
-- James B. Johnson

I was in a meeting the other day and we were discussing some objectives for a new team that is forming, and Jim (my CEO) said the line above.  He has been quite effective in getting our company to increase our success in both large and small things, so I tend to listen to what he says.  As many of us begin to make plans and set lofty goals for 2010 (personally and professionally) I thought this quote was worth sharing.

The balance can be tricky - I know of many times when I have set some seemingly impossible goals, only to one day discover I've achieved them.  But I can think of many more lofty goals that I never got done.

Making the impossible happen

So what's the difference?  I'd say the successful "impossible goals" that were accomplished in spite of their 'impossibleness' had a few things in common:

• Heartfelt commitment.  Each of the impossible goals that got done was something I deliberately committed to, far beyond just lip service and platitudes.
• Sustained passion.  These goals also tended to be things I could not only get excited about, but I could stay passionate about.
• Engaged others.  I think this is linked to the sustained passion - I am good at evangelizing the things I'm passionate about, and that's when I recruit others to my cause.
• Clarity of desired outcome.  This is not always what it seems - these outcomes are specific, but not in a checklist sort of way.  For me, the best outcomes are framed in terms of what it will feel and 'be' like when we are successful.
• A good idea of how to get there.  It's kind of like David Allen talks about in his "Getting Things Done" model - you won't be successful until you can see yourself doing it.  That doesn't mean you have all the answers, but it does mean you have a good idea of some of the things you need to do to get the answers.

Get your wins along the way

The interesting aspect of Jim's quote above is that you need to feel like you can win.  The art here is to set at least some goals that are challenging, but that have a high probability of getting done.  If you never win, you never feel like a winner, and you can create an unhealthy dynamic within your team.

I've seen lots of sports teams where it took one good win to turn the tide from a losing record to a winning one - there is something very powerful in the psychology of even a small win.

This is true at many levels:

• As managers, part of our job is to help our teams feel challenged, but to have enough wins along the way that they feel like winners. 
• As team members, we need to hold our teams accountable to blending the possible with the impossible.
• As parents, we need to help our kids learn to set goals that stretch them but allow them to taste success on a regular basis.
• As individuals, we need to set our own goals with the same philosophy. 

It's a delicate - but very important - balance.

How do you approach this challenge?  Any best practices (or hard-won lessons) to share?

The Market Has Changed. Have You?

If you're involved in selling anything in today's economy, you know that priorities, business drivers, and competition are very different than they were a year or two ago.  So, what's a sales professional to do?

Author Paul D'Souza knows where you're coming from.  As an experienced sales guy he has done a lot of the analysis for you and his book, "The Market Has Changed - Have You?" is just what you might need to develop your own strategy to adapt to the new market dynamics.

Paul's book takes you through 25 steps exemplifying what he refers to as the "Wha-Do" sales philosophy (apparently, "Wha-Do" means "The Way of Harmony" in Japanese).  This philosophy is all about creating leverage through people (relationships) and applying repeatable principles and business practices.

(Paul has more on the Wha-Do philosophy on his site)

A solid foundation

A lot of the concepts Paul brings to bear are rooted in things you've heard before - setting goals, understanding your motivation, setting out a plan, developing discipline in how you execute, etc.  But a couple of aspects are different in this book.

First, Paul comes at this from the perspective of a sales person.  If you're involved in selling, you know that you hear "no" more often than you hear a "yes" so it's vital that you have clarity of purpose and a compelling reason to keep driving until you get another "yes."  The methods Paul exposes in this book will "snap in" to your selling workflow pretty easily without feeling unnatural or fluffy.

Second, this is as much a workbook as it is a reading book.  The book is filled with worksheets, cues, and examples to enable you to go from a cerebral understanding of the material well into the next step of documenting and personalizing the content.  In other words, if you really follow the process and use the worksheets provided in the book, you'll have your own plan - not just a bunch of new ideas.

It's about what you bring to the table

I think Paul's methods work because they tap into your inner strengths and motivations, but they are also anchored in creating clear and compelling value for your customers.  By design, this will drive you to better understand your customers and why they buy so you can increase the odds that your approach and message will resonate with them.

They also help bring you beyond your "one against the world" view and tap into your colleagues, your mentors, and even your customers themselves to increase your success.

This is a compelling read and well worth your time if you're a sales or marketing professional looking for an advantage. 

But this book is not just for hardcore sales people.  It will also help anyone who relies on relationships in their job, such as doctors, dentists, personal trainers, retailers, investment bankers, business development, alliances people, and more.

Check it out, and start adapting to the new reality of the market.