planning

I’m a subscriber to Groupon and as you may (or may not) know Groupon along with LivingSocial amongst others sends out a daily deal that consists of a huge discount on products or services available in the area. I always take a look at the deal to see what businesses are offering and today I had an idea.    Read more »

You must have a plan to achieve your goals, and then execute your plan.  The more clearly you can see the object of your goal accomplished in your mind the faster you will be able to achieve your goal.  This point is crucial.  Being able to get really clear on the things that you want to do, want to be, and want to have makes all the difference. Honestly, a lot of people struggle with this and it’s something I know that I’ve struggled with. I believe that putting in the mental effort here on getting the clarity that’s required to do this successfully is what separates those who actually get things done from those who merely try.  I think this is also the main reason people give up on their goal setting efforts; many people will make the effort to set goals, but it’s those who get clarity who succeed. This is really where the hard work comes in.  I've not come across better information on the science of setting goals than Brian Tracy - this list is also inspired by him. Here is a list of 13 goal setting steps I use for setting goals and planning for life.    Read more »

It’s that time of year when the businesses of all shapes and sizes start planning for the coming year. David Siteman Garland from The Rise to The Top tweeted a few weeks ago that he was booking engagements and working on his plans for 2011, as are so many others.

It’s one thing to set goals, but entirely another to take meaningful daily steps toward achieving them. Writing them down isn’t enough - you have to put in the work of actually engaging in meaningful work toward achieving them. Early this year I came across Chris Guillebeau’s annual review post and one of the things that stuck out to me was how he set up quarterly reviews to evaluate his progress.    Read more »

I've made a lot of progress in this area, but I'm notorious for writing stuff down on any piece of paper on my desk then losing the paper, and the important information on it.  Just as an example, I was going through some important papers on my desk just today and came across an old sheet of paper that I'd thought I'd lost that had all kinds of notes all over it - phone numbers, confirmation numbers, etc.  Talk about a mess!  However, what I've done is take the best of what the web offers and use it to clean up the mess on my desk and to keep much better track of the important information I need every day. 

Last time I talked about how analog planning was a better solution for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m completely analog, though. I’m a web guy by trade, so it should come as no surprise that I have a stable full of web-based tools for keeping organized and planning. Here are some of the tools I’m using.    Read more »

I was fumbling through my phone trying to capture a great point that was just made during church and that was the last straw.  I had to wake up the screen, go to my calendar, open it up, find the appointment time, open the notes section - and by then the point had been all but forgotten. Have you ever tried to type notes from a great sermon in to a smart phone?  What about meeting notes?  Well, I have, and I can tell you I hate it.  I love my Droid, but after years of futile attempts at using an electronic planner I've decided to switch back to my old faithful paper planner.

I’ve used all kinds of planners over the years. I had a Palm Pilot, a Compaq PDA, a couple different Blackberries, and now my Motorola Droid, but I keep coming back to a plain paper planner. There just isn’t any good alternative that I’ve found that does everything that I need. So after lots of experimentation with different electronic planning platforms I’ve gone back to my old standard - a Franklin Planner. I still use my Google calendar, and my Microsoft Outlook - there is no better way to set up bill and appointment reminders than using those tools in my opinion. But, for everything else, I’ve decided that there just isn’t a better tool than an old fashioned paper planning system. Here are the reasons that I decided to swich back to a paper planner.    Read more »

After many great learning experiences in 2009, my family and myself are hoping for a much better 2010! We believe that good things are in our future, and that the future is indeed very bright. Jim Rohn - a "business philosopher" - unfortunately passed away in early December. I listened to The Art of Exceptional Living for the first time a couple years ago, and it really resonated with me.

What follows are my notes from listening to the first part of Take Charge of Your Life which is what I'm using to start the new year. I've posted this here for your review, and maybe even a little inspiration will hit you as we get ready for yet another new year.

5 major pieces to the life puzzle - Jim Rohn

Philosophy

Our lives are affected by what we know. Ignorance is NOT bliss - what you don't know WILL hurt you. Philosophy sets your course in life. 

• Basic Philosophy – knowing what’s right and wrong, pleasurable, painful
• Expanded Philosophy – how to be gainfully employed, be a decent human, how to deliver value
• Refined Philosophy – extra study, classes, research, debate, discussion – extra THINKING. Essential steps of intellectual discovery – the “above and beyond”
• Teaching – the influence of others – the books we read, classes we take
  • Who am I around?
  • What are they doing to/for me? Where do they have me going, saying
  • What have they got me becoming?

We all suffer one of two pains in life – the pain of discipline, or the pain of regret. You make the choice.    Read more »

Thinking through your new website

Building an effective website is can be a daunting task.  The excitement that comes from the initial decision to get online soon can give way to confusion on what to do and how to proceed. So what to do?  Plan.  What follows is a guide that you can use to plan your site and build something that will be an asset to your personal brand, or business. Knowing what you want to achieve with your website will go a long way in helping you get it done.

Who

Who are your visitors going to be?  Figuring out who will be visiting your site is key as this will help you plan out your content.  Who is your target audience?  Can you use it for customer service to take better care of your existing customers? 

Who is going to develop it?  Are you going to do it in-house?  Are you going to hire a developer? This is important.  There are varying opinions on this, but I'm of the opinion that if it's going to be representing you to the entire world, it needs to be done right and working with a professional is never a bad idea. A competent professional can help guide you through the different phases of getting your site done right.  If you're not sure of your ability  - or those within your organization - to build it correctly get some help.     Read more »

In a recent discussion I found myself in a debate on what's the best method to use when choosing your domain name for your new website.  What quickly became apparent is that there were two distinct issues being discussed - naming and branding your website, and search engine optimization (SEO).

So, as you think about chosing your domain I have a couple thoughts to offer:    Read more »