Aug
12
Multitasking no more
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Having spent a good bit of my 30s and early 40s as a pretty good multitasker I assumed that I was naturally good at it and would always be able to handle multiple tasks at once. However, I’ve recently begun to realize that I’m accomplishing less and less without complete focus on whatever I’m working on.
Looking back on earlier years I’m not certain that I was more effective while multitasking but I sure felt like I was. Being able to keep several plates spinning at once was something I took great pride in. However, I can clearly remember situations when I knew that I had to completely stop the plate spinning and focus on a single important task. Normally the need for that level of clarity would come as deadlines approached. When that happened I was nearly always able to focus and successfully complete the task. It’s interesting that I also remember feeling invigorated at the end of those sessions of complete focus.
Now, in my 50s I’m finding that attempting to multitask with important work is for me a complete fools errand and it’s an errand that I intend to stop. Tim Ferriss, the author of the 4 Hour Work Week uses the term “single tasking” and that’s going to be a model for how I want to work and live going forward. One thing at a time, with complete focus is my new motto.
Now if I can just figure out how to deal with those constant interruptions.
Aug
11
I waited about a week before getting my new iPhone and was kicking myself for making the decision to upgrade. From a financial standpoint it didn’t really seem to make sense but I wanted the new one and have poor impulse control.
For the first couple of days I continued to kick myself as I saw such limited benefit to having the new phone. However, since then the benefits have far out-weighted the additional costs. The major benefits to me have been:
1. 3G - I really had no idea how much faster web browsing with 3G would be but the difference is dramatic. If you have the first generation iPhone you know that it is easier to wait until you can get a wireless connection to do web browsing unless it is an absolute emergency. That goes away with 3G, as long as you’re in a 3G area. My browsing speed using 3G is essentially the same as on a wireless network. Read more
Aug
1
The blog at the Business Brickyard has posted an entertaining and free e-book on business jokes that can be downloaded here.
If you have not already read their initial book, Your Business Brickyard, I highly recommend it. You can order the book at Amazon or they also make it available as a free e-book download from their site.
Jul
31
John Mayer giving tech support to has dad
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If you’ve ever done telephone tech support for a parent you’ll appreciate this video. All this time I’ve been dreaming of the day my mom gets a Mac so that my tech support work will decrease. Hmmmm…..
Jul
23
A partner of mine left the office about 30 minutes ago to take his son to a Wachovia Bank to open a bank account. His 16 year old son is now working and receiving paychecks and needs a bank account to deposit them into. So, he and his son go to the local branch to open the account and they’re told that there is “NO ONE THERE THAT CAN OPEN AN ACCOUNT FOR THEM” and that they’ll need to come back tomorrow. Unbelievable.
I guess it’s not surprising that earlier today they also reported an $8.9 Billion dollar loss for the past quarter.
Sometimes it’s about blocking and tackling. If you can’t block and you can’t tackle it is very difficult to win the game.
Jul
21
A big thank you to Greg Norman
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Thanks to Greg Norman for reminding us that we can still compete at the highest levels regardless of our age.
Watching the British Open this weekend and watching Greg Norman compete at the top level of sport at age 53 should be a wake up call to anyone who feels that life is passing them by in middle age. He went out and stared down the greatest golfers in the world for 4 days and nearly won the British Open.
If you’re in your 50s and coasting it might be time to take a look at what you still want to accomplish with your life. There is absolutely no time like the present.
Thanks Greg, for the memory and for the inspiration.
Jul
18
Six weeks with my new friend Kindle
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I’ve known my new friend Kindle for about six weeks now and we’ve become very close. Like most new friendships not everything is rosy, but overall the relationship has been very good for both of us.
Oh, I know, lots of people have bad things to say about the appearance of Kindle, but hey - looks aren’t everything, are they? Read more
Jun
3
My trips to the doctor’s office - or, Is this any way to run a business?
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When you reach your 50s you have these periods where there are multiple doctor’s visits clumped together during a two or three week period. I’m in the middle of one of those now and I’m about ready to scream. It’s not the quality of the care, which has been fine. It’s the patient relations part of things that have seemingly not advanced at all in the past several years. Read more
Jun
2
The Inertia Problem
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Wikipedia defines Inertia as the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion.
I often find myself using the phrase “the inertia problem” when discussing why people are unable to take the simple steps necessary to improve their situations. Whether it be starting a business, changing a personal relationship, or working around the house it often comes down to the inertia problem. Read more
May
30
Amazon Kindle scheduled to arrive today
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After fighting with myself over the idea of buying Amazon’s new E-Book reader, the Kindle, for several months I finally gave in yesterday and placed my order following a price drop. I love the idea of E-Books and being able to carry multiple books on a single device. However, the real life use of technology is often completely different than what I anticipate it to be.
I’m anticipating two major benefits of reading via E-Book. The first is the ability to look up words that are unfamiliar to me immediately, rather than trying to remember to look them up later. I’ve found that trying to remember to do anything “later” is not as productive a strategy as it once was. The second major benefit is the ability to instantly buy and receive a book. There have been numerous times when I’ve wanted to purchase and immediately reference a book and the best I can do is to have one delivered the next day. Being able to download the books and use the content immediately should be very helpful.
I’ve already learned that once you “order” your Kindle, and even before you receive the shipment it is possible to buy E-Books from Amazon and have them download as soon as you turn the Kindle on. Cool feature and I’m anxious test everything. I’ll let you know how it goes after I’ve used it for a week or so.