It’s almost a new year and it’s time to remember why we work. To find a little balance. To live.

Now that it’s June, we’ll sleep out in the garden
And if it rains, we’ll just sink into the mud
Where it is quiet and much cooler than the house is
And there’s no clocks or phones to wake us up
Because I have learned that nothing is as pressing
As the one who’s pressing would like you to believe.
(Bright Eyes, Nevaeh)

It’s not June. And even though people seem to think St. Michael’s is in the Carribbean, it really is just Maryland. But tomorrow marks my annual escape to the Eastern Shore–warm weather or not–and this time I’ve exchanged my laptop for a girlfriend.

It is kind of insane how much of a role technology has played in 2007, but I have to remember sometimes that it’s just an efficient facilitator for connections, work, and entertainment. I’m so thankful for those connections, for that business, and for the aforementioned girlfriend (more than entertainment ;-).

But once again technology is just a means, and work is just a means; we don’t need to read Tim Ferriss to figure that out. (more…)

Filed under: 4-Hour Workweek, Happiness, Productivity, Technology
Article Tags: 4HWW, AwayFind, Bright Eyes, Productivity, relaxing, vacation
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I’m really glad that the tech-savvy internet community did some self-policing this past month when it harped on the Facebook Beacon privacy issue. But I must sadly agree that most Facebook users have no idea about the severity of this. It bothers me to no end that they would take advantage of their users. A conversation this morning reminded me of what their more typical user is like, and how Facebook is abusing them:

Me:

Not sure if you’re aware of your privacy settings. You have Beacon enabled…

Here’s how to turn it off. Go to the link below and check the box:
http://www.facebook.com/privacy.php?view=unconfirmed_actions

And her response: (more…)

Filed under: Business, Social Media, Technology
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Marc Orchant passed away today after a massive cardiac infarction.

Online it’s easy to feel anonymous and unimportant when there are so many already established experts, when everyone seems connected with the connected, and where some people seem superhuman in all they’ve accomplished. Marc Orchant may have been a connected and star technologist, who I look up to for the quality and earnestness of his writing, but he was also one of those rare people who didn’t make you feel anonymous. In an era where the one line email is the best you’d expect from an “A-lister,” Marc would respond with paragraphs of personal, careful thoughts to every email. He epitomized the productive person with values in the right place–he never seemed to make sacrifices. He was a great friend and his priorities were always straight.

If you ever had the pleasure to listen to his podcasts, you learned about his family, which he frequently discussed. I was always amazed at how he made time for them in between his tours of travel, writing, speaking, consulting, and gadget-testing. Everything he took interest in, he took a PASSION to. Or at least that’s how he made you feel. Just such a balanced and brilliant person.

I’m still getting my head past this. I’ll miss our calls and emails and his ever steady stream of writing. If I accomplish half of what Marc has by the time I’m his age, then my family will be proud. There’s no question that he’s left a legacy. And that he’ll live on as a role model for so many of us.

Filed under: Productivity, Technology
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The only thing less productive than reading an email three separate times and not responding is misreading the message and responding right away. Some people come off either illiterate or disrespectful with their correspondence. Worse yet, I think it’s because they’re attempting to be productive and responsive–but both of those aims are best achieved when doing something right the first time–which both saves you time and is more professional. Working faster is not the only goal.

I ran into an old acquaintance at a business function who suggested getting together. In each email correspondence he missed something I said earlier in the message thread, forcing me to repeat myself and him to respond to many more emails. The worst part: though we both restated the date numerous times in the message, he showed up on the wrong day. When I notified him on the day-of our meeting (which was a week later) he had to cancel because he never realized that he was at fault all along and at that point didn’t have the date available. It was both a laughable taste of his own medicine and doubly frustrating for me.

This is not the first time something like this has occurred (I have so many more stories, and I’m sure you do, too). So here’s my advice, with a smattering of both productivity tips and etiquette: (more…)

Filed under: 4-Hour Workweek, AwayFind, Email, Outlook, Productivity, Professionalism, Technology
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