Slow Down Fast Personal Coaching and Lifestyle Design

Since most of us spend a good deal of time with other people, we should consider the quality of people we spend the most time with.Who you spend your time with is as significant as what you spend your time doing.

Read the rest of my article Choose Your Inner Circle With Care at the Milwaukee Biz Blog.

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Technology can seem like your best friend or your worst enemy. The truth is that technology is always your friend–you just have to know how to manage it. By taking control of the technological tools available to you, you can streamline your life, effectively manage your time, and essentially get your life back. This article provides some of the technology tools you can use and the ways you can manage the technology in your life better.

All-in-one systems

There are several all-in-one technology systems to help to streamline and organize your life. For example, many cell phones now have multiple features such as calendars, contact systems, email, notes and more. Imagine all this functionality, packed into a little device that fits in your purse or pocket. The drawback of an all-in-one system is that if something happens to the device then all of your information goes with it, right? Not exactly. Sync this device with your computer and create an automatic backup file that will protect your precious data.

Taking it one step further, you can also sync this with your email system (Outlook, Yahoo!, Gmail, etc.). Most email systems have a calendar, notes section, and contact system, which creates an additional backup of all your information. This prevents you from having to double-enter information like email addresses and appointments, and provides anytime, anywhere access from any computer or mobile device.

Let’s use Mary as an all-in-one device user example…..

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Baby Boomers are often referred to as “the lump in the snake” when describing their effect on the economy. And right now, that lump is nearing retirement, taking with it an enormous amount of experience, wisdom and time-tested street smarts. “Companies could lose everyone who remembers how they handled the last economic downturn,” said Alison Sander, in a recent New York Times feature on retirement.

On the other side of the issue, boomers approaching retirement age may not be prepared, mentally or physically, to simply walk off the job and into retirement. Between the declining value of the dollar and unstable economy, the expense of individual health insurance and lengthening life spans, many potential retirees find themselves at retirement age unready, unwilling or unable to quit.

If you’re facing this dilemma, what are your options? What things do you need to consider?

1. For starters, (more…)

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“If you’re working in a big group, you’re fighting human nature.” So says Nathan Zook in a recent article for 37 Signals. (http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/995-if-youre-working-in-a-big-group-

youre-fighting-human-nature). In fact, the research shows that the most effective and efficient project groups tend to be in the range of 8 to 14 people.

Referring to a report on business author Antony Jay’s book, “The Corporation Man,” Zook says that the ideal group size has historically hovered around what Jay calls a “ten-group.” Apple calls these groups “2-pizza teams,” meaning that the entire team can be fed with two pizzas – most of their best products have been the result of 2-pizza teams. Within a group that size, decisions are made quickly and collectively, effort is evenly distributed and actions are highly mobile and quickly maneuverable.

Let the group get larger than that, however, and it gets unwieldy. Decisions have to be formally discussed in a series of meetings, as members of a larger group are often out of the loop. Some members may slack off or have their voices drowned out by other more charismatic members. Eventually, larger groups devolve into cliques and other subgroups as the group dynamic tries to equalize itself around the ideal, slowing the work and stymieing progress.

Whether you’re leading a project team at work, organizing a church committee or starting a political action group, you should keep this dynamic in mind when choosing your team. But what is it, exactly, that makes a ten-group such an effective size? And how can you successfully staff your team for best effect?

Here are a few factors you should be aware of: (more…)

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One of the first things you learn when you go freelance is that isolation can be a soul-killer. Dreams of sleeping late, working in your pajamas and taking your laptop to the coffee shop to impress the baristas are quickly overshadowed by just how hard it is to be creative, energetic and connected to the world around you’re perpetually on your own.

Enter the latest trend in freelancing: coworking.

Coworking isn’t about going into business with others, although that’s been known to happen as a result. Instead, the term refers to finding or creating a communal space where you can work alongside other freelancers and entrepreneurs, in a stimulating and creative communal environment.

Coworking spaces often provide large communal work areas and desks as well as individual cubbies for getting away from the crowd when you need to concentrate. In addition, most of them also provide conference rooms, copy/print centers and other “officey” amenities that members can reserve or use as needed. Many such businesses require you to purchase a long-term membership (like a gym) or join a coop, although some places will rent space by the week or even the hour.

Full services coworking spaces often feature lecture series or classes, group events and other activities to help members improve and increase their skills and their businesses. They may also offer networking events, equipment rentals, member business showcases or promotions, fitness rooms, resources and other value-added options.

Coworking spaces provide a place where freelancers can get out of their own heads. They offer professional spaces where members can meet clients and deliver presentations, and where they can connect and collaborate with their peers. In short, coworking gives you all the benefits of working in an office with none of the downsides.

Coworking spaces range from simple coops to expansive, CEO-level environments and small business incubators. If this sounds like your sort of thing, you can start your search at the Coworking wiki (http://coworking.pbwiki.com/), and there’s a coworking conversation going on at the Coworking Community blog. (http://blog.coworking.info/)

Here are a few things you should keep in mind if you’re considering coworking: (more…)

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Have the doldrums got you down? Too many negative hits in a row making you feel like the target at a carnival shooting gallery?

Sometimes, life just sucks.

We all have off days, bad experiences and emotional lows. But if that sucking noise has gone from an occasional hiccup to a full-fledged Hoovering, it’s time to step up and do something about it:

Play hookey. (more…)

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Coaches! (of course).

Read Tannette Johnson-Elie’s great article: Business Coaches Can Give Entrepreneurs Advice, Motivation at JSOnline. You might pay particular attention to the 10th paragraph.

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Oh, the joys of office skullduggery. Who said what, to whom. Who’s getting that special project and who’s getting shut out – and why. Who’s maneuvering for that potential promotion and who’s going to get their fingers burned if they don’t watch out.

It can be tempting and easy to get caught up in the trench warfare of workplace politics. And it’s not a difficult activity to justify – after all, you’ve got to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on, right? But swimming with the corporate barracudas has some serious downsides to consider, as well.

For starters, much of what passes for information is simply one-sided gossip and uninformed rumormongering. Plus, like any other game or soap opera, it takes a large investment of time to keep up with it – so much so that you could even find yourself neglecting the very work you’re paid to do. And with that investment of time comes equally large emotional and personal investments, and the accompanying stress they create.

Finally, while being part of the cubical confab may make you feel connected and important, what it’s actually likely to be doing is making you an inefficient and distracted worker who’s more concerned with winning the local game, regardless of the greater cost, than taking the broader view and doing what’s best for your career and for the company. And if you don’t think the higher ups will notice this or that it will affect your career, you’re dangerously mistaken.

Yes, you do need to remain both informed and connected. But you need to be smart and professional about it, as well. So how can you effectively deal with office politics and use the grapevine for your own benefit, without getting caught in the web of deceit, petty feuds and professional distractions? Here are three things you should consider when dealing with these issues: (more…)

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Business is all about getting to know other people. Whether it’s meeting clients, finding a business partner or making connections in your own field, sooner of later you’re going to need to do some networking. But if you’ve ever been to a networking event, you know that not everyone who shows up is really prepared for action.

Here is a quick ABC primer on the basics of effective business networking to keep your networking strategy ready for action at any time:

A is for Act, as in Getting It Together. (more…)

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