February 25, 2010 – 9:20 pm
TOO MUCH TO DO?
There is so much vying for my attention right now. Can you relate? I have three projects that look as tasty as a steak in every direction I turn. I’m in a spot in my life where it’s not about finding opportunities; rather, it’s about choosing the right ones carefully. One way I am choosing to deal with my situation is to put time tables on commitments. I think everyone is glad America finally has a time table in Iraq because we need to get out of there. Just as it is sometimes the right thing to make a commitment, it is also a virtue to know when to give up and to stop. When a big project opens up to you, it’s a good idea to stop and re-evaluate at a set time. For some projects it might be after a week, others a month or even a year. The important thing is that you stay rational when that deadline comes and weigh the results of that project objectively.
GET PRACTICAL
I’ve shared on here so many times how much I love and use the tools rememberthemilk.com and Google Calendar. These two combined have made me at least 50% more successful since I started using them. I highly recommend them. As a guitar player, I know the value of my KVM switch. These online productivity tools are just as valuable.
A CHALLENGE
Consider the challenges before you. As you take on huge projects, make sure you put a time table on a calendar and when that deadline comes, be real and ready to walk away if it isn’t working out. This is something you must do even if the project is your dream or possibly your fairy tale. Realism regarding projects is a virtue of the maturity. The right tools get the project done. Whether it’s a KVM switch when you are on stage doinga guitar solo or rememberthemilk.com as you plan your weekly tasks … seek out the stuff the works and learn how to use it.
If you have a lot of money, you aren’t worrying how to pay your bills. On the other hand if your stretching your paycheck month to month like most people I know, your credit card debt is rising. Most people don’t even pay attention to sinking credit. They simply assume it will stay there until they are old and then finally disappear when they die. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Sometimes, credit repair is necessary.
Liens on homes and property one leaves behind are real and it doesn’t have to go down that way. Besides, LIFE is much better when you’re working to repair bad credit. I ran across a site where people there clain 15 minutes looking around changed their credit woes forever. Getting help with credit repair should not be a taboo. I guess people feel if they need repair then they are “broken.” Get that out of your head. It’s just like untangling something and getting professional help with the knot. Perhaps this site can help you improve credit
In a bad economy, the psychology of the job interview completely changes. Amidst the legion of people applying and interviewing, the companies may be checking out a candidate’s resume before they ever submit one. Sometimes the interview these days is simply a formality due to excellent head-hunter companies doing their job.
Despite the recession, the world keeps turning and companies are all still hiring … even for the top positions. If you ran a big company and needed someone to do the high level work of say, a CEO apprentice or something like that, how would you go about recruiting for that? It might make sense to promote from within but my time in corporate work showed me that has mixed results. These larger companies (and any size for that matter) often need a professional outside firm to “head-hunt” for them. If you haven’t heard that term it means seeking a qualified professional candidate for a job. In a tough economy like we are in now, companies still need quality head-hunters.
I ran across a website/blog that is filled with solutions. It is called Executive Search services. If you have a company and are looking to fill a valuable position you need to check it out. Also, if you are interested in reseraching the psychology of the interview, it may prove educational. It’s a high quality site for a company filling a definite need of our times.
A company profile for Spencer Stuart – one of the leaders in executive search services – can be found on Yahoo Local. Visit the Spencer Stuart’s website for more information on executive search.
March 15, 2009 – 12:58 pm
No, I don’t by the title mean psychological help, though you can get that nowadays as well. I’m talking about any kind of help you need via internet on forums. Here’s how it usually goes for me: I’m working on a task when all of a sudden, nothing works right. I type my question in a search and up pops a page or more of forum threads that have those keywords. If I am lucky, I find the answers right there. More often than not however, it is an open thread or a new thread that no one has seen yet. That’s when I leave my question.
Usually in this situation, I have to register at the forum. This takes about 5 minutes. Once I’ve done that, I type in my question and … wait! I have learned a sure-fire way to improve my visibility is to add an avatar. For this reason, I have a folder on my desktop with a 48×48 avatar file-sized no larger than 9k. This shows the admin as well and the readers that you are a real person who took the time and will care to check back and read their response. I say filling out the profile section in full can’t hurt either.
As the economy has slowed almost to a stop and as many companies are outsourcing their support to third world countries, we will all find ourselves calling on forums more and more to get answers. Whether you are looking for a way to clean your clogged pool pump or just get some recommendations on outdoor furniture, I hope these forum guidelines help you. When you go on forums, do you think its helpful to fill out the profile (incl. a picture)?
If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my 
| You can find all my other stuff in one place at Riley Central
March 11, 2009 – 10:34 pm
A few days ago you may recall I wrote a post about spending less time blogging. Today (3-12-09) will be my first “day off” blogging since December 16th, 2006. I celebrate that because I feel like my blogs have grown enough to live without me sometimes ;) (I am well aware that statement is probably a sign I need more therapy). *sarcasm*
At any rate, some of you who read Postcards may not know I actually have 4 blogs which includes a weekly audio podcast. As I get ready to turn the computer off for 24 hours, I wanted to link them here for you and extend an invitation to visit them. Here they are along with the number of unique visitors I had on each yesterday, by way of trivia. (source:Google Analytics)
Unique visitors Yesterday 3-10-09
Postcards from the Funny Farm – 157
Damien at the Speed of Life – 17
Dynamite Lesson Plan – 31
The Damien Riley Podcast – 13
I look forward to letting my mind escape the internet and experience the world, without reflection … I haven’t REALLY done that in a long long time.
MAKE UP YOUR OWN QUESTION HERE
Riley out.
This week’s podcast about online tools was really cool to record. Main reason was I am totally enthusiastic about online tools. The secondary reason was I got to use my new mic and the clarity is so much better than my old one. When you learn what these online tools can do for you, my hope is that you will experience the boost in productivity I have. For me, using services like these are, to my brain, as a memory upgrade is to a laptop or a PC. I would love to start a discussion about this topic so if you have anything to add, please leave me a comment. I am especially curious to hear how you can use these tools in your life and work.
Have you visited my Podcast yet? The Damien Riley Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download (17.6MB)
