Displaying All Posts from February, 2011

The Best Way to Make Time for Passion Projects

Cameron Plommer 14th February Productivity 19 Comments

    Do you have a blog, startup idea or just want to start/build something outside of you day job? Do you have enough time to make it as awesome as you envision? I’m sure most of you would nod your head in agreement.

    Most of us that have a blog, want to start a side business or just have a passion project that is maintained outside a full-time job struggle with making time to work on such projects. Working hard by putting in extra hours — which is common in many work places — to get the work done is not an option. We cannot act like The Technician working more and more hours to get the work done as Michael Gerber describes in his book The E-Myth.

    Time is limited by not only a full time job, but also by family and other commitments. In order to make time to progress in our passion projects we must work extremely hard, but we must also work smart. Working smart means being efficient and not wasting the precious time we carve out in the day. To get passion projects finished or make them a success we must combine working hard with working smart, while finding those few hours each week to do the work itself.
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    Awesome Links #35: Time Tracking, Android Apps, Mobile Priority Inbox

    Abhijeet Mukherjee 12th February General 1 Comment

      How to Keep Track of When You Work Using a Scheduled Task
      This interesting article over at the Guiding Tech blog shows how one could accurately track when he logs in and when he locks his Windows computer. While it could be of great help to people at work who are required to fill in timesheets every day, even people who work from home could make use of this technique to check how productive they are.

      10 Android Apps to Help Save You Time & Money
      The Lifehack blog has a great list of ten Android apps that can help you cut down on the time and money you spend each day. The list includes the usual suspects like Mint’s personal finance app, as well as some other  lesser known useful apps.
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      Tom’s Planner: Gantt Charts for Everyone

      Leslie A Joy 11th February Software 1 Comment

        Gantt charts are incredibly helpful scheduling tools, but the problem is making them. Programs like Microsoft Project tend to be clunky and ugly. Tom’s Planner aims to solve that problem by being colorful and easy to use.

        Ease of Use

        Tom’s Planner is super-easy to use. I know just about any app will tell you that it is “easy to use,” but Tom’s Planner means it. With Tom’s Planner, there are two main things you need to know in order to use it:

        • Drag and Drop Simplicity
        • “The Magic is in the Right Click”

        Once you get those two concepts down, you’re pretty much ready to go.
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        WorkAwesome Podcast: Episode 11 – Stephen Smith

        Mike Vardy 10th February Podcast Leave a Comment

          This week’s episode of the WorkAwesome podcast features an interview with productivity consultant Stephen Smith. Stephen has been involved in the productivity realm for many years, and his most recent endeavour is the work.life.creativity site, which is described as:

          …an open community and are looking forward to hearing new ideas and perspectives. We are not tied to any one system, methodology or answer. We are simply interested in finding solutions that help us get the most out of life. We wish to spend less time “doing” and more time “living”. In our minds, the goal of life is not about doing, it is about being done.

          Stephen has also been involved with SOBCon, an annual event “where some of the best minds in the Internet space gather to present models, discuss insights, and determine best practices.” It has been growing every year — in both size and number of occurrences.

          WorkAwesome editor Mike Vardy discusses with Stephen the various projects he has on the go and how he manages to keep all of these projects alive — and thriving — with a full time job on his plate as well.
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          Get a Life! 7 Ways to Have a Social Life When Home is Your Office

          Jennifer Brown Banks 10th February Office Life 12 Comments

            There’s no doubt about it. Working from home can be a pretty sweet setup, with an array of privileges and perks.  So sweet, in fact, that it would take an act of God or near-death emergency to claw some of us from our comfy confines and our daily “uniform” of bunny slippers and lounging pajamas. True?

            Still, getting out is good for us — like eating vegetables. Though many of us might argue that we do “socialize” via daily Twitter updates, Facebook entries and other online outlets, it’s not the same.

            Occasional face to face activities help to preserve our social skills, enhance our conversational skills, gain support, relieve stress, improve the creative process, and maintain optimal fitness.

            Here’s how some of these factors factor into the “quality of life” equation:

            Support

            No matter how much your family or partner listens to your work-related woes and issues with clients, or how much they serve as your official cheer leading squad, no one quite “gets it” like a fellow entrepreneur, writer, or work at home mom. Connect with these like-minded individuals whether it’s at your local coffeehouse, neighborhood park, or bookstore. These in person gatherings can help give you insight into your problems, laughter when it’s needed, and moral support on a different level. Embrace it.
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            How to Be a Good Manager: 8 Quick Tips

            Jen Smith 9th February Management 78 Comments
              How to Be a Good Manager: 8 Quick Tips

              Being a manager in any industry can be a fulfilling job, but it can also be a difficult one. You will need to find the right balance of friendliness and authority. You will need to create a good team atmosphere whilst achieving the bigger goals. So how do you strike that balance?

              1. Do Your Job

              First and foremost do your own job. Managing people isn’t an excuse to let them do the work whilst you look on. Of course, sometimes your job may involve being more strategic but your staff will respect you for doing what needs to be done and being willing to pitch in like everyone else at times. Many of us have had managers who use their role as an excuse to do less or attend more meetings. Get the balance right and earn respect from your staff.

              2. Acknowledge The Positive

              See the positives in your staff and their work. Don’t be one of those bosses who only sees what’s missing rather than what’s been achieved. It is demoralizing for staff to have someone only see what they have done ‘wrong’. Positivity breeds positivity. Genuine and meaningful praise goes a long way. If this is difficult for you, get in the habit of noting down positive things you notice about how your staff work. Give feedback regularly and let them know that you see the good work they do.
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              Book Review – ME 2.0 – 4 Steps to Building Your Future – Revised Edition

              Jason Finnerty 9th February Career 1 Comment

                A few months ago we wrote about Dan Schawbel, the hotshot personal branding expert who exemplifies what the power of the intertubes can do for your personal – or professional – reputation.

                Since that interview, Schawbel has released the second iteration of his book, Me 2.0 – 4 Steps to Building Your Future. Keeping in line with his mantra of staying relevant in your own industry, Schawbel has updated the book to reflect new changes in social media, added new case studies, and included new techniques to help the readers utilize the tools available, so they can start networking effectively.

                “Personal Branding is all about discovering what makes you special, and then communicating it to the right people, through multiple channels.” ~ Dan Schawbel

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                6 Reasons to Advertise on WorkAwesome

                Skellie 8th February Site News 1 Comment
                  1. WorkAwesome attracts an audience of professionals and decision-makers working for respected companies. They’re willing to invest in themselves and their career and purchase tools and services to benefit their company or business. Plus, they are unusually charming and witty.
                  2. At $1.95 per 1,000 views, the leaderboard banner at the top of the site (look, up there!) is ready and waiting to begin marketing your product or service.
                  3. Because our sidebar has a spot reserved just for your product, and it’s yours for a month.
                  4. We will say nice things about you to our 1,100+ Facebook fans, 10,000+ Twitter followers, and thousands of podcast listeners. Shouting from the rooftops costs extra.
                  5. You’ll be joining a high-caliber group of past and present advertisers, like Moo.com and MediaTemple.
                  6. Because WorkAwesome really is awesome, and needs a little more help to cover its costs.

                  Find out more about advertising on WorkAwesome

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