Your Best Just Got Better - A Review

I've been reading Jason Womack's book, "Your Best Just Got Better," on my Kindle for the past week or so.  I just finished it and the verdict is in: It is so well done!

I met Jason a few years ago when he still worked for the David Allen Company, and have been impressed with his perspective from day one, particularly his ability to provide insightful suggestions to improve your skills no matter what your current situation.

Expand your perspective to improve your outcomes

This book is very interesting, practical, energizing and I highly recommend it.  Throughout, Jason offers hands-on exercises to get you into a more active mode of driving your own future.  I read the book cover-to-cover, but now I am planning to go back and conduct the exercises step-by-step (I skipped some exercises because I was on planes, or my energy / attention levels weren't where they needed to be) because I can see just how powerful they can be.

One pervasive theme throughout the book is to think beyond your "normal" perspective so you can stretch your goals, drive different and better effort, and get more assertive in pushing your life where you want it to go.  For example, the book begins with an interesting visioning exercise called "Your Ideal Day," which gets you to begin imagining how things could be if you had a magic wand.  If you want a taste of this, be sure and check out Jason's web site for a sample, along with a contest that goes through the end of 2012.

One of the things I like about Jason is that he uses a lot of models and constructs that make sense to me (I'm big on finding models that I can apply in different situations.  For example, I like the I.D.E.A. model that shows up throughout the book:

I: Identify a very specific area you want to improve. Focus your attention on making the best better in one area of your life, and clarify what that will look like when you get there.

D: Develop strategies to engage in specific actions and techniques to direct your professional improvement and personal development. Acknowledge the process—remember, you’re just getting started! An important aspect is that the most sustainable changes people tend to make usually start small, are repeated with consistency, and often result in a payoff greater than anyone could have hoped.

E: Experiment by planning for and taking actions that generate bursts of momentum. Experimenting gives you the freedom to stop at any time to try something new. It also provides a more objective framework so that you can determine whether you should stop or continue moving forward. When you take actions to make your best better, it continues to get better.

A: Assess the value the effort has created. Here is the question I consistently ask myself, my friends, my family, even my clients: “Is what you’re doing worth the effort?”

Womack, Jason W. (2012-01-05). Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More (p. 5). John Wiley and Sons. Kindle Edition.

 Shape your own outcomes

Jason also provides some great advice in shaping the results you get in your life - one involves adjusting the words you use to create more positive, future-oriented results; the other involves taking inventory of the people you hang out with, and distancing yourself from those that have a negative or counter-productive influence on you.  Truly great advice.

You'll find some familiar concepts (including some I've written about in the past, like time audits) and they're always presented with solid step-by-step methods to help you apply the concepts.  For example, you'll find some great techniques for more effective "chunking" (aka time boxing) your day to get more out of each 15-minute block in your day.  You'll also find good techniques to track how you're doing on your goals, as well as how well you're using your energy to get there.As someone who's always looking for ways to become more productive, I eat this stuff up.  

This book is that it isn't just about getting more done, Jason also coaches you on methods you can use to make more money - that's something we can all use, particularly in this economy.  And Jason's advice on how to build and leverage your network (business, social, etc) is excellent.  Very cool.

A great book for "now"

Lately, I've noticed that a lot of people I know are taking hard looks at their lives - either to increase their success, make more money, or fig our out what's next for them.  If that sounds like you, this book is perfect for you right now, and I encourage you to pick up a copy and get started going through the exercises.

If you aren't sure, or you want to get a feel for Jason's writing style, why not start with a free e-book from him called, "7 Keys To A More Productive Day," from Jason Womack's web site.

If you're convinced and ready to jump in, grab a copy of "Your Best Just Got Better," today.  By the way - I think this book will be a great gift for some recent graduates I know, as well as great gifts this holiday season for some of my good friends.

Leave a lasting Impression: How to Crush it at Your Next Networking Event

Whether you're running a small business, or involved in an "outbound" role in your company,
you'll inevitably find yourself networking to make connections with potential clients or partners.
Making a connection at a networking event is challenging for a number of reasons:

• If you're an introvert like me, you may have to fight the natural inclination to keep to yourself;


• The size of the crowd can make it difficult to know where to start;


• Maybe you don't think you're good at introductions or small talk.

Despite the complications that might arise in a crowded event, as a business owner or representative of your company, you can make an impact with the right strategy.

Pay Attention to Others

Attempting to build a network requires a real connection with the other party. According to Keith Ferrazzi on his website, it is important to pay attention to one individual at a time. Allowing attention to wander and spending only a short time with each individual will show a lack of appreciation for others.

Take time to connect with each individual for a reasonable length of time. Pay attention to the concerns, comments and information that the other individual is offering in a conversation. It will show an interest in their business and provide valuable insight into potential partners or clients. Find things you have in common, and use them to keep the conversation going.

Offer a Business Card

A business card provides a reminder of the conversation and offers a connection to follow through with ideas offered at the event. It is possible to obtain professional business cards through Overnight Prints that are appropriate for any company. Overnight Prints offers cards in small or large quantities, making it ideal for small-business owners. According to the company website, it is possible to order 50 or more business cards at a time. I've also seen people use "Moo Cards" from Moo.com to stand out from the crowd and make more of a lasting impression.

During an event, offering a business card plays a key role in maintaining a connection. According to Ned Smith on Business News Daily, small business owners are still using business cards to make profitable connections. Smith states that business owners often make around $5,000 for every 100 cards passed out during networking.

When offering a business card at an event, wait until after making a connection. Hand a card to the other individual when they ask for contact information, details about the company or before closing the conversation. It is impolite to hand out a card without making any connection beforehand.

Ask Questions

Every individual likes talking about their company, goals or ideas. According to Melissa Cassera on AOL, asking questions about the other person’s reason for attending an event will provide an opportunity to break the ice and obtain some information about other attendees.

Asking questions allows the other individual to talk about their company, interests, ideas or the information they hope to learn at the event. It also provides the opportunity to share as a conversation develops.

If you read about my questions for "genuine curiosity," you might get some good ideas on how to get people talking.

Follow Through After the Event

Obtaining a lasting connection requires a follow through with the individual. Following up with the other party can be as simple as sending a note, making a phone call or sending an email. A polite follow through will remind the individual of the conversation and provide the opportunity to talk in the future.

I carry around a small notepad to write down follow-up items. Some people write on the back of cards which can work -- just keep in mind that some cultures outside the USA see writing on someone else's card as a sign of disrespect. In Asia, there are a lot more rules to be aware of, so you might want to familiarize yourself with Asian business card etiquette. Which leads me to the next point...

Treat Every Individual with Respect

Respect is a key part of making an impression at any event. Even the individuals who are currently in a low position in a company can provide valuable insight or ideas. According to Keith Ferrazzi, treating every individual with respect will prevent uncomfortable situations in the future.

It is possible that an individual in a supposedly low position might become the head of a department or the CEO of a large company in the future. By treating every individual with respect, it is easier to prevent resentment or ill-feelings that will ruin a company.

Building a network and encouraging the growth of a company is not as hard as it might seem. With a few simple tricks, it is possible to create lasting connections that improve the quality and reputation of a company.

What's in your networking playbook? If you have any tips or tricks to share, I'd love to hear them - especially if you have any good stories!

Counter-productivity tips?

I was just reading an article called, "8 Surprisingly Counterproductive Productivity Apps," which has some interesting items on it.  My favorite is one called iNap@Work, which took the #1 spot:

No. 1 with a bullet? iNap@Work. It’s the productivity app gone so wrong that it could help you lose your job. With counterproductivity as its aim, the app will make you seem busy while — you guessed it — napping at work. To fool the waking dead (read: your cubemates), the app will play a series of sound effects at varying frequencies, including typing, stapling, and mouse clicks.

I played around with this (not for napping, but out of curiosity) and it's pretty entertaining to say the least.  The rest of the list is interesting, as well.

What are your "time sink" apps?

That post reminded me of a tool I've been using called "RescueTime" which automatically tracks your time on Windows and OS X.  I really like it because it not only tracks which apps you are using, but it asks you what you were doing when you return to your desk after a meeting or other reason for being away (sample dialog is below - and you can customize the categories if you want):

WIth RescueTime, you get a very nice breakdown of your productivity through the RescueTime dashboard, along with a categorization of which were the most and least productive categories of time.  The scale ranges from -2 (very unproductive) to +2 (very productive), and you can adjust the categorization to better fit your real view of the world in case you disagree with their classification of an activity.  For example, RescueTime considered LinkedIn to be a -2 (very unproductive) on their scale. I adjusted LinkedIn to be a +1 (productive) since I use LinkedIn to help me in my work and save time.

Once you've been using RescueTime for a while, you can use various reports to see how productive you are and find places where you waste time (your 'counter-productive apps' in a sense).  Here is a sample category breakdown for the month of September so far, based on my utilization:

I don't obsess over these reports, but I do check in a couple of times a month to see how much time I've been spending on distractions.  You can monitor as much or as little of your week as you want, so you can audit all of your time or just your work hours, for example.  I didn't have too many surprises other than realizing how much time I spent playing Diablo 3 last month.

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to track where you spend your time and identify when you are at your most productive, check out RescueTime.  And if you want to take naps at work or engage in other unproductive activities, go read up on 8 Surprisingly Counterproductive Productivity Apps!

Presenting with a pocket full of cobras

I was just reading an article on Harvard Business Review's blog, written by Kare Anderson - it is called "Make Your Message (Almost) as Vital as AIR." It is a great set of guidelines to help make your message more impactful.  She uses the acronym "AIR" to represent three aspects of effective messages - here is a brief recap:

1. Actionable:  "To secure connection with your intended audience or market, aspire to offer the equivalent ease of Amazon Prime's one-click buying."
2. Interestingness:  "Make your message so unexpected, novel, provocative or otherwise odd that they are compelled to pay attention even if they are supposed to be doing something else."
3. Relevance:  "You can increase relevance by getting specific sooner. That may mean you capture fewer people overall — but you will capture more of the right people, the people you need to reach."

In addition to resonating with the advice in this article, I absolutely agree with Kare's conclusion: 

Crafting a memorable message will make you more quotable, will keep you at the top of people's minds, and will ultimately inject your life with more opportunity and adventure.

Is your message lost in the noise?

I commented on Kare's article on the HBR site, but wanted to elaborate a bit here about just how vital the "Interestingness" part of this formula can be.  

As you may know from my writing on this blog, I spend a lot of time doing presentations and leading discussions as part of my job in a software company.  In addition to trying to create Actionable, Interesting, and Relevant messages, one of the big challenges I have is delivering my message in a way that allows me to not only compete with the "ambient noise" of daily life but to get people to stop what they are doing and engage with me.

Often, especially when I'm presenting to large groups at conferences, I can see people with their heads buried in their email, Facebook, or some other online activity.  I try not to take it personally and, in fact, I try to frame it as a challenge:  How can I pull them away from other activities enough that they begin to engage in my topic?

Got a cobra in your pocket?

As I mentioned in my comments to Kare, I used to work with a guy that I described as having a "pocket full of cobras."  Why?  

Any time he started to get attacked in meetings, or feel uneasy with the topic at hand, he had a knack for coming up with some tangent that sucked everyone in and got everyone focused on something new.  Kind of like if he'd pulled a cobra out of his pocket and thrown it on the conference room table - if that happened, no matter what you were doing a moment before you'd instantly turn your attention to the cobra. 

My coworker used his cobras as a way to deflect and distract, but I believe you can create your own collection of cobras that you can use to compel and focus your audience.  After all, when presenting, or writing, or even trying to lead a discussion in a room full of coworkers, sometimes it can be good to "shock the system" with a dramatic, controversial, or unexpected injection of provocative content.

Be prepared.

Some of my favorite communicators are great at grabbing your attention, and have developed their own "pockets full of cobras" to help keep you focused on the right things.  Some of the things I've seen work well include:

• Stories:  Telling an interesting or personal story to illustrate one of your main points can be very effective.  People tend to remember stories, so you'll increase the likelihood that they'll retain your key points if you wrap them in good stories.
• Pictures:  I've seen a (welcome) trend away from bullet points toward evocative images.  These work most effectively when combined with good stories, as described in the previous bullet.
• Polls:  Want to engage the audience?  Be ready with some questions that require them to answer, vote, or otherwise respond.  If you do this early in the presentation, you'll keep them on their toes - after all, if there is going to be another quiz, they're going to pay more attention.
• Small group discussion with a report back:  This doesn't work for all topics, but it can be effective to get the audience engaged, take the 'burden of content' off your shoulders, and inject new ideas into the group.  Get each table to go off and work on a problem (could be the same problem for everyone, or a collection of relevant problems), the get each group to report back about their group's ideas or proposed solutions.
• Videos:  Videos or film clips can often switch things up and get people to pay attention to what's going on in the room.  
• For example, I once did a presentation that used an excerpt from the movie "The Blind Side" to frame a discussion about the need to make a radical change in companies' approaches to their information security strategy.  I then told a story to connect my concepts to what we saw in the video clip.  I got lots of feedback from the audience for months afterward, talking about how much they remembered that presentation and used it as a reminder to think differently about their security strategies.
• Step into the crowd:  Move into the crowd, or take a step into the crowd.  That little bit of "hey, what's this guy up to" can shift people's attention.  And, they'll be less likely to do email or Facebook with you walking around behind them!
• Contrast:  What do I mean by contrast?  Contrast could be silence.  It could be a loud noise.  It could be a goofy exercise.  Just find a way to break the flow of the discussion in a noticeable way, and you'll increase the chances that people will shift their attention to where you want it to be.
• One cool trick I've learned is the "blank screen" technique.  In PowerPoint, you can just hit the "B" key on the keyboard and your screen turns black.  Do that, and people stop reading your slides and look at you.
• Another cool trick if a lot of people are having side conversations is to just stand there and look at them without saying a word (or, if you don't want to stare at them just look out into the room).  After about 5-10 seconds, they'll probably stop what they are doing and look at you.  Boom.  You have them back.

These are just a few of the productive cobras I've developed.  Do you have any other ideas or techniques that sound anything like this?  How about sharing them?  I'd love to put some more cobras in my pocket.

Free lesson on getting your inbox to zero

As many of you know, I'm quite "into" following trends in personal productivity.  Today, during my news crawl, I noticed that Lifehack.org has a limited-time offer to get a free "LifeHack Lesson" on how to get your inbox to zero.  Of course, I couldn't resist so I clicked on the link in the article to check out the advice they're giving.

Well, I must say the advice looks pretty good. It's a short, prescriptive guide for getting your inbox to empty - just as advertised.  If you're looking for a good little program to get "in" to "empty" head over to LifeHack and grab a copy before the free offer expires.

Still "Managing my Now"

As for me, I'm still using Michael Linenberger's "Managing Your Now" system, with ToodleDo as my task repository - just as I described a few months ago.  It is still working very well for me, though it still isn't always automatic.

The challenge I have is that I've switched from Outlook (where Tasks were in the same pane of glass as my email & calendar) to a hybrid solution comprised of a few different apps.  I find that that small amount of friction still gets the better of me sometimes, and I forget to check my lists as often as I should.  If you've found a good solution to this kind of problem I would love to hear it.

I'm tempted to put a goal in Beeminder to coax myself to develop a more disciplined set of habits around this, but haven't quite been able to pull the trigger on that one yet.  We'll see...