Obviously Being More Productive
Posted by Carlos Pero | Filed under productivity
I just discovered Scott Young's writing, and his post about "10 really obvious ways to be more productive" had enough original thought in it to inspire a response from me. Because, you know, I haven't posted in about 3 weeks.
So do yourself a favor and go read that post first, because I'm going to provide my point-by-point thoughts and how they apply to me. Maybe you can relate to some of them.
#1 - Be Single and Childless
I'm married with an 8 year-old son, so that ship has sailed. But since I don't have a full-time job right now, there are at least 6-8 hours a day where I can pretend that I'm all alone again. (Because I do love spending those other waking hours with my family, and that's not worth trading for anything.)
#2 - Love What You Do
I love working on the Web. In the past, that has meant working at a good company. In this economy, it means creating my own success. Because I haven't been employed at that good company recently, it hasn't been like the good old days and thus I wasn't loving the situation I'm in. But I'm starting to realize this is my dream...being able to be home when my son gets home from school, and the freedom to pursue what interests me...so I just have to work a little harder to make is sustainable. And I think by starting to love it, it will be easier.
#3 - Be Insanely Obsessive
I've been too casual for most of my life, and I can feel myself getting more obsessive as I get older. Perhaps it's because I know what I like and know what I want, so I am developing more focus and becoming more critical. That means I can take better care of the things I have, even obsessing over some of them.
#4 - Be Immune to Rejection
I'm not afraid of the actual rejection, but I have been afraid of not knowing what happens afterward. Let's say to develop your business you want to work with a certain big-name company. You're a little guy. You try to connect with them, but they turn you down. What now? I don't know, so I've avoided the situation altogether. The problem is I haven't acknowledged that there are still competitors I could work with, or that I could even get a second chance to pitch again. I see now that the sooner I get past that first rejection, I can build upon it to have success in the future.
#5 - Have Your Project as a Full Time Job
I do have this luxury right now, but I need to work harder during the day. I work best with people around me to bounce ideas off of, so working home alone isn't ideal, and social media as a replacement is often just a distraction.
#6 - Be Boring
This point makes me think about the difference between Gary Vaynerchuk and Jason Fried, two successful guys I admire and have personally met. While Gary is incredibly busy building several brands and flying all over the country doing interviews and appearing on TV, Jason keeps a much lower profile and enjoys retreating to his house in the country. Compared to Gary, Jason is boring. But compared to many aspiring entrepreneurs, Jason is awesome. (For the record, I identify more with Jason's lifestyle than with Gary's.)
#7 - Know People and Be an Extrovert
As an introvert, this is hard for me, but I do like talking to people about subjects that I know. (Note: that is usually not a problem for introverts). The challenge is getting out of the house and going to events, to create the less-than-comfortable situations where you might not know the people around you. But it's a Catch-22, because the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
#8 - Speak the Language Fluently
Not a problem, since I'm doing business in the USA. But I am wondering about the best way to handle internationalization of my project.
#9 - Have a High Self-Esteem
This goes hand-in-hand with #4 and #7, about feeling confident in conversing and negotiating with others. As the Internet gets more transparent, it's going to be harder to fake what you don't know. Therefore embrace what you do know. In a conversation, one person is always going to know more than the other, and it's okay if it's not you. Just be proud and true and represent who you are.
#10 - Be Happy
2009 has been a tough year, but with Thanksgiving just passed, it worthwhile to think about what you still have and are still capable of. Many people think that if they get everything they want, they'll be happy. This point is saying be happy first, and the rest will follow. Personally I'm starting to feel this, as I mentioned in #2 above and starting to love what I do. (Perhaps "Be Happy" should have been the first point in Scott's list!)