For I, like Hatmaker, collect digital scraps of information for later reading and action, but it piles up in the cloud, unread and unacted upon. My collection of favorited items from the Amazon River that is my Twitter stream long ago surpassed 1,000, and my Google Reader has too many unread items to even fathom. (I do occasionally read some of the stories that flow through that stream. That’s how I discovered Hatmaker’s essay this morning.) Email, too, is out of control — both the work account and the personal one — and is compounded by my habit of blind copying myself on certain emails that will require me to follow up when the recipients of those messages inevitably ignore their responsibility for whatever deal we’ve struck. (Credit due to Getting Things Done guru David Allen for this idea, which has helped me keep better tabs on projects but has done nothing to help alleviate my digital hoarding tendencies.)
The Internet, the cloud, cheap server space and social media tools have all made it easier to collect digital stuff and save it for — For what, exactly? For later? For ever?
So, yeah. Digital hoarder, c’est moi.
That used to bother me. But I’ve learned to come to terms to this aspect of my personality. As much as I love the idea of productivity and clearing clutter from my digital and physical life, I realize that it will never happen.
Hatmaker also knows this.
“I’m never even going to organize my hoard,” she writes. “I’m never going to straighten out my Evernote tags or my Gmail labels or all of those saved stories on Read It Later, Pocket or Instapaper. I am an absolutely abysmal digital gardener, just like I am a terrible real gardener. I can hardly remember to keep my cat alive in real life – and she has a robust built-in reminder system.”
This makes me smile.
Digital hoarders love digital company, I guess.
So if you’re one of us, know that you are not alone.
With the approach of every New Year, as we flip the calendar’s page from December to January, many of us start to rethink the way we do things. We start thinking about a way to reboot. We start thinking about ways to improve — our health, our relationships, our outlook on life, our work. As we move from 2012 to 2013, I’m thinking more about my need to organize, especially as it relates to work.
“One of these days I’m gonna get organizized.” — Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) in Taxi Driver
I’m thinking most of all about how I can be better organized at work. Let’s face it: A lot of our time and energy is spent on that thing called work. This is true whether we work for ourselves or someone else. So the more efficient we can become, the better off we’ll be, right?
Well, maybe.
There’s only so much efficiency one person can manage. Also, most of us are dealing with bosses, clients, co-workers and others who are — well, let’s just say their methods of efficiency, setting priorities and time management don’t always align with ours. (And of course, our methods are always the best methods.) So in this clash of styles and preferences, conflict arises. That conflict can sap our energy and motivation, which in turn creates chaos and clutter, which in turn disrupts our plans for becoming more efficient and organized.
So, all of this is rolling around in my brain this final weekend of 2013. I decided to review some of the ideas that have helped me organize myself in the past. Several of these I’ve shared on this blog, which is a handy way of recalling ideas I’ve forgotten or overlooked. (I use the productivity category to file that stuff away. Pretty efficient of me, no?)
I’m no LifeHacker or Zen Habits or, heaven help us, David Allen. I’m just a higher ed marketing/PR guy in middle management who deals with too much information. I spend my work hours reading and responding to email and phone calls, attending meetings, attempting to manage expectations, handling last-minute demands and tasks, coordinating schedules, running interference for staff members so they can be more productive, smoothing ruffles, responding to media calls, fighting the proverbial fires. I deal with missed deadlines, ignored schedules, last-minute crises that could have been averted (had they just listened to me in the first place, or met their deadline). In between, I try to crank out a few writing projects here and there to ensure our university brand has relevant, meaningful and up-to-date content (mainly, news and feature stories). I’d love for those stories to be more thoughtful, but there are times when I simply don’t have the “think time” to make them that way. I often appear harried and distracted, and when my schedule is interrupted by events beyond my control, I get frustrated, sometimes upset or angry.
In other words…
I’m probably not the go-to guy if you’re looking for advice on how to get stuff done, balance work and life, manage your schedule and workflow.
But all that stuff interests me. I read about productivity, sometimes obsessively. I read and re-read some of these lessons to remind me what I’ve too often forgotten. And I think learning productivity tips from the likes of LifeHacker, David Allen, etc., has helped me. Which might amaze those who know or work with me. (To that I respond: Just imagine how bad off I’d be if I weren’t as organized and productive as I am now?)
Anyway, that’s a helluva long preface to my list of several links that I think are helpful to anyone interested in getting better organized in 2013. Good luck to you. And to me.
This wonderful blog post by Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek , is now more than five years old, but it’s probably more relevant today than it was then. While most of us obsess over making sure we list every possible thing on our to-do list, Ferriss suggests we focus on what not to do. “The reason is simple: what you don’t do determines what you can do,” writes Ferriss.
I’ve been reading and re-reading this list for — well, off and on, probably for five years now. I’ve become pretty good about curtailing early-morning and late-night email, not worrying about perfection, and some of the others on Ferriss’s list. But the one that still trips me up the most is No. 3, because it is dependent on others as much as ourselves:
Do not agree to meetings or calls with no clear agenda or end time
If the desired outcome is defined clearly with a stated objective and agenda listing topics/questions to cover, no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes. Request them in advance so you “can best prepare and make good use of the time together.”
This one has more to do (heh) with your actions and intentions than your activity, and includes a great “to-be” list (be kind, be joyful, be grateful and content, etc. — a list of great attributes worth remembering).
Nip multitasking in the bud
Multitasking is like trying to chase two rabbits at once. This is one of those life lessons I picked up from the wonderful little book for guitarists, Zen Guitar, by the late Philip Toshio Zudo. (It’s a great read for anyone, I think.)
Assume you’re going to succeed
Take this approach with any project or task you undertake or are assigned. This is a new one, freshly stolen from Forbes’ How to be better at your job in 2013. There are some other good tips there, too.
Above all, remember…
There’s only so much you can do to improve work processes.
You’re not likely to be setting your own agenda every day. People miss deadlines, thereby screwing up yours. Bosses interrupt you with urgent tasks that must get out the door today. People call in sick, don’t return phone calls or emails. A crisis erupts. But in work as in life, it’s all about agreements and expectations. Do your best to set and clarify expectations with those you’re working with (including your boss). Hold accountable those you are able to hold accountable (including your boss). Make sure you are in a position to meet the expectations, and if you aren’t, make sure whoever is assigning the work is aware of the limitations or challenges. Then do everything in your power to hold up your end of the bargain.
Oh, and one more thing…
The thing I need to remember the most in 2013:
Make this day your best day ever. Here are 10 simple but brilliant ways to do that. One of my favorites is No. 8 (listen to great music). Toward that end, I’ve created a playlist of songs that send me to my happy place (also embedded below). I hope you find a happy tune or two there as well. Happy New Year.
It takes a lot of power to escape the gravitational pull of all the stuff that tries to hold us back.
It takes a lot to break free of the urgent issues that suck all the time and energy from our days and lives.
For marketing types, it takes a lot of effort to push beyond those traditional tactical roles our organizations want us to play in order to move into a position of strategic importance.
It takes velocity to escape the bonds of the urgent and soar to the lofty heights of the important.
It’s hard to help clients rethink their conventional approaches to marketing — to think beyond brochures and websites and press releases, to think in terms of audience and message and outcomes.
It’s tough to say no to people who are used to getting their way.
It’s tough to be both a service provider and a strategic partner within an institution.
It’s hard to set priorities.
These are just a few of the things I think about when I think about the role of a university communications and marketing operation.
These are lessons I thought I’d learned before. But in the busyness of day-to-day work, I sometimes forget them.
So I’m re-learning them. Some days, I re-learn them several times.
If we’re going to move ourselves, our operations and our organizations beyond the tactical to the strategic, then we must learn how to escape the bonds of organizational gravity. We must figure out how to pull away from the inertia that tries to hold us back. We must do the hard stuff, positioning ourselves and our operations into strategic roles, in order to reach that escape velocity needed to soar.
Happy Friday! Enjoy these nuggets of knowledge gathered from some of the brightest people and organizations on Twitter:
For all you misunderstood creatives out there, take a couple minutes to watch this video on how creativity works (and if you’re a brave soul, share it with your favorite clients). Via @timsamoff.
An introduction to Networked: The New Social Operating System, the new book by Lee Rainie (of the Pew Internet Trust) and sociologist Barry Wellman. According to the Pew Internet Trust, Networked discusses how “the large, loosely knit social circles of networked individuals expand opportunities for learning, problem solving, decision making and personal interaction.” After skimming this excerpt and watching Rainie discuss its premise on video (embedded in the first link), I’m convinced this is an important resource for higher ed marketers. It is now on my ever-expanding to-read list.
Welcome to Social 2.0. This infographic (shared by @NealSchaffer) identifies four new market segments “most likely to look to customer communities when making purchasing decisions.” While none of the four groups is directly relevant to purchasing decisions related to higher education, their characteristics could offer insight into some of our more recent graduates or lifelong learners.
Five ideas for improving the future of postsecondary education, from Toronto’s Globe and Mail, may address specific challenges facing Canada’s institutions, but some of the ideas could transfer to institutions elsewhere that face similar situations. Thanks to Jake Pringle (@jdp2222) for sharing.
Finally, for a refreshing perspective on the oft-maligned liberal arts education, read The Importance of Being Useless, from Times Higher Education. In these days, when we try to measure and quantify every conceivable aspect of higher education in order to demonstrate the value of college to a jaded public, it’s comforting to know that, in Aristotle’s day, “a useless education was the highest and most noble form of education because it represented the genuinely free education of the genuinely free man.” This essay argues that looking at the history of liberal arts “creates the opportunity to consider what a modern liberal arts education might look like in relation to its ancient and medieval counterparts.”
During the summer months, our department spent 30 minutes every Tuesday morning watching and discussing one or more TED talks. I got the idea from Nick Denardis (@nickdenardis), who mentioned on Twitter last spring that the communications team at Wayne State University, where Nick works, gets together on a weekly basis to get inspired by a TED talk. (Nick’s boss, Michael Wright, often follows up with a blog post about the videos they watch.)
In these times of tight to nonexistent budgets for professional development in higher ed, I thought following the Wayne State model would be a good way to bring a little bit of professional development and inspiration to our communications office. So I did.
We set up “TED Tuesdays” in our department over the summer, and it was well received. Not only was it educational, but it gave us a chance to meet as a group without having to attend a dreaded staff meeting. It became sort of a bonding session, a place where we could talk about the ideas presented, agree or disagree, debate and discuss, in a safe space. Also, attendance at TED Tuesday was entirely voluntary. If you weren’t able to attend or wanted to skip a session, that was perfectly OK. Finally, staff members could submit their own favorite TED talks for communal viewing, and a few of them took me up on that offer. The result was enriching for all.
Here are a few of my favorite videos from TED Tuesdays:
Rory Sutherland: Life Lessons from an Ad Man
I blogged about Sutherland’s talk back in May (see Why we do what we do), because at that time it served as a reminder that our business in marketing, PR and communications — making the intangible benefits of our products and services somehow tangible— is important. Sutherland communicates that point in a very entertaining manner.
Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius
The author of Eat, Pray, Love inspires in this discussion about the expectations society places on artists — and the pressures they put on themselves. Her suggestion that people are not creative geniuses themselves but have creative genius — much like the muses of ancient days — is an interesting take. This one was suggested by one of our graphic designers/writers.
David Griffin: How Photography Connects Us
A visually stunning presentation by National Geographic’s photo director, this presentation demonstrated how powerful photography can be to connect us to the world around us. This talk was suggested by our staff photographer.
Neil Pasricha: The 3 A’s of Awesome
Perhaps the most inspiring of the videos we watched over the summer. Neil Pasricha is the author of the blog 1000 Awesome Things, and in this video he discusses the importance of finding pleasure and significance in life’s simpler things. All around us is awesomeness, and we can discover it all, if we just make the effort to become aware of it. This one was suggested by one of our graphic designers.
Steven Johnson: Where Good Ideas Come From
I just couldn’t resist subjecting my staff to my inner idea nerd. I love talking about and thinking about ideas, and how they arise, so Johnson’s talk was right up my alley. He’s not the most dynamic presenter, but his ideas about ideas are fascinating. This TED talk was based on Johnson’s book of the same name, which I’ve referencedpreviously on this blog.
I could list just about every other TED talk we watched as a favorite, but I’ll stop here.
What about you? Do you have a favorite TED talk you’d like to mention or recommend? If so, I’d love to hear about it.
When I read this morning’s ReadWriteWeb post about digital hoarding by Taylor Hatmaker, I discovered a kindred spirit amid the sea of inbox zero fanatics and Evernote acolytes.