Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

4 Hour Workweek vs. GTD

One of my favorite books in recent years is the 4 Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss. Tim challenges readers to work less and play more, what he calls lifestyle design. Without getting into the details of the book here, I wanted to share a post from his blog.

Responding to a post on Entrepreneur Magazine's blog, Tim writes:

"Despite the disproportionate attention paid to them, personal outsourcing and selective ignorance are just two chapters out of 16 in 4HWW. There is a lot more to information management and intake control in 4HWW (interruption prevention, internal policies, scripts with superiors, etc.) than “batching” e-mail."

This was in response to a comment in the article:

“Timothy Ferriss is focused on outsourcing and not checking e-mail so often. The last time I checked, the amount of e-mail you get is not a function of how often you check e-mail,” [Mark] Hurst says. “David Allen’s approach is a bit of a throwback to a pre-internet age when having complex flowcharts, filing papers and creating tickler items was relevant…”

Eliminate Before You Optimize!

I thought his post was interesting and gives some insight into different methodologies to stay productive.

Seth Godin Offers a Lengthy Email Checklist

Author and Permission Marketing Expert Seth Godin offers a great checklist to review before sending email. It's a little impractical to run through the checklist every time you send a message, but I think his point is to make you stop and think about how you use email.

Here is a short sample from Seth's list:

4. Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?

8. Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I'm just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).

9. Is the email from a real person? If it is, will hitting reply get a note back to that person? (if not, change it please).

22. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?

Send Messages to People
Who Want to Get Them

I have to think that some of the items on the list are included for humor's sake alone. But, I think his point comes across loud and clear that people communicate too often through email on things that other people probably don't care about. It's also a great reminder to CYA to protect yourself.

Productivity Shortcuts Winter 2007 Teleseminar Series

2007 is almost over. It's time to wind down and ramp up for next year. Will 2008 be a good year for you? Why not make a resolution NOW to increase your productivity?

If you would like to learn shortcuts to get more done in less time, then join us for The Twelve Days of Productivity! We're hosting a series of 12 half hour teleseminars. They're focused and quick. You'll get a few great ideas every day to increse your productivity.

 

FREE Teleseminar Series:
Productivity Shortcuts (The Twelve Days of Productivity)

Daily through January 9th

 

What you'll learn:

• Tips to get focused
• Techniques to get organized
• Strategies to combat spam and manage your email inbox
• Lessons on prioritizing your most important tasks
• Tips to shop for productivity gadgets
• How to balance work and family during the holidays

Click here to learn more:
http://www.thepdapro.com/ProductivityShortcuts.asp

2008 can be your best year yet! Start by working smarter, not harder!

Gmail Tip for Searching Email

I get a lot of email. Being The PDA Pro is busy work. I have over 10 email accounts and am subscribed to 50 Bojillian ezines and newsletters to stay on top of everything. I found that Outlook was just choking on the amount of email I was pumping through it. So, I made the decision to begin retrieving email using Gmail, the email service from Google.

I love Google. It's just the simple, but fast and effective kind of productivity tool I like to use. I was already using Gmail for a personal account and it worked great. So, I made the switch a few months ago for my business email. I have been very satisfied with how Gmail has worked for me. There are a few little annoyances, but overall it's been a great experience. I appreciate the fact that all of that data is being hosted on someone else's server.

Gmail Rocks!

Here is a quick tip from Gmail's blog written by Jen "Digital Mom" Grant. She writes:

"First, I make very specific labels for all of the categories that I might need - meeting notes, action items, personal - and I very meticulously use these labels for maybe a month or so. But then, I get overwhelmed and don't have the time to spend filing things under each of these categories. This is the point where Gmail really starts to help me out. The reason I categorized everything in the first place was to find it again quickly, right? Well, if I can find anything easily with search, then why should I take the extra time organizing? For my purposes, searching takes much less time and works just as well."

I love the labels too. They're much better than folders. I set up rules to automatically move and archive messages. This allows me to quickly read and respond to high priority client email messages first. The best part though, as Digital Mom suggests is the ability to search messages quickly. This took a lot longer with Outlook.

I strongly recommend you consider switching to Gmail. As a person who has been used to storing and archiving all of my email data in the past, I found I had a little fear around letting someone else store that data. But, as an entrepreneur, I have had to do that anyway through other services.

The PDA Pro Records a New Audio Program

I'm excited to be able to share a few details about a current project I'm working on. I'm developing an audio program which will be launching in October. I assembled a team to help support me in this project and we have been working diligently all summer long.

The topic is on Follow Up. This is an extremely critical area in sales and can really benefit from the clever use of technology. I was  surprised to find very little material on the topic. It's almost always covered as an afterthought.

I just returned from the recording studio today where I cut the final audio tracks for the program. I have the good fortune of being able to work with Barbara Beal Lopez from Brightfarm Productions. You can't imagine the amount of work that's required to produce a product. It takes an enormous amount of work. I'll be glad when this is done. Of course, then comes marketing and sales. It's all good.

Check back soon for more details. As The PDA Pro, I will continue to provide tips, strategies and advice on sales as well as PDAs and smartphones. My official definition for PDA is Productivity, Discipline and Action. You can increase your Productivity if you exercise Discipline and take Action. And this audio program will give you tips and strategies to develop the discipline to follow up.

The PDA Pro Blog Featured on Qwest Website

The PDA Pro Blog, written by Rick Cooper, was featured in the August 2007 Small Business eNewsletter, Keeping You in the Loop, from  Qwest® Business Solutions. I must say I'm pretty pleased and proud to be featured there along with the likes of Guy Kawasaki and Merlin Mann, legends in technology and the internet.

Qwest® is a leading provider of voice, video and data services across America and the world. They offer a variety of wireless devices including the Moto Q, Mogul™ by HTC and Qwest Fusion™ HTC 5800.

Mobile email productivity is a slippery slope. At a certain point, checking email on a mobile device becomes counter-productive. It can also be dangerous in certain situations. Always think safety first, especially when driving.

I recommend setting some guidelines for checking email on your mobile device. Limit yourself to a few times a day. Don't be a robot that checks your email anytime you hear a chime. Instead, schedule several times, i.e. 10am, 2pm, and 5pm. You will be able to read email more efficiently. You also don't want people to expect an immediate response from you, unless that's a requirement of your job.

Reading and responding to email is far more efficient on your computer or laptop, but accessing mobile email is not only convenient, it may be the only way you can check email, especially when travelling.

For more information, visit http://www.thepdapro.com/PDA.asp. Or contact Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro, at 800-677-6708.

Is email useless?

Web strategist Jeremiah Owyang asks whether email is useless. He prefers other social media tools to communicate, including blogs. From my perspective, I see people struggling with email today and wonder whether they will have any better luck with instant messaging, blogs and other online tools.

I do think there is a growing communication gap. On one hand, you have the new generation that has grown up with technology from a young age. They will quickly adapt to new technologies and learn how to leverage those tools to communicate effectively. On the other hand, you have everyone else, including the vast population of baby boomers. Some have adapted and adopted new communication tools. Others are in denial over emerging technologies and still prefer personal communication in person or by phone.

So, perhaps Jeremiah will be right in the long run. There are many things I do not like about email, but it serves a purpose. I like the fact that I can read and respond anytime I want. Instant messaging is more demanding and distracting. Blogging requires fast paced thinking, the ability to write to a larger audience and the skill to craft an interesting and relevant message. Read Jeremiah's blog for information on other social media tools. That's his realm.

In answer to Jeremiah's question, I would have to say that email is not useless. In the same way that people still use postal mail, people will continue to use email. However, I believe he is correct in foreseeing the trend toward toward other communication tools that are more appropriate based on the audience. The early adopters will move first and then slowly drag everyone else with them, kicking and screaming.

Life will be easier with the introduction of new and better mobile tools. I like what I see in the mini-tablet PC. I think too many people are tied to desktop computers and that limits their connectivity because it does not travel with them. The PDA offers increased mobility but leaves much to be desired. The screen is too small for any serious reading, websites often don't download well and many people don't like typing on a tiny keyboard. Of course, the mini-tablet PC lacks an integrated keyboard and thus people will have to use a stylus for input. And finally, laptop computers are great, but still too bulky for casual use. It just doesn't feel comfortable sitting on my couch with my laptop radiating heat on my legs, having to tilt the screen so I can view it. It's also a pain to pack and unpack it from it's case and then boot it up everytime I want to use it.

Just like it took the iPod to make music players soar in popularity, new tools will offer new ways for people to communicate effectively in real life. Things will look very different in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, etc. Change is inevitable, change is good, and change is better when embraced.

The opportunity to connect with other people can only help you to grow socially, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Look for opportunities to connect and be willing to try new tools to communicate.