Diets, exercise, schedule, business, family life, spirituality, etc.

And advertisers/marketers know this as well. It is during this time that you start hearing claims that x system versus y system is the greatest system for (fill in the blank).

Because I like to exercise and remain somewhat healthy, I am asked about “best exercise” all the time. My response is typically the same.. “What do you like to do?”

If they say, “walking.” – I tell them that “walking” is the best exercise you can do. If they say hiking or swimming or cycling.. then that is the best exercise they can do.

Our Problem is NOT “Optimal” it is “AT ALL.”

Most people don’t struggle with their weight or their schedule or life balance because they cannot find the optimal system. It is that they do not employ a system at all. It isn’t a challenge with “The System” but with “a system” and their actions – or lack thereof.

I use Google Calendar for maintaining my schedule. I LOVE IT! I think it is a great system because it integrates with my phone, is available all the time from any computer, and it sends me text message notifications.

My wife uses her Droid and even uses Google Calendar from time to time.. but she loves her written agenda and her list.

I might say that she is not using the “optimal” system.. but if you know here, she’s pretty freakin’ efficient when it comes to getting her stuff done. In fact, more efficient and diligent than I am.

Not because of her agenda and not because of a problem with Google Calendar. Nope.. very simple.. She works her system fanatically.. I don’t do that with mine.

But you should have A SYSTEM

I teach people systems. I coach them on content creation and a content calendar. I help them with productivity and scheduling. I help them put systems in place.

Systems are critical and it is good to evaluate your systems from time to time and make them better if you can. Having no system is efficiency suicide. It is foolish! In fact, it is irresponsible. Irresponsible to those who count on you and irresponsible to your dreams/goals (desired outcomes).

Make your systems intentional

If you believe you have “no system” for a given thing – ie: calendar and schedule – you are probably wrong. A system is just how we manage certain things. You have a way you keep your schedule – even if you do so less than effectively.

In order to make your system – whatever that system is – effective, you must add intention to it. This may require that you do a little research on what is available. But beware.. everyone is going to teach you that “their system” is the best. And while I may agree that certain systems have advantages over others, remember, if you LOVE walking, it is the BEST exercise you can do.

What systems do you want to make more intentional?

Let me know.

What are Google Collections?

Basic folders where you can organize your Google Documents. If your question is “What are Google Documents?” – they are… documents. It is like a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation, application that is online (in the cloud) and accessible by multiple people at one time.

While collections are like folders, they are not precisely physical folders. The are more like categories that can be nested. So a single document or file can be shared inside multiple collections.

The other power behind collections is that you can share a collection with one or more people and any document or file you put in that collection is now shared with whoever you shared the collection with.

Here – let’s make it simpler. Watch this video:

If you have any questions on “Collections” or Google Docs.. comment here or email me.

Discounting our own genius

I’ve talked about this topic a lot and next week, I’ll provide an update on how you overcome it. Hint: the word “NO!” takes a front seat.

The basic concept is this… your knowledge lives in your brain. You know what you know. Because of this, it is not extraordinary knowledge.. it is common… at least to you.

I have a conversation with a smart woman yesterday. But she allows her time and talent to be discounted – mostly by herself. She is asked for advice and gives it … freely – too freely – as in, she cannot afford to.

Think about it.. you probably have some extraordinary knowledge that you discount because it is common to you.

Around the web

My client and my coach Steven Memel pointed me at this service. I think it is pretty hip. ShoeBoxed.com allows you to both upload and send physical papers to them. They scan, OCR, and organize them for you. Very reasonable. You could do this on your own.. but why?

Marc Wolfsfeld pointed me a Trello.com for project management. The interface is very simple and I’ve started using it as a test. I may do a video overview of this in the near future.

Are you an author? Do you want to be? Read, “How to Write, Sell, and Publish Your Book” by Chris Guillebeau.

Have a great weekend!

A rational approach to online presence

The graphic above – shown again below – demonstrates a very basic overview of what I consider to be a rational and effective content strategy.

Blog and Mailing List is Key

Yeah yeah.. everyone is saying email is dead and the social stream is how people connect. Yes and no. The social stream is a reality but it is a noisy and often disengaged space. You need to be there for sure.. because “everyone” else is.

But, if you want to really get the best bang for your social media buck, your content should be driven from your blog and traffic back to your blog.

Social Engagement to True Engagement

Social media activities should engage people enough so that you are worth listening to. You must create high-value content that is ultimately housed and categorized on your blog. That is what gets people off the Facebook wall or twitter feed and to your site where you are no longer competing with cute kittens, political rants, and renewed high-school crushes.

The Ethical Bribe Still Lives

Just as with HubSpot’s EBooks, give-aways that provide a reason for site visitors to join your mailing list is the ultimate true engagement. You know have someone who has demonstrated their interest in your information.. enough that they will “put up with” you’re ongoing messages and perhaps even help advance your cause.

Increase the value and engagement

After that, make sure you do not forget about those who have engaged while pursuing new engagements. Continue creating high-value (educational) content. Provide better ways for them to connect and engage. Get your fans/list involved with who you are and what you do.

Tools I Use to Help Generate Content

Google Reader

I’ll be providing a tutorial on this soon. Google reader allows you to subscribe to blogs, news, twitter feeds, and other web information so that you are notified about when they are updated. It is great for consolidating information and is an excellent source for ideas.

Google Docs

Are you tired of hearing me extol the virtues of Google Docs? I have a content planning Workbook with a few sheets in it.  Ie: Google docs has an Excel style spreadsheet…

Content Ideas Sheet: I store things I can blog about and links to very interesting pieces of content.

Content Calendar Sheet: When I am ready to blog about something, I move it to this sheet and put a date on it.

Links to Check: This sheet is for links I want to check. They are not yet on the content ideas sheet but might be something I look at later. I track the date I put it in the sheet and where I saw it. I’ll also add a short note to the link.

Content Publishing Process

I’ll cover this in much greater detail later this week. But in short, it looks like this…

1. Publish on blog/website.
2. Publish link back to blog on social sites
3. Capture email addresses on blog/website.
4. Compile blog content for periodic (2-week) newsletter
5. Republish link on social sites (content reuse)

Simple.. right?

If you are a musician, information marketer, or wish to have some other product or promo item to giveaway via CD, consider Kunaki.com.

I can’t remember how I found this company but holy cow!!

They provide low-cost CD duplication, digital press, print-on-demand services.

You can order as few as 1 CD at a production cost of $1. Of course, the shipping cost ordering 1 CD doesn’t really scale. But as a for instance, 40 CD’s results in a cost per CD of under $2.00.

The come in a jewel case with a 2 panel, 4 color, insert and the CD is also printed 4 color.

Everything they do is automated and tightly controlled. This means you don’t get a lot of options but from my perspective – at the cost and flexibility of very low-runs, that’s fine.

You don’t even use a web form to order. You download their software, create an account (through their software) and prepare and submit your CD or DVD artwork and files… through their software! It is very basic, very sparse, and very cool.

Elsewhere around the web

Intellectual Predator: This happens a lot in the technology and social media space. I used to get called almost daily… friends asking for advice or assistance on fixing their computer, what software to buy, how to perform x or y function. But my brain is my commodity. If a car salesman ask for my advice on social media, it isn’t the same as him advising me on a car.. it is more akin to him giving me a car.

I write a lot about Google. You should be using their many tools. Mashable discusses Google Analytics. Analytics allow you to see who comes to your website, where they come from, and the search terms used to get there.

One of the tools I’ve used for year – thanks to my friend Mike Martinez, is FileZilla – a FREE FTP (file transfer protocol) client and server.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/03/28/no-you-cant-pick-my-brain-it-costs-too-much/

And finally, after some reluctance and some prodding, Lori Bonn has jumped into the blogging game. Learning by doing and doing a great job. Lori reflects on life and God and the relationship between the two.

I’ve written before how I do not make New Year’s resolutions but am not against using the New Year as a reminder to assess our plans. In fact, a few weeks ago I started suggesting you assess your goals and plans and use the new year as a good enough demarcation point for putting some plans into place. However, I also suggested that, in order to achieve some of those plans, you will need to make daily resolutions that keep you on tasks.

I am resolving to do some things and resolved to do them!

Desire without a plan and action is folly

I also discount a LOT of the proponents of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and purely motivation focused events. Mostly because I’ve witnessed and had many people tell me after such events, they come back without a pragmatic plan of action and the motivation becomes frustration and even bitterness. Next year, they are back at some “motivation seminar” – spending money they have not earned on the business dream or “life plan” they have not put into place.

I’m an optimist -but optimism with no plan is the same as pessimism with no plan but you have a smile on your face. In time, that optimism looks like foolishness and in most cases causes the optimistic to optimistically simple stop dreaming their dreams.

FYI: That’s okay.. contentment is a good thing.. but in many cases that person simply becomes silent about what they really want and contentment is a masks for despair with a smile.

Planning for action is a good first action

This coming week I’m going to write a couple entries about some of my plans for the New Year. Not all my plans.. personally I don’t believe it is necessarily useful for people to share their plans publicly. It is more important that you share them with your team, your coach or mentor, and, if necessary, an inner-circle to keep you accountable.

I’ll share some of those plans to let you see a bit of my process and how those plans are there to keep me focused and keep me motivated by achievement… this is the best motivation you can have, the motivation that is a byproduct of completing key tasks.

Below is my New Year’s poem.. Probably not winning an award with this but for an early morning, on my second cup of coffee, I’m satisfied! Enjoy!

A Poem For The Dream Doer

It is the day after Christmas and all round the world
People’s plans for the next year are getting a little absurd.
I’m going lose weight, improve my financial position
Have better relationships or just make better decisions

And while those all sound great and desire to be better is noble
Such statements typically ring empty; New Year’s resolutions a foible
Point A to Point B is not achieved by our desire or dreams
But by the plan and the action and diligent follow thru it seems

I’m not saying do not dream. Dream big and aim high
but you must do quite a bit more or those dreams will shrivel and die
But some feet on your goals; take the time to plan and prep
Write down those dreams and some intermediate steps

Surround yourself with the “dreamers who do”
Perhaps a mentor who has done it and believes you can too
Someone who pushes you forward, they might be a bit of a pain
because they won’t stand for excuses or let your lose sight of your plan

Silence the critic, the skeptic, and those who foster despair
Those content to believe that opportunity is not there
And remember the wise words, paraphrased so they fit
Those who believe it can’t be done, stay out of the way of us doing it!
- Matthew Moran, December 26, 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 9:00AM (PST)
Content Strategy and WordPress Blog Entry Basics for Maximum SEO.
http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EB51DF80854D

Wednesday, December 28, 9:00AM (PST)
Creating, Editing, and Publishing Video using Microsoft Movie Maker.
http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EB50D6868246

You must register to attend; use the link provided. Also, make sure your PC has speakers or you have headphones.

Spread the word.

It’s is Christmas time and a common phrase is, “I have too much to do.” As I speak with people and reflect on my own list of “to do’s” for the season, I’m struck with a few thoughts. The ideas translate pretty well to how we run our business and life in general. In fact, while it seems to be more prevalent during the holidays, the “I have too much to do” refrain is a year long, everyday phenomenon.

We have our TO DO list down.

The TO DO list is an important part of life and business management. I use a variation on David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology – although I’ve also attended a Franklin-Covey time & tasks management workshop. I enjoyed learning those techniques and have adopted those as well. In fact, the idea of taking items off the top-of-mind until they need to be thought about and addressed is a critical skill.

I use Google Calendar, Google Tasks, my Droid (smart-phone), and some Google docs, for information management. I’ll discuss how in future posts.

The WANT TO DO List

If you are anything like me, you’ve got a “WANT TO DO” list. I’ve got an enormous “WANT TO DO” list. In fact, I’ve been formalizing this – creating a true bucket list of personal, family, professional, and creative things I want to accomplish. Want to see part of it..

• Living Aboard a Sailboat for a few weeks/months
• Sailing down to the islands (take your pick)
• Writing 8 new books, including 2 novels
• Learning to draw
• Owning a small family ranch with 1 bedroom cabins for my kids (“the compound” or “Casa de Moran”)
• Meeting the president (not in a line of people, I want coffee with him/her)… note, this would be any sitting president regardless of party.. I respect the office and the person.

There are more, but you get the picture.

The Art of Exclusion and what you are NOT going to do

Having grand and dramatic goals is awesome! You should. Funny thing is I don’t even view any of the items on my list (those above and those I have not shared) as a stretch. I believe I can and will accomplish them.

More important, I am working towards many of them at any given time.

However, no matter how productive you are, you have a limited capacity. Everyone does, and to deny that is silly. And this requires that you take some of your goals and the direct tasks to get there off your list.

Additionally, if you wish to make the best use of your time, you need to control your day and the time you lose in meaningless pursuits.

My Music Business Plan

I write and play music. In 2007 and 2008, I had been playing around Phoenix. I had been hired at some wine bars and other small venues; playing originals and enjoying it fairly well. But as 2009 started, I asked myself the question, “What are you planning on doing with your music?”

I thought about the past couple of years and realized that I was not doing any of the things I coach my clients on. I had no real direction. I was honing my craft and more or less being a semi-professional musician but that was not enough for me.

I sat down and I wrote a business plan for my music. It is something I recommend every musician and every person do – ie: whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur, write a business plan.

WARNING: DO NOT BUY A BOOK ON BUSINESS PLANS

My music business plan was 5 pages long. It included 9 “achievables” – things to accomplish that moved me forward. A simple list with some notes on how I would get there.

The book ReWork and others – Derek Sivers covers this as well – teaches you that most business plans are a waste of time. You cannot predict the future and too strict a plan, one you’ve invested hours and hours into, could cause you to be so focused on your plan that you miss or deny flexible opportunities.

As I looked at my plan, I realized, given my current schedule (I am a father, entrepreneur, husband, etc.) and immediate needs, I could not accomplish or even work on all the items on my list. I am confident they are all good things to work on – but to do so would have led to lackluster results.. at best.

The TO DON’T list

And so my “TO DON’T” list was born.  I excluded things – good things – from my active plan, from my list of achievables until some later date when key goals were met and I could revisit them.

But I took it even further. I’ve never been much of a TV watcher.. it is not my deal.. or as I often say, “My life is not yet boring enough for TV!”

And so I decided to add some lifestyle and attitude things to my TO DON’T list. Here is a part of it.

• I WILL NOT set my schedule around TV
  (I might watch a “significant” sporting event and I do like the show “Justified” but I won’t TIVO it and last season only saw one episode.. )
• I WILL NOT allow fast food and other junk to be part of my regular diet.
  (rather than stopping at McDonalds, for instance, I stop at a grocery store, buy 2-3 slices of turkey and a yogurt).
• I WILL NOT try to convince the unconvinceable.
• I WILL NOT vote for any candidate who runs a negative ad or campaign
  (the amount of time this saves me at the polls is incredible.)
• I WILL NOT replace my “NEED TO DO” list with someone else’s “YOU SHOULD DO” list.
• I WILL NOT criticize, condemn, or complain!
• I WILL NOT lose hope or release my dreams and goals.
• I WILL NOT spend time with or respond to negative people.
• I WILL NOT listen to or repeat what “THEY” say.
  (see below.. mythical people in an undisclosed location, making pronouncements)

But shouldn’t you only state things in the positive

There are some who believe that the human mind does not process the negative and believe I should only state things in the positive. Couple things about this: many people cite studies similar to the way they sight “they” – whoever they are. Ie: “They” say….

First, citing studies by saying, “there are studies” is not truly citing studies. It would seem those studies are stuck somewhere in a room with that same group of pundits called, “THEY”. And check my list, I don’t listen to what “THEY” say.

Exclusion is a positive

Also, I would suggest that an emphatic statement of exclusion is a positive. But I don’t mind if you change how you word things… Identifying things, even good things, that you exclude from your TO DO list is a critical factor in creating focus and momentum.

So my question is, what are you putting on your “TO DON’T” list today?

I’d love your input. What would you like me to cover and how would you like me to deliver upcoming training. This covers live workshops, webinars, and tutorials.

The tutorial below demonstrates how to create a google form and then demonstrates embedding that form on your WordPress blog using the GForms plug-in.

The GForms plug-in can be found here:
http://michaelwalsh.org/wordpress/wordpress-plugins/wpgform/

from 37 signals.. see below

I’m going to recap my week each Friday. In it, I’ll let you know about some of the technologies, websites, blog entries, and anything else I found interesting.

Big Thought of the Week

“Don’t escape from something, escape to something” – The Art of Non-Conformity, Chris Guillebeau.

What he writes mirror much of what I think and write about; particularly in the area of non-traditional career strategies. You don’t need permission, that degree, experience, or a long period of time before being an “expert.”. You do need competence, perseverance, and passion!

Technologies

My mantra is “boring computing it good computing.” Don’t download and install stuff because you can. If there is a chance you’ll use the tool, check it out.. but read about it first. And fun crazy icons or screen savers are always a bad idea!! You don’t need to personalize your email with “smileys” – instead, personalize it with great writing, your wonderful demeanor, and colorful character.

With that said, here are some tools I find helpful.

• Format Factory: http://www.formatoz.com/download.html
  My friend Mike Martinez turned me onto this. Batch conversion of video, audio, and image files. It’s FREE (but I donated in 2010.. should probably again). Note: As of this writing, version 2.80 is out but the main link still installs 2.70. I used the CNET link.Also, during the download by CNET you will get a screen asking you to install a CARE toolbar and support the ASCPA. I don’t install any toolbars and recommend you DO NOT either.. It is probably safe – CNET is reputable – but I can support my causes independent of allowing them to change my computer.Here is a short video tutorial I did on an older version of Format Factory. I’ll do a new tutorial soon.
• NCH Software Video Pad: http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html
  There is free non-commercial version to use at home. It works great! Does some basic PIP (picture in picture) video stuff. I’ll be honest, I’ve not published anything I just sort of kicked it around.
• WordPress 3.3 is out: http://www.wordpress.org
  If you use WordPress, this update has a nice interface upgrade plus you can drag and drop media uploads.

Around the web

David Krejci on Mashable shares a topic near and dear to my heart, “Content” – how and what to deliver.. read it, adopt it.  I’m a fanboy of the ideas and software of 37 Signals. Their book, ReWork makes my list of top reads in the past 10 years.. 10 YEARS!! In this blog entry, David talks about 7 degrees of slip and peak performance. Friend, former employee, and coach – Travis Robertson, gives us 30 questions you can’t afford NOT to answer.

Kyle Cease is one of my favorite comedians.. but he’s also pretty smart (or has a smart coach). I’ve seen this a few times on his clips and am going to adopt something similar.. Watch this clip! It’s funny – and at 5:08 – genius happens.

What I do and am doing

I coach, I consult, I write. If you need help in these areas and want to see your goals clarified, actionized, and realized (like a preacher I am), contact me
info@KreativeKnowledge.com – (805) 889-8102

I launched my “Consulting Proposal Template” page and have had more than 50 people sign-up for the template and the “soon-to-be-released” 12 Weeks to Profitable Consulting.

In the next 2 weeks, I’ll be introducing some lightning session coaching – 30 minute sessions to fast track you on your career, your business, and projects you want to accomplish. It is very exciting stuff and very useful.

This week I helped:

• a consultant who wants to increase his income – clarify his message, create a presentation and a phone script for new contacts.
• a client with their content strategy, blog, and social media integration
• helped another client dramatically increase their productivity – by using Google apps and Google Calendar for their team

Plus, I got over a cold and am going to start doing a couple weekly video streaming musical performances. For those who don’t know.. yeah.. I’m a rock-star too.  But I promise, no spandex.. unless you ask really nicely.