Office Repo» Productivity

Just Do It.

josephnilo — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:45:06 +0000

Productivity tip of the day . . . what is on your to-do list that you are procrastinating? Is there a job you really don't want to do? Here's the secret to getting it done. Just do it. Now. Really, I'm not kidding. Stop reading this and do that task. Just start it at least. Are you still here? Next Action: Before you do anything else, first thing in the morning, jump feet-first into the task you least want to do. Just start it. Extra Credit: Take a day where you do all of your uncomfortable tasks: boring jobs, making sales calls, cleaning your desk. Just do it.

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Tips for Acheiving a Flow State: Schedule It!

josephnilo — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:43:27 +0000

As a creative professional, I've found a great trick in enhancing my productivity -- scheduling around my best periods of Flow. From the Wikipedia entry:

Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.

If you're interested, I suggest reading more on the subject. You might gain some insight into yourself and get some explanations for your periods of effortless productivity. My best times for easing into Flow are: 8 AM to 10 AM for technical-related activities; 2 PM to 4 PM for creative activities; and maybe another small opportunity from 8 PM to 10 PM for further creative output. Why? I don't know. I feel like these are my natural rhythms for activity. And I've learned over the years to schedule the right activities in the right windows of opportunity so as to ease into the productive Flow state . . . e.g. encoding and uploading video, web design, spreadsheet organization, bill paying, etc. in my morning Flow period. Lunch, power nap, double shot of espresso, and then I'm ready for a creative afternoon-- writing, video editing, motion graphics. I know I'm in a Flow state when I lose track of time and get lost in whatever project I'm working on. I definitely am not watching the clock or procrastinating while in the wonderful grips of Flow. Further Actions: • Spend a few weeks noticing if there are patterns to when you acheive your Flow state. Write them down or put them in your calendar for further review. • Break it down further based on activity. What were you doing? Being creative? Being technical? House Cleaning? • Start to schedule the correct activity in the correct Flow period.

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Using Facebook to Market Your Business

josephnilo — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:24:08 +0000

It seems the "long tail" is finally starting to get on Facebook. If you're like me (an early adopter), you're probably amazed - it's not just old high school friends starting profiles, it's mom and dad and aunt Judy getting into the mix.

Using Facebook as a networking tool for your freelance or small business can be very effective in meeting new clients. Here's how I use Facebook for my creative business and as a marketing tool for my clients' businesses.

Create a page for your business

You're probably already a "fan" of something or some public figure on Facebook. Well, let people become a fan of you! Go Here to create a page for your business, product, band, or whatever. A page is sort of like a "profile-light" -- allowing you to post information, pictures, videos, have a feed of your Facebook activities.

Then let some of your contacts know about this page. It might only be your high school buddies, mom, dad, and aunt Judy, but it's a start! This is a network, so start networking!

Online Portfolio

As a video professional, I upload all all of my work to my Facebook business page.

Then all of my fans (friends and clients alike) are updated when new work is available to view - keeping my company fresh in their minds. Consider adding a video overview or screencast about what it is you do. Trust me, people like video!

Admins

Do you work with other people? Set them up as admins on your business page. Then they can add photos, videos, and information, as well. And their contacts can see the page & its activity and become fans . . . you see where this could lead? I see too many people opening up a regular Facebook account for their business (like their entity is a person), and then really only one person can update the info on that page. Start a business page and give all your colleagues admin access to keep the page fresh and broaden the network.

Advertise

You have the option to create an ad on Facebook right from your company's page. I'd say Facebook ads, at least in my experience, have a much better click-through rate than Google Ads, because you can set them up to be very targeted. While setting up the ad (very easy to do if you've done Google Adwords before), you can choose very specific demographics to market to. In my case, I chose people worldwide who were involved in Marketing. And the clicks started coming!

Search Your Email

I am a Gmail user and occasionally let Facebook do a search through my gazillion Gmail contacts for people to add as friends. This is a very effective way to connect with clients and potential clients -- anyone you've emailed over the years. And then add them as a friend! Everyone likes more friends on Facebook.

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So get on Facebook and start marketing yourself! After a little bit of setup and creativity, you'll start reaching more people . . . Aunt Judy would be proud.

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