Top 5 Posts of 2011
Yeah I know it’s 4 days into 2012, so why am I looking back? Because I find it interesting which were my top 5 post last year and would like to share them with you because I know there are nuggets that will make you more productive if nothing else. Stop Using Your Inbox as a Todo List The last to do list you’ll ever need 4 Sanity Saving Tricks for Gmail Social Inbox Zero How Klout Scores Could Be More Useful to Marketers (though this applies to brands giving away perks too) Okay no more looking back, use these to help you jump forward and make 2012 a grand success!
The Last To Do List You’ll Ever Need
Edit: cohuman is back!!!! You think I’m joking. I’m not. I’ve tried a great number of project management tools and/or todo lists out there. Trying in creative ways to make them work with my inbox so I can access the information I need plus get things done and share with my clients quickly. Most systems are trying to be everything for everyone in your business and therefore suck at being the one thing you need, especially if you’re a solo freelancer/consultant company who has many clients to share with. Sharing with individuals, getting them setup on your system and expecting that they’ll actually use it…well, let’s just say that’s not an easy thing to manage.[.....]
Why you should stop using your inbox as a to do list.
Our inboxes are the hubs of our daily lives. Some of us check them the first thing when we roll out of bed. (That’s a bad habit too!) They store notes from various people that are important to us on some level trying to get our attention. But if we start to using it as keeping track of the things we need to get done, problems emerge. See one email but there are 3 tasks attached, one with a deadline? Get distracted by all the things that keep coming in instead of focusing on the tasks that need your attention? These create stress.
4 Sanity Saving Tricks for Gmail
As someone who values being as productive as possible, I find using Gmail helps me keep up with my inbox while trying to get things done. If you are a Gmail user yourself, there are some things that you can do to make life in your inbox a little less cluttered and stressful. Here are a few of my favorites: 1. Muted conversations Do you keep getting included on reply all threads that you don’t really need to be on? Mute the conversation! It will filter the email in the sense it won’t appear in your inbox, rather than you having to set up filters for individual emails. If you for some reason need the[.....]
How to Say No (and Yes)
Lately I’ve heard a lot of people ask the question how do you say no to something constructively? Maybe you’re busier than you know what to do with, but someone’s emailing you with this one project, thing, idea that they must talk with you about, get your input on, a review of their book/blog/business plan, an interview, a quote, or just help with promotion. Sometimes they use the following line: “I know you’re busy but…”. The person on the other end sees a minor time commitment on this really awesome thing but you see your current to do list and calendar and groan. Here’s a way to say no: ”That looks/sounds like a fascinating[.....]
