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For those of your who have not yet read “Getting Things Done” here is a rundown of the collection phase. 

Basically the purpose is to gather all your “stuff” in one place.  The book suggests a physical inbox and that is what I’m using.  Later, you will process all of the items in your inbox in one way or another.

You want to take all of your tasks, projects, ideas, goals, etc… and write them down on individual notes.  I have been using 3×5 note cards for this.  My main collection tool is a Hipster PDA. 

The run down is you put each idea or item on a note card and toss it into your inbox.  It may be helpful to collect it all on a single list before hand and break it out into individual cards. 

I am taking my time on the collection phase.  I carry the Hipster PDA with me in my back pocket and when I think of something else, I create a card for it.  My struggle is that I know if I just sit down and try to do this in one time span I will miss a lot of what I need to do. 

Other resources suggest using full sheets of 8.5×11 computer paper, but that’s not very “Green” now is it?

What are some of your ideas on the collection phase? 

Any aspiring GTDers have any questions?

Well, it certainly has been a while!  Life gets busy and my poor blog got pushed to a back burner. 

For years, I have been looking for an effective method of organization.  I have asked friends and family, read books, searched the web, signed up for every free webservice you can possibly think of.  None of this made a bit of difference in my life!

I finally thing I struck gold!  I bought David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done”.  This book outlays a system for productivity and organization.  I just finished my first read through and I am impressed.

So here’s the deal, it is a long process getting to the point of implementing the system completely.  So in addition to my other posts I am going to start making notes on the process and my struggles and triumphs in its implementation. 

Hopefully some experienced GTDers will happen upon this page and be able to give me some advice to make things easier as I go along. 

Maybe if I any of you feel like it, you can pick this book up too and take this adventure with me!

There’s probably a better than decent chance that some of you have seen this video 100 times already.  Well, there’s no harm in watching it again.  Enjoy!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I have an uncomfortable assignment for everyone this weekend.  Unless you are a hermit, over the course of the next two days, you’re probably going to do something. 

I am encouraging you, over the course of the weekend, to pick one place that you go and make a connection with someone there.  I’m not talking about chatting up the cute bartender at the local beer joint…

You know that super friendly old guy that gets behind you in line at the grocery store every once in a while?  Be super friendly back.  Introduce yourself and give him your card.  You never know who could be in need of your professional services.

A Great Opportunity

If you live in Dayton, OH (which I would imagine a majority of my readership does) don’t forget that there is a Dragon’s game tonight.  The line at the concession stand is a fantastic place to turn around and say hello to someone new!

If you have a great accomplishment through this assignment (or even a great failure) post it here!  We learn through experience, but sometimes it is easiest to learn through the experience of others!

There are a lot of people in the world who swear by the effectiveness of the twenty second commercial.  They find it useful, witty, pleasant and memorable.  I am not one of those people.

I am sure that I am opening up a whole new “can of worms” by going against this method of introduction, but really, it’s for your own good.  First let’s take a look at the standard 20 second commercial (elevator speech).

The general rule of thumb is to sandwich an interesting fact or creative way of saying what you do between your name and your position title and company.  Like this:

“Hello, my name is Bob Smith.  I help people develop themselves as professionals.  I am the personal branding consultant at Sean Bacon Enterprises.”

That’s probably overkill.  I know personally, if someone were to introduce themselves like that to me I would probably be very put off.  Having been to communication seminars before, I am well aware of the 20 second commercial and can smell it from a mile away.  This introduction does not speak to Bob’s dynamic personality, rather Bob’s ability to rehearse.

So here’s my recommendation.  The verbage for Bob would go something like this:

“Hi, I’m Bob, I’m a Personal Branding Consultant for Sean Bacon Enterprises.”

So what’s the difference? With the elimination of the flowery job description in the middle, Bob’s twenty second commercial just became Bob’s 5 second commercial.  The key to this is in delivery. 

Using your last name, dare I say, is a matter of personal preference.  I don’t use mine, partially because it is a breakfast food and I don’t want to deal with the incessant wise-cracks that follow, but mainly because if I am talking to you, there is a better than good chance that I just handed you my business card.  My last name is on it, 9 times out of 10 someone will at least read your name when you hand them your card. 

The reason behind the elimination of the flowery job description is that if someone is interested in what I currently do or what I can do for them in my current position, this will probably come up through the course of conversation.  If you’re trying to establish yourself as a professional entity rather than “that guy/girl who works for” you certainly want to consider this approach.

Here are a few additional rules to follow:

• Maintain soft eye contact:  don’t stare your new acquaintance down and don’t be checking out the cute sales rep standing behind them the whole conversation.
• Keep your handshake relatively firm: don’t crush their medicarpals and don’t allow your hand to turn into a dead fish.  Do your best to connect the crease between your thumb and your hand with the same spot on their hand, two pumps and release.
• If you can tell what they had for lunch, you’re probably standing too close.
• If your new acquaintance starts to lose interest, make a polite exit to the conversation, but still follow up within the next couple days.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Let’s talk about letterhead.  The first question to ask yourself when deciding what to do about personal letterhead is, “Do I need it?”  I’m going to be completely honest here: probably not…but it can’t hurt.  If you are in professional organizations that may require you to send out written communications in your name not in the name of the organization then you may want to consider it (there are a handful of other reasons too).  Now if you own your own business and it is set up as a sole proprietorship under your name and not a “Doing Business As” then you definitely need it.

The last thing that you want is for a professional communication to come from you on copier paper.  It looks and feels cheap and will not have the same impact that letterhead will have.  So, let’s talk about paper.  You want to use something that looks good and feels good in the hand.  My recommendation is to go with twenty-five percent cotton paper at a weight of at least twenty-four pounds.  This is comparable to resume paper.  Remember to only use text weight paper, cover stock and card stock would be overkill.

The design of your letter head should be very similar to the design of your business card.  If you are sending someone a personal communication, chances are you have met them before and they have seen your business card.  Sticking with the same theme will re-enforce that part of your brand in their minds.  If you have not met the person, include a copy or your business card in the folds of the letter. 

Your best option is to have the letter head printed at a company, preferably the same one that did your business cards, since they get the paper (which is relatively expensive) at a much lower cost than you will.  Plus it will save you the time of having to create and print all of this yourself.

Happy communicating!

OK, here’s the webfind of the week folks.  A huge part of professional development is gaining the ability to be organized.  Here is a website that focuses on just that! 

http://www.unclutterer.com

 A huge thank you goes out to Erin from Unclutterer for giving me permission to provide you with a link to this amazing blog.

Your business card says a lot about you, usually literally.  Most people have business cards that reflect who their employer is and what they do there and that’s fine, but typically you have little to no control over the content of those cards.  They usually consist of the same design that everyone else in your company has with the same logo, color scheme, and format.  These are fine when you’re networking for your company and trying to bring in business for someone else.  This post, however, deals with the personal brand.

This is when you need to decide if you want to establish yourself as an entity outside of your employer or if you want to be known as “that guy/girl who works for…”  First thing’s first:  you are not stabbing your employer in the back if you have a separate business card for just yourself.  If you are getting paid to network for your employer you should probably make sure you are doing that first, but you can carry both cards.  Don’t make a production out of handing people you meet each card individually though.  In your business card case arrange your cards so that first is your company card and your personal card is right underneath it and go every other one.  Then all you have to do is say “here are my cards” instead of “here is my card.”  So let’s talk a little bit more about your personal card.

If you are going to have a personal business card, the content should be slightly different from the content of the one you receive from your employer.  The good news: your name doesn’t change!  Where you would normally put your title, don’t.  Instead of a title, put what you want to be known for, for instance, my personal business card, in the title slot, says Marketing and Public Relations Professional.  A company derived title only says what you do, not who you are.  Remember we’re trying to establish you as you, not you as an employee of…

So, what else?  It’s for you to decide what personal information you decide to hand out to new contacts.  A very easy place to start is your e-mail address.  I would suggest a web based e-mail for this, my personal preference is Gmail.  If you are creating a new e-mail account, remember that your username is a reflection of who you are.  You don’t want the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to know you as  hotstud55@_____.com.

Next, you’ll want to include a phone number if you are comfortable doing so.  I wouldn’t recommend your house phone so much as I would a cellular phone for obvious reasons.  It’s entirely up to your discression, but I did not include my address on mine.  If you are comfortable doing so, go for it, but the first time I meet someone is not when I want them to know where I live.

Do you have a website, blog or social media profile that you’re particularly proud of?  Stick that on the bottom (or top whatever your preference may be).  It’s a great way to increase traffic to your site.

As far as paper goes, you probably want middle of the line.  Your business card can speak volumes about your credibility.  Sixteen pound copier paper as a business card say something all on it’s own.  I have met a few people who have business cards that almost feel like they are credit cards; high gloss shiny plastic makes a statement, but it might be over the top for your personality (and your budget).  A simple gloss or matte paper business card will do just fine. 

As far as design goes, you can use a pre-fabricated design or you can create one on your own if you’re design savvy.  Just make sure that the design is simple and doesn’t distract the eye away from the important part: you! 

My next few posts, at least, are going to be about the fine art of personal branding.  If you want to establish yourself as the absolute go-to for your particular field, you’re going to have to sell yourself as the absolute best in your field.  Business cards, resumes, blogs, websites, portfolios:  all these things are going to enter in to your personal brand.  Before I get too far into this, I want to hear some of your ideas on personal branding. 

What do you think is the single most important aspect of developing a personal brand?  Let the comments fly!