Today marks my Wife and I being married for two whole years. The second went by a lot faster than the first, especially since we have become ‘three.’ I did this in brush pen & ink and left it on the baby’s dresser for my wifey to see when she got up. I guess it is a flattering comment when she asked whether I did it on the computer or by hand.
I love “GTD.” As our society gets progressively more hyped on technology and endlessly busier, we need to organize the barrage of “things” that get thrown at us on a daily basis. “To Do” lists are too general and don’t help us separate the the truly actionable items from the multi-step projects. Yet, everyone writes them out every time they feel overwhelmed. How many times have you created a “To Do” list that never gets done? Simply listing tasks may only work if you’re doing one thing (i.e. going to the grocery store). But we Americans love to multi-task and a linear “To Do” list falls apart at the seams when it comes to managing an influx of multiple, yet separate, projects.
2-Half Task Manager
Full Page Task Manager
The Paper Task Manager is a unique, three-column design that breaks down a multi-faceted work flow into three separate parts. First, you have your “Next Actions.” That is the very next action, whether it be a phone call, signing up for the gym or getting the oil changed. It is only ONE action and does not require any other steps to complete. An Action may be part of a bigger project. As a part of a project, the “Next Action” should progress the “Project” one-step toward completion. The middle “Waiting For..” column is for a piece of information or contribution from someone else that you are waiting on to further the current project.
How to use… Let’s say your Mom nominated you to host July 4th festivities this year. Even if you’re getting it catered and having butlers serve you hand and foot, this is still considered a “Project.” So write, “July 4th get-together” in the Project column. Problem is, you’re not a very good cook, but you want to impress your Mom by making Grandma’s Famous Red Bliss Potato Salad. Your “Next Action” would be to call Grannie to ask her the recipe. If she has to get it in her cookbook, but can’t seem to find it at the moment (oh, that forgetful Grannie), she will have to call you back. Now, you’re “Waiting For” Grannie to call you back with the recipe. Now that you’ve written it down, it is safe to move on to another action, like Googling a local catering company.
How to get your Paper Task Manager sheets : click on the thumbnail images of the sheets in this post. A separate pop-up window should come up with the .jpg image of the paper. Download it or print it directly from your web browser.
There are two types that I’ve come up with : The full-page version for many tasks and projects, and the 2 half-page version, which is ideal if you have a work / home division (which is good) that you would like to see at the same instant. The idea is to have a high altitude to see all of the “stuff on your plate” at any given time.
You can print these pages on any normal inkjet or laser printer. I would recommend color copies because….well…it’s pretty. If you need to, you may have to select an option to “shrink to fit page.” Print as many as you’d like, but you will probably need one for the moment and then have backups when you’ve made progress on all of life’s complicated tasks.
Sit down with this page and think of all the open ends in your life. Alternatively, take a walk around your home or office and you may be quickly reminded of a project that was never quite finished, situation that went unresolved, etc. Write them all down in the “Project” column and figure out the very “Next Action” that needs to happen to move the project toward completion.
The Paper Task Manager also works exceptionally well in a notebook, whether it be 3-ring binder or a Levnger Circa (I prefer the latter). Put it at the very front of your organizer so when you first open the cover, you will see where you left off from yesterday. When I get back from a meeting or a long phone call, I always check back with my sheet to see what can be worked on next.
So, if anyone gets the chance to try out the system, please drop me a comment and let me know how it worked for you and if there are any suggestions to make it better. Hopefully, it will help some poor, Post-It dependent, To-Do lister out there make a more comprehensive assessment of their tasks.
It’s been a while since I updated my own blog. Alas, my brand is suffering. My daughter is getting older (9 months now) and free time has slowly evaporated ever since she was about 5 months old. No longer can you just sit her down in front of her toys and NOT expect her to be on the other side of the room in a minute. I turn my head and she’s got my car keys headed out the door.
I’ve been concentrating my efforts on the company blog : Goldspot Pens. At almost at 100 posts from the blog’s creation in February of 2009, I’ve picked up over 160 RSS subscribers and get about 50 visits per day. This year, I’ve really stepped it up, going from about 4 posts per month in 2009 to about a dozen per month this year. Combined with promotion of the blog on the website, our Facebook page and updates on Twitter, we’ve developed quite a following.
My non-work time is continually a work-in-progress. We’ve tried the Mom and Dad Guide blog with no success in even getting out of the first two weeks with new content. I say “we” because, beyond me involvement in getting it started up and designed, my wife was supposed to be cranking out the posts, inspired by the little one’s development and exploration. Maybe when she’s off in the summer, you may start to see a resurgence from the prolonged hiatus.
Art-wise, I haven’t done anything. Looking to change that, I would love to spend next week, which I will be taking off, exploring some ideas for a series of designs that can be marketable on this website, Zazzle, Cafepress and the like. Besides taking care of baby, I will make it my priority to work on this and have something to show for it.
So, as many patrons to art and artists would know, the typical commission structure would be for the artist to offer a menu of sizes and mediums for a price. The client says, “gee, I would like an oil portrait of my son in a 16″ by 20″ canvas.” The price would be sitting right there on the menu, letting you know that your decision will run you x amount of dollars.
Many folks are cash-strapped and may get scared off by a high priced menu and may not know what exactly they are getting for their money up front. What I would propose is a backwards way of doing commission work. The client approaches the artist and says, “I want an oil portrait of my son and I want to pay $50.” The artist would then come back and agree on a specific size for the piece, depending on how much time and the cost of materials would be involved to justify the price. If the client agrees, deposit is taken and the piece is created.
Are there any artists out there who have worked in this manner? How has it worked for you and would you recommend it being a better work-flow than doing commissions the traditional way?
They say sales is a contact sport. If used properly, an e-mail marketing campaign is like running a full blitz with pixels. In part 2 of my series on e-mail newsletters, we will delve into the “when” aspect. Simply blasting an e-mail to your clients, customers and prospects may lower the potency of your beloved contact list and forever burn that bridge of communication with them.
To effectively manage this juggernaut of a marketing tool, you must establish a rhythm with your audience. First of all, when they first sign up for your newsletter, make sure you are letting them know how often you intend on contacting them, along with the type of content they expect to receive. If you are planning on sending them a newsletter every month about your newest pieces of artwork and upcoming gallery shows, say so upfront. If you are an e-tailer that says you are sending a promotional e-mail about weekly sales, but end up “blasting” the customer more than twice a week with the same promotion, your customers will know when they’ve had enough sooner than later.
I once had a negative experience with signing up for an Aeropostale e-mail newsletter. One morning I was shopping for new pants online and decided to give the whole “buying clothes online without trying them on” a whirl. While the clothes part worked out, I got annoyed immediately with how they barraged me with promotional e-mails right after I purchased from their website. I hadn’t even received the package yet with my goods and I was sent 4 e-mails with sales fliers. All I did was check off a checkbox that agreed for them to send me promotions. It did not specify that for every weekend sale, I was going to get an e-mail on Friday declaring that the sale was taking place and then a follow-up e-mail on Sunday to let me know that there isn’t much time left before my wardrobe turns to stone, so I better buy some more pants! No, thanks. Unsubscribed in less than a week of that shinanigans. And it’s a shame too, because I really like the clothes from there and, as my wife kindly informs me, I have clothes in my closet from back in high school that need replacing.
What is appropriate has to be in tune with your marketing strategy as a company. The hotly anticipated iPad was introduced by Steve Jobs in late January to a theater of salivating techies. Amidst rumors that the initial launch was going to be delayed, they kept the “Coming Soon” sign up until March 12th when everyone on Apple’s e-mail newsletter list received word that April 3rd would be the official release date. Simple and to the point, they know that their product speaks for itself with all the hype, buzz, whatever-you-wanna-call-it that surrounds each of their product launches. This gentle reminder gives the consumer time to put aside cash in their income tax refund to play with this new, overgrown iPod Touch. I’ll admit, I have no interest in buying the iPad, but I was still compelled to click and check out all the features and prices so I may convince someone I’m acquainted with to buy one.
Overview:
In the third installment, we will get more into the philosophy of e-mail newsletter design. Is it a sales flier or an actual newsletter? Which is more effective, and for whom?
Pen Company gets blasted from Mommy Bloggers
Twitter Feed Blast
Nestle gets bitten
Don’t let this post dissuade you from being social on the internet, participating in online networks and promoting your brand online through Facebook or Twitter. This just serves as a warning to folks who think you can do no wrong by having these outlets available to your customers.
Before cable modems and fiber optics, businesses had to fear customer backlash through letters, op-ed pieces in the local newspaper, boycott fliers and picket lines. The online equivalent of these consumer reactions has now become e-mailing, tweeting and posting on the company’s Facebook Fan Page. This information goes 100 times faster than the old-school methods. By the time you finished running the copier to make the fliers for your protest, 30 flaming comments have popped up on the Facebook page and the issue has been tweeted and re-tweeted another 30 times.
A majority of companies and brands have a compulsory social networking account, either on Twitter, Facebook or both (LinkedIn coming in a distant third). These are set up with the mindset that they have to join the fray or get left behind. That being said, they have little idea of what they are getting themselves into and do nothing to add value to this method of communication. Many don’t realize that creating a Facebook page isn’t like putting a new sign up in the store window that says “you’re hip.” Building a social networking presence is more like installing a new, special telephone line that exists for the internet socialistas to call you on. Oh, and it’s a two-way line, so you need to also pick up the phone and do some reaching out yourself, otherwise, you may never get another ring.
Businesses that open up this channel of communication and do little to cultivate discussion other than post or tweet sales and other marketing messages are not taking advantage of the real connection you could be having with your clients. Instead, they leave themselves open for hot complaints and upset customers to tarnish their reputation.
Observing the two blowouts that happened in the last few weeks, one involving a small internet pen company and the other a massive food company, it is clear that being a sound business in ethics and public relations is a MUST, especially when using online social media. Nestle is continuing to get hammered by people on their Facebook Fan page over the use of Palm Oil from rainforests that are being rapidly deforested. According to their replies, they are pledging to use only “Certified Sustainable Palm Oil by 2015.” In five years? In their defense, they are trying all they can to allay the public’s fears and criticisms. They are posting on a daily basis to update the 92,000 fans that they are doing everything in their power to fix the situation. However, in the realm of the instant internet, a five-year plan may as well take place in another lifetime.
Then there’s the aforementioned pen company. Apparently, in an e-mail discussion with a Mommy blogger (definition : a Mom that likes to blog about being a Mother, or various other aspects of Motherhood), a representative of the company quickly dismissed the blogger’s inquiry to “work with her,” saying “not to waste their time,” and to “get a real job.” Well, us bloggers LOVE to share our opinions, especially when we are disenfranchised. The Mommy blogger writes a post about the topic, gets comments from other Mommy bloggers and gets them riled up to leave wall posts on the pen company’s fan page and flame them on Twitter (as seen in the screenshots above). To this day, the company has yet to respond publicly to the criticism. In the few weeks that have passed, they did post a couple of sales to their Facebook and Twitter profiles. It makes me laugh. How effective is that going to be since your name has been trashed all over those social networks you are trying to market through? Either they are entirely clueless to the fact that they were bombed with all of these comments or they are ignoring it completely. I believe the latter. Someone must have called them or e-mailed them to complain or give them a piece of their Mommy-blogging minds. From the tone of the e-mail exchange that originally started this meltdown, it seems they didn’t give a shit to begin with.
What can we hope to learn from these blunders? Lets pretend that, although we run a sound, ethical business and foster a decent rapport with customers online, we get hit with a flame on our Facebook page. As a Page Admin, you have the power to delete any objectionable content that gets posted on your wall or comments. In the case of Nestle, they asked for people not to post pictures of their logo defamed. “[The pictures] will be deleted,” they state on their page. So, if it happens to be a customer is blowing off steam about a legitimate complaint, contact the person privately (old-school phone call works best here), refer to the comment they made online and address the situation. Once you have smoothed things over (you charmer), you can gently remind them that, since the problem is now settled, you would appreciate the revision or removal of the online comment.
If your company gets flamed on Twitter, you better hope it hasn’t gotten so out of control that your company is a national trending topic (#disaster). The same considerations apply here. You may want to find out the customer’s real name or e-mail address by direct messaging them on Twitter. Then, you can address the grievance and kindly ask that a follow up tweet be made that the issue was resolved.
One side note about social networks is that it isn’t all about Twitter and Facebook. True, there is only so much time in the day to keep track of everything going on and everyone that may or may not be slandering your company. You definitely want to pick and choose the digital water coolers that current and past customers frequent. Many industries and trades have specific discussion boards or online forums that are visited daily by people in your business. Along with your Facebook and Twitter accounts, make sure you are keeping tabs on the people talking on these forum websites. With these tips, hopefully, you won’t end up as a Social Media FAIL.
Did this design for my brother-in-law last year in the summer since he wanted a bad-ass Archangel Michael slaying a demon on his ribcage. He’s not planning on getting it anymore. It’s a shame because I thought it was really bad-ass. I believe I used Pigma Micron Pens
“Lady Gaga” 8 7/8″ x 5 2/3″ drawing using a variety of 4H, HB, 3B and 7B pencils on sketch paper. Although I’m mostly into rock bands like Coheed and Cambria, Muse, Alkaline Trio, Metallica, Bad Religion, etc., Pop sometimes hits a soft spot in my heart. Yes, I will jam to Gaga in the car. Although many will say that her fashion choices are over-the-top, glam or a desperate cry for attention, I find them interesting and entertaining, which I can’t say for most pop acts out there. I will be putting this up for sale on the net somewhere, possibly Etsy. I don’t know if I should get a matte for it, especially since the size I made it wasn’t a typical matte opening size. As always, comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome.
Just finished up this pencil drawing of my baby girl. I’ve been meaning to do a drawing of my daughter since I also did a drawing of Dante’s first bath as a puppy a few years ago. I happened to have a frame empty that used to have a sketch I did back in college. Believe it or not, I really don’t do pencil drawings that much. Spending a lot of time working with Adobe CS4 programs makes me want to go back to the old-school techniques of pencil & paper. Each time I go back, I find myself bringing a new approach and a new way of contemplating the piece.
Overall, I’m happy with the results and this will be a nice piece to hang in the new apartment.
Hi, my name is Tom, and I run two successful e-mail marketing newsletter campaigns for separate, non-competing retail websites. This is the first installment of an instructional mini-series about how to effectively create and maintain an e-mail marketing campaign. Besides having a functional and friendly website, having an outbound marking program is crucial to keep your clients and prospects interested in your business.
