Rick Ross on Business, Software and Life

Planning, Prognosticating or Procrastinating?

The word "plan" connotes a degree of certainty. One expects a thoughtfully constructed timeline consisting of activities and contingencies. Attention to a few common issues can help avoid compromising the plan's integrity or unnecessarily delaying the project.

Issues

Wanting to eliminate the unexpected, investors and stakeholders often demand that managers "get it right". They insist on knowing the precise details of how a project will play out.  

Unfortunately, their "need to know" doesn't alter reality. Uncertainty is part of life and always a part of projects. Efforts to mitigate it are essential and a key goal of planning. However, attempts to banish uncertainty completely by sweeping it under the rug just setup a vengeful return at an inconvenient later date. 

Business Game Changers #2 - 5 Surprising Ways to Learn More

Point

The internet provides a daily deluge of information and ideas. Failure to utilize them means risking your business or professional edge. A carefully crafted learning strategy is needed to derive maximum benefit.

Action

Use a blog reader

The best blogs provide the latest information in concise high value packages. Blog readers save selected sources for ultra-efficient review and provide significant advantages over email subscriptions.

For those that don't currently use a one, the advantages may not be obvious. They become more apparent in direct proportion to the number of sources you follow. Blog readers help you visually scan only posts that have been written since the reader's last use. The task of separating posts into "read" and "don't read" becomes fast and easy.

Make a written list of sources to ignore

It's impossible to review everything that becomes available each day. Being highly selective about the sources you review and, even more importantly, those that you don't is a key to success.

Do you really need to read about the latest violent crime or the latest celebrity scandal? Add these items or others that don't support your educational goals to a written "don't read or watch" list. At a minimum, commit to limiting your exposure to them to a few minutes a day or just ignore them completely.

Don't spend much time making the list. Instead, consider it a "work in progress" and update it as needed.

Voice Notes Done Right

Voice notes are a great way to capture thoughts and ideas. But there are so many devices on which to record them, which one is best? Common options include the "Voice Notes" application available on most cell phones, a pocket recorder or even your MP3 player.

However, there's an even better and more convenient option, one that's probably been available to you for years - your office voice mail box. To record a thought while driving, simply use a headset to voice dial your office and leave a message for yourself. No fumbling with other clumsy devices required. You'll be reminded of the information upon your return when you check your messages. Of course, as with any call, you can save the thought for later retrieval.  

One final thought: is calling yourself like talking to yourself?