The Three Elements of an Effective Social Media Strategy:
- Be Real
- Be Focused
- Be Consistant
Mr. Arruda believes social media is important to a personal brand for an executive. “Social media can be your best opportunity for enhancing relationships and expanding your brand.” What about the rest of us? Does social media actually make relationships better? Or just waste time and make me think it is useful?
Sarah Mae via Becoming Minimalist:
20 toys sounds like a lot… or maybe it doesn’t. But you’d be surprised at how many things children can accumulate. I was shocked when we began moving towards 20 toys each. We don’t spoil our children and I already had been pretty strict about the toy situation. But when I sat with my son in his room that day, I had to face the fact that we had allowed in too much stuff.
I feel like that we are in exactly the same place. Christmas, birthdays, hand-me-downs, it’s all so much. Maybe the kids don’t feel as overwhelmed as I do when I walk into their rooms, but maybe they do. Maybe 20 toys is a good place to start…
Sarah Rae Smith on Apartment Therapy:
- Do The Dishes
- Pick Up Outerwear
- Replace Entertainment
- Tie Off Trash
- Make A List
I love routine… and making lists!
I was looking over the “Top 25” restaurants in Fort Wayne on TripAdvisor and was embarrassed at how many I have never tried. I really like trying new restaurants. In fact, one year, my wife and I ate at a different restaurant every week for a year1. That was before kids though. These days, we only go out once or twice a month and it seems to be the same old favorites. I would like to share ten of the my favorites in the Fort:
What’s your favorite?
Consistency is an important element in success. And the only prerequisite for consistency is perseverance.
Perseverance can be hard. But, here’s the beautiful part: Perseverance is one secret of success available to each of us.
Every day, when you wake up, you have a choice. You can live your day the simple way, or you live it the complex way.
Why do I feel like I live every day the complex way? Great short read by Rahul Singh.
Writing has provided opportunity to refine opinions. Dawson Trotman once said, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and the fingertips.” He was right. Writing has required me to both understand and articulate my opinions. It has forced me to research my assumptions, defend them, and change when necessary.
Joshua Becker and his blog becomingminimalist have provided me a lot of inspiration in the last couple of months. I look forward to his new book coming out later this year.
Unlike most, I decided to go with the iPhone 6+. Yes, the big one. Yes, I really do put it up to my face and talk on it. Yes, my friends make fun of me. But I love it. Mostly.
I choose the large model because I wanted to stop carrying around my iPhone and my iPad Mini. I want only one device with me and I was hoping that this would be a good compromise. I use my iPad mostly for watching movies and reading books– consumption. Ironically though, I am writing this post on the iPad 1. And so far, the phone has worked well as my main consumption device.2
But there is a problem. A big problem. The phone is too big to fit in my jean’s pocket. My iPhone 5S spent many hours comfortably nestled in that front right pocket. I will not get a belt holster. I did try the man purse route, but it was just too much trouble. I want as little to carry as possible. (I even got rid of my wallet in favor of a iPhone card case)
I have read that many successful people only wear one outfit. I currently only wear one outfit3 to work, but my out-of-work attire varies from khaki’s to sweats. The iPhone conundrum provided a convenient excuse to work toward that goal.
My answer so far is the TacLite Pro Pants by 5.11. Large Pocket for my phone. Room for my pocket holster. Plenty of space for everything4, very comfortable, and I do think they look nicer then blue jeans.
The downside is that my wife says that it look too “militaristic.” Nothing is perfect. I think I might try the Covert Cargo Pants when these wear out though.
A new phone deserves new pants.
Steve Pavlina’s rules for optimizing the highly creative flow state:
- Define a clear purpose.
- Identify a compelling motive.
- Architect a worthy challenge.
- Provide a conducive environment.
- Allocate a committed block of time.
- Prevent interruptions and distractions.
- Master your tools.
From 2007, but as with many productivity articles, this one stands the test of time. I really need to work on item five. He says that his truly creative output starts in hour two…. most of my creative sessions don’t even last two hours…
