by Daria Steigman on March 2, 2010
I was listening to the UStream feed from Hawaii on Saturday. While I was generally impressed with the state’s emergency preparedness planning, there was one piece of advice that I think needs revisiting. When asked where people should turn for evacuation details, officials advised checking the routes printed in the phone book.
With more people ditching their landlines and even more of us relying on the Internet and smartphones for information, just assuming people have a phone book seems out of touch.
Do you have a phone book? And where would you turn first for advice in an emergency?
Photo by Ed Kohler (Flickr).
Tagged as:
Hawaii,
UStream
by Daria Steigman on February 8, 2010
Neighbors building a snow fort.
Unless you’re living under a rock, you probably know that the Saints won the Superbowl and that the Washington region is slowly digging out from a blizzard. While #snowmaggedon’s been a good trending topic, my favorite snow hashtags today are #snowmore (via Colleen Campbell) and #clusterflake (via Line Storgaard Conley). But I’m wondering if we’re missing one: #snowbored.
You see, several friends whose offices are closed have called me to chat. What’s interesting is the trend: no one who called me this morning actively uses social media. So the only way they can connect is an old-fashioned way. So while the rest of us connect and keep working, they’re reaching out for company.
Do you have any #snowbored friends? Can they update Facebook, speak in 140 characters, or define a hashtag?
Tagged as:
#snowbored,
Colleen Campbell,
Line Storgaard Conley,
New Orleans Saints,
Social Media
by Daria Steigman on January 4, 2010
I intended for my first blog post of the work year to focus on my overall approach to 2010, but instead I find myself looking backwards. Not to 2009 per se, but to the actions I took during my two weeks of downtime that have given me a running start into the new year.
You see, while I blocked off my calendar and did no billable work, I actually got a lot done:
- Set up a new computer, including transferring all my files from the old one, getting the network connection operational, and downloading TweetDeck, Skype, and other critical programs.
- Discovered the Sticky Notes utility program, which will nicely replace some of the physical post-it notes for to-do items. (It helps that I have a big, wide-screen monitor now, so that a sticky note can sit at the edge of my desktop without taking up valuable real estate)
- Closed my 2009 books, meaning every invoice, expense, and receipt has now been accounted for and all I have to do is print out the ledgers come tax time.
- Implemented Operation Inbox Zero. Well, technically Inbox 7, but they’re all items that will be acted on today–and then they’re toast.
- Sorted through e-mail folders, which involved skimming through old client files and deleting over 1,300 e-mails dealing with past projects, tasks, and the like.
- Implemented Operation Clean Office. This involved ruthlessly tossing all the books, papers, computer disks, and backup tapes from years past that had at one time fallen into that pesky “keep for now” status. A 4×4x2.5 pile of items into the dumpster later, I have shelf space, filing space, and a clutter-free desk.
I enter the new year with three takeaways:
1) Each of these tasks takes only 2-3 hours (except for the computer set-up, which ended up being more of an all-day affair. But that’s largely because I took advantage of the ritual to organize files, delete obsolete stuff, and so forth.)
2) Don’t think you can do everything at one. I tackled these tasks one-at-a-time over the two-week period, and then spent the rest of my day doing fun stuff. That made each task less daunting, and every day I made progress.
3) You have to schedule this stuff. A lot of the back-end administrative stuff gets out of hand when I’m busy with client work and/or business development. I was reminded (again) that I need to schedule time to handle these tasks on a weekly basis, much as I schedule everything else in my business. That way I’m hoping they take only 30 minutes a week and I keep my office under control.
So that’s where I find myself this first work day of 2010. What about you?
Tagged as:
Business,
Workflow
by Daria Steigman on January 1, 2010
Wishing everyone a fun, successful, and wondrous 2010.
And thank you. For reading my blog. For your support, contributions, comments, and ideas. I’ll be back to posting more regularly on January 4. Until then, happy holidays.
Photo by doug88888 (Flickr).
Tagged as:
2010
by Daria Steigman on October 19, 2009
I’m in Cleveland for the IABC Heritage Region conference, and looking forward to our panel later today on starting and running a business in a downturn. I’ll blog about the conference later; a couple road trip revelations right now.
Technology Overload. All I needed to know was that my route went to Breezewood, onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike, to the Ohio Turnpike, and then turn off to Cleveland. But now we have too many satellite views, and the mapping companies feel the need to tell you about every turn–but not the big picture. (Yes, I got a little lost getting into the city. But then the old-fashioned telephone got me back on track.)
Comfort Music. I didn’t realize this until I ripped CDs on Saturday morning, but I needed a weird mix of new wave, country rock, 60s pop, indie rock, and a little salsa.
More from Cleveland later. Cleveland Indians’s Bob DiBiasio is starting his talk about PR in the baseball realm.
I was listening to the UStream feed from Hawaii on Saturday. While I was generally impressed with the state’s emergency preparedness planning, there was one piece of advice that I think needs revisiting. When asked where people should turn for evacuation details, officials advised checking the routes printed in the phone book.
