I just spent about eight hours over the past week dealing with a lemon of a new computer. In 2-3 hour time blocks, I alternately tried to get the operating system updates installed, tweeted with @WindowsSupport, and talked to Costco Concierge. The last straw was when...
I’m using the phrase “productivity hacks” because it sounds a lot sexier than saying “tools I found online to help me do my job a little better or a little easier.” And, yes, my best hacking days (such that they exist) are ahead of me. Here are four tools I’ve...
I love bacon, but this post isn't about bacon. It’s about Google. Or, more precisely, Google Apps for Business, which I entrust with delivering my business email. Which it turns out is a really, really smart decision. I woke up the other morning and discovered that my...
Success may come unexpectedly, but it’s rarely accidental. Alexander Fleming might not have been looking for penicillin, but he was running lab experiments. Roy Plunkett was trying to create a better refrigerant when he stumbled upon Teflon. Play-Doh was supposed to...
Do people know how to contact you? You're probably nodding, "Well, doh." Check anyway. Check your Web site, your business card, your stationery, and all your social profiles to make sure the information is up-to-date and the links are accurate (and working). If you...
I'm using the phrase "productivity hacks" because it sounds a lot sexier than saying "tools I found online to help me do my job a little better or a little easier." And, yes, my best hacking days (such that they exist) are ahead of me. Here are three tools I've...
From 24/7 access to digital ubiquity, the ways that we find information, process data, learn, and make decisions are rapidly changing -- transforming us and our relationships with screens and with each other. It's also changing how we work. A new article looks at five...
The lines were long, and getting longer. No surprise, really, as there were only two open checkout counters in the grocery store--one for customers with 15 items or fewer, the other for everyone else. As I stood there, I remembered that the last time I got stuck in...
It's a new year, but are you still doing the "same old, same old?" I wrote recently about knowing when to fold--giving up a product or a service or even a business development strategy that's run its course. But there's another thing business owners need to consider:...
For 2012, I've decided that I don't need to reinvent the wheel. Last year, I picked out 3 little words--crayons, velcro, and abandon--to guide my business. The whole point was to keep me focused on moving forward, while giving myself permission to take risks again....