Less is more

Twitter 101--Gen Y Teaches Us Twitter: The tutorial, the insights, the Gen Y (recording now on Facebook)

This is the session you shouldn't have missed! But it is okay if you did because every single tip and insight that Jenny Blakeprovided was captured and is available for your to review at your leisure at the "Accomplishing more with less" group on Facebook.

Jenny covered many topics including:

• What is Twitter and how is it beneficial.
• What does someone need to know to get started with Twitter and using it effectively.
• What are the key commands and how to use them (step by step demo).
• How much time is best spent on Twitter?
• What resources are available to help participants learn more.

Finally, feel free to connect with Jenny and myself on Twitter (@jenny_blake and @pierrekhawand) and check out #twitter101webinar to learn more about comments and notes from the webinar.

Join us every Thursday for the complimentary lunch & learn webinars at noon Pacific Time.

When we don’t know what to do, e-mail comes to the rescue! A curse is disguise!

If we are unsure what to do, or hesitant to take on the next important and challenging task, consciously or subconsciously, what do we end up slipping into?

Into our e-mail inbox!

E-mail is “great” (or not so great) that way! It gives us this immediate satisfaction of getting something done and feeling good.  Does it sound like an addition? It is. And like any addition, the feeling good doesn’t last too long, and we seek more of it to bring back that feeling, but what happens is that we get increasingly and chronically “e-mail fatigued.”

So what can we do about it?

• How about becoming more purposeful and more intentional, and instead of resorting to e-mail (or Twitter—which is e-mail on steroid one might say), resorting to a few minutes of stopping and strategic thinking to really identify something meaningful to do.
   
• How about we take on the challenging task first instead of e-mail first. Let e-mail be the reward (if it can be called a reward) instead of being the pre-requisite. When we take on the challenging task first, we learn and develop. We also prompt the issues and bring ourselves to face the issues. As a result we feel more accomplished and we contribute more significantly to our team and organization!
   
• How about we disconnect for a bit (from e-mail, and even the web if applicable) and just focus on moving forward this important and strategic program or initiative. Adam. S. Christensen (our guest speaker, at the Gen X in Action webinar recently--recording available) said “I get the best work done when I am disconnected”. Try it out and see for yourself!

Whatever it is for you (E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever else)  what are you going to do about it? We look forward to your comments!

Check out The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook at Amazon.com for more tips about stopping and being purposeful!

How do you do a book reading and signing "virtually"? Here is how! Join us 11/12 or 12/2

Last week we did it! And we will have it again on 11/12 and 12/10. It is a book reading and signing webinar for The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook which we released recently at Amazon.com. The webinar starts with an intro about the book and how it developed, and proceeds into selected readings about a variety of topics which include:

• The Myth of Multitasking
• Filing messages
• Working strategically
• Starting the day with intention
• The Immediately Priorities Matrix™
• Managing stress

How does the “signing" part work? You might ask!

For those who purchase the book before or during the lunch & learn webinar from Amazon, and e-mail me their info, I "mail" (the good old snail mail) to them a signed card and include a signed gift certificate that would allow them to attend one of the People-OnTheGo online live workshops this Fall (or in Q1 2010 when the schedule is available) at no charge. It was a nice blend of the virtual and real worlds!

The recording of the last book reading is available on Facebook

If you cannot make the live webinars, and you're interested in learning more about The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook and hear about the topics listed above, visit the "Accomplishing more with less" group in Facebook and see the video!

Check out the book reviews on Amazon!

"Gen Y Teaches Us Twitter" wasn't just about Twitter but about the generations in the worksplace!

The session was about Twitter 101 in which Jenny Blake, Career Development Program Manager at Google, was informative, engaging, and insightful. Jenny, not only explained the benefits of Twitter and how it can be used to help streamline communication and be an effective networking and collaboration tool, but guided us through a step by step demonstration of the Twitter feature set with audience participation (that is whas Twitter is for afterall)!

We had two purposes for having this session

Back in July, we had a session with Jenny about Gen Y. If you missed that session, the full recording is on Facebook. Jenny provided some great insights into Gen Y’s work habits and priorities and their view on productivity and technology. A few weeks ago, we continued the theme of Generations in the Workplace, and Adam Christensen, CTO of HR Systems at Wells Fargo, represented Gen X and gave us his insights about Gen X. The recording of that session is also on Facebook.

Today’s session has two purposes:

1. One is to demystify twitter so if you haven’t yet ventured into this platform and wan to do so, or if you’re just curious about it, you can get quickly and easily up-to-date, learn the basic techniques, and see how people are using it, and what the benefits might be.
2. The second purpose though, which is just as important, is to continue the theme of “Generations in the Worplace” and get more insights about how Gen Y uses technology, and the role that Gen Y can play in the workplace, helping others/coaching others in becoming more familiar and comfortable with the latest trends in technology.

The session recording will be at the "Accomplishing more with less" group in Facebook next week!

Additional References

In Defense of Twitter (by Jenny Blake)

Resources about Twitter (also suggested by Jenny)

Also search for #twitter101webinar for more info!

This holiday season, give a different kind of gift!

What is the most precious thing that we all dream of having more of, and yet we find it virtually impossible to do so?

What I had in mind is “time”!

If we cannot create more time, maybe we can find innovative and unique ways to better utilize our time and feel accomplished instead of feeling hectic and overwhelmed and victimized by the information overload.

This holiday season, when you start to think about what special holiday gifts to get to your friends and family, or your colleagues, think outside the box. Think about the Accomplishing More With Less Workbook now available at Amazon.com. This will come just at the right time. The time when they are finishing the year and seeking ways to improve and start 2010 with a positive momentum. It would also be the perfect gift to add to your wish list or even treat yourself to.

By the way, this is what one of our readers indicated in their Amazon.com review

“I opened the workbook thinking - oh just another "how to". I was instantly struck in the first few pages. Set aside the time for the projects (stop the e-mail frenzy and other distractions). I read the book over the weekend and started my concentrated project time on Monday. Wow - did I accomplish a bunch, in only one day. That tip was just the beginning of a new way to work. THANKS”

More from the Accomplishing More With Less Workbook

Download The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook--Table of Contents

Download The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook--Introduction

Download The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook--Extract from first chapter

Taking the 3Rs of environmental awareness to your productivity practices

Environmentally aware consumers are producing less waste by practicing the “3 Rs”: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. When it comes to productivity and accomplishments, we can use these same guidelines and reap some enormous benefits. Try them out and report back (comments are welcome):

 

Reduce = Reduce the scope

Follow the 80/20 rule which says “80% of our results come from 20% of our effort”. Reduce the scope of most tasks by focusing on the core parts that produce the highest returns, and reduce or even eliminate the parts that are less impactful.

 

Reuse = Reuse what you do

Work on items that have multiple “applications” and that can be leveraged in many ways. If you are creating a marketing collateral for instance, could it be used on the website and on the blog. But don’t stop here! Why not include an excerpt and a link to the blog entry in your newsletter.

 

Recycle = Recycle the useful parts

Reflect on the projects and activities that you do, and see if you can identify components that can be repurposed. It maybe the actual content, the logic, or the process that can be adapted or re-engineered and then redeployed.

 

For more productivity tips, refer to The Accomplishing More Wtih Less Workbook! Now available at Amazon.com

 

"Do you have any pointers on making a Webinar successful" asked Gerry

Here are a few ideas, and please add your comments!

 

Some pointers for making your webinar successful

 

Logistics

• Provide a support number, especially for 1st time users
• Provide a backup plan, like a recorded version
• If more than 10 or 15 participants, put people on mute
• Use the “raise their hand” and/or “chat/question” panels to manage interactions
• If you can, have a moderator (other than you) monitor/handle the audience questions

Content

• Content is still king, nothing will make up for mediocre content
• Live demos are much better than static slides
• Visuals like images and charts are far better than just text
• Let the session tell a story, and create some suspense whatever the topic is
• Include some polls, get some interaction going
• Make it short & sweet, 45 minute to 1 hour
• Include a short break if longer than 1 hour
• Talk with a smile and with energy, like it is the most exciting content and it is the first time you deliver it

After

• Get immediate feedback via web survey, or else you might never get it
• Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!
• Adjust and do it again!

 

Generations in the Workplace--Gen X in Action! by Adam Christensen

What a better way to get more insights about Gen X’s work style and preferences, and how to best work with them, than to talk to Adam Christensen, who in addition to being a Gen X himself, manages an organization that spans across generations, geographies, and time zones. Adam, as the CTO of HR Systems at Wells Fargo, is responsible for all enterprise employee-related systems at Wells Fargo, including over 150 applications that provide employee portal, social networking, eLearning, payroll, benefits, recruiting, analytics and many other services to the Wells Fargo employees, managers, and contractors worldwide.

 

In this lunch & learn webinar last week, Adam provided his insights and shared his experiences relating to the generations in the workplace, focusing on Gen X, and touching on the topic of how generations can work together more effectively.

 

The recording is on Facebook!

 

To view the recording of the webinar, visit Facebook, and once you login, please search for the "Accomplishing more with less" group, and then in the group page, scroll to the bottom to see the videos, which include this recordings.

 

Hope you will be able to join us in future webinars! Next week's webinar is "Twitter 101: Gen Y Teaches Us Twitter" by our returning guest speaker Jenny Blake.

 

 

Special offer, today only (Fri. 10/16): Outlook, Excel, SharePoint Webinars!

Today's special offer not only gives you access to these webinars at the reduced $35 fee, but if you purchase one seat, you get to attend all three at no extra charge.

Once you purchase one seat at the $35 fee (in any of the three Webninars that are taking place next week), you can forward your receipt to training@people-onthego.com and request to be registered for the other two.

Microsoft SharePoint Techniques

October 20, 12:00pm PT, 2 hrs ($35 if purchased today)

Microsoft Excel 2007 Techniques

October 22, 9:30am PT, 90 min ($35 if purchased today)

Managing & Organizing Your Inbox in Outlook 2003

October 22, 11:30am PT, 90 min (35 if purchased today)

Hope you will be able to join us!

Questions? E-mail training@people-onthego.com or call 415.503.1649

Upcoming lunch & learn webinar: Twitter 101--Gen Y Teaches Us Twitter

Join us in this session and witness Jenny Blake, Career Development Program Manager at Google (our returning guest speaker), demystify Twitter! If you haven’t yet experimented with Twitter or been thinking that it is just a place where people post what they had for lunch and when they’re going to the gym, this session will show you how Twitter can be useful, how people are using it, and give you a step by step introduction on how to get started and use it yourself. 

Jenny, who was our guest speaker on "Generations in the Workplace: Gen Y in Action" returning to share her experience and tips on Twitter. If you haven’t heard Jenny’s presentation about Gen Y, you can check it out at the “Accomplishing more with less” group on Facebook.

Reserve your seat today!

Hope you will be able to join us!