Hail Of A Day

This is an outstanding post by Chris Brogan about writing emails that get a response. With the increase of emails that we both send and receive it’s easy to get lazy in responding, and frustrating to not get answers. We should always be looking for better ways to cut through the clutter in others’ inboxes.

If you don’t want to follow the link, here are a few highlights:

• One Decision Per Email - increases odds of getting a quick response
• Don’t spend several paragraphs trying to justify why you’re asking something, just ask it.
• Effective signature line
• Use subject line effectively, i.e. Following Up, Deadline Friday

I’m going to implement some of these suggestions, so you better answer my emails if I send one to you.

Writing Email That Gets Answered | chrisbrogan.com

Tags: email

I know that this post has an incredibly boring title that will put most of you to sleep, but it’s a great article about productivity for the guy like me (and a few of you are like me).

How Batch Processing Made Me 10 Times More Productive

I came across this great quote the other day:

Most presentations aren’t better for being longer, most conference calls aren’t better for being extended, most meetings aren’t more productive because you spent more time in the room. It’s just that in this age of super-sizing everything from hamburgers to automobiles, we’ve become addicted to the idea that more is better. I am here to ask you to join my revolution, to tattoo on your brain, if not your backside, that “More isn’t better. Better is better.”

It’s true, isn’t it? Our whole tendency as a society is to grow, conquer, be bigger and better. I find that I’m always approaching any system or ideal with the thought, “how can I improve this?” That’s not a bad thing if you are trying to make it better, but I think that I fall into the trap of throwing bodies at it. Can we learn to separate better from bigger? And at the heart of it all, can I learn to be content. That is a powerful word. It has gained such a negative connotation in our competitive, business world but the bible says that it is a virtue of a person at peace. Changing for the sake of changing is, at it’s core, a sign of restlessness. So I challenge us all to learn to practice contentment, parallel to our quest for betterment.

Tags: leadership

From the Lifehacker.com blog, I’m really curious to give this a try. I’ll report my findings after the next trip.

Now that most of the major airlines have begun charging an extra fee for checking a second bag, National Public Radio’s All Things Considered tackles the art of one-bag packing, interviewing Doug Dyment, owner of previously mentioned OneBag.com. In the piece, Dyment suggests that the key to a one-bag trip is making a list of your must-haves and sticking to it. In all the story offers some good advice, but since we’ve covered one-bag territory a lot in the past, hit the jump for some of our favorite tips for traveling light.

• First, also from OneBag, comes the bundled-wrapping method of packing. Folding your clothes with this method will not only keep your gear more compact than rolling, but it also means less wrinkles.
• If you simply can’t fit everything you need into one bag (this better be a long trip!), you might prefer shipping your luggage ahead rather than paying for the extra bag just so you can lug it around the airport.
• On the other side of the coin, if you’re looking to save time at the terminal and avoid the huge lines at baggage check, you may also benefit from these tips for traveling with one carry-on.
• With a ruthless checklist of acceptable items, you can even pack your vacation into one backpack.
• Finally, if you’re really into packing light and you’re not afraid of spending a little cash and buying specifically for the purpose, check out how author Tim Ferriss travels the world packing less than 10 pounds.

If you’ve got your own favorite tips for stuffing all your gear in one bag as summer vacation approaches, let’s hear them in the comments.