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Life, Weekends, Memories — Finding Time for the Time of Your Life

September 22, 2006 by Liz

I've been thinking . . .
One Friday ritual that happens in offices is that people ask What are you doing this weekend? I’ve never been good at small talk in general, but I had to study to answer that question.

I kept a list of responses that sounded somewhat normal.

“I’m going for quiet and relaxation.”

“I think a good book is in order.”

“I have an appointment with my pillow.”

“I’m just so happy to be having a weekend.”

You might note that all of my answers basically say the same thing that my friend, KB, once said, “Liz doesn’t do weekends.”

I used to say, “Hey, I made my quota of decisions at the office. The last thing I want to do is come home to make more of them — decide what to do, where to go, what to eat, where to eat it, when to go there, what to wear.”

So instead I’d stay home and let life happen.

Sometimes life happens in ways worth remembering. Most often it doesn’t. Time just passes.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. I don’t make plans — too many options. I can talk myself out of almost anything.

“Do something.”

“Do what?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“How about this. Too crowded.”

“This? Too expensive.”

“This? Too far. . . . too early . . . too late . . . too extravagant . . . too boring . . . too edgy . . . too too.”

I think I should stay home.

I care more about who I do things with than what I do. So when someone suggests anything, I go. Most cool things I’ve done have been because someone invited me.

That sure is a passive way to live life, waiting for it to come to me.

I’m getting back in the driver’s seat. Plans are now part of my personal navigation. I’m finding time for the time of my life.

Life isn’t made of weekends. It’s made of memories.

I’ve decided it’s time to start making some outstanding ones.

Liz's Signature

Filed Under: Business Life, Motivation, SOB Business, Successful Blog Tagged With: balance, bc, Business Life, Productivity

7 Great Ways to Connect with Other Bloggers While You’re Out Reading Blogs

September 18, 2006 by Liz

Blogging Is Lonely Without Someone to Talk to . . .

relationships button

It started in 1993, long before there were blogs. It was named “The Endless September.” That was when AOL unleashed masses of untrained users onto the Internet. Until then, it has only been a yearly advance of college freshmen.

Before that time, such clue-lacking lusers were a small trickle every September when the college freshman hit the computers to which they got free access when they paid their college tuition. At that time, it was manageable with suggestions to lurk a while and observe how others behaved before jumping in with cluelessness, with polite, behind-the scenes education when nettiquette was breached, and with an occasional BOFH wielding a large mallet when the polite education didn’t stick.
The Endless September

I bring this up for a reason. . . . hinky un-blogger-like things have been happening around here. I see the pattern now and it seems that the Endless September is back on.

Ew, how embarrassing to wake up one day and realize that comments and trackbacks are like diamonds . . . they last.

Burned bridges and drive-by comments aren’t pretty.

Relationships, on the other hand, are what blogging’s about.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Personal Branding, Strategy/Analysis, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog-promotion, customer-relationships, Endless-September, personal-branding, Productivity

5 + 1 Safety Rules for Dangerous Deadlines: Finding Quality Time

September 14, 2006 by Liz

The Now Infamous Deadline Post

power writing at work

It happens often. A delicious project, a dream idea, lands firmly on our desks. It’s something we could make truly outstanding. Just as we’re about to fall in love, we find out one last detail — the inevitable string attached.

“It’s due when?”

“The drop-dead date is somewhere between ridiculous and can’t be done.”

A deadline like that is a dangerous thing.

A deadline like that puts too much focus on schedule.

Quality and Schedule

The quiet conflict between quality and schedule can be a problem on almost any project. The problem stems from a basic reality.

Schedule is something that everyone can see.
Quality is something you have to judge.

Human nature makes us want to look good in places where people look.


[Read more…]

Filed Under: Productivity, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blogging-business, deadlines, Power-writing-at-work, Productivity, quality-content, time-management

SOB Business Cafe 08-18-2006

August 18, 2006 by Liz

SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

A Consuming Experience offers us an in-depth first at the new Blogger Beta blogging software.

Blogger Beta Features Review

Christine Kane asks whether you’re the kind that marketers can hook?

Are You Hookable?

CTBIZ Blogs explains how a test drive in a GM car proved the value of video as a quick, effective marketing tool.

Online video in blogs for quick, effective marketing

Genuine Curiosity makes a great case for investing in yourself where the growth is likely to have the most impact.

 Where Do You Invest Your 10%

It’s Not About Your Stuff reveals the secret of how to let go of that pile of stuff you’ve got taking up space inside your closets.

817 12 strategies for (finally) letting go of stuff you don't really don't need

Related ala carte selections include

Creating Passionate Users shows us how to put star power into every customer experience.

Give Users a Hollywood Ending

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Filed Under: Business Life, Community, Customer Think, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Productivity, Successful Blog, Tools Tagged With: A-Consuming-Experience, bc, Blogger-Beta, Christine-Kane, Creating-Passionate-Users, CTBIZ-Blogs, curb-appeal, Customer Think, Genuine-Curiosity, marketing-hooks, personal-development, Productivity, s-Not-About-Your-Stuff, video-marketing

Bloggy Question 18 — Suddenly You Have

August 13, 2006 by Liz

What Are Your Favorites?

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week, I offer this Blogging Question.

Suddenly your blog has been discovered. All of the big names, all of your heroes have put you on their blogroll. You’re now looking at 26,000 links — individual site links — to your now famous blog. You’re number 1 on the Technorati Top 100. You have a Google Page Rank of 9, the same as Boing, Boing and Slashdot enjoy.

What do you do with this good fortune?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Bloggy Question 17 — The Official Writing Book Discussion
Bloggy Question 16 — Customer Feedback
Bloggy Question 15 — Roadblocks
Bloggy Question 14 — Make a Wish

Filed Under: Bloggy Questions, Business Life, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Personal Branding, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog-promotion, blogging-hypothetical-question, blogging-life, Bloggy-Questions, personal-branding, problems, Productivity, ZZZ-FUN

Great Find: Programmer Meet Designer

August 12, 2006 by Liz

Sharing Skill Sets

This morning Cat Morley started my email day with a lovely link that I have to share with you. If lack of a skill or two is holding you back from getting something done. You simply have to check this one out.

Great Find: Programmer Meet Designer

Permalink: http://programmermeetdesigner.com/index.php

Audience/Topic: Programmers, Designers, Writers, Entrepreneurs

Content: Programmer Meet Designer (PMD) was started because the folks behind it understand that no one person has the complete set of skills needed to do all of the things that it takes to run a business online.

PMD helps programmers and designers partner up to make websites and web applications that look and work great. It also lets entrepreneurs and writers find people to work with.

The search engine asks for my job role, the job role I’m looking for, whether the job is paid or unpaid, and the approximate length of the work.

As you might guess by the title, there are more listings for programmers and designers. However, the site has opened itself to writers and entrepreneurs. I found listings for them, but not nearly as many. To check out Programmer Meet Designer, click the logo below.

Programmer Meet Designer

It never hurts to take a look at what’s out there.

Thanks again, Cat, for sharing your resources.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
VOX: As Fun as Grandmas and Grandpas!
Interview 7.1: Meet Cat Morley, World Designer
Great Find: Film Loop
Great Find: Wufoo — Form-making Tool

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related Articles

Filed Under: Community, Design, Productivity, Successful Blog, Tools Tagged With: bc, blog-promotion, brand-niche-marketing, business-blogging, personal-branding, Productivity, relationships, tools

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