TMI

I'm on a panel tonight on information overload at an event for the Association for Women Communications in Santa Barbara. A few days ago, we held a quick "panel prep" meeting, and as I listened to the other women on the panel describe their professional focus on helping people manage not just information overload, but finding balance in their busy lives, I couldn't help but feel more like one of their typical customers and less like someone qualified to share the stage with them.  Six kids, full time job, my book just out...I could use some expert advice on information overload!

I've been reflecting on how I manage my life, my engagement with social media and my interest in technology. I don't think I've ever really thought about it, but I have implemented some strategies to keep me sane. I'll be talking about these tonight, but as I'm preparing for the panel, I thought it might be useful to capture some of the ways I find balance and how I've learned to manage too much information.

1. I don't watch TV.
Seriously, we don't even usually have the television on in my house, and if we do, it's usually one of the kids watching something on Netflix. I don't have the news streaming in the background, I don't have a television in my bedroom (an neither do any of our kids), and if there is a tv show that I want to watch, we watch it streaming online. I haven't watched tv for years, and I have to say, I haven't missed it.

2. I have a separate Twitter account for news.
I don't think it's unusual for people to have multiple Twitter accounts, but I have two: one for news monitoring, and one for everything else. If I want to know what's going on in the world, I check my news account and monitor the feed. I could also use Tweetdeck or another filtering tool for this, but I have found that having a separate account is easier for me to manage, and allows me to moderate what information I take in, when.

3. I don't use a computer at night.
I do use my phone and iPad, but I have found that they are much easier for me to put down. I also typically use my mobile devices for playing games at night, if I use them at all, so I don't usually take in new information while I'm using them. I find that when I'm on my computer, I tend to spend more time at night working, when I really need to disconnect and rest. This policy also allows me to honor my next strategy...

4. The evening is for family.
I spend most of my day on my computer. From the time I get home until the kids go to bed, my time is focused on them. There were many years, especially when I first started my company, that I never turned off my computer, never stopped working. It was brutal and impacted everyone in my family. Over time, I've learned to separate my work time from my family time. It has made a huge impact on me, and has made the time I do spend working more productive, because I'm always working against self-imposed deadlines.

5. If I'm feeling overwhelmed, I go to the beach.
I'm lucky; I can walk to the beach from my house, so when I get that overwhelmed feeling, off I go. The beach may be it for me now, but in the past, taking a bath, working on a creative project, or playing a game were all ways I could decompress. Everyone has something that takes them from hectic to calm; find yours and use it liberally.

6. Understanding the value I get from social media.
Facebook and Twitter go on, and are no worse off when I take a break. Stepping away sometimes actually gives me more perspective on what value social media brings to me. It helps me set boundaries and "rules" for what information I subject myself to and when I open those gates. Sometimes when I see the negative stuff, I have to remember that 1. I have a choice of what information I allow in, and 2. People who are negative and hurtful through social media are likely also that way in real life. If I wouldn't have a drink with them in real life, why would I "hang out" with them through social media? Block, unfriend and unfollow are great curation tools for TMI.

7. Quiet and focused energy.
Yoga is my friend. A brisk walk or workout is an active way to clear the clutter in my head, but taking a few minutes to meditate can also help me refocus. They both really do the same thing for me: extract me from the information stream and help me focus on my health, energy and what's really important.

I'm sure I've employed other strategies that aren't coming to mind, and I'm also sure that you all have even better tips and advice to share. Please add your own information overload strategies in the comments, and I'll share them with the panel tonight!

The book versus the blog

So I've been working on a book, for well over a year now, and its finally almost done. Recently, getting this book done has consumed most of my free time (ha!) and energy, and while I'm not making excuses, it IS a reason why this blog has been riding along in the backseat while the book was constantly calling "shotgun!" But the book is getting closer and closer to done, and I'm missing my heavy blogging days. I'm missing reflecting on conferences and projects and decision-making and instructional design and virtual worlds and gender issues and games and how scary having started this company is sometimes.

Me & my co-author/partner in crime will be wrapping this book up in the next few weeks if it kills us. I'm excited and proud and scared about putting this book out there too. But it'll be a book! A big long reflection! The mother of all blog posts! More details to come...and more blog posts too.

Hard work, optimism, and not counting chickens

The last few weeks have been a blur of work; almost every day I actually get confused what day of the week it is. The good news is, the hard work seems to be starting to pay off. Notice the words "seems to be"? Yeah, Little Miss Optimism is definitely once bitten, twice shy. 

Somewhere along the way last year, I was reminded of a very valuable lesson. Words tend to be pretty cheap. People are much better at stroking your ego then just telling you the reality of complex situations, and they are loathe to talk about the internal politics of their organizations, especially when they don't have control. Organizations as a whole are a bit commitment phobic, and the current economy has only made this worse. 

So we're continuing to work hard, I'll keep having to ask what day it is, and hopefully my tempered optimism will be end up being a little less tempered.

Radio silence

Wow. It's been over a week, almost two weeks since I blogged. Why is that? Let me count the reasons, which I believe any busy start up entrepreneur will identify with:

• Client meetings
• Travel and a conference
• New proposals to write
• New marketing materials to develop
• Twitter updates have become easier to do than blog entries
• Year end accounting stuff
• And the never ending demands of home ;)

All this, and I've foolishly decided to start up P90X again. Yes, me=glutton for punishment. But I have lots of things to catch up on, so brace yourself for the blog catch-up barrage!

The difference between talk and action

You can ask most anyone who knows me well...I am always coming up with ideas. I'm not so vain to believe that they are always good ideas, and logistically it would be impossible to actually do a lot of the crazy things that I think up (not to mention I'd have to give up sleep altogether, and possibly get a clone...). But occasionally I actually do think some of them are good ideas. 

So what's the real difference between a good idea and a not-so-good one? At the end of the day, its probably less about the actual greatness of the idea and much more about the execution. See, most people just talk about their ideas. Most people don't actually DO the things they talk about. Sure, there are lots of reasons, lots of excuses--money, time, knowing where to start--but action is what makes an idea great. Good execution is much more important that having a good idea. 

I read a tweet today in my twitterstream from @pcarles 

Have just launched with some friends a new - small - company in France...Not a great idea,but great people to work with. Really exciting !

And that, my friends, is what its all about. Best wishes to @pcarles and his friends in making their not so "great idea" a fantastic success...its all in the action and execution.

On the road again and again and again

So the conference season will have officially kicked off for '09 as of next week. First up is ASTD Techknowledge in Las Vegas, then Training '09 in Atlanta in February. After a quick breath, we'll be all over the eLearning Guild's Annual Gathering in Orlando and Defense GameTech User's Conference '09 the same week, also in Orlando. The end of March I'll be heading out to GDC in San Fran, then skipping down to DC in April for 3D TLC, the enterprise spinoff of the Association of Virtual Worlds conferences. In May, we're still considering SPBT in Chicago, immediately followed by Corporate Learning Exchange also in Chicago.

I'm tired just thinking about it. 

So why do all these conferences? We're still new, so its helpful to get some exposure. Obviously we're hoping all this activity leads to sales. But I do think that soon, the only conferences we'll really be interested in attending are the ones that we're speaking at. And maybe, MAYBE the occasional conference to just keep up with trends, like GDC. 

And maybe I'll give the virtual conferences a try. After all, its good to practice what you preach.

Promises

I have a bad habit of saying things that I would like to do, only to be thwarted by time and responsibilities. Nowhere is this more of a problem than at home, where my eternal optimism and hopefulness are often a victim to the demands of work. I can't tell you how many times I say things like, "let's watch a movie tonight" or "I'm going to cook dinner" only to have my best intentions overcome by a work-related "something." 

You know that little strategy with clients called "under promise, over deliver"? Turns out that its also helpful as a life strategy, especially for new entrepreneurs and start ups. Its something I struggle with, because I do have good intentions. But keeping your promises is important, and making promises, even good intentioned ones, that are broken over and over leads to unhappy clients, disappointed family, and disillusioned friends. 

I'm making more an effort to be more realistic in the expectations I set, while not losing my optimism. I'm just keeping that to myself.

One step at a time

I've written a lot about how busy I am. I probably sound like a broken record, and its not a surprise that starting a business takes up an inordinate amount of time. I write about it so much because of the overwhelmingness of it. There are probably no words to explain how it takes over every second of every minute of every day, like a giant gorilla sitting on your chest eating a banana (ok, banana is probably optional).

This weekend was a good example. I really just wanted to enjoy the fall weather, hang out with the family and relax. But the list of things I need to do is long and time sensitive. So I try to balance things out, but neither my work or my family really gets the attention they deserve.

I try to be patient and cut myself some slack, take one day, one minute, one second at a time. This state is only temporary. Or is it?

Good morning

I didn't go to bed until late last night, and of course, the baby had plans of her own for how I should be spending the wee hours of the morning. And, I'm not yet recovered from the ridiculous plague that has somehow managed to be hanging on and on and on.

But this morning, the sun is shining. We've got lots of stuff to do today, but that stuff is getting done. It doesn't quite feel like my New Year's regrouping, but I am filled with hope. Hope coupled with confidence and a good dose of actual getting stuff done can only lead to good things.

I'll be checking major items off my list today: logo selection, an e-version of our demo, a one sheet on the Virtual Territory. I may even hire someone.

Good morning everyone. Let's get this party started.

Unplugged

I went away this weekend, and I didn't take my laptop (gasp!). Ok, honestly I still had my cell phone and my iphone, so it wasn't like I was completely cut off. But something about not having my laptop with me made me feel like I couldn't work, even if I wanted to.

It was fantastic.

I went shopping. I sat on the beach. I had drinks on a rooftop bar. I didn't work.

I'm back in the office today, and yes, back to the glowing pixels I know so well. As much as I'm happy to be back, part of me wants to turn the laptop back off and fly down to the beach for a little while longer. Sometimes its good to forget all the stuff going on and pretend like I'm a normal girl. Maybe when I retire someday I'll be a waitress at a restaurant on Ocean Drive in South Beach.

Then again, maybe it'd be better to own the restaurant.

Finding time versus making time

For years, I used to commute an hour each way to work. I hated it, and after I had the opportunity to work five minutes from home, I couldn't believe that I had commuted like that for so long.

But last night, after a long conversation about feeling overwhelmed with work and guilty about any decision I made (spend time with family, work not getting done--work, miss time with the family), I realized that what I really miss is time to myself. I actually miss my commute time, time to decompress, think about things, catch up with people on the phone that I owed a call. I don't have that time anymore and I'm shocked that I miss it as much as I do.

I've been relying up to this point on finding time for myself, or to catch up on things. I'm now convinced that I have to make time for these things, because I'm not finding the time anywhere.

Calm before the storm

I've neglected my posting lately, not because I don't have anything to write about but more because things are so hectic that finding the time to collect my thoughts has been difficult. We've completed the first product demo and have gotten our presentation deck in place. We've finally landed new office space and will shortly be moving in. We've gotten numerous client meetings set up to introduce our new product. We've been chasing down a couple prospects to hire (that's taken more time and energy than I'd like to admit). And amidst all of this action, the book that I have been wanting to write since last fall is FINALLY done. Things are moving, and quickly.

Yet, I know this is the calm before the storm...a small window to catch our breath before a whirlwind of sales and delivery overtakes us. As busy as I feel, I know that this is nothing yet. I know that things are about to change drastically. I'm sure I'll be looking back at August 2008 as the last time we could take a deep breath for awhile.

Macro vision, micro goals

Last night's Rockstar meeting was exhausting. The final stretch of our first product demo, the final stretch of our Second Life island development, and our rebranding efforts have all converged and now is the time for some really big decisions and big conversations. Its a bit like standing at the edge of a giant cliff and contemplating flight or falling. Either way, though, you know you're jumping off.

I also think we all recognize that things are about to change in a major way. We're bringing more people into the company, which will change our work dynamic. We're moving into new office space soon, a place of our own. And more importantly to me, we're going to start the road show to introduce ourselves to the world.

We have immediate goals. We need to sell stuff. We need to get our story straight. In all of this excitement and uneasiness, it would be easy to put our heads down and focus on day to day stuff. It would be easy to only think of short term objectives and how to reach them. It would be easy to just focus on getting stuff done.

But that's not what Rockstars do. Rockstars keep in mind the end game, the big picture. Rockstars keep their eyes on the big goals and make the day to day decisions in context of reaching them.

It's hard to focus on getting stuff done AND being true to your vision. You have to do it anyway. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Glutton for punishment

Because its not enough that I'm totally immersed in making Tandem Learning successful, I've decided that now would be a good time to also get in shape. Last year, I spent three months working out with a personal trainer. The goal, besides getting back in shape after having the littlest Olbrish, was to have pin up pictures taken. No, I'm not going to post my pictures, but here is the link to the very talented photographer who shot them for me.

After having the photo shoot in September, I kept up my workouts for awhile, but by October had stopped them because of other family events that were taking up my time. I fully intended to pick it back up again, but days to weeks to months later, I'm still not working out like I'd like to be.

A friend had been doing the P90X system. I am not promoting any particular exercise or diet program, but she really looks fantastic, and she's only on day 50-something. So I've bought the system, and today is officially DAY 1.

It's going to be difficult to find an hour to workout every day. Its going to be tough eating enough protein and very few carbs. I have no idea how I'll do this as I'm traveling over the next few months. But there's never a good time to start something new. Best just to get on with it. I'll keep you posted on the 90 day fitness extravaganza.

Post lag

You ever get so busy that you let even things that are important to you slide? Yes, well, that was this week. Actually, there were lots of things that I had been letting slide that got done this week, and I suppose that is the tradeoff. Time is a precious commodity and as my high school economics teacher taught me, every decision has a cost and a benefit. Although I feel like I'll need to play catch up for a few days, the benefit of my time spent on the other stuff far outweighs the cost of letting stuff slide.

I guess this is my way of apologizing for not posting for a few days. I know, not much of an apology...

You can do a lot in a few hours

Things that you can do in a few hours:

• Outline a new product idea
• Build a cool hangout on your Second Life island
• Write a chapter of your book
• Find new office space and set up appointments to go see it
• Catch up with all of the people you've been meaning to call or email
• Identify client advisory board members
• Write a proposal
• Skim a business book you've been meaning to read
• Take your kids to the park
• Do your expense report

Things that distract you from doing these things:

• Email
• Phone calls
• IM
• Surfing the Internet
• Talking to people that walk by your desk

I vow to more of the first list than the second from here on out.

Office space

I don't have any affection for TPS reports or flair, but finding new office space is my new part-time job. We need to locate somewhere semi-convenient for everyone, close to public transportation, and close enough to me (since I'll probably be the only person there every day...). This is not as easy as it sounds. I have a couple general areas in mind, but in the midst of our first product demo "projects," this isn't the best time to be taking property tours.



I have a vision in my head of what our office space might eventually look like. Now if I can just find that space located near a train stop...

Now I feel like a real start up

I've gotten 6 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. One of my fellow Rockstars has gotten less than that (I really can't thank him enough for staying up ALL last night). I'm not one for working long hours for the sake of working long hours, but this week has made it necessary.

I think this is what's meant by "start up mode."

Rockstars in Second Life

The Tandem Rockstars have switched from Wednesday to Thursday nights because of scheduling conflicts, and last night's session was our first Second Life sandbox session. After a brief discussion of Miss Bimbo, which may signal the end of feminism for the next generation, we all logged into Second Life and played around with navigation, interactions, communication, and exploring different islands.

My initial conclusions about the difficulty of navigation and the overwhelming number of options as a distraction for learning still hold true after last night. That being said, I think there's opportunity for Second Life to be used for some demo purposes, or to show capabilities.

I think we need to get an island and set up our own virtual training center. It's nice to see my virtual dreams becoming reality.

Rockstar Wednesdays

Over the last few weeks it became apparent that we just weren't able to make progress on our strategic planning at Tandem with all of the client stuff that we were busy with during the day. Plus, some of my fellow strategizers have other day jobs. I decided to schedule an after hours meeting one night a week, hard stop at 8 pm, and we tackle our planning/strategy discussions during that time.

We've had three meetings now, a different group/mix of people at each meeting. They are my favorite part of the week. Each meeting we've ordered food, settled in, and put together an impromptu agenda. Week one focused on overall strategy--what were we trying to accomplish? Week two we spent brainstorming our company values. This week, week three, we tackled some pesky issues with development resources and strategy and reviewed our interim bandaid of a website.

Maybe its because its in the evenings, maybe its because there's food there, maybe because I'm just loving the people we've got coming to these meetings, but those nights, more than any other time, I know we're going to be successful. I get re-energized. I get psyched about the future.

We're going to miss our Rockstar Wednesday meeting next week because several of us are off at client meetings or other previous engagements. I'm already looking forward to the following week when we continue to rock on.