Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A better frequent flyer program


I’ve spent a lot of time on airplanes this year. Delta just came out with their “Diamond” status – a step above Platinum. To reach this you have to travel the equivalent of flying to Jupiter and back. I’m just rounding Saturn as I type this post.

But before you try for that new status, let’s look at it another way. Let’s view it in terms of memories missed.

How much will that “status” cost you in personal experiences with your family and friends. Important Caveat: I’m more than willing to travel for my job, it’s how I get my job done and I like my job. But this year has been a bit extreme.

Some memories I’ve missed this year:
--A couple of weeks of summer with my kids
--Several family member’s birthdays
--And this week I missed my kids first day of school

I’m not saying you shouldn’t travel. When it happens you have to deal with it. I’m just wishing there was a way that we could better plan it around our personal lives. Wouldn’t you?

I think that airlines should come up with a better reward system, especially when we have to sacrifice our memories. If I was in charge, here’s how I would award points:

--Missing a child’s soccer game or recital: 1,000 bonus miles
--Missing a child’s birthday: 10,000 bonus miles
--Missing your anniversary: 50,000 miles (transferable to your spouse)
--Missing the birth of a child: You get to ride shotgun next to the pilot.

Com’on Jet Blue. If you did this, I’d be a regular passenger.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Five Tips to Reduce Your Stress: Tip #2

Have some of your colleagues been laid off recently? Are you being asked to pull up the slack and do more with less?

You’re not alone.

I mean, there are still other people in your organization, right?

Tip#2: Embrace Others

Odds are, when you’re working fast and furious, there is probably someone, somewhere in your organization that may have some downtime, or they’re worried about not being aligned with strategic projects. Find them. Grab them. Capitalize on their skills. And have them chip in. People are generally happier when they’re engaged and contributing. Sure, quality might slip a bit and it might take longer for you to get that project done. But there is a huge feeling of relief when you delegate a task to someone and you go back to your office and are able to tackle something else. And there is an even better feeling when they come back to you and the project is finished and better than if you did it yourself.

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey outlines the principle of abundance. What this means is that there is always enough work for me and you, and the person in the office down the hall. Don’t be afraid to relinquish a bit of control over your projects. It will only benefit you and the people you bring into your circle. Your projects will get done better than before and you’ll be helping other people become engaged.

In my next post I’ll cover Tip #3: Plan or Perish.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Review of ClickHeat by LabsMedia

OK. I admit it. I could sit for hours and look at web stats and analytics, evaluating different patterns of behavior...following paths...seeing what is or isn't working... I just love to dig into the data.

I was introduced today to another analytic tool that will eat away at my weekends, HeatClick by LabsMedia: http://www.labsmedia.com/clickheat/index.html.

Here's a sample ClickHeat image from a page off of one of my sites:

I know. It looks like a bunch of smudges. But what it's telling me are the popular places where people are clicking and where they are not clicking. It's even telling me where people rest their mouse when they're looking at my page (perhaps that's too much data). Anyway, from this you can tell what is and isn't working on each web page. It's a great visual indicator that I can't get from Google Analytics. In fact, it confirmed several suspicions I've had but couldn't validate until seeing it visually. I wouldn't ever use ClickHeat as my exclusive analytic source, but it's a great addition to my quiver of data tools.

To download ClickHeat which, by the way, is freeware, just click here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/clickheat/files/

I give this product an: A+
Download it today and recommend it to a friend!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Five Tips to Reduce Your Stress: Tip #1

Some of you may have read portions of this blog before. However, I've expanded it and will now republish it in five sections. I'd love to hear any comments. You can leave them here or e-mail me directly at matthewmurdoch@yahoo.com.

Why is it that when layoffs occur, and the workforce retracts, the work seems to expand? The remaining employees are, quite often, left with additional responsibilities and fewer resources. Sound familiar? I’m going to share with you my five keys to remaining sane when your job requirements try to drive you mad.

Tip #1: Eliminate Chaos
When everything around you is moving fast it’s hard to get organized. Does this sound like your typical day? You return from one meeting only to go to another and yet another throughout the day; you don’t have time to focus strategically on one project because your time is spread so thin over a dozen; you have three people at your door waiting for a decisions on three different projects.

Unless you gain control over the madness of your days, it will control you. You need to do whatever it takes to prepare yourself for these tornadic days - because they’re not going to stop. You need time management. You need to get organized.

Come in 30 minutes early and straighten your desk and reply to urgent e-mails: It’s amazing how much quality work you can do when nobody else is in the office.

Organize your files so you know where everything is: It’s a great feeling to be called into a last minute meeting and be able to grab the appropriate file.

Block out chunks of your days to ensure you have time to get your work done: I find that I’m most productive on Monday-my brain is fresh and I’m still thinking clearly. After my morning meetings I’ve blocked out a few hours in the afternoon to actually work.

Take time to help others: You’ll find that when you’re organized, you’ll be better able to help others and help them with things they need.

I’ve learned that when my life is chaotic, I work minute-by-minute. I can’t see the horizon and I start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. So, take some time and eliminate the chaos by getting organized.

In my next post I’ll talk about Tip #2: Embrace Others