INFORMATION OVERLOAD October 1, 2009
Posted by Mike in : Mike, Motivation, Resources , 1 comment so farInformation overload. Hits me every day. I don’t mean the newspaper stuff. I mean the ToDo lists. Not that the lists are long, I’ve already spent all week whittling them down to five. It’s the amount of crap I find out for each item as I try to tackle it.
For example, on web developer stuff: “Make a web page center in the browser”. I do a web search on that, 32,000 hits. The second one looks perfect. I open it up and its some tech blog with 20 people suggesting the perfect way to do it with links. I soon have 80 tiny tabs crammed in so tight I can’t tell what they are. So now I have to go through them all and repeat the prior process till I have 13 browsers open with 200 “related” articles and soon I’m off analyzing how giraffes can center themselves in their sleep from zoology today and six hours of my life have passed.
So what do I do? I procrastinate more. It’s a nice little circle that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I read all the GTD (Getting Things Done) stuff like Steve Allen’s book “Ready for anything”:…practiced them as well…it made me so happy to only have 4 categories of ToDo and spend all night moving them between the boxes.
I have found that the only thing that works for me is a timer. Here is a free browser based one that I created (stole) that can be used anywhere just to remind you to get up and take a break. http://www.2people1year1million.com/timer.html.
New studies have shown that the top performers from CEOs to Athletes treat their brain like a muscle. About every 90 minutes they take a 10 minute break that enables them to handle periods of high stress so they can pull off that all-nighter or just produce more in less time. The bonus is after every break you see where you’re at and can get back on track.
P.S. On the bright side I did discover a gem or two in those long lists of articles. I think its hard to find good references because those who know what their doing don’t waste their time answering blog posts, which of course I’ll do if anyone wants to post me a question.
Being Bold October 1, 2009
Posted by Rio in : Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Rio , add a commentThis post was supposed to be done at least a week ago. That’s the magic of self-imposed deadlines: excuses to put things off suddenly materialize. I do have emails to organize into various folders and subfolders, after all. There’s nothing like finding creative ways to procrastinate.
Apparently success is more or less up to me. (As much as I’d like to blame any future failures on the bad economy, other people, or the brand of toothpaste I’m using). When starting your own business, success depends very directly on the amount of effort you put in.
The gap between the dream and where you’re at right now can be pretty daunting. You have a great idea, but thinking about all the details involved clouds your enthusiasm and delays action. For something like starting a company, you have to be involved every step of the way, and do a lot of different jobs. It’s easy to become intimidated and delayed by self-criticism and doubt. You just have to find that spark of motivation to get going, and merge all your skills into one direction.
A year and a half ago I distinctly remember anxiously trying to come up with a business idea, any idea, so that I could do this entrepreneurship thing. Now, after a lot of soul searching, wikipedia lookups and domain name registrations I have so many ideas I need folders and subfolders just to organize them all. I’m bursting at the seams with ideas and dreams for world conquest by way of innovation. So what’s the problem? Why is it so hard to get started?
A better question to ask is: How do you make that first step? Fortune favors the bold, as some guy said a long time ago and people keep repeating. Everyone likes a go-getter.
Bold. Like every good procrastinator, I just looked up “bold” on wikipedia. A bold person, it claims, is willing to risk shame or rejection, and is willing to bend rules. So bold may just be another word for risk taking. But wait, there’s more: An excessively bold person is not only aggressive, but persistently aggressive in the pursuing of his ideas. There we go. Persistently pursuing your ideas. Yes, being bold draws attention, makes us feel empowered. But often it’s not just about those big acts that grab people’s attention, it’s about those small acts everyday that eventually accumulate into a bold life.
Being bold is not about waiting for opportunities, its about creating opportunities. Bold empowers you and empowers others. Bold is not self-absorbed, and doesn’t worry about how others will perceive it. We all admire the bold, because they make us feel at ease and make us long for more. Bold’s self-confidence infects us and draws us out of our own little world. If you’re going to make a mistake, you better do it boldly. But bold is never overbearing or impetuous. Bold is just that special spark that gets you going, gets you to ask, why not? Most importantly, bold is what builds that momentum to keep you going.
Bold is not greedy or selfish, on the contrary, the non-bold are often too absorbed in what people will think of them to act. Fear of failure stops them from ever getting going. I want to cultivate the habit of boldness in all aspects of my life. I’ve always considered myself a somewhat timid individual. But just by taking that first step, and keeping at it, my projects now have a momentum of their own. Just getting this first blog post up, as incoherent as it may be, means that I am now officially a blogger. Great. Now I just have to keep going.
So me and my intrepid fellow blogger, Mike, are going to boldly go where no businesses have gone before, and chronicle the follies and fuck-ups of two entrepreneurs as they happen, in real time. Because in the end it’s all about those little steps you take in that bold direction. Hindsight can embellish and compress timelines, but its in the gritty details of the everyday process where real learning lies.
Two misfits blog about their attempt to make 1 million dollars in 1 year as entrepreneurs. October 1, 2009
Posted by Rio in : About, Mike, Rio , 1 comment so farThe story so far: Two unlikely allies, starting with only a few dozen half-baked ideas, have set a goal to earn a million dollars in one year. In this economy, the world needs more people like us. People who make their own way. Implementors of ideas, capitalistic adventurers. But we have limited experience and maybe $275 between us in our bank accounts. Call us naive. But we hustle. Question is, do we have what it takes to combine our abilities, create a viable business, and make something of ourselves?
Here are the characters:
Mike, 48, recently divorced and very broke. Part mad computer-scientist, part Vinnie Barbarino. People call him hard-edged but also hilarious in a quirky way. Likes riding motor scooters, using obscene language and occasionally, just occasionally, wearing a studded collar.
Rio, 22, born in Arizona and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, has a shiny new degree in Economics. Part scientist, part artist, she’s beautiful, fearless, and has a wit as sharp as her tongue. Give her an idea and a computer and she’s as dangerous as Lara Croft on a jet ski.
So here we are. We’re the first to admit that we make the most unlikely pair, but we do generate some great ideas. What we have learned so far is nothing like it’s been described in business schools, books, or self help manuals. We’re starting afresh, throwing all we have into taking our ideas and going somewhere as entrepreneurs. Join us as we document our follies, failures, and successes in the hope that our experiences can make you laugh, learn, dream and create something wonderful of your own.