I only wish they had something like this when I was a kid. Umpqua Bank is running a campaign, titled Lemonaire, to help young (very young) entrepreneurs get started. Elementary school kids who are chosen for the program are given a lemon aid stand startup kit that provides them with everything (except the lemons) they need to start their business - even $10 in capital. First, this is a great program to help teach aspiring entrepreneurs the basics of running their own business. Second, this is a great example of viral marketing for Umpqua Bank, whose video will get plenty of buzz. Read this press release for more information.
Back in May, I wrote a post on using Daily Action Maps to help organize your day so you can process work more effectively. Since then, my personal method of GTD has changed significantly (special thanks to Zen Habits and Tim Ferriss) and therefore my tools have changed as well. I am planning on writing a series on my personal GTD system - so more to come on that.
Here is an outline of the updated Daily Action Map. My upcoming series will have in depth explanations for all of the concepts behind it.
Layout:
- Date: Helps put a time line on your productivity
- Mantra: Personal mantra that helps for motivation or focus
- Daily Pebbles: Four most important tasks for the day
- Weekly Stones: Four action steps that move you closer to your mountains (goals)
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Mountains: Four goals that you would like to accomplish in the next 3-6 month period
- Company Milestones: Four weekly goals that will bring your company closer to success
- Notes: Jotting down any thoughts, ideas or references that you need to remember
- Task Catcher: Other tasks (often tasks that can be batched) that need to be completed but not the most important for that day
- Communication: Any emails and phone calls that need to be made
- Watch List: Items that you need to follow up on such as delegated tasks
- Reminders: Personal statements that keep you focused/motivated
- Checklist: Items that are daily habits you are trying to instill
My Daily Action Map is still a work in progress, as I am constantly shaping and changing my habits to improve effectiveness. I’m sure you will see a Version 3.0 as well.
Download and customize your own daily-action-map
WeFi is a nifty little freeware app that, once installed on your computer, locates and maps out wireless signals. The data is sent back to the WeFi system and shared across its network with other users who are signed up. This is sure to be helpful when you are out of the office (or like me - have no office) and need to find a quick Wi-Fi spot. I doubt how much of a following the social network side of the application will generate, but it has its merits. The only real qualm is the fact that WeFi is literally tracking everywhere your computer goes and therefore tracking everywhere you go . . .
The internet is great at delivering the skimmed down, all-you-need-to-know, top 10 lists with the promise of making your life easy. I know I’m liable for clicking on every Top 20 Web 2.0 Companies, Top 5 Ways to Make Money and 15 Best Startup Tips in my feed - so when I came across Daytipper, I got pretty excited.
Basically, Daytipper is a website that allows users to submit tips (who even have the chance to get paid for each submission) that are then reviewed by their staff, posted on Daytipper and voted on by the community. The site has tips in all sorts of areas including education, money, technology and travel. Here are some of the more interesting tips that I saw featured:
- How using soapy water can help when moving furniture
- How to use charcoal to absorb refrigerator odors
- How to save a wet cell phone
- How to relieve mouth ulcer pain
- How Vaseline can be used as a eye makeup remover
They currently only have a few pages worth of content, but if their submissions pick up, I’m sure you will find plenty of great tips that can help your business, hobbies and personal life. My only qualm with the site is the lack of additional information on each tip. They only feature the ‘how to’ for each piece of advice without additional links to visit. None-the-less, the site has some interesting advice that is worth checking out.
I recently came across a great resource for those who want to consolidate their phone numbers or access their voice mail from a computer. GrandCentral offers its users a single free phone number that forwards calls to the user’s cell, home and work number. All phones ring simultaneously so you can be reached no matter where you are. What I like most about the service is how easy it is to setup a greeting and the ability to access your voice mail from the GrandCentral interface online. There are quite a few other features including call screening, spam/telemarketer blocking, listening in to voice mails and much more. I still have to figure out how the company makes money, as all these features are free.
I’m going to give the service a trial over the next few weeks and will let you know how it turns out. The one issue I see is that the features such as digital voice mail only work if the GrandCentral issued number is called, not your direct existing cell number. I guess this would require you to issue out this new number to all of your existing contacts. None-the-less, I think it has real potential.