The Mystery of Multitasking: Productivity Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs
March 10, 2010 by Phil Montero · 30 Comments
Today I’m psyched to share a guest video post by my friend and colleague Chris Ducker. I met Chris through Twitter and it was immediately obvious we shared a passion for working virtually and living a flexible lifestyle.
Chris is the CEO of the Live2Sell Group of Companies, a thriving Total Business Outsourcing corporation based in the Philippines where he lives.
Chris has developed systems and ideas to manage his time and make his business life easier and more productive. Watch this short video where he explains why multitasking actually makes you less productive and shares tips for staying focused and growing your business:
Are you using Instant Messaging in your business?
March 2, 2010 by Phil Montero · 2 Comments
I’m always surprised that more people don’t use instant messaging as one of their key business communication tools. Sure everyone uses email (probably too much) but IM is often relegated to chatting with friends or family. That’s why this recent post by Jerry Lattimore on his excellent Refocusing Technology blog really caught my eye.
Are you using instant messaging?
Instant messaging is a fantastic tool and should be utilized by many businesses to allow for greater communication between their resources. It fits a need that isn’t completely served by email or phone communication.
In this post he gives some excellent examples of how companies are using IM – even some using it to communicate between different floors of the same building. My wife and I use to work down the hall from each other in our old apartment and we used it rather than yelling down the hall.
I use it all the time with Jason when we are collaborating on something or just have a quick questions. It’s also a great way with co-workers or team members to share files and create a sense of “presence” being that you can “see” each other online even though you are not in the same place.
What about you? Do you use IM for business communication and collaboration? Please post a comment below and let us know!
Our First Flexwork Chat on Twitter
February 25, 2010 by Phil Montero · Leave a Comment
On Wednesday, February 17th we had our first Flexwork Chat on Twitter. I was joined by Jasper
Westerway (@JasperWestaway), CEO of OneDrum, and Lokesh Datta (@LDatta) of AllCollaboration.com as well as a bunch of other great twitter folks who were eager to discuss and debate the current state and challenges of flexible work.
The discussion centered around some of the findings from One Drum’s recent flexible work study.
We discussed a number of topics including:
- How can flexible/remote working can make you more productive?
- What are some of barriers to productive remote working?
- What should businesses consider when choosing tools to facilitate remote working?
View this post on the One Drum blog for a summary of some of the key points and a full transcription is available in PDF form here (Thanks Chip!).
It was fun, exciting, and informative and we are planning to make this a fairly regular event. It looks like we will be doing one again next Wednesday so I hope you will join us!
What is a tweet chat?
For those of you unfamiliar with this online discussion format, a tweetchat is simply an organized group chat that takes place using the Twitter platform. Participants use an assigned hashtag (in our case #flexworkchat) for their tweets during the discussion. For more information on Tweet chats check out this short article.
You can follow along, or participate, by visiting http://tweetchat.com/room/flexworkchat or simply following the #flexworkchat hashtag on twitter.
If you want to know about upcoming chats (and other events) please subscribe to our email newsletter (on the right hand side of any page of this blog) or follow me on Twitter!
Shooting Flip Video or Digital Photos? Get yourself in the shot with XShot!
February 16, 2010 by Phil Montero · 11 Comments
Recently while using my Flip camera to shoot some video for this blog I came across a problem. I was shooting the post about “working outside your office” so I wanted to move around and decided to hold the camera so I could be mobile and not be stuck with the static shot I would get from using my tripod (like I normally do). There were two issues with this approach:
- My arms are only so long so I couldn’t hold the camera out far enough to get much of me and the background in the shot
- The camera shook a lot so the video jumped around a bit
As I always do when looking for the solution to a problem I searched Google and found a solution – the XShot 2.0 camera extender. This amazing device is only 9″ in length and weighs 5 ozs. when closed but folds out (like an antennae) to 37″ long and can hold a camera up to 1.25 lbs. It includes a standard tripod mount on the end that swivels up to 180 degrees so you can attach your point and shoot digital camera or your pocket camcorder (like the Flip video), simply extend it and get yourself and others in the shot! I was jonesing on trying it out so I contacted XShot and they were kind enough to send me one so I could give it a try and review it for you.
Watch this video below where I do a quick demo of how it works:
Ever since I’ve had a digital camera I’ve always done the single-arm stretch to take photos of myself and others without having to ask someone Read more
Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization (Part 10: Keeping at home workers safe)
February 11, 2010 by Phil Montero · Leave a Comment
Welcome to Part 10 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting – Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.
When implementing telework many managers and HR departments are concerned about how to ensure workers health and safety are protected adequately, outside of the normal office environment. When working from a home office it is really a shared obligation. While companies have a responsibility for their employees safety while “at work” employees are also responsible for maintaining a safe home environment.
In part 10 of our podcast we look at some of the considerations and planning involved to ensure safety and reduce risk for your telecommuters.
So listen in to Part 10: Keeping at home workers safe
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:25 — 4.0MB)
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