Greetings!
After a tragedy like happened Friday in Newtown, CT, it is a bit hard to pull off a "light, witty banter" in an e-news like this. I purposefully keep Timely Tips as apolitical as possible -- this isn't the proper forum for a politically-heated discussion. But I do know that there are a very large number of REALLY smart people that subscribe to this e-news, so I'd like to ask all of you a little favor: in the memory of the 20 children and 6 brave adults that left us far too soon, can you take a moment over the holiday season and write a letter or e-mail to your elected representatives and officials about your best ideas on how to prevent something like this from ever happening again? Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, it seems like it is the least we can do.
One of my continuing pet peeves is wasted time and lack of outcomes in meetings -- I even lead a program on this topic since it bothers me so much (let me know if you'd like the program description.) In the last few months, I have been exposed to two online meeting management and meeting scheduling tools that look pretty good for helping meetings schedule and run more efficiently -- thus, this month's Timely Tip. Let's get to it: |
| Meeting King and Doodle -- Two Helpful Meeting Management/Scheduling Tools | |
This is ALWAYS the place to look for your Timely Tip!
As fate has it, I have had two different clients use each of these different online tools for different meetings that I have been involved with.
The first one I'd like to discuss is Doodle ( http://www.doodle.com). Doodle is a fairly simple online tool that allows you to set up a "poll" of when people are available for a meeting you are trying to schedule. People can respond to several possible time slots, marking when they are and are not available. If you have ever tried to schedule a meeting with people that are on different servers or different calendaring tools, you know what a nightmare it can become trying to get a meeting scheduled (not to mention the e-mail reply insanity it is likely to set off.) This easy online tool allows you to quickly find the best time for a meeting for your entire group, and only have to send one e-mail to do it!
This one actually provides an online interface for meeting agenda planning, discussion & deliverable tracking during the meeting, and outcomes/task assignments following the meeting. I could easily see a meeting manager using this tool to plan and share the agenda for the meeting before the meeting, track the meeting minutes and decisions during the meeting (perfect use for a laptop or tablet!), and then confirm assignments and tasks for all parties involved after the meeting.
Two very useful tools (and it appears they have free versions!) worth looking into to make your meeting planning and meeting times more productive. (Do you have any other useful online meeting tools or apps you are using? I'd like to know.) |
| Your Holiday Gifts are Here! |
First, it is time to get you the link to the Timely Tips archive, with all articles posted back to mid-2008 (and if you click the "End of Year Gift" link in December, 2008, you'll get a 90-page PDF e-book copy that takes you all the way back to 2004!) Seriously, if you can't manage your time, technology, office clutter, and e-mail after using these resources, you might as well start painting pictures on the beach. (I would actually like to do that.) ;-)
Use this link to access the full archive.
Also, back in October, I gave you the list of articles below to easily use and share. Knowing how nutty things can get, I thought I'd list these shareable PDF files again (as well as add a couple extra ones too.) Please notice that with the first three articles, I am giving you the link to both Word docs AND PDFs -- that way, if you have an interest in using them in one of your group's upcoming newsletters, e-news, or magazines, YOU CAN! (And the Word.doc versions may make editing easier. Note the little blurb near the bottom that gives you the right to republish and even edit AS LONG AS you include my little info blurb at the end of each article when you use it.) And yes, you can forward these on to the writers/editors of your favorite professional group/association or company/organization employee newsletter if you think they'd have an interest in any of these articles for their members/staff. Randy Dean's Top 10 E-mail Timesavers Randy Dean's Smarter E-mail Subject Lines Article Randy's Smart Phone/Tablet Productivity Configuration Article
Randy's Taming the Office/Paper/Workstation/Clutter Article
Randy's Time Management "Tech" Needed Infrastructure Discussion
And here are the two Outlook Top Ten Tip Sheets (in PDF):
As I said, go ahead and share some treats with others by sharing these links and/or just forwarding/sharing this Timely Tips (see below). Let's see if we can find some SCARY productivity increases in the people around you (yourself included!)
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| Another Life Changed One Inbox at a Time |
"Randy,
Great seminar at the Alabama Council of Association Executives last week!
I started applying your principles right after the seminar. No e-mails sitting in my inbox from Friday until today. Also, I'm down from 927 e-mails in my Inbox on Friday to 344 today.
Thanks for all of the great tips!
EOM/NRN (I'm using these too!)
John"
John Matson, APR
Director of Communications
Alabama Nursing Home Association
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Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow ...
Yes, there is a chance we'll get our first measurable snow fall of the season overnight Thursday into Friday morning. I'm hoping it is enough to get out and test some fancy sleds we received as a gift last year but were never able to really use.
I do wish all of you a wonderful, warm, family-and-friend-filled holiday. If you do have a little one in your life, make sure to give that person an extra long hug next time you see him or her. I do hope you invest a little time over the holidays to refine your time management structures and systems, but I also hope you spend some time doing nothing but sharing your time with others. I noticed this quote on a Facebook friends page the other day and thought it wonderful:
"Respect people who find time for you in their busy schedule. But love people who never look at their schedule when you need them." Spend some time with those folks over the holiday -- that is time spent best. ;-)
Until 2013 (or the end of times on Friday), Stay Timely!
Sincerely,
Randy Dean
Randall Dean Consulting & Training, LLC
PPS: Always feel free to use the "Forward E-mail" option below to share this info with your family, friends, & co-workers. |
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APPS of the Month!
Wikipedia and AskWiki
| Wikipedia is available on the ITunes App Store, Google Play, and BlackBerry App World.
This seems like a no-brainer app, but I wanted to at least make sure you all had it. What could be better than having about 95% of all attained human knowledge (I don't know if this is a correct stat -- should probably check Wikipedia) right at your fingertips??? I still fondly remember my WorldBook Encyclopedias when I was a kid -- know I have them and more on my Smart Phone and Tablet devices. Wow.
There is also a related AskWiki app on Google Play that allows Android users to use the on board voice-to-text capabilities of their device to voice search Wikipedia for content and information.
Get your reference library started today! |
| What I'm Working on for 2013 |
"I have an idea ..."
Yes, I have several light bulbs going off over my head right now, and if all of you annoying clients would stop hiring me (just kidding -- I love you all), I might actually get a few of these done. Here are my current targets:
1. More webinar programs. I'll be announcing some new public webinar programs in early 2013 on my favorite courses/programs.
2. Streaming and DVD programs. I'm planning to start with Taming the E-mail Beast and make an "everything I know" version for MS Outlook users, followed quickly by one for Gmail users. I also plan to develop an Optimizing Your Outlook program, Time Management Using Google Apps program, and my Smart Phone Success & Terrific Tablets program. I'm hoping to build a catalog of my best programs available in both streaming and DVD formats VERY soon. (By the way, if you are interested in reserving a copy of the Taming E-mail Using Outlook program at a big discount, send me an e-mail and we can discuss.)
3. Another book (or two). I have two ideas for books right now -- one a full-fledged book that will get the best out of my head on time and task management, and another shorter "e-book only" idea that I'll hopefully get out much sooner.
By the way, did I also tell you that it looks like we sold our house and may have bought a new one over the last few days? Looks like the HQ of Randy Dean Central will be moving soon -- more info soon!
2012 hasn't been busy at all. Too bad it all ends on Friday. ;-) |
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