Nina Burokas on Better Living Through Brand

Always On versus Flow

The reality of globalization is that we live in an “always on” world – especially online. However, from an individual perspective, that standard is neither practical nor desirable. If you’re suffering from information overload, an addiction to your BlackBerry, Treo or other communications device or general organizational paralysis, I recommend Inbox Zero, Merlin Mann’s series on personal productivity. His tips are spot-on, his humor refreshing and my empty Inbox (one month and counting) is proof that you can break out of an “always on” mentality and get back into the flow.

Here’s the essence of what worked for me:

1. Set up an In Process folder with three subfolders, Archive, Follow-Up (or use the Follow-Up flag) & Priority.
2. Move all Inbox items greater than 60 days old to Archive (set date to delete) and move remaining emails to In Process.
3. Cull the strategic, revenue-impacting emails from In Process and transfer to Priority. Commit to addressing daily or weekly.
4. Unsubscribe from all but essential communications that can’t be RSS’d or otherwise read online.
5. Check email at limited intervals and respond based on priority, not necessarily the senders sense of urgency (or tactical use of “!”).
6. Clear Inbox and Priority daily.

Developing Creative Leverage

No matter which new media emerge and which old media fade away, one factor remains crucial: the power of applied creativity to move the market in your favor.

The premise is deceptively simple: creativity can be a powerful tool for gaining competitive advantage. However, like any big idea, the proof is in the execution. In Juicing the Orange, Fallon Worldwide co-founders Pat Fallon & Fred Seen share their extensive execution experience (both successes and failures) across industries, geographies and media. The authors distill their insight into a 7-step process for making creativity both actionable and accountable:

1. Always start from scratch.
2. Demand a ruthlessly simple definition of the business problem.
3. Discover a proprietary emotion.
4. Focus on the size of the idea, not the size of the budget.
5. Seek out strategic risks.
6. Collaborate or perish.
7. Listen hard to your customers (then listen some more).

An expanded review will appear in the Fall (October) issue of Women In Technology International’s Savvy magazine. Savvy's Editorial team welcomes your input on books and ideas that matter. Send your comments to the Editor: saraf at corp dot witi dot com.

As always, I welcome your comments below. If your thoughts are off-topic, please route them via email.

The Decisiveness Factor

A decision today is often twice as worthy as a decision tomorrow. There is a deep opportunity cost of not deciding.

– Unstuck, Keith Yamashita & Sanda Spataro

For more on diagnosing your stuck and getting unstuck, visit the authors’ web site.

Side Order of Attitude

Occasionally inspired, often profane, Hugh MacLeod’s Gaping Void cartoons are oddly engaging. For those who can relate to his distinctly SWM voice, the “cartoons drawn on the back of business cards” widget is available to add to your web site or blog in either a filtered or unfiltered (“adult language”) version. If you prefer a more selective experience, you can opt for a starkly cool alternative business card or "blog card" featuring one of his cartoons.