Unwilt some people this week!

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The post VIDEO UPDATE – Wilted tomatoes and encouragement appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

Listen below, download, or subscribe on iTunes.

House Keeping

• Book giveaway update.
• My recent trip to Arizona. My blog entry about that visit. (see video below).
• Information & Automation and Pulse Infomatics, Inc..

Episode content: The Role of Technology

• What is your focus as an I.T. professional?
• What is the value you bring your organization?
• Does your language and do your actions match your answers to that.
• The value is not the infrastructure. The infrastructure is the vehicle for delivering the value.

Information & Automation

Information: The Storage and Retrieval of Information for Analysis and Decision Support.

Automation: The Automation of the Delivery of a Product or Service.

Agree or disagree? Have a comment to add? Let me know below.

Video Extra: Cliff Jumping at Slide Rock

The post [Podcast] Episode 8 – The Role of Technology appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

Listen below, download, or subscribe on iTunes.

EXTRA: A video on using Google Calendar.

House Keeping

• Winner of the book giveaway: Jedadiah Casey in Florida won a signed copy of Building Your I.T. Career. There is a new book giveaway started. I’ve extended the date to May 19^th
• Skype call with IATD Chicago was a success
• Reviews of my book and a request for those who have read my book.

Scheduling & Calendaring

I refer to my calendar as a benevolent dictator. Why? Because, when I am diligent in using  my calendar, it keeps me doing the right things.

Why do I use Google Calendar

• I used to use Outlook – which is a great calendaring tool but..
• Cloud based – I can get to it anywhere
• It is free
• I can create multiple calendars and see them overlapping
• I can share one or more calendars – either the details or just free/busy information
• It integrates with my smart phone
• It also sends me text messages if I want it to
• It has a built in tasks list that also synchronizes with my phone
• Get things off your mind and into a system.
  David Allen and 43 folders concept.
• You must work your system in some scheduled/diligent fashion
  • Weekly planning and review
  • Daily Review
  • Have repeating scheduled items for non-moving, ongoing, items.
    • Weekly conference call..
    • Going to the gym
    • Practicing guitar
    • Recording your podcast
    • Writing time
  • Don’t schedule appointments or blocks of time right on top of each other. Create space for overage and preparation

Keys to effective calendaring

The post [Podcast] Episode 7 – Scheduling and Calendaring appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

I have my music channel and one for tutorial videos of various technologies. I had one for songwriters. And I had one for the 1st edition of the book (I may repurpose those for this website and do some new ones). Given my schedule, it is too much to maintain.

Part of my goal is to consolidate efforts. It is true that I am the author of Building Your I.T. Career. But I do a number of other things as well. My primary channel will host various playlist and videos that touch on all of my activities. So.. join me there for sure.

I’ll be posting these videos on my general author/songwriter site. But I’ll post them here as well from time to time.

This video in particular makes sense. I received a less than stellar review on Amazon. In contrast, I received a wonderful personal note and review for Barnes & Nobel (It was not there at last check). I read them both here and discuss some thoughts about them. I also discuss my content schedule going forward and show off some new t-shirt ideas.

FYI: If you’ve read my book and are an Amazon or Barnes & Nobel customer, post a review there.. especially if you liked the book. If you didn’t like the book, send me a message. Let me know how I can make it better in the future.

Take care.

The post Bad Review, Good Review, and My Content Schedule appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

Listen below, download, or subscribe at iTunes.

House Keeping:

• Book Giveaway update – new giveaway through May 12th
• Couple exciting things. I spoke at my daughter’s school yesterday – discussing everything from Relationship Potty Training, my inspiration for writing & songwriting, and more specifically, why you cannot wait for inspiration.We also talked about what it takes to get the job of your dreams!Also, sometimes you need to “perspire your way to inspiration.” – see: Stephen King’s, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft”.
• Later today I am doing a LIVE Q&A with a classroom of students using my book at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Chicago.
• After this weekend, we’ll be announcing some career focused webinars. If there is a topic or question you want answered, let me know.

Getting Started In Consulting

I mention my free consulting proposal. You can get it in the supplemental downloads here.

• Start on a shoestring
• Part-time is always effective
• Get started before you are ready
• Consider joining Toastmasters. Find a group near you.
  Eyes, Ears, Heart
• Business cards, a services sheet, and ASAP a WordPress based website. Learn about WordPress here.

Please share this podcast and blog with your friends using the buttons below. Also, if you have questions or comments, leave them here on the blog.

The post Podcast Episode 6 Getting Started In Consulting appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

My apologies to anyone who visited this site this weekend to find the GoDaddy landing page. 2 Other domains – not currently used – also did not renew.

Now let’s get back to work.

The post Oops.. Site down this weekend appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

I’m reposting them here – more convinced than ever that they ring true. I’ve also added #6. It is one I hear in coaching all the time.

Finally, the title should probably be, “6 Lies WE Tell Ourselves About Productivity”

1) Busy People Get More Done.

The fact is, people who get more done tend to be busy – but.. we know or have been busy and after a day/week/month of frantic busy-ness, have little to show for it.

Let me qualify that. Little to show other than time now used and our desired achievables, no closer.

Why? You need to have established, written goals, and schedule them as though they are important.

2) I Can Multi-task.

This is one that women tend to use more than men. It is scientifically just not true. You are only kidding yourself.  Being able to remember multiple things is not multi-tasking. Even switching between things is not multi-tasking.

Focused work on a single activity is the best way to get it done as quickly as possible.

You cannot multi-tasks!

3) I Keep My List In My Head/I don’t Need To Write It Down

It doesn’t matter whether you are a memory expert or not, a written list (computerized list) of “next tasks” (see David Allen’s Getting Things Done) is both liberating (frees your mind to concentrate on the work of the current task and forget about future tasks) and restrictive (it keeps you on the current tasks and those that need doing right now).

Write it down!!!

4) I Don’t Need To Organize – My Piles Are My System

Guilty!. This was one of my lies. Thankfully, it is not anymore. I do a good job of getting rid of piles every 1 or 2 weeks. Including the dreaded filing and purging process. It takes very little time and far fewer things slip through the cracks. Also, it clears mental noise, allowing me to concentrate and perform virtually all other tasks better.

If you are telling yourself that your clutter is your system, it is simply an excuse for being lazy.

I have been asked what type of filing system is best?  My answer: The one you use. It doesn’t really matter as long as you use it and purge it once or twice a year.

5) I’ll Get To It Tomorrow/Next Week/In The Future!

This is probably the single biggest hindrance to productivity and the big lie. In “Getting Things Done” and other productivity systems I’ve read, there is a rule that says, tasks that are less than 5 minutes in length should be done right then. Of course, this is not always possible – ie: I have an appointment in 5 minutes and there are ten 5 minute or fewer tasks.

However, I now schedule time each day for quick tasks. I schedule that time. I don’t say, “I’ll get to it when I have time.”

Remember, your calendar is your benevolent dictator.

6) I’m doing the best I can

I usually hear this when someone is stressed or being pressured to change some things. Unfortunately, it is pretty rare that we are doing our best. We have areas of improvement.. some that we know.. some that we need to learn through assessment.

Part of being productive is having the honesty to know what needs to improve and adding it to your to do list for the week – improving I mean.

Even when you are doing pretty good/very good.. you aren’t doing the best you can. But, in particular, if you are feeling like you are at your limit – of patience or energy – you are very likely doing far less than your best. Time to think about what you need to change.

What lies have you told yourself lately?  Be honest.

The post 6 Lies You Tell Yourself About Productivity appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

We are all Fearful at times. In this episode I discuss how you overcome fear and move forward in your life and career.

Listen below, download, or Subscribe at iTunes.

IN THIS PODCAST

• Free Book Giveaway
• Live Video Q&A later this month with IADT Chicago
• My daughter was published (writing often involves overcoming fear)
• My own Fear! (yes.. I am often fearful)
• How to fight it.

3 Steps to Overcoming Fear

1. Don’t deny it but don’t obsess over it
   admit it and enact a plan.
2. Create a plan AND A CALENDAR
   put your calendar, not your emotions, in charge
3. Be accountable to someone who is challenging
   they should make you uncomfortable in that they expect things from you

But what about you? How do you overcome fear – in life and  your career. Share below.

The post Podcast Episode 5 – Overcome Fear and Your Career appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

I’m giving a way a signed copy of Building Your I.T. Career every 2 weeks. Even if you own the book already, you can have me sign it and send it to a friend.

Get the details on the Free Book Sweepstakes page.

The post Win a FREE signed copy of Building Your I.T. Career appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.

Several years ago I gave a keynote address for McDonald’s I.T. group back in Chicago. On the flight over I turned to my wife and said, “I think I’ll open my keynote with song.”

“Which song,” she asked….nervously?

“I’m writing it now.”

This stressed her out a lot more than it stressed me out. I wrote the song on the flight to Chicago and the next morning performed it – with one slight, forget the lyrics, hiccup. Listen to the Chief Information Officer at the end.. “We need a recording of that.”

FYI: It is this sort of behavior that prompted one event organizer to suggest that I had, “Silicon Valley Knowledge with a Jimmy Buffett Attitude!”  - we like that!

The I.T. Job Seekers Song – go to youtube (lyrics below)

LYRICS:
(Played slowly)The server crashed at 2pm as accounting ran financials
A blue screen buffer overflow the impact was substantial
I had hoped today, to have time to study for my certs
But the firewall is issuing exploit alerts

(quickly – high energy)
They wouldn’t sign for the disaster plan
I begged and pleaded when I spoke to them
But they just talked about a “fiscal year”
And now they want to get me out of here

I need a job where they respect my skill
Where every day is not a fire drill
Not asking for another dotcom craze
(spoken) Well, maybe a little of that dotcom pay

But what I’d really like is gratitude
Some recognition for the things I do
A team where we all take a turn at bat
Where can I find an IT job like that (dramatic pause)…
You deserve a break today, so submit your resume To McDonald’s…I’m Lovin’ It!
(I.T. that is)

The post The I.T. Job Seeker’s Song – from the past appeared first on Building Your I.T. Career.