How do you file your emails?

Do you create a complex directory structure that has a multitude of directories?

I have tried them all, and find that simply having one directory for each calendar year suffices. This makes filing easy, and due to the great search functions, easy to find emails.

To assist with finding emails, I do a couple of things.

• Make sure keywords are used in the subject and/or body of each email.
• Make use of Mailtags, a plugin for Apple Mail
• Link emails to projects created in Omnifocus (Mailtags)

Tags: Email | Filing

What are QR codes?

QR codes are a 2 dimensional barcode primarily read by smart phones with the appropriate scanning software or app.

These barcodes can store all sorts of useful information, from contact details that can be added to a users address book, url’s to take the user to a web page, a calendar event for their calendar, an email address or just plain text….. the possibilities are endless, only limited by one’s imagination.

One important point to remember, when directing a user to a web page, you should have that webpage optimised for mobile devices, after all, there is an extremely high chance they will be using one. You don’t want to spoil their user experience.

Engage the user, have a call to action, and make the most of them, but don’t use them just because everyone else is. Think outside the square.

Tags: Marketing | QR Codes

Bleed is a printing term that refers to printing that goes beyond the edge of the document to be trimmed. When any image or element on a page touches the edge of the page, extending it beyond the trim edge, it is said to bleed. It may bleed or extend off one or more sides. Photos, rules, clip art, and decorative text elements can bleed off the page.

The bleed is the part on the edge of a document that gives the printer a small amount of space to account for movement of the paper throughout the printing and cropping process. Bleed ensures that no unprinted edges occur in the final trimmed document. Particularly when long-run prints are made, the paper may move around. Without adding a bleed to your document, a document may become slightly misaligned in the cropping process and result in white unprinted edges. Not a good look.

Bleeds are generally 3-5mm from where the cut is to be made. This can vary from print company to print company. A 5mm bleed is the safest option for printing, especially in large quantities. Failing to provide bleed can result in finished pieces showing a thin area of white on the edge.

Similar to the way bleed eliminates the chances of misaligned white space appearing on a printed document, making sure you give text and images about 5mm grace from the interior border of a document, will help protect your document from losing any vital elements to the cropping blade.

See diagram below for reference. The dotted line represents where the document will be cut. The white line is the internal grace line where all vital text and images should remain within.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Tags: Bleed

I was watching a video of Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation, and I thought the ideas he put forward, and the way he describes motivation of people in the workplace, very good.

Dan believes in most cases, motivation needs to be intrinsic, not extrinsic. His 3 basic elements of motivation are Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) and his “Hierarchy of human needs”, states that a person is motivated depending on which of their needs are currently met. Once a need is met, it no longer becomes a motivator.

Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs are:

Physiological Needs Safety Needs Needs of love, affection and belonging Needs for esteem Needs for self actualisation Dan Pink’s 3 elements fit into the top of Abraham Maslow’s triangle and describe a simple way of expressing the prime motivators for people in the workplace.

Dan’s 3 elements are:

Purpose Mastery Autonomy My experience has been that there are still far too many managers that base their management techniques on “folklore”, rather than science and understanding human behavior.

Tags: Dan Pink | Maslow | Motivation

I was thinking about businesses sending cards to their clients at Christmas. There has been a trend towards sending emails, or “e” christmas cards.

The advantages of this are lower cost, and easier to implement.

The disadvantages are higher cost, and usually more work involved (unless you use an online card service).

So, why send Christmas cards?

It is personalised! Even online card services can’t offer this. I believe a handwritten note written on a card has a much better impact than a mass produced email or card. It is even better if you can tastefully incorporate your logo on the front of the card.

What do you do when you receive a Christmas email? Probably send it to the trash. I bet you don’t keep it somewhere so you see it regularly.

What do you do when you receive a Christmas card (especially a personalised card)? Usually put it somewhere on display.

With more and more businesses sending emails, your personalised card will stand out even more.

I was thinking about businesses sending cards to their clients at Christmas. There has been a trend towards sending emails, or “e” christmas cards.

The advantages of this are lower cost, and easier to implement.

The disadvantages are higher cost, and usually more work involved (unless you use an online card service).

So, why send Christmas cards?

It is personalised! Even online card services can’t offer this. I believe a handwritten note written on a card has a much better impact than a mass produced email or card. It is even better if you can tastefully incorporate your logo on the front of the card.

What do you do when you receive a Christmas email? Probably send it to the trash. I bet you don’t keep it somewhere so you see it regularly.

What do you do when you receive a Christmas card (especially a personalised card)? Usually put it somewhere on display.

With more and more businesses sending emails, your personalised card will stand out even more.

Tags: Christmas

As I use GTD (Getting Things Done – David Allen) philosophies more and more, I found that Things was not providing all I needed. Things is an excellent application, simple and easy to use, but I needed something more. To provide the extra, I now use Omnifocus. Once again it is available both on my iMac and my iPhone, and is synched using MobileMe, instead of synching when I am at home using WiFi. Tasks can be added via email, or entered directly from my iMac or iPhone. As my task lists and projects become larger, and more of them, I find the structure in Omnifocus easier to navigate.

Tags: Omnifocus | Things

One of my things in life is managing productivity. A big part of this is time management. To assist with this I have become a big list maker, both at home and at work. Up until recently, I have kept my to do lists manually, writing a new list at the start of each week. When I bought my iPhone, I discovered a new software app (application) called Things. I have it both on my iPhone and my iMac. It saves having to rewrite ongoing tasks each week. Things is simple to use and it is synched between my iPhone and desktop using my local WiFi network, so I have an up-to-date list where ever I am.

Tags: iPhone | Mac | Things

I recently changed my hosting company. One of the reasons was to be able to use IMAP email protocol. Previously I was using POP3. IMAP protocol stores the emails on the IMAP server and can be accessed by a client computer. Emails can also be accessed using a browser. I synch my email accounts between my iMac and iPhone using MobileMe. I also use SpamSieve in conjuction with Mail.app to reduce Spam. The advantages of using IMAP include:-

When you read an email on one device, it updates the status on all devices, so no more reading and deleting emails on multiple devices. When an email is moved to the Spam folder on the iMac, it disappears from the iPhone, so less junk mail to process on the phone. Basically whatever you do on one device, is repeated on all synched devices. I am very happy I made the change to IMAP.

Tags: Email | IMAP | iPhone | Mac | SpamSieve

Communication is very important. The basis of communicating is to send, and have understood, a message that you want to convey. An important point here is being understood.

I am surprised by the number of people who believe that because others did not understand their message correctly, it is the recipients problem. My belief is that if I want a message to be received and understood correctly by someone else, it is up to me to choose the most appropriate method to ensure my message is received and understood in the way it was intended.

There is little point in communicating if the message you are trying to convey is not understood correctly. This means that to send the same message to different people, you may have to use different techniques, use different language styles, or use a different medium. Some people take in information more effectively by hearing (auditory), and some by seeing (visually).

This also applies to websites. You need to know and understand the intended audience, and make sure you design and present the information in the most appropriate way. For example, you would present very differently to retirees than you would to teenagers. There is no “one size fits all”.

Tags: Communication

A small company I have dealings with (subsidiary of a global corporate) is suffering a major motivation problem. Since a new General Manager was appointed in January 2008, the morale and productivity has declined until now where it has just about reached rock bottom. I was thinking about his management style, and was reminded of Douglas McGregor.

Douglas McGregor was heavily influenced by the studies of Elton Mayo (Hawthorn Studies), and Abraham Maslow (Maslow’s Theory of Human Needs). McGregor advanced the thesis that managers should give more attention to the social and self-actualising needs of people at work. He asked managers to shift from “Theory X” to “Theory Y”, two very different approaches based on different assumptions.

Theory X assumes people:- Dislike work Lack ambition Are irresponsible Are resitant to change Prefer to be led than to lead

Managers with Theory X assumptions tend to be overly directive (micro manage) and control oriented. This creates passive, dependant and reluctant subordinates.

Theory Y assumes people:- Are willing to work Are capable of self control Are willing to accept responsibility Are imaginative and creative Are capable of self direction

Managers with Theory Y assumptions give subordinates more participation, freedom and responsibility in their work This creates opportunities to staisfy their esteem and self-actualisation needs. They respond by showing intiative and high productivity.

McGregor points out that managers holding either of these sets of assumptions can create a self fullfilling prophecy where the staff will start exhibiting behaviors that confirm the original expectations.

Thinking about these theories, I realised the General Manager had strong Theory Y assumptions, managed accordingly, and has provided the environment for the changes, and now has his prophecies fulfilled. Unfortunately, he sees the changes as a confirmation of his original assumptions, rather than as a reaction to his management style. I expect when the staff all leave (which is looking like a strong possibility), he will believe they were not suitable from the start.

What is your management style?

Tags: Maslow | Mayo | McGregor