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1. A Note From Shawn

Practical tips and ideas is what this newsletter
issue is all about. I try to mix things up which means the next article may be
on some existential philosophical pondering. We’ll see. The path to
simplification takes many forms…

While your journey to simplify is highly personal
and unique, you can combine simplification with socializing or community-building. In fact, I’m ever more of the conviction that this is incredibly
important in these 21st Century exciting times. The guiding force for the
article this issue was exploring the intersection of progress and friendship.

I also want to share a subject (in the tip) that
is near and dear to my heart… Spreadsheets! In fact, I began an “ode to a
spreadsheet” which went something like this: Oh spreadsheet, you keep my
information separated neatly in rows and columns so efficiently. You let me sort
my data in every which way and back again, without skipping a beat! You welcome
my numbers and perform complicated calculations with the utmost of ease…OK, I’ll stop.

May your weather be as gorgeous as it is here in
the Sierra foothills. It seems a shame to be inside… Remember to play and have
fun!

Enjoy,

Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier

P.S. You have until October 31st to sign up for
the Fall Organizing Special (you can check out the
"Featured at…" section below for
more info).

3. Article: Amplify Your
Business with the Power of Love

By Shawn Tuttle

We
are at a fascinating time in U.S. history in which the lives of millions can
change drastically overnight. Institutions we once thought solid are crumbling
or vanishing. News sources are reporting startling statistics and constant stories
about the economic crisis. According to the “experts”, our raft is
racing uncontrollably on fast, relentless water toward a huge drop. Even making
it past the rocks jutting into the air is uncertain, surviving the plunge even
less so. 

While
a freak-out response might seem natural, staying the course in these
turbulent waters is necessary for healthy survival. Activities to help
clarify your purpose, connect with your best self, and develop community are
powerful antidotes for holding steady in these unpredictable times. And it just
so happens that these activities greatly benefit from simplifying. Booya!
=)

You
have a well-spring of dedicated strength around you that is
likely under-tapped: your friends and family. Their help tends
to be gentle on the wallet and provides an excellent opportunity to
discover the skills and expertise they’ve gained through their own professions. 

I’ve
been writing a lot about becoming a Natural
Professional. The second phase,
Framework, is about customizing the systems that support the specific work
you do. Tracking and focusing on your goals is one of the most important
activities you can do to stay on track. It’s also one of the easiest things to
let slide when getting inundated by day-to-day responsibilities. Invite
friends and family to be a part of your crew. Let them help maneuver
your raft through the rapids of building your business–and help contribute to
your success!

Below
are two suggestions for staying afloat and heading in the right direction through
the help of friends and family. 

Goals
Timeline Chart
We
are masters of coming up with a gazillion reasons not to settle down for a good
planning session (especially us self-employed types who don’t have deadlines
imposed on us from upper management). Yet planning is crucial for taking a
birds-eye view of your project, staying realistic, and keeping on track.

Here’s the idea: make an appointment with a friend to make a goals timeline chart (one
for each of you). 

Bring
to the date:

• large
  paper, for ex. big pieces of butcher paper, flip chart paper, or newsprint
  sketch paper

• stickies
  (a.k.a. Post-Its) 

• pens
  and markers

• a long straight edge if you
  prefer precision lines 
  

• your
  schedule for the upcoming year 

Step
#1: Define main and supporting goals

Complete this process for one person, then switch and repeat
it for the other
person. Use a big piece of paper for each person.

1. Decide who will do the
   writing. (If you like to pace or do headstands while you brainstorm, then
   have your partner write. If writing assists your thinking process, then you
   write.)
2. Write down your primary
   goal–for example, “Make at least $2,000/month playing music by Oct.
   2009”. 
   
3. Make sure it’s a SMART goal:
   Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
   
4. Write down several
   supporting goals to support your main one. For example: make a CD, get paid
   gigs playing for parties and wedding receptions, publicize in newspapers,
   write new music, find backup musicians, develop email list. If your
   list gets really long, say more than 10 items, you may want to group in
   broader categories.

Note: while you are welcome to contribute ideas for the other person’s goal,
take care not to micro-manage the process. Each of you are ultimately
responsible for your own commitments. 

Here’s an example of doing this in a mind-mapping
style:

Step
#2: Make a Timeline Chart

Now, working individually, 

1. Write on another piece of
   the paper your goal as the title of your chart, write the
   months across the top, and then your supporting goals down the left side. 
   
2. On the stickies, write down
   significant tasks to get to each of the supporting goals and place them in
   the month when you think they should happen.

An example:

Once you’ve placed all the stickies, go back and look at your chart month
by month. With a sharp eye, review each month. The question to ask isn’t:
“Do I think I’m capable of doing all this?”, it’s: “In a realistic
world, considering my resources, other responsibilities, and the unexpected
stuff that inevitably happens, what can I commit to?” Move your stickies
accordingly. Remember that no matter how impatient you are to realize your goal, putting
down less for each month can help keep your stress level down and increase your
success rate. 

Finally, time to decide where to put your chart. Many prefer a visual
reminder of their high priorities, therefore would post the chart on the wall. Make
sure its home is easily findable because you should refer to your chart at
least once a month to review your goals for the upcoming month. (Remember
rule #1 of the ToDo list–it’s for tasks, not projects. This means that you’ll
take each goal and then list out a number of tasks to spread out over the
weeks.) Your completed chart may morph over the year–no biggie, just move the
stickies.

Does this chart-making
activity require two people? Not necessarily. Sure you are capable of learning
the currents of the river on your own, but it’s so much more fun navigating the
eddies with a friend! Amp up the goal planning activity by inviting in a spirit
of exploration and camaraderie!

Co-coaching

When
you feel like you are spending all of your time on day-to-day details and not
spending any time making your dreams come true, try a co-coaching relationship
with a friend.

Choose
someone you have a good rapport with. This isn’t a time to be watching what
you say or feeling like you need to defend your viewpoint.

Suggested
format:

• weekly
  or bi-weekly; in person or on the phone. On the phone can be easier for a
  long-term commitment. Plus, it opens up the option of engaging with a friend
  in another location.

• make
  appointments 1 hour long: 30 minutes focused on you and 30 minutes focused
  on your friend. When it’s your turn, you get to talk about whatever you
  want.  I suggest a setup along the lines of:

1. reporting on progress on
   goals from last week
2. acknowledging challenges
   and successes since last session
3. coming up with a goal to
   accomplish before the next session

Your
friend can help you stay rooted in reality by asking, “Is this a
realistic goal?” and “What is the very next action you’ll take toward this
goal?” You can also help each other define your goals by
putting them through the SMART test explained above.

In
addition to getting support to make progress, you also get someone to
brainstorm solutions with when faced with sticky or confusing situations.
Accountability and friendship can help you get through some pretty
challenging times! 

Obviously, creating a goals timeline chart and co-coaching dove-tail beautifully
with each other–you can reference your timeline as a guideline for your
co-coaching calls. 

Whitewater rafting is challenging and exhilarating–and dangerous–no matter how long
you’ve been doing it. While you might not get the same amount of endorphins
rushing from growing your business, it is no less challenging. With each turn of
the river your strength and skills are pushed. In one way, rafting is easier
because you get to take advantage of the momentum of the current. 

In your
business,  patience and perseverance are the critical elements that will
push you to the brink of your limits time and again. Let it be easy (or at least
easier) with the help of those who love you. After all, we are in these
rocky times together.   
—

Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.

by Shawn Tuttle

Creating a
Mailing List in a Spreadsheet

I mean really now, who
can’t help but love a series of cells with neatly compartmentalized data?
Ok, maybe not everyone, but I know I’m not alone.

In the interests of
making your spreadsheet adventures more smooth and satisfying, here are some
“rules of use” relevant for compiling a mailing list. For example, an
artist I’ve worked with is consolidating his mailing list. Going through the scraps of paper on his desk, we turned up a
folder-full of names, emails, addresses and/or phone numbers of people that
were destined for the mailing list.

The goal is to digitize
the information so that he can sort by different info (like last name or
city), to merge the data into a document to make labels, and to prepare his
mailing list for future import into an email management program.

When setting up his
spreadsheet, we used the top row as a header row. One piece of
information per row:
first – last – business name — street – city – state – zip –
phone 1 – phone 2 – email — notes.  
You can add more rows such as work
street — work city — work state etc.; that’s
optional and depends on your needs.

The reason for first (Joe)
and last (Smith) to go in separate columns is that you can’t sort
in your spreadsheet by last name (Smith) if you entered first last
(Joe Smith) together—you’ll only be able to sort by first (Joe).

My suggestion for
dealing with multiple names per record is:

Other reminders and tips:

• One row per record
  (per contact)

• Label each row with
  an unambiguous name.

• You can use a zip
  code look up finder if missing the zip code: http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

• Make sure there are
  no spaces in front of your data in a cell.

• Enter phone numbers
  consistently and with the area code. Pick one format and stick with it. 
  For
  example (530) 555-8585 or 530-555-8585.

• Take your time to
  enter the data in correctly–going back to double-check later is
  unrealistic and getting someone’s info wrong, especially their name, is
  bad form (and bad for business!)

• Save early and save
  often–don’t lose all your hard work to a freak accident!

To keep this tip on the
shorter rather than longer side, I’m not explaining all the reasoning
behind the above tips. Suffice to say, once you get
into sorting and importing, you’ll understand. We humans clump information
in creative ways; the computer doesn’t. Try to think like your computer and keep
your data entry consistent and specific. It will prevent a lot of time and
needless mouse clicking. And who knows, maybe your appreciation for the
beautiful spreadsheet will grow!

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5. In the News

Compiled by Lance Brown

Cleaning out the house requires a plan and a new attitude
(The Post-Crescent - Appleton, WI)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/45kctv           
If you’ve got a mess on the outside, there’s a good chance that its origins are
on the inside. The solution has to involve a process that deals with both
"sides" of the problem.

Simpler living (Mother
Earth News)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/4kkvwu  
    
Mother Earth News has culled together a nice collection of practical ways to
make things simpler for both yourself and your community. 

Corporate Leadership: Losing
focus (Small Business Times)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/526y6h  
Debunking the supposed merits of multitasking for increasing productivity
in the workplace.

If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!

Fall 2008 Organizing
Special

Introduced by Lance Brown

Finnegan Gets by With a
Little Help From his Friends

“I just gave her the squirrel and she was just ecstatic. She was all over him — lick, lick, lick, lick, lick. Instinct is a wonderful thing. It sort of takes over and tells you what to do.”

URL: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/finnegan.asp