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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).

2. Our Featured Quote

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.“

-Unknown

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. 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.

4. Your Simplification Tip

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:

If they have the same last name: first (Jane & John) — last (Smith)

If they have different last names: first (Jane)   –  last (Doe & John Smith)

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!

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

Fall 2008 Organizing Special

Hurry up and get your organizing now (before the frost hits and it turns all brown and crinkly). Project Simplify’s Fall Organizing Special is in effect for a few more weeks!

Here’s the lowdown:

By the time we are done, you’ll have a cleared off desk, your foundation containers set-up (Easy Access Station, reference binder, etc) and “defined”, a maintenance system, and a file map to whip your files into shape.

On-site: (2) three hour sessions (Nevada County area)
On-phone: (6) one hour sessions

6 hours @ $60/hour would normally be $360. Special $300

That’s a 17% discount!

Offer ends on October 31st.

Call Shawn @ 530.205.5775 or email.

7. Keep Smiling

Introduced by Lance Brown

Finnegan Gets by With a Little Help From his Friends

Animals are simplicity in action. Except for the occasional poorly-raised pet, animals tend to be free of mental clutter. They have smoothly-flowing days, they communicate openly, and they know how to relax when the work (or in the case of cats, the sleeping) is done. And relevant to the theme of this issue, animals know how to love instinctively and completely, and how to support their loved ones the same way.

Enter Finnegan the baby squirrel, and a caring mother dog who decided to take him under her wing. I’ll let Snopes.com tell the rest of the story, which has been making its rounds via e-mail for some time now.

“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

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Thanks for reading!

Publication Information
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The Simplifier is published by:
Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530.205.5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: (newsletter@projectsimplify.com) newsletter (at) projectsimplify (dot) com