Focus and explore

I haven't had formal employment for about 4 months now and I've learned some interesting things. The main thing that I've discovered about myself is that I actually hate being distracted and love to work with extreme focus for short bursts.Someone recently told me that the best thing to happen to my career is not having a job. I wholeheartedly agree but with one major caveat; Focus is absolutely imperative when you have a lot of options.I have been approached to start companies, join companies, speak here and there, and consult to many brands, businesses and agencies. The most difficult part is to successfully explore the various opportunities in front of me without offending or leading anyone on and then focusing in on the most interesting, fun and fruitful of those.I've had to say no to some incredibly gifted people whom I respect and I've taken on some things that in hindsight I wish I hadn't. I've also had to make some very tough decisions and statements for partners and clients about various products they are pitching and proposing to me.Then there's NicSocks, my own little ecommerce startup. This is probably the most difficult thing to put on the back burner or shove aside. But I'm trying hard to stay focused on specific goals that have been set with regard to my side projects: When they become profitable enough to hire people, I will. Until then, it's all me.Here are some tips to help with focus when you're consulting and working on multiple projects:

1. Manage your time effectively with the tools available - I use Fantastical for iPhone and Desktop with Google Calendar and reminders.
2. Manage expectations - Don't lead people on. Be blunt, investigate and commit (or move one).
3. Be VERY picky. Don't say yes to everything.
4. Book time in your meeting schedule for exercise. Actually book a meeting with yourself for that run you've been meaning to go on.
5. Don't look for things to do, look for things to say no to and actually say "no".
6. If you're working on one project, set time and only work on that project.
7. DO NOT MULTITASK. EVER.

On the whole I am absolutely loving the nature of consulting and working with many smart people on a few brilliant projects. You should try it.

Let's all blog about blogging about blogging

Bored. That is what us bloggers must be. Why? Because we seem to be so preoccupied recently (a phenomenon that has coincided with some interesting arrivals of late) with who is who and doing what and how often in our wondrously massive local blogging community.Those who are mentioned "seem to not care" but care enough to blog about themselves being blogged about. I have been mentioned a fair amount and I am now partaking in my own condemnation (oh the irony). I am blogging about blogs by bloggers on blogging and bloggers and who's the bestest of the best and whose daddy is bigger than whose mommy and who has the nicest fanciest shmanciest housiest home or rather, blog, and who is more influential than who and how often they influence those that influence others.Can I just chime in here and say that I actually think it's a load of rubbish. In spite of my participation in Mandy's "Top Ten bloggers" post over at MoneyWeb I honestly think it's irrelevant. Mandy asked on twitter yesterday: "Who has more influece?" and listed three bloggers for others to compare. Link. Bait. It's link baiting. Not journalism. It's irrelevant in my opinion (and only in my opinion). What does matter is that its time we refocus our energy on relevant content for the every day reader. Not the bloggers who blog about blogging.Has content become so drab and non existent that we have turned to each other, looked one another in the blog and decided that we are the only content relevant enough to blog about? Are you kidding me?I reiterate that I grasp the fact that I am doing the same thing right now that I am condemning, do not point it out in the comments, I get it, I know that I am doing it but occasionally it is unavoidable.What I am getting at is that people like to stir the pot, we like to back rub, we like to have our backs rubbed, we all do and we all know it, we just can't help ourselves. It's the old adage that people like to see themselves on TV, look at America's Funniest Home Videos. That show has never gone away and it's because there are regular people focusing on people like themselves. That doesn't make it good content though. It just makes it long-lasting.Maybe it's time I shift my focus to writing for readers, not bloggers. Writing for people and writing about things that people like to read. In my opinion readers don't like to read about bloggers blogging about blogs and other bloggers egos and ranks and pages and pageranks and technorati and lists and links... see I'm bored already.