Motivation & Administration

A part of life ‘on-line’ is that it requires a certain amount of administration. Stuff needs to be set up, logged in and authorised. It’s also a big part of getting people into a start up. So we most often ensure that the barriers to entry are reduced…. we let our new users do the admin later. Maybe, on their next visit. The only problem with this is that administration should always be undertaken when motivation is the highest, and that’s usually at the start of a process or project.

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Dubai Series: Business trip tips

We all know it’s very important to have a keep a diary during business travels. We’ve got to keep the tax man happy.

So here’s what I realized on my current overseas trip. I can keep all the records I need during my normal daily business procedures without keeping a separate diary.

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The logos above, I love. Simply because they create time stamped digital footprints of the work I have done on my overseas trip.

Skype: Who I had chats with from the rentoid team, for how long, when and what was discussed.
WordPress: My ‘Global Marketing’ (subject I teach) research diary for Melbourne University, with insights found and relevant articles written.
Twitter: Staying in touch with rentoid members, chatting and sharing twitpics of ideas with strong marketing implications.

Of course most of the above are done on my iphone with also has the digital time stamps the Tax office requires.

It’s never been a more awesome time to travel on business. It’s easy to share ideas, and with these tools our diary doesn’t have to be a a labourious tax afterwards, but can be an interactive digital tool which is part of the fun during the trip.

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Digital project list

To do lists matter. In fact they matter a lot. The problem I find with always long to do lists is the that urgent always takes place of the important. And occasionally important projects fall off the agenda. They do this because they seem to live on the bottom of the ‘to do’ list.

This is why we must have a digital version of our to do list. Even if we are a pen an paper kind of person. As I am, which can be seen here, here and here.

The beauty of the digital to do list is the footprint lasts for ever. The important, but not urgent  items on the bottom of the list don’t need to be carried over with the pen. So they wont get lost in transition.

A good way to do it is to have a digital project list and an actual to do list for the day – that is, the items which you will certainly finish today. Remember, we can always add another item if we blow our own minds and finish all our tasks early.

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Invoices

Today’s task is boring, even hateful. Doing invoices. As with all great ironies, this ought be a task we revere look forward to and basically enjoy. ‘Payment’.

Given we often forget the important stuff we all know. I sometimes write a reminder and stick it to my office wall.

Here’s my pic: (Art’s never been a strong point)

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Yep, I’m reminding myeslf that this somewhat laborious task is actually a cause for celebration, the celebration of hard work as we collect our earnings.

Startups struggling with boring stuff – remind yourself why it’s important!

Steve – founder rentoid.com