Visual Productivity

When you look at it, it just makes sense!

Podcast

My Office Setup – YMM #51

My Office Setup

Preparing for my move to Abu Dhabi meant that I had to look at my entire office setup and figure out what was important enough to take, and what could be left behind.

In reality, I could have shipped anything I needed over, but my goal was to have everything we were bringing fit into the the luggage our family of four would take on the plane.

In a perfect world, there are a few more things I could have brought. On the other hand, there are also several other things I could have left.

This episode of the You're Making Me Podcast covers what I chose to bring and what got left behind. I'm hoping my experiences will help you out the next time you're deciding what's mission critical on your next trip or move around the world.

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In this episode you'll learn:

  • If I could only bring two things for my office setup, it would be these two.
  • What I regret not bringing the most.
  • Why I'm considering purchasing a portable hard drive
  • Why I still have a 3 year old iPhone. What???

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

Selfie stick doubles as tripod

Here's the selfie stick I mentioned that turns into a tripod. It's the IK Multimedia IP-IKLIP-GRIP-IN Grip 5-In-1 Photo/Video Stand Accessory for Smartphones. Seriously, that's the name. Here's my link on Amazon if you're interested.
The Blue Yeti and my office setup – See how I have my audio system setup. I cover the microphone, the boom tripod, pop filter, and ear buds for monitoring the sound.

I use the Edutidge lavalier microphone (EIS-003). Here's my video review

Any feedback about my office setup?

If you have a tip you'd like to share about travelling or moving in regards to equipment, technology, or your office setup in general, please feel free to join the conversation below.

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This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

What’s Up With Abu Dhabi? – YMM #50


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Abu Dhabi - The Palace

In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast, I'll cover what I've been up to over the past six months or so. I've also made a pretty significant move to Abu Dhabi, as you can probably guess from the post title and picture. I'll explain why we chose Abu Dhabi, and how things are going so far.

Here's what you'll find in this podcast episode:

  • How the physical version of my book Visual Productivity is progressing
  • My upcoming responses to the industry leading Biggerplate.com survey
  • The changes coming to the back end of YMM and how it might affect you
  • And the story about the move

Where is Abu Dhabi?

Abu Dhabi is located in the Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf. Here's a quick map showing where we're located.

Abu Dhabi Map

Let's connect

I'd love to hear your comments about the move, moving in general, or any thoughts on the book.

Brainstorming – YMM #47

brainstorming

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This episode is all about Brainstorming.

We'll cover the reasons why some people think brainstorming is ineffective, and I'll talk about the study that people have been quoting as proof.

We'll also go over some best practices when brainstorming effectively, and I'll also give you an alternative method to generating ideas.

That, some history, and a few stories all inside this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • Walt Disney's 3-step method to idea generation
  • What Bill Gates was doing in a cabin in the woods
  • How George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created some of the best scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • Why early brainstormers felt like they were being commandos
  • The 4 original rules of brainstorming
  • Why some people think that brainstorming doesn't work
  • The best practices of brainstorming
  • My alternative strategy… Let's call it Brainstorming 2.0

“The more you rub your creative lamp, the more alive you feel,” ~ Alex F Osborn (Creator of Brainstorming)

Other links mentioned in the podcast:

  •  Walt Disney Method
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark Session
  • The Conflict Study –  This links to the actual paper. It's dry reading, but describes exactly what happened during the study. Update: Cornell removed the paper, so I've removed this link.
  • The New Yorker Article – An article that got tons of press. It based it's opinion on the French / US “Conflict” study.
  • Victims of Groupthink – Amazon Link. You'll need to follow the used books to get a decent price.
  • Brainstorming Techniques – Blog post coming soon.
  • Brainstorming Tools – Blog post coming soon.

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This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.
Image Credit: Me 🙂

Visual Mapping Review Series Wrapup – YMM #46

Visual Mapping Review Series

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Just as all good things must come to an end, so must the Visual Mapping Review series (VMRS) – at least for 2014.

In this episode, we'll go over some of the things I learned from doing the VMRS, and I'll share the good and the bad from this year.

I have some good things lined up for the next few episodes, so make sure you stay tuned. We'll be diving into brainstorming, email, voice recognition, goals, and other fun topics.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • How my pronunciation of Java got me in trouble with the “Language Police.”
  • My thoughts on the iOS 8 Upgrade from Apple.
  • Visual Mapping Review Series Recap
  • Why the number of views is down from last year
  • What I liked about some specific mapping programs
  • My key frustration points

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

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This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

Visual Mapping Review Series Update – YMM #45

In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast we're going to talk about visual mapping, Xmind, and even some time blocking.

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In this episode you'll learn:

The secretive new time blocking beta that I'm involved with.

How I managed to get my hands on Xmind 2014.

What I think about the first seven solutions in the visual mapping review series 2014.

Why am taking part in the YouTube income challenge. [Read more…] about Visual Mapping Review Series Update – YMM #45

The Visual Mapping Review Series 2014 – YMM #44

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We're starting this year's set of reviews

In Episode 44 of the You're Making Me podcast, I'm going to look ahead to this year's visual mapping review series. I've given it a new name, and I'm adding the year because I plan on keeping this going as long as it provides value to people.

The official name is The Visual Mapping Review Series 2014. I'll probably also use the abbreviation VMRS too, so keep an eye out for that.

Over the next few weeks I'll be looking into several visual mapping programs for your PC, mobile devices, as well as Internet solutions.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • What I've heard that makes me think visual mapping is the coolest part of my business
  • Which review from last year upset the most people.
  • Why one size doesn't fit all with visual mapping tools
  • How I plan on doing each review
  • The 4 main categories for this years reviews (Including 2 new ones)
  • The first two videos I'll be recording

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

Do you have a favourite program?

If you have a specific visual mapping tool that you absolutely love, feel free to live and leave me a comment and I'll do my best to have a look at it. Unfortunately, I can't promise that I'll do a video review since there's so much out there, but I'll do my best to look at as many visual mapping solutions as I can.

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This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

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Do you need to switch to a tablet? – YMM #43


laptop-vs-tablet
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Note: This episode was recorded before the Surface Pro 3 announcement, so I won't be mentioning it during this episode. I'm still happy with my observations, so I haven't added anything to what I've said.

In this episode I'll go over my thoughts on laptops versus tablets.

I've had the opportunity to play around with a lot of the newer tablets and I've made a decision as to whether it's time for me to leave my laptop and go with a tablet for my main machine.

My current laptop works fine, but it doesn't have enough horsepower to edit 1080p videos effectively. That means I'm stuck producing 7 20p content for my YouTube channel.

Part of my decision for a new device is based on portability, but my goal is to choose the most effective machine, that will meet all my needs.

What went into my decision?

I go over a lot of the deciding factors that I believe are important, and I talk candidly about what I like and what I don't like about the Surface Pro, iPad, Ultra Books, Net Books, and Laptops.

I'll also explain why I'd rather have one main device than several that I switch back and forth on. [Read more…] about Do you need to switch to a tablet? – YMM #43

Success Comes from Taking Action – YMM #42


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I was thinking about an awesome quote I remembered from the show, The Unit. I binge watched all of the episodes a while back, so I forgot where the exact quote was. Luckily, I was able to do some “Research,” by re-watching parts of some of the episodes.

This quote has probably stuck in my mind because Dennis Haysbert has an amazing voice, and can make anything sound good.

“They're ready for someone, but they ain't ready for us.”

Snake Doctor (Dennis Haysbert) in The Unit

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In The Big One, we'll go over why you shouldn't believe signal lights, but what you can do instead to show you're committed to taking action.

Then, we'll talk about 4 reasons why simple strategies are often more effective than complex ones. [Read more…] about Success Comes from Taking Action – YMM #42

#1 Key to Success – Ignite a Burning Belief in Yourself – YMM #41

 

ingite a burning belief in yourselfIn this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast we'll cover ways to stay excited about your goals by Igniting a burning belief in yourself.

If you've read my book Diamonds and Silver, you might recognize it as the first lesson our hero learns.

This week's Top X of a Topic is on the same topic. X=3 this week, which means I'll count down the three top ways to ignite a burning belief in yourself.

Other than that, I've got some news to share, and a little bit of gossip.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • Why I want you to stop whispering, “I love you,” at work
  • What it means to go Oliver Twist on something
  • The balloon technique and how it applies to motivation, and why you should NEVER visualize RED balloons.
  • I'll give you an example of an “Fake it 'till you make it” horror story. I'll also tell you why you should still fake it anyway.
  • What I believe is the best motivator know to exist
  • What pouring wine into a glass of vinegar can teach you about changes in your life [Read more…] about #1 Key to Success – Ignite a Burning Belief in Yourself – YMM #41

A Jump in Listeners – Wow! – YMM #40

jump-in-listenersIn this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast we're going to talk about some of the latest developments in the area of visual thinking.

I also want to say thanks to everyone who's been listening. I've seen a huge spike in listeners during the past few months.

I even found a way to include a 5-minute brownie recipe for you to check out. I think you're going to like it.

All that in about 13 minutes.

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In this episode you'll learn: