Comments for Practice This

Comment on Consultants Change a Lot In 59 Seconds by Alik Levin

Alik Levin — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:51:46 +0000

Lew,
Thank you.
I had mixed feelings about brainstorming either. I realize it’s about how it’s facilitated. It’s a tool and it’s about how you use it vs. the tool itself, or even further… it’s about the mix of both using the right practices with the right tools.

Comment on Consultants Change a Lot In 59 Seconds by Lew Sauder

Lew Sauder — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:14:38 +0000

Alik, you have a good eye for books. I learn a lot from your suggestions. This is one I have to read. I particularly like ‘Write it down’. I often practice writing down random ideas and coming back to them. It acts as a reminder and it allows me to mull things over and come back to them.
I’m not so sure about not brainstorming. I’ve found it very helpful if the group is small enough. Maybe I’ll change my mind after reading the book.

Comment on Consultants Change a Lot In 59 Seconds by Alik Levin

Alik Levin — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:27:33 +0000

JD,
Agree, brainstorming success depends on its facilitation.

Comment on Consultants Change a Lot In 59 Seconds by J.D. Meier

J.D. Meier — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:26:54 +0000

> people using group brainstorming may have inadvertently been stifling, not stimulating
In my earlier days, I remember group brainstorms that were low value.

I’ve found ways to group brainstorm that are effective. The challenge though is it takes asking the right questions, and faciliating in a way that keeps momentum, and avoids conflict. The results are outstanding, but it requires a lot of people skills and the ability to change focus, change perspective, and ask the right questions to keep the ball moving forward.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part III by Alik Levin

Alik Levin — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:12:23 +0000

Shilpan,
Thank you.
Minimalism and decluttering are both good to make sure we have time and space for meaningful things in life. You declutter/minimize both tools and practices – this is key to success in my observation. Some folks keep using many tools w/decluttered practices, some use minimal toolset with convoluted practices. It’s both decluttered tool-set and the practices that make the difference though.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part III by Shilpan

Shilpan — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:00:57 +0000

Alik, I am going to save this article as it is really time saver for me. I am going to share with few friends so that they can benefit from these wonderful tips. I am really horrible at managing my in box. With my new found interest in minimalism, I have started to introspect every aspect of my life to eliminate clutter, and this article definitely will help me in that regard. Thanks for sharing.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part III by Alik Levin

Alik Levin — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:38:42 +0000

Lew,
Thank you.
Turning off reminders does wonders for me. Think of how much time you would save on cool downs and warm ups caused by these reminders.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part III by Lew S

Lew S — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:24:56 +0000

Although I have a tendency to let a few items stack up in my inbox, I’m usually pretty good at keeping it manageable. I am going to focus on budgeting my email time and turning off the distractions though.
Thanks for the great advice.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part III by Alik Levin

Alik Levin — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:15:32 +0000

MyMoneyDesign.
I see almost it daily, I am used to it. I bet you have 4 types of emails there:
* Action items
* Reference/info nuggets
* Something that was important once but not any more
* Junk
It’s easy fix. Go through it, leaving those from the first category. Filing the second one, and deleting 3 and 4. Set a limit to scan until specific date, say 6 months back, the rest gets the axe no matter what.
Doing that you will save yourself ton of time touch same emails multiple times, it adds up to ton of time all-in-all.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part III by MyMoneyDesign

MyMoneyDesign — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:20:22 +0000

If you say my Outlook, you would explode. It has 12,000 messages. I’m also a big user of the Red Flag button. I’ve done it for so long that it helps me, but I’m sure there’s a better way.

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part II by alik levin

alik levin — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:03:23 +0000

Tony,
Thank you. Part III is hot off the press

Comment on Time Management With Microsoft Outlook At A Glance–Part II by tony soper

tony soper — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:54:55 +0000

Great series Alik, keep the tips and observations coming.

Comment on Four C’s Of Marketing For Consultants by curtis c

curtis c — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:58:55 +0000

my 3 P’s are P for professioanlism look the part to get the part, P for Punctuality priding yourself on turning up 10 minutes early to prepare (theres no such thing as being fashionably late for a consultant in my opinion) P for prudent do something smart to get smart make achieaveable promises and do them ASAP make simple muesueres to identify where half the task and half the problem lye.
p means perfect!

Comment on Is Consultant Career For Me? by curtis c

curtis c — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:45:30 +0000

to me i think you only know something is meant for you when you become passionate about it. to me working inside any consultantly firm or more hopfully owning my own has my name written all over it.
passion is key to me its my motivation that lights my fire and paves me way down the road to secsess the greateness lyes in the journey before the goal.

Comment on The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Consultants by curtis c

curtis c — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:25:37 +0000

one habit i have found perticularly in business (eg through my abitionary consultancy the LP) that you dont spend money in business you INVEST money. by which i mean you spend money to……make money, with the hope and exspectation to make a return for ultilizing it fully or by increasing it value.
speculate to accumerlate! thats the name of the game.

Comment on 101 Tips For Success In Consulting by alik levin

alik levin — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:25:10 +0000

curtis c,
Put your ideal customer at the center, that’s at the heart of the right path to making your customers raving fans of yours.

Comment on 101 Tips For Success In Consulting by curtis c

curtis c — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:10:25 +0000

i really want to be a consultant when i become fully employed i am bursting with ambition, i have thousends of ideas broken down into more then 100 pages of data boxed away and i hope to own my own business, earn a six figure salary and become a self made million!

but enough about me, about this however:

what about the rest? not to complain trust me i think the ideas listed are the cream of the consultantcy crop but what else should i do and how should i put these in practice, what is at the heart of the matter the right path to go down to commerence prominance?

p-s i think to under promise and over delieaver (high quote low asking actual price) is as good as gold to me i think it draws emphersis upon marketing pyscology and dark appeal in business!! two thumbs up

Comment on 10 Things Consultants Should Learn From Dagny Taggart by Alik Levin

Alik Levin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:51:51 +0000

Rick,
I remember very well your take on what was going on w/economy and i understand why the book/movie resonated w/you. Your views were quite eye opening for me back then.

Comment on 10 Things Consultants Should Learn From Dagny Taggart by Rick K

Rick K — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:22:15 +0000

Great take-aways from the movie.

I enjoyed the movie, but really loved the book. The ideas there changed my life for the better in many ways.

Comment on 10 Things Consultants Should Learn From Dagny Taggart by alik levin

alik levin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:33:00 +0000

@Manning
You won’t be disappointed watching the film.