Tag Archives: machine

Success Machine, system

The Machine To Stop Poverty

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As we sit comfortably just killing some time reading it’s unfathomable to think that there are some people who are hungry- they just don’t have food to eat. I’m not here to lecture anyone or to start a movement, the Blog Action Day site is taking some good steps for that. I’ll talk about what I know- machine building- and how to use it to stop poverty or at least make it a little better.

  • Eat less- this will lower demand (and scarcity and prices)
  • Don’t let food spoil- it takes money out of your wallet.
  • Take less on your plate- you dont want to throw out leftovers.
  • Consider those less fortunate- invite friends over who have reached hard times. Your small gesture can help.
  • Give away your old clothes- Is your old clothes to small? Too Big? Give it to those less fortunate so they have less expenses to worry about. Many organizations will come to your house to pick up those clothes.

Globally the solution is simple- ship off our leftovers and stop using food inefficiently (e.g. powering cars) but most of all give people the tools to take care of themselves growing their own food efficiently etc. In other words let them build their own food making machine.

Automate, Layering, Principles

Downtime? What’s That? 7 Ways To Maximize Downtime

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Asleep at the Wheel
Web Worker Daily had an interesting post on Using Your Down Time Effectively. I don’t remember the last time I had downtime. Here’s the ways I turn my down time into up time.

1. Documentation and Clean up

Write documentation for your previous project. Write down the steps you took to complete it (if they’re complex) in case you need to redo it. Get rid of old versions of documentation and coding. Get rid of or file the old paperwork.

2. Review your Previous Project

See what went right and wrong. Learn from it. Improve your process or knowledge. This is like an accomplishment review for a project.

3. Improve Processes

Take the opportunity to improve processes. Think about what can be done better. What takes too long? What processes are error prone? Improve it.

4. Keep Learning

Is there a skill that will make you more marketable? more productive? Is there a certification that can make you stand out? There’s always something new to learn: learn more about the tools you use. Learn to type faster. Learn about personal finance.

5. Do Your “Somedays”

Have you ever said to yourself, “I don’t have the time to do this now, but I want to do this someday”? Your someday has arrived. Start planning your downtime in advance- while you’re working. If you come up with an idea put it on your “someday/maybe” list. (This is “Getting Things Done”(GTD) language for a list of things you may get to in the future). During down time review this list. See which projects will help you most and start working on it.

6. Follow up

Check in on your previous completed projects. Make sure that the results are being used correctly. There may be opportunities for improvement. Your “customer” will be impressed by your dedication quality.

7. Start Building a Machine

When you build a machine you take your downtime to a new level (super-up-time?). When you build a machine you create a long term system. For example if you are a web designer and bid for projects frequently, create a “job making machine”. Building a machine will get you more jobs with less effort. Your machine could include a standard introductory letter, sample web sites by category, a list of testimonials, an up to date web site, follow up letters, sample proposals by target market. You get the idea. Put together everything you need to bid on a project so that it takes you little time to place a bid.

Don’t just start this machine randomly. Launch one step at a time (see layering) e.g. start with one follow up letter at a time. This way if you get interrupted (by a new project) you can take advange of your previous successes that you’ve already accomplished. Then at the next down time you know exactly where you left off.

Using these seven techniques you can eliminate downtime and maximize your efforts.

When was the last time you had downtime? What did you do?

photo credit: Aaron Jacobs