This week, I traveled to LA to speak on a panel with Sonia Simone and Peter Shankman (pictured above) at the BlueGlass internet marketing conference. Our session was on the future of public relations – you can read a summary here.

I wanted to bring up one part of our discussion that was particularly interesting and something I’ve been thinking about lately. We got on the subject of creativity as an audience member asked the question how to consistently come up with creative ideas. Peter and Sonia responded with some good tips on how to come up with something creative, fast.

For example, Peter noted to do something active / get exercise in order to get ideas flowing. I think this is great advice, in fact it was one of the ideas I wrote down in a post on how to overcome writer’s block.

But I’ve been thinking about this further and while this type of activity might help for someone who is already creative, I am not sure this would actually help someone who isn’t creative in the first place as they’ve never developed that part of themselves.

After all, if we are the sum of our experiences and you don’t nurture an existence that is unique and creative (i.e., if you spend all your time watching TV, blindly following rules all day or being closed off to new experiences) you’re not really positioned to make anything different because you’re not primed for it. Even if you give your brain optimal conditions by being healthy or getting your blood moving through exercise.

It’s up to us to live a life conducive of creativity to the point our experiences produce it as an organic output. And in a world where we’re giving rise to the creative class, it’s one of the most valuable things you can do.

On Being Creative is from The Future Buzz, a Blog Covering Digital Marketing

I’m excited to share some good news with you today. Starting next week, I’m joining Google as product marketing manager, Google Analytics.

Anyone I’ve worked with can tell you how great a fan of analytics I am. I’ve really only been involved in marketing as a metrics-driven exercise. As a practitioner across digital marketing and PR disciplines it’s been in my DNA to make data-driven decisions, conduct analysis to refine tactics and create reporting processes that enable marketing accountability.

I’ve enjoyed the work I’ve done for brands such as Eloqua, Marketo and PRWeb (data-driven marketing products — and teams) more than any other type of client. Plus I’ve been personally interested in moving our industry forward through blogging, speaking and consulting. Going in house to focus my efforts on a product that is essential for modern marketers was the clear next step in my career (thanks Louis Gray for the nudge).

Why GA specifically? Google Analytics is one of the few tools that is both mission critical for what we do and a pleasure to use. GA is also the most elegant analytics product on the market: simple enough for a newbie to understand and all the power necessary for advanced users to conduct serious analysis / improve results.

Most entrepreneurs and marketers are just scratching the surface with analytics and I’ve been passionate about getting clients up to speed while on the agency-side for years. Moving client-side to market my favorite tool is basically a dream. That I believe in Google’s philosophy and other products is icing on the cake.

Personally I’m also excited to work for a company that operates at the scale of Google. I’ve had wonderful experiences at various digital agencies: from 20 marketers in one office up to ~300 dispersed globally. Obviously joining a company with more than 30,000 team members is going to be a new experience for me. One I’m looking forward to embrace as my interactions with Google team members over the years have been extremely positive. I’ve found Googlers to be intellectually curious, passionate and interested in what they do which aligns with my personal work philosophy.

I look forward to helping you become better with data and marketing the best analytics product in the world.

Post image via Life at Google

Joining The Google Analytics Team is from The Future Buzz, a Blog Covering Digital Marketing

The following is a guest post from Future Buzz community member Hillary Rettig. If you’d like to contribute thinking here, please read the guidelines.

Procrastination isn’t laziness, lack of discipline, lack of willpower, etc.: it’s disempowerment. Disempowerment means you aren’t missing anything, but lacking access to that which you have. Remove or heal from the disempowering forces in your work and life and you’ll “automagically” recover all the energy, discipline, willpower, etc., you thought you were missing, or had lost.

There are two main categories of disempowering forces: obstacles and triggers.

An obstacle is something that competes with your project for time or other resources, or that inhibits your ability to do your work. Distractions, conflicts, lack of resources, and lack of training or information are all obstacles.

Triggers are feelings that undermine your ability to do your work – fear and shame being the big two. In fact, these are most people’s major barriers to productivity, since, besides paralyzing you, they also obstruct problem solving. Once you help people overcome their fear and shame, they often speedily deal with their obstacles and get back to work.

The above analysis makes it clear why the two most common tactics for dealing with under-productivity – punishment and nagging – are inadequate.

Punishment includes actual or threatened punitive acts, and emotional punishment such as harshness or shaming. In any form, it increases one’s fear around one’s work, and therefore one’s disempowerment. It also increases one’s need to escape from one’s fears via procrastination. Other problems with punishment include: (1) we become habituated to it, so it eventually loses its power; (2) it at best achieves short-term compliance, and not the growth and capacity building that enables us to do our best; and (3) it’s fundamentally inhumane.

Nagging is what well-meaning bosses and colleagues often do instead of punishment. However, constantly asking someone, “How’s the work going?” is not only not helpful, it’s likely to backfire by adding to your colleague’s sense of fear around his or her project.

Here are some better techniques:

1) Ask if you can help. Better yet, suggest how you can help. Because underproductive people are often mired in shame and denial they will often brush off a non-focused request of assistance. But if you say, “How about if I handle the billing paperwork so you can focus on your blog post,” or, “How about if I handle the graphics while you focus on the text,” they might accept. At home, this strategy looks like, “Honey, why don’t you let me do the dishes and put the kids to bed so you can work on your project?”

2) Assist the person with problem solving, i.e., “Let’s make a list of what needs to get done,” or, “Let’s see whom else we can get to help with this project.”

3) Help them optimize their process. Many people who get struck on their writing or other projects lack an effective process. Ineffective writers, for instance, often think they’re supposed to start at the beginning of the piece and proceed linearly to the end, which is a recipe for a stall-out. Far better to do what nearly all professional writers do and work on whatever part of the piece (or whichever piece) seems most friendly, interesting and accessible at the moment. Then, when you feel the urge, simply switch over to another part. In this way you’ll cover the entire piece as quickly and easily as possible – in part because while you’re busy switching from easy part to easy part, you’re actually shedding light on, and “marinading,” the challenging parts so that they, too, eventually become easy.

Here’s the ultra-prolific Isaac Asimov – author or editor of more than 500 books and a voluminous correspondence – explaining how it works:

‘What if you get a writer’s block?’ That’s a favorite question. I say, ‘I don’t ever get one precisely because I switch from one task to another at will. If I’m tired of one project, I just switch to something else which, at the moment, interests me more’ (from his memoir In Joy Still Felt).

This and other optimized writing techniques will make your process not just way more productive, but way more fun.

4) Encourage them to look at their barriers. If someone can’t do their writing or other work, suggest they write about, or discuss, *why* they can’t. In other words, have them list their obstacles and triggers (most people come up with a list of two or three dozen). Remind them that people’s reasons for procrastinating are always valid. Always. Procrastination is simply a suboptimal response to those reasons.

Fortunately, many obstacles and triggers will be easily dealt with once they’re out in the open – and sometimes simply naming one is enough to defuse it. The rest can be split into the “moderately easy to deal with” and “hard to deal with” camps. Even with the latter, however, at least you’ll know what you’re up against and what you need to do, moving forward.

Everything I said above applies to your staff and colleagues, but obviously it also applies to yourself! High performers learn to manage their internal dialogues and their moment-by-moment relationship with their work so they can catch any punitive or nagging thoughts as – or even before – they occur. This takes a bit of time and practice, but the yield, not just in terms of increased productivity but increased joy in your work, is sublime.

Hillary Rettig’s new book is The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer’s Block (Infinite Art, 2011). Read sample chapters, and access lots of other free information related to productivity and time management at her website. Hillary also does coaching and workshops, and welcomes your inquiries at hillaryrettig@yahoo.com.

image credit: Shutterstock

Help Your Team Overcome Procrastination And Finish Projects is from The Future Buzz, a Blog Covering Digital Marketing

The following is a guest post from Future Buzz community member Lior Levin. If you’d like to contribute thinking here, please read the guidelines.

Want to get more done in your day? Of course you do. To stay competitive in any industry, from digital marketing to software development, in many cases it comes down to one thing: productivity.

The good news is that everyone can increase the amount of tasks they accomplish in a day. If you consider your productivity an iterative process you work on bit by bit, you can slowly improve it.

With that in mind following are 10 tips I’ve found work exceptionally well that hopefully can help you too have a more productive day.

1. Make a plan for your day

One of the best ways to remain productive is to make a plan for the day. Make sure you know how you want your day to go in advance, even before you start. This can provide you a roadmap for the day, helping you figure out what to take care of first and what to save for later. For this one to work best, create the next day’s play the night before so that every morning you spend time executing, not planning.

2. Break larger tasks down into easy to accomplish bits

Do you have a large project that’s just so big you keep putting it off? Or maybe you’re just unsure of where to begin, so you put it off. A better way is to break the project down into more manageable segments. Figure out what needs to be done first and then decide what can be done next. Splitting a project into smaller pieces can help you feel a sense of accomplish as you check the items off your list, and it can provide you with a way to finish the project without being overwhelmed.

3. Prioritize …ruthlessly

It’s important to accomplish the most important tasks first: always set your priorities. Figure out what must be done, do that first and rank the rest of your work according to importance. That way if you don’t get to the items at the end of your list, it won’t be as big a problem, and you can tackle them another time. You should be as ruthless as you can in your prioritization. If you’re doing it right you may hurt feelings, but you’ll achieve better results.

4. Block out distractions

As Adam has written before: focus or fail. When you have real work to be done block out distractions. Don’t keep your email open all day. Turn off the IM. If appropriate, turn off your phone, or let it going to voicemail. In some cases, you might be able to use the equivalent of “do not disturb” to keep distractions at bay.

5. Set a timer to define uninterrupted work stretches

One way you can focus your energy is to set a timer. This can also help you avoid distractions because you’ve set aside time for a specific purpose. Set a timer for half an hour, or an hour, and see what you can accomplish during that time. Don’t allow yourself to do anything else while the timer is on. You might be surprised at what you can get done here.

6. Take breaks to recharge and refresh

Taking a break can help you be more productive. A 10 to 15 minute break after a dedicated period of work can help you refresh yourself and recharge. Eat lunch, meditate, do some light reading, or find some other way to relax for a few minutes. Recharging can help invigorate you and reset your mind to work more efficiently for your next productive period.

7. Don’t make excuses or procrastinate

It’s easy to blame your inefficiency on slow computers, your boss or deadlines. Instead of making excuses look for ways around the problems. Find creative solutions and try to maintain a bright outlook. You’ll get more done if you focus on solutions and stop wasting time making excuses.

8. Reward yourself to reinforce success

One of the best ways to avoid burnout – and resulting drop in productivity – is to reward yourself. Provide a small reward if you meet your productivity goals for the day. If you’re managing others, potentially create rewards for them. And remember, these don’t have to be material: in many cases, verbal reinforcement of success is equally rewarding.

9. Maintain a positive outlook

Scientific studies provide it time and time again: positive attitude can help you improve your productivity. Look on the bright side and you’ll have more energy / your mind will be clearer, helping you identify solutions more readily, and get more done. It’s tough to meet depressed people who are productive: they’re usually far more optimistic.

10. Know how hard you work, and when

Be aware of when you are most productive. Pay attention. If you are most productive in the morning, that’s when you should hit it hard and do as much as you can. If you work better in the afternoon, take care of some things like email in the morning and then tackle the meaty projects in the afternoon. Keep on top of your work habits, and you’ll be more productive.

What do you find are your best tips to increase productivity?

Lior Levin works for a Producteev, a task management tool startup company and also provides consulting to PSD to xhtml that works with web developers from all around the globe.

image credit: Shutterstock

10 Tips To Increase Your Productivity is from The Future Buzz, a Blog Covering Digital Marketing

As aside about the warnings, I think anything you do in life that goes against what someone else relies on is scary for them. As such, it causes them to react out against it. Don’t listen to this type of reaction, always find your own path.

In the previous post on this subject I shared the reasons why I went car-free. Today I wanted to share a follow-up on the experience because I think too many people can’t fathom a life without a car. In summary: I think all of you should try it at some point. It’s a very different (and better) lifestyle.

Why?

Eliminating the step in between

I grew up in a city called Hollywood, Florida. It’s located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. There wasn’t much walkable from my house, as is typical of the American family in suburbia and minimal, disparate public transit. Even if you wanted to walk or bike somewhere, it wouldn’t really be something I’d classify as a pleasant experience. You’re basically using the same infrastructure designed (and given a priority to) cars. So we drove. A lot. Driving was a necessary step in between the events of the day. It was similar in college and when I was in Minneapolis.

For most of this time, I hadn’t fathomed a life in which this step in between wasn’t necessary. No one finds it enjoyable to spend hours on concrete stretches and in asphalt parking lots that are devoid of humanity and lack sense of place. The perspective I have gained from time away from this process has, if anything, made me realize how I would be reticent to go through it again. It’s a subtle but noticeable difference when you remove a stress-inducing activity that is part of your daily process and replace it with something stress-relieving: exercise.

Re-introducing serendipity

There isn’t much serendipity when driving in a car. You’re usually destination-oriented, plus (hopefully) focused on what you’re doing so not paying much attention to what’s around you. Thus, you miss experiencing everything around you. This mode of travel is isolated and lacks serendipity.

Walking or biking a city is a far different experience than driving. If you live in an innovation hub like San Francisco there are countless coffee shops, restaurants, artists, people, art galleries, bookstores and a diverse amount of culture throughout the city. When walking (or biking) it’s not a big decision to stop and explore or interact. Basically, you’re a part of unscripted action vs. just watching from the sidelines.

Gas and car expenses are wasted income and time

Have you run the numbers for what you pay in gas, insurance and car payments each month? If not, go do it. Pretty terrible, right? And what do you have to show for it? Exactly. There’s nothing much to add here, it’s really nice to not have to deal with the nonsense of filling up gas, getting car maintenance or worrying about the upkeep. I have more time to do the things I love, like writing words and music.

Public transit / shared options = better than owning a car

I have been taking public transit to get around and it’s actually quite good. I’ve never had to wait that long (the schedules are all available online) and in fact it’s better than a car because I don’t have to deal with parking. Also any funds to pay, even if I take a taxi or use a service like Zipcar still don’t touch the expense or hassle of owning a car.

My conclusion: our car-oriented culture is not a good thing

Note, I’m not saying cars are bad, I’m saying our culture’s prioritization of them is wrong. They serve an important function, and I’m not saying I won’t own one again one day. But not owning one has given me a different perspective on how they actually affect our culture.

They encourage city designers and developers to sprawl locations of residencies and businesses, distancing us unnecessarily. Something as simple as walking 2 miles a day to the office instead of driving 17 has a noticeably positive impact on  quality of life. I have less physical possessions to maintain and worry about (I actively try to eliminate as many physical possessions as possible). Yes, I am aware of the fact I’m a marketer: but I market technology companies so my aversion to physical possessions plays well with the industry.

Curious how many readers here are also car-free? What has your experience been like?

Reflections On 6 Months Without A Car is from The Future Buzz, a Blog Covering Digital Marketing