The Worthwhile Blog » Louisa Stephan

A Rushed Decor

Louisa Stephan — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:36:04 +0000

I love to decorate. However, budgeting constraints hold me back from completing my full vision. Although I’m still searching for a lot of those final-touch pieces for my home, my projects are heading in the right direction. Maybe if I increased my decorating budget it would happen faster … ? The thought that “I could be completely done with my decorating and focus on other things–to put decorating on the back burner and just relax” is appealing; however, I’m starting to learn that haste in decorating creates a rushed impression, and it’s not entirely authentic.

For example, go to your favorite store for home decorating pieces, and you’ll find that their styles rotate from season to season. I’ll never forget the Friends Episode where Rachel bought every item from a living room display at Pottery Barn. The room looked great. Later, when her roommate Phoebe walked by the store, she recognized all of the window display items as Rachel’s so-called “antique finds.” No creativity was involved. The aesthetic was disingenuous–copied & pasted. It’s easy to pull all the items from one season at a particular store, but it’s definitely more of a challenge (yet more visually interesting) to find your own mix over time as you incorporate new favorites.

Alright, so what does a rushed decor have to do with your website? Lots actually. When you designed your site 4 years ago, did you cross it off your list and decide it was good for another 6 years, or have you been consistently tweaking to make it just right? Let’s face it, the way that you represent yourself as a company on the web should subtly change every couple months. As you adjust your SEO strategy, some of your content will change. You will add buttons to encourage users to make the next move. You will update pictures. You will make changes in functionality to assist your users. If you make these changes incrementally with your website partner, your site will be far more inviting for the users you ultimately designed it for.

Above all, just like you wouldn’t incorporate a design trend into your home that didn’t feel like you or the rest of its surroundings, don’t incorporate new features into the site just because everybody else is doing it. It might not be the right strategy for you. Think about what you need to add, make additions thoughtfully, and have fun decorating your home and your site!

Don’t Write Long Emails

Louisa Stephan — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:53:58 +0000

Are you putting your reader to sleep? (HT: Aaron Jacobs)

I recently read an article titled “Your emails are too long.” My first reaction was “Woah, whoever wrote this knows I write long emails, but I have to. Otherwise I won’t be giving enough information.” I made a list of justifications in my head until I realized I was defensive because it was true. Eek. My emails are long — too long. And so are yours. Admit it.
Whoever wrote “If I had more time I would have written you a shorter letter” summed it up pretty well. I know that I write my longest emails when I’m tired and rambling on — especially if that’s during business correspondence.

If you have a chance, read the article mentioned above. I think the author makes some good points. There are few times when you actually need to send an email with more than five sentences. It’s a pretty good rule to stick to — but difficult. Some of my favorite points in the article, if you don’t have time to read it:

Fast Response: When someone sees a short email in their inbox, it typically gets responded to much more quickly.
Too Many Questions: No one wants to receive an email with a long list of questions (or ten emails in a row with different questions) — it just feels overwhelming. So just ask the biggest question.
Concise: Stick to one main point in your email.
Link Elsewhere: If you have to post a long document or need to reference something else, include a link to a document online or attach one. Don’t include it in the email as an additional 12 paragraphs.

Do any of you out there already do this? Or conversely, do you actually like to read long emails when you get them in your inbox?

Creative Results

Louisa Stephan — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:39:43 +0000

These two commercials from Delta are so fun to watch. Wouldn’t it have been cool to be part of the creative process of building these? I think that, and then I realize that commercials that are this intriguing and fun take a lot of work to look so effortless. As part of a creative organization, I’ve come to realize that things always take longer than you planned, but the results are most often worth it.

Check the videos out if you have a minute.

Snow Boots Necessary

Louisa Stephan — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:14:58 +0000

If you live in South Carolina, you’re probably sick of snow and ice. For those of you unfamiliar with our “blizzard”… We received 8 inches of snow on Monday. It turned to ice on Tuesday since the roads weren’t cleared. Schools have been closed all this week, and I think it’s safe to say that those who have been stuck at home have been stir-crazy.

Even though I’m blessed to be able to work from home during events like these, I was anxious to get out and drive. I drove for the first time successfully today (yesterday an attempt was made, and I chickened out and turned around). In some spots ice was still thick on the roads, but I was able to see black top for my drive in to work today. Hallelujah!

If you ventured out when the roads were worse (and stayed safe), I applaud you.

Here is a picture of the front of our building. I guess we’d better get shoveling! Or you could bring your ice skates with you when you come and visit…

Thank You. You’re Welcome.

Louisa Stephan — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:52:05 +0000

Yesterday, I was driving in the Publix parking lot, and instead of quickly zooming into a spot, I slowed and let a young woman cross in front of me and into the spot. We made eye contact. I smiled. She…well, she didn’t do anything. No friendly hand wave, no return smile. Nothing.

The day before yesterday I gave something to someone–something that had taken me some time to make. The recipient of the gift said “Oh, okay.” No “thank you” or smile.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t do nice things for other people if they don’t acknowledge what you did–that’s not the point of kindness. We do for others for the sake of doing something out of care for another, to show respect or concern.

My small point is this: say “Thank You” to someone today. It might be just the encouragement they needed to hear.

My Boogie Shoes

Louisa Stephan — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:00:08 +0000

I don’t know… I’m trying to think through this, and you’re welcome to come and let me know your thoughts. Maybe we can arrive at a conclusion together?

There have been several songs that have gotten stuck in my head the past couple of days. Some have made me think about the lyrics and either agree with them or vehemently refute the philosophy presented. Today, the song that’s stuck in my head is not making me think deep thoughts. It’s just getting on my nerves. “I wanna put on my my my my my boogie shoes…and boogie with you.”

Okay, well maybe that song is making me think because now I’m wondering… Should your company’s marketing (your logo, your website, your tag line) be so memorable that it gets stuck in people’s heads, like a song would? Is that annoying? Or should your logo, your website, your tag line (etc.) be “seamless” so that people remember your company–not for your crazy jingle or cool logo–for what you do as your customer understands it, interpreted and colored by their experience? Basically, should your marketing be distracting or no?

I can see merit to either. If it’s distracting enough, your marketing can be memorable. I think of this as a negative thing, but maybe it ultimately reminds someone “Hey! We’re here to help you! And we’re crazy enough to embarrass ourselves to remind you!” If it’s not distracting, you let your potential customer shape his thoughts about what you offer in a less threatening way, allowing them to feel comfortable with you.

I’m leaning towards the non-distraction route because it seems that you can more subtlety communicate your message and allow people to be comfortable with you, but I still wonder why the crazy jingles get stuck in my head…

The Price of Free

Louisa Stephan — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:57:54 +0000

Not everyone likes Twitter or Facebook. Some use social media sparingly and some use it excessively. I use social media somewhere in between the two and take it for granted. I forget that it’s free.

Until the other day. When Twitter lost all of my @ messages.

I was not happy. Maybe they’ll eventually show up again, but I’m guessing they disappeared during some database cleanup–never to be recovered.

Oh man… how ticked would people be if Facebook disappeared tomorrow? Well, I can think of some people who might not be upset, but a good majority of people rely on it for a lot of things. If all of your messages from someone disappeared, you’d probably be a little peeved. But do we have a right to be? It’s not like we’re paying for the service (I know, we put up with ads).

So is my dissatisfaction justified? Should I be upset that Twitter lost all of my @ messages? Or was I just taking their free service for granted?

Do it. I dare you.

Louisa Stephan — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:30:18 +0000

“Do small things with great love.”

Mother Theresa

The Thing I Don’t Want To Do

Louisa Stephan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:46:52 +0000

I’ve been reading a book that’s been very helpful for me. It gives you suggestions on making your work life more productive and feeling satisfied and not burnt out. I’ve been enjoying applying principles from the book to my work and personal life and seeing the results–and there have been results.

I don’t know about you, but when I don’t want to do something I find excuses (at times) to put it off. Or if something is more daunting of a task, it gets mulled over for longer before I actually attack it. Then when I finally get to it, it’s after I’ve allowed myself to do lots of little tasks and wear myself out on those. Now, the thought of really getting to that big job makes me tired just to think about it.

One of the biggest changes I’ve made is to come in and attack the most difficult project first–the one thing that I don’t want to do. Every morning, I ask myself “What important item am I putting off that needs to get done?” And then I am diligent about getting to it. I don’t respond to e-mails first. I don’t make that phone call that would be easy. I don’t get sucked into anything. I am resolute in getting this thing done.

Since I’ve been doing this, my energy to work on the rest of the items on my to-do list has sky-rocketed. I am so energized by getting that difficult thing done that I’m ready to tackle something else. My challenge to you is to break some bad habits and try this for a couple of days and see what happens.

Conquering the Beast that is E-mail

Louisa Stephan — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:42:05 +0000

I have pet peeves. I’m sure we all do. You know what’s the worst though? When you start actually doing those things that are your pet peeves! That’s usually a sign that you’re not devoting your time to doing things correctly, following through, or maintaining consistency.

For example… I hate a messy house. If I come home, and there are dishes on the counter (even clean dishes that could have just been dried and put away) that’s just no good. I can’t stand when the laundry goes unfolded or when I’ve had a task to do in my fixer/upper home that takes me forever to get to–even though it’s been on a list for several weeks. It’s draining when you have to organize and clean before you can actually start the work on a bigger, more important project.

In short, when things like that happen in any area of life I feel overwhelmed. Like at work…more specifically my e-mail inbox. If things aren’t neat and organized–whether it’s data or paper–time is wasted on looking for things and keeping track of items that need to get done. You’ll spend your time looking for an e-mail from someone… “Where is that e-mail? I know I saw it in here somewhere! What was the title again? Something like ‘RE: Re: Re: items needed by Thursday’” (On a side note: those e-mails are the worst and biggest time suck! The ones that refer back to some nebulous time that’s passed ages ago, but the subject line continues to thrive. Why is that?)

I have some e-mail pet peeves that I’ve recently caught myself committing. (I know!) And I thought today would be a good day to make a confession and return to my desk more resolute about sticking to the methods I know work. Maybe you’ll find that you could implement some of these rules for e-mail etiquette, and it will help you stay organized, on top of tasks and not lose critical information.

Keep your inbox clean. You won’t lose track of things that need to get done, and you will see at a glance all of the new items and e-mails that may be still in progress or that haven’t been dealt with yet. If an e-mail has information in it, take the information out and put it where it needs to go–whether in your project software system, an e-mail to the next person down the line, or the document you use to keep track of your projects/information. Then archive the e-mail to refer back to if necessary.
Always change the subject line to reflect the actual content of the message. Like the above example, if you keep replying to an old e-mail with new information something is bound to get lost. Create a succinct and memorable subject line that captures the main gist of the message.
Before delving into a long message, give an intro that directs the person to what you’d like them to do with the information. For example “Looking for your feedback”, “How many hours do you think this would take?”, “I’m thinking of this strategy. Poke holes in it for me?” etc. This way, they don’t waste time and energy reading an e-mail only to find out they were focusing on the wrong information through their reading of 4 paragraphs.
Check your e-mail at certain designated points during the day. Instead of setting your alerts to let you know whenever you get something, turn your alerts off and be diligent about answering e-mails during designated times. I actually respond to so many more e-mails when I don’t just respond as I get them. You’ll also get more accomplished in other areas since you won’t break your concentration.
Respond to all e-mails quickly with some sort of response and get the ball rolling. Don’t just read a message as it comes in and say “Oh yeah, I’ll look at that later.” You’ll forget–at least I know I do. Wait until your designated time and deal with the e-mail as you read it.
Do your best to send all information about a particular item or subject in the same thread. This may mean that if you forget to mention something in an e-mail that you just sent that you go into your “sent” box and reply back to the message you e-mailed a few moments before. This way, you’ll always have all of the related threads together in one e-mail for referral. This one is critical. It’s so much easier to have one thread then six separate threads that all contain valuable, related information.
Don’t forget to “reply all.” This one just saves time and frustration. It correlates to the above. You won’t have to repeat information, and everyone involved will be aware of the current status.
Blind copy yourself on items that you’ll need to check up on later. If you send an e-mail to someone who doesn’t always respond quickly and you know you’ll need to ask them about the status in a day or so, or if you need a reminder to do something yourself, or if you will need to respond back to your message with follow up this will be seen as a to-do item and will help you keep your tasks organized. Whenever you see items from yourself, you’ll know it’s a to-do item that’s in your court.
Think before you click send. You may save yourself some time by sending off quick e-mail responses to someone, but chances are your thoughts will be scattered, and you’ll end up sending another quick response. Save the person whom you are e-mailing the frustration of organizing all of your thoughts for you, and they’ll be able to respond faster to your needs–without in turn filling up your inbox with clarification questions or summation e-mails.

These are just some of my rules that I use to keep myself organized. I would be very interested to hear some of your favorite ways to keep yourself and your tasks organized. Maybe you do some similar things but in a better way? I’d value your feedback, and I’m sure our other readers would too.