I am working on a post about how I am learning to use my Next Action cards, and expanding them to include @Waiting For and @Errands contexts.

I have some pictures here:

I would love to know if you have any thoughts or questions about this setup. Please let me know in the comments and I will be happy to address them in the forthcoming post.

SOBCon starts this Friday! It is sure to be an exciting time, with over 100 attendees and some fantastic presenters. Our most excellent sponsors are providing some really cool items for all of the folks that will be there, as well as some virtual goodies that they would also like to share with the entire SOBCon community.

So, if you are not coming to Chicago but are interested in sharing in this sponsor love be sure to subscribe to the SOBCon newsletter so that you can get the links to these goodies. Thanks!

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I am buried today, so I thought I would phone-in this post from Kelly Forrister at Davidco:

When I’m at my worst, my system needs to be at its best. When stress/change/conflict/challenge is upon me, I don’t want to be thinking about my system. More than ever, those are the times when my system needs to be rock solid, leak-proof and absolutely clear about my next actions and outcomes if I want to stay productive. I want to have a place to drop stuff into and get stuff out with as little effort and thinking as possible.

I’ve said it before, and it’s worth repeating: if you want a GTD system that will actually stick, don’t create a list manager for yourself that you would only feel like maintaining when you are at your best. A simple system, as long as it matches the sophistication of what you need to track, will shine. Time and time again, over the years, I have seen people create elaborate list managers and GTD systems that require so much thinking, detail, criteria and cross referencing, that they can’t maintain it as soon as stress or change hits them.

Read more –>

This is a topic that I have discussed previously, and will follow up with a little more on it in the next post.

Seth Godin is one of my heroes, and as such I’d liketo share a recent post from his blog, Thinking about Bizdev
Business Development is what this site is all about, and I’d like you to look over this list and let me know what you would like to learn more about:

Thinking about Bizdev

Some ideas to get you started:

1. Who goes first? Most biz dev is supplicant driven. You need a license or traffic or cooperation and you are forced to figure out who to call and to make your pitch. The posture of the licensor is to work to avoid trouble (saying “no” is always safe) or to maximize the money on the table (which kills the best deals.) What happens if the licensor turns it around? What happens if they proactively seek out aggressive, smart, successful organizations to run with their brand or property?
2. Who lays out the deal? Most licensors are hesitant to offer a deal first, because if it’s accepted, they have to say yes. As a result, there’s a lot of fencing back and forth (sometimes this lasts for years… I’ve seen it many times). The most successful deals are the ones that are simple and quick. The goal isn’t to have the biggest piece of pie, it’s to have the biggest pie.
3. How easy is it? You’d be amazed how many people will do a deal because it’s easy. Because they feel respected. Because they trust the other person. When you get all lawyered up on both sides, little good can come of it. If I were a bizdev person, I’d try to close every deal, yes or no, within a week. Even acquisitions.