Jeff Davidson's Blog, page 4
June 11, 2020
116 Years Ago: A Simpler Time?
Here's a peak at the World in 1904:
* The tallest structure in the world is the Eiffel Tower!
* The average wage is .22/hr. The average worker earns between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $ 4,000 per year. A mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
* More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home. Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
* Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
* And, about our neighbors to the north: Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
* The tallest structure in the world is the Eiffel Tower!
* The average wage is .22/hr. The average worker earns between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $ 4,000 per year. A mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
* More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home. Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
* Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
* And, about our neighbors to the north: Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
June 4, 2020
Wasted Time on the Job
According to an online survey conducted by Salary.com, workers waste more than two hours a day on average by surfing the Web, conducting personal business, chatting with co-workers, and just zoning out.
May 21, 2020
200 Health Decisions per Day
Each day you make at least 200 seemingly inconsequential health decisions. “Should you take the stairs or the elevator? Choose the oil-and-vinegar dressing or the creamy processed one? Go for a 30-minute walk with your dog after dinner or plant yourself like a root vegetable on the couch?”
Travis Stork, M.D., author The Lean Belly Prescription
Travis Stork, M.D., author The Lean Belly Prescription
May 11, 2020
How Will You Measure of Your Life
An intriguing book:
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon. "An unconventional book of inspiration and wisdom for achieving a fulfilling life."
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon. "An unconventional book of inspiration and wisdom for achieving a fulfilling life."
May 4, 2020
Five Mega-Realities of Life
The five mega-realities of life serve as a framework to understanding change and how we can adjust our thinking and activities to maintain some semblance of control.
Sitting right where you are, what you now know about population — the fact that the world gains more than a quarter million people per day enables you to safely predict the following:
1) Investing in real estate, more specifically a home, now while prices are depressed and interest rates are low will be a sound financial move almost independent of your economic station in life.
2) Adopting a somewhat contrarian mindset will prove to be advantageous. Attempting to head into the city or out of the city at the same time as everyone, or booking theater or restaurant reservations at the same time as everyone else will be problematic or increasingly so as time passes. Commutes in all directions will become more arduous. Hence, living closer to work, living closer to shopping and conveniences, telecommuting occasionally, and shopping online will only grow in attractiveness and utility.
3) Old friends become more valued friends. Anchors such as family, close business associates, former college roommates and those who have shared experiences with us become more important with the passing of time. This is not to downplay the role of new friends, for indeed they can become great friends and eventually even old friends!
Sitting right where you are, what you now know about population — the fact that the world gains more than a quarter million people per day enables you to safely predict the following:
1) Investing in real estate, more specifically a home, now while prices are depressed and interest rates are low will be a sound financial move almost independent of your economic station in life.
2) Adopting a somewhat contrarian mindset will prove to be advantageous. Attempting to head into the city or out of the city at the same time as everyone, or booking theater or restaurant reservations at the same time as everyone else will be problematic or increasingly so as time passes. Commutes in all directions will become more arduous. Hence, living closer to work, living closer to shopping and conveniences, telecommuting occasionally, and shopping online will only grow in attractiveness and utility.
3) Old friends become more valued friends. Anchors such as family, close business associates, former college roommates and those who have shared experiences with us become more important with the passing of time. This is not to downplay the role of new friends, for indeed they can become great friends and eventually even old friends!
April 28, 2020
Handling Other People's Voicemail
To successfully deal with other people's voicemail:
* Speak a little louder than usual, enunciating as you speak.
* Say your name and organization, and then slowly leave your phone number.
* Follow that with a short, essential message.
* Make your message last 40 to 50 seconds.... too short, and it might seem insignificant. Too long, and you may irk the other party.
* Pretend you're writing your phone number in the air as you're reciting it.
Some callers speak too fast, making recipients replay the message repeatedly.
* Days later, if you’ve had no reply? Say, "I'm calling to follow-up on my call last Tuesday."
* Be flexible when offering times and dates when you can be reached.
Be friendly and personable. You'll stand out like few other callers that day!
* Speak a little louder than usual, enunciating as you speak.
* Say your name and organization, and then slowly leave your phone number.
* Follow that with a short, essential message.
* Make your message last 40 to 50 seconds.... too short, and it might seem insignificant. Too long, and you may irk the other party.
* Pretend you're writing your phone number in the air as you're reciting it.
Some callers speak too fast, making recipients replay the message repeatedly.
* Days later, if you’ve had no reply? Say, "I'm calling to follow-up on my call last Tuesday."
* Be flexible when offering times and dates when you can be reached.
Be friendly and personable. You'll stand out like few other callers that day!
April 23, 2020
handling Other People's Voice Mail
To successfully deal with other people's voice mail:
* Speak a little louder than usual, enunciating as you speak.
* Say your name and organization, and then slowly leave your phone number.
* Follow that with a short, essential message.
* Make your message last 40 to 50 seconds.... too short, and it might seem insignificant. Too long, and you may irk the other party.
* Pretend you're writing your phone number in the air as you're reciting it.
Some callers speak too fast, making recipients replay the message repeatedly.
* Days later, if you’ve had no reply? Say, "I'm calling to follow-up on my call last Tuesday."
* Be flexible when offering times and dates when you can be reached.
Be friendly and personable. You'll stand out like few other callers that day!
* Speak a little louder than usual, enunciating as you speak.
* Say your name and organization, and then slowly leave your phone number.
* Follow that with a short, essential message.
* Make your message last 40 to 50 seconds.... too short, and it might seem insignificant. Too long, and you may irk the other party.
* Pretend you're writing your phone number in the air as you're reciting it.
Some callers speak too fast, making recipients replay the message repeatedly.
* Days later, if you’ve had no reply? Say, "I'm calling to follow-up on my call last Tuesday."
* Be flexible when offering times and dates when you can be reached.
Be friendly and personable. You'll stand out like few other callers that day!
April 17, 2020
In Tandem; Eating Poorly, Living Poorly
Nanci Hellmich writing in USA Today once cited a study conducted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that Americans are not eating enough fruits and vegetables:
“Despite mom's good advice, most of us aren't eating our fruits and vegetables, at least not enough of them, according to a large government study released Thursday. Only about 27% of adults in the USA ate vegetables three or more times a day in 2005, and 33% ate fruit two or more times a day that year.
A higher percentage of women than men ate this much, according to interviews with more than 305,000 people conducted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).” Truer now that it was 15 years ago!
“Despite mom's good advice, most of us aren't eating our fruits and vegetables, at least not enough of them, according to a large government study released Thursday. Only about 27% of adults in the USA ate vegetables three or more times a day in 2005, and 33% ate fruit two or more times a day that year.
A higher percentage of women than men ate this much, according to interviews with more than 305,000 people conducted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).” Truer now that it was 15 years ago!
April 12, 2020
Pare Down for more Breathing Space
My book,
Breathing Space
which has been translated into Japanese, French, Italian, Chinese, Malay, and Spanish, introduces "paring down." It's a means of discarding what does not serve you, what does not support your work, what does not make your home life more pleasant, what gets in the way, or what you've been hanging onto for too long.
Where in your personal or professional life can you pare down? Check the items below that you suspect require attention. Use this list as a starting point, since many areas may not be of concern to you or you may need to add some of your own areas.
Where else can I pare down?:
[ ] Front hall closet
[ ] Kitchen cupboards
[ ] Bedroom closet
[ ] Under kitchen sink
[ ] Den closet
[ ] Under bathroom sink
[ ] Other closet
[ ] Medicine cabinet
[ ] Linen closet
[ ] Attic
[ ] Laundry room
[ ] Basement
[ ] Garage
[ ] Bookshelves
[ ] Back porch
[ ] Other shelves
[ ] File drawers
[ ] DVD collection
[ ] File folders
[ ] Cassette collection
[ ] Hard drive
[ ] CD collection
[ ] Other collection
[ ] Clothing drawers
[ ] Coats
[ ] Shirts, blouses
[ ] Ties, scarves
[ ] Pants, Skirts
[ ] Handbags, pocketbooks
[ ] Footwear
[ ] Briefcases, valises
[ ] Magazines
[ ] Duplicates, triplicates
[ ] Newspapers
[ ] Other piles
[ ] Newsletters
[ ] Other assemblages
[ ] Items I haven't used in years
[ ] Items I've never used
[ ] Items I can donate
[ ] Anything else I can think of!!
Where in your personal or professional life can you pare down? Check the items below that you suspect require attention. Use this list as a starting point, since many areas may not be of concern to you or you may need to add some of your own areas.
Where else can I pare down?:
[ ] Front hall closet
[ ] Kitchen cupboards
[ ] Bedroom closet
[ ] Under kitchen sink
[ ] Den closet
[ ] Under bathroom sink
[ ] Other closet
[ ] Medicine cabinet
[ ] Linen closet
[ ] Attic
[ ] Laundry room
[ ] Basement
[ ] Garage
[ ] Bookshelves
[ ] Back porch
[ ] Other shelves
[ ] File drawers
[ ] DVD collection
[ ] File folders
[ ] Cassette collection
[ ] Hard drive
[ ] CD collection
[ ] Other collection
[ ] Clothing drawers
[ ] Coats
[ ] Shirts, blouses
[ ] Ties, scarves
[ ] Pants, Skirts
[ ] Handbags, pocketbooks
[ ] Footwear
[ ] Briefcases, valises
[ ] Magazines
[ ] Duplicates, triplicates
[ ] Newspapers
[ ] Other piles
[ ] Newsletters
[ ] Other assemblages
[ ] Items I haven't used in years
[ ] Items I've never used
[ ] Items I can donate
[ ] Anything else I can think of!!
April 6, 2020
A False Google God
Decades, did you ever imagine, in your wildest dreams, that you would devote so much of your waking time attempting to increase your Google juice? Analyzing, dissecting, and trisecting the Google algorithms so as to have a higher search engine ranking has reached the point where it is a constant activity among corporations and organizations of all sizes, executives, entrepreneurs, and professional service practitioners. It pre-occupies anyone, anywhere who has a product or service to offer, a cause or an idea to champion, or simply wants to maintain any semblance of visibility in this increasingly Internet-dominated world.
I have met with entrepreneurs from across the state of North Carolina and throughout the country who, when I bring up this issue, bemoan this all-but-mandatory fixation. You’re either in the game completely, or not at all. If you don’t proactively take steps to maintain a healthy Google ranking, then by default you’re likely to lose out. When people search for the vital terms that define your industry, product, or service, you will show up wherever you happen to, unlikely anywhere near the first page, and unlikely to be found by those people whom you could most aptly serve.
Was there a vote on all this? What day was it held? Did I miss the vote? This Orwellian nightmare has executives and entrepreneurs everywhere in its clutches. Unless we pay homage to the false Google god, we are doomed to obscurity.
Relief on the Horizon?
Soon, as search engines become even more intelligent, anticipating what you’re actually seeking instead of throwing thousands of hits up on the screen, a movement currently led by Wolfram/Alpha and Bing, you might presume that the situation will improve. Not necessarily. Regardless of how search engines determine what site ought to be at the top of a particular search, people will always seek to “game” the system.
A true meritocracy, where, say, an author or researcher has numerous legitimate articles and studies on a topic and has established himself or herself as a true authority, would undoubtedly give that person an exceedingly high ranking in a more intelligent search engine. Ideally... How long, however, before others found ways to rise to the top by catapulting their visibility through clever use of the research and findings generated by the exalted few scholars?
The basic problem with search engine rankings of any type is that one medium, the Internet, has become dominant. In the pre-Internet era, one could establish a reputation by word of mouth; by advertising through a variety of media such as television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and other space and place advertisements; by offering public forums such as seminars, workshops, and training; by obtaining the right physical location, either in a high traffic density area or in close proximity to one’s target market, and so on.
All of these vehicles are still available, but they’re trumped by the overarching, omnipresent effect of search engine websites. Google is currently supreme, with Facebook, YouTube, and other sites quickly rising in popularity as their adherents use them for quasi-search engine look-ups.
No Way Out
For the foreseeable future, no apparent way out of this dilemma appears. The false Google god is a beast, has no sympathy, does not respond to reason, and cares little about merit. It simply relies on mechanics to deem what’s “popular,” or “important,” and, hence, what should, by default, rise to the top of the rankings. What a world!
I have met with entrepreneurs from across the state of North Carolina and throughout the country who, when I bring up this issue, bemoan this all-but-mandatory fixation. You’re either in the game completely, or not at all. If you don’t proactively take steps to maintain a healthy Google ranking, then by default you’re likely to lose out. When people search for the vital terms that define your industry, product, or service, you will show up wherever you happen to, unlikely anywhere near the first page, and unlikely to be found by those people whom you could most aptly serve.
Was there a vote on all this? What day was it held? Did I miss the vote? This Orwellian nightmare has executives and entrepreneurs everywhere in its clutches. Unless we pay homage to the false Google god, we are doomed to obscurity.
Relief on the Horizon?
Soon, as search engines become even more intelligent, anticipating what you’re actually seeking instead of throwing thousands of hits up on the screen, a movement currently led by Wolfram/Alpha and Bing, you might presume that the situation will improve. Not necessarily. Regardless of how search engines determine what site ought to be at the top of a particular search, people will always seek to “game” the system.
A true meritocracy, where, say, an author or researcher has numerous legitimate articles and studies on a topic and has established himself or herself as a true authority, would undoubtedly give that person an exceedingly high ranking in a more intelligent search engine. Ideally... How long, however, before others found ways to rise to the top by catapulting their visibility through clever use of the research and findings generated by the exalted few scholars?
The basic problem with search engine rankings of any type is that one medium, the Internet, has become dominant. In the pre-Internet era, one could establish a reputation by word of mouth; by advertising through a variety of media such as television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and other space and place advertisements; by offering public forums such as seminars, workshops, and training; by obtaining the right physical location, either in a high traffic density area or in close proximity to one’s target market, and so on.
All of these vehicles are still available, but they’re trumped by the overarching, omnipresent effect of search engine websites. Google is currently supreme, with Facebook, YouTube, and other sites quickly rising in popularity as their adherents use them for quasi-search engine look-ups.
No Way Out
For the foreseeable future, no apparent way out of this dilemma appears. The false Google god is a beast, has no sympathy, does not respond to reason, and cares little about merit. It simply relies on mechanics to deem what’s “popular,” or “important,” and, hence, what should, by default, rise to the top of the rankings. What a world!
