Randi Zuckerberg's Blog, page 56

Banish The Work Week Blues And Get More Done In Less Time

Looking forward to going to work tomorrow?

Getting up at the crack of dawn, commuting on a packed train?

Is it actually a good job that you mostly enjoy? But it’s the drag of having to be at the office first thing, not leave till last thing and have to do the same journey every day, that can sometimes get you down.

Is it the giving up of the freedom and control over your own time that you have at weekends that means you occasionally sit, bored or demotivated and ask yourself… ‘Is there more to life than this?’

You know the answer…

You know there is more. Far more. You’re just looking in the wrong place for the right answer.

Reading another Sunday newspaper feature about changing your life through an amazing diet where you can eat what you want, or through an amazing exercise program where you only exercise for one minute a day!?

Is that the answer to leading a full life? No.

The answer is right in front of your face, but not in the Sunday supplements! It’s in your week ahead. Most people are looking at changing the aspects of their life they never can, or will, change because they haven’t got the time it needs… because they are already working too hard to earn enough to live.

They haven’t got the time to dedicate to achieving anything outside their normal daily lives.

Guides in newspapers won’t make the slightest difference even if you do follow them to the letter because they are written to fit into your existing working life. How you spend your time and money constitutes your life. Spend it climbing to the top of a ladder and you might gain more money. Spend it going on a journey and you will gain treasured memories.

Look no further than the one and only activity that currently kills the most time and wastes the most energy. Something that school taught you how to think about, based on a rule that was passed nearly 200 years ago, and nobody has ever thought to question since. Even though everything about it has changed since you were at school – the way you work.

Change the way you work and then, ONLY THEN, can you change ANYTHING in your life.

You no longer need to be trapped in an office 40 hours a week. Work ‘Out Of office,’ in great coffee shops and you will be 50% more productive and creative. You can create at least five hours of new time for yourself and your family every single week. You can be just as successful at work but will be happier at home.

Since Wi-Fi became widely available along with the growing number of cool coffee shops, people have been untying themselves from their desks and working wherever they wanted.

In the digital age, the ‘Out of Office’ movement is growing faster than ever, fueled by entrepreneurs, artists and flex-time workers, on their mobiles, tablets and laptops in what some refer to as their ‘coffices’. We are also seeing the fast expansion of co-working hubs providing start-ups with office support, amid a similar atmosphere to a coffee shop.

The $100million sales of Moshi Monsters began over a macchiato in London. Craig Newmark started his Craigslist website in a coffee shop on the US West Coast. The 50 million check-ins of Foursquare were inspired and built in two New York coffee shops. Barack Obama’s first inauguration speech was written in a Starbucks and Harry Potter, the most successful fictional character of all time, was born in a small Edinburgh café.

Has that taken away the sinking feeling and inspired you to question the way you work?

Posted on 1/22/2014

Written by Chris Ward 

Chris Ward is a highly regarded and successful author, activist and adventurer. He works at the very top of the commercial, charity and mountainous worlds – with an espresso & either a laptop or a bike!

Chris is “The boss who works in coffee shops” (BBC) and “The first self-help guru for the digital age” (Amazon). His book ‘Out Of Office: Work where you like & Achieve more’ has been a No. 1 bestseller in the UK and USA and top ten in Canada and Germany.

Chris helps businesses become more successful and people become happier, by questioning the one thing that currently kills most of their time and energies – the way they work. Change the way you work and then, ONLY THEN, you can change ANYTHING in your life or your business. Find out more at http://workwhereyoulike.com.

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Say Goodbye To Financial Survival Mode And Constant Stress With These Tips

This week, we caught up with Crystal Paine, creator of the immensely popular personal finance blog Money Saving Mom and author of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, out this week! Crystal shares key insights and experiences from her book and blogging journey. 

1. We live in a world where we’re addicted to being busy. How was your own busy life affecting your marriage with your husband? What made you turn things around?

Six years into our marriage, I found myself the mother of three young children while also juggling the responsibilities of a very demanding online business. Being a very Type A kind of person, I didn’t want to admit my limitations. So I kept piling on new to-do’s and saying yes to new commitments.

Over time, this led to exhaustion, burnout, and the breakdown of my health. But I pushed ahead, thinking if I’d just get a little more organized or sleep a little less, I’d find a way to balance everything. However, it just wasn’t working: not only were my kids suffering and my health suffering, but my marriage was, too. I was always rushing through my days trying to get through my overwhelming to-do list. And I was constantly too busy to take time to invest in my marriage.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the sparks stopped flying. We were sinking into a rut of just living together and making it through the days, leaving behind the joy and beauty of our once-strong romance.

The downward spiral continued until I hit rock bottom. I was spent, done, and ready to give up. There was just no way I could keep living in such a continual state of weariness. Feeling at the end of my rope, I finally came to my husband in desperation one night telling him, “I just can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep living like this. This is too much!”

He said some of the wisest words to me in that moment: “Crystal, you know you’re bringing most of this on yourself.” I didn’t want to hear that, but deep down I knew it was true. I didn’t have to keep heaping my plate full with commitments. I didn’t have to say yes to everyone and everything. I was the problem. But I was also the solution. Recognizing this truth freed me in a powerful way and set me on a journey to slowly climb up out of that pit of despair and into a place of living with passion and purpose!

2. In your book, you advise readers to stop trying to do it all. Should we say “no” to commitments more often than we say “yes”?

I believe one of the hardest things for women to do is to say no. We are pulled in every direction and spread too thin. Despite this, we continue to feel obligated to commit to more in a quest to be it all and do it all.

Picture a book that had no margins — the words completely filled each and every page of the entire book. Would that book be an easy read? No, it would feel chaotic and busy, probably even overwhelming. So it is with our lives. If we don’t allow white space to breathe and refresh, but instead pack every moment of every day full to the brim with to-do’s and projects, our lives will feel chaotic, disorderly, and exhausting.

In Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I walk you through how to create a ‘Best Stuff’ List – a list of the most important things in your life. These are the few things that will matter in 25 years from now, that you want to wrap your life around.

Creating a ‘Best Stuff’ List has given me tremendous clarity when it comes to saying no. I can hold up each new opportunity or commitment in light of my list to see if it aligns. If not, I can guiltlessly say no because I know that while it might be a great opportunity, it will only serve to distract me from more important things.

3. What are some tips for how we can be more intentional with our bank accounts?

Food and clothing are two areas that most families spend quite a bit of money on each month. They are also two of the easiest budget categories to lower. One of my favorite ways for reducing the costs of food and clothing is by pairing coupons with sales. When you’re getting ready to purchase clothes online or in-store, visit RetailMeNot.com for coupon codes and printable coupons you can use at the store or site where you’re planning to shop. It just takes 30 seconds to search for these and can often save you 5 to 15% off your purchase total! Pair this coupon with a sale to further stretch your dollar.

The same principle can be applied to groceries. Look at your local grocery store’s sales flier to see what’s on sale. Search for items on a coupon database (we have one on MoneySavingMom.com) to see if there are any printable coupons available and you’ll often be able to pay pennies on the dollar for your grocery purchases.

By finding quick and easy ways to save money on things you’re already planning to buy, you can free up wiggle room in your budget and put the extra money toward paying down debt, saving up to pay cash for something, or giving to a cause you believe in. It might not seem like these little savings will make a big difference, but even just shaving $15 per week off your budget adds up to $780 per year in extra money!

4. How can we take the step beyond getting out of survival mode to rediscovering our passions?

I’m a firm believer in the power of goal-setting. Why? Because it has changed my life! It’s taken me from a place of spending all day running around in circles putting out fires, to a place of purpose – where every day I’m doing things that are inching me closer to where I want to be in a year from now.

So many women feel like they can’t set any goals because they are too busy with life. Yet I believe if you want to live a life of purpose and fulfillment, it’s imperative that you set goals. If you’re new to the idea of goal-setting, don’t go set 33 massive and audacious goals. Start with a few very simple, realistic, and specific goals. Things like:

I will lose three pounds over the next four weeks.
I will set aside an additional $25 per week for the next eight weeks to pay off one of our credit cards.
Or, I will exercise for 20 minutes four times per week for the next three weeks.

Each of these goals is actionable and time-bound. You have an exact way to measure the goal so that you know whether or not you meet it. Plus, you can break it down even further (i.e. I will lose .25 pounds every two days. Or, I will save $5 each weekday.)

Having even just a few small, realistic goals to work toward each week can transform your entire motivation for living. You are actually doing something and going somewhere, instead of just aimlessly spinning your wheels and exhausting yourself. It’s amazing the difference this will make in your overall energy and passion for life!

5. Where can our community buy your book?

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode is available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-

Million, and other retail and online chains. For more information on the book and to read a sample chapter, visit SayGoodbyetoSurvivalMode.com.

Posted on 1/21/2014

Written by Crystal Paine

Crystal Paine is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and speaker. In 2007, she founded MoneySavingMom, a site that has since grown to become one of the most popular blogs on the web, currently averaging more than two million readers per month. Her mission is to challenge women to wisely steward their time and resources and live life on purpose.

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8 Ways To Make Your Oscars Party A Tech-Savvy Bash

Planning an Oscars party? Do you love all things celebrity? Check out our 8 favorite sites, apps, and social media tricks to delight your guests and claim your award for ‘Best Event’ (start preparing that speech!).

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1) Invite With Style – Punchbowl gives you the opportunity to take your invites to the next level. You can customize and email a gorgeous digital invitation to all of your friends and easily keep track of their RSVP’s. You can even generate a list of people who’ve viewed your invitation but haven’t responded yet, so you know who to hound for RSVP’s.

2) Create Your Own #Hashtag – Create a hashtag for your event (#cindysparty, for example) and invite your guests to use it in their tweets leading up to, and during, your party. This way, you’ll keep track of your friends’ chatter about the Oscars – and you can even have them live-tweet the show!

3) Have Guests “Check-In” If Appropriate – Your guests may want to ‘check-in’ to the party on Facebook. If you’re hosting it at your home and don’t want to publicize the location, be sure to make it explicitly clear that you don’t want guests checking in. If you’re hosting the party at another venue, you might be excited to have guests check in and say they’re there!

4) Have each guest fill out a ballot with their predictions. They can either share their guesses online or you can print out ballots for guests to fill out as they arrive. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can ask your friends for a couple dollars and the person with the most correct guesses takes it all!

5) Get Creative! For original decorating ideas and cute touches, head to Pinterest and search for ‘Oscars Party‘ or something similar. There are so many adorable ideas, like these tuxedo champagne glasses.

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6) Capture The Moment – Use apps like Vine and Instagram to capture the video and photo moments. Remember that hashtag you created? Have your friends use the same one when tagging their photos and video clips!

7) Every Party Needs Munchies! – Eat24 is a great app and website that lets you find local restaurants and venues offering food for free delivery. Order anything from Pizza to Thai, and you won’t even need to leave your party to deal with cooking or take-out hassles. Additionally, apps like PayPal let you order and pay for food from local eateries so all you have to do is go pick it up if the party needs some fuel halfway through.

8) Mix It Up – Who doesn’t want to serve delicious cocktails during a party? There are so many free apps out there with hundreds of recipes inspiring you to create your own signature cocktails. Cocktail Flow is one of many great apps bringing you the latest in drink mixology.

Posted on 1/21/2014

What do you have planned for your Oscars party? Tell us in the comments below!

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The Age Of The Creative Modern Resume Is Here

This week, Dwain Schenck, author of “Reset: How to Beat the Job-Loss Blues and Get Ready for Your Next Act,” shares his experience and tips on how to stand out in the competitive job market.

It is no exaggeration to say that the traditional résumé is slowly going the way of the buggy whip. It is still helpful to have “traditional” curriculum vitae’s (CV) because HR departments still use them at many large firms to recruit candidates. But today, most résumés submitted to a company’s career site are scanned by filtering software for words related to the specific job vacancy to save time and money.

Where I am seeing some creative examples of “modern” résumés are with people adapting social media as the best way to present their job history and tell a more impactful story about the value they can bring a company.  I think most people will tell you they think LinkedIn is taking the place of the modern résumé. Most recruiters I talk to these days say it has surpassed the importance of the resume because most hiring managers go to a job candidate’s LinkedIn profile before they even take a look at their résumé. However, I don’t think LinkedIn is the only replacement tool.

Look at this resume on a cereal box! http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/...

I learned recently of a successful job search with a person who never used a cover letter or a resume. The entire search and accepted offer took place via Instagram.  He completed every step of the process, from learning about the position to applying for it to showing off his portfolio work, through the photo-sharing social network.

Depending on what type of job you’re looking for, and what career you’re in, designers and creatives are leveraging one of the fastest growing social sites on the web these days, Pinterest, to create and deliver mind blowing résumés with embedded links, videos and apps to show off their talents. Not to be left out, Twitter is another logical and creative way to structure and deliver a résumé.

Called twesumes, candidates can distill their job experience and aspirations down to 140 characters or less by creating a Twitter resume. A twesume is basically a short bio that is tweeted to potential employers along with a link to a URL that can connect to a more traditional CV, LinkedIn page or website. It is recommended if you are going to send twesumes to include one or two hashtags relevant to your industry in order to hopefully catch the eye of the hiring manager.

During your next job search, think about using some of the creative tools at your disposal to catch the eye of your hiring manager.

Posted on 1/21/2014

Written by Dwain Schenck

Dwain Schenck is a communications executive, author and former award-winning TV reporter who has a successful track record developing communications strategies. His company, Schenck Strategies, is a communications and consulting firm that serves as a trusted advisor to companies, organizations, high-profile individuals and celebrities and associations.

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Why You’ll Never Catch Me With An E-Reader

In the Age of Convenience, it’s no surprise that books have fallen by the wayside to make room for electronic readers like the Kindle and apps like iBooks. These products are geared towards simplifying your life by aggregating all your favorite stories into one simple handheld device in place of you having to lug a suitcase full of books through the airport or devote an entire wall to stories you haven’t perused in years.

And I get it. Those products clearly make things easier and more convenient, especially when you read books as frequently as I do.

But despite the technological advances, I still read books, and I don’t just mean stories. I mean actual books. I mean a bunch of pieces of paper covered in ink and stuffed between either two slightly stronger pieces of paper or two pieces of cardboard, such as the stack of books pictured above that I recently brought with me on a trip to Australia.

There is no replacing the physical sensations: the weight of a leather bound volume in your hand, the scratch of each page as it slips through your fingers, and the smell that wafts out of an old novel, beckoning your forth to read the stories within, as so many others have before you. For me nothing replaces being able to build a physical library of stories that reshape and redefine you with each read, a visual monument to the tales you’ve joined over time, books acting as medals for tales you’ve traveled.

And then there’s that irreplaceable moment when you pull a book out of your bag, and that spark of a connection stirs when a stranger makes eye contact with your title, their own experience with that tale stirring inside them. I recently made a friend this way when I had the pleasure of going on a tour in Tasmania. 25 travelers were stuffed into a bus bouncing along through cold, temperate rainforests, and while holding my copy of “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see one of the other tour guests, smiling ear to ear, who let me know she how much she enjoyed that same book, how she was already reading through it a second time. And just like that, we were friends.

I’m grateful I had my book, because I know that an e-reader would have masked the identity of the story I had chosen, and that connection with my new friend would never have been made. Stories unite us, and if we mask and hide and keep secret the tales that define us, we will become islands of individuals.

Of course it’s possible to make new friends without sharing in the joy of a mutually loved book, but the speed at which a connection is made and barriers dropped over the mutual love of a shared book is unmatched.

So you can keep your apps and your e-readers, and I’ll hold onto my heavy, ungainly stack of books. Even though it seems like we’re moving towards a world where you won’t have to lift a finger, I refuse to give up my books for the sake of convenience. When the world is nothing but wearables, apps, and cyborgs, you will find me deep within the pages of a heavy, musky book, with a big smile plastered across my face.

Posted on 1/20/2014

Written by Ali Wunderman

According to her mother, “Silicon” Ali is a modern Renaissance woman, with interests ranging from cartography to terrarium architecture. She works as a Marketing Communications Manager at Autodesk, and in her spare time you can find her traveling the world, giving tours of San Francisco, or cuddling with puppies.

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Work When You Feel Like It–And Stop When You Don’t

When you are working well, feeling vibrant, having good ideas, producing a great piece of work without interruptions and getting things done fast and effectively, you are ‘in the flow.’

People who are in ‘flow’ achieve a state of consciousness that is in harmony with their surroundings and feelings. They do not make distinctions between work and play. They create an inner state of being that brings them peace and fulfillment. They are focused, what they do is meaningful and has purpose, they are absorbed in their activities and they have a sense of connection to their inner self and also with others. Some people experience it for minutes, some for hours, some for days on end…

How often do you feel that good in an office?

Be prepared to work odd hours. Enlightening thoughts and the feeling of flow can be like a dream. It appears and disappears, sometimes without warning, so you must be ready to seize the moment, whether that’s at 7:30am today or 9pm on a Sunday evening.

Work opening hours, not office hours.

People working while in a state of flow are able to achieve their work in around half the time it would take them in a normal office state. The big trick, though, is to stop working as soon as you realise you are not in the flow anymore and go and do something completely different – and fun!

You are not being productive anymore but you’re not tied to the desk. You don’t have to send more emails, or look at more pictures of cats.

You are in control and can go and do whatever you like.

Enjoy it and don’t feel guilty. The feeling of flow will be back shortly.

For further info please read ‘Flow’ by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The latest edition of this excellent book shows you how you can control flow and not just leave it to chance.

Posted on 1/20/2014

Written by Chris Ward

Chris Ward is a highly regarded and successful author, activist and adventurer. He works at the very top of the commercial, charity and mountainous worlds – with an espresso & either a laptop or a bike! Chris is “The boss who works in coffee shops” (BBC) and “The first self-help guru for the digital age” (Amazon). His book ‘Out Of Office: work where you like & achieve more‘ has been a No. 1 bestseller in the UK and USA and top ten in Canada and Germany. Chris helps businesses become more successful and people become happier, by questioning the one thing that currently kills most of their time and energies – the way they work. Change the way you work and then, ONLY THEN, you can change ANYTHING in your life or your business. You can check out his website at http://workwhereyoulike.com.

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This ‘Mominee’ Got Online When Her Son Hosted The Oscars

When my three sons were young, the Internet didn’t exist. I worked part-time as a freelance writer and wrote my own picture books in the early morning darkness, before they woke up. Time was of the essence. After I dropped them off for morning daycare, I worked continuously, never stopping to grocery shop or cut a hangnail. As soon as it was time to pick them up, I dropped work midsentence. I was incredibly focused. I got in the habit of using my time wisely because I needed to make money, I would go crazy if I wasn’t creative, and writing was the job I wanted. So I had to be extremely disciplined.

I even balked at email as a time waster when it first appeared, but it soon became the way to communicate, and it certainly helped me with the anthologies of teen poetry I was compiling. Nevertheless, I was afraid of Facebook and Twitter when they were invented because people always talked about cruising around and losing track of time. One author I knew spent two hours a day helping teens that read her books and asked her questions.

I had at least 80 picture books under my belt and I worked on five to seven books at a time in order to make a living, so I didn’t have much time for social media. I was starting to write novels, too–Metamorphisis: Junior Year and NAKED have been published–and they took years to complete. While I was intensely researching artist Camille Claudel for NAKED, I gratefully turned to the Internet to study museum sites in the U.S. and France.

The uses of social media, particularly Facebook, became obvious as time went on. Because writing novels takes at least three years, I started working as artist in residence at the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre where I needed to communicate with teens on Facebook. It was essential for my projects with them– plays, short films, and our teen monologue book.

Then came the Oscars that my son James was hosting. I was a “mominee.” The producers opened a Twitter account for me and answered all my questions about the site. It was fun to tweet about the Oscars and I saw that my followers had information for me and were interested in my books, my classes in acting on film, and my sons, of course. I often work with my sons on creative endeavors and I was able to keep my followers abreast of our projects.

My fear of time spent on social media slowly dissolved when I realized I was in control. The benefits came to the forefront as well– it’s invaluable for research, it helps me keep in contact with other writers, it enables me to observe contemporary culture, which I write about in my novels. In NAKED, one of the protagonists is Jesse Lucas who meets Camille Claudel, Rodin’s muse and fellow sculptor who has emerged from a statue in the Stanford Rodin Sculpture Garden to heal her past. Jesse is steeped in contemporary culture and my online forays help me understand that culture.

I check in on Facebook to see and comment on what the young adults I’m working with are doing and discussing. I listen to them when we’re together and they love showing up in the plays I’ve written for them. I ask my Twitter followers questions. I’m inspired by other writers and friends. Social media also helps me get the word out about my work.

It’s been fun to discuss my adult novel NAKED, and invite people to the book talks with my son Tom, who illustrated the novel. Some of my followers come to my talks and I get to meet them in person. Social media has become my friend. Granted, I still have to be disciplined. Sometimes when I’m wandering around on Facebook or Twitter, I ask myself if I’m supposed to be doing something else, and sometimes the answer is, “You’re supposed to be relaxing. Wander for a while.” And sometimes I have to tell myself, “Time to get off and get back to work.” I’m in the driver’s seat, and I have a wonderful resource if I need it.

BAY AREA! Betsy and her son, Tom, are speaking about NAKED (which Tom illustrated) at the Santa Clara Library on January 26th. 

Posted on 1/17/2014

Written by Betsy Franco

Betsy Franco writes children’s books, poetry collections, and YA novels. Her debut novel for adults is Naked, which Publisher’s Weekly compared to Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. Her website is betsyfranco.com, she’s on Facebook, and on Twitter, you can find her @francosmom.

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How To Use Social Media To Improve Your Online Reputation And Find A Job

This week, Dwain Schenck, author of “Reset: How to Beat the Job-Loss Blues and Get Ready for Your Next Act,” shares his experience and tips on using social media to present your best self.

For those initiated, the first step is to remind ourselves to not become too complacent using social media. This sounds so obvious and basic but people somehow forget or let their guard down. Your digital footprint never goes away. For those new to social media, educate yourself in how to use it to its best potential. There are plenty of resources to tap for this. Ask a teenager and you will be well on your way, but in all seriousness, while writing my book I found that many job seekers in their mid-50’s hadn’t a clue on how to use Facebook or even how to develop a profile on LinkedIn. There has become a huge ‘communications’ gap at many companies between senior executives and the millennial generation they are hiring.

Online reputations and personal branding are critical in today’s job search and ongoing career management.   Your online reputation and brand is gold and you need to protect and nurture it.  Social media offers a great way to connect and communicate with others. And, the best way to counteract the negative is to create more positive.  Social media platforms allow you to do that, so become educated on the ins and outs and stay on top of your brand. I asked ResetYourFuture.com social media expert Beverly Macy to give her advice on that. Here are 3 important tips from her:

Update your profiles and be careful about your posts.

First off, take time now at the beginning of the year to update your profiles – especially your LinkedIn profile.  It is critical to remember that everything you post online is public.  From Facebook to Pinterest to LinkedIn – you are sending a ‘personal brand’ message to anyone who can see it.   Your posts reflect what you value and who you are.  Also, make sure you upload a picture of yourself, especially on LinkedIn if you want to be taken more seriously.

Generate value-added conversation and content.

Strategically create and post content that accentuates the positives and showcases you as an expert. Become a guest blogger on an industry-related blog.  Start your own blog and invite guests to blog on your platform.  Always look for ways to put your best foot forward, without being too overly promotional.

Applaud the success of others online.

Who doesn’t like to be complimented when they’ve done a good job?  When you see that colleagues or someone you admire has done something important, extend your congratulations.  It’s a nice thing to do and can put you in the mix with other successful people.

What I try to help people understand is that social media platforms are simply tools like any other tool that help us communicate, connect, and transact. I think a lot of job seekers, excluding recent college graduates, who are desperately feeling the ill effects of this job market don’t realize that corporations use social media to find talent every day. HR professionals are using tools like LinkedIn to find new employees. They attend conferences learning how to better use these tools to find people, so naturally my advice to people looking for a new job is ‘you’d better learn how to get on their radar screen.’

Written by Dwain Schneck

Dwain Schenck is a communications executive, author and former award-winning TV reporter who has a successful track record developing communications strategies. His company, Schenck Strategies, is a communications and consulting firm that serves as a trusted advisor to companies, organizations, high-profile individuals and celebrities and associations.

Prior to starting Schenck Strategies, Dwain worked at MasterCard as Vice President of Communications, U.S. Markets. Before joining MasterCard Dwain founded and ran ICA Strategic Communications, a boutique public relations and communications firm. ICA worked for such clients as Diageo, the world’s largest beer, wine and spirits company; Quantel, the world’s leading provider of creative hardware/software for the motion graphics design industry and he provided crisis communications counseling for Conn. Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

In 1990 he was named Director of Public Relations for the nation’s largest private international humanitarian relief agency, AmeriCares. In addition to producing the organization’s marketing collateral material, including newsletters, brochures, and annual reports, he spent most of his time with journalists and producers writing and pitching thousands of stories with media outlets around the globe. It is estimated he generated more than one billion media impressions about the organization’s lifesaving work on major TV networks, radio stations, and in newspapers and magazines, including CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal to name a few.

He started his career as a freelance television business reporter in Los Angeles and worked as a beat reporter for a local Connecticut cable news channel where he was recognized by the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists for Best Spot News Reporting and Best Investigative Series work.

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Banishing Siri From My Bedroom

Every year we get the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start a new. Many of us make resolutions to lose weight, pay off debt or lead a healthy lifestyle. My goal this year is to reconnect with my husband and kick the other woman in our marriage to the curb. You may know her by the name of Siri.

Before Siri my husband and I would talk about our days or current events at the dinner table. At bedtime, we would catch up on Breaking Bad and cuddle before going to sleep. During our limited free time we would take walks around the city, grab coffee, dream up vacations we wanted to take in the future, or talk about our children.

There were times he fell into digital induced comas, but they were few and far between – until he met her.

I have to admit I first introduced them, which is something I now regret. My husband’s job required him to have a Blackberry, so he was not interested in getting an iPhone. He was blissfully unaware of the instant obsession one gets when they get their first iPhone, and he liked it that way. I begged him for months to get one so when he traveled he could Facetime with the kids and I at night. I also wanted him to feed my addiction by playing Words With Friends with me.

Half way through the year his company finally switched to iPhones and then – I lost him. Siri, equipped with the sexy English accent he gave her, became the first woman he talked to in the morning and the last woman he talked to before going to bed. She joins him in the bathroom, graces us with her presence at the dinner table every night, and even accompanies us on date nights. There have been numerous occasions where he will have his laptop, iPad, the television and Siri all running at the same time. How many sports highlights, scores and games can you actually watch at once? Who are you, Jerry Maguire? I’m afraid I have created a monster. Oh, and by the way he hates playing Words With Friends, so my entire plan backfired.

As of the New Year I will no longer be an enabler or a participant. We agreed our digital obsessions, particularly his, have gone too far. Ms. Siri is now banned from the dinner table at home and on date nights. When our kids are awake we will now focus on them without looking at our phones constantly. Sunday’s are strictly family days with limited gadget play. Finally, Siri is no longer welcome in our bed. I’m sure she can find her own out in cyber space and stay out of mine.

I’m confident her sexy English accent could never replace my warm touch. My husband would agree, or at least I hope.

Posted on 1/14/2014

Written by Holly Rust

Holly Rust is a native Texan but currently resides in the great city of Chicago with her husband, two sons and their Chihuahua. She spent over 10 years in Marketing Communications and in the Luxury Hotel Industry as the Director of Events. She recently became a Freelance Writer and Editor (www.hollyrust.com), which has allowed more time for sanity and her family. She is also the Co-Founder of the popular humor blog, www.mothersguidetosanity.com, where she shares stories about the arduous task of chasing a toddler while managing career and family. Holly considers herself the ultimate foodie and loves to travel. She is also an avid runner and completed the 2011 Chicago Marathon.

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Giveaway: Free Phone Skin + Wrappz Review

In the nine months since I got my first smartphone, I think I can count on one hand the number of times it has left my hand or pocket for more than an hour or two. Yes, I know, that’s not very “Dot Complicated” of me, but it’s a reality of modern life. I like being able to be in touch if a friend wants to talk or if something comes up at work, and since I’ve recently moved to a new town, I’ve often needed to look up directions or find quick recommendations on where to eat or get my oil changed.

And every day, every time I’ve pulled out my phone, I’ve looked at the same standard case that I bought at the AT&T store the day I got the phone, too afraid to leave the store with my shiny new toy unprotected.

That’s why I was so excited when Wrappz, a custom case designer, wrote to me offering me the opportunity to design my own case.  Wrappz allows you to decide what you see when you pull out your phone. Through their website, you can upload your own photo (or photos) and create a skin or case that reflects you. You can also choose a pattern from their design gallery that you like. That’s what I did (my new and improved phone case is shown below).

But, my pick is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of creativity (I know, I know, I’m boring). Cases and skins with pictures of kids, pups and spouses are very popular and a great way to cheer yourself up throughout the day. The entire ordering process was easy and quick, and my case arrived about a week later (the company is based in the UK, so shipping took a bit longer).

Giveaway!

Wrappz is offering Dot Complicated readers the opportunity to try out a skin, free of charge! You only have to pay for shipping, which is typically £3.5, or $5.75. Just enter the code ‘freeskin’ at check-out and enjoy!

Posted on 1/14/2014

Written by Liz Wassmann

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