Remember in college when everything was new? You were just starting to dig in to the industry you hoped would one day offer you a job. You were doing everything you could to absorb all the information that you could fit into your 3 ring binders. Learning was top priority.

For quite a few of us that was a long time ago…10 years? 20?

Are you still learning?

Really?

In the beginning I’m sure you took risks, pushed yourself hard. Getting your business started was difficult and took a lot of time and energy. And, like hard work often does, it payed off. Now it may not seem as necessary to run quite so fast or push so hard.

Unfortunately sometimes success can make us a little lazy. We know we should continue to learn and keep up to date on programs and trends, but somehow these things get pushed to the back burners. Until something changes. Like the market or our clients. As we all know, things do change, and quickly. So having resources you can tap into on a regular basis (even when things are going well) for information is increasingly important.

We have found that keeping up to date on technology and trends keeps your ideas flowing, helps you work more efficiently and allows you to offer clients more.

It’s true that you can’t possibly know everything, but you can figure out what you are interested in and what is important to your area of expertise and follow it like a stalker. If you use a certain program on a daily or weekly basis, get to know what it can do. Chances are you will find out something that will make your work faster and easier.

It is so easy to fall behind on program capabilities or trends due to the fact that they both change so rapidly. To make sure you are on top of the things you need to know it becomes increasingly necessary to keep a few resources in your tool box that you can check in on regularly. Try building at least a half a day each month to update yourself. You’d be surprised at what it could do!

Here’s our list. We’d love to hear from you! What resources do you have, or what keeps you from falling behind?

INSPIRATION/TRENDS:

• HOW magazine
• Communication Arts
• Print
• Computer Arts
• AIGA Inspiration resources
• AIGA Design Archives

HOW-TOs:

• Adobe TV (training for Adobe programs)
• Online Video Training, both paid and free: Lynda.com
• Computer Arts Projects Magazine – in-depth tutorials each issue + downloadable resources
• Make working in Microsoft Office less painful here

If you tried to call or email the R29 offices this past Thursday and Friday you might have noticed that it was a lot quieter around here than usual. That is because this past Thursday and Friday the R29 family packed their bags and took a brief hiatus up to the lovely land of Appleton, Wisconsin to hang out with some of our favorite people from Appleton Coated.
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First off, I have to say, there is something about hating that is fun.

Whether it’s disliking someone who has wronged you or trash talking the competition, the rush of adrenaline you get from a little hating can have a sinfully addictive effect. It usually doesn’t take too long before these smoldering embers can find some real fuel in the company of others who agree with our assessments. We see this happen all the time in our culture and through the media. We love watching people fail and then talking at nausea about how we would have done it better.

And what is the harm really? Especially since the likelihood of actually having to face the person we “can’t stand” and own up to our disparaging words is highly unlikely. So we go about out days spewing our criticisms and brash opinions with no real consequences. Right?

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The most chronically mismanaged times of the day tend to be first thing in the morning and the last hour of the work day.

Is this true for you?

How do you manage your mornings? What are you doing to organize the end of your day?

We all can agree that winging it rarely gets us the results we are looking for, especially when your day has so many unique demands. Starting the day with a readiness to take on whatever comes your way is essential when you are running a company. This becomes especially important if you have employees and are interacting with clients on a regular basis. Being on top of your game when you walk through the doors not only instills confidence in those around you, but will also help you handle whatever is waiting in your inbox or on the other end of that first phone call.
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If you own a business you understand the importance of paying attention. Business owners are always watching. Whether it be markets, culture, trends, budgets, employees, time clocks, competitors, we all have our eyes trained to spot anything on the horizon that might make or break us.

Ironically though, many of us pay minimal attention or even miss the thing that is sure to will effect us on a daily basis and will eventually, if left uncared for, will be the thing that most certainly will take us down. Let’s get down to basics…how are you paying attention to your body?

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