kpmrd blog

There are lots of arcticles floating around the internet about how one can work smarter, get things done, have more fun doing them. Often I read them and think, "well, er yes, of course". Sometimes I read them and think "you're just having a laugh if you think that will work" - which notionally, it must be said, is a usual response to change, but still. However, I read this one, albeit with a fairly standard title, but it had some interesting ideas on how to get things done (and I don't mean, Get Things Done). Article " What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day " on Fast Company , by Kevin Purdy .

Here's an interesting article on the BBC about using flattery to get what you need in a business context - Superflattery: The art of getting what you want , by Lucy Kellaway from the Financial Times. In the article, the psychology of persuasion through flattery is discussed, and some hints presented on how to use it to persuade someone to do something you want that they don't necessarily want to do.

OK, it's not raining in this picture. It's been a bad day. And it's raining. What next? Have a beer? No. A 5k run. Probably followed by a beer, true. I live my life in balance! I've worn glasses for a very long time, and if you wear them too, you'll know that going for a run, or a hike, or a cycle or anything sort of outdoorsy in the rain, in glasses, is a bit of a no no. If you don't wear glasses, spare a brief minute to empathise on why I might be saying this. So one needs to make a choice on what to do in this situation: Option one: Run without glasses If you're only slightly blind like me, this is an option. Everything will be a bit of a blur, but you'll be able to see roughly where you're going. There will be times when you might get tripped up (I run in woods), but that's the risk. There will be times when you need to slow down and navigate carefully since you can't see clearly - down wet rocks, just for example, say. It...

That'll be a case of enough said, I think. (from Sober in a night club ) But, it makes an interesting point. There has always been the saying about statistics, but one used to draw them from 'reliable' sources. In the internet age... who are the reliable sources, and even then, are they just 'retweeting' an unreliable source?

I stumbled across an interesting article on eCommerce checkout design by Christian Holst on the Smashing Magazine website (via intershop's twitter feed). He explains that at least 59.8% of potential customers abandon their shopping carts, and then illustrates his 11 fundamental guidelines for avoiding this gained from research with user groups in 2010.

So... I carry a BlackBerry... From blame it on the voices .

' Old school tip ': When you've finished a conference call hang up. Then pick the line up again and check for the dial tone. Chances are there are as many different conference phones as there are conference rooms you'll see in a consulting career, and the only way to know the line is dead is to hear the dial tone of a clean line... think about what the first thing you say after a conference call is; then think about whether you'd want the other people who were on the call to hear it? From icanhascheezburger .