I am starting to republish my first book from 2003, You Need To Be A Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Business with Booksurge. As I was communicating with the sale rep, April during the selling process, I noticed her email signature said:

How’s My Driving?
Did this answer appropriately address your question(s)?
If Yes; send an email to this address:  salesteam701@booksurge.com      
1 – Excellent – (explanation optional)          
If No; send an email to this address:   salesteam702@booksurge.com
2 – Unsatisfactory (please explain)

I loved it. How simple and yet so effective. I felt it instantly gave me permission to give them feedback when things went well or went things went poorly. I felt there was a way I could communicate so that someone would be listening. It made me want to do business with them.

Many times, this is all our customers want- an opportunity to be listened. Is that so hard?

I have seen people using there cell phones and PDAs in the strangest places. I have seen them used at the urinals in rest rooms, on bicycles, treadmills, etc, etc, etc. We do this because we are so programmed to multitask that we can’t “waste a minute” by just doing one thing at a time.

But now a new low. At the local salon where I get my haircut, they wash your hair first. As I was waiting, there was another gentleman getting his hair washed while at the same time holding his PDA high in front of him so he could read his email while getting his hair washed. At one point during this scene, he yelled out to the woman washing his hair. “Stop! I can’t see my Backberry, you keep getting water in my eyes.” Ugh!

This needs to stop. As I say in my new book, Bounce! we need to strive for minimal achievement by focusing on one thing at a time. The myth of multitasking is just that- a myth. Our brain can really only do one thing at a time. In multitasking, we just switch quickly. Studies show that this multitasking decreases our productivity overall by 50%. If we can strive for minimal achievement- that is, focus on one thing at a time, we will actually increase our power and results.

And besides, let’s just relax for a minute and enjoy getting our haircut. Email can wait 20 minutes.

I could not resist this headline in the latest issue of Laptop Magazine. Now from Europe, Phone Fingers no has rubber covers (where did they get this idea I wonder?) for your fingers so you don’t always have to touch your “germ invested fingers” to your iPhone and then put it against your face. You’ll look silly but sometimes that is the price to pay to stay healthy. The product comes in small to extra large so at least for this product, you will find a fit!

A clip from how I changed one business person’s life. Okay, so its Bill Levy, my brother-in-law and but its a start!

Not being Christian, there is not much for my family to do on Christmas Day. We usually head over to Chinatown in Chicago and then to a movie. That is our tradition.But, that may change in the future. For the first time in its history, FAO Schwartz was open on Christmas Day. The CEO defended the move saying, ”The workers all volunteered to for the shift… adding that store will cater to non-Christians, tourists and families who want a fun outing on Christmas, similar to Thanksgiving, when the store is also open and people stop by after watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade…We don’t expect huge sales on Christmas day. We recognize the message that Christmas is not about shopping or toys. We just want families to make FAO Schwarz part of their Christmas traditions.” Having the store open on Christmas may be another way to spend that FAO Schwartz gift certificate before the end of the year. That may be a tradition the CEO would love. 

The day is already off…I arrived at the airport and the flight to and from LA was canceled today. They say it is equipment problems,  I say that its the incoming weather. I booked a flight to Dallas today instead ($30 less and it will still get me to the mileage goal. This is called a “mileage trip” by the airlines. Apparently I am not the only crazy business traveler that does this. I guess this goes on alot this time of year. It’s Tuesday, join me in Dallas for lunch!

Post Script- The flights worked out great. Came back on the same plane I flew down on with only 45 minutes in Dallas. The longest part? Getting home on public transportation here in Chicago because of the snow.

I have done some crazy things in my business life and today certainly qualifies in that category. I travel alot. I will do almost a hundred flights this year. One of the benefits of traveling on one airline is to get to their “supreme” frequent traveler status. If you get there, they treat you like “gold” and you always get to sit in first class if the seats are not purchased. This makes a big difference if you are on airplanes every week like I am.

With one month remaining (a two business trips to be taken), I am 3500 miles short of hitting that status….so I am flying to LA for lunch today so I can fly the miles to achieve that milestone. I have work and movies to bring along on the 8 hours of flying I will do today. Snow is expected in Chicago today, so it may be a long, long day…

I will making more blog entries today along the way. Please join the conversation!