Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: StephenPSmith.com

GTD is short for Getting Things Done, an excellent book by David Allen that features a method of planning and being productive with your time. I have just encountered this amazing process, and there will be more on it soon. Here is a post at DIYPlanner that is a must read:

Recently, I finished rereading Sun Tzu’s Art of War. For those not familiar with the work, Sun Tzu was a general in ancient China around 400 B.C. The slim tome attributed to him is an approach to warfare and strategy. Many ideas connect to the idea of Tao, such as being in harmony with nature, and understanding yourself and your enemy. One of the most important ideas is that it is better to not fight than to fight, but if you must fight, then fight with everything you have.

So, what does this have to do with us, the modern man and woman, dealing with productivity, organization, and GTD? Well, more than you might think. In my rereading of the book, I realized that many of Sun Tzu’s principles apply to our own struggle; the struggle to be productive.

Check it out.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5tk53c. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

This is first in a series of reviews on free PDF downloads that can help with your blogging and internet business. “Knock, Knock“ by Seth Godin is a set of instructions for setting up your website for maximum efficiency. Godin sets two “Big Picture” goals for the website:

Number one: A website must do at least one of two things, but probably both:

• Turn a stranger into a friend, and a friend into a customer.
• Talk in a tone of voice that persuades people to believe the story you’re selling.

What does this mean? Your website must be user-friendly and have a purpose. What is the logical purpose of a website? Well, to sell, of course. Everything is selling, whether you are selling ideas, products, services or just attention. Even a personal website for photos from your family vacation needs to be constructed so that people will “spend” their time looking at your photos. For a more commercial application, your website (or front page) needs to have a purpose, and that purpose is to prepare the viewer for the next step. The first ‘click’ that you get needs to lead to a place that does the exact same thing, it is a step in a process that leads to the next step.

“And soon (as soon as possible), your web pages lead people to do the thing you wanted them to do all along, the reason you built your web site in the first place.“

That reason can of course, be anything. Are you looking for email addressess? contact information to send a mailing or catalog? a donation for your charity?

This brings us to Big Picture number two:

“A web site can cause only four things to happen in the moments after someone sees it:

1. She clicks and goes somewhere else you want her to go.
2. She clicks and gives you permission to follow up by email or phone.
3. She clicks and buys something.
4. She tells a friend, either by clicking or by blogging or phoning or talking.

That’s it.
If your site is attempting to do more than this, you’re wasting your time and money and, more important, focus.”

This e-book is loaded with advice and guidance on reviewing your website and/or constructing your website to accomplish this goal. It’s a “less is more” philosophy that definitely applies. Just because you can have a spinning, flaming logo flash animation, doesn’t mean that you should.

Keep it simple, get to the point, and you will be able to lead your viewer where you want them to go.

Download “Knock, Knock” here.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/6one34. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen