The Science of Communicating & Marketing Your Business

In a way, this is another form of a movement called "Voluntary Simplification". Susan and I have been doing voluntary simplification in preparation for our move to Nova Scotia for years. It didn't start as something for our move, it started as "You know, we've never used that. Why are we keeping it?" so we either gave things away or yardsaled them.

We also didn't know what we were doing had a name. We simply thought we were getting rid of books we knew we'd never read again, music we'd never listen to again, videos we'd never play again, tools we'd never use again, computers which were fine for nephews and nieces but not useful in the office, ... We were watching TV less and less so we gave our bigscreen TV to my nephew. Just in time for the SuperBowl a few years back. He was thrilled.

We found Voluntary Simplification addictive. Over a year we cleaned out two rooms. That's when it extended into our move to Nova Scotia. Now the battlecry was "Do we really want to move that?" Gas prices played a part in the discussion. "It will cost us more to move it than to buy a new one once we're there."

People who know me know I'm notoriously slow responding to emails. I tend to bury myself in my research and ignore emails except when I surface. People may not hear from me for weeks then get ten emails in a day, followed by another period of silence. I tell people, "Call me if you need me. I can get to a phone more often than I can get to my emails."

But I also have this philosophy; if people take the time to write me then they deserve a response. My challenge wasn't wanting to declare email bankruptcy so much as it was applying Voluntary Simplification to everything else going on.

So I looked at my blog reader. I do read lots of blogs. I had over 115,000 unread entries.

<Select All><Delete>

My goodness! The freedom. The weight gone! And much like the things we got rid of because we knew we were never going to use them again, I could honestly look at the empty blog lists and say, "I never read those and things I need to know will probably find their way to me when I need them" (kismet's my friend).

I became giddy. This power. Where did it come from?

I turned my attention to my message board lists.

<Select All><Delete>

This one, I'll admit, was easier. People on those lists who want to ask me a question do either email me directly or call me. Still...I felt my knees go weak, my vision blurred...okay, that was because my glasses slipped off my nose.

But still!

I could actually do more reading (journals). I could finalize more research. Do more writing up of findings and results. Plan more research.

I could go on the backporch and think. Focus. The best part was that I could actually answer some emails. Quickly (for me). People called to ask if I was okay (I am, although I sounded a bit like Renfield when he was discovered in the hold of the ship in the classic movie versions of Dracula).

My desk, much like my mind, cleared...

In a way, this plays into that arc on attention.

So go for it, friends. Volunteer yourself for a simple internet bankruptcy. I doubt you'll miss a thing.

Please contact NextStage for information regarding presentations and trainings on this and other topics.

I'll be speaking at the Society for New Communications Research Annual Awards Gala Summit on 1-2 Nov 07 in Boston. Come on by and say hello.