“We willingly accept the loss of concentration and focus, the division of our attention and the fragmentation of our thoughts, in return for the wealth of compelling or at least diverting information we receive.” - Nicholas Carr, author of “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.
Brutal, eh? The quote is from 'Addicted to Distraction', an opinion piece in the New York Times by Tony Schwartz of the energy project. Guess where I saw it?
Facebook. o_0
Right now, I'm more inspired than ever to avoid distractions. Maybe 'monotasking' will help? At any rate, thank you for taking the time to focus on this newsletter each week!
Cycling
Rapha's Festive 500 is coming!
I've done this challenge since 2011. Some years, like 2012, have been harder while 2011 & 2014 were unfairly easy. 2013, easily my favorite, kicked off my time in Holland and solidified some of the best friendships I have here. We'll see how 2015 goes!
Kickstarter's brightest bike gadgets
BBC Autos' David K Gibson picks six of the crowdfunding site's most promising projects for cyclists. Great list but they forgot Blaze.cc Burner!
Soigneur's 25 favourite bicycle spots in the world
The world is best discovered on a bike — whether you’re at home or on the other side of the planet. When travelling, I, like the team at Soigneur, love finding new shops, cafés, and bars that revolve around cycling. Good to see so many friends in here!
Startups
The 'Mayor' of Entrepreneurship in Atlanta On Empire Builders Vs. Lifestyle Entrepreneurs
Cummings earned his status in the Atlanta entrepreneurship scene at a young age. He’s only 35. But he has already co-founded 10 companies. Ten. All of which are currently active and operating. I don't think anyone can imagine the ATL startup scene without David. Can you imagine building an empire like he has?
Monocle's 216th 'The Entrepreneurs' Podcast
When it comes to start-ups, is a houseboat the new garage? The interview with Pip Jamieson of The Dots is great and the conversation with barber-turned-entrepreneur Matt Raine and his business partner Matt Brooke of Mr Natty is also inspiring. Gotta same I'm biased as I use Mr Natty in my hair ; )
Startup Ideas and NDA’s, here’s why NEXT says NO
“I have this amazing Startup Idea that I want you to look at and tell me what you think. Can you sign this NDA first?” Here’s Esther & Timan at NEXT will always say NO. Reminds me of The NDA Litmus Test we used to use at Highgroove. ; ) Just remember, nobody will steal your shitty start-up idea.
Sales
Jeff Weiner discusses scaling
In a recent interview at Stanford, he revealed one reason why startup founders sometimes struggle to help their startup scale. As we're working on ramping up our outbound sales campaign projects at Twotone Consulting. I hear Jeff's advice ringing true. Applying this approach to sales teams is imperative.
Why Relational Intelligence Gives You A Competitive Advantage
Imagine you’re having coffee with a prospective client and the entire time you’re talking, you’re simultaneously replying to texts and emails. Most of us focus on how much we know, but the ability to connect and be present in the midst of tasks is where the magic happens.
Pitch journalists and influencers - in 10 steps
Whether you're building your presslist of media contacts or dialing your CRM of qualified leads, you're counting on motivating people to help you. Great stuff from the PR.CO!
Radness
Glibberen en baggeren bij DTS
Solid day of racing cyclocross here near Amsterdam! Complete with unwieldy run ups, mesozoic mud pits and trademark gale force gusts of Dutch wind, it was great to get out and suffer with friends. More about the race series here. (Dutch) See everyone next weekend in Spaarnwoude!
Here's to holding your line & staying focused this week!
p.s. back to the opening theme of focus, I challenge you to download The Future 100 report below and read through it. Interesting stuff! ; )
