Five on Friday, Issue #4

Ben Settle left a tongue-in-cheek comment on my blog yesterday. He writes:

All I know is I’m getting a little impatient waiting for your “five on Friday” post. I’ve actually started looking forward to it and need my weekly “fix.”

So get your lazy butt off the couch Ryan, and gimme my five, baby!

Of course, I busted out laughing when I read this. Ben has a way with words, doesn’t he?

I told Ben that I would’ve posted a new issue of Five on Friday last week, but I simply hadn’t gathered enough posts to share with you. Not only have I been swamped with projects (which has cut into my leisure-reading time), but I just haven’t read much that has struck a chord with me.

The whole point of this feature is to share with you only the BEST stuff I read. I also try to find sources you might not encounter during your regular blog reading. That means I sometimes link to sites and posts outside the “good ol’ boys club” (if you get my drift).

So, without further ado, here are my five picks this week.

Tools, Time, & Attention – by Chris Crompton

This post is deceptively simple. But Chris makes an excellent observation: tools don’t automatically improve productivity. Why? Because you must first dedicate time to learning how to use that tool. Then you actually have to set aside time to use the tool.

This is a reason I hate any tool that comes with a lengthy instruction manual. If I can’t intuitively figure out how to use the tool in a few minutes, then it probably isn’t worth my time.

I believe the iPod has been successful largely because of its intuitive design. You spend very little time learning how to use it. If it were complicated, it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.

Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Poorly! – by Daniel Levis

I stumbled on this article doing research for a separate blog post. The article is so good, I simply had to share it with you. Daniel uses some great stories to illustrate his primary point, which is simply this: Don’t be a perfectionist, just take action.

My favorite part of the article is toward the end. Daniel writes:

The secret to success is to swing for the fences, and take multiple concurrent actions. Round up a big bunch of worthwhile projects, roll them up the highest hill you can find, push them over the crest, and run like hell to catch them on the other side.

I love this mental picture!

The Most Popular Layouts of the Top 20 Technorati Blogs – by Natalie

Wondering which blog layout you should go with? What color scheme to use? This post is very helpful. Pie charts and everything. A quick, easy, and worthwhile read.

The One Word That Helped My Blog Grow To 800+ Subscribers in 17 Weeks – by Christine O’Kelly

If there was one word that could multiply your active blog readers exponentially, would you want to know what that word is?

If you’re like me, the answer is “yes.”

If you blog, then you will want to read this post. It’s fairly long, but provides some in-depth material to digest. You might want to drop in on Christine’s blog once a week because that’s how often she posts. And her posts are quite good.

The Unsinkable Andi Emerson – by Ray Schultz

Ever heard of John Caples? Ever heard of the John Caples Awards? Andi Emerson started the Awards in 1978.

This article is a tribute to Andi; she died on Valentine’s Day. I had never heard of her before, but I enjoyed the stories about her life in the ad biz. Apparently, she used to edit Eugene Schwartz’s ad copy, and was friends with both John Caples and David Ogilvy.

While you won’t find practical advice in this article, it will probably give you some valuable things to think about.

Well, that about does it for this issue. Have a great weekend. I’ll “see” you next week. :-)

-Ryan M. Healy

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