I adore the beginning of autumn. Year after year, I spend endless hours in September and October soaking in the changing colors and enjoying the last of the beautiful weather before the snow and ice invade. It’s a relaxing time for me, and I do my best to pamper myself in preparation for another difficult winter.
Not this year, my friends. Fall is getting an intense makeover. This year I will spend my beloved fall months preparing for the exhilarating hell that will be November.
November is (at least according to www.nanowrimo.org) National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo (the clever abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month) is a month-long event in which participants can track their progress and connect with other writers while attempting to complete—from start to finish—a 50,000-word novel. The event is run by Oakland, California–based The Office of Letters and Light, a nonprofit organization which “organizes events where children and adults find the inspiration, encouragement, and structure they need to achieve their creative potential”.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. The Wizard of Oz
Getting Started is the Hardest Part
This post is the first in a regular series I’ll be writing about practical tips for incorporating technology into your business. We’ve got a lot of small business owners and entrepreneurs reading our website, so we thought it would be helpful to reveal some of what goes on behind the curtain.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how impenetrable tech-related things are for many small businesses, so my intention here is to simplify the overwhelming list of things you could do into lists that you can start with today and see real results from tomorrow.
It also drives me completely crazy to experience first-hand the way that a lot of IT support firms and contractors treat small businesses. From ridiculous hourly rates to recommending unnecessary and expensive services, it often feels like there is an entire industry predicated on keeping entrepreneurs in the dark and feeling trapped by the complexity of technology.
“My girlfriend asked me, ‘Did you sleep well?” and I said, ‘No, I made a few mistakes.”
- Steven Wright
I live in envy of cats because they get, like, 23 hours sleep a day. Mind you, they accomplish very little, but still….
My hope is that this article will put you into a lucid trance…..but if it helps you get some sleep, all the better.
There is an atrocious lack of sleep in our society! I am outraged. So outraged, I may have to take a nap. Parents of the world - unite! Med students in residence, stand firm (with a pillow). People with four jobs, sit down (I’d never ask you to stand.)
This has got to stop! The causes of sleep-deprivation are well known, and pointless to list here. Rather, these are my tips for getting some decent shut-eye:
Any textbook you had in high school or college (I have some notes on back-up computer architecture I’m happy to lend out…)
Any high-brow novel you think you ‘ought’ to read but don’t really want to. (Got some of those too.)
Ear plugs (the squishy kind - keep away from curious two-year-olds - they’re not edible, it turns out)
“My girlfriend asked me, ‘Did you sleep well?” and I said, ‘No, I made a few mistakes.” 
