How many times have you gone home lately and complained to your roommates, boy/girlfriend or spouse about the number of emails still sitting in your inbox at the end of the day?

Unread and often unopened, the emails gnaw at us. They elicit feelings of incapability, because really, if we can’t take care of a simple thing like email how can we expect to get that big project finished or get praised at evaluation time?

Email is supposed to make us more efficient and effective. So where did we make the wrong turn and how do we get email back under control?

David Allen of Get Things Done has some interesting tips and pointers on Getting Email Under Control.

While I like the fact that he encourages the use of the delete button, I have to object to him telling people to just type faster. I believe in knowing what you want to say, selecting the “right” words and taking the time to re-read what you wrote.  I believe those extra moments are better spent re-reading rather than sending a revision or apology email later on down the line.

Also, how does David Allen deal with those people who believe that every joke, lol cat, and YouTube video is worth sharing with everyone?

Delete anyone’s grandma lately?

My cellphone died this week and my beloved Dell Axim is committing a slow, pixelated suicide.  After a lot of contemplating, I chose to follow the herd and get an iPhone. Not the iPhone 4, but an iPhone 3 GS with 16 GB of memory. I like to ride the backside of technology. It is cheaper and more reliable.

Alas, I don’t have the ability to do video chat but it’s probably better that way. Who wants to see what I am purchasing at Freddies or what I look like fresh from working in my garden?

Anyway, the point is not that I bought an iPhone but that I really want to save up enough money to design and purchase one of these beautiful, custom laser etched bamboo cases from Oregon’s  Grove.

Think of all of the work I could get done for the Ambridge Event Center if my smart phone was this lovely to look at!

If you aren’t creative, no worries. They also offer an artist series featuring designs like Merman, Tribal and my favorite Birdland by Sven Palmowski.

If you’ve bought an iPhone what do you think of it? Does it really change everything? What are your favorite business, productivity and artsy i Phone apps?

Here’s a great short article in Bloomberg Businessweek about business branding.

Ian Schrager, the father of boutique hotels,  makes an interesting point for all of us to consider, “When somebody has a good idea, everybody runs to do it and they kill the good idea. The hotel business risks falling into the same trap it fell into 40 years ago. They all look alike.”

But his point applies to a lot businesses, especially here in Portland, OR , how can we make quick decisions, be on the cutting edge and still remain true to ourselves and our original business intentions?

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_27/b4185084601464.htm

When your client hears your slogan or sees your logo, do they get an instant picture of their relationship with your product and what distinguishes it from others on the market?

Here is an interesting article from Bored Panda magazine on the evolution of some of the world’s most iconic logos, including those of Coca Cola, Pepsi and even Adobe.

http://www.boredpanda.com/21-logo-evolutions-pepsi-cola-apple-nike-nokia

What can your business learn from them?