Archive for the ‘quotes’ Category

It’s funny how after you start thinking about something you often start seeing it and hearing about it everywhere. Like an art you’ve never heard of until one day you discover it and from that day on it seems like you never stop hearing about it and seeing it almost every where you go.

For a while you simply pay more attention to something you were before overlooking or ignoring.

Over the last few years, I spent a lot of energy thinking about my business strategy and direction. But the last couple of months have been particularly intense for me, not giving me time to sit back and reflect much. A few days ago I realized I haven’t been paying enough attention to where I was going.

And now it seems that everything I do, read, or hear is related to “where I’m going with my business”! This morning I stumbled upon this: (more…)

“Productivity comes from interactivity and the exchange of ideas and talents.” Seth Godin. (more…)

“Here’s a slide about the illusion of agreement that occurs when people agree over bullet points instead of sketches and screens:”

Source: Illusion of agreement by Ryan of 37signals. (more…)

“Ever wanted to get rich overnight? It’s easy: just hop on a plane.” Some random guy. (more…)

“It’s by traveling that we find pieces of ourselves around the world.” Pythagoras. (more…)

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, gave a great speech at Stanford’s 114th Commencement five years ago.

What he said then about pursuing your dream, persisting in your belief, and seeing the opportunities in life’s setbacks is ageless.

Read on for what I found to be a particularly inspiring extract from the talk  and to watch the video of the speech: (more…)

“User success rates on e-commerce sites are only 56%, and most sites comply with only a third of documented usability guidelines. Given this, improving a site’s usability can substantially increase both sales and a site’s odds of survival.” From Did Poor Usability Kill E-Commerce? by Jakob Nielsen.

He also writes that “E-commerce sites lose almost half of their potential sales because users cannot use the site. In other words, with better usability, the average site could increase its current sales by 79% (calculated as the 44% of potential sales relative to the 56% of cases in which users currently succeed).”

Related Post:

Good web design is all about achieving your goals

The Khan Academy is one of the most awesome and unique projects out there. One man with a mission, a computer, and a pen-tablet-mouse created 1400+ videos on YouTube.

“I teach the way that I wish I was taught. The lectures are coming from me, an actual human being who is fascinated by the world around him. The concepts are conveyed as they are understood by me, not as they are written in a textbook developed by an educational bureaucracy. Viewers know that it is the labor of love of one somewhat quirky and determined man who has a passion for learning and teaching. I don’t think any corporate or governmental effort–regardless of how much money is thrown at the problem–can reproduce this.”

From The Khan Academy FAQ page

One man can achieve a lot and have a significant and positive impact on many people.

“Just knowing you have the time helps you make the time.” Extract from another great post by Jason Fry.

Every interruption cuts your work day into a series of work moments. 45 minutes here, then a meeting. A hour there, then a conference call. 20 minutes until someone taps you on the shoulder or calls your name across the office. These events kill productivity.

Most of these interruptions are experienced at a micro level. They’re experienced during a day. But I’ve found the same thing holds true on a macro level. If you stretch your time scale out to weeks or months, a day trip here or a couple days away there has the same effect: It kills productivity. A couple days away a week is like a few meetings a day — it makes it hard to get anything meaningful done. An interruption is an interruption.

[...] knowing I have a clear schedule for many months has shifted me into a pleasantly productive mindset. I’ve gotten a ton done so far this week. There have been some projects I’ve been meaning to start for a while, but with future travel hanging over my head I couldn’t get into a groove. I’m back in a groove.

It’s a good reminder of the power of an open schedule. Just knowing you have the time helps you make the time.

From The pleasure of an open schedule By Jason Fried of 37signals. (more…)

This is one of my favorite quotes from Werner Erhard. I think it is a great reminder of how precious life is and how important it is to live it to the fullest, giving 100% of ourselves.

More quotes from Werner Erhard below:

“Happiness is a function of accepting what is.”

“Love is granting another the space to be the way they are and the way they are not.”

“You don’t have to go looking for love when it is where you come from.”

“At all times and under all circumstances, we have the power to transform the quality of our lives.”

“Self expression is a function of responsibility.”

“Health is a function of participation.”

And what is for me one of his most inspiring quotes: 

“Even the truth, when believed, is a lie. You must experience the truth, not believe it.”