BORN YESTERDAY

How to be a Good Design Client

2007-07-16T19:23:10Z

I love my clients. Many of them treat me well, and I'm good friends with them. Without them, I wouldn't have a job. Yay for clients!

But every now and then you come across a situation that is inherently frustrating. This can happen with "good" and "bad" clients alike. More often than not, the frustration stems from assumptions and miscommunication that happen early on in the design process between clients and their designers. These can be avoided with experience and intelligence, but sometimes in spite of your best efforts, both client and designer can end up together in a pot of boiling hot water.

So, here are three things (based on patterns I've observed with my own practice and that of others) that I wish I could tell all clients everywhere, all over the world, to help things go more smoothly with the design process:

1. Garbage in, garbage out.

This is a truism that works very well in life, but that I've seen happen far too commonly with design. If you don't give clear instruction, or if your instructions are vague and/or require a vast degree of interpretation, you won't get what you want.

It is, of course, a designer's job to listen very carefully, ask good questions, and dig as deep as they can to understand the scope of your project or idea, and to then propose a solution that matches your description of the problem.

This can't be accomplished, however, if there's not enough information, if the information is vague, or if you neglect to mention a critical parameter (i.e., "it has to be in full-color," or "we only have $X for this project," or "this is geared toward the Latino community").

So as a client, the best thing you can do for your designer is bring them alongside you, help them to understand your business, your intentions, and your needs.

Here's are a few resources to get you thinkin': a client survey that establishes guidelines for a logo design, and an article on how projects are priced.

2. Web is not the same as print, and must be treated differently.

One of the biggest sin you as a client can commit as a client is to download an image off the web, a logo from someone's website, or other web clipart graphic and sent it to your designer for use in a piece of printed material.

Asking a print designer to use graphics downloaded off a web page is like asking them to feed the multitudes with 5 loaves and 2 fish... except we're not Jesus. Here is the technical explanation of why you need large, high-resolution files for print:

The images you see on your screen have a measly 72 dots-per-inch (dpi), while the images you see on the paper of a magazine have a whopping 300 dots-per-inch--that's three times as much image information needed to produce something that appears "normal" to the human eye.

What this means is that images that have been prepared for use on a website will not meet requirements necessary to print them as "big" as they look on screen. An image could be as "big" as 7 inches by 10 inches, but if it's only 72 dpi, you're still stuck with something tiny for your brochure. High-resolution images are well worth what it takes to obtain them, so do yourself a favor and chase 'em down (or ask your designer for help) if you need 'em!

Secondly, don't make the assumption that what works for readers and users in your printed materials will work similarly on your website (or vice-versa).

Many studies have been done all over showing how unique the web is as a medium for reading and interacting, as well as how advertising and writing have to be altered in order to hold people's attention.

I highly recommend asking your designer or doing some of your own research to acquaint yourself with this reality before jumping in to a large-scale project. It will help your website and web strategy to be more effective, in addition to creating more synergy between you and your designer(s).

3. Drip-torture editing (and its cousin, "over-the-shoulder" designing) is ineffective and frustrating.

The drip-torture method of interaction is defined as sending ("dripping") a change, random thought, or edit to a proof as you think of it throughout the day.

You may feel that this is the best way for you to communicate immediately with your designer, and that by providing up-to-the-minute information on where your brain is at, that you're helping him or her to understand what you want.

Not so. Requesting 29 different edits at 29 different times during a single day is not only very frustrating for a designer, but highly ineffective. It makes your desires more difficult to keep track of, keeps designers spinning their wheels, and can lead to extra charges on your bill in the end.

"Over-the-shoulder" designing is the in-person equivalent of drip-torture interacting. You stand over the designer's shoulder and ask them to make changes in front of you until you hit on exactly what you want.

Caveat: This method can be good, but usually only in the final stages of editing when the overall design and mission has been established, or in the initial phases when designer and client are brainstorming together.

When it's bad: When the client "over-the-shoulders" the designer mid-way through the process, both parties often get caught up in a never-ending cycle of redesigning, which costs both parties time and money.

What is more effective in communicating with your designer is to do two things: provide and trust them with all your thoughts and information at the outset (see #1 above), and then, during the proofing or feedback process, send your changes, edits, and creative feedback in a complete, comprehensive batch. This helps a designer to see the overall picture of your reaction and direction, therefore helps them to execute your request more quickly, or even make a bold suggestion to head in a different (better) direction!

The end result of effective communication is a better design, a happier designer, and a fuller budget in the end. So please, for the sake of the designer and your pocketbook, avoid the water-torture method of proofing and editing.

Bonnaroo Burlesque

2007-06-27T11:18:13Z

Bonnaroo always affords some interesting photographic opportunities. Of course, it's great to catch shots of your favorite bands, but because much of Bonnaroo involves going to see musicians perform it's often the out of the way subjects and happenings that prove more interesting and compelling photographic material. Such as:

Stephen and I came across a troupe of musicians and performers, who had gathered a substantial crowd around them. Every year, Bonnaroo hires buskers of these types to entertain and create a nifty concertgoing environment. A lot of photographers had gathered around, some snapping away with fancy flashes, and others just hanging back in the crowd. It was just past sunset, which made for even lighting, but it was quickly fading. The shot above is my favorite--the subjects are facing towards the fading light, there's enough blurring to give a sense of rapid motion and energy, and the colors came out wonderfully.

I'm in love with how bizarre this shot is. A flash from another camera fired off to the left while I was taking my shot, and I think it lends a weird quality to the thing that compliments the subject matter.

Just a plain ol' nice close-up, thankyouverymuch.

You can see the rest of my shots from Bonnaroo here.

An Afternoon with Alex

2007-06-24T19:59:53Z

Meet Alex.

Alex is a kinetic little boy of the tender age of 3. He was very difficult to photograph, for the mere fact that he move so quickly and so much. But every now and then I caught a moment of fun or goofiness that made running around with him worth all the while.

On a technical note, one of the things that helped was keeping the camera on either aperture-priority or shutter-priority, so as I moved through the dappled light in his backyard quickly I didn't have to worry so much about exposure. Usually with portraiture I control everything manually, but there are times (especially when photographing weddings or kids) when it's helpful to have the camera think for you, as long as you're being smart about when you let it do so.

Kid Pix: Various Children

2007-06-12T11:14:42Z

Over the past few weeks, I've tried to snag a few photos after church of kids playing and enjoying each other.

I love this one--so close up and such a natural smile, not the frozen, "Hey honey, look here!" kind of smile, but genuine fun coming through. And the fact that she's backlit means that there's even lighting on her face:

I think I could get used to doing this.

Portraits of Light: Underwater

2007-06-12T02:38:24Z

I took these two shots while at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Near their beautiful tank full of sharks and rays, there are these tall cylindrical glass containers full of water, lit from above, that bubble up every now and then, like the ubiquitous treasure chest in a fish tank.

Each of these is a lengthy exposure (1/15 to 1/2 a second), since the water (and location) made everything eerily dark. But the bubbles themselves glistened through the glass and made interesting distorted shapes if you looked at them a certain way.

It's one of those things which proves to me (yet again) that the most random things can become your subject matter; most of finding something interesting to photograph comes from looking and being ready (both of which require the practice of careful attention and openness--neither of which I have mastered at all).

So Much In Love

2007-06-06T10:27:08Z

Also over Memorial Day weekend, I took the time to take a few portraits of my dear friends Nathan and Liana. The weather was wonderful, and the shade beneath a tree afforded lovely, even lighting for their portrait.

You may remember Liana from her portrait in the Women with Icons series, of course. She and I have been friends since middle school, and it's uncanny the rapport that we still hold together. I met her husband Nathan when they were dating in college, and was honored to be a part of their wedding, and then a part of their chrismation into the Orthodox church.

The two of them are very natural, unassuming, and affectionate together, making them excellent subjects. Liana, of course, is very comfortable in front of the camera, in contrast to Nathan.

It could be that she is so comfortable, perhaps, because we were taking pictures together since we first knew each other. I spent afternoons in high school doodling with her, drawing her portrait while she held still. She (among others) is one of those people I feel artistically drawn to. I find it endlessly fascinating to work with her as a model, and could never get tired of photographing her.

Women with Icons: Little Sophie

2007-06-04T10:25:20Z

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I got to catch up with some family friends, the Harrigles, and see how their recently-adopted daughter, Sophie, had grown.

Sophie is a full-blown toddler now, walking and smiling and playing and babbling away happily. Last I saw her she was probably around six months old.

I photographed little Sophie Harrigle with her mother and father as a part of my series, Women with Icons. Early on in my project, I discovered (with the help of my husband) that it didn't seem appropriate to photograph very young children without the presence of their mother, or even both parents. Pictures of children who are far too young to even venerate icons or imagine that icons depict real people don't seem to hold gravity, or don't seem "fair" to the idea itself.

This is especially true for Little Sophie, who is too young to know how precious she is to her parents. Fr. Gregory and Jeanne found each other late in life, and were determined to adopt. After much difficulty, they were able to travel to Lebanon and bring Sophie home.

"Sophie, of course, means 'wisdom,'" said her mother, Jeanne. "We picked the name together, and it means a great deal to us. Saint Sophia was the mother of three daughters, named Faith, Hope, and Charity. It took a lot of those three things to get Sophie here to us so we could take care of her. We had to have a great deal of faith and hope, and we had to on the charity of others. And finally God brought this blessing into our lives."

The icon in this case becomes a symbol of the this new family. Wisdom, faith, hope, love, and charity helped to bring them together. Not to mention how the faith itself binds them together in a spiritual sense. Sophie and her icon are the center of meaning. I'd like to think this photograph records a moment of thanksgiving.

More Proud Women

2007-05-28T20:10:31Z

In yesterday's photographic session, Mary's mother-in-law, Carol Halkias, volunteered to be photographed. She was a quietly peaceful soul, but her eyes exuded quiet, almost electric energy. Placing her in the center of a quiet garden seemed deeply appropriate; she seemed like the kind of person who was like a mountain spring--providing refreshment and energy to those around her by her presence.

Carol Halkias

The session continued with the Livanos ladies. The four girls trailed after their mother, shaking my hands in turn. I learned that they were four of seven--all children named after saints from all around the world. Dianthe, their mother, spoke of how important the faith was to their family; they celebrated the feast days of their saints in lieu of their birthdays, and emphasized how the stories of their saints connected them with a global Christianity, not one that's just based in ethnicity or family.

Top row (left to right): Estolia (St. Estolia), Kassiani (St. Kassiani)
Bottom row (left to right): Polina (St. Apollinaria), Mariam (The Thetokos), Dianthe (The Theotokos / Flower of God).

To me, this family portrait emphasizes among the best that is in Christianity.

Mother and Child

2007-05-28T04:08:30Z

Today I had the honor of photographing many lovely women in Pittsburgh for my Women with Icons project. Among them were Mary and Lydia Halkias. Mary contacted me through the internet, and since she happened to be located near to Nathan & Liana's house, we made a special trip to visit our friends and take the opportunity to visit with Mary and a few of her friends.

It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon; fortunate, because the forecast had called for thunderstorms. Mary talked with me between shots about how important it was to her that she choose a saint's name for her daughter that she would use everyday, and that she would grow up connected to that story and to her faith. And she herself expressed her feeling of honor for being named after "such a powerful intercessor" as the Mother of God.

Mary & Lydia Halkias

Out of all the portraits I took with Mary, the ones with Lydia struck me as being the most touching. The tenderness that exuded from Mary for Lydia I found so striking that I thought that it would be important to convey that in the portrait I chose for her.

Lydia Halkias

As for Lydia, she struck me as a very self-confident and friendly child. She was very openly curious and intelligent, but with a lot going on behind the surface. I wanted to place her in a confident stance that emphasized how strong she was for one so young--small in relation to her surroundings, but proud, forward, and young.

Reflections on other photos taken on this day to come.

Portrait Outtakes

2007-05-24T00:55:47Z

So I recently developed the film from Jeremy & Vanessa's photo shoot, and I'm actually more pleased with these photos than the others. What is it with me? Am I just completely wedded to film, forever destined to be better at this than digital? Am I hallucinating here? What do y'all think?

taken with my Nikon FM10

taken with a HOLGA

I particularly love the vingetting with the HOLGA--it's so perfect for a willow tree and a couple photo.

HDR Portraits: Thoughts on Sofia Plagakis' Portrait

2007-05-21T12:02:16Z

In my most recent additions to the Women With Icons series, you may or may not have noticed that Sofia Plagakis' portrait was a little different. It was "dramatic" or "artsy," as some of my friends called it--more so than some of the other images I've done.

Here's my secret: Sofia Plagakis' portrait was my first foray into high dynamic range imaging. I didn't intend to shoot the image that way; it happened long after-the fact.

Here's why.

For Sofia's portrait (and others I've done), I bracketed widely--capturing various exposures--because the sunset, bright sky, and dim surroundings created a very high-contrast environment. Both digital CCDs and film (especially slide film) have difficulty capturing as broad a range of value as what the eye can see, and so by bracketing I hoped that I could make up for it.

I walked away with scads of RAW files to go through. Carefully examining all the portraits (in Adobe Bridge), I chose the shot I wanted to work with out of all the possibilities, and pulled it into the Camera Raw editor.

Here came the struggle. With the single exposure I had chosen, all the adjusting of the image's brightness, contrast, histogram, and levels, couldn't result in a satisfying image.

As you can see, there wasn't enough interesting information in the sky to warrant having so much of it in the picture. And the ground was a deeply unsatisfying, flat texture. Overall, the image was very "blah."

So I tried something new. I pulled two more shots into my RAW editor--one overexposed (making the ground appear "normal"), and one underexposed (making the sky appear "normal").

The underexposed image--you can see the sky has a great deal of detail, but Sofia's face is too dark.

The overexposed image--the sky is completely blown out, but the bottom half of the image is just about right.

Each of these images on their own, of course, would be just as unsatisfying to me as the first. But here's the trick: for each image, I adjusted the settings in the RAW editor to create similar ranges of value in the areas of the images I was concerned with (sky versus ground).

Then, I took the two images and combined them into a single file, layering the file properly exposed for the sky underneath the file that was properly exposed for the ground. With a little masking, I was in business:

Of course, I'm never completely satisfied with an image until I've tweaked and blended all its parts. A few layers of isolated curve & level-adjustment, and I'm a happy camper:

Now some of you may be thinking, Jocelyn, isn't this whole "high dynamic range" imaging thing a whole buttload of digital cheating? Good question. No, in my opinion, It's not.

My reasoning goes like this: much of the photo manipulation you can achieve in Photoshop is similar to what you encounter in a wet darkroom. Terms like "dodging," "burning," and "masking," were invented in the darkroom, and you'll find them awaiting you in your tools palette. Retouching, combining two images as one, and other sophisticated tricks were also invented in the darkroom. The fact is, manipulating the supposed "reality" of an image is nothing new.

That is not to say that Photoshop doesn't offer any advantages. The number one advantage of Photoshop, in my mind, is that it is FAST.* No darkroom setup, waiting for paper to develop or for prints to wash--it's wonderful to have greater ease of experimentation. And yes, Photoshop itself can go far beyond what one can do in a wet darkroom. But I find that I rarely use more than the basic tools for editing images. Rather, I reserve those tools for illustrative and design purposes, like this image below (one of the square illustrations I did):

So there you have it, folks: a successful foray into high dynamic range imaging and Photoshop geekery.

*Notice that I didn't say "cheap," as well as "fast." The fact of the matter is that Photoshop is a very expensive program, not to mention all of the other tools required to go start-to-finish with digital photography (camera & accessories, computer, and perhaps a printer, maybe more!). In my opinion, digital photography offers a limited (but still significant) cost advantage over traditional photography, but triumphs by way of ease-of-use, rapidity, and portability. More on this in later articles.

Howto: Linoleum Block Printing

2007-03-30T18:45:35Z

download this tutorial as a PDF! (1.19 MB)

DESCRIPTION
Linoleum block printing is a very simple and accessible relief printing technique. It is a reductive process—material is removed in order to create the image. In this case, specialized cutters are used to gouge out portions of linoleum, very similar to woodcutting.

TIME
Varies--dependent on the number of layers in your design, amount of printmaking experience, and the number of prints you would like to make.

For a simple, one-color design, plan approximately 3-4 hours to go from your rough sketch to a finished print.

TOOLS & MATERIALS
linoleum cutters
inking plate (or other non-porous and uniformly smooth surface)
brayer
palette knife (or other equivalent tool from your kitchen)
masking tape
ruler & pencil
x-acto knife (for cutting paper, if needed)
barren (or metal spoon)
wood-mounted linoleum blocks
paper (preferably a card stock)
block printing ink (water-based; various colors)

1. Sketch your design.

Every print begins with a sketch. Take time to think about your subject matter--pick something you would enjoy working on, because it's going to take time to make it work as a linoleum block print!

Once you decide what you want your design to be, or go through a few intial sketches, you'll want to make a sketch that's proportional to the size of linoleum block you're cutting.

Keep two things in mind: the number and kind of colors you want to use, and that thin linework and small elements are difficult to cut. Make it simple!

In the design I'm using as an example, I’ve chosen to use blocks that are 4" x 6" in size, to print on a 5" x 7" greeting card, which will give me a nice quarter-inch margin all around my print.

2. Divide your design into layers (if necessary).

At this stage, I take my original sketch and using layers of tracing paper to plan out the order of colors I want to print, and the methods of cutting I want to use for each area of each block.

As you can see above, the first layer in my design is blue, followed by red, yellow, gold, then black as the final layer.

If you look closely, you can see how I plan my cutting methods. I make pencil marks to mimic the direction, thickness, and general effect I want, and label each accordingly.

3. Cut one block for each layer of your design.

The most important thing to remember at this stage is that you are not only removing the areas that you do not want to print, but that your design will be reversed (or mirrored) on each linoleum block, as you see above.

This can be an arduous process! Be prepared to have linoleum shavings all over your workspace. Remember to work on a surface that you either don't care about or that you can protect easily--linoleum cutters can easily gouge wood furniture, in addition to your own fingers.

Above, you can see how the planned layers I sketched out compare to the actual linoleum blocks.

4. Prepare your paper & printing template.

Have your paper trimmed to the size you like. Then, take a single sheet of your paper and draw guidelines with a ruler to indicate where your linoleum block should fall on the paper. You will use this template to help you align your paper during the printing process.

Use masking tape to secure your paper template to your work surface, and then tape your linoleum block securely in place on the paper template (see photo at right).

5. Prep your inking plate.

Squeeze generous amount of ink onto one end of inking plate.

Spread ink evenly and thinly across plate using palette knife.

Roll the brayer gently and smoothly across the thin layer of ink, coating the brayer evenly and completely.

6. Ink your linoleum block.

Roll the brayer gently and smoothly across your linoleum block, coating it thoroughly with ink.

7. Make your print.

Align paper with template & lay it down firmly but gently.

Smooth paper with a barren or metal spoon, using a gentle circular motion.

Lift paper directly upwards & lay out to dry.

Repeat this process with each piece of paper until the first layer is finished. Allow each layer time to dry before inking a new block.

8. Clean and dry your tools!

Cleaning and drying your tools promptly with soap and water (for water-based block printing inks) immediately after finishing your work makes your life easier, and prolongs the life of your tools. Be kind to them!

So here's my example print, from start to finish:

P.S. If you like what you've read, and feel it's worthwhile, don't hesitate to throw money at me!

Professor J: Procrastination 101

2007-03-26T07:36:20Z

Because in my last post I'm sure I sounded like the "I've got it all together and let me tell you how to run your life" that I'm not. So I've decided to write up my favorite formulas for procrastination.

checking e-mail for no reason

"Someone, anyone, please give me a reason not to do work!"

google reader/analytics, livejournal friends, and facebook

Looking at statistics on Google Analytics, juicy articles on Google Reader, or the latest updates on my friends in Facebook or Livejournal prove to be my stalwart procrstinatory distractors. It's just more interesting than whatever I'm trying to avoid.

reading in the bathroom

When nature calls, I bring reading materials to extend my absence from doing work under the pretense of "expanding my mind."

taking care of any other business besides what needs doing

Otherwise known as "productive procrastination." Most often happens when I'm at work. I'm getting things done--just not the top-priority things that I should be doing. More often than not, I have a myriad of reasons for avoiding the top-priority task, and when I run out of lesser things to do, I must confront the beast, or move on to another form of procrastination

putting things away

Related to the previous one, but focused on tidying the workspace or home. Tidying is inherently satisfying, and gives a feeling of accomplishment that cannot be achieved even when tackling the gargantuan project that I'm trying to avoid. It's much more concretely rewarding to look at my clean desk, and go "ahhhh," than to e-mail an irate client or call a vendor to try to resolve a problem.

writing

One of the reasons that I procrastinate is that I have too much on my brain. Whatever's on my mind is distracting me from the task at hand. Sometimes it's inane babble that I just feel like getting on paper, or perhaps it's a big decision I have to make, or maybe it's just that I'd rather be writing my own thoughts down than working hard at something else.. Either way, writing is a staple in my procrastinating toolkit.

And you may have already guessed that I wrote out this entire thing because I was procrastinating.

Professor J: Effectiveness 101

2007-03-19T14:46:36Z

I don't know about you, but in a given day, there are vast quantities of menial tasks to manage in a given day. Time and task management has always been a shtick of mine, and the fact that I can list principles of effectiveness is just proof of how much of a huge nerd I am. But they're helpful! So here they are, directly from the Nerd's mouth. Whether you work in an office or not, I hope you find these techniques that I use helpful in some way.

develop a system for sorting e-mail

E-mail can be one of the most overwhelming things to deal with on a daily basis--messages pile up, because it's difficult to figure out what to do with e-mail. On the surface, it seems like what you need to do is simply reply to everything. Not so. All e-mail solicits you in three ways: information (no action), questions (reply), or a request (perform a task).

So, before I even reply to anything, I sort my e-mail. Any message that I flag gets put into a Smart Folder I've created in my Mail application called "REPLY / ACTION". Self-explanatory, right? Then, I reply to things as needed, and record things to do in my planner, leaving a message flagged if an action hasn't been performed yet.

set aside specific chunks of time for e-mail

One of the worst things about e-mail is the way it compulsively draws you to hit the "New Mail" button for no really good reason at all, at all times of the day. All the messages and communication from people is affirming, but it's easy to get stuck in a loop of perpetual inactivity while the e-mail piles up, unanswered and calling you again.

So in order to prevent myself from being or falling into a trap, I build a little moat around the time that I check e-mail. I check for new mail only:
1. after I've accomplished a few tasks in the morning, or
2. if I have the time to answer it

That way I am less likely to miss something important, and less likely to derail my workflow.

You can read more great tips about e-mail over at Merlin Mann's productivity website.

pick 1 or 2 large tasks to tackle for the day

I do this for two reasons: in order to focus more easily, and so I don't get frustrated with a list of things left undone at the end of the day. If I have fewer things that I set out to do, not only am I more likely to accomplish them, but I'm also leaving room for some down time, and the other little things that come up.

take breaks after an hour or so

I find this to be very difficult.

You've probably heard of this before. The more you sit and stare at a computer screen, or the more that you keep focusing on a single task, the more likely it is that your activity level will continue to drop as your brain gets tired. Going for a walk, getting up to brew coffee, or even breaking up a computer-based task with smaller physical tasks helps me rejuvenate and feel more willing and able to go back and keep working.

And sometimes when I get frustrated with more menial or boring tasks, I "treat" myself to a bit of collage or some juicy reading material for 10 minutes or so. It helps jazz my brain and gets me going again.

schedule time to take care of the small things

Mopping, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathroom are my weekly chores in my household (the Husband does all the dishes, car maintenance, and takes out the trash). Cleaning is not my favorite thing to do in life, nor is it my highest priority. This makes it a Small Thing, so I try to make sure that it takes up a Small Amount of Time (while still managing to keep things shiny).

So I pick a day to do it (Wednesday), and I give myself a time limit (30 minutes). Given my small apartment, it should take me no more than that. Having a set day helps me not to worry about whether or not it will get done, and having a time limit helps me not to feel overwhelmed by the task.

take time out to plan your week

This is especially helpful if I'm going to have a busy week. Usually sometime on the weekend I'll look at the larger projects or things I have going on, and try to realistically plan my week in light of those obligations. I put the big stuff in first (appointments, obligations, and hard deadlines), then the second tier stuff (personal projects, fun events, and getting together with friends), followed by the little stuff that could slide if it had to (cleaning, small chores, low-priority or slow-burning tasks.

It's especially helpful to plan the week in light of picking 1 or 2 tasks per day, and choosing 1 or 2 multi-day projects to accomplish for the week. I tell myself that it's okay to keep it small, because that keeps me sane.

While it may seem obsessive (and in some ways it is) to put your life under this kind of microscope, I've found it especially helpful, because it helps keep the little things little, and makes room for you to tackle the important stuff. And looking at what I choose to let slide versus what I choose to prioritize helps me see if I'm putting my money where my mouth is. Are there little things that I'm making into a big deal unnecessarily? Am I prioritizing the things that I really want to do, or just putting things at top priority for the sake of having a top priority? Answering those questions helps me to continually revise my personal goals, and reveals new venues and ideas that I didn't even realize I was exploring.

Onward and upward! What are some of your lifehacking tips?

The Mistakes Are In the Details

2007-03-12T12:30:23Z

I made Three Important Mistakes fairly recently that underscored the importance of Paying Attention to Details for me. I will share them here with you, and explain a) why everything worked out okay, and b) what I learned from the experience.

Ink Stink
I love the Staples website. What I love even more about it is that you get free delivery from your local Staples if you order more than $50. This was perfect for me a few weeks ago when I needed to buy printer ink for an Epson 2200. Clickety-click, clickety-click, and it's done, delivered to my door a few days later. But what I failed to realize until after I had carefully unwrapped all the cartridges and started trying to place them in the printer, is that I had ordered ink for an Epson 2400. BIG DIFFERENCE. The cartridges didn't fit, and I sat there scratching my head like an ape until I realized I had made a $125 mistake.

But everything worked out okay when I called Staples, told them about the situation, and surprisingly found a willing customer service representative who not only refunded my money and sent a driver to pick up the ink, she volunteered to order me the correct cartridges and have them delivered for free the next day!

Lesson: really take the time to review your invoice before you hit "CONFIRM"! That, and it doesn't hurt to ask.

Battery Drain
The morning of a recent wedding gig I had, I decided to change the batteries in my flash to make sure I had enough juice to last me a good while. In went the rechargables, and I hit the "ON" button: nothing. Okay, I thought, I must've used those up. In went set #2 of rechargables, and I hit the "ON" button: nothing. Whoa! In went set #3 of rechargables, and still no juice! I had to leave in less than an hour--there was no way I could recharge in time.

Luckily, I usually keep on hand a HUGE stash of emergency alkalines. I brought them along, and the wedding went smoothly, but I definitely learned to make sure to charge my batteries the night before a gig!

Auction Debaucle
A long while back, I had my eyes on a second Minolta Maxxum 7000 camera body. Someone had given me a first, and I was looking for more lenses and accessories so I could have a backup camera for my film weddings. Ebay was my friend--I found a number of good listings with folks looking to sell large lots of lenses & nifty accessories for the flash (which was what I wanted). So, I bid, and bid generously. For $200, I had won exactly what I wanted.>

Or so I thought. A week or so later, a box arrived at my door, from Israel (whoops, should've checked the listing!), with tons of Minolta lenses and stuff I didn't recognize from the listing. I was ticked. I took a picture, and started a dialogue with the Ebay seller, trying to either a) get my money back, or b) figure out what he or she had done with the gadgets I thought I had purchased. I ran into both a language barrier and a knowledge barrier--the seller struggled to find out what was wrong, and didn't know cameras enough to understand what was missing.

I ended up giving up. All in all, my situation wasn't that bad. I had a whole bunch of lenses that I hadn't really asked for, but that were really nice. And even though I didn't get the accessory that I wanted, I had what I needed. Plus, a year after I made the purchase, I ended up re-selling the equipment kit (and more) for a hefty profit!

Again, though, in future auctions I confirmed necessary details with the seller before bidding on Ebay!

The Final Word

In all these situations, I looked back and realized that one of the major things that made me skip the vital details was this: I was in a rush.

Poor decisions are made when you're in a rush, folks. Stop rushing, step back, and check those details.

...

EDIT: At 3:21 PM on March 12th, Benjamin had the courtesy to tell me that all my formatting was getting lost when Google Reader picked up my RSS feed. I checked my entries, and noticed that I had been neglecting to use

tags, instead relying on MovableType's autoformatting. This was a Bad Idea and Very Lazy on my part. I hereby insert my foot in my mouth, eat my own words, and take that bitter pill that is my own advice.