Brandon Coppernoll Internet marketing, social media, web based strategy and development in Indiana

Seth Godin: Modern Procrastination is right on

Seth Godin speaks to the staff and I at Fusework Studios in a lot of ways. He has made great points in marketing and how to design Web sites to maximize conversion. In my position as a programmer he hasn't spoken a great deal to me personally, but a friend of mine had posted a link to this article about modern procrastination that absolutely caught my attention.

I feel this article is right on about any modern workplace. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed and that you're always busy. Once you finish a project you're immediately on to the next task. Then add the distractions of social networking, and then you're doing all you can to keep your head above water.

I'd like to posit that for idea workers, misusing Twitter, Facebook and various forms of digital networking are the ultimate expression of procrastination. You can be busy, very busy, forever. The more you do, the longer the queue gets. The bigger your circle, the more connections are available.

This message is very clear. You can get so caught up in daily life and social networking that you never seem to be finished with what you're doing.

Laziness in a white collar job has nothing to do with avoiding hard physical labor. “Who wants to help me move this box!” Instead, it has to do with avoiding difficult (and apparently risky) intellectual labor.

I am not sure how this speaks to most people, but to me the message is that people often in a workplace can look for the "safe route." Many people tend to ask others for answers rather than seeking the answers themselves, and it is often because of the "he can do it better or faster than I could" mentality.

When the resistance pushes you to do the quick reaction, the instant message, the 'ping-are-you-still-there', perhaps it pays to push in precisely the opposite direction. Perhaps it's time for the blank sheet of paper, the cancellation of a long-time money loser, the difficult conversation, the creative breakthrough...

Instant messaging. Argh! This is perhaps one of the most slippery of slippery slopes to introduce in any business. It's hard to draw the line when to use this feature. It's often so easy to think of jumping on instant messaging to ask a "quick question" that can routinely turn into a half hour conversation of typing versus maybe a five minute phone call. Also, I have been finding that there are times to do just what this quote says which is to "push in precisely the opposite direction." Sometimes the direction you or your company has been headed needs a new direction. It's time to be creative.

Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn't mean mattered.

This is perhaps my most favorite quote from the article. Do something important in your business. Quantity should not outweigh quality.