This Friday (February 24th, 2012), I will be attending SearchFest, a one day conference in Portland, Oregon that focuses on Search Engine Marketing, Pay-per-click advertising and Social Media Strategy.

This is my first year attending SearchFest, and I’m looking forward to getting some information straight from the horses’ mouth’s. The horses will be Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz, Jonathon Coleman of REI and Wil Reynolds of SEER Interactive.

What’s the most exciting topic at SearchFest?

I’m really looking forward to the “Advanced Off-Site SEO” discussion.

Our expert panelists get down-and-dirty (well, not TOO dirty) with specific techniques to build up your website’s incoming link profile. From research to competitive analysis to content to outreach to social media, learn from two of the best in the business.

As part of my job, I will be reporting back to the team what I learned at the conference. I will also share some of that information here on my blog. Stay tuned in the coming weeks.

There comes a time in the life of your business that you need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. This President’s Day, reward your business with some polish and shine. It’s time for a new and sparkly web design. Enough with the rhymes. Dang it!

Simplicated Web Designs wants to give you a FREE Facebook Fanpage design. For the remainder of February, in honor of President’s Day, all new clients will receive a Free Facebook Fanpage design ($150 value) with any purchase of web design services.

Contact me today! (503) 512-9323 or ken@simplicatedweb.com

Note: Web Design services do not include Search Engine Optimization services or Image Optimization Services. While I do use SEO best practices when designing your website, I do not evaluate your copy to ensure proper keyword usage. Nor do I provide keyword research necessary to Search Engine Optimization.

I have too many responsibilities. It’s difficult to keep track of the laundry list of requests handed to me by clients, account managers, co-workers needing help with their work, etc. And that’s just at work. At home I have things that need done around the house, bills to pay, family to visit, kids to play with, a wife to enjoy life with… you get the idea. When you put it all together, it can be hectic to keep track of it all.

So, how do I manage all of the tasks I need to complete in a given day? One at a time. Ok, you were expecting something more profound; I know. I actually have a set of rules I like to follow. Following them can be a struggle and sometimes impossible.

Rule #1 – Make a list

A list helps you remember what you were supposed to do that you didn’t do. The best part about a list is that you get to cross things off. You get to see that you have actually accomplished something. Now, I like to make daily lists but I’m usually very bad at it if I’m really busy. If you can’t make a daily list, keep a weekly list.

Rule #2 – Avoid being derailed

There are a lot of things that can interrupt your daily activity. Avoid distractions by wearing headphones if you work in an office where conversations take place outside your cubicle. Only respond to e-mail once per hour if possible. In my experience, clients will send e-mail hoping to get an immediate response. In some cases that’s good customer service, but it really limits how much work you get done.

Rule #3 – Take breaks

I don’t follow this rule as much as I’d like to. It’s important to take a break from your work to let your mind relax. I have found that when I’m presented with a difficult problem that I can’t solve, it’s best to take a short 10-15 minutes away from the desk. A lot of times I have a revelation about the design or programming issue and I come back to work inspired to solve something that I was agonizing over just minutes before.

Rule #4 – Talk to others

Yeah, I know this goes against rule #2. But it goes hand-in-hand with rule #3. Sometimes just having a conversation will spark an idea. It’s weird where ideas come from. Your co-workers are your inspiration. A lot of times I’ll hear about a website they like to visit or they’ll ask a question about how to do something. Moments like these are the foundation of creativity.

There you have it. Being the best you can be at work and at home can be difficult. But, if you follow these simple rules, you’ll be headed in the right direction.