With 2012 in full swing, here is a recap of a small portion of the athletic work that we have produced for Tech over the past year.

To celebrate the holiday season, we wanted to share our Christmas wish list with you.  To add a fun twist, we expressed our desires within the parameters that money would be no object and that we would include both a selfish gift and an unselfish gift.  Here is our 2011 Christmas wish list:

Selfish List

• Donnie – Backpack across Europe
• Courtney – Travel the country to see each NFL team play in their home stadium
• Neal – Visit all the Disney parks including Disneyland, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Paris.  He would conclude his trip with a long Disney cruise.
• Daniel – Build a water park inside his house complete with slides and a wave pool
• Jared – Drive a burnt orange Saleen S7
• Holly – Own a villa on St. John, Virgin Islands

Unselfish List

• Donnie would donate money to foster home organizations and be directly involved in helping children in foster homes find a loving permanent home.
• Courtney would donate his money and time to assist areas stricken with natural disasters like Joplin, Missouri.
• Neal would be inclined to donate his time and money to non-profit organizations.
• Daniel expressed that he would help people no matter the cost.  He would buy items for people in need and devote time to those who need assistance.  The fact that money would be no object would be his gift.
• Jared would fully fund an orphanage in Guatemala.
• Holly would provide unlimited food and clothing for children in Diriamba, Nicaragua.  I would build each citizen a brick home complete with indoor plumbing.

What would you do?

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Organize

If your desk is a mess, clean it up and put all those random papers into an appropriate file. And make files for all of your projects/clients. Join a project management software like basecamp to keep up with deadlines and to-dos. Of course you will need to keep track of everything, but you will have a record of all the changes, tasks, and ideas you need. Plus, most software have email reminders to help you not forget with that genius, but cluttered brain of yours.

Take Notes

Grab a notebook and take notes during client meetings. These can be a lifesaver if you can’t come straight back to your office and make changes or start on the project because it keeps you out of the quagmire that is forgetting a certain request. Apps have gone from entertainment to tools and many cell phones come with or have downloadable apps that let you type in quick ideas and messages on the go. Taking notes gives you a traceable record, and if done well, a roadmap.

Find Inspiration

We’ve already blogged about how it’s okay to take a break, and that’s sort of where this is coming from — take a few minutes to browse web design sites, watch YouTube videos, Google certain types of design, or talk over a project with colleagues. Anything that gets you motivated and thinking about your design in a different way is not time wasted, it’s time invested on not hitting a roadblock further in your timeline. It’s time spent making your design the best it can be.

Keep Up With Your Competition

Don’t copy, but do know what is happening around you. Your crosstown rival may have started offering phone app development. Is that a good idea for your area? Do your clients need this? (And most importantly) Can I make money off this? If you think you’re missing out on an opportunity to better your business and your bank account, then don’t be afraid to adapt because someone else is already doing it.

Socialize

We like to sit at our desks and keep to ourselves. Maybe in the dark, even. But it’s a good idea to get every so often, so join a local chamber of commerce or local art collective and meet like-minded people who can help you network and make friends. They will act as a great resource for finding clients and helping you keep your business at the forefront of your community.

Saw this on www.youthedesigner.com and had to share. This is an easy to follow chart for those people who don’t value quality…