Unfortunately, all journeys have their final destinations, and Fellowstream is about to come to a close.  Although we still have subscribers, there are a ton of great project management tools out there.  It seems like every day there’s a new project management tool, and people who once used Fellowstream religiously have moved elsewhere.  We could try to continue pushing our message, or radically changing our product to meet an ever changing landscape, but instead we’ve decided to work on other projects.

Fellowstream will officially shut down on November 23rd, 2012.  From that day forward, you will no longer be able to access your account.  As a courtesy to our customers, we already stopped billing you as of October 1, 2012.  That means that paying customers will get 2 free months access to their account.

We know that some customers may want a copy of the information in their Fellowstream account.  If you want us to compile that for you, please email info@fellowstream.com, and we’ll work with you.  Especially for those of you who have been with us for a long time, we want to go the extra mile to help with this transition.

That doesn’t mean Fellowstream will go completely out of existence.  We will likely put it out as an open source project in the months following the shutdown.  If you’re interested in this project, let us know, and we’ll keep you up to date of its progress.

Of course, you may have any number of questions and concerns about the shutdown.  We’d love to talk to you.  No matter what the topic, send an email to info@fellowstream.com and we’ll get back to you promptly.

The Future of Avalon Labs LLC

On the bright side, this ending also comes with a beginning.  Avalon Labs LLC will continue to live on as a consulting firm, focusing on online marketing, writing for hire, and creative fiction.  We’ve already secured some clients in the video game and small business space.  I will continue to write here and showcase some of my other blog writings from around the web.  I’m also excited to hear from you, so send me a line at deborah@avalonlabs.net if you want to talk.

For all Fellowstream users out there, it’s been an honor to have worked with you.  They say that the journey should be half the fun, but for us at Avalon Labs LLC, it was more like 100%.  We wish you well on your journeys as ours ends.

-Deborah Fike

The funny thing about the “thinking” trap is that you never really feel good about just having thought about something.  You feel good when you do something.  It’s like exercising or eating right: hard to master but well worth the end reward.

So writing this blog post is the first of many things on my “thinking about” list.  As soon as I hit publish, I’ll cross it off and go onto the next thing.  I have a plan to cross a bunch of stuff off my to-do list so I can look back to a weekend full of satisfaction and promise.

What are you going to do today?

-Deborah Fike

So to the following under appreciated folk out there, I offer my thanks:

Thanks to doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals.

You deal with people every day who think they know more than you because they read something on the Internet.  You treat people who on one hand, believe you are a mindless arm of big pharmaceutical companies, but on the other, never listen to you when you give practical advice like “eat healthy” or “exercise more.”  You are rarely thanked when you do a good job, but you constantly worry that someone will sue you if you don’t tell them exactly what they want to hear.

Thank you for dealing with all this and still trying to keep us healthy.  Because of you and your profession, we enjoy the longest lifespan the human race has ever known with only a fraction of the illness that used to plague us.  You can only do so much: it is our choice what we do with our good health.

Thanks to teachers, coaches, and other educators.

Given the impact that you have on our future, you are one of the least paid professions that require a degree.  Some parents blame you for every bad behavior their children ever exhibit.  Society often blames you for a variety of its ills.  You are often tasked to teach numerous subjects in overcrowded classrooms full of kids who don’t care or even want to hurt you and other children.

Thank you for continuing to believe in future generations of people.  Despite lack of funds and community support, you inspire young minds to do great things.  Our children continue to achieve phenomenal greatness under your hands.  You can only do so much: it is our choice what to do with our education.

Thanks to our police officers, fire fighters and military.

Many view you as the enemy, forcing a rule or law on us that somehow stifles society.  At best, people make jokes about your eating habits or how you are a waste of taxpayer money.  At worst, people spit in your face, threaten your families, and yell obscenities at you.  No one likes to admit that they need you until something terrible happens, and even then they often accuse you of doing a bad job, even if you are the only one who will show up to try to right a wrong.

Thank you for administering peace and justice in our society.  You see humanity at its worst, but you continue to defend it anyway.  You rarely ask for recognition, even though you keep us safe.  You can only do so much: it is our choice how to grow our communities.

–Deborah Fike

P.S. I am very much aware that there is such a thing as a bad doctor, bad teacher, or bad police officer.  Bad people exist in all professions and in all walks of life.  However, I choose to believe that most people are inherently good, just as I believe that I myself am inherently good.  Believing anything else would be hypocritical of me.

Photo by maveric2003

First, you’ll never really know what your co-worker’s home lives are really like.  No matter if you’re Facebook friends, no matter if you are friends enough that you share off-color jokes.  What happens at home often stays at home.  While I was going through my divorce, I was happy and smiling all the time at the office, but I spent most of my evenings withdrawn in bed.  So you should try not to make assumptions about what your teammates’ lives are like.

Second, it doesn’t really matter if you know everything about your teammates.  What matters most is that you are there for them as much as you can be.  If you create an open environment at work, you may create a place where that person can find rewarding work away from problems at home.  If you’re really lucky, you might create a place where they can find a friend or two to help them solve their problems.  That’s not the goal of work, but from someone who’s leaned on an office friend before, it’s a nice perk when it happens.

Finally, if you do suspect something very bad is going on with a teammate’s life at home, it’s okay to talk to HR about it.  Let them know what you suspect and that you are worried about your co-worker.  Your HR rep should be able to talk to that person and give them advice on how to get help.   If you’re not comfortable talking to someone at work, look outside of the office for people who might be able to give advice on how to approach your teammate.  Depression helplines, AA, and many non-profit organizations not only support the people who need their services, but the people supporting those people.

Again, I’m not advocating that the workplace become a counseling center.  I do think, however, we make all of our lives easier when we create more open environments that are accepting of people.  I can’t think of a better place to have that happen than at work, where we spend most of our day.

-Deborah Fike

I would argue not so.  To me, a workaholic is someone who can’t stop working.  They devote 60+ hours a week, week-in, week-out to the one thing that drives them.  You can find them at the office as easily at 10 in the morning as you can at 10 in the evening.  They live for their work.

I, on the other hand, do not live solely for work.  I do enjoy what I do, but I also have a great time when I’m not working.  I’m happy writing this blog post now, but I’ll be just as happy tomorrow visiting elderly relatives over Father’s Day weekend.  I enjoy taking an afternoon off to go on a play date with a friend on a sunny afternoon (which I did today).

The difference between workaholism and me is simple: work efficiency.  I compartmentalize my life so that when I’m working, I’m working.  I set deadlines and I get things done.  But just as important, when I’m not working, I’m not working.  I don’t answer emails, I don’t wish I were at the office.  I enjoy being with my family.

There is no right way to be.  Some entrepreneurs are naturally workaholics.  They love to do what they do every minute of their lives.  Others, like me, have several obligations, so we have to really maximize our time as efficiently as we can.

Which are you?

-Deborah Fike

• You can readjust project milestones sooner.  One of your job responsibilities is goal setting.  You can’t do that effectively if you don’t let the team know why things are shifting.
• People are going to find eventually anyway.  Delaying delivery of this news only makes it harder with each passing day.  Plus, the dread of anticipating telling the bad news will raise your stress levels.
• The team might be able to help you find better solutions.  The old saying “two heads are better than one” applies to problem solving.  Letting your team know bad news sooner could result in a brainstorming sessions where you come up with better ideas on how to manage negative consequences.
• Your job is to get stuff done.  So get it done.

- Deborah Fike

• Grade midterms for the test I administered last Thursday at the University of Oregon.
• Go swimming with my family.
• Catch up on blog writing on external sites.
• Weed a few patches in the front lawn.
• Have Sunday dinner with friends.
• Work on SEO for both my site and my clients’.
• Carve out some Diablo 3 time with my husband.
• Sleep in an hour at least one day.

How are you juggling work life balance this Memorial Day?

-Deborah Fike

There is perhaps not a more depressing and frightening phrase.  Losing a job also means the loss of stability – financial and emotional.  Where will the money come from?  What will come of my career?  Doubts on your ability to succeed emerge.  Maybe you’re not good enough at what you do.  Maybe you were never good enough.  Self doubts eat away at you, zapping your ability to move on.

What will the future hold?

Photo by h.koppdelaney

Now there’s an interesting question.  On one hand, the future may look bleak.  No job, no certainty.  On the other hand, your slate’s just been wiped clean.  No job, no limits.  What you choose to do after losing a job is completely up to you.  You can:

• Look for a similar job.  Keep going on the career path you’ve chosen because you love doing what you’ve been doing.  Why change a good thing?
• Find a related job.  Maybe you liked what you were doing okay, but you’d like to expand.  Move horizontally into a slightly different position, or move up into management.  Now you have the experience to back it up, something you may not have had before.
• Explore a new career.  Perhaps you’ve been kidding yourself for several years.  You hate your job.  You can’t remember the last time you wanted to get up and go to work.  Now’s your time to explore by looking at a new career, either by new training or trying a new entry level position.
• Work on a skill set.  Have something personal you’ve always wanted to work on?  Has your photography equipment lay dormant due to the pressures of 9-to-5?  Losing your job is a good time to see if that old hobby of yours has any weight.  Devote yourself to it for a month or two before doing a new job search.
• Create something new.   With a clean slate, you may suddenly feel the urge to pursue that great idea you’ve been sitting on for years.  Open your own consulting firm.  Find contract work.  Be your own boss.  The entrepreneurship path is certainly full of challenges, but can also pay off in big rewards.

Whatever you decide, remember: being laid off isn’t the worst thing in the world.  In fact, it can be one of the liberating moments of your career.  Take the time to explore the opportunity in no opportunity.

-Deborah Fike

Most of the actions that we do on daily basis are nothing more habits that we got used to. Washing your face as soon as you wake up is considered a habit, checking your facebook while working is another habit, and getting angry when someone annoys you is a third habit.

As you can see our lives are governed by habits to a great extent whether they are good or bad.  Bad habits can not only ruin your life, but they contribute to feelings of shame and guilt, thus reducing your chance to live a happy life.

Because of these reasons I decided to write this post to tell you how to break these bad habits:

1. Avoid triggers, not the habit: People feel like doing a bad habit when something reminds them of it. Let’s suppose that you want to quit drinking.  In this case avoiding places where most people drink will prevent the thoughts that led to the bad habit from being triggered.  Most people make the mistake of not avoiding the triggers that lead to the bad habits, and that’s why they have a hard time quitting them.
2. Change your life style: Let’s suppose you  want to break the bad habit of overeating.  If you discovered that you watch tv for 6 hours a day and that this habit contributes to your eating habit, then you need to reduce watching TV. Changing your lifestyle is one of the most effective methods for breaking bad and unwanted habits.
3. Use the power of intention: Once you decide to break a habit, write the decision down. Writing down your goals is one of the best methods to install them directly in the subconscious mind. The power of intention will motivate you to break the habit in a much easier way because it will give you a strong push on the unconscious level.
4. Know the root cause: Many people fail to break bad habits because they never target the real root cause behind them. For example if a person smokes whenever he feels stressed, then he needs to learn how to deal with stress and his smoking habit will disappear on its own. If you attempted to break a bad habit without targeting its root cause, you will always find yourself returning back to it even if you managed to quit it for a while.
5. Watch your thoughts: Before you feel like eating a delicious cake you will first have to visualize it in your mind. In other words, your thoughts turn into actions. Thus if you managed to monitor your thoughts and prevent them from taking certain u-turns, then you will certainly be able to break habits more easily.

So yes, teaching is very rewarding, but so are the opportunities to learn, even for the professor.  Last week, Tim Berry of Palo Alto Software spoke to our class.  Having met thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs over his career, he had a lot of great advice, but my personal favorite:

Passion and persistence are great for an entrepreneur, but they are not the keys to success.  The real measure of success is in sales.

This may seem like a no brainer, but in the process of launching a business, this key idea oftentimes gets muddled.  You’re working day and night trying to get the business up and running, and somewhere along the way, the idea of the business takes over.  Your grand vision.  How you will change the world.  It’s an all-powerful notion that somehow becomes bigger than the business itself, and when the sales don’t come flying in, you might be tempted to think there’s something wrong with the world.

Of course, that’s ridiculous.  It’s your job as an entrepreneur to convince people to buy into your idea, not the other way around.  The world will not change to accommodate you.  And if your idea isn’t good enough, no amount of passion or persistence can change that.  Knowing when to throw in the towel is just as useful as knowing when to continue.  Make sure you know when to do both.

-Deborah Fike

P.S. For more great insights into start-ups, check out more at Tim Berry’s blog.