Q1 2009 Newsletter

This is a quarterly email with my favorite blog posts, books, links, and personal updates. You received this newsletter because we’re connected on LinkedIn or you subscribed to the list. To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, click here: !INSERTURL!

THINGS I’M THINKING ABOUT

1. Personal outsourcing

No matter how productive you are, you only have 24 hours a day. I haven’t figured out a way around that, but I experimented with delegating some personal projects to virtual assistants.

It has its own challenges (I’m learning a lot about specifying what I want!), but I enjoy working with different people–many of whom do the work much better than I can! You can read about my experiences and my processes at http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/category/va .

If you’re interested in getting started, comment on my blog or e-mail me. I’d love to learn along with you!

2. Drupal application development

I really enjoy building content management systems and social networking websites using the Drupal platform, and I’ve been teaching other people tips on how to become better (and lazier!) developers. I gave a sesson on “Totally Rocking Your Development Environment” at DrupalCon 2009 to around 150 people, and many people told me that it was one of their highlights. You can find it and my other Drupal-related posts at http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/category/drupal .

3. Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, and public speaking

I gave 13 talks, reaching approximately 730 people with an additional 1825+ views online.

External presentations:
– Totally Rocking Your Development Environment, Drupal Peru
– Totally Rocking Your Drupal Development Environment
– Totally Rocking Your Development Environment, DrupalCon 2009
– Enterprise 2.0 and Knowledge Management (Schulich School of Business)
– How the Web is Changing the Way We Learn – Mesh panel
– New Employees and a Smarter Planet

IBM presentations:
– Get Smart with IBM Web 2.0
– GBS Tech Talk
– Networking Outside the Firewall
– Networking Outside the Traditional Office
– Making the Most of Sametime Unyte
– Totally Rocking IBM: FutureBlue and Web 2.0
– Four Generations in the Workplace: Top 10 Signs of Multi-generational Issues

I’m looking forward to helping even more people learn more about connecting and collaborating using social networking tools. I also love helping developers learn about ways to get even better at working with Drupal. Speaking and coaching are both are great ways to get even better ROI on what I’ve learned, and to meet and learn from lots of interesting people along the way.

Want me to speak to your group? E-mail me and we might work something out. Interested in learning more about public speaking, or checking out my talks? See http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/category/speaking for my thoughts and tips.

4. Lots of hobbies

I got my own bike, and that really changed Toronto for me. I’m learning more about sewing my own clothes, and I’ve been teaching myself the piano too. Ooh, and drawing! Check out http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/category/sketches for my stick figures, and http://twitter.com/sachac to see my new background. =)

QUICK LINKS

Quarterly goal review:
– Q1 2009: http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/2009/04/15/quarterly-review-q1-2009/
Monthly reviews:
– March 2009: http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/2009/03/31/monthly-review-march-2009/
– February 2009: http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/2009/03/17/monthly-review-february-2009/
– January 2009: http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/2009/01/30/monthly-review-january-2009/
Weekly reviews: http://livinganawesomelife.com/wp/category/weekly/

MY TOP BOOKS THIS QUARTER

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Scott Mccloud, 2006
Well-drawn, well-written, and surprisingly philosophical. Definitely worth a read.

The Power of Full Engagement
James E. Loehr, 2003
Applies principles from athletic training to the corporate world. Great book for self-improvement.

Fifty Years of Great Writing: Sports Illustrated 1954-2004
Rob Fleder, 2003
I don’t know much about sports, but good literature like this is a great way to learn why people love it.

OTHER PEOPLE YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT

If you like reading my blog and you’re looking for other people to read, I recommend:

Sameer Vasta – I Tell Stories, http://itellstories.org/
Check out his quarterly report: http://itellstories.org/2009/04/14/create-followup/

Ryan Stephenshttp://ryanstephensmarketing.com/blog/
Productivity and social media marketing from another Gen Yer

– and cool blog posts I’ve shared from my Google Reader:
http://www.google.com/reader/shared/04689935238818494850

See you next quarter, or earlier! =) If you want more recent updates, check out http://www.livinganawesomelife.com .

What were the highlights of your quarter, and what are you planning for the next one? Share your thoughts at https://sachachua.com/blog/2009/04/20/q1-2009-newsletter/ or e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com!

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My contact information:
Sacha Chua
+1 416 823 2669
sacha@sachachua.com

You can comment with Disqus or you can e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com.