The think (here) Blog

Originally, this post was drafted to illustrate my admittedly neurotic, entirely not recommended, and most certainly certifiable ADD thought and workflow process and progression during a typical few hours of work.  However, after reading this post by Andrew Swenson, I realized that what I was working towards was less of a "this is the way I (and most likely you) operate, so deal with it" type post, but a "This is how we operate, and THIS could make it better".

An Experiment is Born

In Andrew's post he states that:

"As time goes on, I suspect that the importance of being always connected will increase. Consider the fact that the sum of our business and social connections never sleep.  More than that, the ebb and flow of information online is unforgiving to anyone who unplugs, even for a moment."

He Continues:

"I believe that the solution to the challenge is deeply personal, and would never fit into a “5 tips to beat the connection paradox” sort of post. But I also think that if we share our strategies for wrangling the paradox, we stand to learn a lot from one another."

I agree that a solution is complicated, and far from being "5 tip"-able.  And in response to Andrew's call to "share our strategies" I want to propose the following experiment that I, over the course of the next few months, intend to implement, report on, and invite/encourage you to do the same.

The goal of this experiment is to, if not eliminate at least dampen, one of the most critical components, namely: "the fact that the sum of our business and social connections never sleep".  

Before I go any further I think it is important to illustrate what my current timeline looks like.  My intention with the graphics below is to show the movement of projects, thoughts, or things being focused on.  Each box length along the timeline represents perhaps a few minutes.  In a "perfect system" tasks are started and completed, back to back, with zero overlap like this:

If you are an entrepreneur, you will most likely agree that your timeline looks more like this:

The Solution: Find a Twitter Antipode, or as I shall refer to from here on out: Find your Antwipod.

What is an Antwipod?

Simply put, an Antwipod is someone at the opposite end of the planet that you can "swap" tasks with to increase overall output while decreasing your "Constant Connection".  The goal is to give your project, brand or business a second set of eyes running on a completely separate clock.  What can be swap-sourced?  Marketing, Sales Calls, Email, you name it.  For this experiment I intend to focus on twitter and (possibly) research. 

This is NOT Outsourcing

Yes, you are "sourcing" work to an external source, but at the same time, you are being sourced.  What will emerge is a new form of swap-sourcing.  The idea is that you pass on work that needs to be complete, keywords to be monitored, etc. in exchange for your own time during your scheduled work. 

The goal is not to pile a greater work load upon yourself, but to swap tasks that require low effort and can be shuffled into your current work day, but can make a great impact.  I plan to use twitter, because brand monitoring is a passive piece of the puzzle, but can have a tremendous impact.

The Plan

Over the next month I will find an Antwipod.  Here is how it will work:

1. Using antipodr.com, find where the literal opposite end of the planet is.  (The majority of the time you will land in water, find the closest major city) (I ended up with Cape Town, South Africa)
2. Use twellow.com to find entrepreneurs/or other matches in that area.
3. Contact viable tweeps, decide on one or two to swap-source with.
4. Establish work flows, goals, and agreements- (Start small- Begin with 2 hours a day)
5. Adjust accordingly.

The idea is to remove yourself from your business for those two hours.  Take those two hours and spend quality time on something else: family, friends, and other projects.  I know that sites like hootsuite allow for scheduled tweets so one can appear to be blasting content 24/7.  However, swap-sourcing allows for far greater reactionary marketing, faster response time, and can improve the experience of members in your community (all while saving you time.)

Over the next month I will work towards establishing a working model of what it means to utilize and become a antwipod, and report back with an update regardless of outcome (How's that for scuttling the boats?) So what do you say?  Want to give it a try?  Have you tried it already?  I encourage everyone to get in on the experiment and the discussion!

t(h)ink on.