From the Routine to the Extraordinary - Life Balance customers get cool things done

Llamagraphics, Inc. is pleased to announce that we have selected two winners to the recent "Cool Goals" contest.

The contest invited our customers to send in stories of their "coolest" accomplishments using the Life Balance software during 2009.

Our runner up is Robert Eliot, for "Conquering New Year's Resolutions." Robert has been maintaining his New Year's resolutions throughout 2009. We liked both that he has achieved his goal of keeping a diary, which required establishing new daily habits, and that he included a cheerful tip for including rewards and relaxation in the process.

My project was to enlist LifeBalance to help me cure, once and for all, the problem of "New Years Resolutions" falling by the wayside after a month or two. Some of my resolutions require daily action (keeping up a diary, for example) while others need attention every few days or once a week. LifeBalance unfailingly reminds me of these recurring tasks, and the notes section is handy for recording progress or for jotting down ideas for improvement. One of my daily tasks is to "check the box" after doing my diary and all the other fun stuff. So far, I've gone 13 months without messing up! Thanks, LifeBalance. -- PS: Be happy! Have a daily task called "Review things to look forward to", and in the notes section keep a running list of your scheduled plans for having fun with friends and family. Each morning it'll put you in a good mood for another 24 hours!

Our top "Cool Goals" winner is Jill Binder for her project "Haiku Deathmatch." We selected her project as the winner because it shows how Life Balance provides a bridge from the routine to the extraordinary. Once you have your daily routine working for you, the fun really begins with Life Balance, and you can take on a special project. Here's Jill's story:

My coolest accomplishment of 2009 was envisioning, creating, organizing, promoting, and hosting a Haiku Deathmatch (a poetry competition) in November. Last year, it took me 6 months to make the show. This year, I had only 1.5 months to do it. Building upon David Allen's Getting Things Done system, in Life Balance I created projects within projects and assigned each small action steps. It gave me a place to store future actions before their time, keep track of all the little details, and easily plug in the places and due dates. The rest felt like magic. It reminded me well in advance of my deadlines, such as by when I needed to come up with each piece of the vision, finish finding 16 competitors, send them reminders, get my press releases out to the media, get my props, have meetings with my assistants, etc.

Meetings were made much easier with LifeBalance with me on my Palm. I created my assistants' names as "places" and then ta-dah, we had an instant agenda. When the show grew exponentially with their ideas, I was in turn able to easily track their delegated actions.

In fact, it was so easy to track everything that this year I was able to add creating, promoting, and delivering a workshop in advance and not feel overburdened.

I am happy to say that by the night of the show, my head was clear and I wasn't worried about having missed anything. With everything laid out clearly in front of me, I was able to prepare for the unknown with backup plans upon backup plans. Thanks to Life Balance, in 1.5 months I created a sold out show (150+ people) with a lineup out the door for the whole first half, a full list of competitors and no drop-outs, and a very memorable, energy-filled night.

Congratulations to our winners, who each received a $50 gift certificate to the iTune's store. We hope that their stories will also inspire you to think creatively about your own personal and professional goals for 2010.