Getting Ahead

How successful executives manage their time
The best executives know how to organize their time into large chunks so they can make progress on big projects, Eric Barker writes, citing a book by management expert Peter Drucker. "If you’re just doing what comes in, you’re on the treadmill, not making a difference," he writes. Barking Up The Wrong Tree blog (3/7)

5 career lessons from '80s TV characters
Norm Peterson from "Cheers" had a personal brand that was reinforced every time he walked into the bar and patrons shouted his names, writes Anita Bruzzese, who uses video clips to show how '80s TV characters can teach important career lessons. The Fast Track (3/11)

Making the Connection

Master the art of the follow-up
Your follow-up notes to new contacts should reference specific details about your initial conversation and make clear that you want to continue with the relationship, Matthew Toren writes. It's also a good idea to compliment them and invite them to have coffee with you, he writes. YoungEntrepreneur.com (3/6)

The Landscape

Mapping the U.S. housing recovery

Click on image to enlarge map.

Lost amid all the political gridlock in Washington has been one major positive indicator for the U.S. economy: The housing market is starting to rebound. Real estate foreclosures, mortgage delinquencies and vacancies are all on the decline. This article uses maps to drill down to the state and ZIP code level to analyze the most promising sections of the country for housing-related businesses. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Finance (3/8)

Top Stories from Career Rocketeer

This week's links
5 Ways You’re Doing Yourself a Disservice on LinkedIn
What’s a Resume For?
How to Keep Momentum on Your Career Goals

Your Next Challenge

Professionals pursue creative interests through online courses
Companies such as CreativeLive, Lynda.com and others are tapping into the growing number of professionals who want to learn design, photography and other creative pursuits in order to advance their careers, observers say. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/10)

Balancing Yourself

Fitness parties are a growing trend for business, pleasure
U.S. gyms host fitness parties for special occasions, such as business conferences, birthdays or college reunions, with pole-dancing parties among the most popular with younger women. The parties are good marketing tools for gyms and fitness instructors and are part of a trend toward having healthier events at business functions. Reuters (3/11)

The Water Cooler

The healthy debate over daylight saving time
Setting the clock ahead an hour for daylight saving time throws off circadian rhythms and contributes to traffic accidents, workplace injuries and heart attacks, chronobiologists say. Even cows feel the effects of the change when they're milked an hour earlier than usual, Bora Zivkovic writes, joining in the universal jet lag we experience when the clock changes. ScientificAmerican.com/A Blog Around The Clock (3/7)

Editor's Note

SmartBrief's inside look at #SXSW
SmartBrief is attending the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, with tweeting @SmartBrief and blogging at SmartBlogs. Here's some of our coverage so far.

• Live at #SXSW: 6 innovation lessons from the world of standup comedy
• Live at #SXSW: How the WWE became the social champion of the sports world
• SXSWedu Snapshot: What's changing in education?

SmartQuote

True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes." -- Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, British politician Share: