Ministry127 | Media & Technology

Sound and Media Equipment We Use

Jeremy Lofgren — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:39:32 +0000

I am often asked about equipment we use, so I have developed a list of sound and projection equipment we have found helpful here at Lancaster Baptist Church:

Pulpit Mic

Audio-Technica U857QL

Piano Mics

DPA 4090

Choir/Orchestra Mics

Audio-Technica AT4051a (installed)
Shure SM137 (cheaper alternative we use for small instrumental ensembles or solos and occasionally small choirs)

Vocal Wireless Handhelds

Sennheiser EW 135 G3

Vocal Wired Mics

Sennheiser e835
Sennheiser e865

Wireless Bodypack Transmitters

Sennheiser ew 300 bodypack

Wireless Microphones (for use with a bodypack)

Pastor’s mic—DPA 4066 omnidirectional headband
Sennheiser ME2 (lapel worn)
Countryman e6 (ear worn) (We have used this in the past.)

Digital Mixing Consoles

Yamaha 01V96 (North Auditorium and off-campus events)
Yamaha LS9 (Livestream)
Yamaha M7CL (Main Auditorium)

Projector Model Numbers

Christie WX10K-M (Main Auditorium projectors)
Christie LX700 (Used for retreats and other off-campus applications. This is a good option for most churches.)

Presentation Software

ProPresenter (available for Windows or Mac)
Keynote (Mac only)

Creating Effective Visual Presentations

Andrew Jones — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Nothing can be more powerful or distracting than a presentation. One author estimates that over thirty million PowerPoint presentations are made every day. I’m sure you have attended your fair share of them. But I wonder how many were truly captivating, motivating, or convincing? Probably very few.

The goal of any presentation is to communicate visually. The effective presenter makes it simple for the audience to grasp ideas without having to work. A successful presentation leads the audience to a logical conclusion.

Here are five simple principles to remember when creating effective presentations:

1. You Are the Presenter, Not Your Presentation

This is the biggest mistake a speaker can make. Whether you are using PowerPoint or Keynote, you should be the focus not your slides. If you don’t have a well prepared message, PowerPoint can’t help save you. It will actually only make things worse. Know what you are going to say and let your slides play a supporting role.

2. Less Is More

This should be your guiding principle. The moment you flash a slide on the screen the audience stops listening to you and starts evaluating the slide. They first look at the design. Second, they begin to read the text. Third, they return to listening to you. If your slide is too detailed with no clear point, the audience will leave the presentation wondering what it was all about. The remedy is simple. Give the audience only what they need to know.

3. Think Like a Designer

Every decision a designer makes is intentional. There should always be a purpose to your visuals. Sketch out what you want to say before you ever even consider slides. Many presentations lack flow which makes the sequence of ideas so confusing that the audience is unable to follow.

4. Elements of a Good Slide

It is laziness on the part of the presenter to put everything on one slide. In Seth Godin’s book, Really Bad PowerPoint, he contends that you should never have, “More than six words on a slide. EVER.” Though there may be times you need more than six words, it is always a good goal. If the text is too long, consider breaking it up into several slides. Remember to keep your font choices simple. Use fonts that are easy to see at a distance such as sans serif fonts—Helvetica, Gill Sans, Myriad Pro, etc.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice

In the car, on the treadmill, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Especially if you are not the one advancing your slides. The speaker and teleprompter must be in harmony. If you started preparing the night before, clearly the presentation was low on your priority list. The amount of time required to develop a presentation is directly proportional to how high the stakes are. Nancy Duarte in her book Slide:ology estimates that a one-hour presentation with thirty slides can take as long as 36-90 hours to prepare. With that in mind, how long did it take you to prepare yours? Effective presentations require time and focus. So start early.

Christmas Resources

Ministry127 — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:01:47 +0000

We are excited about the Christmas resources we have available this year!

We have just posted four messages on Christmas from Dr. Paul Chappell which are available on the sermon helps page or by clicking on their titles: The Miraculous Gift, The Marvelous Gift, The Majestic Gift, and The Missing Gift.

In addition to the Christmas themed slide sets we already have on the site, we have just posted a new Christmas slide set called a Baby Changes Everything. Make sure you don’t miss the video we posted also called A Baby Changes Everything.

To top off the season, we are posting several articles that draw on the Christmas theme between now and Christmas. You can access these articles as well as our previous Christmas articles here.

Using Open Source Software

Scott Hand — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:55:29 +0000

Ministries come in all shapes, sizes, and budgets. Computer systems and software are becoming necessary tools for a ministry to reach others with the Gospel of Christ. In today’s ever-shrinking budgets, one way to save money is by using open source software. Having a strategy to assess and implement open source software can create a significant cost savings that can help relieve some budget pressure while moving a ministry forward.

What Is Open Source Software?

Open source software is freely distributed software that also includes access to the source code for modification. This means the software is free to use and free to give away. It also means that the source code can be viewed, modified, and given away (based on the license terms that come with open source software).

What Are the Benefits of Open Source Software?

Three main benefits of open source software are availability, adaptability, and cost.

There are many open source solutions available to meet ministry needs. Whether it is word processing, video production, graphic arts, or data storage, a ministry can benefit from several open source alternatives.

As ministry needs change, often open source software can be adapted since many open source solutions are based on open format standards. This means that as ministry needs change, open standards allow the ministry to move to other software that meets its changing needs. Choosing software and systems based on open standards ensures this adaptability and flexibility to choose other software instead of being locked into one particular vendor’s solutions.

Cost is another benefit to open source software. Free is a good thing when considering software solutions to meet ministry needs. Saving money on Information Technology allows a ministry to apply those dollars to other areas.

What Are the Limitations of Open Source Software?

One of the biggest limitations to open source software is in the support area. While many open source software solutions do not have a help desk one can call to ask for help, this risk is mitigated by the internet.

Search engines are the new help desk. More often than not, if a problem is encountered using software (open source or not), the odds are that someone else has encountered the same problem, has solved it, and has also has posted the solution online.

Another limitation is that there is no company to ask for features. However, most open source productivity software and enterprise solutions have such a large developer base that one may not encounter this problem at all. Sometimes, quite the opposite can happen. If a ministry needs a special feature, the developer base may have a system set up to request new features. Another option is to develop the feature in-house and release that new feature as open source. If there is not someone on staff or a volunteer to develop a new feature, then a developer can be hired part-time to create it.

What Open Source Solutions Are Available?

From a ministry standpoint, office productivity, presentation and data storage come to mind. OpenOffice is a good suite of tools to try. It contains a word processor called Writer, a presentation solution called Impress, a spreadsheet program called Calc, and a database management system called Base. It is a good set of tools for trying out open source software and also has good documentation and training.

For ministries that have more advanced needs or staff that specialize in particular knowledge areas, here are other solutions to try:

Graphic Production (used to create presentations, brochures, bulletins, tracts, etc...)

Gimp—GNU Image Manipulation Program: photo editing and image creation
Inkscape—Vector graphics creation

Multimedia and Audio Production (used for sermons, podcasts, lessons, outreach, etc ...)

DVDStyler—Simple DVD authoring to create DVDs
Audacity—Multi-track audio recording and editing
Avidemux—Video editing
Mythtv—Digital video recorder

Security (protecting a ministry’s data, network, and staff)

TrueCrypt—Data encryption
ClamWin—Free antivirus

Education (educating staff, managing classes for a school or college)

Moodle—Course management system
Sakai—Learning management system

Data Storage (enterprise-level databases)

MySQL—Database
Firebird—Database
PostgreSQL—Database

Avoid the Cheese

Jeremy Lofgren — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:22:39 +0000

With the growth of computer processing power, and the falling prices of hardware and software, the good news is that the ability to do video production is available to the masses. The bad news is that the ability to do video production is available to the masses. With such great video editing tools in our hands, why are so many of the video presentations we see in our churches so...well... cheesy?

Here are some of the most common mistakes that I see in ministry videos. Let’s band together and vanquish the cheese from the realm of our videos.

1. Too Many Random Transitions Are Cheesy

Use restraint in choosing transitions. Most video editing programs come with enough video transitions options to choke a horse, and a novice video editor will feel the need to experiment with all of them in his video production. This, however, does not make for a high quality video. If there is anything that screams “cheesy” when watching a video, it is the random use of weird and off-the-wall transitions between shots.

For 99% of video editing, the only transitions that you need are straight “cuts” for faster moving, higher energy videos, or dissolves for slower moving, more emotional videos.

2. Wrong Music Is Cheesy

Music is one of the most powerful elements of a video. It gives emotion to the video and tells the audience how to feel about what they are seeing. In ministry videos, I have noticed a tendency to pick overly-dramatic music. Choose something that is appropriate for the emotion that you are trying to create.

3. Poor Audio Is Cheesy

Good audio is always important to a video—especially in interview pieces. The microphone that is built into your camera is almost never the right choice for recording good audio. That leaves you with two basic choices: a separate microphone that plugs into your camera, or a completely separate recording device. We use the Zoom H2 Handy Recorder for most of our productions and it works great, but you do have to sync the audio and video together in editing.

4. Poor Lighting Is Cheesy

When you shoot an interview or other video, take time to set up lighting. If you can afford to get a nice light kit you should, but your lighting does not have to be expensive studio lighting. Most of the time you can use shop lights from a hardware store. If you do that, you should diffuse the light by bouncing it off of a wall or a white poster board. I have also tried covering them with parchment paper—but that ended in a small fire.

You should also learn about three-point lighting. You can watch a video about it here.

5. Shoulder-Mounted Shooting Is Cheesy

For the vast majority of video shooting, you should use a tripod. You might also consider using a jib or a track and dolly.

There are several more cheesy video habits, but these five are the most common. What cheesy habits have you seen? Let me know in the comments.

4 Components of Website Development

Jeremy Lofgren — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:11:12 +0000

Whether you are launching a new site or updating an old one there are four parts to every web development project that you should be aware of and make sure you have thought through:

1. Strategic—Should We Do This

The first question to ask about a potential web project is whether or not it is the right project to do and the right timing to do it. You also need to consider the commitment to supporting and updating whatever site or section you are launching. It is better to have a smaller, simpler site that is kept up to date than multiple pages that still refer to old services and events.

2. Content—What Will it Say

Consider who is going to create the text, photos, audio, or video that is going to be on the site. You can have the flashiest site with all the bells and whistles, but if it does not have quality content it is not going to help you.

3. Creative—What it Looks Like

This is where some graphical ability needs to be applied. A well-styled user interface tells your audience that you care about your content. If your graphics and user interface are low-quality, people will assume that your content is low quality as well.

4. Programming—How it Will Work

This is the step of implementation—the programmer taking the content and design and making it function. There are both software tools like Adobe DreamWeaver or iWeb for the Mac, and online website building tools like Wordpress or Squarespace that attempt to take care of this step for you. This is probably a good solution if you are not comfortable digging into the advanced coding yourself.

It would be very rare for an individual to be highly skilled in all four areas. Typically, a good programmer is not going to be great at creative design. So, it is in every ministry's best interest to get people plugged into the different roles that leverage their strengths, and it is important for anyone who oversees a web project to make sure to account for each of these components. How have these components worked together in your church?

Taking Your Video Ministry to the Next Level

Andrew Garcia — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:10:47 +0000

Jaw-dropping special effects, crystal clear surround sound, High Definition TV’s, IMAX 3D, and multimillion dollar movie budgets are the standards of entertainment in our society. Our attention spans are getting shorter, and we want to see things faster, louder, and flashier than ever. While local church ministry isn’t trying to compete with Hollywood, our God is still worthy of our best efforts. Thankfully it doesn’t take a big budget to produce high quality video content.

The principles of good filmmaking remain the same regardless of the size of your budget. The basic components of a quality video presentation—sound, lighting, composition, music, edit—can be easily implemented in any production with a little work and creativity.

By following a few simple guidelines, your ministry can produce high-quality video presentations at a fraction of studio cost:

Observe

Media is all around us—you can’t escape it. Even now as you are reading this, stop and look around you. You will see and hear media in some form or another—a book cover design, a web banner, or music playing in the background. Your environment provides all the inspiration you could ever need for creating professional material.

Take something that has been done professionally and do your best to imitate it. This could be an interview setup for example. Watch where the camera is positioned: Is it high? Low? Eye level? How are they lighting the interviewee? How often are they cutting to different angles? What sort of music is playing? How loud is it? Do the sound levels change when dialogue is taking place? Observe, observe, observe!

Light Like a Pro

Every individual who wants to make video presentations ought to be familiar with the basic three point lighting technique. How-to videos can be found for free on sites like YouTube.

The three point technique is what we are accustomed to seeing in nearly every video interview. It consists of the key light, fill light, and the back or rim light.

The key light is the main source of light on your subject. The light is placed on either side of the camera and pointed at the interviewee. This light can be either a professional light on a stand or a simple desk lamp, depending on availability.

As the name suggests, the fill light is placed on the opposite side of the camera and is used to fill in the shadows created by the key. The fill light is not as bright as the key light in order to retain some shadow on the subject’s face and create depth. If the fill is too bright the image will look flat.

The back light, also called the rim light, is place diagonally across from the key light. This light is used to create a rim of light on the shoulders and hair of the subject and draw them out from the background.

Understanding and correctly implementing the basic three point lighting system will bring the look of your presentations to a professional level.

Sound Is Key

Place the microphone as close to the subject as possible. Many aspects of sound could be discussed here, but this is key. Most video cameras have a mic input that allows you to plug in a wired microphone. Take advantage of this. Place the microphone as close as you can without entering the frame. Poor sound quality is one of the earmarks of an amateur video.

Shot Composition

Vary your camera angles. We see our world from eye level all day, every day. Create some visual interest by occasionally placing the camera low or high.

Motion creates emotion. If possible, create some movement with the camera. Moving the camera from side to side is known as dollying. When the camera moves it creates interest in something that would otherwise be stagnant.

The Edit

First-class editing is all about creating good flow within your video project. Ignore most of the transitions that came standard in your editing software, and stick with simple transitions like the dissolve, fade through black or white, and even the straight cut. Most documentaries don’t use many transitions. They are made of many straight cuts between the interview and supplementary footage.

When selecting transitions, understand that they symbolize the passage of time. A dissolve usually represents a shorter passage of time, and a fade represents a longer passage of time.

Music Selection

Music determines the emotion of a scene. Selecting the right music is both one of the most meticulous and vital processes in editing. Ask yourself what your are feeling when you hear a track overlaid on your video. If the emotion matches the message you are trying to communicate, you found the right music.

High quality video production is possible for anyone willing to put in the time and effort. We serve a God who is excellent, and He desires excellence from us. May our work in media be itself a testimony for Him.

5 Free Tools for Safer Web Browsing

Anthony King — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:16:10 +0000

The internet is an incredible place where a world of information is just a Google search away. The ubiquitous availability of high-speed internet has changed the way we think, work, and interact with others. As I read books that I’ve downloaded to my Kindle wirelessly from the internet, I often keep a browser open to get more information from Wikipedia, fire off a quote to a friend or add notes to an Evernote notebook. I can instantly grab the weather for the week or check my savings account balance by simply checking the home screen of my internet-connected cell phone. Whether I’m looking for the best deal on Lakers tickets or want to find a schedule to read my Bible through in 90 days, I’m just a Google search away from finding whatever it is that I need. Unfortunately, the temptations of Satan lurk around the corner as well.

How can we use the internet for good, while at the same time protect ourselves from the evils of the internet? How can we protect those God has given us the responsibility to look out for, whether that be our family or our ministry? I've compiled a list of five tools that I apply immediately after getting a new computer or setting up a new network. I have these tools in place before I use the internet on any new system. Some are easy, some require a bit more elbow grease, but in the end, you’re better protected against some of those fiery darts.

1. Firefox Web Browser- Easy

Firefox in and of itself will not protect you from all that is out there, but it creates a platform that allows us to customize our browser to meet our needs.
http://getfirefox.com

2. Adblock Plus Plugin for Firefox- Easy

When people talk about crazy, animated banner ads asking them to refinance their house or to try to win an iPod Touch by punching a monkey, I honestly have no idea what they are talking about! Adblock plus does away with all web advertisements, good, bad, and otherwise; you’ll never know what you’re missing! Not only does it block all advertisements before they hit your screen, but say you’re checking your sports scores and a questionable or suggestive photo is on the page. Just right-click the offending photo, choose “Block Image,” and it’s like it never existed. You get everything you’re looking for and nothing you aren’t.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

3. Greasemonkey Firefox Plugin + Profanity Filter Script- Medium Difficulty

We’re blocking advertisements now, we’re not visiting any questionable websites, we’re just reading the news. The story we’re reading quotes a politician who uses an expletive that we’d rather not read. The Greasemonkey plugin for Firefox allows us to install user scripts that go behind the scenes of a web page and change how it shows up in the browser. After installing Greasemonkey, we’ll install the Profanity Filter script and from here on out, all profanity will be replaced by a series of asterisks on each page we visit.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748

http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/4175

4. Antivirus and Anti-Malware Software (Windows Only) - Easy

While this won’t technically filter out any questionable content, it will keep you from getting infected with spyware and/or viruses. In the past, Symantec has been the de facto leader in this space, but in recent years other vendors have chipped away at Symantec's market share by providing free alternatives that are less resource intensive. Microsoft recently entered the fray with Microsoft Security Essentials and, regardless of your feelings towards the Redmond giant, it’s a great piece of software. On the anti-malware/spyware front, it’s pretty tough to beat Malware Bytes Anti-Malware (MBAM). You can set it to scan your hard drive on a regular basis, looking for unwanted software, cookies and registry entries. Neither of these applications, however, will help you at all if you aren’t updating them on a regular basis. I can’t count the number of times I’ve helped someone out with a virus-laden laptop that they thought was protected with an expired version of Symantec Security Suite that hadn’t been updated in years.
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

5. OpenDNS – Moderate Difficulty

OpenDNS helps block access to websites based on category settings. When you type in the address of a website, OpenDNS checks to see if the website is allowed based on the category of the site. OpenDNS allows you to setup filtering based on 55 different categories, as well as set up whitelists and blacklists. It’s best if it’s setup at the router level, which will filter content on all network-connected devices and is more difficult to bypass. However, it can be setup at the local computer level, as well. The OpenDNS site has a great support section that gives step-by-step instructions for setting up OpenDNS on a variety of operating systems and routers. While OpenDNS does provide content filtering, the free version does not provide user-level statistics or history.
http://www.opendns.ssscom

BONUS: SafeEyes – Easy (Not free, but priceless)

This one is a bonus, because it isn’t free, but it is worth the price of your integrity. Safe Eyes runs on Windows and Mac OSX and provides user-level filtering rules, allows blocking of sites based on time of day, provides emailed accountability reports and also has the capability to send real-time alerts when certain events are triggered. You can download a free trial from their website and after the trial, $50 per year allows you to load the software on up to 3 computers. Don’t mess around with other content filtering software, this is as good as it gets.

With less than an hour’s work, you can protect yourself against Satan’s traps that have ripped thousands of homes apart and ruined countless lives. While no system is perfect, with these protections in place, it’s going to make it nearly impossible to accidentally stumble upon inappropriate content and incredibly difficult for those purposely trying to access it.

Where Do You Get Those Ideas?

Jeremy Lofgren — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:03:46 +0000

I get questions fairly regularly. “Where do you get photos and artwork?” “What software do you use?” etc. Over the next several months, I plan on using this blog to answer some of the questions I get regarding design, print, web, and sound.

There is one question I get asked more often than any other, “Where do you guys come up with those ideas?” It makes me smile because typically the person asking has some misguided hope that there is some single, magical source that contains great ideas. I can see in their eyes the hope that I will reveal to them this secret book, or well hidden website that is somehow supernaturally filled with ideas and inspiration. Well, sorry to disappoint, but there is no single, mystical, creative idea filled book, or website. No supernatural crystals applied to your forehead, glasses, or mouse to guarantee effective communication seed thoughts exist.

The short and somewhat disappointing answer is that ideas take much time and work. Some designers may be extremely gifted, and have more ideas than they know what to do with, but not me. I really have to work for ideas, I have to scavenge for them. They typically do not “just come to me.” So here are some of techniques I use to scavenge for ideas. I hope they will be a help to you:

Pray

It is not just spiritual talk. There is no more creative force in the universe than the One who created all that is, and He resides within you. So pray for ideas that will help communicate the truth.

Define and apply

Whether in print, web, or video one of the first steps for me in trying to come up with a creative idea is to really understand what I am trying to communicate. Not just what information, but what feelings, and context. Ask yourself, “Is this project supposed to be high-energy and exciting; is it supposed to be calm and reflective; should it feel feminine, or masculine, or childish?

Once you have defined what your project is supposed to feel like, you can apply that feeling to all of the design elements. If a project is supposed to feel high-energy and exciting, ask yourself what colors, typefaces, shapes, strokes, photos, and artwork express excitement, and use those elements.

Study the work of others

I am not necessarily talking about a straight copy of someone else’s design, but you can study the layout, the use of color or photos. It is better to look at a design and try to dissect the principles used to make it great than it is just to copy it. Ask yourself, “Why do I like this design?” But, in a pinch, just copying a design works too—don’t look at me like that; we have all done it :-)

Do something

Rarely do ideas come to me as I stare at a blank screen or sheet of paper. If nothing else is working you can start by just assembling the information that needs to go on the page or website. Ideas often come as you start laying out and moving around the pieces. Often ideas come from sheer accident. I know many times I have hit the wrong key command, but thought to myself, hey, that looks pretty good. As you exercise yourself to do something, one idea leads to another, which eventually might lead to a good one.

Focus

When I really need some creative idea, I will often shut off my email and phone and clear off my desk. Thinking creatively is hard work and my brain is lazy, so if it has the opportunity to skip over and think about a menial email, or random paper on my desk, it will. Get back to work, brain!

Start outside the box

Sometimes if I am working at it but the creative juices are not flowing yet, I will put down my usual tools (layout program, keyboard, and mouse) and pick up a sheet of paper and a pencil. Thinking about a different way a piece can fold, or a different shape it could be can inspire some great ideas

These are some techniques that have helped me and I hope they are helpful to you as well. What are some of the things you do to come up with creative ideas?

The Incredible, Invisible Sound Man

Jeremy Lofgren — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:44:45 +0000

The sound ministry is unique in many ways, but one of the distinguishing characteristics of a good sound man (no offense sound ladies, that’s just the term we use) is this - a good sound man strives to be invisible. It is a good day in the sound ministry when the service is over, everyone in the congregation, the singers, the service leaders, and the pastor have all gone home, and no one has thought once about the sound system or the people who run it. That is the perfect day in the sound ministry.

The sound ministry is not a good place of ministry for someone who needs a lot of attention. To be sure there are many ways for a sound guy to get attention, but none of them are good. Our goal is that everyone attending a service will give their heart and attention to the message. That they would be fully engaged in the preaching, music, and every element of the service. The simple truth is if they are thinking about the sound system, the lighting or the projection, they are not thinking about the message.

Here are three scenarios that make the sound ministry “visible” and distracting to the service, and how to avoid them:

Missed cues

If you have done sound for any length of time this has happened to you. You either get engrossed in what is being sung or said, or your mind wanders, and suddenly you realize that the next speaker or singer has grabbed a mic and is talking, but the mic is not on.

The solution for this is obvious—pay attention and anticipate. It should become a habit. As soon as a group starts to sing, or announcements start, your mind should say, “What happens next?” If you are asking yourself, “What’s next?” when the song or announcements are done and the transition is happening, you are toast. You must anticipate.

We like to use the analogy of riding vs. driving. If you are responsible for the sound in a service, you can’t just be taking a ride in the service, you have to be actively driving.

Equipment failure

When the mic does not work, or the CD does not play, or the batteries on a piece of equipment are dead, the sound ministry becomes very visible and distracting. Sometimes this is unavoidable. We are working with mechanical and electrical equipment that is going to fail at some point. However, 99% of the time these in-service failures can be avoided by thorough checking before each service. It sounds simple, but every piece of equipment that is going to be used for a service needs to be carefully checked before that service.

Sudden Changes

The last scenario that makes the sound system visible and distracting is any noticeable and sudden changes. These can be in volume, in EQ, in a ring, or just about anywhere else. If you properly anticipate, you should be able to keep your in-service changes and adjustments to a minimum, so they do not become distracting.

These are three of the big categories we all work to avoid. What common distractions do you deal with and how do you avoid them?