As we all take our collective breaths from  an eventful SXSW, let’s get back into the “ 7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers” Series.

Next up is CC Chapman.

I honestly can’t think of a friendlier, more approachable guy in the business of social media. When he’s not creating terrific content online, he’s probably snapping a photo of you and popping it up on Flickr…. (NOTE- a few of my favorite collections are here and here)

About CC
C.C. Chapman is a Boston based family first entrepreneur, freelance photographer and digital storyteller. He is a Creative Director at Campfire and the Founder of Digital Dads.

1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
I was raised with a strong work ethic and while it frustrated me more then once growing up, I’m very thankful that my parents instilled it in me. Growing up in a blue collar family I think grounded me in the reality of the world and constantly pushes me to do the work rather then just talking about it.

2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do and why?
Pour a cup of coffee and sit down on the couch with the laptop. It is the first thing I do every morning before the kids go to school to do my morning surf of Twitter, E-mail and Google Wave.

3. What makes you efficient with your day?
I’ve never found a single productivity methodology that worked for me. What I know I couldn’t live without and keeps me on task is Spaces on the Mac. It allows me to have multiple desktops with different programs opened in each. I recently moved from 9 to 12 and it has made all the difference. I don’t know how I got so much done before this.

4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
Just one? Wow, that is a tough one. There are three that have made huge impacts on my career directly and those would be:

First, Break All the Rules
Made to Stick
The Dip

Each of them has caused a seismic shift in the way I thought and approached business.

5. 3 things on your desk right now/3 things you can’t live without
Those are two VERY different questions, so I’ll answer both.

On my desk:
My Canon S90 camera
A signed copy of Freedom by Daniel Suarez
Navy blue Nalgene water bottle (that I should refill)

Can’t live without:
Notebooks to jot down ideas (I go back and forth between Field Notes & Moleskines)
a camera (can be any of the many I own)
a device to connect to the internet.

6. Habit you want to kick in 2010
Being highly distractible. With so much going on it is very easy for me to jump from one screen to the next and suddenly find myself deep in a rabbit hole and not being productive. I hate this, so I deemed 2010 the year of FOCUS for me and so far it is working pretty good but it is a constant struggle. Sometimes I feel like Doug the Dog in the movie Up! Squirrel!

7. Habit you want to form for 2010
Becoming a disciplined writer. I’ve got a goal to write at least a real book proposal, if not the full book this year and in order to do that I’ve got to learn to set aside time and make it a priority.

BONUS: Picture of CC’s Office!

(photo credit- Flikr and Dwell Magazine)

About three months ago, I was talking to some folks over at Latitude- this very innovative research, creative, experience company (think Mullen+ Mechanica + Nielsen and lots more) and they showed me this picture….

At first I didn’t think much about it, but after their CEO Steve gave me some background on this photograph, I was incredibly intrigued by it.

This is a picture of the Mirror D’eau in Bordeaux France, where Steve was this past summer. Essentially, it’s a  giant rectangular piece of granite, covered with a thin film of water. At times, this architectural wonder can create a thick fog, like you see in the picture above. Other times, it simply reflects the city, the sky, and Bordeaux’s beautiful 18th century Stock Exchange building.

For Steve, this image conjures up thoughts of old and new, an old French city embracing the 21st century. And perhaps it’s a reflection, literally, of what’s happening in today’s changing world.. I’m not usually this reflective (pardon the pun) but it makes me think about:

- the pace of life- see the family on the left walking “through” the space
- the two people meeting in the background- having a conversation- about what?
- the two kids looking down at their reflections- why have they stopped, and what are they looking at?
- and my favorite, what’s up with the fog?…

If you’re feeling reflective today, What do you think?