GTD

David Allen Company Podcast
Podcast: David Allen - Best Practices of Review

5 Feb 2010 | 3:48 pm

David Allen and his team continue their best practices series with the critical stage in Mastering Workflow: Review. Hear what they do to get clear, current & creative on a regular basis. Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 30:16) Related Links: Best Practices of Collecting Best Practices of Processing Best Practices of Organizing Learn more on GTD Connect Get the GTD starter kit
Podcast: David Allen - Goal Setting

18 Jan 2010 | 1:31 pm

Already broken your New Year's resolutions? Hear some quick tips from David on goal setting, as interviewed by Scientific American. Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 4:25) Related Links: Discuss on GTD Times blog Get more podcasts
Podcast: David Allen - The Art of Work vs. the Work You Do

13 Nov 2009 | 12:02 pm

David answers the question, "Do I need a customized version of GTD for my organization?" What are best practices that apply to all? Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 4:47) Related Links: In-House GTD Seminars Public GTD Seminars
Podcast: David Allen - Getting Started with GTD

5 Nov 2009 | 10:26 am

David Allen shares his tips for getting started with GTD. A great dose of guidance on what to do to get your Getting Things Done system off the ground. Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 4:53) Related Links: GTD Times blog Getting Started Series on Connect The GTD Book
Podcast: David Allen - Making It All Work

30 Oct 2009 | 4:46 pm

In this podcast, recorded for "Inside Personal Growth," David shares the keys from his book Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life. Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 33:17) Related Links: Discuss on GTD Times Learn more about Making It All Work

David Allen Company Updates
Member Exclusive: Ambidextrous Mousing

8 Feb 2010 | 9:26 pm

I am not, in fact, ambidextrous, but this tool makes me think I am. Two years ago I fractured my right wrist. I am right-handed. My very first purchase after the injury was a Logitech trackball mouse which can be programmed for use by righties or lefties. The responsiveness of the mouse was su...
Member Exclusive: David Allen On Twitter

8 Feb 2010 | 5:42 pm

Some skivvy re: the #GTD paper planner - The Coordinator http://bit.ly/bdvAhC
Member Exclusive: The Economy, GTD For Teens, Checklist Manifesto - Feb 8

8 Feb 2010 | 3:18 pm

Feb 8 - David covers a wide range of fascinating topics in this Up Close, including: - What companies seem to be looking for who are emerging from the economic climate. - His latest In Conversation with Marshall Goldsmith - Describing GTD to teens(great to hear how he describes GTD in a succinc...
GTD Times: How to find the GTD Coordinator®

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

The GTD Coordinator®--our GTD paper planner created with Mead and sold in many Staples stores--has been wildly popular. Which has been great for those who have been able to get their hands on one, and a challenge for those who are still trying to locate one. Here's the latest: New GTD Coordinators complete with blank forms and 2010 calendar: Letter-size GTD Coordinators - Item#791001-05: In stock in the DavidCo store. You will also be able to find these in Staples stores in the "dated products" organizers section. Junior-size GTD Coordinators - Item#791002-05: Sold out in the DavidCo…
GTD Times: Still procrastinating about a bunch of things on your action lists?

6 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

Still procrastinating about a bunch of things on your action lists? There's usually one of two reasons for this: (1) they have slowly slipped in importance and interest to you or (2) they aren't really next actions (so you don't really know what to do, where, about it). If (1) give yourself permission to move them to Someday/Maybe. If (2) then gird your loins and get back to the granularity of real next actions on your lists — not small sub-projects about your stuff. -David Allen

Did I Get Things Done?
Productivity on the Apple iPad Links – 31st January 2010

Andrew Mason

31 Jan 2010 | 11:46 am

The biggest news of the week has to be the Apple Media event that took place on Wednesday announcing the Apple iPad. I will be writing my own initial thoughts on the Apple iPad hopefully this week before I go on my trip to Washington DC. So, I thought I would share a great collection of iPad and Productivity links with you this week. Here are my collection of links for this week. My first link for this week is to a great post from John Kendrick on his blog titled iPad – the Perfect GTD Solution?. Great preview of the forthcoming iPad and a great look into how this can be integrated into…
Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 24th January 2010

Andrew Mason

24 Jan 2010 | 11:47 am

Had a great weekend with the family. We got a new dog just before Christmas and it is just able to go walking so we have enjoyed a good walk both yesterday and today with the dog. Next week sees me away for four days with a very busy schedule. Will be living out of three different hotels so will be on the move quite a bit. I have three Evernote links this week. Those guys over at Evernote sure are doing a great job and picking up a whole lot of publicity! Here are my collection of links for this week. My first link for this week is to a great post from Bloggingtips.com titled Using Evernote…
Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 17th January 2010

Andrew Mason

17 Jan 2010 | 11:50 am

I have been working long and hard this week. Keeping my head down and spinning the projects. However, I am happy to say that the week was very productive and all my tasks got completed on time. Here are my collection of links for this week. My first link for this week is to a great post from the Linux Magazine titled Make Firefox a Productivity Powerhouse. I use Firefox as my browser so found this a great article with some great tips and links contained within. My second link is a link to blog post about How to Hire And Work With a Virtual Assistant. I tried to work with a Virtual Assistant…
The Ultimate GTD Workflow Video

Andrew Mason

15 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Just stumbled across this video on YouTube.com so I thought I would share it. The video is David Allen talking about the new GTD Workflow map. I recently purchased the new GTD Workflow posters but must admit that it is still in the tube it arrived in as it arrived just before Christmas and I have not had the chance to get a frame for it yet. As always, I am very interested in hearing your thought on this GTD Workflow map. This Post is from: Getting Things Done GTD with Personal Development and Motivation for SuccessThe Ultimate GTD Workflow Video ShareThis Related posts:How I Get Things Done…
Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 10th January 2010

Andrew Mason

10 Jan 2010 | 10:52 am

I have had yet another crazy week at work. There is a lot coming in that I have to deal with but luckily I am managing it all, just would be nice to get some planning time rather than constant fire fighting. Here are my collection of links for this week. My first link for this week is to information about OmniFocus 1.6 for the iPhone that has just been released today. There are a lot of bug fixes and some major updated in version 1.6 so be sure to check out this post and then be sure to update the application to enjoy all this great app has to offer. My second link is a link to a review and…

43 Folders
First, care.

Merlin

5 Feb 2010 | 12:51 pm

Asked and answered by the wonderful Frank Chimero: Anonymous asked: ‘How do you maintain focus (on work, dreams, goals, life)?’ You do one thing at a time. You might be amazed how many times–and over how many years–a given person can ask this same simple question, hear that same simple response, and still ﬁnd themselves casting about for the great and arcane “secret” to achieving real focus. But, this is pretty much it. Mostly. Although, I must add one important “Step Zero,” borne of my own tedious experience. Before…
Mark Pilgrim, On *Really* Writing

Merlin

1 Feb 2010 | 12:48 pm

Mark Pilgrim on The Setup I’m a three-time (soon to be four-time) published author. When aspiring authors learn this, they invariably ask what word processor I use. It doesn’t fucking matter! […] Picking the right text editor will not make you a better writer. Writing will make you a better writer. Writing, and editing, and publishing, and listening – really listening – to what people say about your writing. As I said in that interview with Seth Godin, most people are taken way aback when they unknowingly receive the advice they really need —…
Admin: Pardon My Dust (On Many Levels)

Merlin

1 Feb 2010 | 12:10 pm

Forgive the site some hiccups over the next few days. After what feels like decades of neglect (read: ugh, book), I’m happy to say I’ll be returning to occasional 43f posting this week. Easy tiger: no promises on volume one way or another. Still the same slacker; just trying a little harder, y’know? Exactly. Oooo, shiny Anyhow, I’m tweaking or adding a few site features over the next few days, including, by popular demand, the return of Remaindered Links, which, in its day, was one of the most popular things on the site. Plus, frankly I’ve missed having…
`Nerdgasm.txt` - Notational Velocity Now Syncs with Simplenote

Merlin

1 Feb 2010 | 8:34 am

Notational Velocity - Version 2.0β2 Release Notes Two of the best things on my Mac now sync programmatically and without the need for either spit or baling wire— that means syncing with “the cloud,” syncing with my iPhone (App Store link), and, by extension, syncing with every computer I own via the game-changing Dropbox. Yes. Big. If you live in text ﬁles and crave seamless, no-brainer syncing (that doesn’t require growing a neckbeard), that little icon represents a milestone in the evolution of simple, low-friction workﬂows. [via…
43 Folders - Interview with "Linchpin" author, Seth Godin

Merlin

26 Jan 2010 | 4:45 am

43 Folders - Interview with “Linchpin” author, Seth Godin (audio mp3, free on iTunes) I talk with Seth Godin, whose new book, Linchpin (Kindle, Hardcover, Worldcat, ISBN), comes out today. Topics include, “The Lizard Brain,” Bob Dylan, protecting the well, and beating back the fear and resistance that drive mediocrity. Direct MP3 Download Episode details Direct MP3 Download Subscribe via the iTunes Store Subscribe via another podcasting app The Linchpin Posts on Squidoo Get Linchpin: Kindle (Amazon) Hardcover (Amazon) Worldcat…

Productivity in Context
Linchpin 7

@Stephen

8 Feb 2010 | 10:51 pm

From the Groundswell blog, another review of Linchpin: You need to read Seth Godin’s Linchpin. Or be a cog in the machine. Your choice. In my mind, one of the most valuable things in this book is a chart on page 181. There are two axes. The x-axis goes from passive to passionate. The y-axis goes from attachment (that is, inflexible dedication to your own world view) to discernment (knowing what to live with and what to seek change in). I would call that y-axis “wisdom”. Seth wants you to aim for the upper left, high passion plus high wisdom, the realm of the linchpin. From…
Chris Brogan on Investing Your Time Wisely

@Stephen

6 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm

Chris nails it in this 2-minute video. Read the list of things that he does, then pop over to Kitchen Table Talks and watch the video. My advice: Learn it, live it. There is no substitute for hard work and preparation: “Lucky” is absolutely what I am. Here’s what I do to earn my luck: * Write a blog post or two a day. * Write a newsletter every week. * Comment and connect with others daily. * Answer and send hundreds of emails daily. * Read voraciously. * Work with the best clients I can find. * Reach into new markets weekly. * Travel extensively. Seems lucky to me.
Thinking Through My Intuition

@Stephen

4 Feb 2010 | 9:45 am

[Editor's note: This is another post in the Kinda Personal category, and it's fairly long. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!] After writing yesterday’s post about my thoughts on Dave Seah’s Groundhog Day Kickoff, I sat down with my trusty notebook and poured out my feelings on the matter of how I arrive at the conclusions that I do. Looking at a blank page can be a trying experience! I overcame the difficulty and just started by writing down the questions that I was thinking about answering. Based on the goals that I had set for myself over the next few months I decided to ask…
Thoughts on Dave Seah’s GHD 2010 Kickoff

@Stephen

3 Feb 2010 | 7:01 am

My friend and fellow blogger Dave Seah has published his own Groundhog Day Resolution post, and it is a doozy. I wanted to share a piece of it with you, although you should go read the entire piece: Groundhog Day Resolutions 2010 Kickoff Seah spends more time in his blogging sharing personal insights than I do, and perhaps that is simply a matter of style. Or it could be a holdover from the “old me” – a complete introvert, nose buried in a book and a very small circle of real friends. Or, as I think about it a little more, it could be because I tend to intuitively arrive at…
Carnival of Pen, Pencil, & Paper

@Stephen

2 Feb 2010 | 4:31 am

Melinda at School Supply Dance is hosting this month’s Carnival: The Seventh Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper Welcome to the February 2, 2010 edition of carnival of pen, pencil and paper. My name is Melinda and I happy to be the host this month!

GTD Times
How to find the GTD Coordinator®

GTD Times Team

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

The GTD Coordinator®–our GTD paper planner created with Mead and sold in many Staples stores–has been wildly popular. Which has been great for those who have been able to get their hands on one, and a challenge for those who are still trying to locate one. Here’s the latest: New GTD Coordinators complete with blank forms and 2010 calendar: Letter-size GTD Coordinators – Item#791001-05: In stock in the DavidCo store. You will also be able to find these in Staples stores in the “dated products” organizers section. Junior-size GTD Coordinators –…
Still procrastinating about a bunch of things on your action lists?

GTD Times Team

6 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

Still procrastinating about a bunch of things on your action lists? There’s usually one of two reasons for this: (1) they have slowly slipped in importance and interest to you or (2) they aren’t really next actions (so you don’t really know what to do, where, about it). If (1) give yourself permission to move them to Someday/Maybe. If (2) then gird your loins and get back to the granularity of real next actions on your lists – not small sub-projects about your stuff. -David Allen
Tips for BlackBerry Users on Outlook

GTD Times Team

5 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

A pretty common question we get from BlackBerry users is how to integrate Outlook Tasks with their BlackBerry. For the most part, there is a good one-to-one sync between Outlook Tasks and a BlackBerry device–if your service and server allows it (check with your carrier and/or IT dept. to find out if this is or can be enabled for you.) If you setup Outlook like our GTD & Outlook Setup Guide describes, you should be able to have that carry over to Tasks on the BlackBerry. The trick for seeing your Task categories is to “Filter” them. Several of our staff use BlackBerry…
OneNote and ActiveWords — Ferrari Fast

GTD Times Team

4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

A Community Contribution from Ryan Oakley Whether you’re a proficient OneNote user or just started using it after reading my GTD and OneNote article posted on GTD Times it doesn’t take long to populate the software with a tonne of pages and a tonne of information (yes, I am Canadian). First, some definitions: MS Office OneNote 2007 is a digital notebook that provides people one place to gather their notes and information, powerful search to find what they are looking for quickly, and easy-to-use shared notebooks so that they can manage information overload and work together more…
Inbox Zero is Not a Myth

GTD Times Team

3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

We are often asked, “Does GTD stick long-term?” Here’s a great demonstration from GTD’er Steve Fogel: It is a great thing to have this as the standard and comfort zone. I would say in the last six months, I’ve consistently been here. What’s cool about GTD, is when you get here, it’s the starting point not the destination. Can’t believe I’ve been using these tools since 1988.

Productivity501
Random Stuff

Mark Shead

8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

Here is a bunch of random information I’ve discovered over the last few months. I figured it might be interesting for someone, so I thought I’d post it all together. If you see anything that you think would be interesting to see a full post about, please leave a comment and we’ll try to write about it in more detail. Overdrive Digital Library Many state libraries have digital books, audio books and movies that can be checked out electronically from a company called Overdrive. Most of the time, all you need for access is a card from a local library or your state…
Free Tax Preparation Sites

Anna

4 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

With April 15th rapidly approaching, many will start looking for fast, efficient ways to file taxes. The IRS has partnered with a number of sites to provide free online filings. This helps the IRS by decreasing the number of paper forms they have to process. In most states you are still going to have to file a state return. If you plan to use software, it may be easier to do the Federal and State together at the same time. Still, for states without an income tax, this is an easy way to do your taxes and get them submitted for free. Here are a few free sites that offer free filing services:…
High Goals and Expectations

Mark Shead

3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

Everyone has a different idea about success. Many times our expectations are determined by the way we were raised and our interaction with our peers. These expectations can cause us to set artificially low goals. I know a man whose goal is to get his GED so he can get a job and make payments on a car. I just met a girl who has a goal to finish a 9-month cosmetology program so she can work at SuperCuts in front of Wal-Mart. When looking at your goals, make sure you understand the expectations you carry that influence the magnitude of those goals. If no one in your family went to college, you…
Tuesday’s Tip: Dressed for Productivity

Mark Shead

2 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

You’ve heard of “Dressed for Success.” Well, what about “Dressed for Productivity?” I think that the way we dress can have a big impact on our performance. Where I went to college required that all the guys wear ties and all the gals wear dresses to class. There was quite a bit of debate among the students about whether this was really beneficial or not. Many students met the dress code to the letter, but were extremely sloppy in the way that the were dressed. Overall, it would probably be impossible to tell if having a dress code helped make anyone a better…
The Most for Your Minute

Mark Shead

1 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

(In this series of posts, we are examining ways to better manage our time.) The Order of Tasks There is a survival simulation where you are trapped in a cave. There is a single ladder going to the surface that can only hold one person at a time. There are two other individuals with you. One is younger than you and can climb faster. The other is older than you and can climb slower. Your job is to decide the order that people should leave the cave–oh I forgot to mention there is water rising and if you don’t do it in the correct order, someone will drown. The trick is to…

Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog
How You Give Your Power Away

Steve Pavlina

2 Feb 2010 | 12:38 pm

One of the themes that repeatedly came up at the last Conscious Growth Workshop was the problem of giving your power away. Instead of focusing on your true desires, you erect false structures in front of your desires and then feed your power to those structures as a delay tactic. Here are some typical scenarios of how people give away their power in different areas of their lives: Relationships Let’s say that your true desire is to be in love. You want a relationship with someone special. You want someone that you can smooch, cuddle, play with, and make love to. You want to be with…
2010 Conscious Growth Workshops

Steve Pavlina

28 Jan 2010 | 1:49 pm

Our second Conscious Growth Workshop January 15-17 was another amazing weekend of fun and personal breakthroughs. It was a real treat to see so many conscious growth enthusiasts coming together in one place. CGW #3, 4, and 5 We’re already in the process of booking the next 3 CGWs for the remainder of 2010. All of these will be held in Las Vegas. This info is still very tentative, but I wanted to give you a heads up since many people have been inquiring about future workshop dates. Most likely CGW #3 will be May 14-16, 2010 (Fri-Sun). CGW #4 will probably be in July or August. CGW #5…
How to Build a Stronger Ego

Steve Pavlina

20 Jan 2010 | 9:30 am

There’s a notion that’s been spread around the spiritual side of the self-help field that suggests one of our primary aims in life should be ego-less enlightenment, a state where we achieve near-perfect inner peace, where we’re one with everything but attached to nothing, and where nothing in the physical world can knock us off balance. This creates some personal challenges for me because whenever I write about anything remotely spiritual in nature (and sometimes even when I don’t), some readers assume I’m one of the guys promoting this same sort of ideal. Then…
Domination-Submission and Personal Growth

Steve Pavlina

7 Jan 2010 | 6:22 am

I want to share some thoughts on an interesting dynamic I’ve been observing as I continue to explore domination and submission (D/s) with my consensual slave partner. A key aspect of personal growth is that in order to grow, we must stretch beyond our comfort zones and experience something new. If we stay within our comfort zones and stick to the familiar, we deny ourselves the opportunity for expansion. Yet we don’t know for certain how new possibilities will impact us until we dive in and experience them. Many years ago I thought about being an entrepreneur. Since I’d…
Domination and Submission

Steve Pavlina

4 Jan 2010 | 5:10 pm

As I mentioned in my 2010 Focus post, my personal focus for this year involves immersing myself in the fun and exciting world of domination and submission (D/s). (I really love my life!) Now one obvious question I’ve been asked a few times is: What the heck does this have to do with personal development? Once you get past the socially conditioned attitude that D/s is somehow naughty or deviant, you’ll find that it has a tremendous amount to do with personal development. Let’s start with some of the most basic elements and go from there. Body Image First, when you consciously…

Zen Habits
On minimalism

Leo

8 Feb 2010 | 12:26 pm

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. How does ’simple’ differ from ‘minimalist’? That’s the question someone asked me on Twitter recently, and it’s a good one. Zen Habits has become known as a leading simplicity blog, and at the same time I recently started mnmlist, a blog about minimalism. Why the two blogs? What’s the difference? It’s an important question as it forces us to examine each concept a little more closely. First, let’s acknowledge that the two concepts are related, and in some ways are two ways of saying the…
12 Classic Zen Habits Posts You Might Not Have Read

Leo

6 Feb 2010 | 4:37 pm

“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. This morning I found myself lying around, enjoying a lazy weekend with my wife and kids, basking in the peaceful simplicity of today. It’s in these moments that I find not only my greatest happiness, but my purpose in life. I am here not to achieve or even to change the world, but simply to live. Life is a gift, and I’m happy to accept every moment of it. And so, in this spirit, I thought I’d dig through my archives and share a few favorite posts, to…
9 Unconventional Steps to a Thriving, “Very Small” Business

Leo

4 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity. For more than ten years I’ve operated a string of one-man businesses. My model is: keep it lean, hire no one, and outsource very little. I’ve made my share of mistakes (a long list!), but one thing has remained constant—I want to add extreme value to my customers, and I want to make a good living without simply creating a job for myself. Here’s what I’ve learned. 1. Hire no one. My Unconventional Guides business took off in early 2009, and for a while I felt an internal…
Zen Habits Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Leo

1 Feb 2010 | 2:57 pm

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. I get asked a lot of questions, many of them repeatedly, and I figured instead of answering them all over and over, I’d compile my answers for everyone here. Of course, there’s a lot more about me and this site on the About page, and I’d always love it if you checked out the Books page. I hope you find this useful! 1. Why did you turn off comments on Zen Habits? This has been the most difficult decision I’ve made since starting Zen Habits, as I truly loved comments here. I love hearing from readers, and it was my…
How Not to Hurry

Leo

28 Jan 2010 | 4:56 pm

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. Consider the above quote from Lao Tzu, (perhaps mythical) father of Taoism: how can it be true? Is it possible to never hurry, but to get everything done? It seems contradictory to our modern world, where everything is a rush, where we try to cram as much into every minute of the day as possible, where if we are not busy, we feel unproductive and lazy. In fact, often we compete by trying to show how busy we are. I have a thousand projects to do! Oh yeah? I have 10,000! The…

Unclutterer
What clutter affects an unclutterer?

Erin Doland

9 Feb 2010 | 4:30 am

When I talk about struggles with clutter, I tend to speak in generalities — messy closets, disorganized desks, etc. My assumption is that the specific ways I fight with clutter in my life are different than other folks, and using generalities can make the advice applicable to more people. However, I know there is value in concrete examples, and I believe our Friday Ask Unclutterer column is a great way to explore specific problems readers face. I received an e-mail from a reader recently, though, asking if I would talk about actual problems I face in my daily life. She wanted to know…
Why we hold on to sentimental clutter

Erin Doland

8 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am

Sentimental clutter plagues our attics, basements, closets, garages, and desks. These sentimental trinkets can keep us from moving forward with our lives physically and emotionally. If there is so much of the past taking up space in the present, there isn’t room to grow. The article “What is nostalgia good for?” from BBC News discusses a recent report from the financial services firm Standard Life, the book Get It Together by Damian Barr, and research conducted by psychologist Clay Routledge at North Dakota State University that may provide insight into why we accumulate so…
A year ago on Unclutterer

PJ Doland

8 Feb 2010 | 7:30 am

2009 Storing specialty hangers?How do you keep the non-standard hangers organized when they aren’t in use? Unitasker Wednesday: The snowman kitSnowman kits include everything except the snow! Flipside walletI wanted to add the Flipside Wallet to the list of wallet alternatives due to the ease of use and cool design. ROO: Return on OrganizationA recent article in USA Today explores organization and how it can help keep expenses low in these tough economic times. Workspace of the Week: Crafts containedThis week’s workspace of the week is Ali’s craft office. Ask Unclutterer:…
Moveable mudroom

Erin Doland

8 Feb 2010 | 6:08 am

Small spaces often lack utilitarian areas where people can hang hats and gloves, process mail, and store purses, backpacks, briefcases, and keys near their main entrances. It’s easy for mail and travel items to clutter up the inside of your home when there isn’t somewhere convenient to place these things when you immediately come indoors. I don’t have a mudroom or even a simple coat closet in my home, so I’m always on the lookout for storage solutions to replace these conveniences. Late last week, my husband forwarded me a link to a beautiful storage solution from…
Ask Unclutterer: My mother may be a hoarder

Erin Doland

5 Feb 2010 | 8:05 am

Reader Anonymous submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer: I am hoping that you can give my brother and I some advice. Our mom is getting worse each year and refuses to believe she has a problem. In addition to her bringing other people’s garbage into the house, she also has a number of cats who use the house as one large litter box. When my brother and I attempt to clean, she yells and screams, and takes the rubbish back in when we put it out for the garbage truck. Unless we physically rent a truck to take it to the dump ourselves, it never leaves the house. We are so worried because…

Notes On Productivity
Why is my Lotus Notes so slow? (how to improve your personal productivity by sharpening the saw)

Eric Mack

27 Jan 2010 | 2:39 pm

It's often been my experience that when users complain about Lotus Notes, they are unaware that there are simple things that can be done to achieve a big boost in productivity. For example, I sometimes find that users do not have Lotus Notes set up to take advantage of Lotus Note's ability to keep a local replica - something that can lead to a dramatic performance improvement, especially when then the objective is to make the tool as productive as possible. For the past 17 years, I've been serving organizations and individuals that use Lotus Notes to get things done. My focus is on high…
Lotusphere - transforming the way we do business

Eric Mack

19 Jan 2010 | 4:21 am

I heard lots of good stuff, but I did not hear any earth-shattering news or announcements. I think that's a good thing. It means that IBM Lotus has a product line that is broad and deep with no gaping holes. In other words, solutions exist to not only meet the needs of business today but to transform how organizations do business tomorrow. I have lots more to share about Lotusphere and the meetings I have attended; I've taken a lot of pictures and notes and I want to spend some time thinking through the what I am seeing and hearing here at LS10 before I add my $.02. For the latest…
IBM introduces new Lotus Solutions Catalog

Ryan Heathers

17 Jan 2010 | 5:37 pm

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity
Transforming a Senior Executive’s productivity

Eric Mack

17 Jan 2010 | 10:29 am

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity
Elegant GTD- IBM’s new cloud opportunity?

Eric Mack

16 Jan 2010 | 8:13 pm

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity

Ian's Messy Desk
Learn How to Manage Your Boss

Ian McKenzie

8 Feb 2010 | 4:05 am

No matter where you work, you report to someone – maybe even to two or three bosses. And whether you think your boss is brilliant or a bore, the fact is that you have to manage the relationship with your boss if you want to advance your career. Many of us give little thought to managing our supervisors. We do so at our own peril. Supervisors can have a lot of influence over our success in a job and our long-term career plans. Supervisor recommendations carry a lot of weight when it comes to decisions about raises, promotions, training resources and even job references. Why then do we fail…
How to Prepare the Room for Your Speech or Presentation

Ian McKenzie

5 Feb 2010 | 4:13 am

Think about the time invested in preparing a great speech: research, organization, practice, preparing a slide presentation, etc. Now, imagine neglecting the last preparation step by not allowing time to prepare the facility when you’ll give your speech. Your presentation is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. You blast into the room —with the audience already there— at 9:58 a.m. and proceed to set up your notes and equipment. Ten minutes later, you’re fiddling with cables trying to connect the projector to you laptop. You haven’t booted up yet. It’s powered by Windows, so we…
How to Get Organized Using Lists

Ian McKenzie

3 Feb 2010 | 4:08 am

My wife is the queen of lists. She carries a iPod Touch and can, with a swipe and a couple of taps, pull up whatever information she needs to plan her next action. For example, she tracks all our shopping lists. If we pop into Home Depot to pick up a gallon of paint, she checks to see what other hardware items we might need, saving a second trip. She has lists of gift ideas, quotes for greeting cards, honey-do’s and much more. Organized people don’t rely on their memory — they rely on their lists. Lists are the simplest tool or system for managing your life. They consolidate all…
8 Ways to Develop Your Employees

Ian McKenzie

1 Feb 2010 | 4:35 am

Over the past couple of years, we’ve gone from a strong economy that has created job growth to a down turn that has led to layoffs and rising unemployment. The current economic trend is indications of improving. Regardless of the economic climate, there is challenge of recruitment and retention. One strategy that can improve recruitment and retention is training. Investing in staff training and development can alleviate skill shortages by improving your current staff’s abilities to handle increased or new challenges. Training may sound expensive, but the cost of turnover is even more…
7 deadly sins for speakers and presenters

Ian McKenzie

29 Jan 2010 | 4:19 am

It takes a lot of preparation to craft the kind of speech or presentation that is going to grab your listener’s attention. Once the speech is crafted, you need to spend a lot of time practising, so as to make sure you keep their attention. Listeners don’t give their attention lightly and it doesn’t take much for it to wander. Here are seven bad speaking habits that will guarantee your listeners will be focusing on other things, instead of what you’re presenting. Rambling – if you don’t know where you’re going, the audience is not going to follow. If you do not have anything to…

Your best just got better
What is a practical question...one that determines how I use my next 15 minutes?

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

8 Feb 2010 | 9:01 am

More and more of my work is done at the "ground level" of productivity. Just last week, I worked with 4 clients who all expressed different "organizational and productivity" needs. 1) We studied "email inbox management" one day. The important...
Training and eating ... The more objective, the clearer the results

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

6 Feb 2010 | 11:52 am

Every time I visit New York, I'm amazed at how they advertise just one aspect of food nutrition: Calories per item! What would you choose, if you knew a little bit more about what was "in it." Oh, and this...
Speed isn't just about going faster

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

3 Feb 2010 | 6:10 am

Working with the vice president in finance yesterday reinforced this idea: Speed isn't just about going faster. It IS, however, about moving through the productivity cycle as we have researched it. (1) Relax, (2) Have an idea, (3) Consider an...
Every January (for 13 years now...) I read The One Minute Manager

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

1 Feb 2010 | 5:46 pm

A mentor of mine gave me a copy of this book years ago. The first time I read it, I knew...I'd need to re-read this yearly. So started another one of my 5-year experiments. (Those of you who have been...
Reflecting back on College Days

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

28 Jan 2010 | 7:45 am

Studying US History (Environmental Policy of Westward Expansion) in the 90's, I read some great books. I always asked (and continue to do this today) for books "on the edge" of what I'm studying. I will always remember reading "The...

Lifehacker: gtd
#gtd

aaronnnjohnsonnn

2 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am

Don't mark things off of your To-Do list until you're actually finished doing them. I know it may seem simple, but I've found that I get things done better if I wait until I'm completely 100% finished with a task before I scratch it off of the things I need done. #tips #gtd #todo #list aaronnnjohnsonnn
#gtd

aaronnnjohnsonnn

2 Feb 2010 | 7:43 am

#gtd #tips aaronnnjohnsonnn
Leather GTD Tabs Makes Binder Clips Look Good

Adam Pash

25 Jan 2010 | 11:30 am

Stationary enthusiast, blogger, and Lifehacker reader Patrcik Ng has always impressed us with his cool GTD-focused DIY projects, and now he's back with an attractive, notebook-friendly binder clip hack that he calls Leather GTD Tabs.As a quick refresher, Ng is the reader who brought us the printable GTD index card template and Mind.Depositor 2, the all-leather GTD super-notebook. Inspired by Merlin Mann's Hipster PDA but unhappy with the ugly factor of plain old binder clips, Ng put together his list-specific binder clips with some leather flourish (the guy likes his leather). It is dead…
Productive Geek Is a Forum for Flexing Your Productivity Muscles

Adam Pash

13 Jan 2010 | 4:30 pm

Lifehacker's hashtag forums offer a great way for Lifehacker readers to share tips and chat, but for rich, full-on how-to guides and the like, it's not quite there. If you've felt cramped in our forums, Productive Geek is a solid alternative.Launched by our very own How-To Geek, the aptly named Productive Geek has rich forums complete with advanced formatting, code-friendly pasting, and all the image uploading you can handle. In fact, we've officially moved the Lifehacker Coders group to Productive Geek to continue their AutoHotkey scripting madness. It's also got forums dedicated to Windows,…
#gtd

mistercopyandpaste

12 Jan 2010 | 12:24 pm

Getting through email fast: when you come back to the office from a vacation and turn off the Out of Office message just to find a full inbox, a quick way to get through it is to sort by Subject, and for each subject delete all but the latest email for a particular subject. I've gone from 500+ emails down to 80 in a couple minutes, and you don't loose anything. #tips #email #gtd mistercopyandpaste

Stepcase Lifehack
How to Kill a Radical Idea

Paul Sloane

9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Einstein said that all great original ideas at first appear absurd. This is why it is so easy to dismiss radical suggestions when they surface. We point out that they are absurd and so miss great opportunities. How would you react if an unorthodox business idea was presented to you and you could immediately see problems with it? Imagine that you are the boss in each of these situations:1. Spectacles manufacturer in the 1960sEmployee: I think we should investigate a new idea I have heard about called contact lenses.Boss: How does it work?Employee: We make prescription lenses that…
6 Websites To Help You Get Out Of The House And Find Something To Do

Sid Savara

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Have you just moved to a new town? Are you a couch potato? Or have your friends decided they don’t want to do anything this weekend? Have no fear, the internet is here! We’ll get you out of the house yet with these six websites.Six Places Online To Find Something To DoCraigslist. The grand daddy of all websites to help you get out of the house. Classes? Check. Events? Check. Just friends? Check. More than friends? No problem. I use Craigslist all the time – my favorite sections to post are “strictly platonic” when I’m looking for tennis and hiking…
5 Steps to a Calmer Evening

ErinKurt

4 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Whether you work outside the house or stay at home full-time, the toughest part of the day is the same: those frantic early evening hours when there are mouths to feed, homework to do, and cranky kids to handle. The trick is to streamline your to-do’s so you can feel calmer and focus on what counts – spending time with your family. Here’s how.
Productivity Pr0n: 5 Unusually Useful Notepads

Dustin Wax

2 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Hi. My name is Dustin, and I’m addicted to notepads.I first realized I was addicted when I found myself prowling office supply stores in the wee hours of the afternoon, trying to score a college-ruled composition book. Pretty soon, I couldn’t go anywhere without my works – a battered red Moleskine and a black Sharpie click-pen.And it got worse. I started thinking, “maybe there’s a perfect notebook out there for this particular project.” My Moleskine’s 192 leaves bound in pocket-sized covers wasn’t enough to satisfy my growing need for specialty papers.The worst part is, I…
Congratulations to our Giveaway Winner!

Dustin Wax

29 Jan 2010 | 4:30 am

Congratulations to KO, the winner of our Book Launch Giveaway. KO has won her choice of Veronica London fashion laptop bags from CareerBags.com. I want to thank everyone who entered for all the great job-hunting advice you gave with your entires — I’ll try to round up the best of it in a post in the next week or so.And I especially want to thank Ellen Hart at CareerBags.com for her generosity and support. Ellen founded CareerBags to fill a gap in the laptop bag market that desperately needed filling — bags that complimented women’s styles and wardrobes — and…

Arif & Ali's Blog
Sufi Comics: Food for Thought

Mohammed Ali

7 Feb 2010 | 4:03 am

Sufi Comics Food for Thought I love this saying because it’s deep and many meanings can be derived from it. One of them is that of Humility. Man has a tendancy to become proud of himself. He begins to think all that he’s achieved is because of his own doing. This pride blinds him from his own weakness and he forgets that all his abilities & creativity has originated from the Creator. As we contemplate on our humble beginning and towards our end, we will find humility arising inside us, and we’ll naturally start giving credit to the One who created us. Did you like this…
Sufi Comics: Mother

Mohammed Ali

3 Feb 2010 | 8:29 pm

Sufi Comics: Mother During pre-Islamic Arabia, the Arabs were so ashamed of having daughters, that they would bury their new born daughters alive. The above is an example of how the Prophet of Islam changed the attitudes of the people during that time & emphasized the importance of the role of women in society. One would have thought that after centuries of progress mankind would have matured enough to realise the role that the women plays is critical for a healthy society. Yet in many places around the world, the role of the women is still seen as inferior. This has resulted in an…
How I’m Getting More Done, by Doing Less.

arif

26 Jan 2010 | 7:44 pm

We all know it’s true, that we can get more of an impact if we focus our energies on fewer tasks. An example I’ve quoted often on the power of focus is the analogy of trying to light a fire using a magnifying glass on a hot day. We’ve all tried it out as kids. However, picture yourself, taking a whole pile of newspapers outside in the sun on the World’s Hottest day, you may have the most powerful magnifying glass in the world, but you’ll still not be able to start a fire for hours or days, until you FOCUS that magnifying glass. Once you do focus the rays of the…
Sufi Comics: The Prayer of Jesus (a)

Mohammed Ali

24 Jan 2010 | 3:21 am

Sufi Comics The Prayer of Jesus Islam considers Jesus (‘a) as one of the greatest Prophets and Personalities. There are several stories of Jesus (‘a) that can be found in Islamic Literature (See: Words of the Word of God) that serve as a common ground between Muslims and Christians. Did you like this comic? Copy this Code to add the above Comic to your Blog / Website: <a title ="Sufi Comics The Prayer of Jesus" href="http://www.vakil.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Sufi-Comics-The-Prayer-of-Jesus.jpg"> <img…
Sufi Comics: A Slave’s Slave

Mohammed Ali

17 Jan 2010 | 5:33 pm

Sufi Comics: A Slaves Slave A Sultan (King) becomes the Slave of a Slave. Did you like this comic? Copy this Code to add the above Comic to your Blog / Website: <a title ="Sufi Comics: A Slaves Slave" href="http://www.vakil.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Sufi-Comics-A-Slaves-Slave.jpg"> <img src="http://www.vakil.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Sufi-Comics-A-Slaves-Slave.jpg" alt="Sufi Comics: A Slaves Slave" title="Sufi Comics: A Slaves Slave" width="590" height="480" class="size-full wp-image-922" />…

moleskinerie
AND THE WINNERS ARE: "Moleskine Passions Book Journal giveaway"

Armand Frasco

8 Feb 2010 | 11:45 am

Here are the winners to our "Calling all Passionistas" contest.Wellness - teo (February 05, 2010 at 01:20 AM)Wine - Shawn Schoonmaker (February 02, 2010 at 03:02 PM)Music - Michael A (February 05, 2010 at 05:39 PM)Recipe - Natalia (February 03, 2010 at 06:53 PM)Film - John (February 06, 2010 at 09:50 AM)Please email us your postal (mailing addresses.): moleskineconnect@gmail.com.These are the random winners that had comments on Moleskinerie, there are other winners across Facebook and Twitter that will be contacted and win in addition to these here.We thank everyone who…
Snapshot: Alan Van Nelson

Armand Frasco

5 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am

Every week in 2010 we will shine the light on a Moleskine user across the globe, this week's snapshot is on Alan Van Nelson.If you want to be featured in upcoming weeks, please email us!Introducing:Alan Van NelsonAge: 24Current City: Winston Salem, NCJob: Freelance Photographer/DesignerWebsite: brainofalan.tumblr.comTwitter: twitter.com/alanvannelsonQuestions:1) What is your current Moleskine notebook? My current, most used Moleskine is a large graph size, but I also have a small watercolour for drawing, daily planner, extra small cahier that I keep in my wallet, and one of the…
The John Mayer Custom Moleskine Notebook

Armand Frasco

5 Feb 2010 | 7:12 am

From John Mayer's blog:"We made a set of Plain Notebooks and a set of Ruled Notebooks based on Moleskine's Large Notebook series. Each cover is embossed with the Heartbreak logo and has a custom imprint on the flyleaf page. Every flyleaf page has been hand-numbered. The books include a set of sticker tabs and a screened poster...."Check it out
Calling all Passionistas

Armand Frasco

3 Feb 2010 | 1:30 pm

Due to the exuberant participation of our #Passions Book Journal giveaway, we decided that we can't just let Book enthusiasts have all the fun (no offense to the bookworm army). So we are going to open the contest to include an opportunity to win one of each of the #Passions Journals: Wine, Recipe, Film, Music and Wellness. The details for those who skimmed over the last post ;-) Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter And don't forget about the corporate site (shameless plug) Then be creative and tell us what will be your first entry into the #Passions Journal you hope to…
CONTEST: Moleskine Passions Book Journal giveaway

Armand Frasco

2 Feb 2010 | 11:07 am

In anticipation of the North American launch of the Moleskine Passions line, we have decided to give our community the opportunity to get the Book journal before anyone else does! The giveaway is open to anyone in North America. We will pick 2 random winners on February 4th. (Bookmark included)Details:1) Follow us on Twitter or/and Facebook (do both for a better chance of winning) 2) Let us know which book will be the first to go into your new Passions journal On Twitter do so in this manner: Ex: "@moleskine , my first book entry in my #Passions will be The Whale" On…

I'm an Organizing Junkie
Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb 8th

Laura

7 Feb 2010 | 8:00 pm

We are in the throes of trying to sell our house here and all I can say is if you want a clean and organized home just put your house on the market. My goodness, my house has never been this clean, ever and for a very good reason. It’s next to impossible to maintain these standards, I’m exhausted! All I want to do is crawl into bed and watch Reba (and yes I own the entire series, I can’t help myself. That show is funny! :) ) So I really don’t have food on the brain at this moment. We’ll all hit this wall occasionally where menu planning is the last…
Guest Post: My Top 3 Organizing Tips

Laura

5 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

Today’s guest post comes from Michele of Get Organized Wizard, one of our amazing sponsors of this month’s challenge. She offers some great tips here for achieving organizing success. These are totally do-able tips and will definitely help you as you continue to make progress on your space this weekend. If you’ve got any questions about your space or your struggles please be sure to let us know in the comments and we’ll answer them there as well. Congratulations on taking Laura’s 28-Day Organizing Challenge! This is going to be fun :) Here are my 3 top tips for…
My OpenSky shop is now open for business!

Laura

4 Feb 2010 | 8:16 am

Woohoo, I am finally up and running! A couple of months ago I shared that I’d partnered with OpenSky to bring you a shop of some of my favorite products. It’s taken a little longer than expected to get it set up and I only have a few products in there right now but many more are on the way I promise. OpenSky is an online plaza full of interesting shopkeepers all passionate about what they sell. That means real people connecting consumers to the products we love and use. It’s a place to go to find the people you trust and the products they love, use and recommend. When I…
Remove and Sort

Laura

3 Feb 2010 | 9:19 pm

Today I want to touch base on the second step of the PROCESS. That would be REMOVE. What does this mean exactly? Trust me the easiest and fastest way to tackle any project is to empty the space you are trying to organize and do your sort/purge from ideally a different room altogether or, if you have to, the middle of the room you are organizing. The important thing is to get things off shelves, out of drawers, off tabetops, off the floor, out of closets, etc.. Why? Removing items from where they have previously been stored will give you a fresh perspective on the space you want organized. It…
Plan to Organize

Laura

1 Feb 2010 | 10:18 pm

So you’ve decided to join the 28 Day Organizing Challenge and now are sitting staring at your space wondering where on earth to start. Others may have rushed right in without first defining their purpose. What you need is a PLAN! This is the first step in my organizing PROCESS and it’s an important one. Ask yourself a couple of questions about the space you’ve selected. I’ve borrowed these from a great article I found on About.com written by Sarah Aquirre: 1. What do I want the purpose of my room or area to be? 2. What do I need in or near the room to serve that…

SheenOnline
Thinking Bigger: Living in Your New House

Rahsheen

8 Feb 2010 | 9:49 am

Image via Wikipedia This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine. Many people have developed a culture of thinking small. We lament about stuff we can’t afford. We talk about how broke we are. We make jokes about how messed up our credit is and we would never be able to do something like buy the car of our dreams or purchase a house. Thinking in this way is a downward spiral, a race to the bottom. Even when you’re joking, thinking negative brings you negativity. One example of thinking bigger can be found in the concept of buying a home.
Appcelerator Titanium Lets Web Developers Write Native Software

Rahsheen on Black Web 2.0

5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Appcelerator Titanium is an API that empowers web developers to create native applications for multiple platforms. A large percentage of developers are web developers, strong in Javascript, HTML, and CSS. If these developers are looking to develop native applications, they would have a pretty steep learning curve ahead. With Appcelerator, you can take your basic [...] Visit Black Web 2.0 for the full story....
Tech Week in Review 2-5-2010

Rahsheen on Black Web 2.0

5 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am

Twitter.com Gets Hovercards (finally) Twitter seems to be getting serious about making the Twitter.com interface more useful to users. Following the complete redesign they did a while back, addition of lists, and new retweet feature, they have now added Hovercards. If you’ve used FriendFeed, Seesmic desktop, Hootsuite, and just about any Twitter client or social media [...] Visit Black Web 2.0 for the full story....
NBC Celebrates Black History Month with Fried Chicken and Corn Bread

Rahsheen on Black Web 2.0

4 Feb 2010 | 12:18 pm

Drummer @questlove of The Roots, NBCU employee, brought this to our attention today via Twitter. His commentary on it inside: Visit Black Web 2.0 for the full story....
HipChat: Better-Than-Enterprise Instant Messaging for Your Organization

Rahsheen on Black Web 2.0

4 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am

HipChat is a chat service aimed at small business communications. It’s similar to Yammer or Campfire, providing a method for instant messaging others within your company. It works via an Adobe AIR client, which means they’ve got most platforms covered. Visit Black Web 2.0 for the full story....

Effing The Dog
Eventual Book Review: The Happiness Project

A few weeks back I received my copy of “frienemy of the blog” Gretchen Rubin’s latest book, The Happiness Project. After reading the book sleeve to make sure I didn’t actually have to do a project, I dove in as eventually as I could. What I found was an insightful look into life and a [...]Eventual Book Review: The Happiness Project is a post from: Effing The Dog
Eventual Appearances and Zenning

Here I am. I have some stuff to say.I’ve made some changes. Ever so slight changes…and eventual ones to say the least. But they’re there. Look to the right. Less is more, so to write. Happy Eventual New Year! Upcoming articles include a review of several books (The Happiness Project, The Noticer and Fearless) and an interview [...]Eventual Appearances and Zenning is a post from: Effing The Dog
What Happened To Risk

“Risk versus reward, or something like that.” – Me, trying to recall exactly what the quote was. Risk has always been a part of my life. I can remember countless hours carefully “strategizing” each and every move I made, hoping that I could keep moving forward until eventually feeling superior and dominant over those around me. [...]What Happened To Risk is a post from: Effing The Dog
How Focus To An Like Eventualist

In my travels around my world, I’ve seldom been asked “How to you focus on so many things all at once and manage to be so amazing at them?” After looking around to see if they are talking to me, I eventually respond by telling them that by focusing on a phlegmora of things (like [...]How Focus To An Like Eventualist is a post from: Effing The Dog
The Muppets Go EffTD

Well, except for Kermit. Sheesh.The Muppets Go EffTD is a post from: Effing The Dog Tweet This Post © tmv for Effing The Dog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.usPost tags: EffTD, eventualism, movie, muppet, music, musical, nerd, Productivity, puppet, queen, rock, videoFeed enhanced by Better Feed from OzhThe Muppets Go EffTD is a post from: Effing The Dog

Matt's Idea Blog
Are you too hard to impress?

matt

1 Feb 2010 | 2:41 pm

When I was in grad school I used to have an attitude about meeting people. It probably stemmed from feeling inferior, but it was a kind of "guilty until proven impressive" one. Until you show me you're impressive, I'll assume you're not. This didn't work for me. It kept me from appreciating, connecting to, and learning from people. Now I actively look for things to be impressed about. Not the generic "That's great!" type, but genuine respect of people and their accomplishments. My thought is that we don't acknowledge these enough, and - if you look around your personal and professional…
When is it best *not* to be curious or observant?

matt

1 Feb 2010 | 5:42 am

This weekend when talking about medical procedures, a witty niece shared this tip: Do NOT look at the instruments when you arrive :-) This makes sense. After all, why spook yourself more than necessary? This led to a question: When don't you want to/should be curious? An emerging Think, Try, Learn principle is that those two characteristics lead to a scientific version of being present. It's like my yoga teacher used to say: The past is over and the future hasn't happened yet, so the only living we have available is now. (They go on to say the body can only be in the present, so focusing on…
Are you still human when you're under general anesthesia?

matt

31 Jan 2010 | 5:22 pm

I'm getting knocked out for my outpatient surgery on Tuesday, and it occurs to me whether I'm a higher order creature while I'm unconscious. (My wife might argue that I'm never one.) I wonder because there's apparently no subjective time between when you go under and come back, including dreaming. If that's the case, and if it's our self-conscious nature that separates us from the rest of the kingdom, then am I technically (i.e., not simply physiologically) human during that time? What do you think? Any good references you like around this topic? Wish me luck!
What caught your attention? Some recent WOWs

matt

31 Jan 2010 | 1:10 pm

What caught your attention? Some recent IdeaMatt Wows Two things. First I'll be recovering from some surgery next week, so I leave you with a list of ideas that activated the IdeaMatt WBC (Wow Brain Center). The last similar entry was Is Life Is A Series Of ... Wows? I hope you enjoy them. Second, in my continued battle with comment spammers (whose results are threatening to have my host give me the boot), I've signed up with Mollom. Please let me know if you have trouble commenting. Beautiful patterns?: "There are behavior patterns in success. If the process is as beautiful as the product…
Life, Death, and Questions

matt

29 Jan 2010 | 7:59 am

If questions are all we have when we're brought into the world, what are we left with when we die? Answers, or more questions?

LessonInLife.Com
Irrational Emotion – An Explanation

banji

20 Jan 2010 | 4:29 am

Summary – Emotion accumulates Duh! I wonder if this is your first reaction to the summary of this post. Of course it accumulates. Everything accumulates. Just like a coin, if you found one coin today, and tomorrow you found another one, that will make two coins. But wait a minute, this post is meant for more than just compounding interest or wealth generation. It is one of the most interesting lesson I’ve learnt the past 2 months. The story I was very stressed that day. With all the problem I was having with work, one of my staff was giving me more problem. He did one expensive…
How To Say NO To Abusers At Work

banji

3 Nov 2009 | 9:20 pm

Summary – How to say NO to abusers Very recently I have received an email asking a very interesting question. First of all, I would like to thank the sender, Pankaj, who had taken the time and sent me the email. It is always a pleasure getting to know my reader. The following is the email Pankaj sent me. “I want to know how exactly to say NO to people. My work is almost always overloaded, but even so, when other people come to me asking for help with his work, I can never say no. I always try to help others but in this way I am always taken negative.” Well Pankaj, this is…
Basic Trick To Success You May Not Know

banji

19 Oct 2009 | 3:54 am

Summary – Success definition I talked to one of my colleague this morning. To make things easier, let’s call him Peter. Peter is an acting manager to an estate here but he’s going to retire next year. I actually asked him whether he will apply for extension and maybe then he will be confirmed as a manager. He simply answered “No, I don’t need the “Manager” title to become successful. I am already successful by my own definition.” That simple sentence had left me speechless (For a few seconds of course). I then continued to ask him what he meant…
Pay Yourself First Without The Money

banji

12 Oct 2009 | 3:18 am

If you are into financial management, I bet all my money that you have heard of the concept “Pay Yourself First”. Rest assured this post is not about finance. Basically, the idea is to allocate a portion of your paycheck to be saved elsewhere before you even settle your pay-or-die bills. The concept is created simply because saving if not forced, is an impossible thing to do. I know it is kind of harsh, but it is the truth. You can see the proof from my bank account (which of course I will not disclose here). Forget about my bank account. Just look at yours. Did you manage to save…
10 Simple Ways To Backup Your Life

banji

28 Jul 2009 | 8:01 am

Summary – Sometimes redundancy is a bliss It was the year 2001. I was doing my internship at the time with a petrochemical company. I remember this year very fondly because this is the year I make one of the biggest mistake in my life. Please bear with me as I explain some details about the mistakes. You see, being a student, my computer was my life. I had files about everything saved in my PC. This includes notes, assignments, projects, personal pictures, diaries etc. In short, the last 5 years of my life were well documented in that PC. One fine day, I mistakenly formatted the PC and…

Dragos Roua - Brilliantly Better
Brute Force or A Gentle Touch

dragos

7 Feb 2010 | 11:00 pm

“Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” Photo Credit Sometimes it seems that the harder you try to chase something, the further it moves away from you. This occurs in all walks of life: with money, relationships or success. Maybe it is because of the fact that you are scared that you will lose something you care about or that you will never get it at all. You start to focus so much on losing it and what life would be like if you lose it that it…
How To Manage And Upgrade Your Life Device Drivers

dragos

6 Feb 2010 | 3:48 am

Life device drivers are fundamental for a smooth social interaction. They’re the invisible layer which allows us to have a proper interaction with various social interfaces, like a job or a family. Oh, you don’t know what a life device drivers is? No problem, this is exactly what you’re going to find out in this article. But before we dive in, let me tell you that this is the second follow-up to my first article using a computer metaphor to describe self-improvement. You may want to have a look at it first: Are You The Best Version Of Yourself?. And you could also check out the…
Why And How I Wrote And Published 4 Books In One Month

dragos

3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

I don’t really believe in advertising as a valid, long-term monetizing strategy for a blog. There are more cons than pros, if you take the time to really look at it. Yet, many bloggers are rushing towards advertising and fill up their blog real estate with tons of banners and then dumbly wait for money to pour in. Advertising has a very low entry point, all you need is some traffic and traffic building is relatively cheap, that’s true. But advertising also have a very, very low output: you need incredibly high amounts of traffic to make a decent amount of money. I won’t talk about the…
Don’t Hit It Big! Unless You’re Ready For It…

dragos

2 Feb 2010 | 11:00 pm

So, you want to hit it big? Go on, do it! Just don’t fantasize too much about how it’s going to be when you’ll do it. And you know why? Because it’s going to be completely different from what you think it would. Let me tell you a story about how success can become your worst nightmare. The Story Everything started a week ago. I published an article about how you can run the best version of yourself, based on a sketchy parallel between human beings and computers. The post was immediately featured on lifehacker.com, to my surprise (and delight, to be honest). The reaction from the…
Successful Excellence

dragos

31 Jan 2010 | 11:00 pm

This is a guest post by my friend Zeenat Merchant-Syal, @zeenatsyal. Aren’t we all craving for success? In whatever endeavor we take up success is what we are after. Be it a project or a job. Be it as small a task as completing a good book. We always want to be successful at the task in hand and in the broader perspective in life. Success in life. But, What does Success really mean? Is it the mere completion of a task at hand or the positive completion of the task at hand? Whatever your definition of success is, whether its the smaller successes like learning a new language or quitting…

Popular Science - DIY
Gray Matter: Batteries Out of Thin Air

Theodore Gray

8 Feb 2010 | 7:20 am

A little oxygen is all a zinc-air battery needs to become a powerhouse A battery that runs on air? Why, that's almost as good as a car that runs on water! Those cars are fantasy, but batteries that run on air are actually quite common, especially among older people. Tiny zinc-air batteries are widely used in hearing aids, where they have replaced toxic mercury-based batteries in providing a small but steady stream of power. They supply more energy for their size than any other battery, because they draw some of their power straight from the air. Related ArticlesGray Matter: Nickel Growing in…
Theme Building: Three DIY Snow Vehicles Show Winter Who's Boss

Andrew Rosenblum

4 Feb 2010 | 11:57 am

Two mechanics on a remote outpost build a "snow chopper" out of salvaged parts In the desolate environment of Antarctica, when mechanics Bob Sawicki and Toby Weisser weren't at their jobs maintaining a fleet of snowmobiles at the U.S. logistics hub there, they passed the time by building a motorcycle-like snow vehicle out of junked parts and trash. As government employees, they were forbidden to use any new equipment on their side project. Instead, they got the engine and track from a totaled 1981 Ski-Doo Elan and, with the exception of nuts, bolts and fuel hoses, everything else from savvy…
Build a Simple DC Power Supply

Vin Marshall

2 Feb 2010 | 12:33 pm

Or at least understand what's happening when you use one. There are more efficient and complex power supplies in the world. There are easier ways to get a simple power supply like this one (re-using a wall-wart, for instance). But if you make a power supply like this at least once in your life, you will have a much better understanding of how alternating current becomes regulated DC power. There will be many other power supplies like it, but this one will be yours. A power supply, as we'll be referring to it here, converts alternating current from the outlet on the wall into direct current.
Enter the 2010 Popular Science Invention Awards

2 Feb 2010 | 9:20 am

Do you have an invention you KNOW will someday change the world? Have you been toiling for years in your basement, building prototype after prototype to PROVE that your idea works? If so, tell us about it! Enter the fourth annual PopSci Invention Awards. We're looking for game-changing products that come from the passionate drive of independent inventors (rather than those born in the R&D labs of universities and corporations). PopSci editors will pick 10 inventions that best represent the spirit of homegrown ingenuity and solve real-world problems in a practical and innovative way. And…
Cooking Sous Vide the DIY Way

Paul Adams

29 Jan 2010 | 9:44 am

Why buy a $500 countertop gadget when you can build your own? Everyone's talking about sous vide, the scientific cooking method that's making its way from the lab to the home kitchen. The Sous Vide Supreme, which we reviewed earlier this week, is the first turnkey sous vide setup for home cooks. But we DIY kitchen nerds haven't been idly waiting for an off-the-shelf solution: We cobbled together our own sous vide setups years ago. It can be done by piecing together a few readily available components -- or even, for more intrepid tinkerers, by soldering together some less readily available…

Get Organized Wizard
Organize Your Living Area [Mission #31]

Michele Connolly

8 Feb 2010 | 2:02 am

The living room can be the heart of a home – where you relax, where you enjoy conversation with friends, where the family ‘lives’ much of the time.So if your living room is disorganized, chaotic or downright embarrassing – let’s fix that now. You’ll be amazed at the transformation you can achieve in just 30 minutes.Remember: you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Options are below.If you’re new, you might like to start here -> 52 Organizing Missions.Get Organized Mission #31: Organize Your Living AreaStep 1: Clear the Clutter (10 Minutes)The first thing to do…
Get Organized in 5 Minutes: Establish an Errands List

Michele Connolly

4 Feb 2010 | 12:03 am

Here’s something you can do to get better organized – and it’ll take you just 5 minutes!Establish an Errands ListFind a notepad or piece of paper and a pen.Place somewhere convenient – beside the phone, on the fridge door, or beside your bag or briefcase.Create 4 sections in columns, rows or quadrants.Label the sections based on your needs; eg: Groceries, Errands, Shopping, Library, Children’s stuff, School, etc.And you’re done!Now you have a simple and practical way to capture all the to-do items that need you to leave the house.Remember: 1. Move fast. 2. Don’t overthink. 3.
Get Organized To Reduce Stress [Mission #30]

Michele Connolly

1 Feb 2010 | 4:28 am

For some of us, being organized is an end in itself – a sense of order and freedom from clutter bring us pleasure and happiness.For the rest of us, being organized is a means to an end – a smarter path to the things we want. By applying a little thought and planning, we increase the chances and reduce the effort of achieving our goals.Managing stress is one such goal. Many of us deal with daily stresses, but few of us take an organized approach to thinking about what stresses us out, and how to better handle these triggers. So let’s spend this week’s 30 minutes doing just that.Get…
Your Happiness Depends On Your Thoughts

Michele Connolly

28 Jan 2010 | 2:30 am

I love reading Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor (he was played by Richard Harris in Gladiator). His Meditations overflow with wise precepts.But these 12 words are my most favorite:The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.Like Buddha’s ‘With our thoughts we make the world’, they’re a pithy nutshell reminding us of the power of our minds over the matter of our lives.If simply using old-related words makes you walk more slowly, then just imagine the effect of that non-stop mental tirade on how you live, and how you feel.I certainly…
Time Management: How To Make the Most Of Your Personal Time [Mission #29]

Michele Connolly

25 Jan 2010 | 4:12 am

In the last two missions we took stock of your:Business tasks, in order to improve time management at work, andHome organization tasks, for better time management at home.This week we’ll do the same for your personal tasks – like grooming and exercise – and find ways to be more effective with those precious moments of self time.Get Organized Mission # 29: Make the Most Of Your Personal TimeStep 1: List Your Self-Care TasksJot down the (ideally) regular activities on yourpersonal self-care list. Your list may include:Clothes…

Get Organized!
Get Organized: When Lists Don't Work

Carmen

7 Feb 2010 | 11:00 pm

Generally speaking, a list is a good thing because...When you write a list, it helps you focus. When you follow a list, it keeps you on track and moving toward list completion. And when you cross off list items, you feel productive.And yet, despite proven results and positive qualities, lists don't always work for everyone, every time because...When you have to make a list, it means you have lots to accomplish. When you have lots to accomplish, you suddenly don't want to do anything but sit on your couch, watch TV, and eat ice cream.In other words, making a list is making you procrastinate.
The Key to Finding Balance and Getting Organized

Carmen

14 Jan 2010 | 6:32 am

When you are responsible for taking care of others — whether it be at work, at home, or both ― then taking care of YOU can become a low, maybe even non-existent, priority.Women, in particular, feel incredibly off-kilter when this occurs, but men are also not immune to self-neglect and its repercussions.Here's what I mean...- You're working more hours, so that's less time for exercise. You gain a few pounds, and your pants are fitting tightly...and you feel blah.- You're juggling lots of responsibilities, so that's less time for planning. You've put off your hair appointment 3 times, and…
Recycled, Reused, and Repurposed Organizers

Carmen

11 Jan 2010 | 1:37 am

I love it when I discover *fresh* organizing ideas! Especially when they allow you to reuse the stuff you already have in your home to help you get organized.Case in point...BHG's Clever Storage Solutions You'd Never Expect. There are 19 "unexpected organizers" in this feature, and here are my top 3 faves...#1 Forks as Storage SolutionsFor a unique and organized display, attach decorative vintage forks to the wall to hold tickets, receipts, and business cards.#2 Shutter to DeclutterAn old discarded shutter is a perfect family communications center. Replace the top slats with corkboard and…
You Resolved to Get Organized...Now What?

Carmen

7 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

So you recently made a New Year's Resolution "to get organized." Well, you're in good company! Organization is always a popular top 10 resolution every year.But now that you've set the organizing goal, how do you successfully negotiate the ins and outs of accomplishing it? Here are 4 tips to do just that.(1) Have a plan.Don't say: My goal is to get organized.Do say: I want to better manage my time. -Or- I want to tidy up my closet. -Or- I want to organize my estate.Speaking in generalities leads to doing in generalities. In other words, if you don't have decisive organizing goals, you won't…
Get Organized: Are We Consumed By Stuff?

Carmen

5 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am

I've been reading A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink, and it's really been an eye-opening experience. Inside the book, there's a section devoted to abundance, and how it's now easier than ever to get your hands on "stuff." In other words, it's a simply-ask-and-you-shall-receive world.Here is a short excerpt from A Whole New Mind, with some alarming statistics about just how much we really have:- "During much of the 20th century, the aspiration of most middle-class Americans was to own a home and a car. Now, more than 2 out of 3 Americans own the homes in…

Notes On Productivity
Why is my Lotus Notes so slow? (how to improve your personal productivity by sharpening the saw)

Eric Mack

27 Jan 2010 | 2:39 pm

It's often been my experience that when users complain about Lotus Notes, they are unaware that there are simple things that can be done to achieve a big boost in productivity. For example, I sometimes find that users do not have Lotus Notes set up to take advantage of Lotus Note's ability to keep a local replica - something that can lead to a dramatic performance improvement, especially when then the objective is to make the tool as productive as possible. For the past 17 years, I've been serving organizations and individuals that use Lotus Notes to get things done. My focus is on high…
Lotusphere - transforming the way we do business

Eric Mack

19 Jan 2010 | 4:21 am

I heard lots of good stuff, but I did not hear any earth-shattering news or announcements. I think that's a good thing. It means that IBM Lotus has a product line that is broad and deep with no gaping holes. In other words, solutions exist to not only meet the needs of business today but to transform how organizations do business tomorrow. I have lots more to share about Lotusphere and the meetings I have attended; I've taken a lot of pictures and notes and I want to spend some time thinking through the what I am seeing and hearing here at LS10 before I add my $.02. For the latest…
IBM introduces new Lotus Solutions Catalog

Ryan Heathers

17 Jan 2010 | 5:37 pm

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity
Transforming a Senior Executive’s productivity

Eric Mack

17 Jan 2010 | 10:29 am

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity
Elegant GTD- IBM’s new cloud opportunity?

Eric Mack

16 Jan 2010 | 8:13 pm

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity

Wrike - the most practical project management software
Energize Your Project Management in Wrike with Google Wave

Daria

3 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Are You Ready to Wave with Wrike? Whether you already using Google Wave, or just thinking of giving it a try, we’ve got fabulous news for you! Starting on February 3, you’ll be able to boost your project management productivity in Wrike by adding Google Wave collaboration feature set to your project management tool. Wrike is the first project management software that allows you to manage your projects directly from Google’s communication platform. Wrike’s Google Wave integration will allow you to seamlessly turn your waves into tasks, set due dates, update your project…
Need Help with Managing Multiple Projects and a Team of 50?

Daria

21 Jan 2010 | 12:00 am

Even if you work in a team of two, keeping track of multiple projects can be challenging. What if you need to collaborate in a team of 50 people? Just imagine how hard it can be to keep everyone in the loop and make sure that all the tasks are completed on time, or simply that they are not forgotten by your colleagues. “As the projects and tasks build up, tracking them all becomes increasingly difficult with no project management software to help you,” says Joe Dean, CEO at Electronic Sports, a company developing interactive fitness games for commercial exercise equipment. …
Good News from Twitter

Daria

11 Jan 2010 | 12:00 am

We have a confession to make. We absolutely love reading tweets about Wrike! Especially those that praise our project management software, of course. It’s amazingly pleasant to see something like: “Wrike is the best PM web-service out there,” (originally posted by binmugahid). Here are a few more Twitter updates from our users, fans and media that we wanted to share with you: KendraBuchanan @kotof It's nice to see the PMS we use, Wrike, is rated #1. Thanks for the info. Now, we need bug tracker. Any sug would be great! TKS! Kolcoo Tools: Wrike (Project…
Wrike Plans for 2010: What Will the New Year Bring?

Daria

28 Dec 2009 | 12:00 am

This year is coming to an end, and now it's high time to review the accomplishments we had. First of all, we're happy to let you know that this year brought us numerous new users! Some of them agreed to share their Wrike experience with us. As a result, we published quite a few new customer success stories, including interviews with: Laura Roeder, a popular online marketing strategist and social media expert Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, show host at The Project Management PrepCast Luther Cale, chief of marketing, HealthStream Ciaran Rogers, marketing manager, UKSA Nick Doherty, managing editor of…
Our Customers Rock in Collaboration 2.0

Daria

17 Dec 2009 | 12:00 am

We’re excited to share a presentation that was created by one of our loyal customers – Joseph Andrade, owner of SayitRight Marketing Solutions. Joe is speaking about his best practices for implementing Collaboration 2.0 in his marketing agency. It’s a great pleasure for us to let you know that our project management software became the core element of SayitRight’s online collaboration strategy. Have a look at this interesting case study and learn a real-life war story of online collaboration done right. View more presentations from Joseph Andrade. Ready to share…

Complete Organizing Solutions
Celebrate L-O-V-E This Valentine’s Day

Shannon Dow

9 Feb 2010 | 4:15 am

So many people celebrate Valentine’s Day in so many different ways. Today I hope to inspire you with ideas that will fit into your big plans for the day that celebrates L-O-V-E. Party Inspiration: Save the Date Cupcakes threw a fabulous Valentine’s Party that is sure to inspire you to throw one too. Yummy sweets and a few ideas that would be great for Valentine’s gifts. Be sure to check out all the Sweet Details over at Save the Date Cupcakes. One Charming Party put together an amazing Valentine’s Day Party filled with DIY treats and crafts. The decor and table…
Monday’s Motivation: Stillness

Tanna Clark

8 Feb 2010 | 3:53 am

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - Join me every Monday for a thought provoking quote to inspire you and get you through the hustle and bustle of the week.
Getting Ready For Spring Gardening

Dave Townsend

5 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

I know what you’re thinking, “He’s talking about gardening in spring? It’s still February!” Well with me that’s a given but if you have any interest in getting a good organized start to your 2010 gardening season you will start thinking about it too! Winter isn’t just a time to hole up in our homes staying close to the fire with a cup of tea and waiting for the relief that comes with the spring sun. Winter is the perfect time to plan ahead and get an idea of what you want to accomplish in the garden. What exactly do you need to do to get ready? Here…
Now We’re Helping You Organize Your Finances and Party Plans!

Tanna Clark

4 Feb 2010 | 11:02 am

February is in full swing and I hope you had a wonderful New Year! I hope many of you set a few new goals this year and are well on your way to tackling them. One of my goals is to continue to make Complete Organizing Solutions a well rounded site to meet all of your organizing needs. Towards the end of 2009 I brought on a few contributors to help us tackle certain areas of our lives like memory keeping, gardening and all things food! Most recently I brought on Heather to help you organize your homeschool experience. It is my hope that our contributors can give you a great start at organizing…
Organizing Is What You Do Before You Do Anything

Tanna Clark

2 Feb 2010 | 10:08 am

Organizing is…. A while back I asked my readers what being organized meant to them, here are a few of their responses… Paula said, “organization is all about making your daily life easier and less stressful. It’s also about making sure you have time for what is really important to you and your family.” Gilda said, “I think of Organization as bringing Order to Life – whether it be home, work, schedules or whatever it is you’re doing. When there is order, there is peace.” Hope said, “Organizing = an end to chaos; simplicity in your life; a sense…

There, I Fixed It
Clever Painter Now Has Steady Employment

lorenichc

9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Submitted by: dunno source via Submit a Kludge!
Eating All Those Popsicles Paid Off

lorenichc

8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Submitted by: psplover75 via Submit a Kludge!
Chair Gets Involved With Volunteer Work

lorenichc

8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

Submitted by: dunno source via Submit a Kludge! Either that, or Extreme Cheerleading Tryouts went worse than expected… -Ms. Fix-It Favorite Comment: Fixer slapchop says, “The plastic lawn furniture seat says it’s unpretentious, the mountain bike tires say it’s got that rugged, go-anywhere attitude. (actually it looks like a great idea, traditional wheelchairs are expensive.)” But in all seriousness Fixers, thanks to everyone who pointed out the website where you can see how these charitable chairs are helping the disabled in third world countries.
Now We Know How Tom Got A Porsche

lorenichc

8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

Submitted by: Ragnar via Submit a Kludge! Favorite Comment: Fixer koobaxion says, “I can’t help but notice the sign’s ominous “Ding” “Dong”. You would assume it was a doorbell. That’s what they all assumed.”
Hot Fuzz

lorenichc

7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

Submitted by: Jacob via Submit a Kludge! Thanks for all the Fixers that pointed out that YOU TOO can be cool as a cop! Favorite Comment: Fixer Dogmeat says (in the late Billy May’s voice I assume), “The inflatable protect-o-cop fills with air in less than two minutes. Simply set him up to “keep an eye on things” while you take your time on an extended break. His lifelike appearance will make anyone in the area think twice about misbehaving! Just 5 easy payments of $19.95.”

How to of the Day
Low on Cash? Try Bartering.

9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Bartering is a way to trade goods and services directly, without any kind of currency. People have been bartering for centuries, but the Internet has opened up a whole new world of bartering possibilities. It is also eco-friendly because it encourages reuse. Find out how to set up one-time or on-going bartering for everything from food to personal care products to resort stays.
How to Hack Bicycle Tires into Studded Snow Tires

8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

To deal with that pesky ice and snow on your bike, you'll need traction. If your wallet is tight, then it's time for some real "MacGyver" style craftiness.
12 Simple Ways to Curb Your Appetite

8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Appetite is both a psychological and physical phenomenon. Sometimes we eat when we're bored, stressed, or just because it's "time" to eat, even though we're not really hungry. There are many weight loss programs and diet pills marketed as appetite suppressants; this article will show you some things you can do to decrease your appetite naturally.
How to Make Gluten Free Brownies

7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Yummy brownies!Just about everyone loves brownies. There are many brownie recipes, some of which may contain gluten. If you are on a diet and have to avoid gluten, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them! Here is an easy recipe for you to make and share.
How to Find a Quiet Beach in Oahu, Hawaii

7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Aside from sightseeing, learning about new cultures, food, and attractions, many people escape their hometown to seek peace and quiet from their chosen vacation destinations. When one thinks about Hawaii's beaches, the images of sunbathing, surfing, and other water activities year-round comes into mind. However, it may be discouraging when you find yourself at a crowded, noisy beach.

Organize IT
The Hidden Barriers Between You And Your Goals

James

8 Feb 2010 | 9:23 am

This is a guest post by Emma Newman of Post Apocalyptic Publishing. I once heard that former British Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher said “Happiness is a ticked off list”. I have no idea if that’s true, but regardless of how one might have felt about her politics, I can certainly relate to that statement. I always write a to-do list for every project, and having recently completed a major one, I realised something about the process that causes it all to break down. You see, as detailed as my lists are, I’ve realized that there are certain types of items that don’t…
Clutter 101: The 3 Golden Rules For A Decluttered Life

James

25 Jan 2010 | 9:21 am

I’ve written a lot about being organized and de-cluttering your life, in fact I did an entire book about it (you can download it for free here). It was one of the first big ‘lifehacks’ that I really mastered and it made such a difference to me. In fact I converted several other people, including my own parents, to the idea of decluttering (it backfired slightly because they started focusing on the stuff I’d left at their home when I’d got my own place). Recently I was asked how to maintain that blissful de-cluttered state. She’d followed this blog, checked…
Whole Lotta News: My Latest eBook Is Out, Plus The 2010 Weekly Planner, The Twitter List And A New Blog Design…

James

21 Jan 2010 | 11:52 am

I’ve been a bit busy these past few weeks getting the blog updated for 2010, so I thought I’d do one big post to share with you all what’s been happening. Firstly, you may have noticed it now has a new design. Gone is the sunflower theme which had absolutely nothing to do with the topic of the blog, and in its place is something a little more fitting (well I think so anyway). I wanted to avoid spending countless hours doing my own re-design so I bought a custom theme, and then ended up spending countless hours tweaking that instead (don’t ask). Anyways, I like it and I…
What Going To The Gym Taught Me About Achieving My Goals

James

18 Jan 2010 | 9:08 am

Several years ago I signed up to a gym. My attendance was patchy at best, despite all my intentions and it took a further two years, and changing to a different gym, before I finally got into a routine of going every week. Looking back, I think a lot of the problem was that I expected immediate results. I tried so many routines both at the gym and at home, from trying to go for regular jogs to simply doing pushups at home, only to ditch them within a month. My motivation would disappear because it was so heavily dependent on short term results. As any regular gym-goer will probably agree,…
Ask The Readers: Productivity, Personal Development, Lifestyle Design… What Best Sums It All Up For You?

James

14 Jan 2010 | 9:08 am

A couple of months ago I posed a little question on Twitter, having spent quite a bit of time figuring out how best to categorize Organize IT. I was surprised by the number of people who responded with their opinions and preferences. Productivity, personal development, lifestyle design, or other? What’s the name for all of this? What are all us bloggers actually writing about? And does it really matter what it gets called? Of course not, but it would be interesting to see what the general consensus is… When I started the blog in 2006, it was all about the productivity, fueled by…

Your Organizing Coach
Your Brain: Distracted

Claire Tompkins

3 Feb 2010 | 5:10 pm

Your brain craves novelty and will be distracted by it whenever it appears. Period. It's neuroscience.In his article about why it's hard to focus, David Rock explains that attention uses up brain resources, so it's limited (although more coffee sometimes helps). Also, there is always some kind of neural activity going on in your brain and that contributes to its restlessness and distractibility. To compound these problems, the effect of distraction tends to accelerate. That means once you start giving in to an urge to, say, check email by opening your email program, it will be much harder to…
January is Get Organized Month!

Claire Tompkins

14 Jan 2010 | 11:23 am

What? But it's already nearly half over! Claire, why didn't you tell me this before???Relax. Get Organized month is a just a friendly reminder that you should start working on that organizing project. What I want to emphasize today is to keep it simple. Pick just one thing that you can actually get done this month. Thus, you will fulfill the promise of Get Organized month.What one thing shall I pick? Get an inbox, or start using the one you have Make an appointment with yourself to sort through one box (one pile, one folder) this month. Make sure to budget time to put away/throw away/give…
Phone Coaching to Get You Organized

Claire Tompkins

11 Jan 2010 | 9:54 am

Getting yourself organized is not rocket science. Unless the Muppets' game "One of These Things Is Not Like the Others" left you scratching your head, you can sort stuff into categories. You're also capable of making decisions instead of adding to your teetering pile of things you'll decide on at some later, unspecified date (which, honestly, may never come).Jumping rope is not rocket science. Making and eating a healthy salad isn't rocket science. But people don't always do those things on their own. They hire personal trainers, or go to gym classes, or join Weight Watchers. Of course, you…
Tricks to Motivate You

Claire Tompkins

14 Dec 2009 | 3:06 pm

I answered a question on Linked In today about whether it's possible to become more disciplined. My answer wasn't really about discipline though, because that word turns me off. It makes me think of following rules, being punished if I don't, rigidity and fear. Ick.So my answer was about motivation instead. And tricks. Fun ways to get yourself to do stuff. If the end result of your work is something you really, really want, it's not hard to get motivated. If you don't want the result, why bother? Whatever project you're putting off, trace it back and find out what the original motivation was…
Top Ten Reasons that Getting Organized Brings Happiness

Claire Tompkins

2 Dec 2009 | 3:36 pm

At this time of year, there's a lot of talk about happiness. The holidays can be stressful so there are plenty of magazine articles about how to be happier in spite of them. Studies have shown that getting organized is one of the top ten or even top five of popular new year's resolutions. If you don't like making resolutions because they're too discouraging, check out my post on creating realistic ones.And now, here's why you should make that resolution: It makes your life easier It lifts stress and worry You’ve accomplished a goal that’s been on your list for years It’s positive self…

Daniel Richard
5 Keys To Creating Any Profitable Business In Less Than 30 Days

Daniel Richard

5 Feb 2010 | 1:09 am

cc – Photomish Dan Post written by Daniel Richard. Follow me on Twitter. Some of my friends have been asking me the following question, and since it’s been asked once too often, I think the answer itself deserves a post on the blog. “How do you get 5 businesses up in a single month?” Good question, and I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 answers that would probably help you get started. 1. Start with little. Alright, I don’t own all 5 of them. The first was a flop (“No one’s ever made their first jump.” ~ Matrix), I co-founded the 2nd (a…
How To Associate Investing Your Time, Money and Effort With Success

Daniel Richard

1 Feb 2010 | 8:45 pm

cc – David Prior Post written by Daniel Richard. Follow me on Twitter. Have you found yourself in a scenario when a friend said that he had made a “bad investment”? What’s worse when the person in question had been been making such “investments” for a prolonged period of time to no avail? in⋅vest⋅ment - the investing of money or capital in order to gain profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value. - a devoting, using, or giving of time, talent, emotional energy, etc., as for a purpose or to achieve something ~ Dictionary,…
Never Let Your Past Hold You Back

Daniel Richard

22 Jan 2010 | 1:35 am

cc – Simon Pais-Thomas Post written by Daniel Richard. Follow me on Twitter. Besides having fear that holds one back from making any progress, the other culprit that causes an individual to continually stay in the rut is his / her past. There were people who may have spoke negative words into the individual’s life, taught wrongly, belittled in public, constant discouragement, failed, and had a heck lot of garbage stored up as bad memories for the person—breaking free from that is seemingly impossible. I have my fair share of run-ins with such bad experiences. But the good…
What’s Your Theme For 2010?

Daniel Richard

15 Jan 2010 | 12:08 am

Post written by Daniel Richard. Follow me on Twitter. Not everyone are comfortable starting their new year afresh. Many people I know are still in the midst of settling down and realizing the fact that it’s already the 2nd week of 2010. A common question is usually brought up by friends around us. They’ll ask “what’s your goals for the year” to “what have you planned for 2010″. Those are good questions. However, I’m certain that there are people who could be intimidated by the thought of the words “plan” or “goals”. Not…
10 Actions to Getting Your Resolutions Done

Daniel Richard

3 Jan 2010 | 8:58 pm

Resolutions: the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc. ~ Resolutions definition, dictionary. Post written by Daniel Richard. Follow me on Twitter. On every new year, there are 10s or perhaps 100s of resolutions that we come up with and wanting to see them getting done. Not everyone is successful in doing so — not that they don’t put in effort — but there are others who try and do accomplish them. What they do is not only to just talk about their dreams and goals — resolutions are defined as an act, a course of…

How To Get Focused
When to Ditch the Keyboard and Start Hand-writing

Scott

9 Feb 2010 | 7:44 am

Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through your fingertips I have a question for you: Why did we even bother to learn handwriting and cursive if we rarely use it after elementary school? Today, high schools are filled with laptops and gadgets. Handwritten essays are only assigned for in-class exams. It’s the teacher’s way of ensuring nobody cheats. It was also their burden to decipher the student’s handwriting. But to them, it was worth the risk of cheating. No wonder people hate handwriting. The only time you have to do it is under the sweaty brow of a…
Facebook’s Battle For Your Focus

Scott

8 Feb 2010 | 2:00 pm

Facebook is the largest social network in the world. Additionally, Facebook specializes in creating an immersive user experience. Time flies when using Facebook because there’s so much stimuli in the environment. Games, apps, wall-posts, pokes; you name it, Facebook has it. But is this such a good thing? Is Facebook winning the battle against your focus? Are they succeeding in making you distracted and reaping huge revenue from it? Are they intentionally logging data from you that takes you away from what you were doing? Find out in my chapter, which I’ve released as a guest post…
Grow Your Mind and Increase Focus Through Reading

Scott

4 Feb 2010 | 8:10 am

“Reading is easy.” ”Reading is hard.” ”Reading is good.” ”Reading is bad.” The above statements are all true. You’ll experience any combo of the above depending on how you approach reading. My track record with reading likens itself to J-Lo’s acting career. I’m either really good, or really bad. I can digest a handful of books a month; and then follow it up by not reading for six months. In an age where everyone is flocking to tech, news and entertainment blogs, many are forgetting the fact that what you read is more…
RescueTime Founder, Tony Wright, On Life and Focus

Scott

3 Feb 2010 | 7:50 am

Tony Wright is the founder of RescueTime, a product that does everything the internet doesn’t do: makes you more productive and focused. RescueTime, a Y-Combinator start-up, allows you to easily understand and optimize how you and your team spends their time and attention. And the best part: you don’t have to do anything. You sign up and install RescueTime and then forget about it. The software runs in the background and analyzes how and where you spend your time on the computer. The results are rather shocking. Here’s some of the surprising stats observed by RescueTime:…
How to Audit Your Gadgets For Focus

Scott

30 Jan 2010 | 2:32 pm

Ever had a meal with someone that was constantly checking email on their phone? It comes off as annoying and rude to the other person. I was “that guy.” I was the guy that checked email when someone was in mid-sentence. I constantly checked email in front of people. At the time, I didn’t realize how rude it must have been. Probably because I didn’t care. I reasoned, “I’m busy–if I don’t check my email now, I’m being rude to those relying on a response from me.” That’s before I understood two things: The quality of time you…