Getting Things Done with 37signals’ Backpack - Why I’m Switching Back

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As some of my twitter friends noticed this week, I’ve made the switch back to Backpack as my primary GTD tool. Some found this surprising, given how heavily I’ve pimped Remember the Milk. This post will outline why I left RTM and why Backpack makes so much more sense (for me, anyway).

Let me get one thing out of the way - this post (and my aforementioned switch) is in now way an indictment on RTM as a service. They have an outstanding product and the sheer number of users they have will attest to that. Having said that, here is the main limitation I found with RTM as a digital tool for Getting Things Done:

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April 28, 2008 | Filed Under Digital GTD, GTD, Productivity Pr0n | 20 Comments 

11 Tips for Better Tech Support

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We’ve all been there. Something’s dreadfully wrong with your trusty computer - you can’t print, you can’t get on the web, you can’t play Bejeweled. For whatever reason, the problem is major enough to warrant one of the most desperate acts you can imagine - a phone call to tech support.

Now, before we dig in, let me tell you that I’ve done my time answering the tech support phone calls. I spent a good 3 years at it, so I have a pretty good idea what I’m talking about. And while I didn’t enjoy it for the most part, it was an enlightening experience. The support calls that were the most pleasant (or least unbearable, it could also be said) were with people who took the time to perform one or more of the steps I’m going to outline here. Trust me folks, this is the real freaking McCoy.

The key to making things work with your tech support representative is to make things easy for them. I know that there are a great many jackasses out there who feel some sense of entitlement and indignation when speaking to people in service roles, but believe me - you want them to be happy.

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April 21, 2008 | Filed Under Hacking Life, Practical, Technology | 37 Comments 

Cranking Widgets Theme Updated!

I hope everybody is doing well, and thanks for hanging in there during the last few weeks.

Just wanted to invite everybody (especially those of you reading this via your favorite RSS reader) to come by and take a gander at the new look. I’ve completely redone the layout for this site, the goal being simplicity and a more minimalist feel.

At any rate, I will be posting soon - I promise. For now, I’d love to hear what you guys think of the new theme!

April 17, 2008 | Filed Under Administrivia, Off-Topic | 6 Comments