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- Describing Twitter in Plain English
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Describing Twitter in Plain English
I’m a big fan of Twitter (even though we’ve had our differences in the past - mostly due to my not “getting it”). While my updates may not be as fast, furious or incessant as some of the people whom I follow, I do try to pop on there as often as is feasible without completely kneecapping my productivity at work and home.
Whenever I mention Twitter to my non-techie friends and family, I’m often asked what it is and I can never quite articulate it without making it sound like some über-nerd service that only computer people use. It’s frustrating, because it’s such a fun service (and potential time sink - you’ve been warned, uninitiated readers) and I really wish more people used it.
Fortunately, I found this great video (via Twitter, oddly enough) that does a fantastic job of explaining just what Twitter actually is and why it’s so freakin’ cool.
Why I Never Turn Off My Cell Phone
One of the major tenets of this whole personal productivity dance is the elimination of distraction. Many productivity-related sites and blogs (including this one) espouse everything from the closing of email clients and instant messenger applications to the wearing of headphones as possible ways to reduce “background noise” while working. Another one that I hear tossed around is the turning off of the cell phone. Personally, I don’t partake in this particular piece of the pie.
Not long ago, my wife was pregnant with our first child. As the due date drew closer, there was the looming possibility of her going into labor at any moment, including the moments when I was at work. At the time, my job (and the culture of the company) dictated that I would have random, lengthy, ad hoc meetings in the halls of the office. Whenever these normally took place and I received a call from her, I’d hit the little “ignore” key and send her to voice mail. She understood that this meant that I was either talking to somebody or otherwise occupied. But, due to the imminent arrival of our son, we had to develop a system so I would know that the call she was making was “the call”. If I got a call, sent it to voice mail and immediately got another call, that meant that something important was happening and I needed to speak to her.
You Know, I’m a Terribly Interesting Guy…
And for that reason, I know all of you are just itching to chew the fat with yours truly.
So, being the benevolent, emotionally available blogger that I am, I’ve added a couple Meebo widgets to this here blog that give you, my dear reader, immediate access to me. Check the left hand side of all the pages on this site, or you can use the big boy on the contact page.
Please feel free to say “hi”, “you suck” or whatever you’d like. I’m typically on during business hours (Pacific Time), but you can leave me a message even if I’m not on.
Cheers!
The Single Biggest Enemy of Workplace Productivity
If you asked 100 people what keeps them from accomplishing their goals, completing tasks at the office, etc., I imagine you’d hear answers like “procrastination”, “interruptions” and the like. And while those things are definitely formidable foes in their own right, I believe there’s a single object that, for all the benefits it brings, hampers our overall effectiveness more than any of the aforementioned, abstract notions.
This object is one that veils itself in a shroud of almost magical power. It can take you around the world, show you things you’ve never dreamed of seeing, teach you just about anything you could possibly want to know - and even tell you when your prescriptions are ready to be picked up…
6 Ways to Limit Interruptions at Work (That You Can Use Right Now)
Given the type of work that I do, I spend a great deal of time not talking to anybody and just thinking and typing. I do my best work when I can guarantee (which I usually can’t) several solid hours of total solitude. Nobody walking up to my desk asking me questions, no pop-ups telling me I have new email, no ringing phone. Just me and my computer working in blissful harmony.
Unfortunately, this is rarely possible. Tech support has questions, my boss needs status on a project and Jeff wants to know where we’re going for lunch. It’s less than idea, but it’s reality. The good news is, you can easily cut down on the number of times Bob from Accounting taps you on the shoulder about something or other. Here’s the list of time-tested strategies I’ve come up with to get people who walk up to your desk to take one look at you, then turn around and leave:
Heightened Creativity through… Jazz?
Glen over at LifeDev posted this article dealing with Jazz bringing you up a couple notches as far as the old thinker goes. Personally, I enjoy a moderate amount of Jazz, but I find I do my best work when listening to really aggressive genres (hardcore, metal, etc.). I’m not sure the neurologists of the world would agree with me, but I find that music that is upbeat and gets my toes tapping is the most effective way to get me really cranking at work. Electronic music and some tribal, Bollywood-ish type music comes to mind, as well.
What about you guys? Anybody have any special recipes for getting the juices flowing? I’m always interested to hear what types of music people enjoy while working!
Technorati Tags: music, productivity, life hacks
Feel Like You’re Not Getting Anything Done? Small Victories Can Help…
I don’t know about you, but many of the items on my project list are pretty monstrous. The kind of thing I look at during my weekly review and feel just a little ill. This is especially true of my projects at work, many of which will take several weeks to complete. It can really take the wind out of your sails when you spend a full day working on something and make very little progress.
Because of this looming cloud that tends to develop over my head, I’ve sought refuge in the hands of the small victory. Whenever I’m feeling particularly unproductive, I find something easy on my lists; something I can hammer out in a few minutes, and glory in the swift, deliberate stroke of my pen as I strike it off. A couple of those and I’m ready and raring to attack the problem project with the vigor of a thousand tigers. Well, maybe more like 250…
David Allen actually mentioned something like this during his interview with Merlin Mann when he talked about how you could tell he was putting off a big project by how great his house looked. I feel the same way, except I don’t view it so much as an escape as I do a mental preparation for “the big one”
Anybody else have any strategies for dealing with a real pain-in-the-ass project?
Technorati Tags: gtd, stress, productivity
Workplace Tip: Keep Your Field of Vision Clear
This is one of those ‘duh’ things, but being a bit on the dim side, I’m a bit late in discovering this.
From the time I started doing GTD up until a couple of days ago, my in-basket on my desk at work was immediately to the left of my computer. So, if there was anything in it, I was constantly glancing over thinking “I should really process my in-basket” when the time wasn’t appropriate. I needed to actually be working. So, I made an executive decision and moved my in-basket to the other end of my desk where it won’t be invading my peripheral vision while I’m doing my work.
Since then, I’ve noticed a marked increase in my ability to focus and fewer instances of wandering eyes. It’s been marvelous 
This would probably also be good advice for people with pictures of their families and other knick-knacks that flank their workspace. My kid is adorable, but having him smiling back at me from the cube wall isn’t conducive to churning out quality code. “The Zone” is the ultimate goal here (not the fad diet, the state in which time disappears and you’re totally immersed in whatever you’re working on).
If you find yourself glancing at the stuff piled up around your work that isn’t related to your work, try moving it somewhere where you can’t see it. It’s certainly benefited me…
Technorati Tags: work, productivity, distractions
Productivity Starts with a Clear Mind - and a Clear Desk
During his initial description of the collecting process, David Allen talks about taking everything off of (and, in some cases, out of) your desk and plopping it into your in-basket for processing (whether it will ultimately translate into a task/project notwithstanding). Having a desk at home (which I share with my wife) and a desk at the office (all mine), I’ve come to realize just how great an impact the state of your work area can have on productivity. Much like you can tell a lot about a man by his shoes, you can tell quite a bit about a person’s mental state by looking at their work area.
With regards to my co-desk at home, I’ve taken to adding a quick cleaning of the desk to my weekly review. My wife (not a GTDer - yet) has a few small stacks of paper/letters/bills/etc. that she keeps in the corner of the desk, as well as a few odds and ends that may get left out over the course of the week. This isn’t really a problem, per se, but I’m somewhat anal about the state of my work area. Which leads me to my work desk…
Now, I’d like to tell you that I run a tight ship while I’m at work, but that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. I’ve got my in-basket, index cards, paper clips, etc. - all the essentials. The problem is the right-most side of the area (that I can’t see while facing my computer). That tends to become the “toss it over my shoulder and deal with it later” area. Clearly, this won’t do. A personal goal I’ve set for myself is to make a thorough desk-cleaning party of my review at work (I’ll explain why I do two reviews some other time - suffice it to say, it’s the best method I’ve come up with thus far).
I know I’m not saying anything new here, but I look at keeping a clean desk in much the same way I look at keeping a clean head - maintenance is required
Technorati Tags: gtd, productivity, work, desks, clarity
Distraction Hack: Protecting Me from Myself During the Weekly Review
If you’re like me, you probably don’t have many places where you can comfortably execute a weekly review. You probably have a desk that’s also likely to be holding the monitor on which you are reading this, or maybe you have a nice dining room table. As for me, it’s pretty much just my desk (since that’s where my “home base” is, as far as filing and such), which happens to also have my monitor on it. Figure that!
Anyway, it should also be said that I’m capable of spending hours, nay, days in front of a computer without getting bored. There’s always something interesting to read or futz around with, at least for me. Having said that, it’s rather difficult for me to sit at my desk for any length of time without my hands creeping onto the keyboard. So, in true GTD-newbie fashion, I came up with a solution to protect me from myself when doing my weekly review (or mental sweep). I give you what I’ve affectionately dubbed The Monitor Curtain. Here’s how I made it:
- Blank Paper (2 Sheets, but you may need more depending on the size of your monitor), 3-hole punched
- 2 Paper clips
- Stapler
- Tape (if you have a CRT monitor)
Take the two sheets of paper and overlap them so that they will cover the greatest amount of surface area and staple them together. Then, take the paper clips and bend them so that they form crude hooks, leaving one of the original bends in place. Hook the paper clips through the holes in the paper, then hang the whole mess over your display. Voila.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Can’t you just turn your monitor off?” or “Yeah, that’s dumb”. Well, I can’t turn the monitor off because my display is an Apple display and the power button controls the computer power. And yes, it is sorta dumb since I can just take the thing off. The point of my little invention is to put an extra layer of pain-in-the-ass-edness between me and drone-like internet browsing when I should be doing something productive. I like to think of it as a small reminder of what I ought not to be doing, should I be tempted to stray from the task at hand.
Anyway, my first foray into hacking life is complete. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Technorati Tags: lifehacks, productivity, distractions
