Though many people don't give a second thought about getting adequate rest, those that struggle with insomnia know that lack of sleep can have a very detrimental effect on one's productivity. According to this article from the National Sleep Foundation, "about half of Americans report sleep difficulty, at least occasionally." With this many people being affected, sleep deprivation may be the cause of some things we never would have associated with it before. Effects of Sleep Deprivation Many of us have walked into work and seen sleepy or irritable co-workers struggling to concentrate on their daily tasks. However, one of the things that we often miss is the loss of productivity … [Read more...] about Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
drop.io Review
In today's business world, it is very important to be able to share information in a safe and secure fashion. While email attachments can take care of some kinds of file sharing, there is a limit to the size of file attachments. This is where a tool such as drop.io becomes useful. However, drop.io is far from being a simple file sharing service, although it remains simple to use. Some of the abilities this tool possesses are the options to view the uploaded files in a media, blog or system view, record voice mail for the drop, and many others. How drop.io works Drop.io works by creating specific information storage spaces for information uploaded through "drops." Users can share … [Read more...] about drop.io Review
Redeeming Your Time
Whether you run a home business or simply want to be more productive with your time each day, time tracking tools are a technological aid that can diagnose tasks that are efficient and those that are not worth the time invested in them. The time tracking tools that are available today are customized to suite different needs and preferences and help make productivity an achievable goal. We thought that our readers would find a list of time tracking tools useful, as well as a bit of information about each one. Rescue Time This tool offers time tracking service in a neatly organized package that is easy to install and operate. Rescue Time works by tracking which applications the user … [Read more...] about Redeeming Your Time
Personal Development: Continual Improvement
We asked a number of bloggers: "How do you make sure that you are continually growing and learning new things?" There answers provide some great starting points for creating your own personal improvement plan. (3638) I try to remain curious. I constantly challenge my own thinking ... even when I don't want to. Take blogging for example. I thought it was a fad and refused to get involved. But after a while I wondered why I was adamantly against it ... and I opened up my sense of curiosity and jumped in. Being curious opens you to the world of new ideas and challenges your own sense of the status quo. Feeding your curiosity ensures you are always learning. Gavin Heaton from … [Read more...] about Personal Development: Continual Improvement
Going Paperless – Other Resources
There use to be serious technical hurdles to creating a paperless office. That isn't the case any more. The components of a paperless office are readily available and not particularly expensive. Read on for some great resources that will help you "go paperless". 8 Tips for Going Paperless-Sheila Riley Now that technology offers so many different options for organizing documents and facilitating communication, using telecommunication instead of regular mail is a good option for many people. This article gives some ideas that were developed and used by the Blue Valley school district in Overland Park, KS. The Perils and Perks of Going Paperless-James Champy As technology … [Read more...] about Going Paperless – Other Resources
10 Articles on Exercise
Plan Your Meals and Exercise in Advance-The Office Diet Sometimes it is easy to fall out of a routine that requires daily effort to continue. For those that are trying to cut back on calories, it is no different. This article gives readers some helpful tips on how to stay organized with their meal and exercise planning on the road to success. Why Exercise Can Reduce Anxiety-Overcoming Social Anxiety For those of us that feel stressed in crowded places or even around a few people, perhaps regular exercise would be a valid option to help eliminate those feelings of anxiety. In this article the author speaks about how exercise has been a proven method for dealing with social anxiety. 5 … [Read more...] about 10 Articles on Exercise
Box.net Review
Collaboration on large, complex projects can be a big hassle. Giving out hard copies can create an even bigger mess if someone loses his or her copy of the information! Most of the time it is just plainly more productive to solve a problem once and for all, instead of solving that same dilemma multiple times. The people at Box.net have come up with a neat new way to share and edit information efficiently, making it possible to access all informational aspects of a project in the same place! This product streamlines the communication between team members or departments efficiently and competently. However, although Box.net is a logical choice for the workplace, it could also be used for … [Read more...] about Box.net Review
Continuing Links of Interest…
How to Have a Civil Political Debate-Art of Manliness Often, political debates are marred by improper approaches to presenting opposing ideas. This article would be helpful to anyone that is looking to improve their debate etiquette. New Workspace-Behance Magizine With fuel prices on the rise, there is a growing movement towards telecommuting and working from home. This article is an interesting read that examines the drawbacks and benefits of working from home. Why iPhone Owners Don't Need Wallets-The Cranking Widgets Blog At times, clutter can become very overwhelming. However, this article looks at a new way to reduce the amount of clutter in your wallet! 5 Ways to Fall Asleep … [Read more...] about Continuing Links of Interest…
10 Articles on Managing Email
Managing Email: The Great American Timesuck-CEO Blog Though email was intended to make our lives easier, sometimes it does just the opposite! This article provides a list of suggestions that would be helpful to anyone that feels slightly buried by the mountain of messages lurking in the corners of their inboxes. Sharepoint: Managing Access Request Emails-Shankar's Musings At times, programs dealing with email can become slightly confusing because of the convolutions one must go through to work with them. This article offers some helpful advice for those that need a few tips dealing with access request emails. Managing Email Stress-Nicky Jurd Sometimes, though we know what needs to be … [Read more...] about 10 Articles on Managing Email
Development: Make yourself smarter
In this interview we asked people: What is the best way you have found to make yourself smarter and more valuable? Below are the answers with the highest voted ones at the top. Read, read and read. Then act and implement. Rinse and repeat. Joel from Joel Falconer (rss) There are few things that are as valuable as a regular plan for reading over your entire lifetime. Listen, listen, and then listen some more. Notice the patterns in everything. Notice what is good before you try to fix what could be better. Notice the way things work instead of wishing things were different. Accept what is before you try to change it. Surrender to what you cannot change. Truly care … [Read more...] about Development: Make yourself smarter
Personal Development: How do you know it is time to look for a different job?
We are getting back to posting the answers to our interview questions. I've found it is interesting to hear how individuals decide it is time to move on to another job. Here are the answers from the people we interviewed. If you have a method you use, please share in the comments. I think when you start counting down -- hours to the end of the day, days to Friday, weeks to vacation -- it is time to start finding something more fulfilling. Wishing your life away is no way to live -- when you are doing something deeply satisfying, time disappears and each day becomes exhilarating! Kristen from BOOK CLUB CLASSICS (rss) I think we underestimate the value of a minute spent doing … [Read more...] about Personal Development: How do you know it is time to look for a different job?
10 Articles on Working from Home
High-Paying Work-from-Home Jobs-AOL This article describes several different ways that a person can work from home and still earn a good salary. The list includes many different options from several areas requiring various skills. Some of the job suggestions include running a travel agency, Medical claims processing, graphics design, property managing etc. Going Green by Working from Home-Sun It is interesting how gas prices and other environmental factors have inadvertently encouraged many companies to "go green". Sun has made it an option for some of their employees to work from home about 2 days per week. This small change has allowed employees to save approx. $1,700 in gas costs and … [Read more...] about 10 Articles on Working from Home
Omnifocus Review
In our lives, as tasks build up, stress tends to build proportionally with the number of them that are present in our memories. In addition to worrying about the time needed to finish these tasks and the skills required to accomplish them, many of us are stuck worrying that we will forget what we needed to do in the first place! For those of us that need a bit of a hand in writing down and categorizing our everyday to-do list, the team at Omnifocus has produced a remarkable software product that allows a person to put tasks into a system that gives them the ability to prioritize, categorize and organize their tasks in a way that seems logical to that person. The best feature of Omnifocus is … [Read more...] about Omnifocus Review
10 Articles on Creating the Perfect Resume
A Professional Resume is Essential- Carla Vaughan According to Carla Vaughan, writing an impressive resume is not as difficult as one might initially think. The important headings for the content of your resume are your contact information, education and objectives as well as a few others. Because many employers simply scan resumes, these headings are essential to the creation of a well-written resume. How to Create a Resume that Gets Results-Penny Loretto In this article, Penny Loretto describes the importance of a resume. She highlights the purpose of a resume by pointing out that it should work toward the ultimate goal of providing the interested party an interview, and perhaps, the … [Read more...] about 10 Articles on Creating the Perfect Resume
Fruitfultime Task Manager 2 Review
Many of us struggle with keeping our lives in proper order. It is nothing new, and there are many ways in which to attempt to prioritize one's tasks and manage one's time. There are a plethora of different programs available to the public that are meant to make a person's life simpler and more productive by assisting that person with the organization of their daily routine. However, this is not to say that all of these programs are equally useful and user-friendly. The developers of FruitfulTime Task Manager have put much thought and time into their latest version of the Task Manager, making it easier to use, more useful and less complex, in the very best sense of the word. Fruitfultime … [Read more...] about Fruitfultime Task Manager 2 Review
Review of Shoeboxed.com
At times, the amount of paperwork that one person has do deal with can become extremely overwhelming. Many people find that a pile of unorganized paper can have drastic effects on the amount of work that they accomplish. For many of us, the motivation to organize the chaos is sometimes too much to even contemplate. However, an enterprising business has found a way to make the lives of the ordinary person much simpler. Shoeboxed.com is an organization that provides a service that categorizes and organizes your receipts in a hassle-free manner. There are several levels of service that the company provides. One is the free version, in which you must scan in or direct your online order … [Read more...] about Review of Shoeboxed.com
Articles on Sleep
Sleep is one of those little things we often overlook that can make or break our productivity. Here are 10 great articles with tips and thoughts on how to get the most out of your sleep. If you know of any other great articles on sleep, please add them in the comments. Good Sleep, Good Learning, Good Life-Dr. Pitor Wozniak Although many Western civilizations may consider the traditional "siesta" of the Latin American countries to be out-dated, research shows that these short naps are rich in NREM sleep, and improve alertness during the day. Napping may also provide relief from severe sleep deprivation, and also may play a significant role in memory consolidation. Sleep's Healing … [Read more...] about Articles on Sleep