In a recent interview we asked a number of people how they would advise creating a filing system from scratch. Then the readers of Productivity501 voted for the best one. Below are the answers arranged with the highest ranked answers at the top. Don't forget you can cast your vote for the remaining questions. Describe your paper filing system along with your advice for someone starting a filing system from scratch. I like a logical system. Ask yourself, where would I expect to find this? Keep and file only what's necessary. Tax records are, notes from a seminar are probably not. Once read and committed to memory that information will probably not be referred to again. Use … [Read more...] about Interview: Filing System from Scratch
Archives for May 2008
105 Free College Lectures
Here is a big list of 105 current college classes with free lectures online. Most of them have RSS feeds of podcasts you can subscribe to. If you like posts like this, consider subscribing to the RSS feed Make the most of your daily commute by taking advantages of these free classes. Some colleges may take the Podcasts down this summer, so I'd suggest downloading any lectures you want to listen to ahead of time--just in case they disappear. Advanced Analog Integrated Circuits EE 240 UC Berkeley RSS URL: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/rss/course-archive.php?seriesid=1906978506 Advanced Cell Biology BI 406 Northern Michigan University RSS URL: … [Read more...] about 105 Free College Lectures
Sync Calendar and Address Book
Quick Tip: Keeping your calendar and address book synchronized between you and your spouse's computers has a lot more benefits than it initially appears. Apple's .mac service does this well. Plaxo is another great tool for accomplishing this as well. … [Read more...] about Sync Calendar and Address Book
Proper Length Cables
Quick Tip: A lot of the wiring nightmares you see are caused by cables that are the wrong length. replacing your cables with ones that are exactly the right size can really help clean things up. If you can't find the right sized cable, use black electricians tape to hold the excess. … [Read more...] about Proper Length Cables
American Airlines Suitcase Charge
American Airlines is going to start charging an extra $15 if you want to check a suitcase to help with the high cost of fuel. I've heard that some airlines are considering charing passengers "by the pound" so the cost of your ticket better reflects the cost of the fuel required to move you from point A to point B. What do you think? Would you mind paying for flights based on your weight? … [Read more...] about American Airlines Suitcase Charge
Reader Question – College or No?
Should I drop out of college? Probably not. If you feel like it is too expensive, consider attending a less expensive in-state school. You should be able to get a college degree spending less than $5000 per year on tuition, books, and fees. If you are willing to work hard, you should be able to get a job while attending school that will cover many of your living expenses as well as your school fees so you can graduate without any debt. Getting a full time summer job can help give you enough of a financial cushion to cover anything you can't earn during the school year. Four years of living frugally is well worth having a bachelors degree. Your diploma won't guarantee you a high paying … [Read more...] about Reader Question – College or No?
Milestone
Someone introduced me as an "A-list" blogger last week. While I know I'm not, it was still something of a milestone as I've never been introduced that way before. … [Read more...] about Milestone
Computer: Replace or Upgrade
Quick Tip: If you are looking at getting a new computer, make sure it will really benefit you. Often simply increasing the RAM and reinstalling the OS will make your machine much faster at a fraction of the cost of a new one. … [Read more...] about Computer: Replace or Upgrade
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
Efficient Reading
Quick Tip: It is easy to spend hours browsing news sites on the web. Give yourself a limited amount of time to look for anything important. Better yet, set Google Alerts to notify you once each day of any news stories you think are important. … [Read more...] about Efficient Reading
Hard Drive Instead of CDs
Quick Tip: If you use a lot of CDroms, consider copying them to your hard drive instead. If you have more than will fit, see about getting an external hard drive. A drive about the size of a deck of cards can easily hold as much as 50 CDs. … [Read more...] about Hard Drive Instead of CDs
Prewritten Cards
Quick Tip: If you send out a bunch of birthday cards, consider doing them all at once. Write the date they need to be sent where the stamp goes and keep them in chronological order. When you mail them out the stamp will cover the date. … [Read more...] about Prewritten Cards
Outsourcing Efficiently
Quick Tip: The idea of outsourcing some of your daily tasks to someone else is very attractive. However, if it is easy to do, then it may indicate you weren't operating very efficiently in the first place. Make sure you aren't just moving busy work from your plate to someone else. First fix the process, then delegate. … [Read more...] about Outsourcing Efficiently
Reader Question – Guns and Safety Deposit Boxes
Can I keep a gun in a safety deposit box? I talked with someone in the safety deposit department of a large national bank in Kansas City and they said it was not allowed. Even if it was, there is the issue of taking a gun into the bank in the first place. Many banks have security devices behind the scenes that are watching for these types of things. The individual I spoke with couldn't tell me about the bank's security system, but he made it clear that bringing a gun into a bank would not be a very wise thing to do--even if you were just going to put it in the safety deposit box. I also talked to the VP at a small bank in Oklahoma. He said it wouldn't be a problem at his bank if they … [Read more...] about Reader Question – Guns and Safety Deposit Boxes
Buying Software
Quick Tip: Don't avoid buying software when it will save you time. I found a $150 piece of software that automates a task I was paying $1,000 per month to have someone else do. … [Read more...] about Buying Software
Productivity501 on StumbleUpon
Consider adding Productivity501 as a friend on StumbleUpon. … [Read more...] about Productivity501 on StumbleUpon
Interview: Cause of Disorganization
What is the single biggest mistake you see people make that causes disorganization? Not following simple daily routines and systems. It is really easy to spiral into disorganization and chaos in any area of life. Success all comes back to basically two things: systems or routines that make sense for our life and our goals, and daily discipline to maintain them. If routines and systems are optional, there will be way too many days we end up not following them. As soon as we even start thinking about not sticking to our simple routines, we begin to spiral into disorganization. Melissa Michaels from The Inspired Room (rss) It tends to be the little things that are done consistently that … [Read more...] about Interview: Cause of Disorganization
Good Bookshelves
Quick Tip: When buying bookshelves beware of particle board shelves. They are usually decorative and not designed to hold the weight of real books. After a few months they will bow and eventually dump your books on the floor. You can sometimes glue or screw a board to the bottom of each shelf to improve its strength, but solid wood is a better option. … [Read more...] about Good Bookshelves
Jumpstart Creativity at the Library
Quick Tip: When you need an injection of creativity, consider spending an hour browsing your local library. I find that the change in environment and letting my mind explore whatever it feels like is a great way to great way to get into a creative mindset. … [Read more...] about Jumpstart Creativity at the Library
Lowering Gas Prices
While visiting relatives last week I saw some television. Since we don't have a TV hooked up to watch any type of broadcast programming, it was interesting to see some of the things that are on now days. On one show (I think it was the O'Reilly Factor) the host was interviewing someone who had written a book about oil, oil prices or something like that. The host kept asking the guy "so who sets the price of oil." The author tried to explain that it was a market, but the O'Reilly didn't seem to get it and asked, "so does OPEC set the price of oil?" Then I saw on the news that several presidential candidates are contemplating a gas tax holiday during the summer months. This leads me to … [Read more...] about Lowering Gas Prices
Productivity Family Tree
Mike Pierre wrote a cute post at lifehack.org that mentions this site. I'm listed as the "up-and-coming son" with the "arguably most stylish productivity website". … [Read more...] about Productivity Family Tree
Cleaning Supplies
Quick Tip: Keeping a rag and bottle of Windex near your desk can make it much easier to keep your work area clean. … [Read more...] about Cleaning Supplies
Handheld Copy Machine
Quick Tip: A digital camera can serve as a simple hand held copy machine. If you need a copy of a rebate before mailing it in, just snap a photo. Want a copy of a deposit before mailing it off? Grab your camera. … [Read more...] about Handheld Copy Machine
Reader Question – Emailing Your Boss
How to write emails to your boss Don't try to impress with the length of your email. Most of the time they will appreciate a short and to the point message. If you need to explain something in more detail, consider listing the main points as bullets at the top and add the rest of your explanation at the bottom or as an attachment. This allows them to quickly grasp the issue without reading through several hundred words. Another advantage of a short message is that it is more likely to get read. If your boss is busy, they may read a short email and leave longer ones to be read later. You can help your boss prioritize your emails, by adding a short code in the subject. For example, … [Read more...] about Reader Question – Emailing Your Boss
Simple Todo List
There are many different ways to manage your todo list. I am currently having the most luck with a single sheet of paper placed in the center of my desk. I draw a line across the middle. The things above the the line are the things I must complete. The things below are the other items I think of during the day. I write big so I can only fit a finite number of items on the page. For right now this is working very well. … [Read more...] about Simple Todo List
Vote Again
With well over 3,000 votes in the Organization category, we are ready to move on to the Personal Development section. So take a few minutes to vote for your favorite answers. You just select a question that looks interesting and then select the best answer from the two presented. When you stop seeing any new interesting answers, just move on to another question. … [Read more...] about Vote Again
Paperless with the Kindle
James Harris has some interesting thoughts on going paperless when it comes to magazines. In particular he looks at how his Kindle has changed the way he reads. I have a Sony Reader which uses a similar screen and I agree with him that it is a very pleasurable way to read. Here are some quotes from his post. We are really very close to having a paperless society that pundits have talked about every since I can remember. People always exclaim they hate reading off the computer screen even though they spend hours a day doing so. Now the Kindle offers a better way to read, even better than paper, and that starts to suggest going paperless is possible. I'm a little less optimistic. I … [Read more...] about Paperless with the Kindle
Vote: Best Organization Tip
We have been interviewing a number of people for their best tips in a number of areas. Now we need your help to vote for the best tip. Select a question from the list and vote for the best answer. They answers you are show are selected at random so once you start to see a bunch of repeats, move on to another question. … [Read more...] about Vote: Best Organization Tip
Reader Question – Hanging Folders
How do you use hanging folders? I use hanging folders to hold regular manilla folders. So I may have a hanging folder for "Personal Taxes" and another for "Business Taxes". Then within each of those folders, I'll have one for each year "2004 Personal Taxes", "2005 Personal Taxes", etc. (I talked about this in a previous Tuesday's Tip.) Many people organize their files alphabetically. This isn't a bad idea, but if you have a few files, it may be slower than some of the alternatives. For example: Every time you use a hanging folder put it in the front of the drawer. That way the most frequently used folders are always in the front and the less frequently used folders slowly make their way … [Read more...] about Reader Question – Hanging Folders
Links On Remote Assistants
I asked my remote executive assistant to put together a list of a few posts that discuss working with a remote/virtual assistant. Below are the results: The Personal Outsourcing Olympics: Bangalore Butler or American Assistant? - Tim Ferriss Very appealing but informative article on the latest trend of entrepreneurs - Outsourcing. Having had a positive experience on all the jobs assigned to a virtual assistant, the author invites others to give their comments through this article. For a novice at outsourcing, he has chalked names of reputed companies in this field. How to get your virtual assistant to schedule your doctor’s appointments - Ramit Sethi Should you have problems … [Read more...] about Links On Remote Assistants