Productivity501

Pieces of the productivity puzzle.

You are here: Home / Archives for 2009

Archives for 2009

4 Reasons You Should Use a Credit Card

By 40 Comments

When you pay off the balance each month, most credit cards don't charge you anything. This can be one of the best ways to manage your finances. Below are four reasons you should consider using a credit card. 1. Avoiding Fraud Debit cards and checks are some of the worst ways to pay for anything. Sticking with credit cards or cash can save you a lot of money. Pretty much anything you do involves risk. When you carry around $50 in your pocket, there is a risk that you might lose it or get robbed. When you give a credit card to a waitress, there is a risk that she might steal the number. When you write a check at the grocery store, there is a risk that someone might take your … [Read more...] about 4 Reasons You Should Use a Credit Card

New Fujitsu Scanner

By 6 Comments

If you've been following my paperless office experiment,  you  might be interested in Fujitsu's new ScanSnap model.  The S1500M for Mac and S1500 for Windows looks to replace the 500 line.  Most of the specs are similar, but the 1500s have some more advanced paper handling and sensing to prevent double feeds. … [Read more...] about New Fujitsu Scanner

Personal Productivity from Management Theory – Ouchi

By 2 Comments

This is the fourth of a four part series examining management theories and how they can help us understand our own personal productivity. William Ouchi was born in 1943 and raised in Honolulu.  He earned his Ph.D from the University of Chicago and is currently on faculty at the University of California. Ouchi studied the different work cultures of America and Japan.  In America, he found the "Cowboy" culture, where people are rewarded for their individual efforts and employees are acting out of what is good for themselves in the short term. Americans tend to value people who are mavericks and accomplish stuff even if they work against the "system" to do so.  In America, it is common … [Read more...] about Personal Productivity from Management Theory – Ouchi

Adobe Create PDF/Share Review

By 11 Comments

Adobe has produced many useful and efficient tools throughout the past years. At www.acrobat.com, Adobe has grouped several different tools that aid productivity. One of these programs is Adobe Create PDF. In this article by Abby Randal, the author lists 10 Advantages of PDF Files. They are compact, universally compatible, and can be created from any source document or application. Adobe Create PDF allows the user to upload a limit of 5 different files to convert to PDF format. How it works Adobe Create PDF is very simple to use. All the user needs to do is click the "Browse" button to upload a file from their own computer to be converted. It is that … [Read more...] about Adobe Create PDF/Share Review

Personal Productivity from Management Theory – McGregor

By 4 Comments

This is the third in a four part series examining the relationship between management theories and personal productivity. Douglas McGregor lived from 1906 to 1964 and was a professor at MIT.  Four years before his death, he published his theory on management, which is known as theory X and theory Y. Theory X is that employees are lazy and don't want to work.  Under this theory, managers must create very structured environments in order for work to get done.  They don't trust the employees and often see themselves in competition with them.  This leads to managers who run their business as a dictatorship. Theory Y is a different way for managers to look at their employees.  It is … [Read more...] about Personal Productivity from Management Theory – McGregor

Personal Development: How important is college?

By 12 Comments

The role of a college education has changed over the years. To get an idea of how people view the importance of college I asked a number of bloggers:  How important is a college education? (4039) While independent learning and personal growth through books, seminars, and networking can significantly bring you closer to your professional career goal, a college education is important for the following reasons. The exposure to a wide variety of subjects expands your understanding of the world. As an effect, it will help you communicate with individuals from other professional fields down the road, while understanding the interrelationships their work may have on yours. The … [Read more...] about Personal Development: How important is college?

Personal Productivity from Management Theory – Maslow

By 4 Comments

This is the second of a four part series examining how management theory can be applied to help improve one's personal productivity. Abraham Maslow lived from 1908 to 1970.  He started studying Law in New York, but soon transferred to University of Wisconsin where he switched to psychology and earned a Ph.D by 1934. Maslow developed a theory known as the hierarchy of human needs.  This hierarchy is usually represented as a pyramid.  On the bottom are needs such as food and shelter--the basic needs of the human body.  At the top of the pyramid are the categories of esteem with self actualization (reaching your potential) at the top.  Here is a representation of the … [Read more...] about Personal Productivity from Management Theory – Maslow

Digital Letterhead

By 2 Comments

PDF For Laywers has a nice discussion about the benefits of using a digitized letter head.  Basically he recommends creating a letter head that is part of your word processor template so you can print your letter and letter head together (to paper or to a PDF). Some good thoughts and worth a read for people experimenting with paperless offices. … [Read more...] about Digital Letterhead

Getting the Most Out of Magazines

By 4 Comments

I subscribe to a number of magazines and newspapers.  Here are some of the strategies I use to get the most out of them while keeping the time commitment to a reasonable level. Skim - I'm not looking to fully read every article.  Much of the time, the first few paragraphs and a quick glance over any charts will tell me what I need to know. TOC - The table of contents is another useful item for skimming.  I usually prefer to skim the actual articles as well, but the TOC gives you a good feel for what might be interesting. Cut - I have a handy little paper cutter that slides down the page right next to the bound edge.  I cut out any articles that look like they might be worth more … [Read more...] about Getting the Most Out of Magazines

Safety Tips

By Leave a Comment

Safety is something we don't usually think about ahead of time, and hindsight isn't usually very effective in this area.  Here are eight things you should consider when thinking about basic safety practices. Fire Extinguisher - Fire extinguishers are specially designed to put out the types of fires you might have in your house without causing the fire to spread.  Throwing water on an electrical or grease fire may make things worse.  Keeping an extinguisher handy helps ensure that you'll have something effective to use if it is needed. First Aid Kit - This is particularly important to have in your car.  Our first aid kit contains a variety of bandages, disinfectants and pain … [Read more...] about Safety Tips

Personal Productivity from Management Theory

By 2 Comments

This is the introduction to a four-part series that will explore three management theories and how they relate to personal productivity.  This may seem odd, but if management is the art of accomplishing work through other people, then personal productivity can be seen as being effective at managing yourself.  By examining the methods of motivating others, we can become more skilled in motivating ourselves. Here are the three theorists we are going to look at: Abraham Maslow - Hierarchy of Human Needs Douglas McGregor - Theory X and Theory Y William Ouchi - Theory Z (Cultural Management) Most people will be familiar with Maslow's theories.  McGregor is less well known. Most of … [Read more...] about Personal Productivity from Management Theory

Take the Time to Play

By 15 Comments

I have a theory.  Since I will probably never have the resources to try to prove it, the next best thing is to share it with readers and see what type of feedback I get.  My theory is this:  There is a direct relationship between your maximum creative output and the amount and quality of time you spend doing non-work activities. The idea is that you will never reach your full potential for efficiency and productivity without significant investments in non-work, fun activities.  If all your time is spent working,  you will accomplish less than if you leave some time to relax and pursue recreational activities. I think this only holds true for creative-type work.  If you are simply … [Read more...] about Take the Time to Play

Global Perspective

By 6 Comments

As we interact more and more with people from other countries, it is becoming increasingly important to have global perspective. This isn't something US citizens are particularly good at. If you watch the news, you are more likely to see a story on Britney Spears' dog groomer than information about educational issues in Africa. Part of this is because the US is large and only connected to two other countries. Most of it is because Americans don't particularly care what is going on elsewhere. Here are some simple things you can do that will help you see the world from perspectives other than your own. Put $250 into Kiva - Kiva is a service that lets you loan money to people in … [Read more...] about Global Perspective

Check List for Email

By 2 Comments

I am amazed at how many people are using email that is broken. Yes they get their messages, but they have to jump through all kinds of hoops to make things work right. Worse, many people have setups that are actively exposing their passwords to anyone who cares to look. Here is a checklist of essential items for an email provider. How does your solution rate? Webmail and Mail Client Synchronized Ability to Send from any Connection No Plain Text Passwords Secure Connection Backups Adequate Storage Size Anti-Spam Anti-Virus Aliases Mobile Connections Strict Terms of Service Now lets look at each of these items in a little more detail, because some of them aren't … [Read more...] about Check List for Email

Setting Goals

By 6 Comments

I attended a very small school where most coursework was done at your own pace.  To make sure you could graduate on time, the yearly work was broken down into 4 quarters of 9 weeks each.  The quarters were broken down into weeks and what you needed to accomplish each week was divided into each day.  Each student had a "goal card" in front of their work area showing their planned progress for the next day.  There was also another chart that showed their quarterly and yearly progress. As I sat at my desk, directly in front of me was all the information about my goals.  I could see a chart of my progress for the year, for the week, and for the day.  There was no escaping the focus on … [Read more...] about Setting Goals

Iron Chef – A Productivity Fable

By 16 Comments

Tortoise and Hare were both known for their culinary expertise and were invited to a face-off in the Iron Chef. Soon after the competition began, it was clear that the Hare was significantly ahead of the Tortoise. The audience was amazed at the speed with which Hare mixed ingredients, poured them into another container and tossed the mixing bowl aside to move on to the next step in preparation. Tortoise, on the other hand, seemed to be well behind. It wasn't that he was going slower than Hare, but the audience agonizingly watched as he carefully cleaned each bowl, pan and utensil and put them back in their place after use. Tortoise was making progress, but was well behind the Hare in … [Read more...] about Iron Chef – A Productivity Fable

Perception of Authority

By 3 Comments

Back in the 60s, there were some experiments done to see how likely people were to obey an authority figure, even if they were doing something they felt was wrong.  The results were scary.  Most people would continue to administer lethal electric shocks to another human if someone in a lab coat told them they had to. In the book Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition) the author talks about the different ways we perceive someone as being an authority.  This perception causes you to obey them more than would be expected. The book lists three things that cause people to identify someone as an authority: Impressive Title Their Clothes Driving an Expensive Car On one … [Read more...] about Perception of Authority

Adobe Buzzword

By 3 Comments

Though most computer users are familiar with and use Microsoft Word or a similar product, there are alternatives that many are not aware of. Finding trustworthy software that does not inhibit your productivity can be a challenge. However, the developers at Adobe have come up with an online word processing program that functions much like Word does and has the benefit of being free. As this application is a web based program, it does require an internet connection for the user to access and work on his or her documents. This has a definite up-side, though. Collaborative work For those that write with co-authors or  need things to be proof read, Buzzword provides the unique service … [Read more...] about Adobe Buzzword

Mind Your Own Business

By 14 Comments

Begin Unrelated Story: I was talking with an employee who works for Mind Your Own Business--a company that makes small business accounting software.  She was relating a time she had been pulled over by a policeman who asked her the standard questions, "where are you going?", "where do you work?".  When asked where she worked, she replied "Mind Your Own Business". The cop was kind of surprised and started to explain that it would probably be better to cooperate.  She had to pull out her business card to prove that she, indeed, worked at Mind Your Own Business. End Unrelated Story Okay, back on track.  When you do work, you are providing value to someone.  Actually, you are providing … [Read more...] about Mind Your Own Business

Hawthorne Effect

By 5 Comments

The Hawthorne effect refers to some studies that were done on how training impacts employees' productivity at work (edit: this statement is a little misleading, please see the note at the bottom of the article). The studies found that sending someone to training produces employees that work harder. The funny part about it is that you still get the productivity increase even if the training doesn't teach them how to be better at their jobs. Sending someone to training helps them feel like they are important, like the company is investing in them and they are valuable. Because of this, they work harder. Obviously, if you send them to training that helps them do their jobs better, you … [Read more...] about Hawthorne Effect

Interview: Effective Gadgets

By 10 Comments

In this next interview, we asked people: What gadgets do you use on a regular basis and how do they help you work more effectively? (940)  There was variety in the answers, but I thought it was interesting how many people feel a timer is one of their most important gadgets for getting more done. 1) Timer to keep me focused and learn how much time things really take. 2) Digital Voice Recorder to record all the inspirations I get while driving. 3) Notebooks and pens EVERYWHERE so if I get distracted from what I'm doing I can write down the distracting thoughts and get back to focusing. 4) DVR / TIVO - I never watch live TV and I record all the educational shows related to my work … [Read more...] about Interview: Effective Gadgets

Nine Ways to Devastate Productivity

By 7 Comments

We talk a lot here about how to increase your productivity, get more done, and be more effective. But what if that isn't your goal?  What if you really just want to completely obliterate the productivity of your co-worker? In this unusual post, we are going to look at nine ways to wreak havoc on someone's ability to get work done. Of course, none of the readers of this blog are that evil. Anyway, for the vast majority of our readers, I figured this list would provide some useful thoughts on how to spot people who are wasting your time.  And who knows. It might be useful someday if you decide to let your Dark Side take over for a while. Here are the nine tips (if you can call them … [Read more...] about Nine Ways to Devastate Productivity

Why You Need to Fail to Succeed

By 5 Comments

That's a rather provocative title, I suppose. Surely if you can avoid failure that is better, right?  Not necessarily. There are two ways to avoid failure. Working so hard and doing such a good job that you succeed. Only taking on projects that are so far below your capabilities that failure is never a realistic possibility. If you want to succeed--really succeed, you have to be willing to take on things that have a high chance of failing.  If you only attempt things that you know you can do, you aren't challenging yourself properly.  If you never have any failures, it is a pretty good indication that you aren't taking on things that are true challenges for you. You are … [Read more...] about Why You Need to Fail to Succeed

Wrong Side of the Tracks

By 9 Comments

The town where I live has a railroad track running through middle. In general, the nicer houses are on the West side of the town and the older, more run down houses are on the East side. Our evening entertainment usually consists of going for walks down the brick-paved streets. The town is small, so you can cover a significant portion in a few 3 mile walks. One thing we've noticed is that the average number of dogs per house on the less affluent side of the tracks is much higher than on the wealthy side of the tracks. On the East side, it is common to see 3 or 4 dogs staked out together in a small yard. On the West side of the tracks, people still have dogs, but it is rare to see … [Read more...] about Wrong Side of the Tracks

iPod Shuffle Facebook Giveaway

By 3 Comments

Just a reminder that we are giving away an iPod Shuffle to one follower on our Facebook Fan page. Simply visit the page, click the "Become a Fan" button and watch for an announcement with the lucky winners name.  Anyone can enter, but we will only ship within the US. Contest will run for two weeks from March 29th.  Winners will need to respond to a wall post on the Productivity501 Fan Page using their Facebook account.  If the winner doesn't respond in time, we will run the giveaway again. … [Read more...] about iPod Shuffle Facebook Giveaway

The Downside of Macs

By 8 Comments

In general, I am happy with using a Mac. The operating system is very well designed and gives me everything I want from Linux without the complexity. The hardware is well designed and thought out and is (for the most part) a pleasure to use. However, there is one area that Apple is sorely lacking in and since I often mention how I like using a Mac, I felt I should take the time to mention what I hate about Apple--the repair process. When I buy a laptop, I expect to use it very heavily for 3 to 4 years. I expect it to be powered on about 75% of that time. Given the mechanical nature of laptops and the complexity that goes into their construction, I expect to have some type of … [Read more...] about The Downside of Macs

Layoff Preparation

By 6 Comments

With knowledge of our country's current economic situation being broadcast ubiquitously across the news, it is hard to ignore the fact that the economy is slowing down. Jobs that seemed secure are now not so solid, and many employers are beginning to cut costs in any possible way they can. Unfortunately, one of the top trends seems to be downsizing with regard to personnel. Though it is always hard to deal with layoffs, there are ways to prepare for one and devise a strategic plan in case the worst happens. Recognizing the signs Though it may not always be the case, sometimes employers give unintentional information about who they are going to have to let go. Here are a few that … [Read more...] about Layoff Preparation

An Economist’s View of College

By 1 Comment

Many high school students leave their hometowns with bright ideas and big dreams about what they will do in and after college. For most Americans, a bachelor's degree in a solid field is a worthy goal. Being a college student, myself, I often hear students talking about how wonderful post-college finances will be and how wonderful it will be to drive a reliable, new car and eat real food again. However, since the current economic situation is a bit bleak, tuition costs are under the constant scrutiny of parents and students that working their way through college. SmartMoney produced a study discussed in an article that analyzes the actual return on getting an education. Bargains vs. … [Read more...] about An Economist’s View of College

The Power of Paper

By 6 Comments

Everyone has their favorite and least favorite tools.  For example, I love my computer, but tend to despise fax machines.  Today, I had a bunch of work to do that would have been much easier with a fax machine.  I managed to do everything I needed using a scanner and email, but I was finally forced to admit that there is still room for a fax machine in my tool set.  I still don't really like fax machines, but sometimes it is the perfect tool for the job.  Today, I felt like I was using a screwdriver to drive nails--sure, the nail will go in eventually, but a hammer is really what you need.  It would be silly to decide that I don't like hammers, so I'm going to use a screwdriver, but I've … [Read more...] about The Power of Paper

Cutting Out Distractions

By 4 Comments

I once heard a story about an author who had designed a house especially to be used for writing.  The house was built on a mountain and had an impressive view of the valley and mountains beyond. The author had designed an office especially for writing.  It  had large windows overlooking the gorgeous view.  Facing the windows was an expansive desk where the author planned to write many books.  However, there was just one problem. After moving into the house, the author discovered that he couldn't get any work done.  He would sit at his desk overlooking the gorgeous view, but he just couldn't concentrate.  It turned out that the view wasn't inspiring him.  It was just a … [Read more...] about Cutting Out Distractions

Fruitful Time Business Edition

By 1 Comment

Fruitful Time makes a free Productivity Meter that we've mentioned before.  It tracks how your computer is being used and gives you a good idea how your time is being spent.  They now have a paid Business Edition that lets you do the same thing for a group of employees.  I have used some tools like this in the past so my staff could tell where they are spending their time.  It looks like it is still windows only.  For a cross platform (OSX and Windows) tool, check out Slife. They make a similar free personal/paid team product. If you are looking at a product like this, one of the big things you want is the ability to track things based on the path or name of the document being used.  So … [Read more...] about Fruitful Time Business Edition

Tips for Taxes

By Leave a Comment

Here is a round up of useful tax tips as we get into the tax filing season. IRS Presents-Top Ten Tax Time Tips - This article explains some time saving measures that can help the filing process be more efficient and streamlined. 3 New Tax Changes - These tips could be useful for those that haven't yet taken a look at the recent changes in filing taxes. 6 Tax Tips for Tough Times - The advice in this article may be especially helpful for those that have recently lost jobs or other sources of income. Tax Tips for Small Businesses - This article contains money-saving  information particularly relevant for small businesses. Retiring: Tax Tips - For those that have reached retirement … [Read more...] about Tips for Taxes

Google Voice

By 1 Comment

Grand Central is becoming Google Voice.  While it isn't open for the public just yet, it is a step closer.  If you have a Grand Central account you can convert it to Google Voice.  There are a quite a few new features.  Some of the big ones are: Voicemail transcription, free outgoing (and incoming) calls, and SMS messaging.  It sounds like they are looking at adding the ability to port numbers into Google Voice in the future. This could be a very big deal.  You could move your main number into Google Voice and then have it ring whatever numbers you want. … [Read more...] about Google Voice

Couple’s Finances

By 1 Comment

Money can be one of the biggest strains on relationship.  Many couples are at odds financially and when things get tight, the relationship suffers.  With the current state of the economy, now is probably a good time to review this older post on working together financially. Any investment you make in your relationships are going to have much higher returns than the stock market. … [Read more...] about Couple’s Finances

The Habit of Lateness

By 14 Comments

When I was in college, my roommate had a very difficult time getting up in the morning, so he was often running late.  To help himself get to class on time, he set his clock ahead about 5 minutes.  This worked well for about a week. It took about 7 days for him to get used to the idea that the clock was set ahead, and the method started losing its effectiveness.  No big deal.  He just bumped it another two minutes forward and he started being on time again...for about a week. I was sitting at my desk reviewing some notes for my next class at 1:50.  I stood up to grab a book off the book shelf and something just didn't seem right.  It took me a minute to realize that I had seen a … [Read more...] about The Habit of Lateness

Lotus Symphony Review

By 5 Comments

Most people have heard the expression, "There is no free lunch." While this may be true in some situations, it isn't always true in the realm of application software. Desktop publishing is one area where there are not a whole lot of alternatives. Microsoft hold the biggest share of the market, by far. However, IBM has come up with a free product called Symphony, which includes capabilities similar to a Microsoft Office Suite. Although the two programs are similar, they are, by no means, mirror images of each other. First Impressions Though the Microsoft Office Suite has just undergone a major update, some find the new layout a bit more confusing than they did the old. The word … [Read more...] about Lotus Symphony Review