Productivity501

Pieces of the productivity puzzle.

Not Used to Television

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We haven't had a television for around 5 years.  Tonight I was thinking about watching the Presidential debates and considered a few ways I could watch it (webcasting, etc.).  Once the debates were over I looked for some summaries online. Then it hit me. That 32 inch black thing mounted on the wall behind me in my hotel room was perfectly suited for watching the debates.  I'm so use to not turning on a TV that I overlooked the fact that there was one right behind me. … [Read more...] about Not Used to Television

Dealing with an Unorganized Boss

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In the last few months, I've spoken with several people who are having a difficult time working with their boss.  In each case, the boss isn't a bad person, but they are so unorganized that it is difficult to get much done under their leadership.  Obviously, the fault lies with the boss.  However, for people who are used to being highly productive, knowing where to place the blame offers little consolation. This is the first in a series of posts listing common problems you'll face with an unorganized supervisor and some suggestions on how to best deal with them. The boss who doesn't know what needs to be done. This happens in two different forms. Some bosses know exactly what they … [Read more...] about Dealing with an Unorganized Boss

Make Decisions in Advance

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A good portion of our time goes into make decisions.  Sometimes these decisions are big, important things, but often they are mundane simple things.  Most decisions require some type of investment in time.  Let's look at an example: If I'm in a video store trying to pick out a movie to watch that evening, there is a certain amount of time that will go into evaluating the options and selecting a video.  From personal experience, this process can take 10 to 20 minutes, easily. For most people, this 10 to 20 minutes is completely wasted time because at some point in the last 6 months they have already made a decision about a movie they would like to see, but they just don't remember.  … [Read more...] about Make Decisions in Advance

Personal Development: How do you know it is time to look for a different job?

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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?

Thoughts on the Bailout

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If the bailout doesn't happen, I will probably lose money.  However, I am still not in favor of the proposed bailout.  Why?  Because I would rather lose money over the next 3 or 4 years in order to keep my country strong over the next 10 to 50.  The last time we heard this much talk about the bad things that would happen if we did nothing, we went to war in Iraq. It now seems that the "bad stuff" that was suppose to happen if we didn't go to war was overrated and based on faulty information.  My guess is that this is happening again. It seems to me that the long term damage from a bailout is likely to be worse than the shorter term damage (if any) of not passing the bailout. But what do … [Read more...] about Thoughts on the Bailout

Keep People from wasting your time

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I'm sure everyone has been in situations where a coworker is wasting your time, but there doesn't seem to be a polite way out of it.  Here are several simple strategies for keeping your distractions to a minimum without appearing impolite or rude. Stand - By standing when someone walks into your office, you will usually prevent them from taking a seat.  This can help keep them focused on the purpose of their visit and getting back to work (where they can sit again). Meet them at the door - If you see someone about to come into your office, meeting them at the door puts you physically between them and your area.  You are being polite because you've walked toward them to meet them, but … [Read more...] about Keep People from wasting your time

Your Not to Do list

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Everyone is familiar with having a "To Do List".  But for many individuals the bottleneck to their productivity isn't the lack of knowing what to do.  Just as important as knowing what to do is knowing what not to do.  That is where a "Not To Do List" comes in. Your not to do list should contain the activities that you consistently find yourself doing that don't contribute to your life in a productive way.  For example, most people would have "check email" as an item on their To Do list.  But if you find yourself consistently distracted by incoming messages, you might want to put checking email every 5 minutes on your Not to Do List.  Other things that might make their way to a Not To … [Read more...] about Your Not to Do list

Books I’m Reading

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I just finished Never Eat Alone (a book on how to network with people) and would highly recommend it.  I'm also half way through Work the System by Sam Carpenter (a book in the style of The 4 Hour Work Week) and just starting Brain Rules by John Medina.  (These two books were given to me in hopes of a review, but they look pretty good so far.) Another book I recently read and recommend is Physics of the Impossible. … [Read more...] about Books I’m Reading

Study Tips

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As the school year starts back up, I wanted to take some time to share some tips for studying. 1. Read a chapter ahead Most students listen to the lecture and then read the textbook if necessary.  It is much better to read the text book to understand the section and then use the lecture to help solidify your understanding. Keep a list of questions while you are reading and then make sure the professor answers those questions in class.  If your questions aren't answered, be sure to ask the teacher. This type of approach uses the lecture to refine and augment what you already know (from reading the textbook), which better leverages your static resources (books) and your professor's … [Read more...] about Study Tips

Travel Tip: Create a Checklist

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If you travel a lot, it can be helpful to create a checklist of items you need to take with you.  This lets you perform the decision making process once, instead of repeating it again each time you go on a trip.  Obviously you may need to tailor your plans to match a particular trip, but your list can help make sure you don't forget anything important and can help reduce the feeling of, "I'm forgetting something, but don't know what it is." … [Read more...] about Travel Tip: Create a Checklist

Links for Setting Up a Filing System

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Everyone needs some type of filing system. Even if you are attempting to go paperless, chances are you will still need some type of filing system--even if it is computer based. The five articles below look at different ways to setup and improve your filing system. They deal paper based systems, but some of the principles will apply to paperless systems as well. Taking a little time to improve your setup can be a very good investment. If you can reduce the amount of time you spend hunting for things each day by even just two minutes, it will save you 12 hours per year. If you have an article that you would recommend on filing, please add it in the comments. Filing Organization … [Read more...] about Links for Setting Up a Filing System

Productivity at the Fringes

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The physics most of us are familiar with is called Newtonian physics.  You can use it to calculate how fast a ball will fall when dropped from the Eiffel tower, where a canon ball will land when shot at a particular angle and all kinds of other useful things.  However, if you start dealing with things that are very small or very large, Newtonian physics is no longer accurate. When dealing with very small things like computer processors, individual photos and other partials, you have to use Quantum Theory to produce meaningful results.  When dealing with very large things, distances and objects, you have to use Einstein's Theory of Relativity. With Newtonian physics, the GPS in your … [Read more...] about Productivity at the Fringes

Failing Quickly

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Failing can be one of the most productive things you can do.  Most people try to avoid failure. I'm not saying that this is bad, but in many cases they are just delaying failure to a later point in time.  If something you are doing is going to result in failure you should do your best to make sure it happens sooner rather than later.  With few exceptions, failing now is going to be less expensive (in time, money, mental stress) than failing one year from now. As an example, think about a relationship.  If two people are dating and they discover a particular area where they aren't compatible at all, they can avoid that area.  However, this may extend their relationship and just cause it … [Read more...] about Failing Quickly

9 Programs Worth Buying for OS X

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Here some of the software I have spent money on and that was well worth worth the cost. Most of these deserve their own post and screencast just to show you how truly useful they are, but for now, here is a high level overview of each program. 1Password - I owned this software for about a year before using it. It was part of a MacHeist packaged deal. I didn't think I would ever want to use a password manager. (Real men keep their passwords in their head right?) Grant mentioned that it was a must have piece of software, so I finally decided to try it out. It really is incredible. I've been blown away by how much time I was wasting dealing with passwords. If you deal with passwords for … [Read more...] about 9 Programs Worth Buying for OS X

How big are your blocks?

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The ability to be productive is not something that is evenly distributed to each human.  Take five random people and give them all the assignment to create a storage shed and a week to work on it.  At the end of a week, how much variance would you expect to find?  Some individuals wouldn't have started while others would be completely finished. There are several reasons for this.  If one of your subjects happens to be a carpenter, it makes sense that he would make more headway than the Wal-mart clerk.  So skill and past experience definitely have an impact.  However, there is another difference that is even more important that has to do with how different people see a problem and what … [Read more...] about How big are your blocks?

$10,000 Stack of Paper

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In my computer bag, I have small stack of papers that is worth a bit over $10,000.  This is a story about the importance of keeping good records. Before my wife and I went to Mexico, we decided we needed a new car.  Our Buick had well over 200,000 miles on it.  The high mileage wasn't a problem, but the area where we were going couldn't easily get Buick parts.   It was a similar situation with our 20 year old BMW.  After some checking, we found that Volkswagens were pretty common and there was even a dealership in the area where we were planning to live. We test drove about 15 vehicles before we found one we liked.  It was an off-lease 2003 Passat with a bit over 50,000 miles on it.  … [Read more...] about $10,000 Stack of Paper

Interview with Kevin Butler & Giveaway

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Fellowes, a company known for paper shredders, is promoting some of their ergonomic non-shredding products.  Their approach was interesting.  I was contacted and asked if 1. I'd like to try out some of their items, 2. if I'd like some free stuff to give away, and 3. if I'd be interested in interviewing their certified ergonomic consultant. I was particularly intrigued with the chance to ask a professional ergonomist some questions. This post contains Keven Butler's answers. Kevin  is a Board Certified Professional Ergonomist and works as a consultant for Fellowes, Inc. Make sure read through to the bottom for our first ergonomic giveaway courtesy of Fellowes. 1.    What is the most … [Read more...] about Interview with Kevin Butler & Giveaway

Gift Cards and Bankruptcy

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I've seen people talk about using gift cards as a way to save for large purchases.  Where I live this doesn't make sense because of the fees that chip away at the value, but some states like California don't have that limitation.  Regardless of where you live, gift cards become pretty much worthless if the company goes bankrupt as people who hold gift cards from Sharper Image and The Bombay Company are learning.  If you want to save money, the best place to keep it is in a bank. … [Read more...] about Gift Cards and Bankruptcy

Webinars? Input Please

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I am toying with the ideas of doing a series of webinars on some of the topics we talk about here at Productivity501.  The idea would be to bring in some experts for 30 to 45 minute live discussions on particular topics. What do you think?  Is this something that would interest you and if so what topics would you like to see covered?  (Also if you can recommend a particular webinar product, I'd love to hear what you have found works well for you.) … [Read more...] about Webinars? Input Please

Chimps and Children

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Psychologists have been doing some experiments with chimps and young children looking for differences in the way they solve problems.  In one of the experiments, they gave chimps a clear box containing food.  The scientists showed the chimp how to open the box, but included several steps that were obviously unnecessary.  When the chimps were left alone with the box, they retrieved the food imitating the method they had been shown.  However, the chimps eliminated the unnecessary steps. The scientists then tried the same experiment with 3 and 4 year olds.  Unlike the chimps, children imitated the entire sequence of actions they had been shown, including the unnecessary steps. This is an … [Read more...] about Chimps and Children

Perfect Tools

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One of the biggest hindrances to personal productivity is the search for perfect tools. Let's consider an analogy. John is a carpenter and he wants to be the most productive carpenter he can possibly be.  To reach this goal, he decides he needs the best tools possible, so he sets out to find the perfect hammer. John visits many stores and tries out different hammers.  They all work fine, but he notices subtle differences.  He finally settles on a wonderful  hammer that he uses for a week, but then he discovers that it gives him a blister, so he sets out to find a better hammer. John may or may not ever find the perfect hammer.  However, the productivity gain between a "good" … [Read more...] about Perfect Tools

Windows on a Mac

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If you use a Mac, but need to run windows programs you have two options.  Bootcamp (requires a reboot to change OS) and something like Fusion or Parallels (runs Windows in a box on top of OS X).  I've been using Fusion and am very happy with it, but I've found that XP performs much much better than Vista in this environment.  If you want to run Windows on top of OS X, I'd stick with XP for now. … [Read more...] about Windows on a Mac

Skype for Tech Support Calls

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When I call a tech support line, I usually use Skype.  This keeps my other lines free and gives me the greatest freedom to stay on hold if necessary. I don't have to worry about my cell phone battery going dead or tearing through hundreds of cell phone minutes that could be put to better use elsewhere.  With a reasonably comfortable headset, I can continue to do other work while waiting to speak with a support representative. … [Read more...] about Skype for Tech Support Calls

Define and Conquer

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There was an interesting experiment done by the American Pulpwood Association when they were looking to increase the productivity of loggers.  Half of the loggers were given a specific, high goal to achieve.  The other half were encouraged to do their best. The people who were assigned goals started bragging to one another as well as to family members as to their effectiveness as loggers. Productivity soared relative to those crews who were urged to do their best. Goal-setting instilled purpose, challenge, and meaning into what had been perceived previously as a tedious and physically tiresome task. A by-product of the goal intervention was that, within the week, employee attendance … [Read more...] about Define and Conquer

Destroying Magazines

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I find that magazines are much more useful once you recognize that it is ok to tear pages out of them.  Rip out the articles that you think look interesting and take them with you to read while waiting.  Once you finish reading an article you can throw it away.  An article that you read and toss is worth far more than one sitting on a shelf that you never have time to read. … [Read more...] about Destroying Magazines

Deep Decluttering

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One of the most effective methods of decluttering is to move everything out and then just put back what you need.  The next time you need to clean your office, the kitchen cabinets, or a closet, consider moving everything out as your first step.  Get a three large boxes.  One for stuff that goes back, one for stuff that gets thrown away and one for stuff that should go elsewhere.  Most people find it is easier to organize when the items have already been removed.  It helps keep you from leaving something that belongs elsewhere. … [Read more...] about Deep Decluttering

Relaxing on Purpose

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Over the last holiday, I spent some time thinking about how we relax. Personally, I find that there are two ways achieve "down time".  The first way is when I intentionally plan to take some time relaxing.  This occurs when my wife and I decide to watch a movie, go on a walk, take some vacation and visit family, or go to the lake.  The second way is when I have a list of things that I need to work on, but I really want to take a break.  In this situation, I intend to do work, but instead I find myself fiddling with some gadget, browsing the web, etc. The first way of getting down time is relaxing, fun and refreshing. The second is frustrating and makes me feel worn out and like I need to … [Read more...] about Relaxing on Purpose

Investing in Excercise

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There has been a long running belief that your body never produces new brain cells.  This has been disproved.  The brain does create new brain cells.  There was a study done recently with mice to see how exercise impacted memory.  The research was conducted by Fred Gage of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. Gage and his colleagues allowed a group of old mice and a group of young mice to exercise on a running wheel as much as they wanted. The mice ran about 2 miles every day. The researchers also kept a third group of older mice that didn't exercise. After a month of the regular exercise, the team subjected the mice to a memory test. The researchers taught the … [Read more...] about Investing in Excercise

10 Articles on Working from Home

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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

Don’t try to Catch a Pizza Thief using Email

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Like most technological advances, email can help productivity, but it can also hurt it.  It takes intentional effort to reap the benefits of advances without suffering from their negative side effects. Easy communication is good when you have something that needs to be communicated.  Easy communication is bad when it means you are saying things that just waste everyone's time. I ran across an article titled "Efficiency Experts" that talked about how Joe Phelps (CEO of the Phelps Group Inc.) explained proper use of email to his staff using a recent example of an employee who had used email to try to track down who stole his piece of pizza. With technology revolutionizing … [Read more...] about Don’t try to Catch a Pizza Thief using Email

Sleeping Brains

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Scientists implanted rats with special sensors and then trained them to run a particular course in order to find cheese.  They found that they could tell where each rat was in the course by monitoring which cells were firing in the rats' brains.  When the rats were sleeping, the scientists noticed something strange.  The cells continued to fire in the same order.  It was as if the rats were practicing running the course in their sleep. In another experiment, people were given a mechanical task to learn and repeat quickly.  Scientists measured the areas of their brain that were active when performing the task right after learning it.  Then they let some of the test group sleep and kept … [Read more...] about Sleeping Brains

Fat People to Pay $25 Per Month

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Back in May I mentioned American Airline's new charge for checked luggage and asked if people would mind paying for their flight based on their weight.  In the comments many people thought this was discrimination against people with a "disability". Well Alabama is now going to charge fat people $25 per month for insurance unless they are working at shedding the extra pounds.  They have a pretty generous definition of who is fat enough to pay the fee--your BMI has to be over 35 (30 is usually considered obese). If you are 5'6" that means you are probably over 220 pounds.  They already charge $24 per month to smokers.  What would you think if your insurance gave you $25 for being at a healthy … [Read more...] about Fat People to Pay $25 Per Month

Math Impaired

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I've been following the news about the sub-prime markets and foreclosures in the US. In a nutshell, here is what has happened. Companies that lend money for house loans had been doing very well, but their customer base was shrinking--there are only so many homes you can sell to one person.To compensate  they started trying to sell to people who wouldn't normally qualify for a home loan. For example, some companies would get a list of people who had recently had their cars repossessed and use that as a list of potential clients. (I've written a more detailed explanation of the subprime mess in a previous post.) This is kind of what Citibank did in the 90s by offering credit cards to … [Read more...] about Math Impaired

Loneliness is Unhealthy

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If I was looking for an area to research, loneliness would not make the top of my list. But that is exactly what Steven Cole from the University of California, Los Angeles is studying. One of the more interesting discoveries has to do with a correlation between loneliness and detrimental gene activities. It appears that loneliness can actually change how your genes act and make your body less likely to produce antibodies and fight off viruses. I have heard that from a life expectancy standpoint, not getting married is statistically equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes each day for males. Perhaps this is related to the same results Dr. Cole found. Health issues aside, … [Read more...] about Loneliness is Unhealthy

International Travel and Credit Cards

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If you are traveling out of the country, be sure to call your credit card company and have them place a note on your account regarding your trip.  If their computers suddently see a bunch of activity internationally it is likely to trigger the fraud alerts.  Letting them know ahead of time won't guarantee that it won't get cut off, but it can help.  In my experience American Express is less likely be cut off than Visa or Mastercard. … [Read more...] about International Travel and Credit Cards

Socialization and Creativity

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In the June/July issue of Scientific American Mind, Robert Epstein was quoted as saying: When children are very young, they all express creativity, but by the end of the first grade, very few do so. This is because of socialization. He talks about how much of what children learn in school stifles creativity. In addition to the formal training, the interactions with other children can encourage them to be "normal" which can also reduce their tendency to be creative. If Johnny likes to hum and make up tunes, but Robby gets the other kids to make fun of him for that, Johnny may stop expressing himself in that way. Being aware of how creativity can be repressed is useful in raising … [Read more...] about Socialization and Creativity

Laptop for taking Notes

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Unclutter posted an article about using a laptop to take notes at college.  I tend to disagree.  It is hard to beat a pen and paper for taking notes.  One thing that is commonly overlooked is how different tools exercise your mind.  When you work on the computer it uses substantially different parts of your brain than when you write with pen and paper. (I don't know what happens if you use a typewriter.)  Since so much research and writing papers is done on the computer, taking notes by hand allow you to interact with the content in as many different parts of the brain as possible.  What do you think?  Is a laptop an effective way to take notes in a classroom? … [Read more...] about Laptop for taking Notes