I'm looking for information on cool, hip, useful, inventive, fresh, efficient products, processes, and services to help average Americans save time and money. Please comment with tips, Web sites, examples, press information, photos, how you’re using it, etc., for possible inclusion in an upcoming story. Here's one submission from a reader to get your creative juices flowing: << Laura, I've started making my own list of time savers (some of which inspired by your first book): 1. Ordering groceries via www.Freshdirect.com the last Saturday of each month. 2. Ordering sundries/household items and pharmacy item via www.drugstore.com the last Sunday of each month. 3. Get laundry picked … [Read more...]
Improving Your Concentration Span
Posted on 03/30/2006 by ·
Rinoa posts, “Could you post something about improving your concentration span? I know the reason why I procrastinate is because I know I won't be able to concentrate long enough to finish the task. Please help.” Inability to concentrate comes from three main sources: 1. Technology 2. People 3. Your brain 1. TECHNOLOGY. First, you must disable your global email alerts, so you don’t receive a notification for every garbage email coming into your in-box but still be able to receive an alert for “important” people. Turn off your global desktop alerts in Outlook: Under the Tools menu Select Options In the Preferences Tab, select Email options In the Email Options dialog box, … [Read more...]
I intended to post an article on procrastination but didn’t get around to it
Posted on 03/29/2006 by ·
As author Jennifer Duffy quipped in her article in the Arizona Daily Star on 3/13/06, "I know I should have thought of a better joke, but I ran out of time." Jennifer posts several quotes from me in her article on conquering procrastination, such as breaking up large tasks into little pieces, do something for only five minutes to gain momentum, etc. All those ideas are nice, but fundamentally, if you really want to conquer procrastination, you have to understand the psychology behind WHY you're doing it. All the tips in the world won't help if you don't take time to understand your behaviors around the procrastination habit. Then you can match the HOW with the WHY. Not all tips work for all people. Lee Silber advocates in the book "Organizing From the Right Side of the Brain: A … [Read more...]
Music, iPods, and Productivity
Posted on 03/25/2006 by ·
I was mentioned in the USA Today on 3/23 in a story called "Music hath charms for some workers — others it annoys" http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/gear/2006-03-23-ipod-work_x.htm My quote was (as is usual) taken a bit out of context. When I said "I'm all for it," I was referring specifically to people who say they can concentrate while music is playing in their ears (look at your average teenager, listening to music, IMing with friends, watching tv, and doing homework at the same time). Just because you can concentrate don't mean others can. At work, you definitely should follow iPod etiquette and not blast your music through your computer's speakers or portable iPod speakers. When you use your earbuds, make sure it's soft enough that you … [Read more...]
