checking out the expert

Checking Out the Expert

There are experts everywhere. Some are self-proclaimed, some lauded by others. But before we give credence to their words, we really owe it to ourselves to begin by checking out the expert's credentials.

How much can you trust your "expert"? How much can a person teach you? Do they have any experience in what they are teaching? All valuable questions.
get started faster

Get Started Faster

How many times have you started something just to be stopped by having to fetch needed material or run to the store or do another task first? Wouldn't it be nice just to have everything ready to go? It would certainly help us get started faster.
little and often

Little and Often: A Key To Consistent Progress

One of the things that I still struggle with, years into the productivity space, is making my to-do list doable. I don't want to put each step to complete something on the list, because a) I don't need to be reminded that I need to fetch the stepladder when changing a light bulb, and b) the list gets far too long the more granular I go.

On the other hand, if the tasks are too big, then I can't get them done in a small amount of time.

Enter Little And Often, one of Mark Forster's concepts.

I've been a fan of Mark Forster for a long time now. Besides being an eloquent writer, he takes it upon himself to innovate new systems and then try them out in his own life.
phone

Productify Your Phone

A friend of mine called from the road and asked me for the phone number for my mechanic. She had a breakdown, and even though I had given her the number when she told me about her concerns weeks before, she had lost it and never made the appointment. She writes down phone numbers in various places, and never has them with her when she needs them.

If you have a central place to keep your important phone numbers that is always with you, you will never face this situation. And if you enter important phone numbers - before you need them - you'll be even further ahead of the game.
right tool

The Right Tools For the Job

I am aware that you can re-purpose things to serve functions the designer never intended. For example, in college I never owned a tool set. If I had to hang up a picture, I would use a high-heeled shoe to do the pounding.

Not only can the right tool make the job go faster, but finding places where your productivity is pinched can help you pinpoint where you need to find better tools.
unplug

The Value in Unplugging

Is there any value in unplugging?

I have a confession to make: I design software and databases by writing on a window with a dry-erase marker. I also do my podcast outlines and about a quarter of my blogging on paper. Some of the best fiction writing I have done has been in my notebook, scribbled while sitting in a coffee shop.

This may come as a surprise to those who know me well. I practically hyperventilate when deprived of my phone for more than a couple hours, and my laptop travels with me on vacations. I also usually have my tablet with me as well.

Even though I work in technology, and even though I do things "by hand" at times, I still find it hard to unplug. But I had a lesson a few weeks ago that has me thinking about it.
goals as waves

Goals…As Waves?

I'm a musician and engineer. I was educated on waves. I'm also a productivity nerd with a healthy interest in goals. So when I came across this article in my archives, I decided it needed some more exposure. It presents goals as waves.