Like many, I find getting out of bed the worst part of the day. Over the years I’ve tried a few ways to make the process easier, and here are my findings. I owe most of this advice to Steve Pavlina (this post, in particular), but I’m going to reiterate it (since it was years ago) and add my own notes.
I’ve always wanted to be a morning person: I’m most productive in the morning (especially since I don’t check email), no task seems too large when the day’s ahead of me, and it’s the most practical time for me to exercise. A note about that last part–working out in the morning means only one shower/getting-ready per day (since it’s post-workout) and an early run almost never gets in the way of other commitments (whereas lunch and early evening are cluttered with various activities). So my goal has always been to get up early enough to run, eat, and start or arrive at work by 9:00.
Steve Pavlina’s advice is the key: get up at the same time every day, and go to sleep when you’re tired. And, equally important, Continue reading…
This morning I spoke at a Meet the Members event for the Greater Baltimore Technology Council on the ROI of Social Media. It was great to see so many Baltimore & DC friends looking to get involved! Below you’ll find slides from the speakers that used slides, links to their websites, a video of my talk, and some places to go to get more involved in social media.
When was the last time you listed all your work responsibilities and ranked them according to enjoyment and value? If you’re spending much time on tasks that aren’t fun or valuable then you shouldn’t be doing them–automate, delegate, or eliminate them. And, if possible, try to get the things you enjoy most to produce the most value for you.
Example: my blogging. Two years ago when I started this blog I had little reason to write entries like this–most of the business I sought related to Microsoft Office productivity…and, to be frank, I no longer get a thrill out of explaining most Microsoft Office end user issues online. But I like writing about bigger issues and offering advice. Now that I’m working on a productivity application and have become more involved in certain circles, it makes business sense to write about this stuff. What I enjoy is aligned with where I derive value.
Counterexample: software development. I really enjoy solving technology problems…and getting my hands dirty with the code (when I’m familiar with the language). But it’s not a good use of my time because I can’t make much progress on a programming challenge when I have a dozen other projects to manage. Instead I now focus more on the architecture or user experience of technology problems, which gives me a similar buzz without the same timesuck.
I’d encourage you’d to make a list of all your responsibilities and figure out why you’re doing them, and what you get out of them. Consider Continue reading…
It’s interesting that we can be excited about discovering the most productive ways to do things…regardless of the impact it has on our productivity. It’s like hearing the secret to a magic trick–just because we’ve found it out doesn’t mean we can now pull it off on our own. It takes a little patience and practice. With that in mind I’m not going to give you another tip for you to gloss over, but instead invite you to look at some articles that have influenced me, some helpful tips from others, and some that I’m most proud of sharing–all of which can help you out.
Some influential reads/views:
Marc Orchant’s advice on putting things aside that you’ve started (discussion of Dave Winer and David Allen’s decision to stop blogging)
Chrono Cr@cker’s keyboard tips for “life without a mouse” [update, this article has been removed so I killed the link; thanks for the heads up, Amelia!]
It took me a long time to get useful and readable sites on my mobile phone. To save you the trouble, here’s what I use and why. I’ve organized them in order from practical to fun, and then at the bottom I’ve listed some other helpful sites that I haven’t experimented with as much…
Google – www.google.com/m – does this really need an explanation?
Metro [Your stop] – www.meenster.com – This is the only DC specific one on the list, but knowing how many minutes until the next train is immensely helpful for planning when I leave. The other day it was 12 degrees out and it saved us from standing outside for 18 minutes. It also helps me to decide whether to transfer an extra time or just walk (hooray for underground internet access!). I have separate favorite links for the stations I use most often (thanks to Justin Thorp for this, though it works just fine without an iPhone)
Weather – mobile.srh.weather.gov – navigate to your local zip code and then store it there as a favorite
Wikipedia Mobile – www.wapipedia.org or axa.instinct.co.nz/wiki – I use the latter site more, but they both are useful and do the same thing. If you’ve ever tried wikipedia’s main site on a mobile browser you’d know how horrible an experience that is
Orbitz Flight Status Search – mobile.orbitz.com/mobile/App/ViewTravelWatchHome – When I’m checking on a friend’s flight status, this is immensely helpful. Since Southwest isn’t listed there, however, I just go to Google and type “Southwest 1234″ where 1234 is the flight number
Yelp Mobile – mobile.yelp.com -When I need a restaurant review at the last second, this is the place to go
I made a list yesterday of everything I have to do. It felt liberating at the time, and it still does now. Here’s the why and how.
The most important lesson I took from Getting Things Done was that the key to productivity was to get your thoughts out of your head and into a system. For instance, while you’re working on a proposal it doesn’t help to think about the bills you have to pay or the presentation you’re delivering in an hour. Those items belong in a system that you can trust–so that you won’t forget your bills or your presentation, and you can focus on the task at hand. David Allen referred to this as Mind Like Water.
Yesterday my mind was not at peace–it needed to be emptied. I felt I had to write a blog post, to work on AwayFind, to organize my photos, to work on taxes, to see a movie, to read–I was stuck and overwhelmed. So I went through the exercise–I started with blank 8.5×11 sheets of copy paper and listed, line-by-line, everything I could think of that I had to do. I didn’t categorize or order anything, I just purged. When I felt I had everything I could think of, I looked around my house, and then at my Outlook and Basecamp calendar and to-do lists–I didn’t want to miss anything. Four pages later I felt in control.
That afternoon I tackled a few easy things on the list and crossed them out. This morning I’ve completed more, placed a bunch on my project list, scheduled a few as appointments, and delegated many of them. I even came up with and planned an idea that some of you might appreciate: Continue reading…
The most surprising part of building a portfolio for our new web site was that many businesses didn’t understand the value of links to their websites. When I’m so involved with all things social media, it often surprises me just how wide the information gap is when it comes to online PR/SEO.
In planning our portfolio, we asked each of our clients if they would be comfortable with our offering a few paragraphs, screenshots, and a link to their website. Once we had a draft available, they had the opportunity to tweak. They all accepted their case studies…but there was one thing that slowed a few down:
“I have asked our PR people to take a look and get their blessing since you are linking to our site.”
“I assume the link to the website is no big deal but I’ll want to check.”
“Doing the study is fine but I cannot promise that you’ll be allowed to link back to us.”
All of them came around–but the hesitation surprised me. Linking to their website is PR and SEO–so long as they respect the image we’re projecting of ourselves and we say nice things about them, they have nothing to lose and at least something to gain.
So here’s my very basic advice for those new to participating online Continue reading…
I can’t stop reading about the MacBook Air, but that’s because I’m a geek who loves sexy technology. Deep down I know that, like the iPhone, it doesn’t really make me more productive. While I do connote portability with productivity (in that portability enables mobility), a few ounces one way or another doesn’t play a role in my travel decisions. We’re in a world where there’s fashionable technology and dull-looking technology…but we’re missing the point. Or at least my point: technology should help us to get work done first and foremost.
Regularly I’ll toss my Dell M1210 into a Waterfieldsleeve case with an extra battery and a book. That’ll get me 8 hours for 6 lbs (or 4lbs before the other stuff) with more power than the MacBook Air. Tack on my Motorola Q with an extra battery and I have unlimited free internet if I can’t find a hotspot. What more would I need? (oh, I’ll bring my 1st generation iPod Nano along, too.)
But that’s not really doing my comparison justice. With the MacBook Air I can’t bring along DVDs for a planeride (plus I have two headphones jacks on my Dell). The very thin keyboard, like the iPhone’s missing keyboard, is an adjustment that I wouldn’t look forward to. And the pricetag isn’t exactly forgiving. Continue reading…
After many months of effort, I’m happy to say that my company, SET Consulting, has released a completely redesigned website with mostly new content: www.setconsulting.com. Some new stuff: our team, examples of our work, and filtering our tips based on a particular product (like Word, for instance).
While we regularly work with talented web designersanddevelopers, this was a completely home-brewed effort. No, we’re not planning to offer web design or development as a service to our clients…but we have realized two things:
(When you have the talent,) a “do-it-yourself” effort for something so important to the company feels incredibly rewarding
Occasional challenges with coding are worth overcoming when both our work on AwayFind and Office projects often have web components
Deep thank yous go especially to Keith (the design), David (the code), and Kate (the tireless proofreading — here’s her blog) for bringing this to fruition. And, of course, thank you to the wonderful clients who allowed us to create case studies for our portfolio: Continue reading…
Is there any doubt that email is a serious timesuck? I've built a small web tool that helps you to get the heck away from email—so that you can do real work on the job, or vacation in peace. If you like what I write about here, I think you'll enjoy AwayFind.
about technotheory
I am Jared Goralnick, Founder and CEO of AwayFind, a web startup that helps people to stop checking their email.
Productivity, the future of email, and building ecosystems are my passions. I organize Inbox Love & Ignite DC, and mentor at 500 Startups & Founder Institute. I'm open to speaking opportunities.
by Jared Goralnick
