Archive for March, 2008

The Ultimate Writing Productivity Resource

Last week, I launched a new site I’d been working on for several months, dedicated to technology and the writing life. Since I’ve been eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping "writing" all week, it seemed natural to pull together some of the tools, sites, and Lifehack.org tips I know of that can help make writers more productive, organized, and creative.

Note: Maybe you don’t consider yourself a… » Continue

March 31 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: creativity, editing, publishing, revision, writers, writing | 51 comments»

Keep Your Home Business Green

Earth Hour has come and gone for 2008, and it was an easy opportunity for people who don’t normally think about their environmental footprint to do something about it. Apparently it was quite successful, with local utilities such as EnergyAustralia claiming that energy consumption for that hour was 10.2% less than usual.

But, while Earth Hour is a great awareness raising campaign and does provide some relief against our constant… » Continue

March 31 2008 | By Joel | Tagged: computer, green, lighting, Money, paperless, power, recycling, water | 3 comments»

Lifehack Live for March 31, 2008: Michael Lee Stallard

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This week’s guest is Michael Lee Stallard, co-author of Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity, and Productivity (Lifehack Review). You can download Stallard’s free e-book “The Connection Culture: A New Source of Competitive Advantage” at ChangeThis.

Thanks for listening.

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» Continue

March 31 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: connection, leadership, manaement, Podcast | no comments»

What’s Missing in Productivity Today?

This month, we asked Lifehack.org contributors — and you, our readers — to think about the things that are missing in today’s productivity systems. Not only the areas where the "Big Name" systems fall short, but the gaps in our own systems, the places where we as individuals fall down.

The Lifehack.org community rose to the challenge, offering a variety of thought-provoking posts and comments that… » Continue

March 28 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: advice, contact-management, failure, gtd, information management, perfectionism, Productivity, software, time-management, tips | 7 comments»

DIY Education: Teach Yourself

Education is touted as the greatest way to get ahead in this world. And, in general, it’s a great strategy. Maybe you have the perfect idea for an invention and you need a little engineering know-how, or maybe you just need to get ahead of the guy in the next cubicle over. No matter what plan you have for getting ahead, odds are a little learning will help. The… » Continue

March 27 2008 | By Thursday | Tagged: autodidact, learning, self-education | 36 comments»

Welcome Failure

Very often the best way to test an idea is not to analyze it but to try it. The organization that implements lots of ideas will most likely have many failures but the chances are, it will reap some mighty successes too. By trying numerous initiatives we improve our chances that one of them will be a star. As Tom Kelley of IDEO puts it… » Continue

March 27 2008 | By Paul | Tagged: creativity, failure, imagination, leadership, Management, problem-solving, success, thinking | 10 comments»

How to Maximize Efficiency by Grouping Tasks

There’s a metaphor many of use on a daily basis that compares our brain to a car or a bicycle with gears. I need to shift gears or my head’s in the wrong gear for this indicates that the human brain, for the sake of efficiency and concentration, hones in on the task at hand to the point where it takes time to remove our concentration from the subject… » Continue

March 26 2008 | By Joel | Tagged: efficiency, organization, scheduling, tasks | 8 comments»

5 MORE Ways to Make Your Computer Work For You (And Not The Other Way Around)

In my last post, I focused on ways to automate tasks on your computer, from backing up to document writing. Automation is something that computers are especially good at — it is, after all, what they do.

An important part of mastering your computer, though, lies not in the software you use but the attitude you bring to the computer, the worldview that shapes how you interact with it… » Continue

March 26 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: automation, centralization, computer, internet, Productivity, tip, web-app, workflow | 8 comments»

Stop Dithering: Become A Better Decision-Maker

Ever encountered a project where only one decision needs to be made before you can finish the project? It may only take you a few hours to finish the project once that decision is made, but invariably, it’s the decision that takes forever to make. It’s because decision-making is as much a skill as riding a bike: it’s something that you learn and improve on as you practice.

I think… » Continue

March 25 2008 | By Thursday | Tagged: advice, cost, decision | 8 comments»

Productivity maybe . . . but for what purpose?

Why choices about what to do with the time and effort you save are more critical

One reasonable definition of increased personal productivity is creating the ability to do more with less effort and in a shorter time. Nothing wrong with that — at least until you ask what you will do with the time and effort you have saved.

Not so many years ago, many people — including governments and… » Continue

March 25 2008 | By Adrian | Tagged: consumption, priority, Productivity, time-management | 4 comments»

How to Tell When Your Hard Drive is Going to Fail

Hard drives form the basis of our computing. The use of computers comes down to manipulating data, and the hard drive is, of course, where we store all our data; family albums, music, work documents, email, the list goes on.

Most of the components in your computer are electronic devices. They don’t fail with time like a mechanical device such as a car. But your hard drive is one of… » Continue

March 24 2008 | By Joel | Tagged: backup, data, diagnosis | 15 comments»

5 Ways to Make Your Computer Work For You (And Not The Other Way Around)

Computers have the potential to vastly increase our personal productivity. They are also, of course, capable of becoming vast time-sinks, sucking our productive moments away in a haze of frustration and imposed patience. Alas, the line between one and the other can be exceedingly thin. Here, then, are five ways to keep on the “productive” side of that line and avoid the “time-sink” factor. I’ve focused here on practices… » Continue

March 24 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: automation, computer, file_management, internet, Productivity, tip, web-app, workflow | 13 comments»

Getting to Good Enough

Do you strive for perfection? Do you spend hours obsessing over the tiniest details of your life until they’re exactly right? Do you feel uncomfortable when everything in your life isn’t “just so”? Are you prepared for every eventuality, even the most unlikely?

In short, are you a perfectionist?

There are times when perfection is called for, of course, but allow me to suggest to you that most

» Continue

March 21 2008 | By Dustin | Tagged: confidence, getting_things_done, perfectionism, procrastination | 38 comments»

10 Steps To Working On The Road

Even if your work doesn’t need to be done in an office, it can be very hard to work when you travel. You may be a freelancer, you may own your business, or you may telecommute, but there are ten steps you need to take to prepare yourself to work on the go. They’re especially key for long-term travel, but if you’re only going for a week, consider making… » Continue

March 20 2008 | By Thursday | Tagged: business, travel, work | 20 comments»

30 Tips to Rejuvenate Your Creativity

Recently, we asked the readers what their tips for staying creative were. Sometimes creativity flows from the heavens, but other times, as we all know, it’s like drawing water from a stone. The following are the best tips you gave us.

1. Surround yourself with creative people. Hang out with writers, musicians, poets and artists. Often, just being in a creative environment will inspire you and refresh your creative mind.

2… » Continue

March 20 2008 | By Joel | Tagged: creativity, ideas, inspiration | 49 comments»

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