I have been between organizing systems for a little while. I’ve tried a bunch of things: Google Calendar, Stickies (the built in Mac program that makes little Post-It notes), and a few easily forgettable PIM software apps. I’ve used Backpack in the past, and a few of the various To-Do software products that so many readers of Lifehack.org write or support. But my new favorite is HiTask. First, it’s clean and shiny. Second, it’s a web app. Third, it’s got drag-and-drop functionality that takes away most of my typical complaints about organizing... More »
It’s NOT about the business cards. It’s about making a connection to the people you want to get to know, and making an impact in what you say and think. Cards are Paper There’s nothing especially important about a business card. They contain information (often too much) that should help one get back to somewhere, but they are a bookmark. They are a way back to the conversation. But they are NOT the conversation. Story: Listen and Share Lead with something that starts the other person’s story. “What have you seen that’s... More »
Ever since switching tasks and to-dos off of my calendar and into a GTD tool of choice, I’ve noticed my productivity is actually going DOWN. Why? Because I’ve learned that without at least SOME scheduling, I don’t match the right contexts to the tasks still at hand. Scheduling Context Zones Now, maybe GTD the book has this in there, and I’ve forgotten it over time. Remember, I’m more a disciple of Covey who tends to use GTD where I can. But I want to stress this feature/idea. By slotting times on my... More »
There are LOTS of conferences to attend, and only so much time and money to get around. For instance, I wished I could’ve dragged myself down to Austin, Texas to attend South by Southwest Interactive. But my own conference, Video on the Net is next week, and I’m busy. So this is how I learned how to attend without being there. Live Flow- Twitter [website]- Add enough friends attending the event, as well as the official event, and you get the flow from this app. Twitter let me see which conferences were... More »
540 Shares I’m a big fan of Twitter, and have been using it heavily since the outset. For those of you not yet using it, Twitter is a communications gateway that asks the question: “What are you doing now?” Users can answer and hear their friends’ answers via SMS, via IM, or on a webpage. Updates have to be under 140 characters. Think somewhere between IRC and IM and that’s Twitter. Twitter is a constant pulse product, meaning it can really sap your attention span. That seems antithetical to life-hacking, or at least to... More »
You’re still committed to your New Year’s goals, including running for fitness, right? Right? Hello? My friend, Mark Iocchelli, is a disciple of the POSE Method of running, and he’s written some tips and ideas on how to avoid one of the most painful foot injury out there: plantar fascitis. It’s a lot to go into here, and the best part is that Mark includes videos as instruction for how to get done what he’s talking about, but essentially, it’s all in how you hold your body with relation to how you... More »
In the US at least, this appears to be the year of the Internet Presidency, and this trend got me thinking about ways that that you might use Internet video to improve you universe. Post A Video Resume- There’s something powerful of matching a face to a name, but it’s even stronger if you can come off decent on camera. Get your video camera or your digital camera out, consider your surroundings (background matters), and make sure people can see (good lighting) and hear (either the camera is close enough of use... More »
Just a note to bloggers using WordPress: there’s an important security update in version 2.07 that will make your life easier, insofar as preventing a certain security exploit. Swing by WordPress and download and update your sites accordingly. That is all.
Here are thoughts on what your boss wants, based on experiences I’ve had. These are always subjective lists, and no, I don’t know YOUR boss personally. But I’ll tell you from the perspective of how I’ve best managed my bosses in the past, and how I’ve wanted things done when I’ve been in charge. Your mileage may vary. Your Boss Wants… you to “get it” quickly, develop a plan quickly, and then take action. you to clear all the smaller roadblocks yourself, exercising creativity without burning down the business. you to execute... More »
Want one quick tip that will improve your health almost immediately? Stand up straighter. The best trick I learned for this was from a chiropractor/massage therapist/yoga master type guy. He said, “Stand up, and imagine your spine, especially where it touches the base of your neck. Imagine that cross of your shoulders and your spine. Now, imagine theres a big strong cable loop there, awaiting a hook. Attach the hook and pull from the back of your neck straight up towards the ceiling, and let your bones fall into place.” It’s hard... More »
102 Shares I’ve done a lot of blog surfing lately, in search of new (best) blogs. What I found often, however, was that there are things people could do to improve the relationship and interaction value of their blogs, which would in turn build a better bridge between blogs and their readers. Display Contact Info Prominently- Put the author’s name right up there easy to read, and add a photo, an email written out to avoid spiders ( chris at lifehack dot org instead of actually clickable), and even a phone number, if you... More »
Why do people bother with MySpace? I’ll tell you why: people can make connections and communicate and open dialogue. By “adding friends” and building your space, and adding multimedia, and using the tools on there, you can establish connections. The benefit of using this social sharing sites (Flickr, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIN, Upcoming.org, etc, etc, etc) is that you get a different, digital connection to people. Some are people you’ve not met that you could stand to meet. Some are people you WISH you could connect with, but don’t have direct access.... More »
Taking on a new job is a great time to spot-check the power of your organizing and executing systems. Mine came up severely lacking (as evidenced by how few posts I’ve sent to LifeHack recently). But with all things, “That which does not kill us…” Here’s what I’ve learned lately about my organizing needs, and here’s a few tips that might be useful to you, if you’re not already adequately dealing with managing your commitments and efforts. Visualizing Your Commitments Helps I mean this in lots of ways, but in this specific... More »
(photo by Drunken Monkey Photography). I thought I’d explain a little more in detail about how I plan my life, and what tools I use to achieve my goals. I like to separate my thoughts on planning and organizing into two levels: upstack and downstack. I often talk about Getting Things Done (GTD) as a good downstack framework. But this post will be about my upstack efforts, and for that, I often turn to Covey. Covey’s Habits Since 1995, I’ve been practicing variants of Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly... More »
98 Shares Being on time or early cures a whole lot of ills, don’t you agree? I have been traveling a lot (partly why I haven’t been writing my head off for Life Hack lately, sorry), and so I’m faced with that wonderful US Airport experience of the TSA security process. Don’t get me wrong: I’m thankful that someone out there thinks my removing my belt will keep more planes in the air. I’m grateful that I get to demonstrate the functionality of my laptop, video camera, MP3 recorder, digital camera, and iPod every... More »
