November 7th, 2007 in Resource
Lifehack Digest for November 7th
- How to Write a Great Term Paper in One Evening | studenthacks.org
Student Hacks outlines a strategy for writing a good-enough paper in one night. Obviously this isn’t the best way to go about your studies, but if poor planning leaves you in the lurch, this approach might be just the thing your fat out of the fire.
student writing termpaper hack research timemanagement - Getting Things Done… Faster
OrganizeIT suggests that not only can you Get Things Done but you can do it faster by following a few tips: set a time limit, avod distractions, stay healthy and alert, use the right tools, and create habits.
gtd advice howto efficiency work business system - The 5 Rules of Writing Effective Email
Edith Yeung lists fice questions you should ask about your email before you send it to make sure it gets read and acted on.
email communication writing business howto - Conquering your fear of public speaking
I’ve seen students literally trembling with fear before making a presentation, so Steve Trobak’s advice at CNET is well appreciated. In short: face your fear, know your material, don’t worry so much, interact, and spell out your worst case scenario.
speaking tips presentation business education advice - How to Be Interesting
Russell Davies shares some tips on how to attract and hold the attention of others. What t boils down to is being interested — in others, in the world around you — and sharing what interests you, freely and openly.
interesting inspiration advice Howto Development creativity - 64 Interview answers you need to know
64 common interview questions and answers, including possible reminder on traps from the questions. A great start to prepare for interview.
interview, career, job - 150 Resources to Help You Write Better, Faster, and More Persuasively
An exhaustive list of sources, references, and guides for writers of all kinds. Perfect for journalists, business writers, students, and any other writer looking for authoritative sources and help on mproving their written style.
writing reference resources tools education - 8 Steps to running your business on (mostly) free apps
Found|Read discusses the practical and psychological aspects of running a business using free/low-cost applications. This help small and new companies save money and offers greater flexibility as new technologies and services become available.
soft software free tools entrepreneurship business
Tags: 
Loading ...
Comments
Jan says on November 8th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I love the “idea” of running a business on mostly free apps. However, the reason that we use apps is to help us to be more efficient. One of my largest expenses is the annual cost of tax software. There are cheaper companies out there, but we don’t use them. We need the tax returns to be prepared efficiently and accurately.
We don’t compare the cost of the software to the cheaper software alone. You have to consider whether or not the cheaper app is going to cost you somewhere else, like additional labor. This means either in extra work for your employees or extra issues with your IT guy.
This is not to say that lower cost apps aren’t a good idea, it’s just that making a determination based on app cost alone is ill advised.
Dustin Wax says on November 8th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Jan — I agree, with a big “but”. One of my duties at an ex-job was evaluating and recommending software, and often the case was that cheaper software didn’t offer the functionality we needed (or offered it in a way that needed too much time to fit our own standards). This is a common trade-off, and every business should make that assessment in relation to its own needs.
Here’s the big “but”: For small and newly launched businesses, there may simply not be the resources to invest in software that “just fits”. In those cases, it’s wise to use something that works well enough without draining funds — and, hopefully, using data standards that allow you to move your data efficiently when either money or better-fit products become available.
I also think there’s a bias against using free software (e.g. the old saying “nobody’s ever been fired for buying Microsoft software”). If you’re a small business without complex needs, OpenOffice.org or even Google Docs might meet all your needs for a fraction of the cost (even considering training and workflow management) of a single copy of Office 2007. But many people might think that installing OOo means they’re “unprofessional” or “not ready forprime time”. THe point of the article linked above is, I think, to challenge that in part bypointing out where a free app might not only be adequate but even *better* than it’s commercial alternative.
Jan says on November 8th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
I am not biased against free or share ware. We use some here in the office, but we do that AFTER we consider the total cost.
Many business fail due to under capitalization. If this is a micro small business (side line, out of the house, some day it might be bigger so I can quit my real job), then productivity isn’t as critical.
If I am now in the game to make money to provide real income to owners and employees and I have to sacrifice efficiency by using free or share ware then I have bigger issues. If I spend money on software or labor it all comes out of the same pot and has the same effect on the bottom line. If I excuse the extra costs on labor, or more likely am unable or unwilling to figure that into the analysis then I would say that there are likely other inefficiencies going on.
Sangrail says on November 8th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Hi,
you might want to typo check that post.
“this approach might be just the thing your fat out of the fire.”, “avod distractions”, “lists fice questions”, “What t boils”
Try: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:3
Cheers.
still says on November 13th, 2007 at 4:49 am
new hy! who is http://www.spymac.com/details?2298228 ??? ;)