I searched high and low for free, printable PDF weekly and daily planners for my kids to be able to schedule their days and weeks. I expected to find dozens of options but was surprised to find very few. Of those few, some plastered their logos all over or declared the document could only be […]

You know when you need to focus but your mind keeps coming up with reasons not to? If you’re anything like me, you could use help getting in the zone every now and then (more like daily). I’ve been using Brain.fm for the past few weeks and it’s like the mythical Focusyn on the Simpsons […]

I learned the habit of typing two spaces after a period when I first learned to type on a typewriter. I’ve decided to break the habit, but it’s been really hard to do on my own. The extra space is ingrained in my muscle memory and I keep typing it, even as I’m writing about […]

Ever since school started this year I’ve been dropping two of my boys off at school instead of one. This means my bag goes in the trunk instead of the back seat. Every day when I arrive at work I open the rear door, stare at the empty seat and wonder how I was robbed […]

I’ve been working on a free service called Shortmarks (Shortcut Bookmarks) and have been using it for close to a year. It has become indispensable, giving me fast, keyword shortcuts from any browser. It’s great to be able to switch between Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Opera without missing a beat because all my searches […]

I’ve tried every productivity method I could find. Franklin Covey, Now Habit, Getting Things Done and others. It usually started out well, then I slowly began procrastinating and would become less productive. This time it’s been different. My productivity has increased, and I get excited and enjoy using the process. I first learned about Mark […]

According to the Economist, the average American household watches over 8 hours of TV. This is one area where we don’t want to be #1.

An easy way to increase your productivity is to respond to email at predetermined times instead of all the time. I used to have my email open in a Firefox tab all day every day. I jumped on incoming emails like a hawk on its prey, but that’s inefficient. The distraction decreased my overall productivity […]

I’ve heard the quote, “No one ever wished they spent more time at work on their deathbed” one too many times. I have a beef with it. I understand the intention of the quote and I agree with the sentiment, but it’s dangerous to claim absolutes. A single exception disproves the whole thing. Plus there’s […]

If you like to keep your Inbox at Zero and use Gmail, this is for you. The normal steps are to reply to an email, then archive it. A new Gmail Labs feature turns that into a single step, aptly named “Send and Archive.” Removing the additional step isn’t going to free up all that […]

If you want to take multiple screenshots quickly and easily, here’s a great solution. 1. Download IrfanView, a feature-filled but lightweight image viewer for Windows. 2. Run it and type ‘c’ (or go to Options -> Capture / Screenshot). 3. Configure the settings. Here’s what I chose: 4. Press ‘Start’ and then go about your […]

I used to keep a tab open in Firefox with my Gmail account, giving me the ability to be a fast replyer via email. Realizing the time I spent being distracted by email, coupled with a discussion from Tim Ferriss to check email twice a day, I decided to close the email tab. At first […]

I’ve found a good way to reduce procrastination is to set a timer and commit to working on a task for that period of time. It makes it easier for you to work on something you’ve been fearing because regardless of the outcome of the task, you get to stop when the timer dings. It’s […]

I love using keyboard shortcuts to get things done faster. Here are the main ones I use in Google Reader. p/n – navigate up and down through feeds without expanding k/j – navigate up and down through feeds and expand feeds N/P – navigate up and down through folders (in the left sidebar) o – […]

I’ve been using shortcuts in Gmail for years now. The recent post about Gmail shortcuts on the Google Blog inspired me to write about the ones I use. j/k – Move up and down through the messages x – Select a message s – Star a message gs – Go to starred folder gi – […]

If you like Mindmapping you can get a sweet deal on ConceptDraw MindMap. It usually costs $199, but it’s free. To get your copy: Step 1. Download it Step 2. Generate a key Step 3. Start mindmapping! Freemind is a popular mindmapping application that’s free all the time. Having used both, I’m sticking with ConceptDraw. […]

How would you like to be able to shorten anything you write often? How about an example. If your name is Frank, you probably type something along the lines of “Best, Frank” at the end of emails or memos. What if you could type far fewer characters and get the same result? With AutoHotKey, you […]

A Polish man named Piotr Wozniak created an algorithm to help him commit things to memory. He found it to so effective that he created software and a web site to help others use his algorithm to improve their recall. He dubbed it SuperMemo. I tried out the software and the web site to give […]

My Windows desktop has only one icon – the Recycle Bin – yet I can open any application on my computer in less than 2 seconds. I no longer search the Start menu for applications, wondering what folder contains the program I want to run. How can I do this? With Launchy (download) Launchy lets […]

I used to have a PDA that I carried around with me wherever I went. I spent countless hours searching for utilities and games to put on it. I synced it with my calendar so I could keep track of things and I had to remember to charge it regularly. I was disappointed to learn […]

On the heels of 17 ways to be more productive, I ran across another list of ways to simplify your life. It’s in the form of the ten commandments (except he uses “you” instead of “thou”).

Mark Shead made a list of 17 things you should stop doing that I enjoyed reading. Here are my responses to each of his items. Manually Depositing a Paycheck – I’ve done this for years and years, but there are other checks I get in the mail that I can’t deposit directly. Then there’s the […]

Daily Lit (via JD Roth) is a fantastic idea for a service. You pick a book and they e-mail you a portion of it each day (at the time of your choosing). It’s free too. They have some classics that I’ve wanted to read and this is a great way to do it. The only […]

I just found a simple and convenient way to keep track of your daily goals. It’s called Joe’s Goals. All you do is add a few goals, then click on the day if you’ve done it (or click twice when you really slam dunked the goal), so it’s quite simple to do on a daily […]

Snopes is an excellent resource for verifying stories people swear are true but sound suspect. Virtually every time I get an e-mail forward that looks fishy, I’ll check it out on snopes, and nine times out of ten, they’ve already done the research or are currently working on it. I’m subscribed to their what’s new […]

I once heard of a story about a student who arrived late to class and saw three math problems on the board. He wrote them down, assuming they were homework assignments. A few days later he went to the professor and asked if it was too late to turn in the homework assignments because they […]

How fast do you read? I took both tests and got 400-450 on the first one and 450-500 on the second. (via waxy links via reBlog via del.icio.us)