I’ve added some neat features to the Wordpress blog I used for GTD recently. I found the To Do plugin, which sticks a nice To Do list right in your admin panel. It will not send you any reminders, and it doesn’t allow for separate categorization of stuff. But I find it a useful replacement [...]

I’ve added some neat features to the Wordpress blog I used for GTD recently. I found the To Do plugin, which sticks a nice To Do list right in your admin panel. It will not send you any reminders, and it doesn’t allow for separate categorization of stuff. But I find it a useful replacement for my GTD Inbox - I jot things down quickly, and later I do the easy/timely ones and can copy/paste the more involved ones to another folder.

I tried to find a feedreader plugin to use inside the admin folder, too - the one I’ve linked there works, but it doesn’t have the many crazy features I want (I’m so picky, only something like Google Reader will cut it). But it may be of value to some of you. If nothing else, it could be an easy way to monitor all your site feeds from inside one dashboard, so you’ll know if any sites are offline or screwed up.

LifeHacker had an article about a guy who realized he was spending inordinate time replying to emails that really didn’t require encyclopedic responses. To get this bad habit under control, he limited himself to five sentences per email reply, and set up a link in his signature to explain the change to anyone who found [...]

LifeHacker had an article about a guy who realized he was spending inordinate time replying to emails that really didn’t require encyclopedic responses. To get this bad habit under control, he limited himself to five sentences per email reply, and set up a link in his signature to explain the change to anyone who found it disconcerting.

What if we did that with other stuff, too?

What if I limited how long I will spend on writing blog posts per day? Would my posts suck? From what I remember of essay tests in high school, the time crunch made me more focused and productive. Some of my best work was hastily scrawled in a Number 2 pencil.

What if I limited how long I will spend on the feedreader, and when I get to the end and there are still posts left, I just mark them all “read” and move on? Would I miss the one blog entry explaining that the aliens have arrived to take over earth and want to make me World Ruler Extraordinaire to run things when they’re off conquering other planets?

It’s definitely not how much time you spend on something that makes it good - if it were, the slowest person at a task would be the best. You definitely need to give things enough time, but how do you know what’s enough if you don’t limit your time and see what you can get done in the time allotted?

In the past, I’ve written about my methods of online organization, which I prefer because I use more than one computer during a typical day and having it all online makes it so easy to keep up, especially given the option of doing some of the work offline and uploading the results.
But if you prefer [...]

In the past, I’ve written about my methods of online organization, which I prefer because I use more than one computer during a typical day and having it all online makes it so easy to keep up, especially given the option of doing some of the work offline and uploading the results.

But if you prefer having pieces of paper, folders and calendars you can touch for your GTD, Neat Living has some suggestions on how to set that up. It’s all cheap and easy to set up, too.

I’m still crazy about Zoho Notebook, which has a lot more features I like than Google docs. Once their email system is available, I intend to replace Gmail too, and have all my online organization stuff in one place. At that point, Feedburner will be the only inroad Google has to seeing what I’m up [...]

I’m still crazy about Zoho Notebook, which has a lot more features I like than Google docs. Once their email system is available, I intend to replace Gmail too, and have all my online organization stuff in one place. At that point, Feedburner will be the only inroad Google has to seeing what I’m up to and collating my stats to fuel their internet domination.

In the past, the one thing about Google Docs that beat Zoho was that you could work in your Google docs online or off and sync everything. Now Zoho has a plugin for Microsoft Office that does the same. So far, it works fast and without a hitch, even on a very old, sad computer that longs to be in computer heaven.

I have a lot going on, so staying on track is essential. I’ve written before about using a Wordpress install for your GTD task manager and putting it into a Zoho Notebook so you have everything at one web address.
Even that can lead to forgetting to check certain sections where stuff is neatly filed [...]

I have a lot going on, so staying on track is essential. I’ve written before about using a Wordpress install for your GTD task manager and putting it into a Zoho Notebook so you have everything at one web address.

Even that can lead to forgetting to check certain sections where stuff is neatly filed away and the magical human brain decides, "I can’t see it, so it doesn’t matter." Thanks, brain!

I’ve slimmed down my system a bit. I eliminated the Inbox. Everything goes into "Next Action" or "Reference" (most of my "reference" stuff reminds me of its existence simply by getting needed by Brain at a later time). I sort through Next Action every time I go to the blog, and from there things can only go in two directions: Abandoned or Done.

If something is older than two weeks (that’s the time frame that works for me - pick whatever works for you), I decide right then and there whether I’m going to do it immediately or give it up. Remember, part of the point with GTD is not to have a lot of open loops in your head - you want to eliminate all those "Oh yeah I should do that" items that are hanging around and cluttering your thought process by either doing them or forgetting about them.

So you’re a brilliant webmaster.  You speak CSS, php, HTML and Javascript.  You can design a website, optimize the code, mix a martini and kick some bad-guy ass in just an average morning.
But can you find those windows that go slinking off your computer screen, looking for greener pastures?  You know what I’m talking about.  [...]

So you’re a brilliant webmaster.  You speak CSS, php, HTML and Javascript.  You can design a website, optimize the code, mix a martini and kick some bad-guy ass in just an average morning.

But can you find those windows that go slinking off your computer screen, looking for greener pastures?  You know what I’m talking about.  A program is open.  You know there was a window around here somewhere.  You’ve minimized every other window you’ve got running to find it.  Then you’ve closed every other program.  Still, it hides.

LifeHacker has posted the solution to this frustrating mystery of the missing window.  The original source article appears to be How To Geek, which offers an additional version of the trick - the keyboard solution:

Note: For keyboard savvy people, you can just alt-tab to the window, use Alt+Space, then M, then Arrow key, and then move your mouse.

How simple is that?