Learning to Stay Current

Imagine that your memory was only good for two years. Anything that you learned over two years ago was forgotten. The only education you had at your disposal was the things you had learned in the past 24 months.

This should be a pretty terrifying prospect for anyone. However, some people would find themselves unable to function at all, while others would find themselves merely handicapped. It all depends on how much effort each individual has put into learning new things in the last two years.

Some people graduate from college with the idea that they can stop learning. They pick up some additional education in the form of on-the job-training, but the amount they learn each year is very close to zero. Others assume that learning is something that is ongoing and that the rate of change in the world forces them to be constantly learning new things.

When you think about it, a good percentage of what you learned more than two years ago is irrelevant today. The rapid pace of technology and change in general are working together to make sure that much of what you learn today will be outdated or at least less relevant in two years.

If you aren’t constantly making an effort to learn new things, you’ll quickly find your education inadequate to cope with what the world has become. This doesn’t happen overnight and many people don’t even recognize the change. In fact, many people don’t realize what has happened until they lose their job and find themselves in need of work with few current skills.

The current economic situation really demonstrates this.  There are many employers out there looking for employees to pay $60k per year.  The jobs are going unfilled because they can’t find qualified employees.

We lived in Michigan for a while, and I was amazed at how many people were making a good living without any formal education, simply operating a particular piece of machinery at an automotive plant.  I’m not saying that there was not skill involved in running the machines, but when they lost their jobs they didn’t have much of a skill set to transfer somewhere else.

The only way to stay current is to make a consistent investment in your informal (and formal) education. You can never get comfortable or feel like you have learned everything you need to know.

Originally published December 1, 2006.

Interview: Productivity Tool

In our interview series we asked a number of people the following:

What do you feel is your most important productivity tool?(1532)

The metaphorical axe – no bit of software or technology would help me if I didn’t know how to constantly remove anything from my life that is getting in the way of living in a balanced and productive manner.

Joel Falconer (rss)

The word “No”.

I am getting really good at establishing boundaries and saying “No”.

“No” is probably THE most difficult thing for anyone, like me, who is interested in everything, loves talking with people, and has no internal time clock.  I love generating ideas and options.  I truly do not naturally like to say no to any opportunity.  But ultimately, the very definition of focus, productivity, discipline, and accomplishment is saying NO to everything that is not what is important right now.

Ariane Benefit from Neat & Simple Living (rss)

The most important productivity “tool” I use is really more of an idea.  A long time ago, while working as an intern software engineer, I was told that whenever you have a task to perform more than once, build a tool to automate it.  This one statement was ingrained in my mind over 10 years ago and has helped me to this very day.  With the demanding lives we lead, anything that can improve efficiency is vital.  For instance, in my business, I have to keep the books up to date.  Even with powerful software like Quickbooks, there are many manual tasks.  I’ve cobbled together a group of software packages, plug-ins, and even use some Excel scripts now.  These let me complete monthly accounting tasks in an hour or two when they used to take days.  So as I said, it’s not so much about a specific tool, but the mindset of using tools to increase productivity.

John Koontz from West Coast Shaving

Capture tool. A capture tool helps me:

1. clear my mind since I do not need to memorize anything, and

2. ensure that I never lose any idea, appointment, or task.

Mine is just a piece of paper I bring everywhere I go which content will then be copied to my computer.

Donald Latumahina from Life Optimizer (rss)

My three most important productivity tools are:

1. The Trash Can
2. The Delete Key
3. The Word “No”

Trust me, by using these tools you will get far more “done” than anything you could buy.

Patrick Rhone from Patrick Rhone’s Journal (rss)

As low tech as it sounds, my most important productivity tool is a deadline.  Whether it is my work, one of my employees or a client — we all seem to be much more efficient with our time when we have a deadline looming.

We use Basecamp (www.basecamphq.com) to create milestones for every project.  Each milestone is a mini-deadline.  No one wants to let someone else on the team down — so we push to meet or exceed all due dates.

On the flip side, when a project is left open-ended, it seems as though it can be a vortex for wasted time and as a result, lost revenue.

So bring on the deadlines!

Drew McLellan from Drew’s Marketing Minute

Pen and paper. I will never understand why people feel the need to search for all sorts of complicated productivity tools. Keep it simple: if your personal productivity level is currently not worth bragging about then it’s your attitude which needs to changed, the lack of productivity tools is an excuse and nothing more.

Alan Johnson from TheRatingBlog (rss)

My most important productivity tools are a pen and notepad. Anywhere I go, I’m always ready to jot down thoughts, ideas, tasks, reminders, etc.

Another significant tool is to determine your priorities. Then examine your daily activities to determine if whatever consumes your time is moving you toward your goals, priorities, etc., or  away from the things you consider to be most valuable.

I also use “Remember the Milk” and “the journal” software daily.

Consistency, few have it, we all need it.

Miguel Wickert

Miguel Wickert- Pineiro from The Pursuit Of Excellence (rss)

My index card.  Or more specifically, 1/2 and index card.  I don’t go anywhere without it in my back pocket.  I have my daily tasks written on it and I write down anything I want to remember throughout the day on it.  At the end of the day my Next Action list based on what I finished and wrote down on my index card throughout the day.

Sam from Sam I Am (rss)

It  has to be the dual monitors on my Mac at work.

I tend to work in 3 or 4 different programs at once and the dual screens really improve how I quickly I work, allowing me to swap between them easily. I reckon it must save me a minimum of thirty minutes a day.

Once you’ve gone dual screen you’ll never go back!

Katy Whitton from Productivity, Project Management & Motivation Blog (rss)

I keep a calendar.  As soon as I see something coming up ahead, I enter it into the calendar, then forget about it.  For work, I tend to keep a mental calendar as well.

Anne from Writers Cabal Blog (rss)

My Moleskines!

One for my appointments and tasks (A5 sized 12 month weekly planner) and one for all my notes (A5 sized plain paper soft cover).

Lodewijk van den Broek from How to be an Original (rss)

My most important productivity tool is the Tickler File. This external memory device allows me to postpone thinking about tasks, events, or projects until I need to think about them.

I make careful notes, and include tags and links to other related resources so that I am able to instantly process or execute the item that is due.

Stephen Smith from Productivity in Context (rss)

Gmail, Google Calendar, and Remember the Milk have been invaluable in keeping my obligations, appointments, and tasks, both personal and professional, in check.  Since I spend so much time in front of my computer, consolidating all my reminders, etc., to one or two online locations has helped focus my sometimes wandering attention.

As far as offline work (usually grading), I’ve found that removing temptation is far easier than fighting it, so I usually relocate to a room without a computer.  At work, that usually means an empty conference room.  Sounds silly, but I get astonishingly more done in an 85-minute block in an empty room with no distractions than I do in front of my computer.

Damian Bariexca from Apace of Change (rss)

I’m writing this from an elliptical machine! At the gym, I read my mailing lists and RSS feeds, respond to “light” emails that I’ve previously shunted to a folder called “Gym,” and take care of other tasks that I’ve added to a document called “Gym to do.” With this approach, not only do I avoid getting distracted by little tasks and emails during the day, but I also notice my workout less, so I can con myself into staying at the gym longer.

Eva Holtz from College Admissions Secrets (rss)

My 48 minute timer…

John Richardson from Success Begins Today (rss)

By far, OS X has become my most important productivity tool. The OS allows for the cleanest workflow of any operating system; and I have used them all over the years.

Features such as:

• Spotlight
• Keyboard shortcuts across most applications
• Spaces
• Dashboard
• Scripting through Applescript, bash Shell, and Automator
• Service to easily pass data between applications

make automation and productivity a snap.

M Nassal from Stress Free Productivity 101 (rss)

My MacBook Pro.

Brendon Connelly from BikeHacks (rss)

Tuesday’s Tip: College Records

When I was in college, I quickly learned how important it was to keep records. You can’t rely on your university to keep track of everything correctly. Maybe they will, but just in case they make a mistake, you need to be prepared.

One habit I formed early on in college was to get a copy of my transcript each semester. One semester, there were an extra 15 hours of credits on the transcript for classes I had not taken. After doing some checking, it became clear that they had accidentally given me credit for someone else’s work. I explained it to the university and they straightened out the records. However, I imagine it was much easier to get something taken off than it would be to get something added. By keeping a copy of my transcript, I had a very simple way to prove what classes I had taken if my credits ever accidentally were given to someone else.

About eight years later, I was taking classes through Harvard’s extension school toward a second Master’s degree. One day I was looking over the requirements and discovered that all of the work I had done wasn’t going to count. There was a requirement that you take your first 3 courses in a particular order and I hadn’t done that. Obviously, I was very concerned because I had already earned about 20 hours toward the degree.

I went to my file and found a dated print out of the same page that listed a different set of requirement–requirements that I had followed. I went to the office and showed them my printout and asked if the requirements had changed. They said that the requirements had changed, and I would only have to meet the old requirements for my program.

I could have probably gotten it straightened out without having my print out, but it was much easier to deal with since I had kept good records.

Working with Your Spouse Financially

In the book The Millionaire Mind and The Millionaire Next Door, the authors point out that millionaires tend to marry people who support them financially.  One of the easiest ways to wreck your financial plan is for there to be competition between a husband and wife, financially.

If you have ever heard a couple say things like, “well, you bought a new dvd player, so I can go buy a new dress” or “you spent $300 at the mall, so I decided to go buy a new television.” You know what I’m talking about.  If the members of a marriage feel like they are in competition with each other for spending, they are off to a bad start.  Here are some simple tips to avoid this type of competition.

• Regularly discuss financial goals — If you are both headed toward the same goal, financially, it is much easier to work together.  This can be saving for a vacation, saving for retirement or getting ready to start a business on your own.
• Give each person a fun budget – Some couples find it is beneficial to give each person a budget for fun stuff each month.  As long as each of them stay within their budget, neither feels like the other is getting an  unfair use of their combined money.
• Try to give instead of take – The ideal situation is when both parties are doing their best to help meet the needs and desires of the other.  This works much better than when both parties are doing their best to give as much as possible.  Of course this needs to come from both sides to work.  If one person (often the woman) is giving all the time and the other person (often the man) is taking all the time, it can breed a lot of resentment.

The biggest key here is to have open communication about finances with your spouse.  A good way to start is to set some small financial goals that you can meet together.  Even setting a small goal of trying to save up a $2,000 emergency fund can be a great exercise in working together financially.

Do  you have any suggestions or tips that have helped you work well, financially, with your spouse? Please share in the comments.
Originally published March 5, 2008.

• We Follow ranks twitter users by their influence by topic.  According them, Productivit501 is more influential than David Allen when it comes to productivity. I’m questioning how they calculate “influence”, but it still feels good to see Productivity501 at the very top of a list like that. (0)

Doing Less

A lot of what people write about being productive is centered around doing more.  GTD is based on trying to make sure you are able to do more.  Most planning systems are based on trying to do more.  While I can see the need for this, it is sometimes important to step back and think about what you are really accomplishing.

Doing more is only valuable if you are doing things that really need to be done.  A system that just enables you to always be busy isn’t really valuable.  Obviously there is some value in not letting anything “slip through the cracks” if you are talking about things like getting your wife a birthday present or going to your son’s soccer game, but letting some things slip through the cracks can be a valuable way to let go of things that just aren’t important.

When you are making lists or putting stuff into your “trusted system,” think hard about the consequences of not doing a particular task.  Are the consequences really all that bad? Maybe you really don’t need to do it.  Maybe you should replace it with something much more valuable–something that, at the end of your life, you will regret having not done.

11 Free Word Processors

AbiWord

This word processor was developed by SourceGear Corporation as an alternative to other office software. However, SourceGear stopped developing the software, and a group of open source developers took over creating the later versions of the product.

AbiWord is unique in that it can be run on a myriad of different operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X (10.2 or later, Intel and PowerPC)
• Linux
• React OS
• BeOS
• Solaris
• etc.

System requirements for AbiWord seem to be pretty reasonable, overall, and it seems to work much like its non-open source counterparts. One final, useful thing about AbiWord is that the developers offer real time support through chat and also provide a user manual.

Bean

In today’s fast-paced world, the technology and software that we use has become  a reflection of the way we try to multitask. Instead of focusing on doing one thing well, software has become bulky and, at times, a bit inefficient for the task at hand. Sometimes it just makes more sense to simplify. Bean is a simplified word processor that allows the writer to focus better. Fewer distractions = more focused writing.

This word processor runs only on Mac OSX 10.4 through 10.6. However, it will run on both PowerPC  and Intel Macs. One thing that potential users should note is that Bean is only partially compatible with Word. That being said, as the developer says, Bean is not intended to be a replacement for Microsoft Word. It is geared toward convenience and efficiency, and because of this fact, does not have some of the features of Word.

So, if you are frustrated with a clunky word processor and own a Mac, Bean might be worth a look.

LyX

LyX is an interesting piece of software with a unique set of capabilities. According to Wikipedia, the software is becoming popular among social scientists and other researchers for its ability to manage multiple files. LyX is also excellent for those that need to type a lot of mathematical formulas. For chemistry and math teachers, the advanced abilities of this software could help make their work much more productive. Traditional word processors, such as Microsoft Word, aren’t primarily designed to create documents filled with formulas.

LyX runs on several operating systems, including the following platforms:

• Linux/Unix
• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X

Potential users should be aware that LyX is not a traditional WYSIWYG editor. It does, however, offer a “preview” option so that the user can see what the document will look like in its printed form. Those making a transition from a traditional word processor may want to take some time to adjust to using LyX for producing documents, rather than just leaping directly from a traditional word processor to LyX for all their work.

This guide for using LyX offers some really good information on using the processor as well as an overview of what the software is intended to do, how the focus of the product differs from a traditional word processor, and other various helpful facts.

IBM Lotus Symphony

Lotus Symphony is most likely the closest thing you can get (in the free software realm) to Microsoft Office without actually purchasing Office. Symphony supports most file types commonly used in today’s business world, includes equivalents to Powerpoint, Word, and Excel (Presentations, Documents and Spreadsheets, respectively) and runs on the following operating systems:

• Mac OS X
• Microsoft Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, XP with Service Pack 3
• Some Linux platforms (SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 SP2, RedHat Enterprise Linux 5.2, Ubuntu 8.04)

For a more in-depth look at Symphony, see our article entitled “Lotus Symphony Review.”

Open Office.org

Open Office is, perhaps, the most venerable and reliable alternative to Microsoft Office that is in existence, today. Developed and maintained by Sun Microsystems, the software has been around for 9 years. According to the website, Open Office reads files from most common software packages. The Open Office developers have even had reports of the product opening files that the “original software package had said to be corrupt and unusable.” Open Office runs on many different platforms, including the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X
• GNU/Linux
• Sun Solaris

Because Solaris has been under development for quite some time, the software is quite stable. The fact that the software is also open source allows anyone and everyone to send in reports of any bugs, which are then considered by developers and used to improve the software. Another neat thing about Open Office is that there are no licensing fees, so you may make copies of the software and give it to friends, family and others that may need it.

Neo Office

Neo Office is a Mac only word processor that is basically a modified version of Open Office. According to the site, the modifications are the addition of “extremely stable Mac OS X code that has been in daily use by hundreds of thousands of NeoOffice users since 2003″ and “significant speed improvements to the OpenOffice.org code.”

For those who would like a more stable and efficient version of Open Office for Mac, Neo Office might be worth a look.

Yeah Write

Yeah Write is a Windows only word processor that takes a rather unconventional approach to information in put. This processor uses a Q&A type interface in order to put the necessary information into a document template. Yeah Write is free, but in order to get the version that contains more templates, the user must pay about $20.00. The product is compatible with Windows 98 through Vista, so it should be a viable option for just about any Windows user.

Jarte

A slogan for this word processor located on its website is “Does your word processor handle like an ocean liner?” While this is amusing, some of us may find it all too true. Jarte was formulated as a lightweight alternative to powerful, but unwieldy word processors such as MS Word.

Jarte runs solely on Windows, is based on Microsoft Word Pad (making it quite stable), and can open the file extensions RTF, DOC and DOCX. According to the website, this processor would be particularly useful to students. It contains adequate features for the person that simply wants to write, but does not have too many features for the user to sort through when making editing decisions. Another plus for cash-strapped students is that the price is right.

KWord

KWord is a word processor that was developed with a unique purpose, in mind. KWord is designed to be more content friendly than the average word processor. In this program, text is designed to wrap around the images in the document being created, even after images have been manipulated. KWord runs on the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X
• Linux/Unix Systems

JDarkRoom

JDarkRoom is a minimalist word processor that allows for distraction-free writing. For those that want a simple, fast and focused program, this might be a good choice. However, JDarkRoom does have some useful features you wouldn’t expect to be on a minimalist word processor, such as word count.

This processor runs on the following operating systems:

• Windows
• Mac OS
• Linux

Google Docs

While the other word processors on this list are desktop software, Google Docs is an online word processor. It has the neat perk that the user can edit documents from any computer. All documents are stored online, therefore they can be accessed from any computer that has internet capabilities.

Since Google docs runs within a web browser, it should be compatible with all platforms. The document sharing capabilities of Google Docs would be very useful to anyone that works on documents for collaborative projects.

Did we miss your favorite free word-processor?  Please let us know about it in the comments.

• If you work in a leadership position, you’ll probably appreciate this article that looks at leadership traits from the perspective of what followers desire in a leader. (0)

Optimal Sleep

Sleeping is something we don’t usually think much about, but if you could do something to convert just 90 minutes of each day from sleep time into productive time, that would give you an extra 10 hours each week.

Steve Pavlina discovered that he could reduce the amount of sleep he required by an average of 90 minutes each day by getting up at 5 am 7 days per week. He only goes to bed when he is tired enough that he will immediately fall asleep. You can find more about his experience here and here.

Polyphasic sleep is a drastic method of changing your sleeping schedule. Basically, you try to train your body to enter deep sleep immediately by taking a 20 to 30 minute nap every 4 hours. In this way you only require 2 hours of sleep per day. For most people, this would translate into an extra 40 hours per week. Lifehack has some comments on an article by someone who uses this sleeping method.

Of course, even if you can get by with less sleep, there may be other harmful side effects. An article in Nutrition Action Health Letter (Jul/Aug 2005, Vol. 32 Issue 6) discusses some research from Europe into the causes of obesity in children. The researchers expected to find a link between the amount of time children spent in front of the television and obesity. Instead, they found that children who slept less weighted more. Another study in Wisconsin of middle-age government employees found a similar correlation.

Several people who are using the polyphasic sleep method mentioned that they require a lot more food. It seems reasonable that the body would need more food if it is more active, but polyphasic sleep could impede the body’s ability to regulate it’s own weight.

It is interesting to note that there seems to be very little research into polyphasic sleep. It has also been called Uberman’s sleep schedule and Dymaxion sleep. If you do a search through scientific journals, you’ll find many references to polyphasic, but very few of them are talking about fully replacing our regular sleeping pattern with 4 hour phases. Most of the time they are just referring to taking a several naps in addition to the main time you sleep.

One of the main people that has written about this type of sleep is Claudio Stampi. In particular, he wrote a book called “Why We Nap”. It sells for $155 on Amazon, so it isn’t something you can just pick up from your local bookstore. If anyone knows of some good research regarding this method of sleeping (especially how it impacts your health), please leave a comment.

Other random pieces of related info:

There was a study done on truck drivers printed in Biological Rhythm Research 2003, Vol 34, that talks about polyphasic sleep. In that research, they found evidence of a natural rhythm lending to taking several naps during a day. They also mentioned that if the naps are irregular, it could throw off the body’s sense of timing.

The November issue of Scientific American mentions unpublished research where a drug known as CX717 was able to improve the performance of sleep deprived humans. Previously the drug was given to sleep deprived monkeys. The monkeys were then given memory tests (which usually degraded with lack of sleep). With the drug, the sleepy monkeys were able to perform at the same level as well rested monkeys. However, when the drug was given to rested monkeys, they performed better on the memory tests, so the drug may be more related to improving memory than to suppressing the need for sleep.

Arshad Chowdhury of Metronaps is trying to cash in on people people who need more sleep. He invented a “sleep pod” that you can pay $14 to take a 20 minute nap. At the end of 20 minutes the pod vibrates to wake you up. The pods have a type of dome to cover your head and he has them installed in the Empire State Building and the Vancouver Airport. The Metronap pods might be the perfect thing for someone who wants to try to use the polyphasic sleep method, but don’t have an office area where they can take the required short naps during the day.

Originally published October 20, 2005.

• We’ve updated our review of Dropbox after using it a bit more.  If you need to sync or share data, it is worth reading. (0)

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