Today I got a call from my credit card company wanting to verify a few charges. They listed several purchases from a part of the country we haven't visited for years. The charges were all from a card that we don't use any more--we keep it just for emergencies (if other cards are declined or stolen). My wife and I both have our cards so it seems someone "skimmed" the number. Hi tech thieves will find a waiter or waitress and offer them $5 or $10 for each card they run through a small hand-held device. The thief then takes the device and downloads all the numbers into a computer and offers them for sale on the internet. Usually this will be done in a batch of cards say 100 or 1,000 card … [Read more...] about Credit Card Skimming
Blog
Group Interview – Organized Computer
Everyone has a different approach to organizing their computer files.What single tip would you give someone to stay productive in their computer organization? Take time to think about the top-level folders. How do you normally refer to, or think about, things? Then label the top level accordingly and put the ensuing files where you intuitively would refer to them. I confess, I tried to convince myself that because it is a computer, somehow it would organize me! Alas, I find that I have to be intentional and schedule weekly sessions with the computer just like a would a client. Steve Roesler from All Things Workplace (rss) I’ve actually had good luck with self organization using DEVONThink. … [Read more...] about Group Interview – Organized Computer
Reader Question – Organization & Saving
How can being organized save you money? If time is money and being organized saves you time, it saves you money. Lets say you look for 6 things each day that take you on average 5 minutes apiece. You reorganize your office and reduce the time to 1 minute search for each item. You are now saving 24 minute each day or about 146 hours each year. Even if you have to invest half of that time staying organized that still gives you 73 hours of extra time from being organized. This is an extra 9 days each year. You can reinvest your extra time back into work to try to earn more money, spend it with your family, or just take some extra time to relax. … [Read more...] about Reader Question – Organization & Saving
Procrastination Prevention Course – Now Live!
Previously I announced that we were testing the Procrastination Prevention Course. I took the feedback from the testing group and made some changes. The course is now live. If you have trouble with procrastination, you need to go through this course. It is designed to give you some simple strategies for preventing procrastination. Each day you get a short email with a simple assignment to help you practice breaking the procrastination habit. The funny thing about a procrastination course is that the people who most need it are the ones most likely to put it off. If you are reading this and thinking "Maybe I'll do that some day" I strongly recommend that you sign up for it right … [Read more...] about Procrastination Prevention Course – Now Live!
Group Interview – Productive Software
If you made a list of the software that helps you stay productive, what do you think people would be most surprised to find on that list? That is the question Productivity501 asked a number of productivity experts. Below are their responses. A little program called On The Job from Stunt Software. It's a simple time tracker and invoice generator for projects. But here's how I also use it: I have entered what would be my hourly rate based on my projects and income. Then, as I field phone calls, do tasks, and muck around, I click the starter button on the timer, the "Stop" at the end. The value of what I just did immediately appears on the screen. Wow. After one day of seeing how I was using … [Read more...] about Group Interview – Productive Software
Books
Earlier today I mentioned a book by the Wall Street Journal about personal finance, but failed to actually point people to the book. I've added the book to the Productivity501 store. The book is designed to give you a good financial foundation. It doesn't go into great depth on subjects, but it seems to do a great job of making sure you aren't missing anything in your financial foundation of understanding. Another book that I'd recommend is called Founders At Work. It is a series of interviews with people who started various companies. It is a great read and very enlightening to hear the stories behind all these different businesses. One thing I've been fascinated by in the book … [Read more...] about Books
Being Financially Literate
One of the best investments you can make in yourself is to increase your financial literacy. In fact if you only have 10 hours this year that you can invest in self-improvement there are very few ways you can better spend that time than reading a book on investing and financial management. Go ahead and take the time to visit your library and find a few books on investing and financial management. Even if you just skim the parts that look interesting you'll find this small investment can make a big difference in your ability to plan financially for the future. The Wall Street Journal has a good book on investing that I'd recommend. What do other people suggest? Is there a financial … [Read more...] about Being Financially Literate
Add Productivity501 as a Friend
If you use Digg, consider adding Productivity501 as a friend. We will add you back so we can see what stories you find interesting and vice versa. … [Read more...] about Add Productivity501 as a Friend
Folder Template Video
Several months ago, I did a post where I talked about creating folder templates. I've created a short You Tube video that shows the folder templates in action. I'm a bit disappointed with the You Tube quality, but I'm going to post it anyway in hopes that someone will find it useful. … [Read more...] about Folder Template Video
Group Interview – Distraction Free Internet
The internet can help your productivity, but it can also be a distraction. How do you obtain the benefits while avoiding the downsides?. I finally had to do two things that are working for me: In the Bookmark Bar, I narrowed the categories to only those related to business. I allow myself a set amount of time (20 minutes) to check the newsfeeds and other favorite sites for 20 minutes maximum 4 times during the day. On minute 21, I close the browser window.That means I potentially "lose" 1:20 minutes of work. As a result of the routine, it never amounts to that much. Steve Roesler from All Things Workplace (rss) Steve's suggestion to allow a certain amount of time for … [Read more...] about Group Interview – Distraction Free Internet