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You are here: Home / Archives for 2009

Archives for 2009

Great Amex Platinum Concierge Service

By Mark Shead 4 Comments

I've been critical of American Express Platinum Concierge Service, but last week I had an interaction that was very impressive.  A deer ran into our car and broke the mirror.  Due to a misunderstanding, the local shop didn't order the part in time for our trip.  I sent the concierge service a map of the route we were going to take, the time we were leaving and asked them to find me any dealer with the part in stock on our route.  The concierge came back with a list of dealers with it in stock along with a list of dealers that could get it in two days near our destination. This was a huge time saver for me and very helpful.  Do you have any success stories from using the concierge service? … [Read more...] about Great Amex Platinum Concierge Service

Cost of a New Computer

By Mark Shead 10 Comments

It is very easy to underestimate the cost of a new computer. The cost of purchasing a computer is relatively straightforward. You pay the price that on the sticker. However, there are two other areas of cost that are often overlooked. Let's briefly look at each of them. Maintenance costs Computers are like cars. They have a finite life and at some point it is very likely that they will both need repair. The older they are, the more likely it is they will need repair. When people buy computers, they often focus on the sticker price and not the total lifetime cost. The one year warranty that comes with a computer automatically may be a lot cheaper than the three-year coverage, but how … [Read more...] about Cost of a New Computer

Scanned Signatures and Handwriting

By Mark Shead 7 Comments

Previously we've looked at how to create a scanned signature that you can use to sign documents without printing them out. Today we are going to look at how to get your signature and handwriting into a font that you can use on your computer. First off, lets look at why you'd want to do something like this. Benefits of a Scanned Signature and Handwriting Having your signature as a font has some big advantages over having it as a .PNG or .GIF file.  Fonts are mathematical representations of the shapes they contain.  This means you don't get jagged edges, no matter how big you make it.  .PNG or .GIF files work ok if you are making them smaller, but you will start to see artifacts and jagged … [Read more...] about Scanned Signatures and Handwriting

My Time Management Organizer History

By Mark Shead 6 Comments

In high school, I tried a month of using a Day Timer planner.  It was nice and I liked the small wirebound planners, but I ended up using a Day Runner planner even though the pages tended to rip out because it only used a three ring binder.  In college I went to a Franklin seminar and started  using the Franklin system. While the actual pieces of paper weren't too different from what I had used before, the training that went along with it was very valuable. I stuck with the Franklin for about six years, but eventually found that I was at my computer enough I could rely on a digital calendar.  My switch to digital was complete when I finally moved to a Blackberry that could sync over the … [Read more...] about My Time Management Organizer History

Shred Everything

By Mark Shead 10 Comments

Even before I started my paperless office experiment, I purchased a shredder. The amount of private information on the paper I was throwing out started to concern me when I realized that I had no idea where most of it was going. The novelty of turning every random scrap of paper kept my normal waste basket empty for the first week. After this fascination wore off I started asking myself "Do I really need to shred this?" Surprisingly, most of the time I found it was better to shred pretty much anything that came in the mail. Flyers and other mail that gets sent to everyone is spared from shredding, but most of the junk mail goes into the shredder. Here is some of my reasoning for some … [Read more...] about Shred Everything

Doing it All

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

Erin over at Unclutterer has a nice piece about how she does everything by cutting down on the things that aren't important. … [Read more...] about Doing it All

Interview: Areas to Stay Low Tech

By Mark Shead 7 Comments

Everyone uses technology, but I thought it would be interesting to see in what areas people have decided they are better off avoiding technology.  So we asked a bunch of bloggers: Are there areas where you have decided it works better to go low tech? (3593) Personally, I have found that I prefer a mechanical watch.  I think there is something about having to set it and make sure it is wound that makes me more aware of time and how I spend it. An old-fashion book is still better than an MP3 or a PDF. There's just something inexplainable about holding a good, hard-cover book in your hand. It feels more important. It feels like there's actual knowledge contained within. And … [Read more...] about Interview: Areas to Stay Low Tech

Internet Access

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

The most important component of my work environment is a connection to the Internet.  With a decent connection, I can work from pretty much anywhere in the world.  In this post, we are going to look at some of the different technologies used to connect to the Internet and talk a bit about each one's strengths and weaknesses. Cable Modem Cable modems have the capacity to offer extremely high speeds.  Usually this is limited by the cable company.  In most places, you can get 1Mbps to 10Mbps downloads with .5Mbps to 2Mbps upload speed.  Cable modems share the bandwidth with other people on the same cable, so your speeds may be at least partially dependent on what your neighbors are … [Read more...] about Internet Access

Productive Finances Checklist

By Mark Shead 3 Comments

Here is a checklist for your financial productivity. Most of these things seem minor, but taken together, they really add up and can make a big difference in how efficiently you are using your time and money. Are you using direct deposit for your paychecks? -- If you are still manually carrying a check to the bank or putting it in the mail, stop! Direct deposit will get your money to the bank faster so you start earning interest as soon as possible. Even if it only saves you 5 minutes every two weeks, that is an extra 2 hours each year you can spend on something more important. Is your money in the bank earning at least 4% interest? -- If not, look for a different account. There … [Read more...] about Productive Finances Checklist

Tips for Car Travel

By Mark Shead 4 Comments

As the summer months approach, I wanted to share some simple tips for traveling by car. We do a lot of travel and these are some of the tips we've found that make our lives easier on the road. Driving into the Light When I was younger I could drive through the night without a problem. Now I find that I get very tired driving past about 10:30pm. Tired enough that it isn't safe. By leaving early in the morning I can drive into the day light. I am much more alert getting up at 2 am and driving until 5 pm than leaving at 10 am and driving until 1 am the next day. Podcasts On a long trip I can make the hours fly by listening to technology podcasts. I feel better traveling when … [Read more...] about Tips for Car Travel

Interview: Productive Time of Day

By Mark Shead 4 Comments

We interviewed a number of people and asked: What time of day do you feel you are most productive and why? (198) Here are their answers.  What about you?  Leave your thoughts in the comments. I feel most productive in late morning and early afternoon.  My energy peaks at this time of day, and I have found I am able to focus more on important tasks.  I am not a morning person, so usually I end up going around in circles or repeating something- basically, wasting my time.  Late afternoon, beginning around 3, I begin to get sluggish and often need a nap!  It is important to know when your energy level is at its highest and when you are least distractable.  That is when you should … [Read more...] about Interview: Productive Time of Day

10 Cell Phone Tips

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

Cell phones are playing an increasingly important part in most people's lives.  Here are 10 things to consider when you get ready to upgrade phones. 1. Connectivity Does the phone connect well with your computer and other devices?  Some phones have bluetooth and can keep your address book synchronized every time you come near your computer.  Others require a USB connection.  Some only have synchronization software that works with particular operating systems.  Make sure you know that the device will connect with the things that are important to you before you buy it. 2. Email People are using their phones for email more and more.  Make sure you understand not only what the device is … [Read more...] about 10 Cell Phone Tips

Why You Need Personal Capital

By Mark Shead 1 Comment

I've been exploring several business opportunities recently, so I've been thinking a lot about capital.  If we want to do X it will take $1500 of capital.  If we want to do Y it will take $4000 of capital. Our options in business greatly depend on the amount of capital we control. Capital represents the ability to do something.  Better yet, it creates an option for you to choose a particular path. Without enough capital, that particular path is not available to you. When it comes to our personal performance, capital is an important concept.  True, we don't usually call it capital, but if you think in terms of that which gives you options, it functions in the same way.  You have to … [Read more...] about Why You Need Personal Capital

Fewer Financial Institutions

By Mark Shead 8 Comments

Last year I finally got fed up with all the statements I was getting from various financial institutions.  I had retirement accounts with 4 or 5 different companies and stock accounts with 2 or 3 others. It was very difficult to keep track of what was doing well and what was doing poorly. I finally settled on two institutions; one for retirement type accounts and one for my non-retirement savings, checking and investments.  I contacted both institutions and gave them a list of what I wanted to move over.  On the retirement side of things, the transition went very smoothly.  They filled out all the paperwork, sent it to me for my signature and I FedExed it back to them.  The … [Read more...] about Fewer Financial Institutions

Networking in Large Companies

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

Nokia has an interesting culture for promoting informal mentoring.  When someone new comes on staff, their manager sits down with them and makes a list of the people they need to meet.  The manager helps give the new employee an idea of what they should discuss with each person on the list and explains why building that particular relationship is important. Nokia then supports  this practice by giving the new employee time to visit with each person on the list--even when that means traveling to other company locations.  The result is a very strong collaborative culture that gives new people a jump-start on building relationships that might take years to identify and build in a … [Read more...] about Networking in Large Companies

Links of Interest from LifeRemix

By Anna Carpenter Leave a Comment

Thirteen Tips for Actually Getting Some Writing Done-The Happiness Project This post offers some practical advice for those that want to be organized about their writing schedule, as well as those that feel "burnt out" after writing. Make Your Yard Look Like Wrigley Field-The Art of Manliness Getting your yard to look decent can be a chore, and mowing isn't always everyone's favorite of the chores on the weekly "to-do" list. However, this article has some fun and interesting tips to help you make your yard look like it belongs in a stadium. Some Thoughts on Angel Food Ministries-The Simple Dollar Because of the recent economic downturn, this article might contain some useful … [Read more...] about Links of Interest from LifeRemix

The Have-Done List

By Mark Shead 7 Comments

A to-do list is what most people see as the pinnacle of personal productivity.  You set a plan, work the plan, and the check items off the list. To-do lists can be a great.  They help you focus on what is important instead of just what happens to be on your mind. However, there are times when creating a to-do list isn't the best thing. There are times when you need to be able to freely explore and do whatever comes to mind.  Vacations are one example.  If you create a to-do list (and I know some people who do) for your vacation, it might take away from some of what you need to get out of a vacation. I also find that there are times where I need to focus on a particular area, but … [Read more...] about The Have-Done List

Kindle DRM

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

It sounds like the digital rights management on the Kindle isn't as clear cut as it sounds. Worth reading if you are thinking about getting a Kindle. … [Read more...] about Kindle DRM

Your Locus of Control

By Mark Shead 4 Comments

Locus of control is something studied by psychologists to determine how people perceive their ability to change events.  Someone with an internal locus of control believes that they have a strong ability to influence the events around them.  Someone with an external locus of control believes that external forces (people, fate, luck, etc.) control events in their environment. There were some studies done in the 60s that showed locus of control to be a personality variable, not a situational variable.  In other words, if you put two people in the exact same situation, their perception of their ability to control the situation can vary wildly.  Their perception of how much influence they … [Read more...] about Your Locus of Control

Interview: Computer Setup

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

In the next part of our technology interview, we asked a number of people: Describe your computer system setup and tell what parts you feel are most important for your productivity. (679) I was surprised at how many Mac users we had.  Obviously everyone's setup is based around their particular needs, but there are some great tips in here. OS X itself is great for my productivity. In the year and a half I've been using a Mac, I've had only a few trivial computer problems, all easily solved. The two programs that most add to my Mac productivity are Quicksilver and TextExpander. To my mind, Quicksilver's versatility alone is a good reason to use a Mac. TextExpander, like the … [Read more...] about Interview: Computer Setup

Twitter Milestone

By Mark Shead 1 Comment

Last week we hit something of a milestone when we reached our 10,000th Twitter follower.  Thanks to everyone who is following Productivity501. … [Read more...] about Twitter Milestone

Quote from Robert Benchley

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. ~Robert Benchley … [Read more...] about Quote from Robert Benchley

11 Steps Toward Developing a Superior Mind

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

Great success in life is usually the result of taking advantage of rare opportunities. So success is most likely to come to those who are prepared to take advantage of opportunities. One of the most important aspects of being prepared for any opportunity is making an intentional effort to avoid becoming dumb. I know that sounds silly, but it is very easy to find people around you who haven't kept themselves in mental shape.  When opportunities come their way, they miss out because they lacked the right knowledge, frame of mind, or mental stamina. Just like a muscle, your brain needs exercise. Far too many people get stuck in a rut of old habits and never really exercise their … [Read more...] about 11 Steps Toward Developing a Superior Mind

Cost vs. Benefit for Productivity

By Mark Shead 11 Comments

Most people are really bad at comparing cost and benefits. Hybrid cars are a good example of this. For example, the cost of the cheapest (that I could find) new gasoline Honda Civic is around $14,800. The cost of the cheapest hybrid Civic is $22,000. Assuming that you drive 13,000 miles per year, the hybrid will save you $369 per year in gas--assuming gasoline costs an average of $2.80 per gallon. So you are paying an extra $7200 to save $369 per year. It will take nearly 20 years before you end up saving money with the car. Even if you consider that the government will give you something like an extra $2,100 off your taxes for buying the hybrid, it will still take nearly 14 years … [Read more...] about Cost vs. Benefit for Productivity

Opera Unite

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

Opera announced a new browser called Unite.  It gives your browser the ability to share content instead of just consuming it.  For example, you can share you pictures with other users, or share your music with your handheld computer. It is an interesting idea and could be very powerful. … [Read more...] about Opera Unite

It Isn’t How Much You Do

By Mark Shead 4 Comments

It is very easy to confuse motion with accomplishment, but simply being busy doesn't do anything toward reaching our goals.  Being busy can be addictive.  Look around and you will hear a lot of people complaining about how busy they are, but when you look deeper, it is clear that they like being busy. I'm not sure why this is.  I think being busy makes us feel important. It is possible that we feel important because we assume that important people are busy or that people who accomplish a lot are busy.  While neither of these things is necessarily true, there is something about being busy that people like. The people who are really productive are usually the the least busy. In fact, … [Read more...] about It Isn’t How Much You Do

SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer Review

By Anna Carpenter 2 Comments

Many times I've wondered about ways to keep a centrally located, well organized grocery and errand list. Members of my family have a tendency to "borrow" the list to add something, only to forget to put the list back. Though a pen and paper are often the best and most efficient way to keep track of a to-do list, some families might need something a bit more creative. When I was handed the Grocery List Organizer to review, I was a bit apprehensive as to how well the device would actually function. Fortunately, I have been pleasantly surprised. Appearance The Organizer is an oblong-shaped device with a small screen located at the top, a large "Record" button in the middle and a … [Read more...] about SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer Review

Photo Diary

By Mark Shead 5 Comments

With inexpensive digital cameras and ever growing storage capacity, it is easy to create and maintain a very large quantity of pictures.  My personal photo library  starts in 1998 and provides a fairly detailed chronicle of my life for the past 11 years.  In many ways, it is the most accurate diary or journal of my life events over that time period.  If I want to know when we went on a particular trip, I can look up the date in our photo library.  If I want to know who attended a particular event, I can look it up there, as well. I find that occasionally running through all of my pictures helps me remember events that would otherwise be forgotten--particularly in remembering the … [Read more...] about Photo Diary

The Deadly Well – Teaching to Learn

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

When you need to remember something you've learned, one of the best things you can do is explain your new knowledge to someone else.  When I was studying music theory, I thought I had a firm grasp on the subject.  However, when I went back and taught it to incoming freshmen, I discovered how much better I understood once I had to explain it to others. I still use this technique today.  When there is something that I think I understand, I'll try to explain it to my wife to help me remember and to see if I understand things as well as I think I do. My mother teaches grade school and uses this principle all the time. When her sister and her sister's 5 year old grandson were coming to … [Read more...] about The Deadly Well – Teaching to Learn

7 Ways to Wake Up in the Morning

By Mark Shead 39 Comments

Your method of waking up is the first thing that starts your day. I'm not saying that waking up to an annoying alarm will ruin your day, but it probably isn't going to help anything. Here are a few ideas for waking up: Wake up to a CD. Many stereos have a built in alarm clock that will start the CD at a certain time. (This can also be the basis of a nice college dorm prank.) Wake up to the radio. Most clock radios let you wake up to whatever is being broadcast instead of the normal alarm. Wake up to light. A simple outlet timer hooked to a bright light can be a great way to wake up because the light will help tell your body that the day is starting. (You might want to set a … [Read more...] about 7 Ways to Wake Up in the Morning

100 Ways to Enjoy Life

By Anna Carpenter 9 Comments

The Great Outdoors Feed the ducks at the park. Cut some fresh wildflowers for your table. Go fishing. Hike somewhere with pretty scenery. Go jogging with a friend. Take your dog for a walk. Get a group of friends together for a water balloon fight. Try to find out about little-known waterfalls in your area and explore to find them. Volunteer for a non-profit association. Go camping at a place you've never been before. Learn how to sail a catamaran. Visit a farm with a friend. Go off-road mountain biking. Take horseback riding lessons. Find a quiet place with beautiful scenery to read a favorite book. Find a wildflower information book and explore to see how … [Read more...] about 100 Ways to Enjoy Life

Do You Read Enough?

By Mark Shead 5 Comments

Imagine you are interviewing someone for a job and one of the questions you are going to ask them is "How much time do you spend reading and what do you read?"  Now imagine the answer you get back exactly describes your own reading habits.  What would your opinion be of the person you are interviewing based solely on that answer? In other words, are you impressed with your own reading habits?  Most people aren't.  With the Internet, the average person reads a much wider range of content with much less depth than  20 years ago. And while there are some definite advantages to knowing a little about a lot of things, much of the content adds very little value to people's lives. Making … [Read more...] about Do You Read Enough?

Keeping Your Stuff Safe

By Mark Shead 11 Comments

The other day, I stepped outside and found my neighbor lugging a broken door out of his garage and into the back of his pickup truck. It turns out he had locked himself out of his house. His wife was away and he had no spare keys. To make matters worse, their new puppy was inside the house. He simply kicked the door in, got his keys and then went and purchased an identical door, which I helped him install. Later on that day, I was talking with some other neighbors who are both police officers. They were staring at the mangled door next to the curb and wondering what happened. They commented that the doors and locks on our houses don't really keep our possessions safe. For the … [Read more...] about Keeping Your Stuff Safe

Paperless Infrastructure

By Mark Shead 11 Comments

Businesses have much to gain by moving to paperless communication with their customers. Just think how much money credit card companies could save if even 5% of their customers switched to paperless communication. The problem is that most companies seem to get the whole idea of "paperless" wrong. Their solution for people who want to be paperless is that they will send you an email notifying you that you have a statement. Then you can log into their website and download the statement as a PDF. This is about equivalent to having a mailman who knocks on your door to tell you there is a letter for you at the post-office. This reflects a type of arrogance (or stupidity) that is typical of … [Read more...] about Paperless Infrastructure

Cost Savings Options

By Anna Carpenter 3 Comments

In today's economy, there aren't a whole lot of jobs that are completely safe from company cut-backs and layoffs. Though your job may be safe, saving extra money for emergencies is always a good idea. Here are some frugal ideas that might help with the saving: Food Try not to eat out. Food prepared at home is often better for your health, anyway. Turn leftover food into new dishes everyone will like. Lots of things can be made into soups or stews. Learn to make your own coffee/lattes instead of having to pay $4. Try drinking water instead of other beverages. It is much cheaper and can help prevent some health problems, helping you save on future medical bills. Angel Food … [Read more...] about Cost Savings Options

Interview: Successful Habit

By Mark Shead 4 Comments

What productive habit do you feel is most responsible for your success? (960) I try to only do things that make me happy. I could make more money working in an office than from cooking or writing, but it would bore me and make me frustrated and angry. So while I might not always want to get up at eight AM to slave in a hot kitchen, knowing that I'll enjoy the work and have fun with my friends there means I never resent it. And I apply that same mentality to my writing and my studies and everything else I do. It's only hard work if it's something that you don't want to do in the first place. David Robertson from The Church of Chris Martin (rss) Getting started. It's only … [Read more...] about Interview: Successful Habit

9 Alternatives to Mindless Television

By Mark Shead 7 Comments

Even if you can find something you want to watch, television is generally a waste of time. Approximately 20 minutes out of every hour is commercials, so when you watch 3 hours of television, you actually are watching 2 hours of your show and 1 hour of commercials. Here are a few ideas to make watching television more productive. (It sounds funny reading that.) Don't Channel Surf If there is a show you want to watch, then watch that show. Jumping from channel to channel can eat up huge amounts of time without actually watching anything. Think in terms of having a complete experience: a start, a middle, and an end. If you simply jump from channel to channel you aren't really having … [Read more...] about 9 Alternatives to Mindless Television

Taking a Break

By Mark Shead 3 Comments

A common mistake I see performance oriented people make is not taking break when they need it. Taking a break is like changing the oil on your car. It is a basic need and your performance will suffer if you decide to just "press on through." Let's say you normally operate at 70% to 90% of your potential, but when you get burned out, your capability drops to 20% to 30%. Simply trying to spend more time at your reduced effectiveness just doesn't make sense. You will be far better off to take some time off and come back at your normal 70% to 90%. You need breaks on different levels. You need daily breaks like taking time off for lunch, weekly breaks like taking time off on the … [Read more...] about Taking a Break

Interview: Technology Investments

By Mark Shead 3 Comments

We interviewed a number of bloggers and asked: How do you decide if a new technology is worth investing in or whether it is a waste of time? (692) Here are their answers.  I was impressed with how many people have a framework or set of questions they use to decide if something is really valuable to them or not. If I'm not sure, I wait.  I'm not an early adopter and I'm pretty frugal with my money, too.  A product has to prove itself before I'll buy it. Trent Hamm from The Simple Dollar (rss) If a product doesn't have a collection of Amazon reviews, I figure it is probably too soon to know how well it works. I like to evaluate technology before I invest in it. For example, if … [Read more...] about Interview: Technology Investments

Liferea

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

I've discovered a great feed reader for linux called Liferea (short for LInux FEed REAder).  One of the best things about it, is not only does it show the articles from the feed you are subscribed to, it also shows the comments.  Does anyone know of a web based reader that does this? … [Read more...] about Liferea

Need Your Input

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

I'd like to get some input as to what type of articles you'd like to see on Productivity501.  If I'm missing something please add your suggestion in the comments.  You can vote for up to 3 poll options. Thanks for your help! [poll id="3"] … [Read more...] about Need Your Input

Doing Something New

By Mark Shead 7 Comments

Scientists raised two groups of mice and then measured their intelligence.  The first group was kept in traditional mouse surroundings.  They had a cage, food, water wood chips and nothing else.  The other group was given a much more exciting environment.  They had balls, running wheels, colored blocks, mazes, tunnels, doors, hanging ropes, pictures, etc. The mice that were exposed to more variety developed a much higher IQ, than the ones that had a boring environment. Does this mean that we should all add slides, fire poles, and ball pits to our houses? Maybe.  But a less extreme and possibly more effective option is to simply make sure you do new things on a regular basis. Doing … [Read more...] about Doing Something New

How to Study

By Mark Shead 6 Comments

We have previously looked at how to memorize verbatim text. If you haven't read that post, be sure to check it out. It gives a good overview of how your brain works. By understanding what is happening inside your head when a fact is converted to a memory and a memory is then converted into a strong memory, you can set yourself up for success in memorization. The previous article deals with verbatim memorization--where you want to be able to repeat something back word for word. This is useful for memorizing lines in a play, a famous speech, Scripture, or other things where you want to be able to recall them word for word. However, most of what we need to learn doesn't require verbatim … [Read more...] about How to Study

Favorite Pen

By Mark Shead 2 Comments

For Christmas, my assistant bought me what has become my favorite pen.  It is a Pilot G2 pen with a metal barrel. It has just the right amount of weight and retains everything I like about the plastic G2 but with much better materials. I made one change to it, by swapping out the black ink with a blue cartridge from a normal plastic G2 pen. … [Read more...] about Favorite Pen

Simple Stuff Reduction Tips

By Mark Shead 8 Comments

The more stuff you have, the more time you have to dedicate to managing and hunting for things. Here are several simple ways you can reduce the amount of stuff in your life to help make it easier to find things that are important. Keyring Cleanup - Get rid of any extra keys. If you are like most people, you probably have several keys that you can't even remember what they go to. Sometimes it helps to keep a separate keychain at home for those odd little keys that you don't want to lose, but don't need to carry with you. Card Shuffle - Go through your credit cards, ID cards, supermarket cards and get rid of the ones you won't use. I keep about 4 cards with me and the rest stay … [Read more...] about Simple Stuff Reduction Tips

Live Large on a Small Budget

By Mark Shead Leave a Comment

Wise Bread is launching their book today called 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget.  They sent me a review copy and the book is really amazing.  It covers nearly every topic imaginable and is full of all kinds of ideas that I've never thought of. (Wise Bread is also having special giveaway today to help promote the book.) … [Read more...] about Live Large on a Small Budget

Interview: Learning New Technology

By Mark Shead 3 Comments

We interviewed a number of bloggers and asked: How do you learn a new piece of technology? (968) Here are their answers. I play with it!  If my mind doesn't start flooding with lots of ways it will save me a ton of time, I abandon it. If it's not intuitive to learn, forget it.  In today's world there is no excuse for any technology to be difficult to learn. Ariane Benefit from Neat & Simple Living (rss) Giving yourself plenty of time to just "play" is important.  You shouldn't buy a complicated new digital camera 30 minutes before you want to use it to capture a once in a lifetime event. I unpack, fire it up and start using it. I toss the manual in the corner and … [Read more...] about Interview: Learning New Technology

Great Games

By Mark Shead 5 Comments

Over the Christmas holiday's someone suggested we play a game we use to play in college (Sardines).  My first reaction was "we are too old for that and "it will be boring". I realized that I was displaying the first symptoms of old age.  We went ahead and played the game and had a great time. So as a reminder to myself of the importance of having fun, we've compiled this list of fun group games. If you have any suggestions, please add them in the comments. 1. Sardines This is kind of like hide and go seek in reverse.  One person hides and everyone goes looking for them.  When the hider is found, the searcher hides with them.  As more and more searchers hide with the hider, it … [Read more...] about Great Games

Adobe ConnectNow

By Anna Carpenter 4 Comments

In business or school settings, communication over the internet has brought about many efficient ways to communicate with others not in our immediate vicinity. Although the most productive communication is done in person (in most situations), tools such as email, instant messaging, and now Adobe ConnectNow can make life much easier. ConnectNow features an all-in-one integration of many computer-related communications tools. It allows for the use of webcams, microphones, and file sharing, as well. After the user signs up for an account, the program automatically creates a URL that you can invite participants to type in. They then can chat, share video and other information with … [Read more...] about Adobe ConnectNow

Paperless Signing and Faxing

By Mark Shead 1 Comment

When it comes to dealing with faxes my two biggest timesavers are using a scanned signature and the ability to sign documents from Acrobat.  These two things make a huge difference in my ability to work from anywhere I have an internet connection. … [Read more...] about Paperless Signing and Faxing

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