Kolz Blog

Firefox only: Just posted an upgrade to Lifehacker's own Better Flickr Firefox extension, which adds extra functionality to our favorite photo-sharing web application, Flickr. This update fixes a MAJOR bug in 0.1 with disabling features (oops), and adds 4 more fabulous scripts that offer HTML controls on comment boxes, handy user and photos size links and rollover access to photo metadata. After the jump, see the new features in action and grab the download. Note: Current Better Flickr users can use Firefox's Add-ons dialog box in the Tools menu to upgrade to the newest version; just hit the Find Updates button. Better Flickr version 0.2's new features include:

• Better Flickr Firefox Extension: EXIF decorator
• Better Flickr Firefox extension: More links
• Better Flickr Firefox extension: Rich Edit
• Better Flickr Firefox extension: All Sizes menu

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That's just the new features, you see. See Better Flickr's full option set and download the latest version at its homepage. As always, bug reports, script addition requests, suggestions, criticism and adulation are all welcome in the comments.

Better Flickr Firefox extension

Web app Screencast-O-Matic lets you quickly create and host video screencasts (with audio) in a jiffy. All you need to do is head to the web site, click on Create, choose your capture size, audio preferences, and then hit Go! Screencast-O-Matic runs a Java applet that handles the screen captures, and though it could use a little work smoothing things out around the edges, it's really easy to use (check out my done-in-a-minute demo here). We've covered free screencasting apps before (like Wink and CamStudio), but Screencast-O-Matic shows a lot of promise, would be great for quickly creating and sending simple instructions to your less computer-literate friends or family, and since it runs through a Java web applet, it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

Screencast-O-Matic [via Download Squad]

Kyle McFarlin, the Visual Strategist, has put together a set of MindManager templates for managing the various roles of your life - visually, of course - for free! Here's what the whole package includes:

• A mind map framework from which you can manage your personal and professional life.
• A files and folders framework to store your mind maps, documents and files that is tracked in the mind maps using Mindjet's File Explorer Map Part.
• A set of scenario templates on such topics as negotiation, strategic Management, strategic relationships and more.
• A map marker (icon) set to help you portray a variety of business, personal or social scenarios.

As a visual strategy consultant and Gyronix certified trainer, Kyle is uniquely qualified to put this set of resources together. He has worked with hundreds of people to help them to structure their mind maps and to manage projects effectively, and has discovered many commonalities in the types of information that they need to manage. He has distilled this into a set of maps that you may find to be quite valuable. Why not download these templates and take a look at what they can do for you? I looked at them briefly, and they appear to be very comprehensive. Great work, Kyle!

The developers of web-based mind mapping application MindMeister recently announced some improvements and enhancements to it. They include the ability to:

• Assign multiple icons to a single topic
• Copy a branch as a text outline - you simply right click and select the "copy as text" command. A pop-up window appears on a layer "above" your map (above right), containing the indented text of the currently-selected topic and any "child" topics as plain text, which you can copy and paste into another program. Nice!
• Set a map as the default for your account

It's nice to see how MindMeister continues to evolve, and that its developers have been making regular updates and improvements to it.

Windows only: The Picasa2Flickr plugin adds a button to Picasa that lets you directly upload selected pictures to your Flickr account from the comfort of Picasa. If you're a Flickr die-hard who's love for Picasa has turned your eyes to the Picasa Web Albums more than once, this little plugin adds the same simple one-click upload capability for Flickr. It's currently not the prettiest implemenation the world has ever seen, but it works like a charm. Picasa2Flickr is free, Windows only, requires Picasa and Java.

Picasa2Flickr [SourceForge]

Jamie Nast, author of the excellent book, Idea Mapping, recently launched a page on Squidoo. It contains information about her book, recommended books from Amazon.com and examples of hand-drawn mind maps collected from the Flickr image hosting service. I'm sure she'll be adding more resources to it in the weeks and months ahead.

Windows only: Free file-copying utility TeraCopy speeds up file transfers and can pause, resume and test file copy operations. With TeraCopy you can:

Copy files faster. TeraCopy uses dynamically adjusted buffers to reduce seek times. Asynchronous copy speeds up file transfer between two physical hard drives. Pause and resume file transfers. Pause copy process at any time to free up system resources and continue with a single click. Error recovery. In case of copy error, TeraCopy will try several times and in the worse case just skips the file, not terminating the entire transfer.

You can also use TeraCopy to diff the contents of two directories by running a "Test" copy, which shows you which files exist in the destination directory as compared to the source. If you've ever had Windows fail at the very last minute of a multi-gigabyte file copy, TeraCopy's for you. TeraCopy is a free download for home use for Windows. Thanks, Daniel!

TeraCopy

The Unclutterer weblog suggests using labeled, extra-large magazine files to stow software CD's, manuals and other information for each of your computers. Damn, does that look good.

A new feature in Google Maps, Mapplets, places data overlays onto your map - like movie times, crime rates and real estate prices. We've covered dozens of Google Maps mashups since Maps launched, and Mapplets just makes those mashups available on Google Maps proper, instead of having to go to another site to see them. Mapplets are available at the developer preview. Once you add a few, a "Mapplets" tab appears in your Maps interface. Hit the video for a Mapplets demonstration courtesy of Google.

Google Maps [via Compiler]

This is something I’ve been wanting to write for some time — a Handbook for Life. Now, is there any handbook that can be a guide to every single person? Of course not. This is just a list of tips that I think will help many people in life — some of them common-sense tips that we often forget about. Consider this guide a reminder. It’ll also become apparent from the links in this handbook that I’ve written about this stuff before. In essence, this site is a bigger version of this handbook. But I wanted to put them all in one place, as a handy little guide. I hope you find it useful. How to use this handbook This handbook is not meant to be a step-by-step guide, nor should you adopt all the tips below. Certainly not all at once. That would be overwhelming. Here are a couple tips for adopting the tips:

• Pick and choose the tips that will be most useful to you. There are 52 tips here — not every single one will be useful to every person. I hope you’ll find 10 that are useful, or that are reminders of something you’ve been wanting to do.
• Don’t do them all at once. Choose one tip to do first, and then do them one at a time. Focus on one first, and then the next. It’s too hard to try to adopt a bunch of changes at once.
• Experiment. Try out a tip, and if it doesn’t work, try another. Life is an experiment, after all.
• None are guaranteed. But many are very likely to bring happiness.
• Also, these are not in any order. Some of the most important are buried below.

52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity

1. Try rising early. It’s not for everyone, I’ll admit. It may not be for you. But I’ve found it to be an amazing change in my life. It has made the start of my days much more positive, and I now have time for writing, exercise, and silent contemplation. I talked about this recently in my post 10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do It.
2. Do less. This is both a happiness and productivity tip. Doing less will make you happier, because your life won’t be so hectic and filled with stress. You will have time for things that give you pleasure, for the loved ones in your life, for life itself. It’s also a productivity tip: if you focus on the essential tasks, the big ones, the ones that will give you the most return for your time, and eliminate the rest, you will actually be more productive. You’ll get fewer tasks done, but you will be more effective. See How to Pare Your To-do List Down to the Essentials.
3. Slow down. Many new readers to this site have read my productivity articles and think that I’m all about being hyper-productive. I’m not. Long-time readers know that I am about a simpler way of life. Unfortunately, in my free-lance blogging, other websites usually ask me to write about productivity, so the preponderance of my productivity writing has given the impression, I think, that I think people should be churning out work at an amazing rate, to the exclusion of all else. Actually, I feel that life is much more enjoyable if you slow down. By doing less, you can actually get more done, even if you work more slowly. And when you’re not working, you should definitely try switching to slow mode. Drive slower (it is so much more relaxing), walk slower, eat slower. See Slow Down to Enjoy Life for more.
4. Practice patience. I’ve talked about how I’m trying to develop patience in my parenting article, How to Become a Patient Parent, but these tips really apply to everyone. If you easily lose your temper, you can become more patient with these tips. Once you’ve developed this skill (and it’s a skill, like everything else, not an unchangeable inborn trait), your life will become much saner and you will be much happier.
5. Practice compassion. This may be the most important tip of all, in my opinion. If you were to choose any of these, I would choose this one. The first part of compassion is empathy — and this ability to understand how others feel can be developed through practice. Start by imagining the suffering of a loved one. Understand their pain, the emotions they go through, and why they would react the way they would. By doing this exercise a number of times, you are developing a skill that can be applied to others — for every person you see, try to understand what they are going through. Try to learn and understand more about their background, and why they react the way they do. Once you’ve developed this invaluable skill, learn the other half of compassion — acting on your understanding, and helping others, alleviating their suffering, acting with kindness. This one thing can bring true happiness to your life, and the lives of those around you.
6. Find your passion. Another indispensable tip. This might be the second on my list of priorities. Find something you love to do, and your life will become immensely improved. You will love your work, the thing that you spend 40 hours (or more) a week doing. You will become more productive, procrastinate less, be less stressed. You will produce something you are proud of, and happy about. Read this article for some practical tips.
7. Lose weight. This only applies, of course, if you are overweight. But losing your extra fat (and when I say lose weight, I mean lose fat), decreases your health risks (obviously), makes you look better, and in general is very likely to increase your happiness about yourself. I actually recommend that you learn to be comfortable and happy with how you look now, and not feel negative about yourself even if you are overweight. However, I’ve found that losing weight (at least for me) is a great way to feel better about your body. Do not make this an unhealthy obsession, however — lose weight gradually, and enjoy the process. See the next two tips for the best methods for doing this.
8. Exercise. Make this a daily habit. Exercise not only helps you lose weight, but for me, it’s made me feel so much better. I actually enjoy exercise now. It’s a time of contemplation for me, and I feel so much better about myself afterwards. See Top 42 Exercise Hacks and How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit and 7 Ways to Build the Exercise Habit.
9. Eat healthy. I don’t recommend dieting. It’s too restrictive and you usually fall off it at some point. I do recommend changes to your diet, however — ones you make gradually, and that can be sustained for life. It not only helps lose weight, but really, once you start eating healthier, it is actually much more enjoyable. See my Top 15 Diet Hacks for more.
10. Meditate. OK, you might be like me — not into New-Age stuff. But meditation can actually be a very simple method for relaxing, for bringing calm, for returning yourself to sanity, for contemplation. My friend Scott Young wrote a good post about doing that here.
11. Get organized. This one’s not necessary. You could go through life wonderfully messy, searching for stuff, enjoying the search. But I’ve tried disorganized, and I’ve tried organized. The second is much more enjoyable to me. Read How to Never Lose Anything Again for a start on the subject, as well as how I keep my family organized.
12. Think positive. Another one of the most important tips on this list, thinking positive — as cliche as it might sound — is one of the single best changes you can make in your life that will lead to so many more positive tips. As I wrote about here, learning to think positive was the skill that turned my life around. It makes everything else on this list possible. Read more about it here.
13. Simplify your finances. Cut down on the number of accounts you have, cut down on your credit cards, spend less, reduce your bills. Make your finances automagical. Simplifying your finances greatly reduces your stress. Also see 10 Habits to Develop For Financial Stability and Success.
14. Simplify your life. Another of my top tips. I’ve greatly simplified my life, in many ways, and I can say that having less stuff in my life, and less to do, has greatly increased my enjoyment of life. De-clutter, simplify your commitments, simplify your work space, simplify your wardrobe, simplify your rooms.
15. Accept what you have. The problem with many of us is that we always think that we’ll be happy when we reach a certain destination — when we get a certain job, or retire, or get our dream house. Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there, you might have a new destination in mind. Instead, try being happy with where you are, with who you are, and what you have. To do that, instead of comparing what you have with other people, or with what you want, compare yourself those who have less, with those who are going through tragedy, with those who are struggling. You will see that you actually are extremely blessed. And this can lead to more happiness with your current situation.
16. Envision your ultimate life. What would your ultimate life be like? Where would you live, what would you do, what would you do with your days? Come up with a clear picture of this, and write it down. Now, one step at a time, make it come true. Some ways of doing that follow.
17. Set long-term goals. Your vision of your ultimate life will help you come up with long-term goals. Of those goals, pick one to accomplish within the next year, and really focus on that. Now, pick one medium-term goal to achieve in the next few months that will get you further toward your longer-term goal. Now decide what you can do this week, and today, to get you to your medium-term goal. Just choose one thing at a time, focus on it, make it happen, and then choose the next thing to focus on. See Think About Your Life Goals.
18. Review goals. Setting goals is important, but the key to making them a reality is actually reviewing them (at least monthly, but weekly is better) and taking action steps to make them come true. Again, focus on one at a time, and really focus on them. Read Review Your Goals Weekly.
19. Life mission. Related to envisioning your ultimate life, but different — it’s important that you think about how you would like to be remembered when you die — so you can start living the life that leads to that now. Live with purpose in life, and wake up every day with that purpose in mind. Read the Key to Dying Happy for more concrete steps.
20. Plan your big tasks for week and day. Give purpose to your day by determining the three most important things you can do with your day, and making those a priority. Do the same thing with your week to increase your productivity: pick out the big tasks you’d like to accomplish this week, and schedule those first. See Purpose Your Day and Plan Your Big Rocks First.
21. Maintain focus. One important key to achieving your goals is to maintain focus on them. To do this, again, it’s important that you select one goal at a time. This will prevent your focus from spreading too thin. It’s also important that you give yourself constant reminders of your goal, so you don’t lose that focus. Put up a poster of your current goal, or print it out and put it out somewhere visible, and send yourself emailed reminders. However you do it, find a way to maintain a laser-sharp focus, and the goal will come true.
22. Enjoy the journey. Goals are important, but not at the expense of happiness now. It’s important to maintain a balance between going where you want to go, and being happy as you go there. It’s easy to forget that, so be sure to remind yourself of this little, but important, tip as you make your journey.
23. Create a morning and evening routine. These are two great ways to add structure to your day, make sure you review your goals and log your progress, and get your day off to a great start. An evening routine, for example, could be a great way not only to wind down from a long day and review how your day went, but to prepare yourself for your next day so the morning isn’t so hectic. Your morning routine is great way to greet the day, to get some exercise or meditation or quiet contemplation, or to get some writing or other work done.
24. Develop intimate relationships. It’s great to have a special someone, of course, but intimate relationships could be found with anyone around you. If you have a significant other, be sure to spend time each day and each week with that person, to work on your relationship and communicate and continue to bond. But if you don’t, there’s no need to despair (if in fact you are) … intimate relationships can be developed with friends, other family members, kids, roommates, classmate, co-workers. Every single person we meet is a fellow human being, with the same desires for happiness, for food and shelter, for an intimate connection. Find that common thread, be open and sincere, find out more about each other, understand each other, and give love. This can be one of the most important things you do.
25. Eliminate debt. Financially, this is a huge way to relieve stress and make you feel much more secure. I suggest that you get rid of your credit cards (if you have a problem with credit card debt or impulse spending) and create a snowball plan for yourself. It may take a couple of years, but you can get out of debt.
26. Enjoy the simple pleasures. You can find these everywhere. Food (I love berries!), sunsets, sand between your toes, fresh-cut grass, playing with your child, a good book and a warm bed, dancing in the rain, your favorite music. You could probably make a list of 20 simple pleasures right now, things you enjoy that you could find every day. Sprinkle those little pleasures throughout your day. It makes the journey much more enjoyable.
27. Empty your inbox and clear your desk. This might take a little while to do at first, but once you’ve emptied your inbox and cleared off your desk, it doesn’t take long to keep them clear from then on. It’s a simple habit that’s vastly rewarding. I get an inordinate amount of pleasure from having a clean desk. I recommend you give it a try.
28. Build an emergency fund. This is standard-issue financial advice, I know … and yet it is extremely important. I cannot stress how important it is to have at least a tiny emergency fund in the bank. You often hear that you should have six months saved up. Don’t be intimidated by that. Start out with just a hundred dollars if you can. Cut back on a few things. Then build it up, every payday. Once you have, let’s say, $1,000, it will make a huge difference in your life. It’s not much, and you should still add to it every paycheck, but at least now you’re not living paycheck-to-paycheck, and if an unexpected emergency comes up you can pay for it, rather than not paying other bills and falling behind. It’s a simple step, but it will mean a lot.
29. Keep a journal. This is not one of the more important tips, but I can attest that it’s rewarding. I, for one, have a bad long-term memory, and by writing things down, I can look back and remember what happened a month ago. I just started this a couple months ago, actually, but ti’s been awesome. I started an online journal, something I call the one-sentence journal, and my goal is to just write one sentence a day. Sometimes I write two or three, but the idea is the same — just get one or two things down that happened that day, so I can always look back on it later.
30. Use the power of others. Achieving your goals can be difficult, but using the power of others makes it much more likely to happen. For example, put positive public pressure on yourself by announcing your goal on your blog. Or join an online forum, or a group in your neighborhood, that you can count on for support. I have a mailing list for the May Challenge here on Zen Habits, for example, and our group has helped me stick to my goal of daily exercise even when I started to falter — and the rest of the group can tell you they’ve experienced similar success because of the positive power of the group.
31. Read, and read to your kids. I read all the time — it’s one of my favorite things to do in the world. I love to curl up with a good novel (or even a trashy one) and I can waste away an afternoon with a book. And I’m passing on my love of reading to my kids, by reading to them every day. I love spending time with them this way, and we all enjoy the stories we share together through books. See Best All-time Children’s Books.
32. Limit your information intake. In our lives today, we get a tremendous amount of information through email, blog feeds, reading websites, paperwork, memos, newspapers, magazines, television, DVDs, radio, mobile phones and Blackberries. Not only can this be overwhelming, but it can be distracting and can fill up your life until you have no time for more important things. Go on a media fast to get control over your information intake, and to simplify your life
33. Create simple systems. Once you’ve simplified your life, the way to keep it simple is by creating systems for everything you do regularly. Create an efficient system for laundry, mail and paperwork, errands, your workflow. Anything, really. See ways to Streamline Your Life and to make your mail and paperwork painless.
34. Take time to decompress after stress. There will inevitably be times in your life when you go through high stress. Perhaps several times a week. To maintain your sanity, you need to find ways to decompress. Here are some great ways to do that.
35. Be present. Time can go by extremely quickly. Before you know it, your life has passed you by. Your kids are grown and your youth is gone. Don’t let your life slip by — enjoy it while it’s here. Instead of dwelling in the past or thinking about the future, practice being in the here and now. Here are some practical tips for being present.
36. Develop equanimity. Keep your sanity through all the challenges that life throws at you. Rude drivers, irritating co-workers, mean commenters on your blog, inconsiderate family members. This takes a bit of practice, but you can let these things slide off you like you’re Teflon. Try these practical tips.
37. Spend time with family and loved ones. One of the things that can lead to the greatest happiness, make this a priority every week, every day. Clear off as much time as possible to spend with those you love, and truly enjoy those times. Be present as you do it — don’t think about work or your blog or what you need to do. Read this for more.
38. Pick yourself up when you’re down. There will always be times in our lives when we get a little down, even depressed. Take action to get yourself out of your slump. Here are some great ways to do that.
39. Don’t compare yourself to others. This is hard to do, but it can be a great way to accept who you are and what you have. Whenever you find yourself comparing yourself to a co-worker, a friend, or someone famous (those models on magazines with amazing abs), stop. And realize that you are different, with different strengths. Take a minute to appreciate all the good things about yourself, and to be grateful for all the blessings in your life.
40. Focus on benefits, not difficulties. If you find yourself struggling to do something, or procrastinating, stop thinking about how hard something is, or why you don’t want to do it. Focus instead on what benefits it will have for you, what opportunities it will create — the good things about it. By changing the way you see things, you can change how you feel about them and make it easier to get things done.
41. Be romantic. If you have that special someone, find little ways to be romantic. It can do wonders to keep your relationship alive and fresh. It doesn’t take tons of money, either. See these ideas to get you started.
42. Lose arguments. I know someone who just celebrated his 50th anniversary, and I asked him for his secret to a long and happy marriage. He told me, that if I ever get into an argument with my wife, to just shut up. What he meant, I think, is that I shouldn’t try to be right in every argument. I think this is a reminder many of us need, not just the married ones. But instead of just giving up the argument, instead of trying to be right, instead seek to understand. Really try to understand the other person’s position, to see it from their point of view. This little tip can lead to much happiness.
43. Get into the flow. This is both a happiness and productivity tip. Flow is the term for the state we enter when we are completely focused on the work or task before us. We are so immersed in our task that we lose track of time. Having work and leisure that gets you in this state of flow will almost undoubtedly lead to happiness. People find greatest enjoyment not when they’re passively mindless, but when they’re absorbed in a mindful challenge. Get into that flow by first doing something you are passionate about, and second by eliminating all distractions and really focusing on the task before you.
44. Single-task. I don’t believe in multi-tasking, at least not on a day-to-day basis. Instead, focus on one task at a time. This leads to greater productivity and less stress. You can’t go wrong with that kind of combination. See these tips for more.
45. Be frugal. This is a habit, rather than a goal. It is a way of living, a different mindset, and the best way to live within your means. It doesn’t mean being cheap or forsaking pleasure, but it does mean finding less expensive ways to do things, learning to live with less (and be happier in the process), and controlling impulse spending. I don’t have a single article to give you as reference, but frugality is a recurring theme on Zen Habits.
46. Start small and slow. Regular Zen Habits readers know that I advocate starting slow with any goal or habit change, and starting with a small goal rather than a big one. Why small? Because it’s something you are sure to achieve — and once you do achieve it, you can use that success to push you to further success. It’s a simple technique, but it really works. Start slow when you start exercise, or other similar activities — there’s no need to rush it in the beginning, to overdo it. You have the rest of your life!
47. Learn to deal with detractors. We all face detractors in our lives. They are the naysayers who, even if they are well-intentioned, will make us feel unworthy, or that you cannot achieve a goal. They will tease or be negative. In order to achieve your goals, you need to learn how to deal with these detractors and overcome this common obstacle. Read these tips for some ideas.
48. Go outdoors. These days, too many of us spend so much of our time indoors, especially if our jobs and our ways of having fun are all online. Our kids are often just as bad or worse, with so many ways to watch TV, surf the internet or play video games. Get them and yourself outdoors, appreciate nature, the beauty of the world around us, and the fun of physical activity. See this article for more ideas (to do with or without kids).
49. Retire early. This isn’t a sure way to become happy — you can retire and be bored out of your mind and unhappy — but it’s surely a cool goal. And if you do something meaningful with your life, such as volunteer and help others, it can be a way to be really happy. It’s not an easy goal, either, but you can retire early by cutting back on your living expenses, increasing your income, and investing the difference. The more you can do of all three, the fast you’ll retire. And that’s a truly liberating idea.
50. Savor the little things. Sure, the big things can bring big pleasure, but there are so many more little things in our lives. Savor them when they come up. It’s a way of practicing being present — stop and notice what you’re doing right now, what’s around you. And take time to enjoy it. Read this article for more.
51. Be lazy. There’s a time to be productive, and there’s a time to be plain ol’ lazy. I like the latter, and do it every chance I get. Does that make me a lazy person? Probably not, but even if it does, I don’t care. It makes me happy, and the kids love being lazy with me.
52. Help others. While finding pleasure in life is one way to be happy, doing something that is more than you, that helps others to be happy or to suffer less, is even more rewarding. I suggest you find a good cause or two and volunteer some of your time. You don’t have to commit to big chunks of your life, but just volunteer for a couple of hours. All of us can find a couple of hours in a week or a month. If you do this, you will find out how tremendously happy this will make you. You might even become addicted.

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Repeat after me: I will not brain dump onto others, I will not brain dump onto others, ...

I was talking recently with a friend and mountain bike buddy about the ideas I teach, especially the notion of keeping everything out of your head. He loved it, and really understood the negative impact that NUTs (Nagging Unfinished Tasks) have on us (see Personal productivity, IBMs, and NUTs: Some surprises about the brain). The next time we met he was very animated about this because he realized a) his spouse has these NUTs (most of us do, unless we rigorously practice a method like Getting Things Done), and b) he claimed she tries to get him to take them on for her! Does this happen with someone in your life? It's essentially delegation, but in an unclear and indirect manner - more like a brain dump onto someone else. And as Roizen and Oz point out in YOU: The Owner's Manual, there's a real cost to not handling these effectively (they say these age you by eight years - excerpts on-line at Google Books). The question is, how do you deal with someone trying to do this to you? It turns out I had a chance to practice - I ran into my friend's spouse (a very sweet person) when leaving their place for a ride, and she asked me to pass along a message to my spouse. Because I didn't have my capture tool with me (a calculated oversight - see A few thoughts on capture and What's the best tool for ubiquitous capture?), I told her I couldn't take it on. My reason was that I might forget or garble it, and then I'd have two women angry with me (much worse than 12 Angry Men!) Plus, I have enough of my own tasks I have to manage. To myself I thought, I'm not paid to take on stuff like this for others - that's a tough job (see Best practices for GTD and administrative assistants). Is this bad? Should we take on little things like this for others? And are they little? My advice: Be careful what you take on. In general, saying "no" is important to managing your own stress levels, and it becomes much easier once you've identified every commitment in your life. However, people might see this as being selfish or unhelpful, so treat them with respect and compassion, possibly explaining your reasons. A few resources for saying no:

• The Gentle Art of Saying No
• 20 Ways To Say No
• Esteem: The Power of Saying, "No"

By the way, would you remind me to...

Repeat after me: I will not brain dump onto others, I will not brain dump onto others, ...

I was talking recently with a friend and mountain bike buddy about the ideas I teach, especially the notion of keeping everything out of your head. He loved it, and really understood the negative impact that NUTs (Nagging Unfinished Tasks) have on us (see Personal productivity, IBMs, and NUTs: Some surprises about the brain). The next time we met he was very animated about this because he realized a) his spouse has these NUTs (most of us do, unless we rigorously practice a method like Getting Things Done), and b) he claimed she tries to get him to take them on for her! Does this happen with someone in your life? It's essentially delegation, but in an unclear and indirect manner - more like a brain dump onto someone else. And as Roizen and Oz point out in YOU: The Owner's Manual, there's a real cost to not handling these effectively (they say these age you by eight years - excerpts on-line at Google Books). The question is, how do you deal with someone trying to do this to you? It turns out I had a chance to practice - I ran into my friend's spouse (a very sweet person) when leaving their place for a ride, and she asked me to pass along a message to my spouse. Because I didn't have my capture tool with me (a calculated oversight - see A few thoughts on capture and What's the best tool for ubiquitous capture?), I told her I couldn't take it on. My reason was that I might forget or garble it, and then I'd have two women angry with me (much worse than 12 Angry Men!) Plus, I have enough of my own tasks I have to manage. To myself I thought, I'm not paid to take on stuff like this for others - that's a tough job (see Best practices for GTD and administrative assistants). Is this bad? Should we take on little things like this for others? And are they little? My advice: Be careful what you take on. In general, saying "no" is important to managing your own stress levels, and it becomes much easier once you've identified every commitment in your life. However, people might see this as being selfish or unhelpful, so treat them with respect and compassion, possibly explaining your reasons. A few resources for saying no:

• The Gentle Art of Saying No
• 20 Ways To Say No
• Esteem: The Power of Saying, "No"

By the way, would you remind me to...

Every Saturday is Health Tip Day at Zen Habits. This is a guest post from Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com. If you enjoy this post, check out his site. Leo did a great job with his article How To Make Exercise a Daily Habit. I’ve been strength training for 10 years, and I thought: let’s give the people of Zen Habits my method for building the exercise habit. You’ve probably tried it several times. You’re fed up with your skinny look or overweight body. You decide to finally do something about it. So you take a gym membership. Some friends decide to join you. After a few weeks however, your friends don’t show up anymore. Then you end up alone. And eventually you quit. Yeah I know, this happens all the time. I’ve seen it over and over again. I know what you’re thinking. How come some people can stick with it and others not? What is their secret? I’ll first tell you what it is not: it’s not discipline, it’s not willpower. Discipline and willpower only work in the short-term. What works in the long-term is making exercise a habit. That’s their secret. And that’s what this post is about — 7 ways to build the exercise habit. 1. Set your Goal. What do you want to achieve?

• Bigger muscles?
• Less fat?
• More strength?
• More speed?

Exercising can be used for several means. Before you take a gym membership, start by setting a definite goal. What is it that you want? Don’t try to achieve more than 1 thing at a time. Start with one goal. Once you have attained it, you can work towards a second goal. 2. Set a Deadline. Set a date by which you will reach your goal. Write your goal and deadline on a piece of paper and put it somewhere you can see it multiple times a day. A good place would be on your nightstand. Look at it on waking up and before going to bed. This will act as a constant reminder of your goal. 3. Make a Plan. Once you have set your goal, you must back it up with a plan.

• Which exercises will you perform?
• How many sets and reps will you do?
• How many times a week will you go the gym?

Your time is precious. Any minute in the gym must bring you closer towards the achievement of your goal. So choose a solid training program. If you’re a total beginner to strength training, read Starting Strength. It’s the best place to start. 4. Exercise First Thing in the Morning. When you’ve just had a tough day at work, it can be hard to train for another hour at the gym. A solution is to exercise first thing in the morning:

• Wake up early
• Eat breakfast
• Prepare the stuff you need for work
• Go to the gym [Read more]

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

While it's indeed completely plausible -- even likely -- that we'll see rumble in the SIXAXIS this year courtesy of Sony's new deal with Immersion, it's also important to remember there are many kinds of rumor, and the type that originates from internet message boards, well, just don't say we didn't clarify where this one came from. According to a GameFAQs posting, the new issue of PSM itself is supposedly publishing what they too identify as a rumor that Sony's set to announce SIXAXIS rumble for the PS3 at E3 in July, which will have new controllers land on November 13th. So hey take this rumor within a rumor how you will, but Sony's got to announce something at E3, don't they? [Via Joystiq] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Howard Gardner writes in Five Minds for the Future, "Adolescents have potentials for leadership, or for enterprise, that can be marshaled for diverse ends; it is up to their elders—parents, educators, community leaders, slightly older and more mature peers—to influence how these potentials are mobilized." This is a significant thought worthy of repeated reflection. It describes the process of character development throughout our lives. We might consider what functions we occupy and the influence we are having on others. In any event, Gardner believes that the mobilization of these potentials should progress in five directions that can be manifested in five minds. They are: the disciplined mind (a mind trained on a specific scholarly discipline, craft or profession), the synthesizing mind (a mind that can create value from information), the creating mind (a mind that can break new ground), the ethical mind (a mind that contemplates meaning in work and life and then acts on it) and the respectful mind (a mind that welcomes differences between group and individuals). Looking specifically at the respectful mind, he writes that “rather than ignoring differences, being inflamed by them, or seeking to annihilate them through love or hate, [he] would call on human beings to accept the differences, learn to live with them, and value those who belong to other cohorts.” The respectful mind, like the other four qualities of mind, Gardner believes is a kind of thinking or attitude we will need to have to thrive during the eras to come. He says “eras to come” because while we have always needed this quality of mind, it has been a kind of option. Meaning I assume, that the repercussions of not having it were better contained in times past. However, today we are so interconnected that our very survival depends on it. In a global sense he is right. While all of these minds interact with each other, the respectful mind, I believe, would seem to be the cornerstone. Without it we limit our input—distance ourselves from reality—and virtually assure that we are not effective with others. Consequently, the respectful mind is the first mind we should seek to develop in children and demand from ourselves.

The Kennedy Space Center unveils an amusement-ride-cum-astronaut-flight-simulator that lets riders experience something close to a shuttle liftoff.

In GTD, the “to-do” list is typically frowned upon. However, from time to time, I think it pays to have a short list of stuff you have need to do today. It can be taken from your project and NA listing and put in a specific place as a reminder or a checklist. This past Tuesday, I had an opportunity to work from home. That does not happen often. I would be away from the phone. Some of the distractions of the regular work day would be absent. So knowing I would have a grand opportunity to get some “stuff” done, I opened up Outlook’s Notes function, and made a “sticky” for my desktop that would be there to remind me of the things I needed to focus on. I pulled all of my tasks from my project management system. So this would help me not have to consult the system during the day. The day was very productive. The list was always available for reference. I think I may employ the “Today” list again when I need to focus on several important NAs

Does this sound familiar? You read the GTD or took a class with one of us. You loved it, you got ...

I have been a great fan of Zig Ziglar since I was intrigued by hearing his name in 1999. I cannot believe that it is 8 years ago now! In that 8 years I must have heard nearly everything that Zig has produced, including reading quite a few of his books and his auto-biography. Anyway, for [...]

I have been a great fan of Zig Ziglar since I was intrigued by hearing his name in 1999. I cannot believe that it is 8 years ago now! In that 8 years I must have heard nearly everything that Zig has produced, including reading quite a few of his books and his auto-biography. Anyway, for [...]

I know this is not GTD related but I found a blog that had linked to DidIGetThingsDone.com and they had a cool blog entry that has 125 cool code snippets for web designers. Now I know a lot of my readers are fellow bloggers and these types of code snippets will work fine within WordPress so [...]

Filed under: Blu-ray, Media streamers, Other hardware, Players, Sony, Internet Hot on the heels of an 80GB Korean-bound (and US, too?) PlayStation 3 comes news that Sony is planning on seriously upping the abilities of the PS3 with a forthcoming firmware update. Compared to minor changes that have occurred in the past, this one looks to be fairly substantial, so we'll cut to the chase and give you the skinny. First off, firmware v1.80 will enable "upscaling of PlayStation / PlayStation 2 games and DVD movies up to a full 1080p when viewed on a compatible HDTV set." Of course, that "up to" bit frightens us a bit, but we'll take any progress we can get. Moving on, PSP users will enjoy Remote Play on their PSP across the internet, which will allow them to "access their PS3 anywhere in the world where a broadband internet connection is available." Additionally, owners can now view multimedia stored on a DLNA-enabled media center PC "seamlessly," and there will even be an option to print images stored on the console's HDD or inserted media to a "selection of Epson printers." The tough news, however, is that this attractive update won't be available until May 24th, so go dig up that original Twisted Metal disc in the meantime so you're ready to rock when the time comes. [Via PS3Fanboy]

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Mindjet wants to congratulate MindManager customer, Phil Guth, for winning our “Mindjet Wants to Take you out to the Ballgame” contest in May! To satisfy the baseball fan in you, and inspire you to create your own MindManager baseball map, you’ll find Phil’s Chicago Cubs fan map available for download within this post. Everyone has some powerful memories about their favorite baseball team and how they became a fan, so we’ll start by sharing Phil’s with you: Phil was born into a "Cubs fan" family, but his devotion increased when, as a senior in high school, he was able to procure two tickets to the Cubs game on April 16, 1985. There was just one problem: April 16th was a school day. [Read more]

Filed under: Gaming While it's not exactly confirmation of a US-bound 80GB PS3, Sony is providing a glimmer of hope this morning for a beefier domestic release. Satoshi Fukuoka, spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said that they are considering the 80 gigger specifically for the US and "other markets." He also shed light on the decision making process which includes the popularity of online gaming coupled with the availability of broadband connectivity. Fine, but considering the dismal performance of Sony's gaming division last quarter, you'd think they'd also be slathering some preferential treatment onto their largest marketplace(s). After all, gamers are nothing if not a fickle bunch and we wouldn't them feeling slighted now would we? Hey Sony, why not drop in a 120GB disk and we'll call it even. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

The Simple Dollar weblog describes how to calculate how much you're getting paid for the time you devote to your job, a figure the author calls your "true hourly wage." Basically, you determine your true hourly wage by subtracting all of your work-related expenses from your salary, then calculating the hours you devote to work each year (including commute and other time-sinks) and dividing your remaining salary by your total hours. After you've calculated your true hourly wage, you can use the number (which might be a little disturbing) to get a better perception of what your pay is in practical terms, which should help you both determine what tasks are worth your time and whether the work you put into your job is actually worth it. — Adam Pash

Figuring Out Exactly How Much Your Time Is Worth [The Simple Dollar]

If finding a hotel with cheap (read: free), reliable wifi is a crucial part of your travel accommodation choices, HotelChatter's annual roundup of the best and worst hotels for wifi is a good place to start looking. Marriott and its chain of hotels (Residence Inn, Courtyard, etc.) top off the best list, while Intercontinental and Four Seasons hotels round out the worst. I'm always a little surprised at how often it seems like the more expensive my hotel, the less likely I'm going to get free internet, so it's nice to have a little guidance from the folks at HotelChatter. If you've had an especially good or bad experience getting wifi at a hotel chain, share it with us in the comments. — Adam Pash

Best WiFi Hotels 2007 [Hotel Chatter] Worst WiFi Hotels 2007 [Hotel Chatter]

Entrepreneur Tim Ferriss' new book, The 4 Hour Workweek, offers some extreme methods for doing more in less time. While some of his strategies are more applicable than others, one of my favorite points of the book was applying Parkinson's Law to your work life.

Parkinson's Law dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials.

If I give you a week to complete the same task, it's six days of making a mountain out of a molehill. If I give you two months, God forbid, it becomes a mental monster. The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus. This presents a very curious phenomenon. There are two synergistic approaches for increasing productivity that are inversions of one another: 1.) Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time. (80/20) 2.) Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important. (Parkinson's Law). The best solution is to use both together: Identify the few critical tasks that contribute most to income and schedule them with very short and clear deadlines.

This reminds me of 37Signals' mantra ("embrace constraints!") and also comes into play with timed dashes - forcing yourself to work against the clock. —Gina Trapani

The 4 Hour Workweek [Amazon]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Storage

Vista's ReadyBoost feature, which theoretically improves performance by placing part of Vista's memory swapfile onto a highspeed flash drive, is one of the slickest OS tricks we've heard about in a long time. Unfortunately, it isn't as sweet in practice, according to PC World. They tested three USB flash drives by Kingston, Lexar, and Ridata that claim to be ReadyBoost, uh, ready, and found that while they were able to measure a slight speedup in certain activities (like opening frequently-used applications) overall the effect was unnoticeable -- they concluded that "installing more RAM inside your PC would help a lot more." Bummer. So much for all those freebie USB sticks we have laying around. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops Calm down, first-gen Core Duo owners -- the rumors aren't true. Microsoft made some waves earlier today when Bill Laing, one of the general managers of the Windows Server division, was quoted at WinHEC saying that "Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit operating system (for desktops and servers) that we'll produce." While many took that "desktops and servers" part to include non-server OSes and assumed Vista was Microsoft's last 32-bit OS, Microsoft has since clarified the announcement, saying that while the future of Windows Server is indeed 64-bit only after 2008, no decision has been made about client versions of Windows, which is what most of us run. Whew. Although we've got to say we didn't really understand all the fuss -- if the next version of Windows takes as long to ship as Vista did, there aren't going to be too many 32-bit machines left anyway. [Via Slashdot] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

The Google Blogoscoped weblog noticed that Gmail messages with PowerPoint attachments now have the option to "View as slideshow," which opens a new window that lets you run the presentation using a Google Flash player. It looks like the rollout isn't entirely complete on this one (damn your slow Gmail feature rollouts, Google!), so if you're not seeing this option yet, Google Blogoscope's got lots of pics and a nice rundown of the new offering. At any rate, it's nice to see PowerPoint join the ranks of Word docs and Excel spreadsheets in the integrated Google world. — Adam Pash

Google's Presentation Application? [Google Blogoscoped]