Kolz Blog

Filed under: Laptops

We've had many a leaked Dell fall into our our laps over the years, but this one is already shaping up to be our fave. We don't have a name, date, or price on it yet, but we can tell you this number is aiming to be 20mm (0.78-inches) thick, with an aluminum extrusion and carbon-fiber chassis -- exotic materials rarely found in Round Rock machines. It'll also have an LED backlit display, but all of the above is still pretty early so there may be changes made before it goes into production -- which, by our standards, can't be soon enough. [Read more]

I had a great question from one of my coaching clients who happens to be familiar with GTD [1]. He wondered whether a simpler version of Allen's work was possible, say one that fits the spirit of the 80/20 Principle, maybe even something like 90-20 [2]. The reasoning is that the system can seem overly complex, with a significant barrier to entry. So in IdeaMatt fashion I took this as a challenge and spent some time on an exercise of to figure out what's possible, given the various systems I've studied [3]. My goal was to stay true to my understanding of the the essential GTD habits, including workflow phases, processing and organizing (e.g., two minute rule, "sticky" inputs, and front-end decision making), and effective reminder systems. I wanted to look at as radical change as possible within these confines, rather than incremental adoption or simpler tools. (Note: A search for "GTD lite" and the like turned up some nice thinking on the topic, but a good number addressed adoption/tools, and not necessarily a shift in the method itself [4].) See below [5] for others who have looked at this. My conclusion: An 80-20 version just ain't possible. This is both a testament to Allen's crisp system, as well as to the necessary rigor to back up the goal of a clear and focused mind. Following is a summary - you can read some background detail below. but I wanted to share the resulting simplified approach. I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this...

A simplified GTD-compatible system (~70-80)

This is the best I could figure out without incorporating more (relatively) radical ideas [3]. As in any simplification, there are serious trade-offs, with the biggest risk being keeping things out of your head. Note: I've thrown in some percentages estimating amount of simplification:

• Collection: No change (capture everything, fixed # collecting points). Maybe maintain a single inbox for everything that you carry with you.
• Processing: Use the 5Ds: DELETE, DEPOSIT (file), DELEGATE, DO (two minute rule), DEFER. ~20% simpler
• Projects list: No change (master list of work requiring two or more steps).
• Calendar: No change. BUT:
• Actions: Schedule all actions on the calendar. No actions list, no contexts. 40%
• Waiting For: None; use the calendar. This means you do hard scheduling of all follow-ups. 20%
• Tickler: None; use the calendar. 0-30%
• Filing [6]: No labeler (gasp!) No change in reference and project files. 10%
• Someday/Maybe: None. 20%
• Checklists: None; schedule as recurring reminders in calendar (daily, weekly, etc.) 10%
• Agendas: None; keep with project materials (but OK to have "projects" for on-going meetings). 10%
• Weekly review: None (!); do incrementally via daily review, say the night before (a common best practice). Review daily: calendar ~one week out (gets actions, waiting for, reminders), mind sweep. Opportunistically: projects. 30%

Importantly, to make this work you'll have to have an electronic calendar. Otherwise there's too much work moving actions around. Also, using it for ticklers and waiting for items probably requires electronic reminding. What I like about this: 1) Simple. The calendar does most everything, with support by the projects list (which I really wanted to get rid of - thoughts?). 2) Implements what Mark Forster calls closed lists, which help to define limits on our work, a common complaint about GTD. What I dislike: 1) Potentially too much forwarding of unfinished items. David Allen makes a strong argument for separate action lists. 2) Risk of cluttering up the mind, esp. from removing the weekly review, Someday/Maybe, and checklists. Interestingly, once this emerged I recognized similarity to other calendar-centric systems like Bit Literacy (with its scheduling of all actions) and Do It Tomorrow (with its closed lists). What do you think? Are you using anything similar? Should we create a name for this? ;-)

References

• [1] As usual, I want to be very clear that I have no association with David Allen or his company. His work has been a huge influence, but I continue to combine the best practices from many sources (which I share here) into my work. [Read more]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

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Posted in Motivation Leo Tolstoy starts the novel Anna Karenina with the line, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” There’s a measure of truth in that idea, which applies to successful people. Successful people exhibit common traits, while the habits of unsuccessful people are all over the place. Here are nine common habits of successful people.

1. Hard work – Successful people are not afraid of challenges. They have vision and can see what the successful outcome looks like. They don’t quit when things go wrong, but see mistakes and failure as another challenge to overcome.
2. Creative thinking – Successful people realize creativity is not a “gift” for a select few. They know they can develop their creativity by looking at things from new perspectives.
3. See beyond the obvious – This is much more than the cliche “thinking outside the box.” Sometime, the problem has to be solved within the constraints of the box and sometimes, the box needs to be made larger. Successful people go beyond what is comfortable, challenge assumptions and change their routines.
4. Respond Appropriately – David Allen uses the “mind like water” analogy. That is, when you throw a stone into a pond, the water “responds” appropriate to the size of the stone and the force of the throw. There is no over– or under-reaction. Likewise, successful people respond in just the right way to the forces that have an impact on their lives. [Read more]

You need a strong personal brand to succeed. Why? Because your personal brand gives people a reason to come to you and not somebody else. The stronger your brand, the more people will come to you to get the value you offer. While previously I wrote about the laws of personal branding, here I’d like to share 12 things you can do to strengthen your personal brand. The things I discuss here are simple enough and can be done within one day. So, if you find something you haven’t already done, you can allocate time today to do it. Here they are: 1. Calculate your online identity score Finding out how your name does in search engine results is one way to assess the strength of your brand. Since search engine results increasingly shape people’s perception in the digital age, you need to know how your prospects may perceive you. One tool you can use for this purpose is Online Identity Calculator. It gives you some questions to answer and based on your answers it will give you a score of your personal brand strength. 2. Create a LinkedIn profile One of the easiest ways to strengthen your brand online is creating a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn profile tends to rank high in search engine results, so it’s a good way for people to find you and the value you offer. 3. Do keyword research One of the laws of personal branding is "Have a word or phrase to associate your name with". One way to find it is by doing a keyword research. This is especially true if you want people to find you through the Internet. You need to find keywords which:

1. represent what you want to be known for.
2. are familiar to many people, and
3. allow you to rank high in search engine results.

There are tools you can use to find information about the popularity of certain keywords along with suggestions of related keywords. Some of them are Google Adwords Keyword Tool, Wordtracker, and Overture Keyword Selector Tool. When you have found the keywords, you can use them in your profile to brand yourself with. [Read more]