Kolz Blog

Weekly reviews, the time Getting Things Done acolytes slot for themselves to look over their task lists and work systems, are an effective way of keeping a productivity system running smooth, as Gina has shown. The Lifehack.org blog recommends considering a few additions to your reviews, going past cranking widgets to look at other productivity factors. For example:

Social Review. What social activities will you be doing in the upcoming week? A lot of social events are spontaneous, but knowing when you want to visit with friends or family can make organizing your work easier. If you know about an event ahead of time, it can help schedule your work to avoid conflicts later. [Read more]

Chuck Frey has listed his 5 top add-in programs for MindManager:

1. GyroQ
2. TheRealizer
3. Word 2007 Map Editor
4. Ontaris Outlook Linker
5. ResultsManager

For my use, Mindsystems ThemeReader is a powerful knowledge management add-in for MindManager. Powered by Cirilab’s Knowledge Generation Engine, Mindsystems ThemeReader analyses a file or document, using proprietary algorithms, looking for recurring themes. It then takes those themes and builds a MindManager map. [Read more]

One of the most neglected aspects of our health is our posture. Amongst all the guidelines on healthy eating and workout methods, this essential facet of our well-being is often overlooked. Posture provides the foundation for a balanced workout, deeper breathing, effective digestion and efficient functioning of organs. Improving your posture will benefit your overall health, give you more energy, help rehabilitate or prevent injury and increase sporting performance. That’s a lot of benefits for such an overlooked idea and I didn't even mention that it would help you sit at your workstation longer and work harder without cramping! Here we take a look at six core stretches that will increase your flexibility from head to toe.

Stretch One: The “Superman” The aim of this stretch is to finish at 90 degree angle, leaning forward onto a stretch band or other object with your legs straight, torso horizontal and arms extended.

• Keep your feet shoulder width apart with a slight bend at the knees.
• Lean forwards with your arms extended and resting on a steady object or stretch band.
• Push your backside out, keep your shoulders high
• Gently straighten your legs
• You control the stretch.

You should feel the stretch in the front and back of the shoulders, across the back of the neck, through the back, glutes, hamstrings and calves.

Stretch Two: The “Reverse Superman” The aim of this stretch is to step forward pull your arms upwards behind your back. This is a great stretch for your chest muscles (pectorals) and especially good for anyone who has rounded shoulders from desk work, driving or poor training habits (too many bench presses and no back work!). You’ll need a stretch band for this one.

• Hang the stretch band over a steady object and grab hold of it behind you.
• Make sure you have an underarm grip on the stretch band – palms towards ceiling.
• Keep your arms straight and your body vertical as you step forward, pulling your arms up behind you.
• Keep your abs tight, chest out and head up.
• You control the stretch.

Stretch Three: Hamstrings The soccer player’s favorite! Connected to the glutes (backside) which in turn are connected to the lower back, improving flexibility here can help back issues. A stretch band will help you perform this stretch effectively.

• Attach stretch band halfway along foot [Read more]

BitTorrent is the go-to resource for downloading everything from music and movies to software and operating systems, but as its popularity continues to grow, so do the number of tools available for making the most of it. Some are must-haves, while others are a waste of time. Climb aboard for a look at 10 of the best BitTorrent utilities, tools, and resources for finding and managing your BitTorrent downloads quickly and efficiently.

10. Use BitTorrent to Send Files

Of course BitTorrent is a great place to go looking for files, but you can actually take advantage of BitTorrent's distributed download protocol to share your own files. This guide details how to create your own torrent to distribute a file on your computer. The guide covers creating the torrent with the popular, Windows-only uTorrent, but the feature is available in almost any BitTorrent client.

9. Start BitTorrent Downloads Over IM

Using IM applications like Pidgin or the Mac-only Adium, you can set up your IM client to automatically accept downloads from specific users (namely, you) and then save the file to a folder that your BitTorrent client watches for new torrent files (in Pidgin you'll need to go to Tools -> Plugins and enable the Autoaccept plugin). Most clients like uTorrent (Windows) and Transmission (*nix) support folder monitoring, so if your BitTorrent client is running it'll detect the file you've sent yourself and automatically start downloading the torrent. This method doesn't allow for very advanced remote management (like #5 below), but if all you want is a quick method for starting a new download, it's quick and easy.

8. Download BitTorrent in Your Browser

I'd always recommend using a dedicated BitTorrent client whenever you can, but sometimes installing or running another app just isn't an option. In those cases, web application BitLet is a perfect solution. It runs BitTorrent downloads through an applet directly in your web browser; all you have to do is point it to the torrent file. (Read more) You can even stream music directly from a torrent in your browser with WeStream, BitLet's other in-browser BitTorrent tool. (Read more)

7. Manage Your Video Downloads with Miro

Cross platform, open source application Miro is designed as a one-stop shop for handling video—whether that's video podcasts or BitTorrent. It doesn't have all the tools available to less specialized clients like uTorrent or Transmission, but it does work well to automatically download a season's worth of television while it's happening. (Read more) [Read more]