Archive for July, 2008

If you work in any type of corporate environment or large educational institution that uses Microsoft Exchange E-Mail, you’ll be ecstatic about the new Exchange client for the iPod Touch.

This $9.95 software upgrade takes our favorite iPod and turns it into a productivity powerhouse. This new Apple application is by far the best hand held implementation of Exchange E-Mail that I have found. It takes your e-mail and makes it scrollable, adds your outlook calendar to the built in calendar application, and imports your Outlook contacts into the contact interface.

I downloaded the application through iTunes and followed the step by step instructions. The software did a complete rebuild of my iPod and within minutes was ready to go. I would strongly recommend that you have a good broadband connection to do the upgrade on as the file size is over 100 megs and needs to have a reliable connection to complete the upgrade process. Patience is a virtue here.

Once the software was installed, I clicked on settings and chose the mail setup screen. Lo and behold there was the bright and shiny Microsoft Exchange selection button ready to go. I clicked on the button and added my current exchange web mail settings. Within a minute it found my exchange server and started the download.

Soon my work e-mail was setup along with my Outlook calendar and my full contact list. All of a sudden this iPod became much more than a toy. Since we have wireless internet access where I work, I now have a way to take my e-mail with me wherever I go throughout the building or at our remote sites.

Here is the BIG advantage… I can now have my e-mail, calendar and contacts without paying for a data plan for my phone. In fact for many users this may do away with the need for a work phone at all.

This simple software package can possible save your organization hundreds or thousands of dollars a month in phone charges. If you currently have wireless installed in your building and you use exchange e-mail, you’ll be good to go. If you have wireless internet at home you can have work e-mail access at the touch of a button. The iPod touch may become the Hi Tech Pager of the 21st century.

This software update also includes a whole list of new applications which we’ll cover in another post. Until then… happy e-mailing!

Procrastination is one of those insidious forces that keep us from doing important tasks and accomplishing our goals. It comes in many forms, from the seductive TV show that draws you in, to the suspense caption on your web browser about the latest Hollywood gossip, or even the benign water cooler calling you to get up for another drink.

In our busy lives distractions come at all angles… phone calls, e-mails, drop in guests… If we want to get something done we need a way to stay focused on the important things throughout the day. We need some simple tools that can help us stay on track and are easy enough to use that we don’t have to think about them.

I’ve been experimenting with three tools that I think you might find useful. Each one of these is simple to setup and keep updated. The price is right too… You can try each one for free.

The first is a web site called Joe’s Goals. Joe has created a simple web based tool to put your daily goals on your browser screen where you can access them from almost any computer or browser enabled cell phone. The interface is clean and is setup in weekly calendar format. You just setup the categories on the left side of the calendar and track them in the calendar cells to the right.

When you have accomplished the goal for the day, you just click on the calendar cell and a green check mark appears giving you confirmation that the task is done. It’s simple and effective. You can also setup negative goals that you don’t want to do as in the eat out example in the picture above. If you do the negative action, a red check mark appears.

I like Joe’s Goals since I can pull it up at work or home and even on my smart phone. The basic ad-enabled site is free and it is simple enough to be effective. The web site even has a get inspired section to see how others are using it and a cool logbook section to journal your activities.

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The second tool is the Smart To-Do List by Scott Karstetter. This useful piece of software is based on David Allen’s Getting Things Done philosophy of next actions. You just install the software on your Windows PC and open the simple interface. You enter your projects one by one and then fill out a to-do list for each one.

If you are a GTD aficionado you can also tag each item with an @-Tag. For example, you can use the “@ computer” tag to mark items that you would do using a computer and a “@ phone” tag to do items that would require a telephone.

The interface is no frills but that is really its power. The software is very simple to use and can be left running on your machine throughout the day. When you have accomplished a to-do item, you just click the little X next to it and the step disappears.

You can filter by tag so you can see all the tags for a given item on one screen. For example, you can filter by “@ phone” to see all the phone calls you need to make. This one feature makes this a very useful tool. You can download a test version that is limited to two projects for free or pick up the full version for a reasonable $14.95.

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The last item on the list is our own “Walleteer” cards that help you take your to-do list or next actions with you wherever you go. This set of cards is printed out on Avery business card stock and can be displayed on your desk using a simple pencil and clip viewing station.

This set of cards has 9 different cards for common uses. Just print up a few sets and keep them by your desk. Use a Sharpie marker to fill out your daily goals and put the cards on your desk where you can see them. It’s a simple but effective system to help you overcome procrastination and truly get things done.

Using any one of these systems along with a 48 Minute Focused Work Philosophy will help you overcome even the toughest procrastination. If you find yourself struggling to get things done, why not try one of these tools today… come on now… don’t put it off…

Procrastination is an insidious thing. It creeps up and strikes even the best of us from time to time. In fact many of us may not even realize that we are procrastinating. As you read this, for instance, you may be putting off doing something important. Maybe it’s that report to your boss, a new sales call, or that phone call to apologize to a friend.

Whatever it is, procrastination can be overcome. It’s actually quite simple…

Just do it!

I know what you’re saying… Don’t you wish it was that simple. The fact is we procrastinate because we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. In our modern society we have a huge amount of things coming at us from all directions. The cell phone is ringing, e-mail is notifying, your calendar is screaming, and your boss is standing in your doorway.

Something’s got to give!

The definition of procrastination is…

Putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time. 

Given the amount of stuff we all have to do, it’s just natural that we have to put off some things to a later time or just not do them at all.

So the real question is… what do we do now and what do we put off until later?

1. Do we do the urgent?
2. Do we do the important?
3. Do we do what makes us feel good now?

The answers to these questions can really affect our future.

Dan Ariely, in his new book, Predictably Irrational did some experiments with a group of students to find out how structure effects procrastination. The results of his test are interesting and may give us some insight on overcoming this insidious problem.

Dan gave three of his classes different criteria for submitting their papers during a 12 week semester

1. The first class had no deadlines at all. They merely needed to submit their papers by the last class. They could turn the papers in early but there was no grade benefit in doing so.
2. The second class could pick their own deadlines for each paper at the beginning of the course. They could set them at intervals throughout the semester or just set them all for the last day of the class. Once the deadlines were set they could not be changed. Students would be penalized 1% of the grade for each day it was late.
3. The third class was given dictatorial orders. They would have to submit their three papers on week 4, 8, and 12 respectively. Their was no choice or flexibility.

At the end of the semester, the grades were tallied for each group. The group with the dictatorial structure did the best, followed by the class that set its own deadlines, with the free form group coming in last.

Structure was very important to the overall grades of the class. The class that was allowed to pick it’s own deadlines decided to follow a scheduling form that the teacher provided.

The take away is this… people do better in this order

1. Externally imposed deadlines
2. Personally imposed deadlines
3. No deadlines at all along the way

This has been my experience over the years with many different classes, goals, or other accomplishments. Over the next few days we’ll look at some structured ways to overcome procrastination in different areas of life. From diet to money management we’ll take a look at some successful programs that let you say…

Let’s get started… NOW!