Organize IT recap for 15th February 2008

• I’m currently compiling some big updates to my most popular content that I will publish over the next two weeks, namely my list of GTD blogs and my productivity templates. If anyone has any link suggestions, or feedback on my templates then please let me know!
• If you ever feel groggy in the morning and need an healthy way of waking yourself up that doesn’t involve caffeine, Scott Young has seven suggestions to help you. One tip I would add is to drink some water as soon as you wake up because you will be so dehydrated, and that will help your head to feel better.
• Lifehack.org has a very considerable fifty tricks to get things done. It’s a great article to check out because it pretty much sums up all the productivity tips and tools that are out there right now.
• Do you struggle with perfectionism? It’s all about distinguishing between good enough and perfect. If your time is precious, it can be a tough balancing act. David Finch writes more on this topic on his blog.

Last month I looked at how to develop your conversational skills by adopting a simple trick for asking open questions (thanks to Chrissy and her guest post for inspiring this mini series). In this post I want to take this topic further and look at what the main areas of conversation actually are.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ever met somebody who always had questions and continually looked to tweak and improve? These people aren’t negative and critical of everything, they are simply curious and inquisitive. Looking at why things are the way they are and how they can be improved is one of the strongest mindsets you can ever develop. Look at highly successful people and it’s a guarantee they will have thought about everything this way. In this second entry of my Organize IT Habits series, I will take a look at this mindset, encourage you to embrace your curiosity and to always ask why and how.

Read the rest of this entry »

Inspirational quotes for 09th February 2008.

Ernest Hemingway: “I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently.”

Ray Douglas Bradbury: “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”

Scott Adams: “I’m slowly becoming a convert to the principle that you can’t motivate people to do things, you can only demotivate them. The primary job of the manager is not to empower but to remove obstacles.”

Lou Dorfsman: “Creativity is a lonely art. An even lonelier struggle. To some a blessing. To others a curse. It’s in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very soul an idea.”

Organize IT recap for 08th Febuary 2008

• I’m interested in upgrading the weekly recap to make it more useful for all my readers. On top of covering useful links, I want the recap to contain other interesting bite-sizes of information. With this in mind do you have ideas and suggestions about what you want to read?
• One such features I want to try is to cover some of the new ideas and posts I will be doing over the next couple of weeks so you know what to expect. One area I intend to focus on is my Organize IT Habits series and expand it from the rather lackluster one habit it is now (it is a very important habit though).
• In my recent post about why you should start a blog today I talked about the concept of viewing yourself as a brand. While researching the topic, I came across a very intriguing article at Fast Company covering the whole idea of being the CEO of Me Inc.
• The push-up is a great way of exercising in your home without being at a gym or using expensive equipment. However a lot of people (myself included) don’t do it properly. The ABC Of Fitness has a great guide (including animation) on how to really do it.