Organize IT recap for 30th May 2008.

• Since I moved to the new domain last year I’ve been doing the same old posting routine and I now fancy a change. It’s been a while since I last updated my productivity tips series so next week I will be dedicating all my posts to it. Hope you like it. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve my posting schedule in the long term then do get in touch.
• A few months ago I wrote nine reasons why I thought GTD sucks. However if that wasn’t enough, I recently came across another guide that covers an whole twenty six reasons to avoid using the system! Worth checking out if you want an alternative critique.
• It’s becoming more common for people to work from home. However, one thing that stood out for me when I did it was how isolating it can be. The amount of time I spent sat on a computer at home was a problem. However, as Web Worker Daily discusses, co-working is a new trend that will hopefully help people to get some social activity in their work lives.
• Productive Flourishing makes a very good point about to-do lists. No matter how much we get done we always focus more on the stuff we don’t do. The post is a great guide on how to trim your to-do lists to the bare essentials. I’ve written ten tasks you can remove from your own to-do list if you need extra inspiration.

Organize IT recap for 23rd May 2008.

• I’ve just found out Organize IT had been accepted into the 9rules Network This is great news as I will now be sharing company with other top productivity blogs like Evomend, Unclutterer and Dumb Little Man.
• Investing and procrastination shouldn’t really go together, right? Well Newsweek has… news for you. Companies such as Starbucks and eBay encourage procrastination in the workplace (ever nipped out for a quick coffee break to get away from it all?) so it makes some sense that with procrastination on the rise, you should invest in those companies.
• I got an email a few days ago telling me about a new search engine designed for productivity fans (Linux and command line fans will probably like it too). It can be used exclusively with the keyboard by inputting special commands (”g” for Google, “w” for Wikipedia). I’ve not really used it, but it seems like a neat idea worthy of mentioning.
• Cultivate Greatness suggests writing a binding contract with yourself for the life of your dreams. It’s a brilliant idea that I’ve been meaning to touch on for some time now. Many people have problems keeping promises with themselves and writing a contract may go some way to focusing us.

Organize IT Recap for 16th May 2008.

• The long awaited follow-up to Getting Things Done has a name. It is called Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life. GTD Times says the book will apply GTD in a much broader way, covering work and life. This seems very fitting given how productivity has evolved in recent times. Clearly he’s been reading a lot of blogs!
• With productivity and what it means to people now that the traditional perspective of just being able to do more is waning, I’m currently seeking all your feelings on the subject. If you haven’t already, please leave a comment sharing your thoughts.
• Ok, a gaming related link for here, if you are not interested in computer games and playstations I apologize. Recently I bought Bioshock for the PC only to find it has very specific requirements to run it. I was pretty annoyed to say the least. To avoid this happening again in the future, I’ve come across a cool site that scans your system specs to see if it will run particular games. Very useful.
• Self help books are big business and when you catch the bug you can end up buying entire shelves of them. A lot of these self help writers cunningly propose you actually buy as many as you can to help with your personal growth. Cunning! However it’s not actually necessary as Shanel Yang gives five ways of trimming down the books you buy so you only get the ones you can actually use for your own personal needs.

Organize IT recap for 09th May 2008.

• The Growing Life has an alternative productivity manifesto which will really make you think about GTD, productivity, your job and how it all affects your life. The post says that since World War II productivity has doubled so we should be working twenty hour work weeks. Instead we’re working more than medieval peasants did. Scary.
• Scientific research into procrastination continues. Study Hacks has a look at current research and what advice it can give students on how to overcome burnout and mental malaise. Combined with the formula for procrastination, that should give you a strong base for better focus.
• Taking phone calls seems pretty simple right? However there are ten ways you should never answer the phone. I know a few people who ignore the phone when it rings. Very annoying. Do you ever make these mistakes?
• I’ve somehow amassed a small collection of binder clips from work over the last few months. I’ve never used them but I still feel the need to keep them because they just look so useful. Thanks to Cranking Widgets I may finally be able to put those clips to good use!

Organize IT recap for 02nd May 2008.

• The BBC is taking a look at how the internet has a potentially bleak future. The internet is such an integral part of my life nowadays. I’m on it everyday. I have this blog, I watch TV, listen to music, buy and sell, research and read… I could go on. It’s important that we don’t take the internet for granted.
• We are all familiar with financial budgets, but what about time budgets? Litemind has a good writeup describing how you can implement one. This approach gives you an objective way of assessing your life balance, and sounds much more practical to do than a time audit. Personally I try to pace myself as much as possible, mixing leisure with work as I go along. Ever tried a time budget? What were your experiences?
• Dumb Little Man has a ten point guide on how you can drop pounds and years off yourself. Normally I wouldn’t pay much attention to such posts but I liked this one for it’s practical and realistic advice. Start drinking green tea? Wow, I can do that right now. Cut out the white flour? That’s an easy habit to start developing. It’s not all about going to the gym every week, it’s also about your lifestyle.
• I like theories and formulas when it comes to the topics I write about, hence my formula for productivity and my procrastination guide. Productive Flourishing has a very intriguing theory of productivity that covers the time management loop alongside the principles of effective time management systems. Definitely worth an in-depth look. I’m going to see how my weekly planner stands up to it.