Organize IT

Yes, it may well be an advert for margarine (we’ll ignore that fact) but it’s a very amusing advert and it makes some really pertinent points about being proactive and taking responsibility… OK, maybe it doesn’t, but it’s still funny!

Organize IT recap for March 24th 2007.

• Ever spend half your night stuck waiting at the bar to order your drinks? I am sure all you readers from the UK can vouch for how bad Friday and Saturday nights in particular are, so these little tips on how to get served quickly should come in quite handy. I personally find just trying to make eye contact with the barperson to be very effective.
• Lifehacker has some good suggestions on how to make MS Word less annoying. My personal suggestion? Just download OpenOffice instead! It certainly feels a lot less bloated and obtrusive.
• Scott Young has written a post giving suggestions on how to read more quickly and includes such ideas as using a pointer and removing distractions. Having recently joined a library and doubled the amount of books I’m reading this is useful advice. However, isn’t it a shame that we feel to the need to speed up our reading. Can’t we just take our time and enjoy a book anymore?
• I came across an interesting tool the other day called Thinking Rock. I’m not normally interested in hi-fi tools for managing my system and has such I may be going over old news. Either way I just feel it needs a mention because it looks much more simple and effective compared to most other productivity software, and I may just have to give it a go. Anybody out there tried it and have thoughts to share?

Productivity:

• Having the power of producing; generative; creative.
• Producing readily or abundantly; fertile: a productive vineyard.

Productivity is what GTD is all about, creating the necessary tools and attitudes to increase your productivity so as to create and achieve more without a discernible increase in the stress and pressure that would otherwise be associated with such actions. It involves knowing why you are doing a project, seeing where you need to go next with it by having next actions, and having the final result in mind at all times. Having this sort of information off your mind and in a system you can trust allows you to move your work forward efficiently without procrastination or lack of focus being an issue.

Lifeclever has a very comprehensive list of audio and text based interviews with the GTD master, David Allen, complete with descriptions and quotes. The audio ones in particular sound full of depth, especially considering the smallest is twenty minutes long. Below is just a taster of that list. As detailed as the GTD book is, it’s always useful to read and listen to these interviews as they give extra insight.

• 43 Folders meets David Allen
• Cutting through the clutter to get things done
• The Personal productivity show
• GTD: A new cult for the info age
• David Allen’s podcast series
• David Allen’s path to bliss
• David Allen’s digitized organization man

We all know about the typical ways of improving your health for a longer life, such as taking exercise, eating healthy options, quitting smoking and so on. But what about all the other aspects of your life? If it were that easy to get healthy we would all be going to the gym and eating salad everyday. Below I’ve picked out five less obvious ways to increase your chances of a longer life.