Mormon Life Hacker

Use Google Translate to Break Down Language Barriers… in Church

Jeff VanDrimmelen — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:14:55 +0000

Today at church I had a wonderful experience with a member of our ward that would not have been possible with Google. We have a new member that was baptized recently in our ward from China. She has a wonderful testimony, but struggles a bit with English. She would like to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead so it was my responsibility to meet with her and assess her preparation for the temple. We sat down and started talking but it became clear to me that we were having a hard time understanding one another (curse you tower of Babel!). Then the Spirit reminded me about Google Translate. So I did a quick Google search and found the temple recommend questions, put them into the English side, selected Chinese and flipped the computer around so she could read it. Her face lit up as she read English and Chinese side by side and we went through the temple recommend questions. It was wonderful to be able to have this conversation with her and a few other times as we talked I wrote in sentences to help us make sure we understood one another. Today I am grateful to the Lord for inspiring men and women in our day to create technologies like this that help the work of the Lord go forth. What are some ways you might use Translate in your calling?

Use ‘Amazon Mom’ to Automate & Save on Diapers & Family Essentials

Tevya Washburn — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:17:56 +0000

I just stumbled across Amazon Mom the other day. No, Amazon Mom is not a super-warrior mother of other warrior women, it's a program Amazon offer's targeted at mothers or anyone who is responsible for buying diapers and other essentials for babies and young children. Basically, you put diapers, wipes, and other items you might need to your Subscribe & Save list. Normally Amazon gives you a 5% discount on those items since you've set them up to ship to you monthly. When you sign up for Amazon Mom, they add an additional 15% discount (20% total) to all those items.

Automate with Subscribe & Save

I'm a big fan of automating as much of the mundane tasks of life as possible. This leaves you more time to focus on the things that matter most. And that is one of the key principles behind life-hacking in general, and specifically Mormon Life Hacker. Amazon's Subscribe & Save is an excellent way to do that for non-perishable items that are easy to forget during regular shopping, because they only run out every month or 2 or 3. Amazon gives you free regular shipping, a 5% discount, and removes the hassle and cost of extra runs to the store.

Enhanced Subscribe & Save: Amazon Mom

Amazon Mom, just enhances Subscribe & Save by taking it a few steps further. You get 20% off on diapers and wipes in your Subscribe & Save subscription, plus if you add 5 total items, you'll get 20% on all those, even if they're not diapers or wipes. You also get free 2-day shipping on your items. You can sign up for Amazon Mom and get 3 months for free. After the 3 months are up, you can continue to get these great benefits/savings by simply signing up for an Amazon Prime account, at the regular price of $79/year. You'll then get all the benefits of Amazon Prime, plus the Mom-enhanced benefits of Subscribe & Save. A few points from Amazon.com:

During the free period, Amazon Mom members do not have access to all of the benefits that a paid Prime membership provides, including access to Prime Instant Videos and the ability to share shipping benefits. Any customer who has ever received Prime shipping benefits through Amazon Mom or Amazon Student is ineligible for the Amazon Mom 3-month free period. We also consider your free or paid Prime membership history when determining eligibility. Amazon Mom is limited to one membership per household.

I haven't tried Amazon Mom myself, but will be discussing it with my wife. We just barely canceled our Prime membership at the end of the 30-day trial. But this may get us to go for it. I thought it sounded like a great option, and thought I'd tell everyone about it on Mother's Day. Especially because automating the purchase of diapers, baby wipes, and other household items, could be a great way to help Mom with the shopping. So if you're looking for a little something extra (or an "I forgot it was Mother's Day" gift) to give Mom today, maybe you could sign her up for Amazon Mom! If you've used Amazon Mom, Subscribe & Save, or have an opinion on automating your shopping, tell us about it in the comments.

The Power of Questions 1: Finding the Problem by Questioning the Basics

Tevya Washburn — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:27:15 +0000

Questions are powerful things. This is the 1st of several posts about how to use them to help other people. A primary doctrine of Mormonism is service and sacrifice: putting somebody else's needs above our own. These posts will help you use questions to bless the lives of others.

The Power of Close-Ended Questions

In lots of situations we're taught that we need to use "open-ended" questions. Meaning questions that can't result in a "yes" or a "no" answer. Close-ended: "do you like chocolate?" Open-ended: "how do you feel about chocolate?" Open-ended questions are generally more powerful because you learn the answer to the similar close-ended question, but you also get a lot more data along with it. Plus you get the additional benefit of really engaging the person. The open-ended question creates conversation, whereas the close-ended one does not. More on those kinds of questions, in another article. Sometimes you want a purely binary answer though. Sometimes you don't want the other person to distract from or cloud the issue by going on and on, or sidetracking: "Brother Stubborn, do you believe that home teaching is an institution inspired by God?" "Will you marry me?" Or from the temple recommend interview questions: "Are you a full-tithe payer?" These are some very good close-ended questions. They keep things efficient, but also cover the most important point. Think how much less effective it would be if the 2nd question were "do you pay tithing?" A millionaire might pay a dollar a year and truthfully answer "yes, I pay tithing." The recommend interview questions are designed to be efficient for the worthy member, but also to leave things open for deeper discussion with their Bishop, if the answer is "no."

Questioning the Basics

Using the temple recommend questions as an example, there's some situations where you know the path (or list of items) a person needs to take to better their life, you're just not sure where they are on that path. A great example comes from my experience as a missionary. We'd meet with someone over and over, feel and identify the Spirit with them, have excellent gospel discussion, and really believe they were making great progress. Then we'd get rejected when we challenged them to be baptized. It was confusing and frustrating. Thankfully, others have proposed a very simple solution of asking close-ended questions about doctrines they needed to believe: start with the most basic foundational doctrines and work your way up, until you discover where the problem is. I remember one of the first times I tried this. We started with the basics: "do you believe in God?" "Yes." "Do you believe in Jesus Christ." "No. I've never understood why we need another God, or why he died or any of that. It makes no sense to me." Now we knew where to start. We were talking about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, while he didn't have enough of an understanding of Jesus' Atonement and role in the Plan of Salvation for any of that to matter. Once he'd developed a testimony of our Savior, that was it: every thing else was easy for him. If there had been more issues though, we could have continued the questions to find the next stumbling block: "do you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and Christ's representative on the earth?", "Do you believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God?", "Do you believe that Gordon B. Hinkley (at that time) is God's prophet and representative today?", etc. When you know the steps a person needs to take, you can simply ask close-ended questions around them. If you structure the questions so that a "yes" answer means everything is okay, move on, then the "no" answer will usually result in a voluntary explanation from the person you're working with. If it doesn't, then it's time to start the open-ended questions: "why don't you believe in Jesus Christ?", "What do you find hard to believe about Jesus?", "What is your understanding of why Jesus had to die?" Or backup one step: "how do you feel about God?" Then build on what they do feel and believe, to help them understand the next level. This method of starting with the most fundamental principles and working up works great for many situations other than teaching the gospel. You can apply it to things like helping your children understand why they shouldn't yell and scream and act like like a hellion in public, or at home, for that matter. It works for helping people understand why their calling is important and warrants their time, talents, and efforts. You can even use it in helping somebody understand financial principles such as the beauty of being debt free, budgeting, or automating finances. How have you, or will you, use this method? (open-ended question)

Using Mormon Words to Share the Gospel

Kurt Francom — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:45:27 +0000

I remember, as a student at the University of Utah, being in a classroom where I noticed one of my fellow students wearing a University of Michigan t-shirt. This came as no surprise to me because I had previously engaged in a conversation with him about his full-time mission to the state of Michigan. I then witnessed a conversation between him and another student whom was not a member of the church. The non-member student asked why he was a fan of University of Michigan if he attended the University of Utah. The returned missionary then stated, "Oh….well, you see, I spent two years living in Michigan." When I heard his reply, I cringed inside. This experienced returned missionary missed an opportunity to share the gospel. If he would have instead responded with, "Oh, well, I was a missionary for the Mormon church in Michigan for two years", it may have led the non-member to ask, "What's that?". Unfortunately, this is not the only experience I have had with this situation. I have heard many returned missionaries describe their two year mission as simply "living somewhere for two years". It is a missed opportunity.

Be a Missionary by Using Mormon Words

I later shared this experience with my ward one Sunday as I taught a lesson about missionary work. I encouraged the congregation to be open about their LDS lifestyle so that those interested to learn more would have the opportunity to ask questions. A few weeks after this lesson, a member of my ward approached me privately at church and shared with me an experience he had at work. He had dressed up that day because he was planning on attending the temple after work. A co-worker jokingly teased him about being so dressed up for work since it was a semi-casual workplace. He jumped at the opportunity to tell his co-worker that he had plans to attend the Mormon temple later that day. Nothing came of the conversation (that I know of) but this member felt honored to share his testimony simply by what he was wearing. Recently, I was pleased to find a missionary resource called The Power of Everyday Missionaries by one of my favorite authors, Clayton Christensen. I encourage you to take time to peruse the website and learn from his experience. On the website, he shares the same perspective of using Mormon words in your everyday vocabulary so more people will be likely to ask you questions about the church. Watch the video below and follow the example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryPIAPjvil0&feature=player_embedded

DIY: Create Your Own Topical Guide

Kurt Francom — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:33:06 +0000

Have you ever met anyone that has an amazing mind for retention? You can typically find these freaks of nature teaching LDS institute at your local college. Any topic can come up and they confidently say, "That reminds me of a scripture; let's turn to it, shall we?" Contrast that with someone like myself. I usually say, "That reminds me of a scripture....let's see...was it in 2 Nephi? Maybe it was in the book of Habakkuk?" I then spend the next few minutes in vain searching the Topical Guide for the "perfect scripture" that just can't be found when I need it. I've never had a mind that remembers scripture references. I always wanted a topical guide that was organized for my brain....so I made one myself using Evernote. Evernote is a great system for remembering almost anything. Between folders and tags you can effectively organize information in a way that will make it readily available in a moments notice. I use specific Evernote tools like the phone app, and the Web Clipper to quickly capture the information, tag it, and store it. Let me give you an example... I came across the following quote during my personal study:

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“It is not enough to receive the priesthood and then sit back passively and wait until someone prods us into activity. When we receive the priesthood, we have the obligation of becoming actively and anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of righteousness in the earth, because the Lord says:

“‘… He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned’ [D&C 58:29]” (So Shall Ye Reap [1960], 21)

I then take a moment to consider what topics this quote relates to or when I may want to use it in the future. (Notice that this exercise also makes you think on a deeper level during personal study). I then tag the quote with duty, priesthood, and home teaching. Note saved. Now in the future when I am preparing a sacrament meeting talk or sitting in a class where the priesthood is being discussed, I can quickly look up the tag on my smartphone and share this powerful quote. This is also powerful for bishops that have a speaker end early and suddenly he has to fill 10 minutes worth of meeting time. He can quickly pull up a tag on Evernote and have multiple quotes, stories, or scriptures to reference. A few examples of the tags I have in my personal topical guide are action, fast offerings, anger, funerals, apostasy, reactivation, apostles, fear, redemption, testimony, worth. That is only a small portion. Your personal topical guide will be small at first but over time you will have a priceless resource for building your knowledge and testimony.

5 Ways PreparetoServe.com Makes Mission Prep Easier

Guest Author — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:08:16 +0000

Guest post by Alex Balinski When I received my mission call to Argentina in 2008, I wish there had been a resource like PreparetoServe.com. When I received my call, I was ecstatic to watch anything about Argentina. Unfortunately back then there were only one or two documentaries about Argentina we could find at the library. Now, with the explosion of Youtube, I no longer have difficulty finding videos about Argentina—I just have the difficulty of sifting through all the videos out there to find informative videos I actually want to watch. Often the videos I do find on YouTube include inappropriate content. These are the reasons we decided to create PreparetoServe.com. Here are five ways I think Prepare to Serve will make your mission preparation easier:

Watch 100s of mission prep videos relevant to each country/state, all in one place (for example preparetoserve.com/mexico)
You won't have to see inappropriate YouTube thumbnails since all the videos on Prepare to Serve are handpicked and embedded on the website in YouTube playlists.
Interview a returned missionary or convert from your mission, by interactively clicking on questions and seeing immediate video responses.
A single place to go to to find missionary blogs indexed by mission. (see preparetoserve.com/blog/lds-missionary-websites).
Access thousands of hours of clean travel and mission prep videos screened by returned missionaries. The YouTube videos are screened not only for quality and relevance, but also appropriateness (videos with immodesty, strong language, or inappropriate music are screened out).

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to comment below or email me at alexbalinski@gmail.com

Be a Church Hacker: Teach Your Children to Be Quiet in Sacrament Meeting

Tevya Washburn — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:30:14 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3306" align="alignright" width="290"] Image courtesy of create.lds.org[/caption] Middle-aged Mormon Man has two excellent solutions for teaching children to behave and cooperate in Sacrament meeting and Church as a whole. One is focused around a punishment (gasp) and making "going to the hall" less-pleasant than sitting in the meeting. The other promotes a reward for good behavior.

The Table Method

Eventually they would fuss or cry to get carried out of the meeting. But instead of taking them into the foyer, I would find a classroom. ... I would leave the light off, but the window would provide enough light to see. I would give my child a hug, tell him/her the following: "I love you, but you can't act like that in Sacrament meeting. I want you to sit here until you think you can go back and be quiet and reverent." I would then set the child on the table. This would freak them out a little because it was a little higher than a chair, and they were too little to jump off. A veritable cageless cage. (I have [had] one son climb off - I just picked him up and put him back and sternly told him to stay put. Repeatedly.) Usually the child was crying before we left the chapel, but now thing would really get going. Tears, sobs, screams, etc. My response was always the same: Nothing. No words, eye contact, nothing. I would silently sit on a chair next to the table - but just out of reach, with my head bowed, arms folded. The child would gradually work out the screams and tears. I waited. I was listening for one specific phrase: "I want Mommy." Spoken - not screamed. I would immediately "wake up", stand and ask my child, "Do you want to go sit with Mommy?" "Yes" was always the reply. "I can't let you go back unless you can be really good and sit on Mommy's lap without making noise. Can you do that?" Sniff - "Yes" "Good, then we will go back if you promise." "I promise." "OK, let's go." I would give the child a love and take him/her back into the meeting. Upon seeing mom, the child would race to her, climb on her lap, and sit quietly - and sometimes glare at me. If it started up again, all I had to do was reach... The basic premise is that sitting on mom's lap is much better than sitting on a table with dad nearby ignoring you. It is effective, but requires some time, and some resolve on the part of the dad. (It is really hard to sit and watch a little one sob and plead for you with arms outstretched.)

It seems too many parents make "being taken out" more pleasant and enjoyable, than remaining in the meeting. The message is clear: "act up and you'll be rewarded by being allowed to run the halls." It doesn't make sense and will probably make other self-control lessons taught at home, harder to convey because of the dual-standard the child perceives In fact, it may make them feel like Church is a joke, something to be escaped, rather than a place of reverent learning and worship. Read the full post for all the details, including certain requirements that must be in place for it to work.

The Reverence Plate

Triple-M's 2nd method, targeted at slightly older children who can focus on a reward for more than 60 seconds, is called "The Reverence Plate." A special plate or plates is purchased or created and given to the child (or children) who were especially good in Church that day, or accomplished something special. They're allowed to eat from it at Sunday dinner, but then it goes back in the cupboard and is not used again until the following Sunday, if the requirements are met. It's a genius use of simple group psychology in my opinion. The child feels special, because everyone in the family says they are being honored and rewarded for what they've done. Older children may not respect it as a reward, but if they'll play along, the Reverence Plate can be a powerful reward, enhanced by it's scarcity of once a week, at most. Read the original post for all the details as well as a link to purchase Reverence Plates directly from MMM (not to be confused with Modern Mormon Men). You might also enjoy/learn from his philosophical post around reverence and children. What do you think? Any methods you've found to effectively teach both appropriate behavior, and respect for Church?

MLH 2012 Giveaway #5: Funny & Serious LDS Art

Tevya Washburn — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:25:37 +0000

Okay, so it's not 2012 anymore. But that's okay, it was a great year to be a Mormon. The Church enjoyed unprecedented attention. So I'm going to ignore the fact that I'm weeks late on getting this final giveaway up, and pretend it's still 2012.

Congratulations to our Giveaway 4 Winner!

Congratulations to Angie Oliverson on winning 1 year of MyHeritage Premium Plus! We're still trying to confirm our other winner, so if you entered, check your email for a message from an @mormonlifehacker.com email address.

Giveaway 5 is Our Mormon Art Giveaway

Same rules as the first giveaway. This one ends Fri. the 1st of Feb. at midnight, Pacific. Winners announced sometime soon afterward.

Prizes

I'm really excited about this round of prizes. Both are side-businesses for a couple of our contributors here on MLH. Here's what we've got: 1st Place: Your choice of any one 20 x 30" print from Helaman Gallery. Or if you'd like smaller (those can be hard to frame) you can choose any 2 prints in your choice of smaller sizes. You also get a color family caricature (with and without a wordcloud) from Draw YOU Funny! 2nd Place: Single-person color caricature from Draw YOU Funny! The Helaman Gallery art is professional-quality and great for hanging pictures of the Temple and excellent gospel quotes in your home. Plus it's unique: not the same prints you're going to find in Deseret Book or your local LDS Art shop. The DYF caricatures are awesome to use on blogs, as your avatar on social networks, or even to frame and hang in your office or home. Everyone loves a great caricature. They just make people smile!

Enter

To enter is simple. All you have to do is fill out the below form. That will give you 1 entry. But you can receive multiple entries by doing certain things. Here's what to do to receive additional entries: Email Lists (2 Entries each)

Register for our new MLH email list! Sign up for our email list by selecting the option in the form below. You'll receive new posts on MLH in your inbox, and other occasional updates. If you did this for the previous Giveaway, you still get 2 entries.
Register for the Draw You Funny email newsletter (just occasional promotions and such) by checking the appropriate box.

Social Sharing: Publicly share MLH and/or Giveaway Sponsors on a major social network (1 entry per share - must share Dec. 28th - Jan. 1st)

DrawYouFunny.com
HelamanGallery.com
This giveaway (the quickest way is to use the buttons at the bottom of this post)
Your favorite Mormon Life Hacker post
Pin your favorite Helaman Gallery print on Pinterest.

Social Following: Follow MLH and/or Giveaway Sponsors on a social network (1 entry per entity - counts if you've already followed that entity)

Draw YOU Funny: Facebook
Mormon Life Hacker: Facebook, Twitter, or Google+
Join the Mormon Life Hackers Google+ Community

BONUS Entry's: if you watched (or watch now) our most recent MLH Live Hangout, there's a caricature of a famous LDS person shown onscreen in the hangout. Enter their name in the appropriate spot and get 2 extra entries! Details: If you're already following one of the social accounts above, or have already signed up for one of the email lists, you don't need redo those. Just select the appropriate options below to receive those entry's. But any social shares have to be for THIS giveaway. So you'll need to publicly share the items listed under "Social Sharing" above on Jan. 30th - Feb. 1st, regardless if you've done it before. Social networks that count for sharing: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, & Pinterest. Enter below. And remember: this ends at Midnight Pacific time on the 29th. [gravityform id="7" name="2012 Giveaway 5: LDS Art" title="false" description="false"] Share more chances to win (use the buttons below, then check off the corresponding options above, before clicking submit):

MLH Live Hangout 2 – Jan ’13

Tevya Washburn — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 03:19:16 +0000

http://youtu.be/xI1r12C5L_E We're going to be doing our 2nd MLH Live Hangout on Google+. Here's the details: When: Sunday the 20th of Jan 2013 at 8PM Mountain Time. Where: Google+ Live Hangout - but check back here and we'll have the live streaming right in this post. What:

Review our recent giveaways, hopefully with a few of our winners and/or sponsors
Announcing our final giveaway (watch the show for a code for 2 additional entries)
Talking with "Mormon Techie" Jeff VanDrimmelen about using Asana in his ward
Who knows what else, it's live, so you'll just have to watch to see

Who: Kurt & Tevya, with Jeff VanDrimmelen, as well as (hopefully) 1 or 2 of the winners &/or sponsors from our recent giveaway. I'll update this post with names as I receive responses. Let us know in the comments if there's anything specific you'd like us to cover.

MLH 2012 Giveaway #4: MyHeritage Genealogy

Tevya Washburn — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:10:57 +0000

And... we're back! After a few days of needed R&R for Christmas and the surrounding days, I'm back to doing our giveaways! This one's for any Genealogists or anyone interested in Family History!

Congratulations to our Giveaway 3 Winners!

Congratulations to Nathan V. for winning our 1st place prize, including some awesome iOS apps, an iPad case, and more! Also congratulations to Angie O., our 2nd place iOS winner, who received some excellent LDS apps.

Giveaway 3 is for Anyone Interested in Family History

Same rules as the first giveaway. This one ends Tues. the 1st at midnight, Pacific. Winners announced sometime on Wed. (if we can verify them quickly enough). Oh, and you don't have to be Mormon to enter. Just enter and you can still get more entries by sharing this giveaway and/or MyHeritage.

Prizes for Giveaway 3

We have two 1 year subscriptions to MyHeritage Premium Plus. See the image for details on what all is included. It's normally $149 for a year membership. So this is our single most valuable prize so far. 1st and 2nd place winners will each receive a 1 year membership for free!

Enter the Drawing

Register for our new MLH email list! Sign up for our email list by selecting the option in the form below. You'll receive new posts on MLH in your inbox, and other occasional updates. If you did this for the previous Giveaway, you still get 2 entries.

Social Sharing: Publicly share MLH and/or Giveaway Sponsors on a major social network (1 entry per share - must share Dec. 28th - Jan. 1st)

MyHeritage.com
This giveaway (the quickest way is to use the buttons at the bottom of this post)
Your favorite Mormon Life Hacker post

Social Following: Follow MLH and/or Giveaway Sponsors on a social network (1 entry per entity - counts if you've already followed that entity)

MyHeritage: Facebook or Twitter.
Mormon Life Hacker: Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Join the Mormon Life Hackers Google+ Community.

If you're already following one of the social accounts above, or have already signed up for one of the email lists, you don't need redo those. Just select the appropriate options below to receive those entry's. But any social shares have to be for THIS giveaway. So you'll need to publicly share the items listed under "Social Sharing" above on Dec. 28th - Jan. 1st, regardless if you've done it before. Social networks that count for sharing: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, & Reddit. Enter below. And remember: this ends at Midnight Pacific time on the 29th. [gravityform id="5" name="2012 Giveaway 4: MyHeritage" title="false" description="false" ajax="true" tabindex="80"] Share more chances to win (use the buttons below, then check off the corresponding options above, before clicking submit):

2012 MLH Giveaway 3: Apple Devices and Mac

Tevya Washburn — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:32:59 +0000

Congratulations to our Giveaway 2 winners!

Congratulations to Patrick Lynch and Dave McCabe our Giveaway #2 winners.

Giveaway 3 is all about iPhone, iPod, & iPad

Same rules as the first giveaway. This one ends Sat. the 22nd at midnight Pacific. Winners announced sometime on Sunday, along with the details for the next one.

Prizes for Giveaway 3

For all you iOS users, we've got some great apps, plus an iPad case, and an hour of personalized Mac support! Apps

LDSScriptures - same one from the previous 2 drawings. You Choose any 2: iPhone/iPod, iPad, or Desktop.
LDS Scripture Power Memorization - Read our review. Great app to help you memorize scriptures.
Bible Maps - Read our review.
Children's Sing Along - Read our review.
LDS Word Search Weekly - brand new LDS word searches every week.
Ward Finder - Read our review.
Book of Mormon: Touch - brand new interactive Book of Mormon app for children. The app is free, but requires purchases of stories. You get Volume I.

Other Great Stuff

Pink Gumdrop Drop Tech iPad 2 or 3 case - full body rugged protection with screen protector. $60 value. Provided by Kingsley Mac Consulting.
1hr of Mac Support or Training - certificate for 1hr of free support (no addtional support or commitment required) from Kingsley Macintosh Consulting. You can redeem when you will. Support provided remotely unless you're in the Greater Salt Lake area, then support can be provided on-site. $95 value.

Winners

This will have 2 winners. The 1st will receive 1 of each of the above prizes. The 2nd place will receive all of the apps, except LDSScriptures & Bible maps.

Enter the Drawing

Register for our new MLH email list! Sign up for our email list by selecting the option in the form below. You'll receive new posts on MLH in your inbox, and other occasional updates. If you did this for the previous Giveaway, you still get 2 entries.
Sign up for the Lift Apps email list.

Social Sharing: Publicly share MLH and/or Giveaway Sponsors on a major social network (1 entry per share - must share Dec. 21st or 22nd)

This giveaway (the quickest way is to use the buttons at the bottom of this post).
Your favorite Mormon Life Hacker post.
LDSScriptures.com.
AppsbyLift.com.
BoMtouch.com.

Social Following: Follow MLH and/or Giveaway Sponsors on a social network (1 entry per entity - counts if you've already followed that entity)

Mormon Life Hacker: Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Join the Mormon Life Hackers Google+ Community.
LDSScriptures: Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Book of Mormon: Touch on Facebook.
LDS Scripture Power Memorization on Twitter.
Kingsley Mac Consulting: Facebook, Google+, or Google+ Community.

If you're already following one of the social accounts above, or have already signed up for one of the email lists, you don't need redo those. Just select the appropriate options below to receive those entry's. But any social shares have to be for THIS giveaway. So you'll need to publicly share the items listed under "Social Sharing" above on Dec. 21st or 22nd, regardless if you've done it before. Social networks that count for sharing: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, & Reddit. Enter below. And remember: this ends at Midnight Pacific time on the 22nd. [gravityform id="4" name="2012 Giveaway 3: Apple" title="false" description="false" ajax="true" tabindex="80"] Share more chances to win (use the buttons below, then check off the corresponding options above, before clicking submit):

2012 MLH Giveaway 2: Android (including Ingress invite!)

Tevya Washburn — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:21:06 +0000

Congratulations to our Giveaway 1 winners!

Congratulations to Matt Galloway and Tupou Taufa, the winners of our 1st giveaway.

Giveaway 2 is all about Android

Same rules as the last giveaway. This one ends Thurs. the 20th at midnight Pacific. Winners announced Fri morning, along with the details for the next one. I haven't had time to verify if all the included apps are available on the Amazon Appstore. If you win and have a Kindle Fire tablet, you'll have to choose between receiving the only ones that are available on the Amazon Appstore, and receiving all of them on Google Play. Sorry just the stupid logistics of Amazon doing their own. [caption id="attachment_3213" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Win LDS Android apps and an Ingress invite![/caption]

Prizes for Giveaway 2

To start things off, we've got some great Android apps, an Ingress invite, and some posters!

Ingress invite! Yes, we've got one. The awesome new augmented reality game from Google is currently exclusive to Android, and only available to those with an invite. Thanks to Paul Jewkes of AtoZion.com, who offered his invite up for this giveaway!
LDSScriptures apps - this the bestselling—and in my opinion still the best—Mormon scriptures app available. You get the Android or Kindle Fire app, and the desktop version.
KidsCare security app - this is an excellent app that lets you set "users" for your children on your Android device. You then assign which apps each user has access to. This allows you to let them only play games or watch Netflix, without deleting your contacts or sending your business contacts cryptic emails... from you. (MLH review coming soon)
LDS Hymns Sing Along & Children's Sing Along - 2 apps that are great entertainment for your children, while teaching them the hymns and primary songs. Provided by Apps by Lift.
Daily Verse - meaningful scriptures, quotes and hymns delivered every day to help you get your day started right. Provided by Apps by Lift.
Bible Maps - just like the Bible maps in your scriptures, only optimized for mobile. Read our review of this app.
Army of Helaman Real Heroes Poster - provided by LDSDaily.com.

Don't know what Ingress is? Here's a video that'll probably leave you with more questions than answers, but it's a start: http://youtu.be/92rYjlxqypM

Winners

This will have 2 winners. The 1st will receive 1 of each of the above prizes. The 2nd place will receive the KidsCare, LDS Hymns Sing Along, Children's Sing Along, Bible Maps, and Daily Verse apps.

Enter the Drawing

To enter is simple. All you have to do is fill out the below form. That will give you one entry. But you can receive multiple entries by doing certain things. Here's what to do to receive additional entries:

2 Entries - Register for our new MLH email list! Sign up for our email list by checking the box when you fill out the form below. You'll receive new posts on MLH in your inbox, and other occasional updates. If you did this for the previous Giveaway, you still get 2 entries.
1 Entry per share - Publicly share this giveaway on any major social network (the quickest way is to use the buttons at the bottom of this post).
1 Entry total - Follow MLH on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
1 Entry per share - Publicly share LDSScriptures.com on any major social network.
1 Entry total - Follow LDSScriptures on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
1 Entry total - Follow AtoZion on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
1 Entry total - Share AtoZion.com on any major social network.
1 Entry per - Tweet or +1 any of this Giveaway's LDS apps on the Google Play store: LDSScriptures, KidsCare, LDS Hymns, Children's Sing, Daily Verse, Bible Maps.
2 Entries - sign up for the Lift Apps email list.
1 Entry - Sign up for an LDSDaily.com account.
1 Entry per share - Publicly share LDSDaily.com on any major social network.

If you're already following an MLH or LDSScriptures.com social account or already have an LDSDaily.com account, or have already signed up for the MLH email list, you don't need redo any of those. Just check the appropriate boxes below to get additional entry's. But any social shares have to be for THIS giveaway. So you'll need to share this post, or reshare LDSScriptures.com or DailyLDS.com, or share them on a different social network from last time. So sharing for the last giveaway doesn't give you any entries on this one. Social networks that count for sharing: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, & Reddit. Enter below. And remember: this ends at Midnight Pacific time tomorrow night. [gravityform id="3" name="2012 Giveaway 2: Android" title="false" description="false" ajax="true" tabindex="80"] Share this giveaway for more chances to win (use the buttons below, then check off the corresponding options above, before clicking submit):

2012 MLH Giveaway 1: Print Books, Posters, & Apps

Tevya Washburn — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 03:04:45 +0000

It's a giveaway! We didn't have a budget or much time (been really busy). So I decided to hack it. Based on feedback and other factors, we're going to do a series of 4 giveaways between now and Christmas. Some awesome sponsors replied quickly and we've got some great stuff I think you're going to be super excited about. Most will have at least 2 winners, though usually the 1st place winner will receive more than the 2nd place. That means at least 8 winners between now and Christmas! You'll also be able to get multiple entries by following MLH and our giveaway sponsors on social media and/or email. The winners will be randomly selected. This first one starts as soon as this post is published, and ends Tues. the 18th at midnight Pacific. Then Wed. morning we'll announce winner along with the details for the next one, which will end Thurs. night, and so on. Anyone is welcome to enter, but I have to ship some of the physical items and since there's no budget on my end, you can choose to give them to the next runner-up, ship them to friends or relatives in the US, or cover the cost above and beyond shipping in the US. [caption id="attachment_3200" align="aligncenter" width="550"] All the prizes we've confirmed so far. Over $700 total value![/caption]

Prizes for Giveaway 1

To start things off, we've got some great books, some posters, and the bestselling scriptures app!

The Book of Mormon: A Biography by Paul C. Gutjahr - book, provided by Princeton University Press. I've read it and it's an excellent history of the book itself. It covers from Joseph Smith's first encounters with the Angel Moroni to the details of how each "missionary edition" of the BoM is created and printed.
Tongue of Fire by David McKnight - a paperback novel provided by David McKnight. I haven't read this one, but it looks like an entertaining read and has very positive reviews on Amazon.
Real Heroes Posters - Provided by DailyLDS.com.
LDSScriptures apps - this the bestselling, and in my opinion still the best, Mormon scriptures app available. There's several versions: desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android/Nook/Kindle Fire. All of which sync your notes, bookmarks, etc. If you use Android/Nook/Kindle fire, you get the desktop version and the mobile app. If you use iPhone/iPad, you can choose any 2: desktop, iPhone, or iPad.

Winners

This will have 2 winners. The 1st will receive 1 of each of the above prizes. The 2nd will receive the a copy of The Book of Mormon: A Biography, and 2 "Real Heroes" posters.

Enter the Drawing

2 Entries - Register for our new MLH email list! Sign up for our email list by checking the box when you fill out the form below. You'll receive new posts on MLH in your inbox, and other occasional updates.
1 Entry per share - Publicly share this giveaway on any major social network (the quickest way is to use the buttons at the bottom of this post).
1 Entry total - Follow any MLH social account/page: Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
1 Entry per share - Publicly share LDSScriptures.com on any major social network.
1 Entry total - Follow any LDSScriptures social account/page: Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
1 Entry - Sign up for an LDSDaily.com account.
1 Entry total - Share your LDSDaily.com unique URL on any major social network.

If you're already following an MLH or LDSScriptures.com social account or already have an LDSDaily.com account, you don't need redo any of those. Just check the box below to get an additional entry. Social networks that count for sharing: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, & Reddit. Enter below. And remember: this ends at Midnight Pacific time. [gravityform id="2" name="2012 Giveaway 1" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"] Share this giveaway for more chances to win (use the buttons below, then check off the corresponding options above, before clicking submit):

1st Ever Mormon Life Hacker Live Hangout – Dec ’12

Tevya Washburn — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:04:01 +0000

On Sunday evening we held the first ever MLH live video Hangout on Google+. We used the "Hangouts on Air" feature which live-streamed the hangout for anyone to watch, on YouTube. It also recorded it, and it's now available on my personal YouTube channel (haven't figured out how to do it yet). View it here: http://youtu.be/Es6_ITOzZTs We're going to try these once a month. We'll do our best to keep them to 30 min. We'll review the life-hacks posted on MLH over the past month, and discuss some things that might not be on the site.

Links & Resources

External Sites:

LeadingLDS (Kurt's excellent leadership blog for Mormons)
LifeHacker
FamilySearch Wiki
Asana Group Task & Project Management webapp
- Asana iOS app
- myAsana app (3rd party Android app)
Daily WoW
FamHist.us

MLH Articles:

Let us know what you think, as well as things you'd like us to do in future hangouts, in the comments.

The 12 Days of Christ

Travis W. — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:00:03 +0000

I’m writing this post directly to my family. But I like you readers so much I wanted to share it with you too. : ) ------------ Guys, I want you to join me in a brand new family tradition. It’s called The 12 Days of Christ. It’s fairly simple. Each day for 12 days leading up to Christmas, we’ll have one person share a scripture/story/testimony about Christ. These will help us to focus on the real purpose of Christmas. So, for example, when it’s Trav’s turn, he could

talk about why he really likes that certain picture of Christ walking on the water, or
tell the story about Muhammad and the 3-foot poster of Christ in his missionary apartment, or
explain what’s so cool about Reverently and Meekly Now being written in first person, or
retell one of his favorite stories from the scriptures that tell about Christ’s actual life.

And it just so happens that with two in-laws and two padres we have 12 people! Now, a couple of logistics: Tev and Jill might not be home anytime near Christmas, so we’ll have them do their two days over Google Hangout (which you can do even from a phone)—and we’ll try to broadcast the other days to them if they want in. Bobbie and David will be gone sometime close to Christmas, so we’ll have them go near the beginning. Sound good? Who’s in? [Sign up for your day here.] ------------ I invite you to do the same with your family. Who's in?

Reader Insights: Are there problem points in Temple Prep?

Travis W. — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:46:38 +0000

My little sister is about to go to the temple for the first time. I have a strong testimony of the temple. But when I went the first time, I was shocked—why hadn't anyone helped me prepare for this? I want to make sure there are no glaring gaps in my sister's preparation. So I'm looking for problem points. I have two questions for you. Please leave a comment below—even one sentence will do:

What were your main frustrations with the temple preparation you received before your first time?

What do you wish your teachers and parents had done differently?

Now, this is a sacred topic, so tread lightly. (No spoilers, please.) I am eager to hear your thoughts!

Tithing Settlement Tear-Off Schedule

Kurt Francom — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:54:20 +0000

'Tis the season to go shopping, make neighbor treats, attend Christmas concerts, visit the family, wrap gifts, put up the Christmas tree, and while doing all this the bishop needs you to find 15 minutes in your schedule to come settle your tithing. Don't try to sneak out of this one or else the bishop will hunt you down and make the process more painful (not really). If you don't show up the bishop will have to use his best judgement (wild guess) and declare your tithing for you. It's best to open up your schedule and make some time. Just think, if you were bishop, you would have to make time for every ward member before the end of the year. This becomes an impossible task, but thanks to Mormon Life Hacker we have the perfect hack for bishops to increase their tithing settlement attendance. The line up at the bishop's office can get out of hand as members try to juggle their calendar in order to write down the appointment. The TITHING SETTLEMENT TEAR-OFF SHEET allows members to quickly write down their name (for the bishop's record) and tear of the slip (for the member's record). So simple and so nice. You can either make your own or use OUR COPY. This copy won't let you edit but feel free to download it to edit it on your own. (File > Download As...) Merry Christmas & Happy Full-Tithe New Year!

Optimize Your Life, Presidency, Bishopric, or Council with Asana

Tevya Washburn — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:24:25 +0000

A few months ago I was looking for a way to better facilitate communication, organization, responsibility assignment, and delegation for my business. Thankfully, I stumbled across the free webapp asana shortly after. We decided to give it a try and quickly realized it's power as an organizational and communication tool. I then started thinking of it's other applications. Though not in a presidency, bishopric, or council at the moment, I realized just how helpful this free tool could be for any organization.

Getting Things Done

The word "asna" is a Yoga pose that refers to a state that "is 'to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed' for extended, or timeless periods" (source: Wikipedia). My guess at the reason they chose this name, is because implementing the "GTD" or "Getting Things Done" method, and using asana to do it, help you put your life in a productive but relaxed state. At it's heart asana is a task-based GTD application. It follows the pattern set-out by David Allen in his bestselling book "Getting Things Done." You can simply dump anything and everything that comes across your mind there. This greatly relieves stress, as you don't have to keep mentally juggling everything. Plus it helps you organize things. At the highest level you have Workspaces. By default you have a personal one and a business one. But you can create more, such as "10th Ward Relief Society." Then within each is whatever projects you create. So you might add "Visiting Teaching," "fellowship", "teaching", etc. You can make notes at the project level for any members of the Workgroup or Project to view. Here's a great, 2 minute overview: http://youtu.be/liO5VbbIqIs

Task-Based Communication

Each project is then made up of tasks. But it's much more than just a simple task list. Each task is a collaborative, contextual workspace. You can assign it to somebody, set a due date, input notes, tag it, attach files, add followers who are notified of updates, and even have a conversation in the comments section. Plus, you can create sub-tasks, which have their own notes, comments, due date, assignee, etc. So let's say you're Relief Society President. You've got an upcoming RS dinner you're planning with your counselors, one of which you've delegated responsibility for the whole night to. In your "fellowship" project you create a new task "RS Fellowship Dinner 10/22", and set the due date for 10/22. Then you assign it to that counselor. Your secretary then puts in the notes from your meeting, and adds sub-tasks based on the various things that need accomplished. Now your counselor goes in and assigns those sub-tasks to various ladies in the ward (you just need their email and you can add them as a guest, which allows them limited access to only tasks you added them to). As the evening draws nearer, your counselor realizes she needs to know if it's okay to utilize a certain sister in the ward that there were concerns about overwhelming. She just types a comment in the "RS Fellowship Dinner 10/22" task and you see it in your asana inbox (and your email inbox if you elect to get email notifications). You can quickly respond and she'll also be updated in her asana inbox (and email inbox, if her preferences designate). Since your counselors are assigned as followers of the task, they'll also see the update in their inboxes and can provide their input as needed.

Better Than Email

It's particularly awesome because 1. you don't have to remember to include the right people in your reply like you would in email; 2. you don't build up the miles of text you have to hunt through to read back through the previous reply, each comment is displayed only once, not multiplied with every reply or forward; 3. the conversation is part of the task, therefore it's all in context of the thing you want to accomplish, not an email or multiple emails that may or may not have relevant subjects anymore. As well as a host of other reasons. Additionally, you can set tasks to reoccur on a schedule, indicate whether you'll work on tasks assigned to you today or at some other time, use tags to give another dimension to sorting and searching (such as tagging tasks designed to help a person, with that person's name, while keeping the tasks in the "Service" project), and even attach files to share pictures, spreadsheets or other information. There's also some slick features like tagging a person Twitter-style using the "@" symbol so that you can ensure a comment will be sent to them, keyboard shortcuts, and drag-and-drop reordering of tasks and projects. There's currently a free iOS app, but none for Android or other mobile devices. The mobile website acts like an app and is useable, but flawed. Still, it's good enough for jotting tasks down while on the go, as well as checking items off wherever you have data connectivity.

For Personal & Family

Rather than try provide a guide, let me just say that Presidency's, Bishopric's, Council's and more, will benefit greatly from using asana alongside studying and implementing David Allen's methods. In fact, even if you're not in any of those assignments, like myself, you can lower your stress levels and multiply your productivity by doing the same for yourself and family. I use the personal Workgroup to keep and organize my personal and family tasks, and often assign them to my wife. That way we can track and accomplish things "we should do," but would otherwise forget or procrastinate without the reminders and lists. These include everything from budgeting our holiday trip to items to remember to pick up at the store. Even this post is a task in my "Mormon Life Hacker" project, that I'll check off after I hit "Publish." [box type="note" title="Advanced Tip"] You can send emails to asana merely by forwarding or emailing x@mail.asana.com. You can also add the project number to the email address to send it to a specific project. I created contacts in Gmail for the most-used projects, making it easy for me to forward a request from a client, directly to our Current Clients project, for example. asana takes the email and makes it into a task, using the subject as the task, and inserting the body into the notes. Here you can see the asana contacts I added: [/box] I hope you'll not just try it out, but really use it. Along with GTD principles, asana has really decreased the level of stress in my life and streamlined communication and collaboration in my business in a way I'd previously only hoped for.

Better than paper strips: Use multimedia in class without a projector

Travis W. — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:16:18 +0000

Here's a simple trick you can use in Elders Quorum or Sunday School: I'm a big geek—let's just get that out in the open. I'm also a big fan of Google Presentations. In fact, sometimes I think I can't teach without them. I made an awesome slide show for my lesson on The Holy Grail (Charity). But I needed a way for the class to see it. I started by writing the short URL on the board:

goo.gl/UpUiD

I asked them to load it up in their smart phones. At the time, I didn't have a smartphone myself, but I knew a lot of them did. So I asked, "Who doesn't have a smart phone and also isn't sitting next to someone who has one?" Only one elder raised his hand. That's pretty good for a class of about 45. Anyways, you'll have to judge whether technology is ubiquitous enough in your classroom for this to work. If it doesn't work now, it should be a solid strategy in a few more years. By the way, most chapels have wifi now—so people can do this with iPods and WiFi tablets too. They were then able to pull this presentation up on their screens: We talked about it together, even though we were looking at 20 different screens. And I could easily say, "Who will read Slide 13 for us?" You can create online presentations with your Gmail account at Drive.Google.com. After you've created it, click File>>Publish to make it available to everyone. It will list a public URL: Copy that link. Then paste it into goo.gl. It will give you a shortened URL. Write that on the chalk board. And remember, these short URLs are case sensitive : ) If you test this out, I want to hear how it goes. It was an experiment for me, but it went well. Does it work for you?

NaNoWriMo: Use Screenwriting Tricks to Make Your Novel Awesome [guide]

Tevya Washburn — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:13:37 +0000

Happy All Saint's Day and the beginning of Movember! It's also the beginning of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) where people around the world try to write a novel in one month. Screenwriters (both film and TV) have to write within very tight constraints, and therefore have refined storycraft in awesome ways. So here are a few tips and tricks I've picked up from my studies of (and attempts at) screenwriting that also work incredibly well for novel writing.

Set Limitations

Decide how long your novel is going to be (word count) and when you'll have the first draft completed. Most NaNoWriMo participants set this at 50k words, which is a short novel, but a lot for one month. Decide what's the longest each chapter can be within that. Decide what genre it will fit into (or which it will cross-over between). Learn the rules of that genre, and do your research to make sure you really know the rules! Finally, learn the rules of good writing (read the rest of this), and stick to them. You are not the exception. Good writing, is good writing, is good writing. If you want people to read it, you have to know the rules inside and out, and practice them over and over and over. Then, once you've published a dozen books that obey the rules, you can pull a James Joyce and try breaking them in very purposeful ways. Creativity thrives within limitations and rules, not without them.

Outline Your Story

Outline your plot before you begin! If you don't know where you're going, how are you going to get there? It also provides a guide to you as you write to make sure your pacing is correct and that you don't include needless ideas and events. Your story should be one continuous crescendo to the climax, followed by a relief (the the resolution or denouement). Then break your book into scenes. Just like a movie. Construct each scene to have it's own climax and relief, making sure the relief is less and smaller than the climax, so that the overall tension continues to increase till the final climax. Make sure your outline includes all of this, though you can begin writing with blank spaces in your outline that you'll fill as you write and get a clearer idea of what should go where. Just be sure of what needs to happen to follow this structure. For another way of looking at it see "How to Structure a Novel's Plot" by my brother and editor of this post, Travis Washburn.

Become Intimately Familiar With Your Characters

Characters will always seem flat and unpredictable if you, yourself don't know who they are as you write them. A great way to create characters is to outline them somewhere. Give each major character (and some minor) a background: family, childhood, teen years, etc. Then give them a personality: who do they remind you of in real life? Based on their background what kind of accent do they have? What quirks do they have? Are they stubborn, loud, feisty, or quiet, reserved, and passive? What are their biases? Most importantly, what are their flaws, weaknesses, and fallacies of thinking, contradictions of living, and paradox's of action? These make your characters feel real. We're all imperfect, weak, and walking paradoxes in our beliefs, ways of living, etc. Making your characters the same will make them feel real. Write all this down somewhere. Make a note for each character in Evernote, or use notecards, and give each character their own. Refer back to these frequently as you write about them.

Make Your Protagonist CHANGE

As a part of this, your main character or protagonist, needs to change in some fundamental ways. If the overall story is a happy one, that probably means they'll overcome some of those weaknesses you outlined, or change their views and actions in some fundamental way. Batman Begins is a great example. Toward the beginning Bruce is ready to take a gun and murder for revenge. By the end of the film, he won't even purposefully kill the villan responsible for attempting to engineer the collapse of western civilization. Another good (but not necessary) technique is to make your antagonist very similar to your protagonist, at least at the beginning. Then by contrast (aka a foil), she/he emphasizes the protagonist's change, by representing what they used to be. Batman Begins is once again a great example.

Keep Your Reader In Mind

The very best screenwriters and film directors always have their audience in mind. Often they pick somebody they know and write/direct the movie just for that person. When your audience is that real to you, you have clarity on how to convey your message and make them laugh, cry, rage, or stress along the way.

Create Conflict

Often people use terms like "rising action" and "falling action" to describe the structure of a scene. I feel like this is misleading. Conflict is what creates the rising and falling rhythms of a great story. Adding shooting, jumping from helicopters, etc isn't the kind of "action" or conflict they're talking about. But conflict is the key. Yes, two people trying to kill each other is conflict in the "war" sense, but to make it conflict the reader cares about, you need to make sure you're clear about the reason behind it: why are they trying to kill each other? Is it really worth trying to kill over, or just something your reader will laugh at? Great screenwriters live by the rule "never put two characters in the same scene that agree with each other." That's the definition of conflict. Always put people at odds with each other, at least in some small way. That creates the tension that makes it interesting. Watch some great films, you'll suddenly notice this is the case.

Avoid Abstractions Like They're a Zombie Plague

Abstractions are any abstract concept from "food" to "feelings." What kind of food? What does it taste like? Give me details! What 'feelings' are you talking about? The reader needs specific details to understand what's going on. Otherwise they may imagine something totally different from your concept of food, feelings, or any other abstract concept you use. Plus details draw your audience in. You force them to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste what is going on (more on that in a sec). Often this is referred to as "concrete detail." Concrete detail (and sense detail, below) are summed up in the old phrase that most amateurs ignore: "Show, don't tell." Don't tell your reader the character is in pain, and don't have the character say something completely obvious, telling the reader they're in pain. Instead have the character show it by wincing, sitting down, trying to stop the bleeding with their hand! Here's a couple of excellent articles on concrete detail at copyblogger that go into more detail. You must understand this if you want to write a good (or great) novel.

Include Frequent Sense Detail

The four senses are how we experience the world. When you write concrete details, you should describe the coarse and porous feel of concrete on the pad of your fingers. Tell your audience what concrete dust smells like, how it burns your nose hairs as you inhale and seems to coat your nostrils as you exhale. Talk about how the dust settles on your tongue and reminds you of when you ate chalk dust as a kid, but with more grit and crunch to it. Let them hear how the jackhammer sounds a lot like a helicopter hovering 10 feet over your head, when you're the one operating it, but feels like it's smashing your bones together at the joints, squeezing the cartilage out of them. The language you use should make your reader hear, feel, smell, and even taste what's going on. One renowned novelist (who's name I can't remember) said she always included all 5 senses within the first page of each of her novels to pull the reader in, make them feel as if they were there with the characters in that scene.

Force Yourself to Rewrite, Rewrite, Rewrite

James Michener once said, "I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." Unlike the process often portrayed in both film and books, writing is never some stroke of inspiration where you sit down and crank out a novel as fast as your fingers can keep up with your thoughts. It just doesn't work that way! There may be instances of that, but it's usually one small part of a scene or a piece of your outline. When it happens, go with it. But overall, your story gets better the more familiar you become with it. Therefore, rewriting is where good and great novels are created. Some authors even go as far as completely throwing away their first draft and re-writing the entire book from scratch. Only it's not entirely scratch, the first draft made them intimately familiar with the story, its characters, and structure. Robert Louis Stevenson did this with The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. From my own experience, anything from emails to essays and even short stories are often better when I follow this practice.

Cut the Fat

When you revise and rewrite, "cut the fat." This means you cut anything and every thing that doesn't contribute to the overall point of your story. This should be done at a high level (outline) as well as molecular level (make your sentences shorter, more concise). Less is more.

Learn Pixar's Rules for Great Story

Finally, as you outline, write, and rewrite, it helps to be familiar with the 22 rules of a great storytelling that came out of Pixar. Also check out this awesome visual representation of these points from BuzzFeed, using LEGOs and including more explanation of what each means.

You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

What is your NaNoWriMo novel about? And what's it's genre?