Everyone uses technology, but I thought it would be interesting to see in what areas people have decided they are better off avoiding technology.  So we asked a bunch of bloggers:

Are there areas where you have decided it works better to go low tech? (3593)

Personally, I have found that I prefer a mechanical watch.  I think there is something about having to set it and make sure it is wound that makes me more aware of time and how I spend it.

An old-fashion book is still better than an MP3 or a PDF. There’s just something inexplainable about holding a good, hard-cover book in your hand. It feels more important. It feels like there’s actual knowledge contained within.

And it’s easier on the eyes too.

Michael Morton from Marketing Monster (rss)

I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I like the e-ink readers, but I still love a library of real old fashioned books.

I still use paper for a lot of things. My daily planning sheet is irreplacable. I also use a card based walleteer and desktop flowchart for planning tasks. You can download a lot of free paper based resources on my blog.

John Richardson from Success Begins Today (rss)

I think there is something very helpful about actually writing your goals down with a pen on a real piece of paper.

My experience with daily planners and forms is that paper forms, all things considered, are better than a bunch of software that we’re prone to fiddle with.  The focus and tangibility of paper planners is a powerful productivity enhancer.  For instance, the resistance to erase a planned activity and move it to another day makes it such that I’m more likely to plan fewer things - and actually accomplish them - than to have a digital list of twenty things I can’t do.

Charlie Gilkey from Productive Flourishing (rss)

I find that the software based planners are good when I have hundreds of things I’m trying to track.  Paper works much better when I have fewer (but probably more important) tasks to manage.

Absolutely!  I use a paper calendar.  I just could not give up being able to see everything at a glance!

Ariane Benefit from Neat & Simple Living (rss)

I wouldn’t want to give up my ability to sync my calendar with my Blackberry and my wife’s computer, but if I didn’t need that I’d agree with Ariane.  I used a Franklin planner for years and it is amazing how well you can organize your life with paper as long as you have a decent system and process.

I’m paper-centric—for portability and ease of use, there’s nothing better. For a shopping list, an index card suffices. For planning, a pocket notebook. My higher tech is often low too—when I’m writing on the computer, I like TextWrangler or WriteRoom. Writing, as I tell my students, is not word-processing.

Michael Leddy from Orange Crate Art (rss)

Sometimes the low tech software can help you be much more productive. (See the Paradox of Powerful Tools for a story about this.)

Note taking is my favorite low tech solution. Palms and tablet PC’s still do not compete with the good old notepad in this realm. I carry a pocket notepad just incase, and use a full size notepad and clipboard when prepared. Just remember to scan or transcribe important notes. It is also much less expensive to lose a notepad.

Ryan Cole from Practical Productivity (rss)

I haven’t found any computer program that can really give you the immersible experience of mind mapping as a way of taking notes.

I think that capturing thoughts and ideas, especially on the go, is quickest and easiest with paper. I have found that having some device I need to turn on, dial, wake from sleep, or otherwise manipulate gets in the way of what is most important. That is, getting that thought, idea, must do item out of my head and captured quickly, before it is gone.

Patrick Rhone from Patrick Rhone’s Journal (rss)

Even though I can type faster than I can write, I agree with Patrick that it is hard to beat paper for this.

My To Do List! I’ve tried numerous online apps as well as the usual Outlook/Note functions but what has always worked best for me is a simple spiral bound notebook in which I can write my to do lists, then tear them out when I’m done or need to re-write one.

Plus I can carry it everywhere easily and it takes 2 seconds to open up and scribble something in, instead of the time it takes to power up the laptop.

Lea Woodward from Location Independent Living (rss)

My most effective to-do list is a single sheet of paper in the middle of my desk with a short list of things I want to accomplish for the day.

Note-taking.

I have tried just about every electronic method of taking notes including trying a dozen different desktop programs as well as features for my Treo.  In the end, there is nothing more conducive to learning for me than writing something down on a pad of paper.

It’s also an incredible tool for creativity - just take a pen, a pad of legal paper and do a brain dump on whatever problem you’re working on.

Jared Degnan from Vanderbilt OwenBloggers (rss)

The only thing I’ve found that works better than paper note taking is collaborative note taking with something like SubEthaEdit–where multiple people can type on the same document at the same time.  But that only works in specific situations.

In general I’d agree with Jared.  I find it much easier to think with paper when taking notes or brain storming.

I don’t have a PDA.  I just use a notebook.  I had a PDA once, but lost it.  The notebook is helpful because it forces me to look over my notes/contacts after an event to enter them into my computer.  Doing so helps me to remember whom I met and what I need to do next.  Also, if I lose it, I’m only out 69 cents!

Anne from Writers Cabal Blog (rss)

I’m not a big fan of double entry because I don’t feel it really helps me remember the material any better.  However, I’ve heard a lot of people say that this helps them, so it must work for some people.

There is still something to be said for a personal connection in your personal and business relationships. We often forget that business is really about people. We tend to do business with people we trust and trust is best gained by getting to know someone personally. So don’t forget to connect with people in person and over the phone as well as through email and other forms of digital communication.

John from Fiscal Musings (rss)

Good point.  I would add postal mail to the list as well.  Maybe I’m old fashioned, but there is something special about a physical letter coming in the mail.

If you’re talking about life in general, I use tech for all my work, so for anything that’s not work, I try to avoid using technology. I do read books from my PDA, so ‘try to’ is operative. Television is for people who haven’t got a clue what they’re living for.

If you just mean work, no - not really. I find that pretty much everything I do throughout the workday can be augmented and improved by technology.

http://www.joelfalconer.com from Joel Falconer (rss)

I tried to get away from reading so much on the computer by subscribing to some newspapers.  I was amazed at how much paper accumulates in just a week.

Fountain pens.

Brendon Connelly from BikeHacks
(rss)

I love fountain pens, but I’ve finally settled for a nice gel pen.  It is a bit more airplane and Kansas heat friendly.

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The most important component of my work environment is a connection to the Internet.  With a decent connection, I can work from pretty much anywhere in the world.  In this post, we are going to look at some of the different technologies used to connect to the Internet and talk a bit about each one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Cable Modem

Cable modems have the capacity to offer extremely high speeds.  Usually this is limited by the cable company.  In most places, you can get 1Mbps to 10Mbps downloads with .5Mbps to 2Mbps upload speed.  Cable modems share the bandwidth with other people on the same cable, so your speeds may be at least partially dependent on what your neighbors are doing.  Usually this isn’t too much of a problem, but it can become an issue if you need every last kilobit of bandwidth for something right at the point that your neighbor gets an overwhelming desire to download the entire Internet.

At my home office, I have a cable connection from SuddenLink that I primarily use as a backup for my AT&T DSL connection.  It only gives me about 2 Mbps down and .3 Mbps up, but it is adequate for most of my normal work.

DSL

DSL is offered by telephone companies and has less theoretical bandwidth than cable modems.  In actual practice, it is common to have bandwidth in the 6Mbps down and .75 Mbps range. Your speeds have a lot to do with how far you are from the central office (CO). DSL generally doesn’t work beyond about 14,000 feet of wire and even at that distance you probably won’t get the higher speed offerings.

On the plus side, DSL doesn’t share bandwidth with your neighbors–everyone has their own set of wires running back to the central office.

My primary Internet connection in my home office is DSL through AT&T. I have the DSL only option (also known as dry dsl or naked DSL) which means I don’t have to pay for a regular phone line. This works very well because between cell phones, Skype, Vonage, Grand Central and Ring Central, I really don’t need another phone number to deal with.

Satellite

There are two ways satellite Internet is set up.  One way uses a satellite dish for receiving data and a traditional dial-up phone line and modem for sending data.  For many people, this works out fine because normal web browsing requires very little outgoing data to request web pages.  The second type of satellite system uses satellite for both sending and receiving data so you don’t need to tie up the phone line.

The biggest problem with satellite is the latency.  With the bi-directional systems, a single click sends a message up 21,000 miles, down 21,ooo miles, to the server, back up 21,000 miles, down 21,000 miles and then to your screen.  This process takes some time and it is common to have delays of around 1.5 seconds just for a packet of data to make it out and back.  This doesn’t have anything to do with your bandwidth–you get the same delay no matter what.  With the modem/satellite combo sytems, the delay is supposed to be a little less.

Regardless of what system you use, the delay makes it nearly impossible to use satellite for things like VoIP or video conferencing. ( I once had a friend try using Vonage on a satellite connection and he was getting a delay of 5 to 8 seconds from when he would say something into the Vonage phone until he heard it on his cell phone.)

Still, in some areas of the country, Satellite may be the only available option. It works well for email and other services that aren’t directly interactive over the network.

For a while I had a satellite system (Wild Blue) setup for my parents who live in a rural area.  It was always a pain to use, but still better than the dedicated dialup line they had for years.  We moved them over to EVDO which has been a significantly better experience.

EVDO/HSDPA

EVDO is currently offered by Sprint and Verizon.  HSDPA is offered by AT&T.  As you can probably guess, these technologies work over the cell phone network.  EVDO speeds are around 1.5 Mbps down and .5 Mbps up.  HSDPA is supposed to be quite a bit faster, but from the people I’ve talked with, it sounds like it isn’t much faster in actual practice. Speeds are very dependent on your signal strength.  (AT&T is supposed to be upgrading their HSDPA infrastructure to HSDPA+ which will offer significantly faster speeds.)

Aside from the slower speeds, other drawbacks include the cap on usage and high price.  Most companies cap the usage at 5 Gigs per month.  If you just use it occasionally, this isn’t too bad, but it makes it difficult to use as your primary connection if you are a heavy Internet user.  The cost is usually around $70 per month with a two year contract.

It is also possible to use your phone as a modem to connect to EVDO or HSDPA.  In some cases, those data plans are less expensive.

I use a Sprint EVDO card for when I’m traveling or working from a rural area where I don’t have any other option.  I also have the ability to use my Blackberry as a bluetooth modem on my Mac, but I usually don’t.  I also have a router that allows you to plug in a card and a phone in order to balance your traffic over both of them at the same time.  This doesn’t work quite as well as it sounds, but it can be helpful if you have several computers all running at the same time.

Dial Up

Dial up is one of the slower options.  You are looking at speeds in the .02 Mbps to .05 Mbps range. For years, my parents used a dialup connection for internet on our family’s farm.  I put in an older Apple Airport with a modem and it was hooked to a dedicated phone line and would automatically dial out to the ISP whenever someone tried to use the Internet.  It was very slow, but it worked well for checking email.

Of course, by the time you pay for an extra phone line and the ISP, you start getting into the range of what a satellite connection will cost.

Wireless

Many parts of the country have wireless internet service providers (Wisps).  They use technology similar to the Wifi networking you use in your house but with a longer range.  Often these types of systems will require an antenna on the outside of your house with line of site access to the tower.

Speeds are very dependent upon the company and the technology they are using.  I have used systems with 7Mbps both ways, but most of the wisps in my current area offer speeds that are more in line with an EVDO or slow DSL connection.

WiMAX

WiMAX is fairly new technology that is just starting to be deployed. It is seen as the successor to EVDO.  Right now Baltimore is one of the few places I’m aware of that has it.  I’ve heard of people getting speeds as high as 7 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up.  Most users seem to get about half of that with a good signal.

WiMAX sounds like it will have a much lower price point than EVDO without the bandwidth caps and will be marketed as a replacement for a home connection–not just something to use on the road.

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Here is a checklist for your financial productivity. Most of these things seem minor, but taken together, they really add up and can make a big difference in how efficiently you are using your time and money.

1. Are you using direct deposit for your paychecks? — If you are still manually carrying a check to the bank or putting it in the mail, stop! Direct deposit will get your money to the bank faster so you start earning interest as soon as possible. Even if it only saves you 5 minutes every two weeks, that is an extra 2 hours each year you can spend on something more important.
2. Is your money in the bank earning at least 4% interest? — If not, look for a different account. There are many banks out there with savings accounts earning at least 4%. (Note: Interest rates have dropped considerably since this was originally written.  The point is that you should check your interest rate and make sure you can’t get something significantly better with a different account.)
3. Does your checking account earn interest? — If not, consider if you should switch to a different type of account. Sometimes combining your checking and savings into a single account will get you over certain minimums and allow you to earn more interest than either account could earn separately.
4. Are you paying any unnecessary fees to your bank? – Watch out for fees. Your bank should be paying you for the privilege of keeping your money, not the other way around.
5. Have you maxed out your employer contribution to retirement? — Many employers offer some type of matched retirement savings plans. If you put in 3% of your income, they will match it. (The best retirement plan I had matched 7%.) If your work offers this and you aren’t taking advantage of it, you are basically throwing money away. Sometimes companies don’t publicize this information very well, so be sure to check the employee handbook and any information on retirement benefits.
6. Do you have any old credit cards that should be canceled? — You might be surprised how many credit cards you have–especially if you tend to sign up for those promotions where you get 25% off your purchase if you sign up for a credit card at Target or JCPennys. If you have cards you aren’t using, you should cancel them so they don’t show up on your credit report and to reduce your chances of having to deal with fraud.
7. Are you using bill payment? – This is a time saving feature just like direct deposits. In my opinion, if your bank doesn’t offer this, you should switch banks to one that does. Many places offer free bill payment services. If they can directly wire money to the vendor, they will. If not, they will manually cut a check and send it. Bill payment saves you postage and makes it easier to manage your bills directly on your bank’s website.
8. Is your banking password secure? — If you read the fine print, most banks aren’t liable if someone breaks into your account because you didn’t have a secure password or had some type of spyware on your computer. Make sure your bank password is something secure. If they offer one of those security keychains with the changing number, consider getting one of those.
9. If you were to die, could your spouse easily find a list of all your accounts? — This is preparing for the worst case scenario, but if you handle most of the finances and you were to die, a very small amount of planning now will make things easier on your spouse. A list of bank accounts and insurance policies could make things much easier when you are gone.
10. Are you taking advantage of FLEX and HSA plans? — Some employers and insurance plans offer these types of accounts as a way of setting aside pretax money to use for health care. The rules are fairly liberal and you can use these accounts for a variety of things including contact solution and aspirin. If you know you will have some medical expenses, these can be good ways to plan ahead to lower your tax burden.
11. Are you taking advantage of preventative healthcare? — Insurance companies realize that it is much cheaper to treat problems when they are small. Many plans include routine checkups and office visits to encourage you to have things checked out early on. Some offer other wellness plans to encourage you to take care of yourself. Taking advantage of these plans can help keep you healthy and let you fully utilize the services that have already been paid for as part of your insurance policy.

Can you think of some key items that should be on this checklist? If so please contribute them to the comments.

Originally published March 12, 2008.

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As the summer months approach, I wanted to share some simple tips for traveling by car. We do a lot of travel and these are some of the tips we’ve found that make our lives easier on the road.

1. Driving into the Light
   When I was younger I could drive through the night without a problem. Now I find that I get very tired driving past about 10:30pm. Tired enough that it isn’t safe. By leaving early in the morning I can drive into the day light. I am much more alert getting up at 2 am and driving until 5 pm than leaving at 10 am and driving until 1 am the next day.
2. Podcasts
   On a long trip I can make the hours fly by listening to technology podcasts. I feel better traveling when I’m getting my transportation and learning something as well. I always make sure to have more podcasts available than what I need. That way, if one is boring, I can just skip to another. I’ve also found that short podcasts are annoying for travel. A bunch of 2 to 4 minute podcasts will start to wear on you because you spend more time on intro and exit music/announcements than actual content.
3. Books on Tape/CD
   Your local library can be a great place to provide edutainment for your next trip. I’ve covered a number of books that I haven’t had time to read while driving on long trips.
4. GPS
   My GPS has really changed how we take trips. It is much more convenient to know that you’ll get off the highway to eat at a particular restaurant in 20 miles than to scour the signs trying to find a place acceptable to eat or get gas. My biggest complaint is that some of our favorite restaurants tend to move and go out of business so the GPS data isn’t up to date. The GPS also lets us get more on a single tank of gas. Since we know where the next gas station is, we can go further before filling back up. On a long trip through rural areas this can cut the number of gas stops by 30% to 40%.
5. Highway Patrol Numbers
   If you are traveling during bad weather, it can be a good idea to jot down the highway patrol numbers before leaving. Many states have a number you can call that will tell you what the road conditions are like. If the weather gets really bad, this can mean the difference between being stuck somewhere on the road and being stuck in a hotel on the edge of where the weather is really bad.
6. Prepare for the Worst
   Keeping a simple first-aid kit, some water, and some food in the vehicle takes a minimal amount of effort. These supplies could help you avoid an inconvenient stop or could potentially save your life. Other supplies like gloves and an extra jacket are good for traveling through colder areas.
7. Can you change a tire? Are you sure?
   It is important that you are able to change a tire on your car. If you don’t know how, ask someone to show you. Even if you do know how to change a tire, make sure you know how on your car. I had a Volkswagen that we purchased used. We were on a trip and had a flat. That is when we discovered that the special adapter that was necessary to take off the locking wheel nut was missing. A service station was finally able to get it off, but we wasted a lot of time trying to deal with this oversight.
8. Vehicle Maintenance
   Make sure your vehicle is getting regular maintenance. Changing the oil and getting regular tuneups can make your car last longer and improve the gas mileage. Most vehicles have some type of regular maintenance schedule for checking out all the types of things that the manufacturer knows can go wrong. This can range from checking and changing the timing belt to inspecting the door hinge and sunroof drains. A few hundred dollars spent on preventative maintenance is much better than a few hundred spent on fixing an issue while you are trying to drive across the country.
9. Check out your car
   This closely related to vehicle maintenance. Take the time to notice your car. Do the brake and tail lights work correctly? Does the oil look ok? Do the tires look like they have enough air? (Edit: Pointed out in the comments, you really need to measure them. Looks can be deceiving.) Do the gauges register normal readings? Does the engine sound normal? Catching a problem when it is small can save a lot on repair expenses and can prevent an inconvenient breakdown on a trip.
10. Overnight Bag
    Packing a single bag that has everything you need should you stop at a hotel will make things much simpler. If you plan to make a long trip in a single day, the overnight bag will give you the option of not unloading your vehicle if you get in late and want to go straight to bed. If you end up staying in a hotel along the way, it is much easier to have a single bag on top instead of digging through multiple suitcases just to find your toothbrush and a clean change of clothes.
11. Ration the Toys
    If you travel with a small child, rationing toys can be a good way to keep them happy. Instead of just giving them a bunch of toys and heading off, divide their toys into several different collections. Give them one collection to play with and when they get bored with that, put it away and give them a different collection. This works particularly well if you use toys that they haven’t seen for awhile. With our daughter, we have a few toys that are just used on long trips. We put them up the rest of the time to maintain as much novelty as possible on trips.
12. Chargers
    Make sure you have a way to keep your cell phone and any other important items charged. We use a power inverter that will let us keep a laptop or phones charged even if we don’t have an auto adapter for it. This way we can take the charges we need to use on wall outlets at our destination and use them to keep things charged in the car as well.
13. Prepare Your Cell Phone
    Having the numbers pre-programmed for your favorite hotel chains and their frequent guest programs will save you time if you have to make an unexpected overnight stop. Programming the numbers for your destination can be very useful if you can’t find it once you get to the right city.
14. Take care of your Eyes
    A good pair of sunglasses can be worth the investment. A recent period of extended driving caused my eyes to get sore and out of focus. I replaced my sunglasses with a higher quality pair and my eyes haven’t bothered me since. Also consider keeping a bottle of eye drops in the car in case your eyes get dry, dusty or tired.

Originally published June 2, 2008.

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We interviewed a number of people and asked:

What time of day do you feel you are most productive and why? (198) Here are their answers.  What about you?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

I feel most productive in late morning and early afternoon.  My energy peaks at this time of day, and I have found I am able to focus more on important tasks.  I am not a morning person, so usually I end up going around in circles or repeating something- basically, wasting my time.  Late afternoon, beginning around 3, I begin to get sluggish and often need a nap!  It is important to know when your energy level is at its highest and when you are least distractable.  That is when you should schedule your top priorities for the day.  That way, the task is more likely to be finished.

Rebecca from Life Lists

Morning. I’m well rested, my head is clear and I’m full of coffee!

Brendon Connelly from BikeHacks (rss)

Mid-morning to early afternoon.  I’ve tried being productive early in the morning, and sometimes I’m able to, but most of the time I can’t wake up my mind enough to tackle complex projects early in the morning.  Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.  are usually when I do the most of my paper writing and other thought-intensive work.

I usually schedule all my reading and research for the evening hours.  It helps that I have figured out what times of day I work best in, so I don’t even waste my time trying to write after 3.

Too early and I can’t wake up my mind enough to focus, and any later than 3 and my mind is too tired to focus.  My sweet spot is late morning-early afternoon.

Sam from Sam I Am (rss)

I think different people have different habits. I have worked nights for years but I still feel that an early morning riser is more productive then a night crawler. Thats because the sleep which you get at night is most useful for the body and it provides you with a new energy to work every morning.

Abhijeet from Jeet Blog (rss)

I’m most productive in the morning between a run and the first time I check email (which is usually after 11:30).  I usually don’t take or schedule calls until after lunch either, so I can instead focus on thought-intensive or otherwise important tasks all morning.

Jared Goralnick from Technotheory (rss)

I’m most productive in the morning, because I’m refreshed!  When I have a client appointment to go to in the afternoon, I’m even more productive because of the adrenaline I get from knowing I have to be somewhere later.

Ariane Benefit from Neat & Simple Living

If I am passionate about what I am doing or what I’m trying to accomplish, any time of day is good. The key is being well rested. When well rested, it is easier, even natural, to get passionate about stuff. If I am tired, even the most compelling things won’t capture my imagination.

Fred Gratzon from The Lazy Way to SUccess

Definitely early in the morning.  During this time, I have the most energy and am looking forward to what all I will get done during that day, and it’s also the time with the fewest distractions.

Charlie Gilkey from Productive Flourishing (rss)

Mid-afternoon to early evening.  I find that I’m only good for rote work first thing in the morning.  Too bad my research doesn’t require a lot of rote work!  But come 2 p.m. or so, I’m ready to so some serious thinking.  I peter off again around 9 p.m., although I’ve been known to work later if coding.

I think I’m just groggy after sleeping.  By the time the afternoon rolls around, I’m annoyed at myself for not working harder, and am just generally able to focus better.

GTD Wannabe from GTD Wannabe (rss)

Anywhere between 9pm and 2am. It’s shocking, really, especially considering I’m rudely awoken by an energetic two year old at disgusting hours of the morning, but that’s when I’m most productive, so that’s when I typically work!

Why? I have no idea. Maybe something to do with being a musician.

http://www.joelfalconer.com from Joel Falconer (rss)

I am most productive early in the morning. Its more peaceful and free from the usual interruptions of the working day. I work on my high priority tasks during this time as i feel more refreshed early in the morning. By getting a good start on more pressing tasks i also find i can get a head start on the next days work.

Grace Smith from Postscript5 | Freelance Web Design

I’m definitely a night owl.  I typically get the most done in the evening.  I think it’s when I’m most alert and focused.  Plus, I don’t have to deal with the distractions of phone calls and people in the office.  Evening hours are usually distraction-free and available for prime productivity.

Andrew Flusche from Legal Andrew (rss)

I’m usually the most productive later in the day and in to the night. There’s typically a greater sense of urgency later in the day that almost forces me to focus. I also find that I’m more creative and open to new ideas at night.

John from Fiscal Musings (rss)

I feel most productive in the early mornings because the rest of the world isn’t around to bother me. It’s the time that has the least amount of distractions.

Glen Stansberry from LifeDev (rss)

I am in my most creative mindset between 12am and 3am. I am the most productive after I take a shower in the morning. I’m not sure why, heh. Probably because I use the shower to think, so once I’m out, I’m ready to execute.

Nathan Snell from The Technopian (rss)

Between 5am and 7am

Ever since I started to rise early I discovered that these are golden hours. It’s because:

• I’m the only one awake in the house
• I’m not bothered by any troubles of the day yet
• I’m on caffeine vs. on alcohol (morning vs. evening). But even without the caffeine this time rocks!

Between 3pm and 5pm

Not sure why, but these are golden hours for me as far as writing is concerned.

Lodewijk van den Broek from How to be an Original (rss)

I’m a morning person. 4am to 6am is my most productive time. After 5pm… forget it!

John Richardson from Success Begins Today (rss)

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Cell phones are playing an increasingly important part in most people’s lives.  Here are 10 things to consider when you get ready to upgrade phones.

1. Connectivity

Does the phone connect well with your computer and other devices?  Some phones have bluetooth and can keep your address book synchronized every time you come near your computer.  Others require a USB connection.  Some only have synchronization software that works with particular operating systems.  Make sure you know that the device will connect with the things that are important to you before you buy it.

2. Email

People are using their phones for email more and more.  Make sure you understand not only what the device is capable of, but also what type of data plan you will need to get it to work.  The ideal setup is having full syncing for contacts, calendars and email over the wireless network.  If this is set up right, you should be able to add a contact to your desktop computer and pull it up on your phone within a few minutes without needing to do anything else.

3. Battery Life

My Blackberry will last two or three days on a single charge.  Many phones will only last 12 to 18 hours.  Make sure you get a phone that has battery life that is compatible with your usage patterns.  A phone is only useful if it has power, and if you may only have a chance to charge it every other day, make sure you get a phone that isn’t going to be constantly going dead on you.

4. Network and Bands

Different areas use different types of cellular technology that aren’t always compatible.  For example, it used to be very difficult to get GSM coverage in rural America.  This has gotten a lot better over the last few years, but it is still a big issue if you travel internationally.  There are many areas where CDMA just won’t work.  Some phones are designed to work on many different systems (more on this later).

5. International Usage

If you plan to use a phone internationally, make sure you understand where it will work, where it won’t and what types of plans are available.  If you do extensive traveling, it might be cost effective to get a SIM card at your destination.  Make sure your phone supports using a SIM card from a different cell phone company.  Some of the international phones will let you add a SIM card (GSM technology) even though they are sold from a CDMA carrier in the US.

Be sure you understand how the data plans work internationally.  I’ve heard many horror stories about people coming back with thousands of dollars in cell phone charges because they checked their email overseas.  In my experience, Blackberry is one of the few phones where you can get a flat rate on international data usage.

6. Keyboard

If you plan to use your phone for responding to email or typing SMS messages, make sure they keyboard is easy to use.  I’ve tried a number of different keyboards and have given up on using anything other than a full QWERTY layout.  I know there are people who can type 40 WPM using a regular numeric pad, so you may be fine with a different type of keyboard.  Just make sure the keyboard supports the way you want to use your phone.

7. Airplane Mode

If you spend a lot of time in a plane, it might be worth getting a phone that you can use with the wireless turned off.  This is useful on planes so you can answer emails, play games, look up contacts, etc. in an “offline” mode.

8. Software

It is worth considering the software that is available for your phone.  The iPhone has a very extensive app store with all kinds of different programs.  Blackberry has recently released an app store as well. It may be worth browsing some of the offerings before deciding on a phone so you’ll have an idea of what third party programs might be useful to you.

9. Standard Charger

It is much easier to keep your phone charged if it uses the same charger as some of your other devices.  The standard seems to be converging on a USB connection.  However, some phones use a standard USB connection, but will only work with specific brand chargers.  The Razr V3 is like this.  If you try to charge it from a standard USB cable, it won’t work. (There is some software for the Mac that works around this, but it is still a pain.)

10. Additional Memory

If you may want to expand the memory on your phone, make sure you know what it is capable of.  For example, just because a 4 GB card will fit in your phone, doesn’t mean that the phone’s operating system is capable of utilizing all that space.

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I’ve been exploring several business opportunities recently, so I’ve been thinking a lot about capital.  If we want to do X it will take $1500 of capital.  If we want to do Y it will take $4000 of capital. Our options in business greatly depend on the amount of capital we control. Capital represents the ability to do something.  Better yet, it creates an option for you to choose a particular path. Without enough capital, that particular path is not available to you.

When it comes to our personal performance, capital is an important concept.  True, we don’t usually call it capital, but if you think in terms of that which gives you options, it functions in the same way.  You have to build up a reserve of capital in order to accomplish anything significant.  As individuals, our capital may be skill, intelligence, our network of contacts, education, or relationships.

The options from which we can choose are very much dependent on the amount of capital we have acquired. For example, I do not have enough skill capital to sail around the world.  I do have enough to sail across a small lake with the wind at my back.

Your personal capital is something you have to intentionally develop.  You can increase your skill and intelligence by reading, studying, taking courses, etc. You can increase your relationships by investing time in them.  You can increase your network of contacts by reaching out to people and staying in contact with past acquaintances.

All of these activities are things that will increase the capital you have available to yourself.  The more capital you have available the more opportunities you will have to choose from.

Originally published February 18, 2007.

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Last year I finally got fed up with all the statements I was getting from various financial institutions.  I had retirement accounts with 4 or 5 different companies and stock accounts with 2 or 3 others. It was very difficult to keep track of what was doing well and what was doing poorly.

I finally settled on two institutions; one for retirement type accounts and one for my non-retirement savings, checking and investments.  I contacted both institutions and gave them a list of what I wanted to move over.  On the retirement side of things, the transition went very smoothly.  They filled out all the paperwork, sent it to me for my signature and I FedExed it back to them.  The non-retirement side of things took a bit more work–probably because I was dealing with a smaller amount of money, so they made me do it on my own.

In the end, it has made things much easier for me to manage.  If you have worked several different places over the last decade or so and have retirement accounts in various areas, you might consider combining them.

One advantage I found was that with my combined balance, some of the fees I was paying are now waved on the retirement side of things.  On the non-retirement side of things, I have access to savings accounts and CD with a higher interest rate because I’m over a certain threshold.

On the negative side of things, I suppose there is a little more risk that someone could get into one account and take my money than getting into multiple accounts.  This is probably offset by the fact that, with my combined account on the retirement side, I have an account manager paying much more attention now because of the larger balance.

What are your thoughts?  Do you think it is better to combine to one or two institutions or keep things spread out with 5 or 6 different places?

Originally published March 19, 2008.

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Nokia has an interesting culture for promoting informal mentoring.  When someone new comes on staff, their manager sits down with them and makes a list of the people they need to meet.  The manager helps give the new employee an idea of what they should discuss with each person on the list and explains why building that particular relationship is important.

Nokia then supports  this practice by giving the new employee time to visit with each person on the list–even when that means traveling to other company locations.  The result is a very strong collaborative culture that gives new people a jump-start on building relationships that might take years to identify and build in a traditional organization.

While your company may not offer the same level of support for building your network throughout the company, you can get many of the benefits on your own simply by being proactive in attempting to network with your co-workers.  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Make a list of people you want to meet in person. People in other locations that you work with by phone or email are good places to start.
2. Don’t just look for people with high ranking. An established friendship with a secretary may be more beneficial than getting 10 minutes with the CEO.
3. Use social networking tools. Tools like Linked-In can help you identify other people in your company who are looking to network with others.
4. Plan your travel. When you travel to a different company location or trade meeting, plan ahead the people you want to meet with.  This can be formal in setting up a lunch appointment, or simply stopping by their office for 5 minutes to say “hello.”

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A to-do list is what most people see as the pinnacle of personal productivity.  You set a plan, work the plan, and the check items off the list. To-do lists can be a great.  They help you focus on what is important instead of just what happens to be on your mind.

However, there are times when creating a to-do list isn’t the best thing. There are times when you need to be able to freely explore and do whatever comes to mind.  Vacations are one example.  If you create a to-do list (and I know some people who do) for your vacation, it might take away from some of what you need to get out of a vacation.

I also find that there are times where I need to focus on a particular area, but without having a pre-defined set of tasks. For example, if I set aside a day to work on improving this website, I may or may not have a list of things I need to do.  Sometimes it might be best for me to just find tasks and do them instead of trying to come up with all the tasks ahead of time.

Spending a day at the library is another example.  If you have a preset idea of exactly what you want to accomplish, you might miss some valuable things you could be do that just come serendipitously your way.

The most likely reason people aren’t able to follow a to-do list during a normal work day is because of unexpected fires and emergencies. You have a great plan, but the whole world seems like it is conspiring to prevent you from touching even one item on your list.  It isn’t that you aren’t accomplishing anything, it is just not the stuff you had on your to-do list.

This is where the idea of a have-done list comes in.  Instead of feeling guilty because you spent a day following no prescribed path, simply take note of what you did.  At the end of the day, make a shortlist of what you accomplished.  This gives you a chance to reflect on how well this approach to work fits with your personality.  It will also help you better understand the types of things that you do naturally and the types of things you avoid.  This understanding can benefit you when trying to use a to-do list in the future.

Basically, my point is to give yourself a way to see what you’ve accomplished without worrying about deciding what you are going to do ahead of time.  Most likely, a to-do list of some type will be the most beneficial for the majority of situations, but making a have-done list at the end of the day helps for those times where a to-do just isn’t appropriate.

Originally published February 26, 2007.

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It sounds like the digital rights management on the Kindle isn’t as clear cut as it sounds. Worth reading if you are thinking about getting a Kindle.

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Locus of control is something studied by psychologists to determine how people perceive their ability to change events.  Someone with an internal locus of control believes that they have a strong ability to influence the events around them.  Someone with an external locus of control believes that external forces (people, fate, luck, etc.) control events in their environment.

There were some studies done in the 60s that showed locus of control to be a personality variable, not a situational variable.  In other words, if you put two people in the exact same situation, their perception of their ability to control the situation can vary wildly.  Their perception of how much influence they can assert in their environment is a product of their personality–not the situation.

In a study that compared managers’ effectiveness to their locus of control, there was a high degree of correlation between an internal locus and high performance.  The managers who saw their environment as something they could influence generally did just that.  They made changes and generally had better results than the managers whose locus was external.

This all seems like common sense.  If someone doesn’t believe that they have the power to change things, they are unlikely to try very hard.  However, like much common sense, it is easier to recognize in others and harder to apply to ourselves.

When faced with a situation where we don’t feel like we have much control, it is important to remember that there is probably someone else with a stronger internal locus of control that would view the situation much differently.  They would see the difficult situation as something that they had the power to change. By taking a step back and viewing the situation through the eyes of someone with a different personality, we can discover new ways of handling difficult problems.

On the other side, it is important to realize that there are people with a much more internal locus of control than our own. When working with someone, try to understand where their locus is so you can better understand how they view their world. Being able to see problems and challenges through their eyes can result in much more effective communication and teamwork.

Originally published January 23, 2007.

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In the next part of our technology interview, we asked a number of people:

Describe your computer system setup and tell what parts you feel are most important for your productivity. (679)

I was surprised at how many Mac users we had.  Obviously everyone’s setup is based around their particular needs, but there are some great tips in here.

OS X itself is great for my productivity. In the year and a half I’ve been using a Mac, I’ve had only a few trivial computer problems, all easily solved.

The two programs that most add to my Mac productivity are Quicksilver and TextExpander. To my mind, Quicksilver’s versatility alone is a good reason to use a Mac. TextExpander, like the Windows programs AllChars and AutoHotkey, cuts down on all sorts of repetitive typing.

Michael Leddy from Orange Crate Art (rss)

I’ve had significantly more issues with my Mac, but I’m pretty hard on computers and I still prefer it to my windows machines.

My system is an iBook G4 on an iCurve laptop stand, a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse, a Lacie external hard drive, a powered USB hub, JBL Creature II speakers, a Samsung 22″ monitor and a generic printer.

The most important parts are my second monitor and my speakers.  Having a dual-monitor set up is an incredible time saver.  You don’t really realize how much time you waste switching between windows and programs on a single monitor until you can spread out your work between two.  Being able to have research side-by-side with my word processor, and not have to scroll around to see everything, is awesome.

Also, I am a very auditory person.  I need music to get things done.  When I’m having a hard time concentrating, turning on some soft music really helps me to shut out my environment and get focused on the task at hand.  If I have to do something relatively mindless and repetitive, it helps to turn on some upbeat and exciting music.  I wouldn’t be nearly as productive if I didn’t have my beloved speakers.

Sam from Sam I Am (rss)

Personally, I find music distracting while I try to work, but I do have a set of M-Audio speakers that work very nicely when I do need to listen to something.  Up until about a year ago, I would have voted for a dual monitor setup.  Now I have a 30 inch screen and have found a prefer it to having multiple monitors.  Of course, I haven’t tried dual 30 inch displays….I might like that even better.

As far as hardware is concerned: I have a very regular Windows setup, with a 22″ TFT widescreen monitor (my biggest asset really).

I tried a lot of programs for my GTD setup, but none of them survived (it’s on paper now). Applications I use:

• Firefox with a bunch of plugins
• Gmail as my email productivity epicenter, everything gets handled from there.
• Google Reader for my feeds.
• WordPress. My blogging platform, I love it!
• Crimson Editor for writing code (tabs and colors).
• Joe’s Goals for my daily check-in on goals and habit changes.

I have tried writing blog posts with full screen text editors like Darkroom, but they only added an additional layer between me and the end result.

To summarize, I look for (preferably online) applications that perform the action I need as direct as possible, and have easy to use interfaces.

Lodewijk van den Broek from How to be an Original (rss)

I’m impressed with how much Lodewijk is able to do with online tools.  I generally try to get real applications because the internet isn’t particularly fast in this part of the country and I sometimes am trying to work from places with very poor connectivity.

MacBook Pro. 250GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, 17″ high def screen that has the equivalent pixels of a 24″ monitor.

I don’t stay in one place all the time, so I need a machine that can do it all, wherever I am.

OSX allows me to save a ton of time with menial tasks. Between Quicksilver, Automator, and TextExpander, I save thousands of keystrokes.

Additionally, the built-in iSight camera is very excellent for video conferencing with staff in other cities and states.

Brendon Connelly from BikeHacks (rss)

This is similar to the laptop I use.  The HD display is very nice although most of the time I’m using an external monitor.

I do all of my work on a laptop, even though it is several years old.  I have a much *better* desktop, but I use that mostly for photos/music, since I have no desire to be moving stuff back and forth, and potentially forgetting something important.

Some things that make me more productive: multiple monitors (3 total), using software like SlickRun, Launchy, AutoHotkey to get things going faster.  For example, I have a gazillion date formats input into AutoHotkey, so whatever program I’m in, I can immediate enter a date in the right format.  And not just today’s date, but yesterday, tomorrow, x days from now (x < 7), x weeks from now (x < 4), etc.  I’m lost without that script.  Plus my favourite note-taking-life-organizing software - EverNote 2.2 (avoid the new beta - it’s not powerful enough!).

GTD Wannabe from GTD Wannabe (rss)

Three monitors.  I’d like to see a snapshot of his/her desk.

I actually work with two computer systems.

In the office I have a Windows PC with Outlook 2007 as my productivity dashboard. To process e-mail I right-click-drag the message to the tasks folder to convert them into tasks. After processing my e-mail I switch to the calendar (with the to-do bar visible) so I won’t be distracted by incoming messages. I have created my own views in Outlook to show me only the information I actually need. Another important tool is ActiveWords, for which I have created several scripts in order to create tasks and notes with just a few keystrokes. Besides e-mail, I receive a lot of action items through IM, which I simply highlight and convert into tasks via an ActiveWords script.

At home I have a macbook, and my productivity dashboard on that system is the combination of iCal and OmniFocus. Also here it is important to be able to generate tasks and appointments as fast as possible, in this case aided by QuickSilver (I still have to dive into AppleScript). Lately I have started using Spaces in order to keep my screen
less cluttered.

I have automated the communication between those two systems through e-mail messages. With a single AW keystroke I can bring up a pop-up window on my office PC, type in a message, after which it will generate a specially formatted e-mail message to my home address, where it will be automatically imported into OmniFocus.

Jeroen Sangers from El Canasto (rss)

This is an interesting setup.  I’ve used ActiveWord on the PC before and it is a pretty nifty little application.

Having a laptop is most important to my productivity. I’m not bound to my desk to get work done. If I get a case of cabin fever, I take to the forest behind my house or a nearby coffee shop if I need wireless access. I can work anywhere.

Erin Doland from Unclutterer (rss)

Most of the time my laptop sits on a shelf under my desk hooked into my external monitor, but it is very nice to be able to quickly packup and head somewhere else to work.  Before our daughter was born, I’d do a lot of work while traveling in the car.  It is a bit more difficult to concentrate with a two year old wanting to show you things out the window.

I have two different setups depending on the type of work I’m doing.  The first of the two is just a MacBook and the second is that MacBook with the external 20″ monitor, keyboard, and Mighty Mouse.  For all work besides that that’s going to have a lot of data copying, manipulation, and  graphics work, I prefer the lone MacBook, as it makes me focus on one task at a time and I have found that I get a lot more done without feeling like I’m working, since I can do it on the couch or other places that I find comfortable.

I write almost everything in Textmate, with a large document that has the working draft on the left and a smaller document to the right that has the basic structure of what I’m writing.  The minimalism of Textmate, combined with features that allow me to access needed functions without leaving the keyboard or program, have really helped me get my writing done, and having the structure of what I’m writing quickly accessible keeps me focused.

So, the most important part of the MacBook setup relevant to productivity is that it makes me focus, it makes almost any work I do more enjoyable, and, combined with Textmate, I have all of the features I need without having to juggle multiple programs.

Charlie Gilkey from Productive Flourishing (rss)

This is an interesting perspective.  Sometimes cutting down on your screen real estate can help you focus a lot better.

My setup at work and home is pretty similar but I’ll use my work setup as I use it more often!

I have a PC (single monitor) and a G5 Mac (Dual Monitor). I have to say that I work probably twice as fast on the Mac thanks to the dual monitors, there’s little need to tab between applications which speeds everything up considerably.

My Mac also has a 24″ as one of the monitors and this large screen size really helps too.

Katy Whitton from Flipping Heck! Productivity, Project Management & Motivation Blog (rss)

Nice dual computer setup.  I have my MacBook Pro and a Linux desktop computer both hooked to my monitor and keyboard through a KVM.  There is a little button on my desk that I can hit to toggle back and forth.  It is fast and lets me get more out of my investment in a large monitor.

My computer system is very basic, but the big change I recently made was to get a second computer monitor. It has changed my life — I’m sorry to say!

I’ve been surprised by how much faster the extra monitor has allowed me to work.

Gretchen Rubin from The Happiness Project

I once read about someone who had added another monitor.   They said it helped their productivity until they realized they could watch movies on one monitor while working on the other.

I’ve got a Mac mini, an iBook G4 and a PDA phone (iPaq, I think). All these devices sync with each other so my most essential information is backed up and with me all the time.

The Cloud is also an essential part of my computer system setup, though a less physical component of it. The Cloud facilitates not only most of my information synchronization, but gives me assurance that I can access anything I need to without my devices (especially in the event of theft, damage or loss).

You can be productive on basic, consumer-level equipment, though I suggest maxing out your RAM - it’s cheaper than upgrading computers every two years.

http://www.joelfalconer.com from Joel Falconer (rss)

Getting devices to sync together is something a lot of people overlook.  I’ve got a reasonable system setup, but it still isn’t the full synchronization I’d like.

My system pretty much revolves around the Omni Group’s OmniFocus – it holds all of my to-do lists, reminders, and the like.  I try as much as possible to use my smartphone as my capture device, from which I’ll either send myself an email or use Jott, depending on the circumstances.

The phone also keeps my calendar and lets me know when I’m due somewhere soon.

I’ve also recently started using my little point-and-shoot camera to record meeting notes from the whiteboard at the end of team meetings.  Rather than take the time to write stuff down after the meeting, or have someone do it during the meeting, I just take a few pictures of what’s on the board and then type up notes as soon as I can.   

Sam Kale from Vanderbilt OwenBloggers (rss)

Using the camera to record whiteboards is a great idea!

I use a Vista computer at home with two monitors. At work I have a desktop and laptop that I use at the same time. Having two screens is a big help when writing or trying to use multiple programs at once.

John Richardson from Success Begins Today (rss)

I’ve been surprised just how often you can use two computers simultaneously.  I’m not sure how efficient it is, but having two computers on my desk, I do find I jump back and forth a lot.  I think I’d do it even more if they weren’t sharing the same monitor.

I use a Sony Vaio with WinXP. The most important piece is my Sprint Card.  With that, I get the WWW (Whatever, Whenever, WiFi or not) all the time

Mike Sansone from ConverStations (rss)

I’ve been pretty impressed with my Sprint card as well.  It lets me work from some places where the only other option is dialup or satellite.

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Last week we hit something of a milestone when we reached our 10,000th Twitter follower.  Thanks to everyone who is following Productivity501.

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