joshbrammer.com

Stop making it complicated (via: mnmlist.com)

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:27:45 -0500

Stop making it complicated (via: mnmlist.com):

Great thoughts on how distractions are the real barrier to productive work. Very in line with my own thoughts and journey moving from uber-GTD, then back to simple focus-based productivity. Instead of wrangling lists, now I filter out distractions. The simple method really is to pick a task, then spend time doing it until it’s done.

Lists are helpful to remember what to work on next, but if managing the list becomes the main task - you’ll never get much work done.

4 Fancy Google Tasks Tips

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:00:16 -0500

When you first turn on Google Tasks, you might not know what to do with the little guy. But I’ve found it’s a great mini notepad for all my email related work.

Give it a date. Then turn on Tasks Calendar in Google Calendar Example. Now, Tasks show up like all-day events that you can check off. You can also hide the Full Column View in Calendar and just see the Events on the day they appear.
Load Tasks in your browser Firefox sidebar. If you are straight Gmail, use the url: http://mail.google.com/tasks/ig If you are a Google Apps user, try: http://mail.google.com/tasks/a/replaceyourdomainhere.com/ig Drag this to your Bookmarks Toolbar, then click and edit the Properties with the box checked for “Load this bookmark in the sidebar” Example. Your Sidebar will look fancy, like this.
Create a Task, Archive the email. In Gmail, click ‘More Actions’ > ‘Add to Tasks’ Example. Now you can archive that email and keep the task linked up. (Nice!)
Add Notes, Dates, and Emails! You can go to town with adding extra URLs in the Notes, Give it a Date. Just start with associating it with the email, since you can only achieve that through the Gmail ‘More Actions’ button.

Enjoy!

"To love is to be vulnerable."

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:48:04 -0500

“To love is to be vulnerable.”

- C.S. Lewis

"You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:24:10 -0500

“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”

- C.S. Lewis (via annajoy)

Photo

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:20:00 -0500

Minimal Facebook Layout

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:44:00 -0500

In celebration of 6 years of time wasting (with our dearest friends!) Facebook posted another layout change. This took effect for me today, but luckily the folks of Facebook Fixer have already updated the script to work for the newest layout.

Not sure if you love the new Layout? Check out my example http://grab.by/2i2G. Once you’re ready to take the leap - here are the instructions to take the clutter out of Facebook:

First Download the Firefox add-on “Greasemonkey”: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748

Then, download the Facebook Fixer script here: http://userscripts.org/scripts/source/8861.user.js

You may need to restart Firefox at some point in the above.

Then, in Facebook you can click Account > Facebook Fixer (see screenshot) http://grab.by/2i2R

Here are the settings that I personally use: http://grab.by/2i2V

3 Time Wasting Traps at Work

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:17:17 -0500

3 Time Wasting Traps at Work:

“We’ve all lost huge chunks of time during the workday to unproductive activities. The following are three of the biggest time-wasting traps” via Unclutterer.com

Minimalistic tools

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:34:00 -0500

Tools are means to an end. Technology, when matched to a complex task or harnessed to speed work along, can be a great tool.

So long as the tools chosen do not disconnect people. When a tool becomes a barrier for relationship, it’s time to pull the plug.

Paper and pen can work wonders during a meeting. Choose your tools well.

4 Tips on Simple Happiness

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:49:00 -0500

A great excerpt from Jared Matthew Kessler:

Own less so it won’t own you. I do this only using cash, living on a budget and living 100% debt free.
Empty yourself. Go through your closets. Get rid of everything you haven’t used in a year or more (donate it to a local charity or if you need some extra cash, sell it).
Don’t commute. Any of the jobs I’ve worked I couldn’t commute more than 30 minutes. For me, the money wasn’t worth the stress or hassle of being away from those I loved more than I needed to.
Smile while you talk. I learned this from a friend of a friend – and talk about hard work. It is at first, but you start to become good at it and the rest of the family will love you for it.

Read the full article, Simple Versus Complex Happiness on Zenfamilyhabits.net

"The way I see it, the iPad is not about creating; it’s all about consuming content."

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:38:12 -0500

“The way I see it, the iPad is not about creating; it’s all about consuming content.”

- What We Learned About Apple Yesterday

Why a Tablet?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:28:03 -0500

I’ve had my ear to the ground for a quality tablet device for over 4 years. Here are a few thoughts to the role of a tablet device:

It’s not a replacement. A tablet is not a full-blown computer. It won’t replace powerful desktops. It’s not meant to.
The Multiple Screen Syndrome. Watching TV casually with my family means 2 Macs, a DVR, a cell phone & an iPhone. Considering that couch sitting laptop users have become the norm, there is opportunity to present a web / media device that fits into the room like a magazine or book would.
Personalized Apps. Think of apps as specific tools to get what you need done. Bringing the focus of developers on very specific apps is always good. It’s capitalism at work. Just look at how many Twitter apps the iPhone has encouraged. You can find an app that works the way you do, making your device more personal than a “Personal Computer”.
It Stops Working. What if a tablet is not meant as a work device? Instead, its focused on consuming. On a bus, in a car, on the couch. Do you really need to multitask on the go?
More Content, Less Ads. Using Facebook on the iPhone makes it refreshing to read, comment, and interact with your friends without the annoying friend suggestions & ads. Instead the focus is on the content.
Sense of Touch. Removing the keyboard and mouse barrier makes the device and content feel more like an extension of yourself.
Sync Versus Create. What if the goal is to remove extra gadgets. Especially gadgets that create. Cameras? I’ve got 4 in my house. Instead of putting a mediocre one in the tablet, why not wirelessly sync with great devices I already own?

The iPhone vow of silence (Inbox Zero for iPhone Apps)

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:41:00 -0500

Reducing distractions for better concentration.

Since I switched to an iPhone, I’d been mourning the notification setup of my old Palm Treo. Each calendar item, to-do, or phone call showing up on a nice little list. You could easily get to this list and check things off. Think of it as a little bulletin board that you can pull post its off of as you go through your day.

I liked this - but wasn’t able to get this type of feature form the current iPhone OS. Recently, I decided to stop fighting the iPhone’s notifications and embrace them. But I found my loophole in an interesting way.

Concepts:

The Home Screen is the Bulletin Board. Instead of a special area for reminders, the Apps themselves use a Badge (the little red icon number).
Think of each App as an inbox. If you don’t know about inbox zero, go read about it right now!
Noise = Distraction. After toying with the sound settings, I realized that (for me) the notifications don’t cause stress. I can read them as they happen or let them pile up and it’s fine. It’s the noise that bugs me. It’s like a little siren saying “I’m on fire! Unlock this phone and put me out!”. When the bells go off, my concentration goes out the window. This can widely differ from person to person, but noise is my single most derailment factor.
Shut off Sound Notifications. That’s right. I turned off all sounds for all apps except phone calls. Now my iPhone sits quietly on my desk, gently lighting for new notifications that can be read in a few seconds - or ignored for an hour if need be.
Phone calls are important. Currently, phone calls are the only noise my iPhone makes. I’ve switched gears so that SMS, Facebook, Twitter, and other notifications are always a passive way to talk to me. If you want my attention right now, call me. Otherwise, you’ll get put into an inbox and processed later (Remember: think Inbox Zero for the iPhone)

The results? I still check my phone as often as before. So far, I haven’t missed any thing important. My texts may be delayed 10-15 minutes. Big deal, right? Need me right now? Call Me.

Want to try it out? Here’s the skinny on how silence your iPhone:

Start by going to Settings > Sounds, then change all of these

Silent = Vibrate “On”
Ring = Vibrate “Off”
Set the Ringer volume to a level that makes sense for you. It will keep this setting until you change it with the toggle. (Note: Talk volume is completely seperate, so it won’t be affected by this setting)
Pick a Ringtone. I keep it on a non-alarming song snippet that isn’t easily recognized as a song. This way, I smile when the phone rings.
New Text Message “Off”
New Voicemail “Off”
New Mail “Off”
Sent Mail “Off”
Lock Sounds “Off”
Keyboard Clicks “Off”

Then, Head back over to Settings > Notifications

Notifications “On”
A list of Apps should appear for any Apps that have push notifications enabled.
For each app choose
Sound “Off”
Badges “On”
Alerts “On” (if you want it pushed as a popup notification)

The best laid plans

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

My plans to overachieve via working from home were thwarted by the fact that my body interprets wearing slippers as a signal to mentally check out and not do anything productive. Add to this the intense craving for diet coke and a supply of only “real” soda kept on site for friends. After drinking 3 glasses, I’ve realized that this level of high-fructose corn syrup is the equivalent of 3 doses of bear tranquilizer.

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if..."

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:15:27 -0500

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

- C.S. Lewis (via annajoy)

Are you an abstainer or moderator?

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:04:54 -0500

Are you an abstainer or moderator?:

Good thoughts on learning how to best deal with setting your own personal limits.

My Top 5 Strengths

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:54:17 -0500

Strategic
Ideation
Futuristic
Connectedness
Learner

But-dropping to get your complaints heard

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:29:10 -0500

But-dropping to get your complaints heard:

Nice suggestion from Seth Godin on coupling customer satisfaction with suggestions for improvement.

For all us web-workers. This is so true.

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:06:06 -0500

For all us web-workers. This is so true.

Updated 2010 habits

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:57:55 -0500

Following some sound advice, my new year habits will follow the 6 Changes method.

Re-establish date night every 2 weeks and start to treat my wife like the young lady I fell in love with.
Learn to process my thoughts through Journaling. Clear out the emotional cobwebs instead of stuffing them.
De-clutter my home & office. Keep only the things that inspire work, or help it get done.
Give some computer TLC. Turn off my computer nightly and clean it weekly.
Simplify my schedule to put the focus on people and shared activities, not mindless time in front of a screen-time.
Stop lying to be funny* (because it’s not funny)

The runners-up (maybe next year, little habits):

Document my one-frame funnies. Send them to a cartoonist.
Become a pro at 4 Wii sports.
Eating healthier. Choose real, unprocessed foods that you love.
Daily exercise. Choose an activity you enjoy.
Wake and Bed myself earlier. Get the quiet time where I can relax and find peace and realize only mischief happens after 10PM.

"The secret to creativity is curiosity. We often forget to teach kids to be curious. A student who..."

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:48:06 -0500

“The secret to creativity is curiosity. We often forget to teach kids to be curious. A student who has no perceived math ability, or illegible handwriting or the inability to sit still for five minutes gets immediate and escalating attention. The student with no curiosity, on the other hand, is no problem at all. Lumps are easily managed. Same thing is true for most of the people we hire. We’d like them to follow instructions, not ask questions, not question the status quo. Yet, without “why?” there can be no, “here’s how to make it better.””

- Seth’s Blog: Why ask why?