When you look in the GTD-blogosphere you will see that the system brings out the hacker, the hobbyist, in most people. I think because of the nature of GTD and the way most products are made, very non-productive. For some reason, people mutilate their Moleskine or built extensive print-templates to get productive. I am not here to ridicule those projects. No way. I am very impressed by most of them. And every now and again, some little hacks come to light, so simple, so small. You think to yourself "Why didn't I think of that?" Check out what Brett did over on the Cranking Widgets weblog with a box of Jell-O's and a magnet. Made a
very simple Index Card Dispenser. So simple, yet so ingenious. Why buy extensive gear when you can DIY?
Used tags: diy, gtd, index_cards, lifehacks, ubiquitous_capture
25 01 07 - 22:05 - Permanent link -
Do you use a stapler? So do I. Sometimes paperclips, but most of the time I just jam a staple through a pack of paper and I'm ready to go. Sad thing is sometimes a staple is not large enough for a pack of papers, or it's a waste to damage the prints. My virtual friend Annedien Hoen helped me out a while ago. We never met, but she is an ultranetworker here in the Netherlands and a GTD-afficionado as well. She sent me a sample of a new product a business relation of her is importing here in the Netherlands. It is called the MagicClip and it is such a simple solution to the problem of staples. Check the two popups below for the full picture
With a couple of special clips (re-usable) in a dispenser you can hold a big pack of paper together. You slide the dispenser called the MagicClip around the edge and click the NewClip (Can't help the names!) around your papers. The MagicClip is smaller than the average deskstapler and very friendly in daily use. I use it all the time, since the NewClips can be recycled. When I am done with my pack of paper, I file or trash it and the clip goes back in the MagicClip. You can find some Dutch information on the website of FlowOrganizen, who imports the product here. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any English information yet. Worth checking out. If I am in the possibility, I will post a little videoclip showing you how simple this thing works! If you happen to know this product in the US or elsewhere in the world, please post a link in the comments
Update: On Lifehacker there is a big thread going on about this product (why not here?) and you really have to see this video on the MagicClip. Or Smart Clipper as they call it. It's TellSell-style!
Used tags: demo, gadget, magic_clip, product
23 01 07 - 00:02 - Permanent link -
The article from last saturday caught me by surprise I must say. I am not used to receiving that much comments on one article and I must say, I love it. Thank you for your input, your thoughts, ideas and follow up posts on your own blogs. Keep'em coming, because it helps me in finding a more perfect way in my own personal productivity.
In various comments there were mentions of different other systems that should or could do the trick of making me the stressfree productivity zenmaster I long to be. So as a little follow up to the 5 systems I stopped using, here are 5 mentions of systems I or you could be using...
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Used tags: excel, mlo, moleskine, productivity, review, thinkingrock, todo.txt
15 01 07 - 23:05 - Permanent link -
Quoting the pressrelease:
gubb is a new online list making application that lets you create, edit, access, share, and email your lists anytime from anywhere to anyone. You can even access your lists from your blackberry or web enabled phone.
Gubb is a new application that allows everyone to make their lists online and get more use out of their lists. With gubb you can:
- Create an unlimited number and unlimited types of lists
- Email your lists to anyone
- Share your lists with anyone
- Collaborate with friends, family, co-workers on the building and development of a list(s)
- Access your lists from anywhere – textable and available via mobile Web (www.gubb.net/m)
- Access them at anytime
- Never lose a list – they’re always stored on gubb
In short, gubb is a dead simple way to make a collaborative list with no learning curve at all. No software to download. No special keystrokes to learn. With gubb, you’ll never lose your lists and always have access to them.
Let me know what you think! Considering the previous article where we all agree we don't need a system that lets you hack into GTD...
Used tags: gubb, list, online_app, productivity
14 01 07 - 22:16 - Permanent link -
One of the biggest reasons why especially IT-people, bloggers and geeks are
drawn to GTD is it's possibility to tweak and play with the system. For some
reason, the 5 phases of GTD invite to find, install and play with all sorts of
online and offline applications. Because it is mainly build around lists,
contexts and the notion that you have those lists with you, mobile applications
talk with desktop applications, online web 2.0-esque startups built around lists
and the likes.
But over the last two years I am into GTD, I must say I have yet to find the
perfect system. And you know what? I don't think I will ever find. If I were a
very literate person, I would insert some smart Buddha quote here about the
journey and the destiny, but forget that. I want to talk about five systems I
have tried myself and why I stopped or will stop using them.
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Used tags: backpack, gmail, gtd, gyroq, mindmanager, mindmap, onfolio, productivity, review
14 01 07 - 00:34 - Permanent link -
Today was a typical sunday. We all slept in late and just chilled throughout the morning. Before I forget, when you have a 3 months old kiddo, "sleeping in late" means waking up at 10 am in the morning instead of the usual 7-ish.
After breakfast, I had to do my weekly tasks in the house. Cleaning up, sweeping...they are weekly tasks but I was a bit behind. So after a couple of hours I was pretty tired from all the cleaning. In between I also had to take care of my girlfriend and Tess, our daughter. So at 5 pm I was beaten. And I really really needed to do a weekly review to get in sync with all the running projects in and around the house. And then I found the best way to start my Weekly Review.
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Used tags: habit, music, productivity, relaxing, weekly_review
07 01 07 - 23:44 - Permanent link -
A message from the administrator department: The last couple of days there have been some changes on my blog that are actually still under development. I upgraded my weblogsoftware (Pivot!) to version 1.40 which has some nice new features. For instance, it has built in tagging functionality, so you can click to the tag-page and find more articles and other information on the Interweb! Also it has some new features for user registration and better support of templates across different pages. The image-feature is upgraded to use a functionality called Thickbox. So a popupimage is not shown in a simple window but in a nice funky windowless...euhm...window. Check out this popup
Nice huh! That's my baby girl!
I also changed servers from where I can host and administer several websites and blogs I have. One thing that's still not working the way it should is the way different URL's are handled and how they show the content. For instance, the following URL's all go to the frontpage of this site
Because of this, also the permalinks of the articles are different every now and again. I am working on resolving this, but unfortunately I can not work on this blog in long "blocks of time". So I really have to take tiny steps.
So please have some patience if things are not working as the y should and better yet, please notify me. Thank you Fredrik for the comment on the Squidoo Lens which turned out broken.
I am, again in tiny steps, working on a new site. Right now I am in the phase of "what do I want" or as The Dave would say "Envision wild success and brainstorm". If you want to brainstorm with me, put your ideas in the comments!
Used tags: pivot, server
05 01 07 - 22:52 - Permanent link -
What a surprise this morning! I have a paperbased based ticklerfile on my desk but to be honest, never really used it. I occassionally check it, say, once a month and nothing goes in or out of there. It is a nice piece of officefurniture though, check out this popup
But it takes up deskspace. So I thought! Because the last couple of days I decided to check it every morning. And ofcourse, nothing in it. But this morning I found a flyer at today's date. And I was surprised. I had this "The-Dave-talks-about-this-on-his-seminar-but-it-never-happens-to-me"-moment. Because it was a flyer for a management seminar. When I received it, I was going "ooooohhh....gottago!Wannago!Oughtago!" Or as The Dave would say "It's a midgetwidget!"
But then I thought "Wait a minute, lets' think this through. Do I really want to go or is it just a nice fieldtrip?" Nothing wrong with nice fieldtrips, but right now I have other priorities. So in the spur of the moment I threw it in my ticklerfile. And now? I have thought about it. I let it sink in. I read the flyer again this morning and said: "Nah...what was I thinking?" I saved the company another 700 dollar thankyouverymuch by not going to this seminar.
But I felt a deeper feeling. When I saw the flyer I was thinking "Wow! This ticklerfile works! Excellent!" You could say that this positive experience with the ticklerfile (first in two years) made such an impact that I think it changed the way I use it. I might want to use it more often...
More on the Ticklerfile in the 43folders-Wiki.
Used tags: gtd, paperbased, productivity, tickler
05 01 07 - 16:42 - Permanent link -
Sometimes organizing can be so simple you think to yourself: "Why didn't I think of that?" Chech out the Doorganizer.
...a hanging reminder and organizer for the doorknob. Ideal for keys,
eyeglasses, cell phones, palm-held devices, music players, even
envelopes or newspapers fit into the strip at the back
How simple life can be. Make sure you lock your frontdoor or any burglar can get to your stuff by just reaching around the door...
05 01 07 - 08:27 - Permanent link -
The last couple of weeks I have not been working on my
gtd setup but actually been
doing stuff. Really getting things done. From buying a new outfit to cleaning up a part of the attic and reading up on my stack of magazines. But also, as ever, just some casual browsing and checing out other websites and blogs. I love browsing through
Flickr,
Del.icio.us and other social sites where you can find some true pearls.
This is were I found out how my mind works and how the Weekly Review and your Someday/Maybe list actually work. First up, I am not a scientist. This is not scientifically proven by any empirical investigation. It's just my own thoughts and some common sense. With that disclaimer, here it is...
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Used tags: delicious, dream, flickr, gtd, gyroq, mindmap, productivity, someday_maybe
05 01 07 - 00:08 - Permanent link -
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