Step away from the inbox | Simply GTD with Kelly

“A few times lately in GTD classes, people have asked me for recommendations on how often I process email. There are some approaches out there that suggest people only check email once a day. Sounds pretty extreme to me, especially if your world moves pretty fast and real work is getting done through email. I check email as often as I need to and at least once a day my Inbox is at zero. However, I do think stepping away from the constant stream of new input can be helpful, if not essential, to getting things done. Otherwise, it can be like standing in front of a fire hydrant with water blasting you in the face. You’ll keep getting pelted until you step away from it.” Click the title to read more…

November 10, 2009 0

Separate your email from your to-do’s

“Your boss needs the updated PowerPoint presentation file by Tuesday. Your spouse wants to know how many vacation days you’ve got left this year. Your co-worker needs your office pool picks. Everyone gets task requests via email all day long, and it’s so easy to let these messages slip through the cracks. Whether your inbox is stuffed with two-year-old fwd’d kitten photos from Aunt Edna, or if you empty it every day and diligently file away actionable email to a ‘TO-DO’ folder – it’s still not easy to track the messages you’ve actually got to DO something about using email.” Click here to read more…

Update: I use ‘Remember the Milk [RTM]’ — the powerful todo manager with the goofy name — to manage my todos and one of the reasons why is that my todo list has an email address and if a task comes to me in email, I can forward it to that special address and the email will be added to my todos as a task and the body of the email will be converted to a note so I know what the task is about. RTM also has a great web interface, BlackBerry and iPhone apps, and interfaces with Jott! All huge reasons why YOU should use this external todo manager as well!

November 3, 2009 0

One bookmark manager to rule them all…

A recurring theme on this blog is using one one online [platform independent] tool to use or store resources. Bookmarks are no exception, although in this case I actually use two – one for public, one for private [nothing racy here — actually is the stuff that’s too boring to share] bookmarks. If you scroll down to the bottom of this page, you’ll see what is called a ‘tag cloud’ from del.icio.us [online at del.icio.us.com] — it’s a ‘cloud’ of bookmarks that I have tagged with descriptors so that I can share them with other people. Check it out — del.icio.us is what you call a social bookmarking tool meaning that you can share the good stuff that you find and categorize it to either share it or be able to find it again. If you use firefox, there are a couple of addons that will allow you to replace the firefox bookmarks with del.icio.us. You can also use it to import your firefox bookmarks into del.icio.us as well. You can share your bookmarks as clouds on your blogs or through a newsfeed if you prefer…

The other tool I use is Google bookmarks which part of the Google toolbar. Google bookmarks doesn’t have the rich sharing capabilities of del.icio.us so that’s where I keep my boring stuff that’s not really worth sharing. You can log on to Google bookmarks anywhere so your toolkit can be with you whenever and wherever you are. The Google bookmarks also integrate nicely with Google search and Google notebook…

October 29, 2009 0

What is the Best Way to Manage my Tasks?

: Image via Wikipedia

Here are the results of a recent lifehacks survey…

“If all the methodology of the best GTD applications loses you in the productivity shuffle, there’s nothing like a classic, simple to-do list to keep you on track. You’ve never had more options—both simple and robust—for managing your to-do list as you do today. On Tuesday we asked you to share your favorite to-do list managers, and today we’re back with the five most popular answers. Keep reading for a glimpse at the five best to-do list managers, then vote for the to-do tool you like best.” Source: Hive Five: Five Best To-Do List Managers

Personally, I use Rememberthemilk because of the ability to integrate it into Gmail and my Blackberry, but I’m fluent in Outlook as well as ‘pen and paper’. Questions? Feedback? Leave a comment or use the contact page to reach me…

Update 10/25/09: Lifehacker lists these tools: Microsoft Outlook, Rememberthemilk, Pen and Paper, Text and Todoist. It’s one of the rare times I take issue with one of their posts. Here are a couple of other tools that are getting my attention in this space lately:

ReQall; create todos, notes, share taskes with other users via phone calls, website, or iPhone. More with $25 annual subscription.
Jott; Used to be my favorite in this category. Similar to ReQall, more features, more $$$. Very cool!

If you only have time to look at one, try reQall. Easy to use and inexpensive…

October 24, 2009 0

The ‘Five Minute University’…

Today I’m announcing a new feature on the site; the ‘Five Minute University’. What’s that about? Well, the tool I use for screencasts, Jing, limits me to a five minute screencast. Todd, you say! Wake up — use Camtasia, use Flashback Express, use something that allows you to record longer. No, I say. I have a tendency to bloviate on topic that I’m passionate about and five minutes forces me to get my thoughts together!

The ‘Five Minute University’ is also an homage to one of the funniest bits I ever saw on Saturday Night Live [back in the days when it was actually funny]; Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci outlines the concept here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8x8eoU3L4

Now, here’s my first 5 minute course on using Google Reader as your inbox for the internet…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvf8E6knJtY

Questions? Feedback? Leave a comment or use the contact page to reach me…

October 20, 2009 0

Making the switch from Microsoft Office to Web apps

: Image via CrunchBase

‘For him who has ears to hear!’ as the Good Book says. It’s possible to have a powerful computing experience without using a single Microsoft product [or paying a single penny to Bill Gates]…

“The only reason I’ve opened Microsoft Outlook or any other desktop e-mail program in the last year is to test tips. Since I added my ISP account to my Gmail in-box, and moved my Outlook appointments to Google Calendar, I get all the information I need in my browser.

Now I’m getting ready to boot Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for their Web alternatives, but before I bail on Office entirely, I stuck a toe in the Web-apps water by using the free ThinkFree Online service irregularly over the past few weeks. So far, I haven’t missed Word, Excel, or PowerPoint one bit. In fact, I appreciate the comparative simplicity of their Web counterparts, which have worked without a hitch–so far, at least.”

Click here to read more…

October 8, 2009 0

“Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack…

: Image via Wikipedia

… for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats” can help! Last week, I sent a PowerPoint preso to someone who couldn’t open it. I suggested that she download and install this free tool that is available at the source…

“By installing the Compatibility Pack in addition to Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003, you will be able to open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats. For more information about the Compatibility Pack, see Knowledge Base article 924074.” Source: Download details: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats

Install it and you’ll never run into those obnoxious Office incompatibility issues again!

October 6, 2009 0

Learn Google Search Tips From the Pros

October 3, 2009 0

Online Meetings…

With the price of gas as it is, and time always being at a premium, the idea of online meetings is gaining in popularity…

“I’m a big fan of online meeting and collaboration tools. Among other things, they’ve saved me from some of the many flights and hotels that I used to have to put up with. I found this comparison of online meeting tools interesting.” Source: WebWorkerDaily » Archive Online Meeting App Study: GoToMeeting Tops Yugma? «

Personally, I find online meetings both effective and inexpensive. I use and recommend GoToMeeting — I’ll be happy to demo it for you if you contact me…

September 25, 2009 0

Alltop a single page blog dashboard of sorts | B2B Lead Generation Blog

Gathering information via newsfeeds is a critical part of the inbox zero approach to email. It will help you get distracting newsletters out of your inbox and into a newsreader where they belong.

“If you don’t have time to search though multiple blogs I recommend you check out Alltop. The site was launched by marketing wiz, blogger, author, entrepreneur & venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki.

What’s different about Alltop? It’s really a selection of the top 50 RSS feeds (i.e. mostly blogs) in 20 categories. All that information is collected listed in a single page. Personally, I’m finding Alltop useful for keeping up with other topics I’m interested in but don’t want to spend a lot of time on.

“Where are you going to put all the great stuff you find on Alltop? My suggestion is use Google Reader to collect and organize the feeds. Reader works with Gmail as a 1-2 combination to end clutter in your inbox. Gmail is for ‘just in time’ information and Reader is for ‘just in case’. Don’t let the two get mixed together…

September 22, 2009 0

Email Overload: Conquer Email Backlog with Inbox 0.5

“When you finally decide you’re going to empty your inbox on a regular basis, the hardest part is getting started—most likely because you’re already buried under an avalanche of messages. Blogger Jason Clarke offers a sensible approach to that first, most difficult push towards Inbox Zero, and he calls it Inbox 0.5. Clarke says that you can cut down a huge pile of messages without losing an entire weekend by processing HALF the number of backed up messages you’ve got each day. So if you’re starting with 700, reduce that to 350 the first day. If you’ve got 400 the next day, reduce that to 200. Rinse and repeat till you’ve conquered the backlog and are just maintaining an empty inbox with new mail that arrives.” Click the title to read more…

September 15, 2009 0

Blogging for small business owners…

: Image via CrunchBase

I had a conversation last night with a friend and business owner who is struggling to get his mind around blogging and social media. I couldn’t help but think of him when I saw this…

“It’s quite easy for small business owners to become distracted by their day-to-day responsibilities. But in this competitive economy you can’t afford to miss out on the newest business innovations.

That’s why we asked 50 of the top small business bloggers to share their best tips for small business owners. Their response was incredible. While some shared nuggets of wisdom, others gave us actionable tips you can use right away. Here’s your crib sheet to the best business advice the blogosphere has to offer.” 101 Tips From Top 50 Small Business Bloggers | Wise Bread

Personally? I believe that a blog connected to social media is the single most important weapon a business owner or thought leader can have! Everyone has a point of view — that point of view needs to be PUBLIC to have an impact…

Each thoughtful post on your blog is a public demonstration of your thought leadership, personal integrity, humor, and professional insights. Source: HubSpot

The truth is, you don’t have time NOT to blog…

The question is, how to get started. For example, there are over 300 tools for managing your Twitter account. Which one[s] is/are right for you? That’s where having a guide to social media land can help. You can reach me via the contact page — I’ll be happy to talk you through it…

The Value of Thought Leadership for Your Business (kylelacy.com)
3 Keys to Small Business Marketing Success (marketing.blogtanker.com)
SBBuzz: Helping Small Biz Get Answers (chelpixie.com)
Are Social Media Rockstars An Endangered Species? Or The Future of Advertising? (mizzinformation.com)

August 28, 2009 0

I

: Image via Wikipedia

…for three main reasons: speed, extensibility, and safety. I found this great post this morning on “6 Reasons Why Mozilla Firefox Is Safe” and I want to share it with you…

“While statistics put Internet Explorer clearly ahead as the most widely used web browser, it’s clear to many people that it is not due to the excellent programming. Subject to more than one official inquiry in Europe, and numerous columns, both online and in print, the practice of ‘bundling’ the infamous browser with the every copy of the operating system represents the primary reason behind its crushing dominance.

Alternative web browsers are aplenty and have a low barrier of entry even for less technically savvy computer users, but people are generally not keen to change their habits or spending time researching, downloading and installing another application – especially when the one that comes preloaded appears to be working just fine.” Source: 6 Reasons Why Mozilla Firefox Is Safe Compared To Internet Explorer

You’ll have to go to the source to read all six reasons, but it’s worth the trip…