While there’s something to be said for multitasking, a serial workflow—completing one task after another in order of priority—can be much more conducive to getting your work done. Splitting your attention between several tasks at once can slow you down compared to knocking off one focused task after another on an ordered list. Today I’m going to show you how to create a serial workflow platform with just a few simple tools that you probably already use: plain text, a couple handy extensions, and browser tabs. More »
Get your favourite site feeds via FeedCrier, a service that delivers updates to your instant messenger client. No download is required; just type in the username for AIM, MSN, Jabber, or Google Talk, along with the website you’re interested in getting updates from, and you’re done. This would be a good way to get the latest news updates delivered to you almost in real time. FeedCrier is a similar service to web app immedi.at; both are excellent tools for keeping a very close watch on a particular feed.
Feed Crier [via ResourceShelf]Generate ideas—potentially a LOT of ideas—with a all-in-one-session “list of 100″: a list of creative ideas, solutions, etc. about any topic you’ve been wanting to tackle. Self-improvement site Litemind has more: The goal of a List of 100 is to take your mind by surprise…With a List of 100 you tend to get more unexpected ideas, because you catch your subconscious off guard, not giving it any time for its behind-the-scenes editing.
The main tip to remember with this is you’ve got to do it all in one sitting; otherwise, your creative mind doesn’t get fully engaged. This sounds like a super way to hash out something you’ve been struggling with, as well as generate creative ideas.
Tackle Any Issue With a List of 100 [Litemind]Publish your Flickr photos (or any other Flickr photos that catch your fancy) on your site or blog with Bookr, a fun little Flickr toy that turns your images into a flippable book. Just add the pictures, add a caption, and you’re through. Want more Flickr goodness? Try the ten most useful Flickr Greasemonkey scripts to get more out of this popular photo sharing site.
Bookr: How to publish your book anywhereIf you’ve been using Yahoo! for all your calendar needs and want to switch over to Google Calendar, tech tutorial site Tech-Recipes has written up a step by step how-to for this process—which can be a bit overwhelming for those folks new to this whole online calendar/importing business. If you’re the designated tech driver for your friends and family, you might want to check out how to fix Mom and Dad’s computer after you’ve taught them how to import their Yahoo! calendar events. Google Calendar: Import Event Information from Yahoo! Calendar [Tech-Recipes.com]
If you’re on the brink of being burned out creatively, the simplest solution could just be to change your environment in some way. Tech blogger Scott Berkun has more: What do you do at work when you feel stuck (not burnt out, but just stuck on a problem)? Are there things you can do to your cube or office to help you deal with those times? Posters of work that inspires you? Things that make you laugh? Music that helps you think through a problem? You spend 8 hours a day in that space: it’s worth taking a couple of hours to improve it by even 5 or 10%.
What is your coping mechanism for getting through burnout? Let’s hear in the comments.
How to survive creative burnout [Scott Berkun]wikiHow has a tried and true method to rid your towels of that stinky mildew smell: vinegar. Put your towels in the washing machine, using the hottest water available. Add one or two cups of white vinegar. Do not add detergent, fabric softener, or any other products at this time. Run the washer. Leave the towels in the washer and wash the same load again just as you would normally with laundry soap. Again, use the hottest water available. Don’t use fabric softener or any other products. Dry the load in the dryer using a high heat setting. Towels should be thoroughly dry when you pull them out. If they’re not dry, put them back in, or move them immediately outside and hang them in the sunlight.
Of course, the best way to keep that mildew smell away is to hang your towels up; however, we’ve all found those moldering towels in the bottom of the gym bag at least once in our lives.
How to Remove Mildew Smell from Towels [wikiHow]Productivity blog Lifehack.org has come up with an intriguing way to get rid of those awkward um’s and ah’s we are all susceptible to when speaking in public: punctuation codes. Make a note whenever you are doing a presentation that every comma you encounter should have a pause attached…The end of a sentence requires twice as much pause. There is a time-delay between hearing your words and registering their meaning. Don`t cut over this step by blurring together your sentences…Underline key words and phrases and double underline especially important ones. It helps you understand where to slow down and emphasise an individual word.
This is a super easy idea to implement, and could really up the quality of your presentation.
How to Cut Crutch Words When Giving a Speech [Lifehack.org]