Wanna limit the time you spend goofing off online? Ask MetaFilter user myrrh created a timer that counts down a certain number of minutes in your browser title bar (or background tab) and pops up a browser alert dialog when it’s done. Run a timed work dash or limit your Facebook break without installing any extra software—the magic all happens in this page’s Javascript. Hit the link to give the timer a try. Thanks, Iron!
Title bar timer [via Ask MetaFilter]And uses a Mac! But she seems to be losing the war against clutter.
(Photo from an American Express ad.) See also: attack of the piles in Al Gore’s home office. More »
Getting Things Done author David Allen calls any kind of productivity trick or system “advanced common sense”—using the smart part of your brain to help out the dumb part in its most feeble moments. The Getting Things Done weblog lists some of its best “advanced common sense,” like writing things down, ubiquitous capture and setting up to-do’s in their right contexts. For me, hanging up the car keys on the keyrack is the advanced common sense that keeps my dumb future self from running around the house looking for them when it’s time to go. More »
The Zen Habits blog comes up with a nice way of using planning and productivity to pare back your working week. It basically consists of setting targets of the days and hours you wish to work, paring down to the essential tasks you need to do, and tightening up on time eaters like emails etc. This approach interests me as a freelancer who is free to set my own work hours, but the author also has some tips for employees who want to claw back a few hours in the week for their own projects.
Limit your work week [Zen Habits] More »
Productivity blog Lifehack.org lists thirteen ways to get motivated, including finding your itch, reading books for new ideas, partnering up with a peer and developing a mantra. What gets you motivated when you’re stuck in a slump? Let us know in the comments.
Thirteen Tricks to Motivate Yourself [Lifehack]iPhone early adopters stung by the $200 price drop can now claim their $100 Apple store credit online. All you need is your phone number and serial number. More »
The minimalist Wine Wedge creates a cheap, space-saving wine rack of any size anywhere and any time you need one. The two rubber wedges that make up the Wine Wedge actually look a little on the flimsy side, but according to the NYT review, “The Wedge may not look very robust, but it works surprisingly well.” If you’ve had problems with frail wine racks in the past, the $9.95 Wine Wedge is a cheap and sturdy alternative.
Wine Wedge solves need for traditional wine rack [Unclutterer]TechCrunch tells us that Twitter has added search and GMail import to its service, and launched a toolbox called “Explore” where they’ll list tools people can use to interact with Twitter offsite. They’re also releasing a visualisation tool called Twitter Blocks. New Twitter Visualization Tools Coming: First Is Twitter Blocks [Tech Crunch]
CNET’s reported that Netvibes has gone mobile – for real this time. Users no longer need to create a ‘mobile’ tag to push content to their phones. There are two new mobile apps – one lightweight one for Windows phones, another more fully-featured for Apple’s iPhone.
