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[[ How to Escape the 40 Hour Work Week}|http://www.theoptimizedlife.com/entrepreneurship/how-to-escape-the-40-hour-work-week/]]
I’ve been thinking about a dirty word lately. Yes, I hate
to admit it, but I’ve been thinking about that “JOB”
word. Now, don’t get me wrong. I certainly don’t want a
Job.
But it has definitely been on my mind with the thousands of
students who have just recently graduated college, many of
whom now assume that it’s time to go out and get a job.
For any recent college graduate who is reading this, I would
like to encourage you to stop and give your life a bit more
thought. There are far better ways to make a living than
committing yourself to a life of cubicle slavery.
As Robert Frost once said, “By working faithfully eight
hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work
twelve hours a day.”
Here are five reasons why you should avoid getting a job at
all costs.
1. Trading time for money.
Early humans were hunters and gatherers who worked 12 to 16
hours per day gathering enough food to stay alive. Their
lives were focused on existence.
The nineteenth century work schedule was comprised of twelve
to sixteen hour days, working six to seven days per week.
Some people might think that we’ve come a long way since
then. Unfortunately, not really all that much.
According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, the
average employed American works a 46-hour work week. 38% of
the respondents in their study worked more than 50 hours per
week.
To this day, we are still overworking ourselves. This is
especially true for industries like investment banking,
where a forty hour workweek is considered “slacker”
behavior that may result in a job loss.
Europe is doing a little bit better. France, adopted a
35-hour workweek in 2000 by law.
Somewhere in the course of our lives, most of us have been
brainwashed to think that we can only earn income while
working. Wrong…
In today’s world of technology, you can get paid while
sleeping, playing, and spending time with the family.
Smart people build systems that continually generate passive
income 24/7, regardless of when they are actually working in
the business.
With an online business, you can set up an automated system
to sell your product on autopilot. Other passive income
streams include real estate, investing, and blogging.
Of course it takes some time to get everything up and
running, but once you’ve set up a proper system, you have
an asset that could quite possibly bring you a passive
revenue for the rest of your life.
Our education system funnels us into the workforce like an
obedient ant force.
I was never offered a class in entrepreneurship in high
school and I think this is one of the greatest tragedies of
public education.
We’re teaching our kids to be obedient cubicle slaves
instead of leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators.
Whether you are just graduating college or already working
in a job, I would encourage you to look at all of your
options. Life has a buffet of choices, don’t limit yourself
to the cubicle.
2. Mobility and Lifestyle Design
By working online, you are given a freedom that most
employees only dream about. It doesn’t matter whether you
live in Canada or Spain. Working online gives you the
freedom of mobility. You are free to work in your hometown
one week and do everything from your laptop on a beach in
Hawaii the next.
However, I wouldn’t suggest that you spend too terribly
much time in Hawaii. The cost of living is outrageous
there.
Instead, you can make your money go much further by living
in a city like Buenos Aires.
(The following figures and statistics come from Tim Ferriss’
excellent book, “The 4-Hour Workweek“.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking to escape the
40 hour work week.)
Here you can live like a king or queen on about $1425 per
month. If you’re not necessarily looking for a life of
luxury, then you can get by on much less than that.
Housing in Buenos Aires costs approximately $550 U.S. per
month. This includes house cleaners, personal security
guards, phone, utilities, and high-speed Internet.
Four or five-start restaurant meals twice daily will only
cost you about $300 U.S. per month.
Learn Spanish in a flash with daily two-hour sessions of
private lessons for just $200 U.S. per month.
Learn to tango with professional dancers for just $333.20.
That’s 2 hours a day at $8.33 per hour to learn from the
best in the world.
Transportation is just $75 per month.
Best of all, there are creative legal setups, such as form
2555-EX, that can provide up to $80,000 dollars of income
exemption if you spend at least 330 of a consecutive 365
days outside of the U.S. The key to taking advantage of this
is to get a good accountant.
3. Outsource Your Life
You may have heard of Fortune 500 companies outsourcing
their work to other countries such as India and China.
However, I’m here to tell you that outsourcing isn’t just
for big companies.
Outsourcing is a revolution that can impact your life in
ways you may have never thought possible.
In today’s global economy we can outsource everything from
our accounting, book writing, product creation, customer
service and marketing to house cleaning, scheduling
meetings, and online purchases.
Many small businesses fail because the owner tries to do it
all. This is especially true for an online entrepreneur who
tries to be the marketing director, the content creator, the
customer support staff, and the distributors.
You just can’t do it all. And who would want to?
Let’s say that you’re worth $25 - $30 an hour. If you spend
your time doing something that someone else will do for $10
an hour, you are wasting your most precious resource: time.
With outsourcing, you can multiply yourself as many times
as you want.
Here are just a few of the companies that will help you
outsource your everyday tasks:
Getfriday.com
elance.com
guru.com
scriptlancle.com
4. Automate Your Income
Doing business on the Internet allows you to completely
remove yourself from the business and automate every step in
the sales process.
Unlike offline businesses, an online business allows you to
quickly test the potential demand for your product through
eBay auctions, Google Adwords and other PPC search engines.
Once you have ensured that your product has plenty of
demand, you can then rollout your campaign and outsource
your marketing to online marketing firms such as…
http://www.iprospect.com
http://www.pepperjamsearch.com
http://www.redflymarketing.com/
http://www.marketingexperiments.com
http://www.did-it.com
http://www.click2customers.com
http://www.workingplanet.com
All of your customer support can be outsourced as well. For
customer support, I highly recommend the Professional
Support Network. Check them out at
http://www.pro-support-ntwk.com
And lastly, you can use a fulfillment company to handle
product fulfillment, order processing, product creation,
warehousing, and returns.
If you are looking for a highly professional fulfillment
company, check out http://www.disk.com.
To become truly successful online, you must remove yourself
as much as possible from the business.
5. Pursue Your Passions
By creating an online business, you are free to pursue your
passions and focus on your strengths. Everyone has something
that they do best. These are the things you should focus on.
Everything else can be outsourced.
I’ve seen too many people working jobs they hate just
waiting for retirement. We only get one ticket to this thing
called life. There is absolutely no reason to waste the best
years of our life doing something we don’t enjoy.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
What would make you most excited to wake up in the morning?
How can you turn your passions into a full time income?
How can you contribute the best of yourself?
These are the questions you must ask yourself to live a life
of passion and purpose.
Remember the wise words of Ralph Waldo Emerson,
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
The timing will never be “just right” to pursue what you
truly love in life. Sometimes you just have to jump.
entrepreneurship outsourcing work
[[ How to Have a 46 Hour Day|http://www.theoptimizedlife.com/time-management/how-to-have-a-46-hour-day/]]
Have you ever wished you had more time in a day? Our lives
have become defined by 60 hour work weeks and a desperate
need for speed.
However, speeding up isn’t the solution. In fact, I would
go so far as to say that most of us need to slow down. Take
a breath. And take a good hard look at how you’re using
you’re time.
There are probably a number of productivity hacks that you
could use to add more hours to your day. I’m betting that
you could add an additional 22 hours of productive time by
employing the following life hacks.
TIVO / DVR
I don’t watch a lot of TV, but there are a few shows that I
really enjoy. So, how do I sit in front of the tube and not
feel bad about it? DVR to the rescue. DVR stands for
digital video recorder. According to Wikipedia, DVR is “a
device that records video without videotape to a hard
drive-based digital storage medium.”
This allows you to watch TV without those agonizing
commercials, allowing you to instantly cut a 1 hour show
down to 40 minutes. For a productivity junkie, this is as
good as it gets.
Of course, if you’d like to do a bit of multi-tasking, you
can also exercise and walk on the treadmill while watching
TV. This way, you can get that bod in shape at the same
time.
Time Savings from DVR = Approximately 20 minutes
Turn off the TV
Ok, so maybe you’re hard core and really want to super
optimize your days. If so, then I would advise turning the
TV off completely.
According to research performed by Nielsen Co, the average
American watches more than 4 hours of television every day.
That’s 2 months in front of the television every year!
Over the course of a 65-year life, the average American will
have spent 9 years glued to the tube.
Just think of all of the things they could have
accomplished during that time. They could have written
their own book, become an accomplished musician, traveled
the world, learned multiple languages, made new friends,
and spent tons of quality time with their family.
I know we all need a dose of entertainment, but this is
getting ridiculous.
Television is one of the biggest time wasters in human
history. But if you can cut down or even cut it out, you are
sure to get more out of life.
Time Savings from Turning off the TV = Approximately 2 hours
Audio Books
Audio books are one of the best multi-tasking tools to ever
be created. You can listen to educational audiobooks while
you’re driving to work, cleaning the house, exercising, or
cooking dinner.
Audio learning has the power to add hours to your day. Not
to mention, you will be able to glide through hundreds of
books every year. So, instead of jamming to the music on
your way to work, why not pop in something educational.
Your brain will thank you for it.
Time Savings from Audio Books = Approximately 2 hours
Learn Speed Reading
Brian Tracy, a best-selling author, points out that just 1
hour per day of reading will make you an international
expert in your chosen field within 7 years.
We are living in the Information Age. No matter who you
are, you are bound to be overloaded with an excess of
information; everything from the morning paper to your
latest email.
Reading is now a prerequisite for success in life. In fact,
many presidents, including Kennedy, have required their
staff to take speed reading lessons.
You can become a speed reader as well, absorbing and
retaining your reading material faster than ever.
Here are a few tools that will help you speed through your
daily reading requirements, whether they be for work or
pleasure.
Photoreading: The Photoreading course can help you vastly
increase your reading speed. It has been endorsed by Tony
Robbins, Jack Canfield, Harvey Mackay, and Ken Blanchard.
Inside this course, you will learn the tools and techniques
for reading more intelligently and efficiently.
Photoreading will allow you to read at least three times
faster.
Evelyn Wood: The Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Course is one
of the most highly regarded reading courses available. A
number of White House staff members have taken this course,
including the Kennedy, Ford, and Carter administrations.
It has proven to increase reading speeds by 3 to 10 times.
Within this course, you will learn:
- how to read using your hand as a pacer
- how to improve concentration
- how to study more efficiently
- how to read magazines and newspapers in record time
- how to read journals and technical material
- how to stabilize for greater speed and comprehension
- how to take lecture notes
- how to prepare for examinations
- how to recall what you read
- how to read without sounding words
- how to read in groups of words instead of one at a time
- how to read classic and conceptual books
Become a speed reader and start flying through your daily
reading requirements.
Time Savings from Speed Reading = Approximately 2 hours
Outsource as much as possible
In the best-selling book, The World is Flat, Thomas
Friedman explains how outsourcing to India and China is
poised to transform every industry in America. In fact, it
already has in many cases.
However, outsourcing isn’t just for big businesses. It can
transform your life as well.
In this day and age, we can outsource much of our life,
whether it be our accounting, book writing, product
creation, or house cleaning.
Many entrepreneurs think they can do it all. They like to be
in control and that is often times why their business
fails. They don’t know how to build a system that allows
their business to run without them.
To grow your business you must free up your time to focus on
bigger and better things. You cannot simply keep adding to
the to-do list. At some point, you will need to hire some
help.
Let’s say that you’re worth $25 - $30 an hour. If you
spend your time doing something that someone else will do
for $10 an hour, you are wasting your most precious
resource: time.
In this day and age, almost any job can be outsourced.
Everything from personal needs to business tasks.
On a personal level, you can outsource your house work, yard
work, and travel planning.
In your business, you can outsource everything from customer
service and accounting to website maintenance and product
creation.
Here are just a few of the companies that will help you
outsource your everyday tasks:
Getfriday.com
elance.com
guru.com
scriptlancle.com
Time Savings from Outsourcing Your Life = Approximately 7 hours
Exercise!
Research has shown that midday exercise boosts productivity
and morale in the workplace.
If you want to optimize your day, then don’t forget to
exercise. Anything from walking to aerobics will work well.
Recruit a buddy and you’re workout will pass much more
quickly. Not to mention, you’re multitasking… combining
your exercise with your social life!
Best of all, by exercising with a friend, you become
accountable to each other.
Direct Deposit
Use Direct Deposit if offered by your employer. This way,
your check will be deposited straight into your checking
account. You no longer have to worry about making a stop at
the bank.
Direct deposit can save a good chunk of time. In fact, over
the course of 20 years, direct deposit will save you
approximately 130 hours. That’s a little over 5 days added
to your life.
Autopay your bills
Paying the bills… This has got to be everyone’s most
dreaded activity.
However, thanks to today’s technology, we can now
automatically pay our bills.
Say goodbye to late fees and increased interest rates.
Most companies now allow you to pay your bills
electronically on a recurring basis.
In fact, you may never have to see your money again. Direct
deposit will place the money in your account and automatic
bill payment will take it out. Isn’t life wonderful?
Time Savings from Direct Deposit and Automatic Bill Payment = Approximately 10 minutes
Setting a Timer for Your Tasks
One of my favorite time management techniques is using a
timer for each task on my to-do list. You’ll be surprised
how much more productive you are simply by setting a time
limit for each task.
Parkison’s Law says that a task will expand to fill the
time available for it. If you give yourself one hour to
complete a task, that’s how long it will take. If you give
yourself an entire day to complete a task, you will find
ways to fill up the entire day working on that one thing.
This is why it’s so important to give yourself short
deadlines. Give yourself 30 minutes to an hour to complete
something and watch how your productivity soars.
Deadlines are one of the best motivators.
Focus completely on the task before you. Get rid of any
distractions and become completely lost in your work.
Unplug the phone, turn off the cell, and get to work.
Time Savings from Using a Timer = Approximately 1 hour
Focus on result-oriented activities.
Vilfredo Pareto was an economist that discovered a
mathematical formula that explains many of today’s time
management problems.
This secret was discovered over 100 years ago. It says that
80% of the wealth in our society is held by 20% of the
population. On average, we wear 20% of the clothes in our
closet, while the other 80% live most of their lives on the
hanger. And most importantly for our application: 20% of our
actions produce 80% of our success.
This is known as Pareto’s law, which states that 80% of the
outputs result from 20% of the inputs.
So, what does this tell us?
We MUST focus on results-oriented activity.
We must find the 20% that is creating the 80% of our desired
outcomes.
If you own a business, excatly which advertising methods are
bringing you the best results? Focus on those and forget the
rest.
Time Savings from Focusing on Results-Oriented Activity = Approximately 3 hours
Elimination!!
Time management is really more about elimination than trying
to fit more into a day.
For an optimized life, you need to look closely for things
you can outsource or eliminate.
Here are just a few of things that can eat up our time each
day:
long showers
Surfing the Internet
Checking your email in the morning
Checking your email 30 times per day
instant messaging
television
Video Games
meetings
telephone interruptions
drop-in visitors
inability to say “No”
Make a commitment to avoiding these common time wasters and
start enjoying the free time you deserve.
Time Savings from Elimination = Approximately 1 hour
Go on an Information Diet
Most of the world lives on information overload.
Albert Einstein once said, “Reading after a certain age,
diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any
man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little
falls into lazy habits of thinking.”
Now, I’m all for reading. I think a book is one of the best
gifts you can give to yourself or to others.
However, do we really need to read 3 different newspapers,
multiple magazines, and too many blogs to count?
Please stop the endless torture to your poor little cranium.
From this point forward, I suggest you go on a strict
low-information diet. Now, as a webmaster myself, I know
that you may need some exposure to our world of info.
However, it’s crucial that you only consume the proper
sources.
The key is to limit yourself only to information that you
can immediately take action on. So if you’re writing an
article, the only information you will need is that which
relates to the article. If you’re making a decision about
your business, the only information you will need is that
which will help you make your decision.
But remember, you will never have all of the information you
need to make the perfect decisioin. Don’t get stuck in
analysis by paralysis.
I highly suggest that you look for books first because the
Internet is always one click away from an endless time
waster.
If you are looking for a book on a certain topic, don’t
waste your time searching the library or the bookstore. Go
to Amazon and find which books are rated highest under the
category you’re looking for. Browse through the
best-seller list. Read the reviews.
This way, you’re only reading the best of the best. You’re
getting the golden nuggets without having to sift through
hours of reading.
In addition, only read sections of the book that you can
immediately take action on.
Time Savings from an Information Diet = Approximately 1 hour
Find a mentor
In his best-selling book, Unlimited Power, Tony Robbins
says, “If you want to achieve success, all you need to do
is find a way to model those who have already succeeded.”
Success leaves a long trail of clues that prevents us from
traveling the long, hard road of trial and error. Why not
model those who have already succeeded and save yourself a
lot of time and energy.
There’s no point in reinventing the wheel. Find someone who
is already successful in what you want to accomplish and
find out how they achieved their success.
This is one of the very best ways to shortcut your way to
success.Success becomes a very simple formula when you
begin modeling yourself after those who have already
achieved the results you are looking for. Simply find a
mentor and tap into their recipe for success. You’ll save
yourself months and even years of trial and error.
Time Savings From Finding a Mentor = Approximately 1 hour
Step away from the computer.
The computer is an endless hole of distractions. The
internet has become one of the most time sucking,
producitivity killers to ever be invented.
Whenever possible, you should do your work offline. I have
incorporated this into my own life and have found that I
accomplish my goals three times faster when I work offline.
Time Savings From Working Offline = Approximately 30 minutes
Do something you love!!!
The final and most important time management tip is to do
something you love. As said by Dale Carnegie, “People
rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are
doing.”
When you are doing what you love, you throw yourself
completely into your work. You become a productivity
machine, while those who dislike their work waste most of
their time thinking about the next dreaded chore.
We only have one life to live. You owe it to yourself to
choose a career that coincides with your passions. Do what
you love and love what you do.
There is one thing that you can do better than anyone else
in the world. Search until you find out what that is and
make it the object of your desire.
Time Savings From Doing What You Love = Approximately 1 hour
Now let’s add it all up and find out just how many hours
you could be adding to your day.
Time Savings from DVR = Approximately 20 minutes
Time Savings from Turning off the TV = Approximately 2 hours
Time Savings from Audio Books = Approximately 2 hours
Time Savings from Speed Reading = Approximately 2 hours
Time Savings from Outsourcing Your Life = Approximately 7 hours
Time Savings from Exercising = Approximately 30 minutes
Time Savings from Direct Deposit and Automatic Bill Payment = Approximately 10 minutes
Time Savings from Using a Timer = Approximately 1 hour
Time Savings from Focusing on Results-Oriented Activity = Approximately 3 hours
Time Savings from Elimination = Approximately 1 hour
Time Savings from an Information Diet = Approximately 1 hour
Time Savings From Finding a Mentor = Approximately 1 hour
Time Savings From Working Offline = Approximately 30 minutes
Time Savings From Doing What You Love = Approximately 1 hour
Add it all up and you’ll uncover an extra 22 hours of
productivity. So the next time you want to add a few extra
hours to your day, slow down and take a look at how you’re
using your time. There’s always a productivity hack that
will give you extra time for the more important things in life.
[[ My 101 Goals for Life|http://www.theoptimizedlife.com/blogging-tips/my-101-goals-for-life/]]
Hello and welcome to TheOptimizedLife.com. This is my very first post of what will soon be a very active community of self improvement seekers. If you would like to live a life full of passion and purpose, then I urge you to stick around and save TheOptimizedLife.com in your favorites.
Helen Keller once said that life is “either a daring adventure, or it is nothing.”
Listed below are 101 of my life goals. Through the course of writing this blog, I will keep you updated on how I am progressing.
Please list some of your own goals in the comments section below and feel free to email me on your progress.
My 101 Goals for Life:
1. Become a full-time blogger
2. Read at least one book per week
3. Learn photography
4. Visit New Zealand
5. Travel around Europe
6. Write a book
7. Have an article published in a magazine
8. Learn to water ski
9. Run the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon
10. Run the Big Sur Marathon
11. Make new friends (Everybody can use more friends)
12. Spend more quality time with my family (Yes! even the inlaws)
13. Ride a jet ski.
14. Learn to kayak
15. Learn how to create online videos
16. Drive the Scenic Blue Ridge Parkway
17. Visit the Callaway Gardens
18. Learn to garden.
19. Visit Charleston, South Carolina
20. Eat at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans
21. Visit Blowing Rock: a village in the North Carolina mountains
22. Learn to speed read.
23. Improve my memory.
24. See the Northern Lights
25. See a Broadway play
26. Visit the Smithsonian
27. Visit Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Texas
28. Visit Water Country USA in Virginia
29. Attend the Ted Talks
30. Visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland
31. Visit Oceanworld Manly in Sydney Australia
32. Visit some of the top European Castles, including
Leeds Castle, Frankenstein Castle, Glamis Castle,and Lincoln
Castle
33. Visit some of the world’s top Ice Cream Parlor’s, including Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream in Hyde Park, Massachusetts and Lizzy’s Homemade Ice Cream in Waltham, Massachusetts.
34. Go to a baseball game at Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium and Pacific Bell Park
35. Ride in a hot air balloon
36. Visit Franklin, Tennessee
37. Run in the Peachtree Road Race
38. Run in the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in Charleston, South Carolina
39. Go to some of the top Christmas Light Shows, including:
Silver Dollar City in Brason, Mo.
Smoky Mountain Winterfest in Pigeon Forge
40. Visit Zion National Park in Utah
41. Visit Glacier National Park
42. Visit Yosetime National Park
43. Visit the Appalachian Trail
44. Visit Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina
45. Visit Cape Hatteras Light House in North Carolina
46. Take a railroad excursion on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
47. Visit the San Diego Zoo
48. Go to the Albuquerque International Balloan Fiesta
49. Run Grandma’s Marathon
50. Go to Yanik’s Underground Internet Marketing Seminar
51. Join a reading club
52. Attend a European Soccer game
53. Grow a garden
54. Ebrace each moment
55. Give at least one compliment per day
56. Go tubing on the water
57. Spend more time setting out under the stars
58. Interview those I admire
59. Spend more time visiting with friends
60. Spend more time at the ocean
61. Create a visionboard
62. Go to DisneyLand
63. Go and watch the Olympics
64. Learn to cook Italian
65. Visit Australia
66. visit Fiji or some other tropical island
67. Attend an outdoor play
68. Keep a journal of my favorite quotes to memorize
69. Give up television for one month
70. Become a vegetarian for one month
71. Call a family member every day for one month.
72. Wake up at 5:00 a.m. every day for one month.
73. Find a mentor
74. Make homemade ice cream
75. Visit Zion National Park
76. Visit Conagree National Park
77. Meet someone new every week
78. Visit Anegada, British Virgin Islands
79. Join Toastmasters
80. Join BNI (Business Networking International)
81. Write “real” letters to my friends and family (not just email)
82. Get a personalized license plate.
83. Run a sub-21 minute 5k
84. Read the biographies of Oprah Winfrey, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Hill and Albert Einstein.
85. Fly a kite on the ocean
86. Read educational business magazines once every two weeks.
87. Get six-pack abs
88. Look daily for how to help someone else have a better day
89. Play the game of life in full.
90. Read the Bible daily
91. Listen to educational podcasts while running
92. Customize my Google homepage
93. Organize and clean up my workspace once per week
94. Create a flickr photo album
95. Learn to play the keyboard
96. Visit Patagonia
97. Visit Channel Islands National Park in California
98. Visit a quiet ocean town for a week and do nothing but read and enjoy the water.
99. Sea Kayak in British Columbia
100. Become a good public speaker
101. Do something everyday “just for fun”
[[10 Benefits of Power Napping, and How to Do It|http://ririanproject.com/2007/09/05/10-benefits-of-power-napping-and-how-to-do-it/]]
By projectririan on Recovery
“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.”
- Carrie P. Snow
College students and kindergartens love them. Now, there may be proof that catching a few zzz’s in the afternoon can be beneficial to your health.
Power Napping Researchers have found in recent years that the human body requires only as much sleep as the brain will allow it. In other words, so long as the brain is functioning at full capacity, there’s no great requirement for sleep. The big thing is that the brain needs a rest every now and then, and apparently, the brain can refresh itself and go on “like with a full tank of gas” with just a short, 20-minute power nap.
These short 20-minute power naps for people who are really engrossed in their work, almost always provide a fresh burst of new ideas and energy. They tend to eliminate the need for caffeine boosts during the workday. And, they guarantee a reserve of energy so that the working day isn’t followed by an evening in which he falls asleep on the couch watching TV or at a social event.
Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of sleep and how a power nap can help you:
1. Less stress.
Curling up in a sunny patch on the floor or even lying your head down on your desk for a quick snooze brings relaxation. Research found that stress hormone levels were lower in those who took stress-reducing actions such as napping. Take a break each day from the stresses and reduce your risks, find a quiet, comfortable spot and take a nap. Even a short power nap can leave you feeling refreshed, renewed, and more focused.
2. Increased alertness and productivity.
If you have the opportunity for a power nap, particularly after a poor night of sleep, by all means, take one. You will feel more alert and energetic afterwards, and once rested after your mid-afternoon nap, your mood, efficiency, and alertness level will improve greatly. Scientists have even proven that taking a 20-minute nap approximately eight hours after you have awaken will do more for your stamina than sleeping another 20 minutes in the morning. Of course when you first come out of your afternoon nap, you will feel a bit groggy for around ten minutes, but once your decline in motor dexterity dissipates, you will reap the rewards of being well rested and ready to go for the rest of the day.
3. Improved memory and learning.
Naps aren’t just for the very young, old, and sluggish. Daytime dozing may enhance a person’s capacity to learn certain tasks. That, at least, is the eye-opening implication of a new study in which college students were challenged to detect subtle changes in an image during four different test sessions on the same day.
Participants improved on the task throughout the first session. The students’ speed and accuracy then leveled off during the second session. The scores of the participants who didn’t nap declined throughout the final two sessions. In contrast, volunteers who took a 20-minute power nap after completing the second practice session showed no ensuing performance dips. What’s more, 1-hour power nappers responded progressively faster and more accurately in the third and fourth sessions. It looks like napping may protect brain circuits from overuse until those neurons can consolidate what’s been learned about a procedure.
4. Good for the heart.
Taking 40 winks in the middle of the day may reduce the risk of death from heart disease, particularly in young healthy men, say researchers. They studied 23,681 individuals living in Greece who had no history of coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer when they first volunteered, and found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death. The researchers took into account ill health, age, and whether people were physically active. So go ahead and nap — a short daily snooze might ward off a heart attack later in life. It is known that countries where siestas are common tend to have lower levels of heart disease.
5. Increased cognitive functioning.
In a recent study, researchers at NASA showed that a 30-minute power nap increased cognitive faculties by approximately 40 percent! Tests carried out on one thousand volunteers proved that those who continued working without rest, made lower scores in intelligence tests like the IQ test. More importantly, their capacities to work and memorize decreased in comparison to those who napped after lunch.
In concordance with NASA’s work, biology students at Berkeley determined that the nap must be short in order to produce maximum effectiveness. Over forty five minutes, the beneficial effects of napping disappear and it is therefore suggested to take a fifteen to thirty five minute “power nap”. This is the time necessary for the organism to rest and enables brain neurons to recuperate.
6. Get motivated to exercise.
Sufficient sleep and naps help motivate exercise. Some 28 percent of adolescents say they are too tired to exercise, due to sleep. As adults, let’s not let tiredness ruin our jogs. You’re guaranteed to run longer, faster, more efficiently and mindfully when your body has it’s required amount of zzzz’s. So, store-up, shore-up and build-up your energy reserve with a power nap. It’s easy (free!) and proven effective.
7. Boost your creativity.
Rest and relaxation isn’t only vital to your health — it might also make you a more creative person. People tend to be more imaginative after a good night’s sleep. Other experts agree that taking a nap or stepping away from a problem or project refreshes the mind and could lead to better ideas later. Power napping allows your brain to create the loose associations necessary for creative insight and opens the way for a fresh burst of new ideas. So if you feel stuck, then you might want to take a nap. Return to the problem after diverting your attention for a while. The best part is that there’s no need to feel guilty, because taking some “me time,” in this case, could help your business in the long run.
8. Make up for midnight tossing and turning.
Some of the most recent research suggests that a bad night’s sleep can stress the body as well as the mind. One such study, suggests that missing sleep throws the body’s metabolism off kilter. Scientists at the University of Chicago studied physical changes in 11 young men who slept four hours per night for six nights in a row. They found that sleep deprivation seemed to trigger a diabetes-like condition, harmed hormone production, and interfered with the ability to use carbohydrates.
According to some studies, power napping is clearly beneficial to someone who is a normal sleeper but who is getting insufficient sleep at night. Researchers still don’t understand the underlying neurobiology, but it looks like sleep time is cumulative. They compared the alertness of people who slept eight hours a night to that of people who slept less but took a nap during the day. Both groups were equivalent.
9. Protect yourself from sleepiness.
Scientists had also found benefits in the “prophylactic” nap for people who have to stay up late. It can protect you from sleepiness. If you have to be up all night, a two-hour or a four-hour nap does provide additional alertness the next day. Research conducted by NASA produced similar results. Naps are clearly useful for some people, including shift workers, students, and anyone doing long-haul work, such as pilots on transcontinental runs.
10. Better health.
Napping in general benefits heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick who is at the forefront of napping research. A power nap, says Mednick, simply maximizes these benefits by getting the sleeper into and out of rejuvenating sleep as fast as possible.
Everyone, no matter how high-strung, has the capacity to nap. But the conditions need to be right. Here are some helpful hints from Dr. Sara Mednick, author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life.
Getting The Perfect Nap
# The first consideration is psychological: Recognize that you’re not being lazy; napping will make you more productive and more alert after you wake up.
# Try to nap in the morning or just after lunch; human circadian rhythms make late afternoons a more likely time to fall into deep (slow-wave) sleep, which will leave you groggy.
# Avoid consuming large quantities of caffeine as well as foods that are heavy in fat and sugar, which meddle with a person’s ability to fall asleep.
# Instead, in the hour or two before your nap time, eat foods high in calcium and protein, which promote sleep.
# Find a clean, quiet place where passersby and phones won’t disturb you.
# Try to darken your nap zone, or wear an eyeshade. Darkness stimulates melatonin, the sleep- inducing hormone.
# Remember that body temperature drops when you fall asleep. Raise the room temperature or use a blanket.
# Once you are relaxed and in position to fall asleep, set your alarm for the desired duration (see below).
How Long Is A Good Nap?
# THE NANO-NAP: 10 to 20 seconds. Sleep studies haven’t yet concluded whether there are benefits to these brief intervals, like when you nod off on someone’s shoulder on the train.
# THE MICRO-NAP: two to five minutes. Shown to be surprisingly effective at shedding sleepiness.
# THE MINI-NAP: five to 20 minutes. Increases alertness, stamina, motor learning, and motor performance.
# THE ORIGINAL POWER NAP: 20 minutes. Includes the benefits of the micro and the mini, but additionally improves muscle memory and clears the brain of useless built-up information, which helps with long-term memory (remembering facts, events, and names).
# THE LAZY MAN’S NAP: 50 to 90 minutes. Includes slow-wave plus REM sleep; good for improving perceptual processing; also when the system is flooded with human growth hormone, great for repairing bones and muscles.
Contrary to popular opinion, napping isn’t for the lazy or depressed. Famous nappers have included Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison. The moral of the story: to be ultra-productive, just rest your head. You snooze, you gain. Give it a try for yourself and see if you aren’t amazed at the results!
Recommended:[[Pzizz|http://pzizz.com/purchase?affiliate=2446]] is a really neat little piece of software (and “real life” machine) that’ll help you relax and reduce stress. It does this by providing you over a billion custom naps on your computer that you can trigger when you need a refresher.
[[10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time|http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-tips-to-study-smart-and-save-time.html]]
I recently got my marks back from University. My grade point average was a 4.2 out of a possible 4.5, resting between an A and a perfect A+. In itself, this isn’t an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a fraction of the time studying than many of the people I knew.
Is it just natural talent? Perhaps. I’ve always had a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. But I also believe the way I learned the information played a role. Instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall.
This strategy of organization I label holistic learning. Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, that interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Linking ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts.
Building an Understanding
Learning is a process similar to building a house. You aren’t fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.
You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:
1. Memorization - Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.
2. Formulas - This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.
There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren’t your entire strategy. The human brain isn’t a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.
Learning Holistically
The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:
1. Metaphor - Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.
2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.
3. Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.
4. Leave No Islands - When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.
6. Find Patterns - Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.
7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8. Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.
9. Build Models - Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
10. Learning is in Your Head - Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.
[[10 Ways to Remove Clutter from Your Life|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/07/10-ways-to-remove-clutter-from-your.html]]
Our lives tend to accumulate clutter in every corner: on our desks, in our drawers, on our shelves at home, in our closets, on our computer -- you name it, and clutter finds a way to fill every available space.
But having a simple, uncluttered life is possible, with some very simple methods.
Devote a little of your time to tossing clutter from your life, and keeping things relatively clutter-free, and you'll be rewarded with much more pleasing living spaces, with a less stressful life, and with better organization and productivity. Clutter weighs us down, distracts us, brings chaos into our lives.
Let's look at some ways to kick it out ... for good.
1. Your desk. If your desk is covered in paper and other clutter, clear it off to create a pleasing work environment. The steps here are the basic decluttering steps we'll follow for many of the other steps below:
* Clear everything off. Take everything off your desk and put it in a pile on the floor. Clear out the drawers too, if you have time. The only things that should be on your desk now are the computer, phone and other similar equipment.
* Clean. Wipe down your desk, and clean your drawers if you're decluttering them too. It's good to start with clean surfaces.
* Sort. OK, here's the meat of the process: sort through your stuff, one pile at a time. Toss out or route as much as possible, so that what you're left with is a relatively small amount of stuff. If you won't be using it again in the near future, or if you can access it on the computer, toss it out.
* Designate homes. Now you get to place everything back in your desk. Set up a simple alphabetical filing system, with one folder for each project or client. Have drawers for your office supplies and other stuff. With less stuff to organize, it shouldn't be too hard. Be sure to have a place designated for everything, and keep things in those places. Sometimes it helps to label, so you don't forget.
* Leave flat surfaces clear. Don't put stuff on top of your desk. Have an inbox for all incoming papers, and then sort them each day and either toss, delegate, do them immediately, or file all documents, so nothing remains on top of your desk. The only thing that should be on your desk is your computer, phone, inbox, perhaps a family photo, and the documents you're working on right now.
2. Files. If you decluttered your files in the above step, you can skip this, although you should declutter not only your work files but your home files as well. Keep a simple alphabetical system, and try to fit everything in one drawer. It's good to take out all your files, and purge what you don't need. Many times that can be half of your files or more. Get rid of as much as possible -- most times, we keep copies of stuff we'll never need again. When you're done purging, you should have a minimum of files, and it shouldn't be hard to keep organized.
3. Information. In today's digital world, there are tons of ways that information comes into our lives -- and it can be overwhelming. It's information clutter -- we get too much of it. Instead, set certain times of the day when you check email, your RSS feeds, or various forums or other things you read daily. Reduce the number of things you read each day -- purge your RSS feeds of stuff that doesn't give you value, reduce your consumption of news and television, get rid of magazine subscriptions. Keep information to a bare minimum, and only check it at certain times of the day instead of letting it rule your life.
4. Computer. Purge your computer files, getting rid of stuff you don't need. Clear your desktop of icons -- they slow your computer down, create visual clutter, and are an inefficient way to access files, programs or folders. Set up hotkeys with AutoHotKey or similar programs. With online search tools (such as that in Gmail) and programs such as Google Desktop, you don't need to keep your files in a complex array of directories and subdirectories -- just archive, and search later. Purge old, unneeded files at least every month or two.
5. Closets. Use the same method for your closets as you did with your desk: clear everything out, clean it out, sort (and toss or donate as much as possible), and designate homes for what you decided to keep. Keep only what you love and use often. I recommend keeping your closet floor clear -- it makes everything look nicer. If tackling the entire closet is too intimidating, it can be helpful to just tackle one area of your closet a day, until it's done. It's also useful to go through your wardrobe, and donate everything you haven't worn in 6 months -- it greatly simplifies your closet.
6. Rooms. Are the rooms in your house too cluttered? A few rules about simplifying a room: first, start with anything that's stacked on the floors; then work to the flat surfaces (tables, shelves, countertops, the tops of dressers, etc.) and clear them completely if possible; then do the larger stuff like furniture and other things that clutter the room; and finally tackle drawers and cabinets and closets. As much as possible, keep floors clear and all flat surfaces. Sort through everything in piles as in the first step above, tossing and donating as much as possible. Organize everything else in drawers and closets and cabinets, out of sight but still neat and uncluttered. Tackle one room at a time, going for a clean, uncluttered, simple, minimalist look in all cases. It can be helpful to continually edit a room once you're done decluttering -- you can always find little ways to make a room simpler.
7. Drawers. The way to declutter a drawer is the same as outlined above: empty everything out, clean the drawer, sort through the pile of stuff from the drawer (purging as much as possible) and organizing the few things left. Keep like things together -- a drawer for office supplies should only be for office supplies. Avoid having a junk drawer -- everything should have a designated place. Go through one drawer at a time -- don't jump from one drawer to another.
8. Commitments. Aside from physical clutter, our lives are often way too cluttered by the things we need to do -- at work, at home, in our civic or religious lives, with our hobbies, with friends and family, etc. Go through each area of your life, and write down every commitment you have -- from things you've volunteered or agreed to do on a regular basis, to meetings and sports games and other things you do every month or week. It can be overwhelming. Now examine each one, and decide if it truly gives you joy and value in your life, and whether it's worth the time you commit to it. It can be useful to just choose a few of the commitments that your really love doing. Get rid of all the rest. Just call people and tell them your schedule is too busy, and you have to decline. Learn to say no! One by one, eliminate the commitments in your life that don't give you value, and you'll have more time to do the stuff that's really important to you -- stuff for yourself, or your loved ones.
9. Routines. It is extremely useful to examine your daily and weekly routines. Often, we don't have any set routines, and we tackle our chores, regular tasks, and obligations haphazardly. This leads to chaotic days and weeks, and often a drop in productivity. It's better to batch like tasks together -- do all your errands at once, for example, or all your laundry at once instead of throughout the week. Write down all of your weekly and daily obligations, chores, tasks, etc. and plan out a weekly and daily routine. Post it up where you can see it and try to follow it, at least for a week. It could bring some calmness and simplicity to your life that hadn't been there before. Be sure to schedule time for decluttering in your weekly routine!
10. Systems. Once you've purged clutter from your life, it will inevitably start to creep back in. To keep from having a cluttered life again, you need to set up systems that will keep the clutter to a minimum. Examine how you do things, how things come into your life, and see if you can create a simple system for everything: chores, laundry, paperwork, email, RSS feeds, yardwork, errands, work projects, filing. And then write down your systems, step by step, and try to follow them. If your systems are set up right, you will continually purge clutter you don't need. For example, a system for paperwork might look like this:
* All incoming papers go in inbox.
* At the end of each day, inbox is processed.
* Rules for processing: toss, route, file, do, or write on to-do list to do later and put it in "action file".
* Process to empty, leaving no papers in inbox or on desk. Clear desk of any working papers.
Written for Dumb Little Man by Leo Babauta
[[15 Extra Ways to Keep Your Brain In Shape|http://ririanproject.com/2007/06/12/15-extra-ways-to-keep-your-brain-in-shape/]]
By projectririan on Success
“If you nurture your mind, body and spirit, your time will expand. You will gain a new perspective that will allow you to accomplish much more.”
- Brian Koslow
Brain in top nick It’s simple, your brain is at the center of everything you do, all you feel and think, and every nuance of how you relate to people. It’s both the supercomputer that runs your complex life and the tender organ that houses your soul. So it is very important to focus on keeping your brain in shape.
By regularly engaging in the right activities, you can increase your memory, improve your problem-solving skills and boost your creativity. Here are some extra tips on how to keep your brain in top nick.
1. Just stop.
Take 20-30 minutes out of your day to think about nothing. But don’t sleep – you’ve got to meditate. Sit still, reduce sensory input, and try to focus your mind on something like a calm scene or a color (to begin with thinking about something rather than trying to think of ‘nothing’ is easier). A study at the University of Kentucky revealed that subjects who took a late-afternoon test after meditating for 30 minutes had better scores than those who napped for the same time.
2. Hit the streets.
Lace up your running shoes and get moving. A study from the University of Illinois, US, revealed that aerobic exercise actually increases brain volume. They put two groups through different regimens - one did aerobic training three times weekly for one hour; the other group did just stretching and toning exercise. The aerobics group had increased their brain volume and white matter, which forms the connections between neurons.
3. Mix it up.
Exercise has long been hailed as an aid to brain-power longevity. But to ensure you’re not leaving the gas on in your eighties, vary your workout routines now. Try changing things up on a regular basis and you’ll stimulate your brain more because you’re not using the same pathway over and over again.
4. Read a book.
Choose from classic literature, science fiction or personal development books and give your brain a boost. Pick up a novel before your next flight or vacation. On top of the cerebral benefits, the escapism that comes from reading can be very relaxing. Reading helps you exercise your cognitive skills and increase your vocabulary. Do it regularly and you’ll be amazed at the information you absorb, which will make you a more interesting conversationalist.
5. One-cup-manship.
Swilling coffee could be the perfect accompaniment to the cryptic crossword. Austrian researchers measuring brain activity found short-term memory and concentration improved after consuming 100mg of caffeine - equal to an Americano. But after 40 minutes those guinea pigs were back to the dumbness levels of a twice-a-day Deal Or No Deal viewer.
6. Engage in a debate.
A lively discussion can be invigorating. As long as you avoid letting it digress into an argument, you can have a lot of fun debating the pros and cons of an issue with a friend or colleague. Playing with your brain stimulates blood flow and strengthens the connections (synapses) between nerve cells in the brain. You’ll practice your quick thinking skills, logic and creativity. And developing convincing theories on the spot will help you in your career and in your personal relationships.
7. Grab the Brainbox 360 controller.
Believe it or not, playing certain video games can actually be good for your health. You’ll develop stronger visual skills and make decisions 85% faster than non-gamers, say experts from the University of Rochester, New York. Gamers can read the newspaper, recognize a scene or pick out facial features faster in between fragging killer aliens.
8. Subscribe to a daily newsletter.
Make the most out of your web surfing. Whether it’s a “word of the day,” “quote of the day” or “this day in history” newsletter, receiving new information each day will add data to the hard drive in your head. The mental stimulation will increase your comprehension skills. The additional knowledge will also make you sound more worldly and intelligent.
9. Curry favours.
Tuck into a Ruby Murray tonight to clear the mental cobwebs. Scientists from University of California discovered that curcumin – a yellow-coloured compound found in the curry spice turmeric can slow the onset of memory loss. Small doses of curry could also help protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease - at least that’s the effect in rats. Curries with a yellow tinge will have the highest curcumin count.
10. Grab a cue and play pool.
Rack ‘em up, grab a cue and concentrate on your strategy. Billiard players must focus on the immediate, blocking out distractions as they plan their next moves. Strategic planning increases mental clarity. Concentrating on the immediate helps keep your mind sharp. Furthermore, this game of angles demands that players think in terms of physics, something most of us rarely do in our everyday lives. And it’s a brilliant way to pass the time.
11. Learn an instrument.
A Stanford University research has found for the first time that musical training improves how the brain processes the spoken word. So pull out your old guitar, sign up for piano lessons, or rent a trumpet or a clarinet. Learning how to make music will stimulate your creativity. Reading music provides mental stimulation. Playing an instrument requires powers of recall as well as concentration to maintain tune and tempo.
12. Being boron.
Fat-busting snacks have the added benefit of enhancing your little grey cells. British Nutrition Foundation reports show low-fat dried fruits such as dates are a good source of brain-boosting boron. Get 200g of the fruit down you a day and you’re likely to score higher in motor skills than your raisin-less colleagues.
13. Fresh air golf playing.
Escape to the links and spend a few hours in the fresh air counting birdies, bogeys and mulligans. Just play! It is good for your spirit and good for your brain. Golf is a social sport and a great way to network and relax at the same time. Golfers get mental stimulation using their decision-making skills as they plan stroke strategies. As the sport involves the control of repetitive movements, it instills mind-body discipline.
14. Less stressed with yoga.
Yoga is more than an exercise and you might be surprised at how strenuous it can be. Beyond the physical demands that give your entire body a workout, yoga has great calming and relaxation qualities. Yoga forces you to focus on controlling all your muscles and your breathing. You’ll let your worries slide away, giving your mind a rest from stress.
15. Build a miniature model.
Remember the fun you had as a kid making model airplanes and cars? Recreate that by building a miniature model, it is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in good working condition. Following all those written instructions sharpens your powers of concentration. Focusing on the task at hand will also be very relaxing.
Remember to keep your mental faculties in tip-top shape by giving yourself plenty of opportunities for mental stimulation; by keeping your mind active you’ll reap great brain-boosting benefits .
[[18 ways to stay focused at work|http://www.davecheong.com/2006/08/14/18-ways-to-stay-focused-at-work/]]
#Write out a daily task list and plan your day.
#Allocate time slots colleagues can interrupt you.
#Apply time boxing.
#Setup filters in your email.
#Do not check personal email in the morning.
#Set your IM status.
#Listen to the right types of music.
#Use the headphones but leave the music off.
#Fill up a water bottle.
#Find the best time to do repetitive and boring tasks.
#Bring your lunch and have it at your desk.
#Don’t make long personal calls.
#Clean up your desk.
#Get a good chair.
#Use shortcuts on your computer.
#Close programs you’re not using.
#Limit time on Digg, Delicious, news sites and blogs.
#Change your mindset and make work fun.
----
[[11 ways of staying focused|http://www.davecheong.com/2006/06/21/11-ways-of-staying-focused/]]
#Having well defined goals.
#Breaking things into bite sized chunks.
#Prioritising constantly.
#Tracking progress vigorously.
#Planning ahead without fail.
#Rewarding myself when warranted.
#Removing distractions as best I can.
#Blocking out some time.
#Keeping the results clear in mind.
#Enlisting my family and friends for help.
Here are some examples of how I have applied these techniques to my blogging:
*Having a goal to write 120 articles in a year.
*Working on 3 articles each week, or 2 paragraphs in each sitting.
*Prioritising bill paying before working on writing tasks.
*Tracking the number of posts I have done each week.
*Planning the topics for future articles in advance.
*Taking time out to do searches on Technorati and Google.
*Waking up at 5:30am and working on an article before work.
*Asking my wife to wake me up if I fail to get up on my own.
*Unplugging the Xbox to remove distractions.
*Watching TV to relax my mind after completing an article.
*Visualise the growth in subscribers to my feed to maintain motivation.
[[http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/20-ways-to-eliminate-stress-from-your-life/|20 ways to eliminate stress]]
But these sources of stress can be eliminated with a little thought. Here’s how:
#Identify stressors. This is the most important step of all, as identifying the things that stress you out in your life is the first step towards eliminating them. Take 10 minutes to think about what stresses you out during the day. What weekly occurrences stress you out? What people, activities, things cause stress in your life? Make a Top 10 list, and see which of them can be eliminated, and start to weed them out. For those that can’t, find ways to make them less stressful.
#Eliminate unnecessary commitments. I did a post on editing your commitments before … apply those concepts here. We all have many commitments in our life, starting with work but also including commitments related to kids, our spouses, things to do at home, other family, civic, side work, religious, hobbies, online activities and more. Consider each of them, the amount of stress they provide, and the value you get out of them. Edit brutally, and take steps today to remove the ones that stress you out the most.
#Procrastination. We all do this, of course. But allowing stuff to pile up will stress us out. Find ways to take care of stuff now (form a Do It Now habit) and keep your inbox and desk clear. See 20 Procrastination Hacks for more ideas.
#Disorganization. We’re all disorganized to some extent. Even if we’ve organized something, and created a great system for keeping it that way, things tend to move towards chaos over time. But disorganization stresses us out, in terms of visual clutter, and in making it difficult to find stuff we need. Take time to get things in your life organized, starting with your desk and the papers in your home, and moving on to other areas.
#Late. Being late always stresses us out. We have to rush to get ready, rush to get there, and stress out the whole time about looking bad and being late. Learn the habit of being early, and this stress disappears. Make a conscious effort to start getting ready earlier, and to leave earlier. This also makes driving less stressful. Time yourself to see how long it actually takes to get ready, and how long it actually takes to get somewhere. You’ve probably been underestimating these times. Once you know these times, you can plan backwards so that you show up 10 minutes early each time. It’s a good feeling.
#Controlling. We are not the Master of this Universe. I know we sometimes wish we were, but acting as if we are is a sure way to get stressed out. Trying to control situations and people cannot work, and only serves to increase our anxiety when it doesn’t work. Learn to let go, and accept the way that other people do things, and accept what happens in different situations. The only thing you can control is yourself — work on that before you consider trying to control the world. Also learn to separate yourself from tasks and to delegate them. Learning to let go of our need to control others and the situations around us is a major step towards eliminating stress.
#Multitasking. Having multiple tasks going on at the same time might seem productive, but in actuality it slows us down from actually focusing on a task and completing it — and it stresses us out in the meantime. Learn to single-task.
#Eliminate energy drains. If you’ve analyzed your life (in Step 1) and found things that stress you out, you might have also noticed things that drain your energy. Certain things in our life just cause us to be more exhausted than others, with less value. Identify them, and cut them out. You’ll have much more energy and much less stress. Happiness ensues.
#Avoid difficult people. You know who they are. If you take a minute to think about it, you can identify all the people in your life — bosses, coworkers, customers, friends, family, etc. — who make your life more difficult. Now, you could confront them and do battle with them, but that will most certainly be difficult. Just cut them out of your life.
#Simplify life. Simplifying, of course, is a major theme of Zen Habits. Simplify your routines, your commitments, your information intake, your cluttered rooms, the mass of stuff going on in your life … and have less stress as a result. Start with Edit Your Life and then look through the other simplicity articles.
#Unschedule. Create more open periods of time in your life. It’s not necessary to schedule every minute of our lives. Learn to avoid meetings, keep wide open blocks of time where we either work on our important tasks or batch process the smaller ones. When someone asks to schedule a meeting, first try to get it done through email or phone … if that doesn’t work, avoid having it scheduled. Ask them to call you and see if you’re free at that time. You will love having an open schedule.
#Slow down. Instead of rushing through life, learn to take things slow. Enjoy your food, enjoy the people around you, enjoy nature. This step alone can save tons of stress.
#Help others. It may sound contradictory to add more tasks to your life by trying to help other people (you’ve got enough to do), but if you were to add anything to your life, this should be it. Helping others, whether volunteering for a charity organization or just making an effort to be compassionate towards people you meet, not only gives you a very good feeling, it somehow lowers your stress level. Of course, this doesn’t work if you try to control others, or help others in a very rushed and frenetic way — learn to take it easy, enjoy yourself, and let things happen, as you work to make the lives of others better.
#Relax throughout the day. It’s important to take mini-breaks during your work day. Stop what you’re doing, massage your shoulders and neck and head and hands and arms, get up and stretch, walk around, drink some water. Go outside and appreciate the fresh air and the beautiful sky. Talk to someone you like. Life doesn’t have to be all about productivity. You should also avoid using online activity too much as your de-stressing activity — get away from the computer to relax.
#Quit work. This one’s drastic, and probably too drastic for most. But in most likelihood, your work is your absolute biggest stressor. Getting out of your 9-to-5, automating your income, and finding something you truly love to do, that you’re passionate about, will create a positive life and much less stressful one at that. Give it a little thought before dismissing it — there might be possibilities here you haven’t considered.
#Simplify your to-do list. I’ve written about this before, but attempting to do everything on your long to-do list will definitely stress you out. Learn to simplify your to-do list down to the few essential tasks, and you will enjoy the process much more.
#Exercise. This is common advice for stress relief, and that’s because it works … but it’s also a stress prevention method. Exercising helps relieve the stress buildup, it gives you some quiet time to contemplate and relax, and just as importantly, it makes you more fit. A fitter person is better equipped to handle stress. Another important factor: being unhealthy can be a major stressor (especially once you have to go to the hospital), and exercise can help prevent that.
#Eat healthy. This goes hand-in-hand with exercise as a stress prevention method, of course. Become healthier and a major source of stress will disappear. Also, I’ve found that greasy food, for me, puts me in a worse mood and can contribute to stress levels immediately.
#Be grateful. This might not be as obvious as some of the others, but developing an attitude of gratitude (I sound like a preacher with that rhyme!) is a way of thinking positive, eliminating negative thinking from your life, and thereby reducing stress. Learn to be grateful for what you have, for the people in your life, and see it as a gift. With this sort of outlook on life, stress will go down and happiness will go up. That’s a winning formula.
#Zen-like environment. Take time to declutter your desk (as mentioned above) and even once you do that, continually edit your desk and working space, and the things in your home, until you’ve created a simple, peaceful, Zen-like environment. It will be much less stressful to work in an environment like that than a more cluttered and distracting one.
[[21 Ways to Add More Hours to the Day|http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/21-ways-to-add-more-hours-to-the-day.html]]
A twenty five hour day isn’t coming any time soon. As long as your feet stay planted on the ground here, twenty four is all you’re going to get. However, with a bit of skill you can squeeze out a couple more hours to add to your day. Here’s how:
Step One: Remove Big Chunks
The first step to reclaiming more time from your day is to get hold of the big chunks that aren’t being put to good use. “Good use” is a fairly subjective term here, but it could mean both work that doesn’t get much done or leisure time that isn’t enjoyable. Here are some places to start looking:
1. Television - This is a good starting point if you need more time. If you don’t completely eliminate it, cut it down to only the key shows you enjoy viewing or news you need to hear. Otherwise power-off this timewaster.
2. Internet - Quickly replacing television as a huge time consumer is the internet. Try going on an internet diet where you halve your net usage for two weeks. The first few days will be hard, but each time I’ve done this my results have been that almost no work was lost in the cutback.
3. Games - A friend once told me that World of Warcraft was electronic crack. I’ve seen 14-Day subscription CD’s for dirt cheap, so I can see they’re even using the drug dealer business model. In all seriousness though, cutting back on game playing can give you more time.
4. E-mail - It’s easy to get lured into checking your inbox, just one more time. Unfortunately, if you are checking it every hour or two, it can waste more time than it’s worth. In the past I’ve maintained a once per day inbox clearing routine and found it saved a lot of time. Now I’d like to aim for twice per day.
5. Work - Cutting time from work isn’t easy. But as Tim Ferriss demonstrated in the 4-Hour Workweek, if you can maintain productivity or increase it, then cutting low-value work is possible. Outsourcing menial tasks to virtual assistants or simply cutting work that isn’t useful can help you reclaim work hours.
6. Chores - Beyond just hiring a maid, there are ways you can reduce time from your chores. Cooking meals in advance, keeping things perpetually tidy, maintaining an organizing system to reduce the need for overhauls can all cut down your time usage.
7. Schoolwork - For students, the classroom offers a lot of opportunities to save time without ruining your GPA. Most of these involve changing how you try to learn things to reduce wasted time in cram sessions. Read this article for more on how to do that.
Step Two: Reclaim Gap Time
Anywhere from 2-5 hours of your day is probably spent in “gap time.” Gap times are those between meaningful activities but aren’t normally long enough to get more done. Commuting to work, waiting in line, time spent cooking foods, commercial breaks in television programs and small breaks in your schedule all count. Here are seven ways you can fill those gaps:
1. Books - Bring a book with you at all times and get a few minutes of reading in.
2. Listen - Put some audio books in your iPod and listen while you drive or walk.
3. Problems - Solve problems in advance during gap periods so you won’t waste as much time on them later.
4. Articles - Print off longer articles and read them while waiting for food to cook or in lines.
5. Creativity - I use gap time to come up with new article ideas. You can use it to come up with new ideas for work or life.
6. Rehearsal - Use gap minutes to visualize important parts of your day you want to perform well in.
7. Engage - Make your gap minutes more enjoyable by focusing on what you are doing. Focus completely on the drive to work or observe everything when waiting in line.
Step Three: Triage
The final step is to use the principle of triage to focus on what’s important and ignore what isn’t. The easiest way to waste hours of your day is to do “work” that isn’t getting much done. Here are some things to think about when using triage:
1. E-mail - Consider an autoresponder for common messages. Use concise yes or no answers for questions that don’t need a length explanation.
2. Reading - If your purpose for reading is information, learn to change your pace from a knowledge absorbing crawl up to a fast skim over unimportant details. Ignore whole chapters and focus first on the ideas that are crucial to understand.
3. Television - If you still watch TV, tape in advance and cut the commercials. You can save fifteen minutes from an hour program by doing this.
4. Exercise - Plan workouts in advance so you can get the most exercising done without time spent flipping though fitness magazines or too much rest.
5. Meetings - A good management trick is to conduct all meetings standing to speed them up.
6. Relationships - I hesitate to say this, since relationships aren’t the normal domain of productivity time-cutting. But there are people in your life who use up much of your time without adding to the relationship. Not entirely caustic, these relationships drain your energy without providing much benefit. Navigate away from those people and focus on friends where the investment is worthwhile.
Final Tip: Prioritize Work
The final question isn’t just of doing things faster, but of doing the right things. Constantly measure and be aware of the actual value each of your work activities brings. Those that don’t add much should be simplified or eliminated entirely to focus on those that do.
[[ 28 Links that Will Change Your Life|http://www.theoptimizedlife.com/self-improvement/28-links-that-will-change-your-life/]]
This is the first of many link roundups that I plan on posting to this site.
I have scoured the best of the web in order to bring you the best
of the best served up on a single platter. Hope you enjoy!
1. The Personal MBA - The personal MBA will change the way you approach education. This manifesto allows you to get a top notch business education without the high-priced degree.
2. Lifehack.org - Optimize your life with tips and tricks
for getting things done quickly.
3. Life Coaches Blog - Are you looking to improve your life? The Life Coaches Blog will help you to set goals, master accelerated learnings strategies, create fulfilling relationships, learn powerful Neuro-Linguistic programming techniques, and lead a passionate and purpuseful life.
4. StevePavlina.com - StevePavlina.com is one of the most well-respected personal development sites on the Internet. Some of my favorite posts
include:
30 Days to Success
How to Get From a 7 to a 10
The Law of Attraction
10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job
5. PicktheBrain.com - Find out how to take full advantage of your brain. Here are some of my favorite posts from this blog:
5 Simple Ways to Make the Most of Your Intelligence
Learn to Understand Your Own Intelligence
Does Being Labeled as Gifted Undermine Personal Growth
6. Steve-Olson.com - Check out this incredible blog and follow along in the personal development journey of Steve Olson. Some of my favorite posts include:
How the Public School System Crushes Souls
Why Getting a Job Isn’t the Best Way to Earn Money
10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed
7. CultivateGreatness.com - Here’s an incredible blog that will help you become the best person you can be. Some of my favorite posts include:
8 Technologies to Save the World
Best Advice I Ever Got Series
How to Double Your Brain Power
8. Lifehacker - Get the latest info on personal productivity technology. Lifehacker will teach you the tips and tricks needed to make getting things done easy and fun.
9. BrianKim.net - If you are looking to create a life that you love, then this blog is for you. Brian Kim writes some of the best self improvement articles on the Net. Here are just a few of my favorite posts:
How to Find What You Love to Do
Top 5 Things That Should Be Taught in Every School
How to Be Charming
10. MIT OpenCourseWare - Have you ever wanted to take a peek inside MIT. Well, now you can. MIT has unlocked the vault. You can now listen to the lectures and read all of the class handouts just like you were in the very classrooms of MIT.
Some of the most advanced and exclusive courses are at your finger tips. For those who are self-learners, MIT opencourseware is a goldmine. The courses range from engineering and mathematics to economics and business.
11. Newstarget.com - Find out the truth about what you’re eating. Newstarget is an alternative health website that informs their visitors about the dangers that can be found in your local grocery store.
12. Skype - Call people from all around the world with Skype. It’s free to use and easy to set up.
13. Fool.com - Become a wise investor at Fool.com. David and Tom Gardner will turn you into a wise investor while having fun at the same time.
14. The Happiness Formula - An indepth feature on the psychology of happiness.
15. PFblog.com - Follow along with one man’s journey to
accumulate a million dollars. Learn the ins and outs of personal finance, tax deductions, college
savings, and plenty of money-saving tips.
16. Bloglines.com - Keep all of your favorite RSS feedds in one place. Track all of your favorite blogs. Keep up with the news. Read the latest comics. Listen to your favorite podcasts and even check the weather from one page. Bloglines is an excellent online tool that will save you tons of time.
17. ProBlogger.net - Have you ever wanted to become a professional blogger. Follow along as Darren Rowse shows you step-by-step how to become a full-time blogger.
18. TedTalks - The Ted Conference brings together more than 1000 thought-leaders, movers and shakers. Now you can listen in
and watch as these thought leaders share the vision that they hold for the future.
19. Quizilla - Find out more about your personality at
Quizilla through a variety of different online personality tests.
20. Popular Science presents the Best of What’s News in 2006 - Find out which technologies are taking the world by
storm.
21. Tricks of the Trade - Just things you need to know. Find out the professional secrets from those in the know.
22. Gizmodo - Stay up-to-date on the latest gadgets and gizmos.
23. Epinions.com - Not sure about a certain product? Hop on over to Epinions, where consumers share their opinion on everything from books to travel destinations. No matter what kind of purchase you are looking to make, Epinions will
help you make the right choice.
24. PBS.org - most Web sites for TV shows and networks are simply a gateway for promotion. However, PBS.org is a different story. On this site you will find a wealth of interactive educational material, quizzes, interview transcripts, and guides for teachers and students.
25. WorldChanging.com - Find out about which technoologies are changing the world.
26. Bartleby.com - Here you will find much of the greatest literature of all time in full test form (and free of charge). Bartleby also provides a collection of useful reference tools.
27. BookSpot - If you are a booklover, then Bookspot.com should be at the top of your list. As said by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, “You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.”
28. BrainPop - If you are looking for an educational
wonderland, BrainPop is the place to go.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/05/33-rules-to-boost-your-productivity/
Heuristics are rules intended to help you solve problems. When a problem is large or complex, and the optimal solution is unclear, applying a heuristic allows you to begin making progress towards a solution even though you can’t visualize the entire path from your starting point.
Suppose your goal is to climb to the peak of a mountain, but there’s no trail to follow. An example of a heuristic would be: Head directly towards the peak until you reach an obstacle you can’t cross. Whenever you reach such an obstacle, follow it around to the right until you’re able to head towards the peak once again. This isn’t the most intelligent or comprehensive heuristic, but in many cases it will work just fine, and you’ll eventually reach the peak.
Heuristics don’t guarantee you’ll find the optimal solution, nor do they generally guarantee a solution at all. But they do a good enough job of solving certain types of problems to be useful. Their strength is that they break the deadlock of indecision and get you into action. As you take action you begin to explore the solution space, which deepens your understanding of the problem. As you gain knowledge about the problem, you can make course corrections along the way, gradually improving your chances of finding a solution. If you try to solve a problem you don’t initially know how to solve, you’ll often figure out a solution as you go, one you never could have imagined until you started moving. This is especially true with creative work such as software development. Often you don’t even know exactly what you’re trying to build until you start building it.
Heuristics have many practical applications, and one of my favorite areas of application is personal productivity. Productivity heuristics are behavioral rules (some general, some situation-specific) that can help us get things done more efficiently. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Nuke it! The most efficient way to get through a task is to delete it. If it doesn’t need to be done, get it off your to do list.
2. Daily goals. Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions. Set targets for each day in advance. Decide what you’ll do; then do it.
3. Worst first. To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day. This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day.
4. Peak times. Identify your peak cycles of productivity, and schedule your most important tasks for those times. Work on minor tasks during your non-peak times.
5. No-comm zones. Allocate uninterruptible blocks of time for solo work where you must concentrate. Schedule light, interruptible tasks for your open-comm periods and more challenging projects for your no-comm periods.
6. Mini-milestones. When you begin a task, identify the target you must reach before you can stop working. For example, when working on a book, you could decide not to get up until you’ve written at least 1000 words. Hit your target no matter what.
7. Timeboxing. Give yourself a fixed time period, like 30 minutes, to make a dent in a task. Don’t worry about how far you get. Just put in the time. See Timeboxing for more.
8. Batching. Batch similar tasks like phone calls or errands into a single chunk, and knock them off in a single session.
9. Early bird. Get up early in the morning, like at 5am, and go straight to work on your most important task. You can often get more done before 8am than most people do in a day.
10. Cone of silence. Take a laptop with no network or WiFi access, and go to a place where you can work flat out without distractions, such as a library, park, coffee house, or your own backyard. Leave your comm gadgets behind.
11. Tempo. Deliberately pick up the pace, and try to move a little faster than usual. Speak faster. Walk faster. Type faster. Read faster. Go home sooner.
12. Relaxify. Reduce stress by cultivating a relaxing, clutter-free workspace. See 10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace.
13. Agendas. Provide clear written agendas to meeting participants in advance. This greatly improves meeting focus and efficiency. You can use it for phone calls too.
14. Pareto. The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% of the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort. Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don’t overengineer the non-critical 80%.
15. Ready-fire-aim. Bust procrastination by taking action immediately after setting a goal, even if the action isn’t perfectly planned. You can always adjust course along the way.
16. Minuteman. Once you have the information you need to make a decision, start a timer and give yourself just 60 seconds to make the actual decision. Take a whole minute to vacillate and second-guess yourself all you want, but come out the other end with a clear choice. Once your decision is made, take some kind of action to set it in motion.
17. Deadline. Set a deadline for task completion, and use it as a focal point to stay on track.
18. Promise. Tell others of your commitments, since they’ll help hold you accountable.
19. Punctuality. Whatever it takes, show up on time. Arrive early.
20. Gap reading. Use reading to fill in those odd periods like waiting for an appointment, standing in line, or while the coffee is brewing. If you’re a male, you can even read an article while shaving (preferably with an electric razor). That’s 365 articles a year.
21. Resonance. Visualize your goal as already accomplished. Put yourself into a state of actually being there. Make it real in your mind, and you’ll soon see it in your reality.
22. Glittering prizes. Give yourself frequent rewards for achievement. See a movie, book a professional massage, or spend a day at an amusement park.
23. Quad 2. Separate the truly important tasks from the merely urgent. Allocate blocks of time to work on the critical Quadrant 2 tasks, those which are important but rarely urgent, such as physical exercise, writing a book, and finding a relationship partner.
24. Continuum. At the end of your workday, identify the first task you’ll work on the next day, and set out the materials in advance. The next day begin working on that task immediately.
25. Slice and dice. Break complex projects into smaller, well-defined tasks. Focus on completing just one of those tasks.
26. Single-handling. Once you begin a task, stick with it until it’s 100% complete. Don’t switch tasks in the middle. When distractions come up, jot them down to be dealt with later.
27. Randomize. Pick a totally random piece of a larger project, and complete it. Pay one random bill. Make one phone call. Write page 42 of your book.
28. Insanely bad. Defeat perfectionism by completing your task in an intentionally terrible fashion, knowing you need never share the results with anyone. Write a blog post about the taste of salt, design a hideously dysfunctional web site, or create a business plan that guarantees a first-year bankruptcy. With a truly horrendous first draft, there’s nowhere to go but up.
29. 30 days. Identify a new habit you’d like to form, and commit to sticking with it for just 30 days. A temporary commitment is much easier to keep than a permanent one. See 30 Days to Success for details.
30. Delegate. Convince someone else to do it for you.
31. Cross-pollination. Sign up for martial arts, start a blog, or join an improv group. You’ll often encounter ideas in one field that can boost your performance in another.
32. Intuition. Go with your gut instinct. It’s probably right.
33. Optimization. Identify the processes you use most often, and write them down step-by-step. Refactor them on paper for greater efficiency. Then implement and test your improved processes. Sometimes we just can’t see what’s right in front of us until we examine it under a microscope.
My last article on 33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity got a positive reception, so I decided to come up with 33 more.
A few of these are similar to the ones already posted, but most are new. Sometimes looking at the same idea from different angles can be beneficial.
So here are 33 more rules to boost your productivity:
1. Super Slow. Commit yourself to working on a particularly hideous project for just one session a week, 15-30 minutes total. Declutter one small shelf. Purge 10 clothing items you don’t need. Write a few paragraphs. Then stop.
2. Dailies. Schedule a specific time each day for working on a particular task or habit. One hour a day could leave you with a finished book, or a profitable Internet business a year later.
3. Add-ons. Tack a task you want to habitualize onto one of your existing habits. Water the plants after you eat lunch. Send thank-you notes after you check email.
4. Plug-ins. Inject one task into the middle of another. Read while eating lunch. Return phone calls while commuting. Listen to podcasts while grocery shopping.
5. Gratitude. When someone does you a good turn, send a thank-you card. That’s a real card, not an e-card. This is rare and memorable, and the people you thank will be eager to bring you more opportunities.
6. Training. Train up your skill in various productivity habits. Get your typing speed to at least 60wpm, if not 90. Learn to speed-read or PhotoRead. Develop your communication skills.
7. Software. Take advantage of productivity software to boost your effectiveness. Lifehacker recommends new items every week.
8. Zone out. Enter the zone of peak creativity, and watch your output soar. See 7 Rules for Maximizing Your Creative Output.
9. Denial. Just say no to non-critical requests for your time.
10. Recapture. Reclaim other people’s poor time usage for yourself. Visualize your goals during dull speeches. Write out your grocery list during pointless meetings.
11. Mastermind. Run your problem past someone else, preferably a group of people. Invite all the advice, feedback, and constructive criticism you can handle.
12. Twenty. Take a piece of paper, number 1-20, and don’t stop until you’ve listed 20 creative ideas for improving your productivity. See 20 Ways to Improve.
13. Challenger. Deliberately make the task harder. Challenging tasks are more engaging than boring ones. Compose an original poem for your next blog post. Create a Power Point presentation that doesn’t use words.
14. Asylum. Complete an otherwise tedious task in an unusual or crazy manner to keep it interesting. Make phone calls using pretend foreign accents. Fill out government paperwork in crayon.
15. Music. Experiment to discover how music may boost your productivity. Try fast-paced music for email, classical or new age for project work, and total silence for high-concentration creative work.
16. Scotty. Estimate how long a task will take to complete. Then start a timer, and push yourself to complete it in half that time.
17. Pay it forward. When an undesirable task is delegated to you, re-delegate it to someone else.
18. Bouncer. When a seemingly pointless task is delegated to you, bounce it back to the person who assigned it to you, and challenge them to justify its operational necessity.
19. Opt-out. Quit clubs, projects, and subscriptions that consume more of your time than they’re worth.
20. Decaffeinate. Say no to drugs, suffer through the withdrawal period, and let your natural creative self re-emerge. See How to Give Up Coffee.
21. Triage. Save the lives of your important projects by killing those that are going to die anyway.
22. Conscious procrastination. Delay non-critical tasks as long as you possibly can. Many of them will die on you and won’t need to be done at all.
23. TV-free. Turn off the TV, especially the news, and recapture many usable hours.
24. Timer. Time all your tasks for an entire day, preferably a week. Even the act of measuring itself can boost your productivity, not to mention what you learn about your real time usage. See Triple Your Personal Productivity.
25. Valor. Pick the one item on your task list that scares you the most. Muster all the courage you can, and tackle it immediately.
26. Nonconformist. Run errands at unpopular times to avoid crowds. Shop just before stores close or shortly after they open. Take advantage of 24-hour outlets if you’re a vampire.
27. Agoraphobia. Shop online whenever possible. Get the best selection, consult reviews, and purchase items within minutes.
28. Reminder. Add birthday and holiday reminders to your calendar a month or two ahead of their actual dates. Buy gifts then instead of at the last minute.
29. Do it now! Recite this phrase over and over until you’re so sick of it that you cave in and get to work.
30. Inspiration. Read inspiring books and articles, listen to audio programs, and attend seminars to keep absorbing inspiring new ideas (as well as to refresh yourself on the old ones).
31. Gym rat. Exercise daily. Boost your metabolism, concentration, and mental clarity in 30 minutes a day.
32. Lovey dovey. Romantic love will spur you on to greater heights, if for no other reason than to persuade your partner you aren’t such a loser after all.
33. Troll hunt. Banish the negative trolls from your life, and associate only with positive, happy, and successful people. Mindsets are contagious. Show loyalty to your potential, not to your pity posse.
Here’s the third installment of 33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity (see Volume 1 and Volume 2).
These are a bit sillier and less politically correct than the first two volumes — I had to stretch to come up with more ideas – but many are still valid in certain situations. Just be sure to take them with a grain of salt. I assume no liability for anyone who actually tries to apply these.
Here are 33 more rules to boost your productivity:
1. Halliburton. Cut corners to save time and money when the outcome is mainly for show anyway. If it looks good, it is good. It’s easier to manufacture excuses than results.
2. Nuke.XML. Split your RSS feeds into two lists: those that help boost your productivity vs. those that taketh it away. Force yourself to unsubscribe from all the feeds in the second list. You won’t miss them. Just be sure this blog makes the first list.
3. Evil eye. Practice your best evil eye in a mirror, and use it liberally on anyone who enters your space to interrupt you.
4. Vulcan logic. Ask for a part-time assistant by explaining to your boss that you’re being paid $25/hour to do $10/hour tasks, which is costing your employer a lot of money.
5. Voodoo. Display voodoo replicas of your boss and co-workers on your desk, labeled with their names. Whenever you overhear someone complaining of health problems (headache, upset stomach, runny nose, etc), stick a pin into the corresponding part of their doll. Then call them over to your workspace for some unrelated reason.
6. Scooby snacks. Grab a bowl of your favorite snacks, such as grapes, tamari almonds, or Trader Joe’s Oriental Rice Crackers. Eat one piece for each microbial piece of work you complete. One bite per sentence. One bite per line of code. One bite per email. Ranks, Raggy.
7. Iraqi Freedom. When you’re bleeding time and money on a project that’s spiraling out of control, when morale is in the toilet, and when you can’t even get yourself to believe your own lies anymore, that’s the best time to go on vacation.
8. WoW.die.die.die. Give online gaming a rest, and re-invest that energy into your real life, which is probably suffocating beneath a pile of dead, smelly orcs.
9. Politician. Throw money at your problems until they succumb. Either this will work, or you’ll put your successor in such a crippled position that they can’t do any better.
10. Upgrade. Modernize your tools – a faster computer, a better PDA, a hotter girlfriend.
11. Coach. Hire a personal coach to keep yourself motivated, focused, and accountable. After several months of pep talks, you’ll be qualified to start your own coaching practice.
12. Proactive. Just do it, and deal with the consequences later. It’s easier to request forgiveness than permission.
13. Polyphasic. Six naps a day keeps your laziness at bay. You can catch up on sleep when you’re dead. See Polyphasic Sleep for details.
14. Captain Kirk. If you boldly and brazenly act like you know what you’re doing, people will assume it’s true. Use this strategy to get promoted to the point where you can delegate all your work to those who really know what they’re doing. Orion slave girls are standing by.
15. Hyundai. Lower your standards, and just get it done anyway you can.
16. Saturn. Dictate the terms you want as totally non-negotiable, and make them sound as generous as you can. But at the first sign of resistance, cave in immediately and agree to re-negotiate everything.
17. Blockade. Slide a heavy piece of furniture in front of your office door. When drop-in visitors complain they can’t get in, tell them you’re refactoring your office for greater productivity.
18. Eye for an eye. Punish those who add tasks to your plate by filling their plates with even more.
19. Bait. Put candy dishes on everyone’s desk but your own.
20. Quagmire. Fill out and mail a generous assortment of business reply cards in your boss’ name, checking the “bill me later” boxes. A few dozen magazine subscriptions and some Franklin Mint collections ought to slow him down a bit. A new Civil War chess piece every month means he’ll be playing chess in under 3 years.
21. End run. Suggest to your boss’ boss that your boss is overworked and needs more help. If you implement the previous tip, this will likely be true.
22. Fasting. Digest information, not food.
23. Toddler. Throw a tantrum until someone finally solves the problem for you.
24. Armageddon. Use Overwhelming Force to totally dominate your problem. Treat your molehill like a mountain. Use a bazooka to kill a cockroach. Send a real human being to serve in Congress.
25. Model. Find people who are already getting the results you want, interview them, and model their attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. Then you’ll have someone to blame when things go wrong.
26. The Secret. Use the Law of Attraction to manifest the done-ness of your project.
27. Illuminati. Form a secret society to ensure that things always go your way. Eventually take over the planet to guarantee you’ll never have to work again.
28. PMS. Accept the fact that you can still get your work done even when you’re pissed at everything.
29. Anakin. Would your problems be easier to solve if you turned evil? The dark side beckons…
30. Spammer. Sign up for a free email account, and subscribe to every e-zine, e-newsletter, and mailing list you can find. The shadier the better. Once you’ve completed all the double opt-in processes, set that account to forward to your boss’ email.
31. Steve Jobs. On the rare occasions you actually do manage to get something done, talk it up like a madman. Say “This is huge!” to everyone you meet. People will assume you’re 10x as productive as you are.
32. Guru. Instead of doing your actual work, spend most of your time reading productivity blogs. Within a few months, you’ll have acquired enough knowledge to start your own. Eventually you’ll realize that 50% of the web consists of productivity tips written by chronic procrastinators. The other 50% is porn.
33. Uber-Guru. Stick with the first 50%.
[[39 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist|http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DumbLittleMan/~3/126168129/39-ways-to-live-and-not-merely-exist.html]]
"The proper function of man is to live - not to exist." -- Jack London
Too often we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions and having each day pass like the one before it. That's fine, and comfortable, until you have gone through another year without having done anything, without having really lived life.
That's fine, until you have reached old age and look back on life with regrets.
That's fine, until you see your kids go off to college and realize that you missed their childhoods.
It's not fine. If you want to truly live life, to really experience it, to enjoy it to the fullest, instead of barely scraping by and only living a life of existence, then you need to find ways to break free from the mold and drink from life.
What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders. We all need reminders sometimes. If you find this useful, print it out, and start using it. Today.
*Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again. Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends, anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love. Love all of humanity, one person at a time.
*Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun. Play sports, or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.
*Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself (berries or dark chocolate are my favorites) even more enjoyable. And when you do have them, really, really savor them. Slowly.
*Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.
*Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go to business for yourself (plan it out first!), or go up to that girl you've liked for a long time and ask her out. What do you have to lose?
*Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).
*Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.
*Get out of your cubicle. Do you sit all day in front of computer, shuffling papers and taking phone calls and chatting on the Internet? Don't waste your days like this. Break free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin. This may require a change of jobs, or becoming a freelancer. It's worth it.
*Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don't know what to do? Read further.
*Pull away from Internet. You're reading something on the Internet right now. And, with the exception of this article, it is just more wasting away of your precious time. You cannot get these minutes back. Unplug the Internet, then get out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.
*Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don't check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.
*Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
*Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.
*Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.
*Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
*Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.
*Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic. Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for him.
*Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.
*When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain. And when you're done, move on, and find joy.
*Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing everything slowly -- everything, from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.
*Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.
*Volunteer. Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.
*Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.
*Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.
*Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.
*Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.
*Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up, sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.
*Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear our inner voice, to be in tune with life. Do this daily if possible.
*Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.
*Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.
*Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better, read Dumb Little Man once a day and be done.
*Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from new perspectives.
*Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.
*Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You'll love it.
*Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others -- it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live, and live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.
*Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.
*Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft chocolate cake. But even berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit, or fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies, are great. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat thing. But it's wonderful.
*Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You might decide you want to keep it in your life.
*Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.
[[50 signs you’re a blogaholic|http://jonathandeamer.com/2007/06/10/50-signs-you-blog-too-much/]]
Are you addicted to blogging? You know you blog too much if…
1. You have to turn back on your way to the airport because you forgot to “tell” your blog that you’re going away.
2. You sneak off during a date to check your hit stats.
3. You update Twitter about your life more than you actually live it. (Thanks Gina!)
4. You think LSD is something to do with RSS or XML.
5. Your family don’t call anymore, they just check your blog.
6. You have daydreams about links from Boing Boing.
7. You pray to Steve Pavlina.
8. You eat blogging. You sleep blogging. You drink coffee.
9. You think Nike should make a shirt that says “just blog it”.
10. You would buy it if they did.
11. You’re considering naming your first-born child Scoble.
12. You start conversations with the phrase “top 10 ways to…” because you think it will get you on the front page of Digg.
13. You’re listening to the travel news and get excited by the phrase “heavy traffic”.
14. You moblog your own wedding.
15. You keep a blog ideas notepad by your bed. And you go to bed early just so you can write in it.
16. You check your Adsense revenue more than your bank account.
17. You’ve got more “blog friends” than “real life” friends.
18. You turn down invitations to go out because you haven’t yet written your post for the day.
19. You introduce yourself at parties as a “new media journalist”.
20. Your breakfast of choice is toast, cornflakes and Google reader.
21. You care more about what Technorati says about your authority than what your children do.
22. You’ve got “Custom CSS for Dummies” on your Christmas list.
23. You think the 3 Rs are Reading, Writing and RSS.
24. You can’t remember what you did last week without consulting your blog.
25. Your blogroll is longer that your cell’s phonebook.
26. You think “I wonder how this’ll look on Flickr?” when posing for photos.
27. When asked to feed the dog, you think “RSS or Atom?”
28. The only time your friends hear your voice is on your podcast.
29. You include ownership of your blog in your will.
30. You know what a blog carnival is.
31. You’ve participated in one.
32. You wonder if they do vacations at the Googleplex.
33. Under the hobbies section of an online dating profile you just put “Googling myself”.
34. Your licence plate matches your domain name.
35. Your lifetime goal is achieving a Page Rank of 10.
36. People in the street recognise you from your MyBlogLog photo.
37. You have a scorn for Xanga users normal people reserve for rapists and serial killers.
38. You refuse to wear black hats because you think it will affect your SEO.
39. You got that last one.
40. You have more than three friends with numbers in their names.
41. You’ve ever used the term “blawg” in coversation.
42. Blogger.com is banned on your office network.
43. You try to offer links as a form of payment in restaurants.
44. You start getting withdrawal symptoms when you go a day without posting.
45. You met your girlfriend/boyfriend through a blog.
46. You get more “approve this comment” e-mail messages than spam.
47. People worry about you when you do not post for a day.
48. The name Kubrick means more to you than the director of A Clockwork Orange.
49. You make the wrong post to the wrong blog on the wrong day.
50. You finish reading this and go to make a post with your own additions… :-)
Thanks to [[Weblog Tools Collection|http://weblogtoolscollection.com/archives/2004/08/11/you-know-you-blog-wayyyy-too-much-when/]] for numbers 45-49. Central Snark also has a great “[[you blog too much…|http://centralsnark.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/signs-you-are-spending-too-much-time-blogging/]]” post.
And if you are in fact a blogaholic, you may enjoy my post about the [[ten secrets of review writing|http://jonathandeamer.com/2007/06/12/how-to-write-great-reviews/]] that will keep readers coming back.
[[55 Essential Articles Every Serious Blogger Should Read|http://www.matthuggins.com/55-essential-articles-every-serious-blogger-should-read/]]
After blogging for some time now, I’ve encountered countless articles that have truly helped to refine many aspects of my blog. This includes the visual structure, layout and types of advertising and affiliate programs utilized, plug-ins implemented for ease of use, search engine optimization and overall productivity, and much more.
Many of these articles would have been helpful before starting my own blog, but I also doubt that I would have been successful in putting most of these tips to use right away. Like me, I’m sure many of you are always looking for ways to improve your blogs. And since blogs are constantly growing and changing, it’s always a good time to do whatever you can to make your blog the very best.
With that said, here are 55 essential articles I’ve come across that have positively influenced my blog decision-making and will undoubtedly help you too. I’ve also included a select few of my own past articles that are of relevance in order to “pay it forward.”
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DumbLittleMan/~3/117358654/60-improvements-to-make-you-your-life.html
So here I am at 1:09 AM writing on Dumb Little Man, listening to the radio (Hotel California; Eagles, currently). I am a normal middle class guy, decent house, good job, kids, wife, and a cute blog.
You know what though, I am not ultimately happy. When searching deep inside, I know there is more I can do and there are probably things you can do to become a better person as well. Sure you can become healthier, a better spouse, a better worker, etc. However, what most people don't realize it that once a single obstacle is overcome, there is always another to achieve. Life is a never ending improvement process. You see, no matter what you do or how perfect your life seems, there is always something to improve.
If you think you are perfect, run through this list of things and see how well you do. These are simple things that I personally pay attention to. My goal is for you to create your own list or if you need to, grab a few ideas from me. I chose these items from real mistakes that either I have made, or someone close to me has. Your story may differ, but the fact remains...you will need to address your issues at some point in life:
*Smile at strangers
*Identify, admit and solve problems. Don't ignore them.
*Exercise at least 2 times per week for 30 minutes
*Forgive people - no grudges allowed
*When you go to bed, reflect on things that made you happy each day
*Stop gossiping with neighbors or co-workers
*Don't steal from your family (or at all)
*Volunteer at least 4 hours per month
*Don't ever lie (Santa Clause for kids, etc. is OK)
*Save for retirement before you budget for the new car
*Talk and engage in conversation with the elderly as opposed to nodding and ignoring
*Listen more than you talk
*At work, ask 1 clarifying question each time someone tells you to do something
*Confront people in private
*Don't buy something to impress someone else (if a car, buy what works)
*If the destination is less than a mile away, walk or bike
*Avoid sugar unless it's from natural fruit
*Keep your promises like your life depends on it
*Play with your kids, intimately, for an hour each day
*Show your spouse you love them with actions everyday
*No matter who it is, help stranger having a hard time (someone stuck in the snow, etc.)
*Secure your house and protect your family
*Be involved in your children's school (talk to teachers, get involved in events, etc.)
*Keep your friends' secrets, except from your spouse
*Splurge and buy yourself something occasionally
*Weigh yourself every 2 weeks
*Check your cholesterol as often as you go to the dentist
*Get an annual physical
*Know where your money goes
*Learn to wake up without an alarm clock
*Take at least 7 days off from work each year
*Contribute to your 401K as much as your company matches (at a minimum)
*Put your money into an online, high interest account as opposed to a CD or money market
*Just like Blackjack, don't spend money on equities that you cannot afford to lose
*Avoid home equity loans
*Don't buy or lease an SUV
*Start a college fund for your kids the day they are born
*Get your kids on a sleep schedule the day you come home with them from the hospital
*Don't buy anything after midnight (infomercials)
*Treat all races equally and teach your kids to
*Eating beef, pork and chicken is OK, but wearing a fur coat isn't (OK, that's my opinion)
*Help people in distress or pulled over with a flat tire on the highway
*Encourage education, not school
*Teach your kids something about business
*Clip and use coupons
*Reduce TV time to 2 hours per week
*Throw a punch when someone throws one first, never instigate a fist fight no matter what
*Defend your friends
*Treat each of your children equally
*Don't smoke or drink in front of the kids
*Treat your girl/boy friends with respect. At some point, you will feel guilty - even 20 years later.
*Never betray a friend, they are hard to come by
*Apologize often
*Forget regret, move on to something better
*Losers are those that settle, don't be afraid to try something new
*Speak your mind
*Don't put all of your money into a single mutual fund
*Don't buy anything hoping to impress someone
*Try not to buy into any adjustable rate mortgages unless you know what you're doing
*Check your credit report every 6 months
*Never co-sign for anyone
*Don't loan friends money unless your are willing to lose the money and possibly the friend
Pretty simple individually, but as a whole this is a tough list to consistently accomplish. I'll be honest, I haven't done it but I am working on it. What things are on your personal list of goals? Do you have a list of things to work on or are you coasting day-by-day?
[[7 Secrets of the Super Organized|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/06/7-secrets-of-super-organized.html]]
A few years ago, my life was a mess. So was my house, my desk, my mind. Then I learned, one by one, a few habits that got me completely organized.
Am I perfect? Of course not, and I don't aim to be. But I know where everything is, I know what I need to do today, I don't forget things most of the time, and my house is uncluttered and relatively clean (well, as clean as you can get when you have toddlers and big kids running around).
So what's the secret? In truth, there aren't any secrets. There are simple habits that you can develop over time that will get you to where you want to be. These are habits that you can apply to your work, your home, your kids, your hobbies, your life. Instead of giving you specifics for how to organize something specific, like your desk or your closet, I provide principles that you can use over and over in every situation.
Are these obvious principles? Sure, if you stop to think about them. You've read them in various other places. But you might not be applying them to your daily life, and that's where the problem lies. I'm just providing you with a step-by-step guide to what actually works, based on my experience and that of others.
If your life is a mess, like mine was, I don't recommend trying to get organized all in one shot. It's overwhelming. Instead, start with the first habit, and work your way down. Do it a little at a time, one area of your life at a time, one area of your home or office at a time. Work on a habit for a month or so, then move on to the next one. Or adopt two or three if you think you can handle it, but don't do them all at once. I also recommend you set aside some time each day (30 or 60 minutes) for organizing, at least in the beginning, until you are fairly organized and have your system down. Then, you might need 10 minutes a day, just to keep things running smoothly, and every now and then you might need to have a purge session (every 6 months or so) to get rid of accumulated buildup.
So here are the 7 habits:
1. Reduce before organizing. The mistake most people make when trying to organize their stuff or their tasks or their projects is that they have a whole mess of things to organize, and it's too complicated. If you have a closet crammed full of stuff, sure, you can buy a bunch of closet organizers, but in the end, you'll still have a closet crammed full of stuff. Same thing with time management: you can organize a packed schedule, but it'll still be crammed full of tasks. The solution: reduce, eliminate, simplify. If you take your closet full of 100 things and throw out all but the 10 things you love and use, now you don't need a fancy closet organizer. Same thing with time management: if you have 20 things to do today, and reduce it to just the three most important tasks, you don't need a schedule anymore. How to reduce: take everything out of a closet or drawer or other container (including your schedule), clean it out, and only put back those items you truly love and really use on a regular basis. This will leave you with a pile of other stuff -- get rid of it by tossing it, donating it, selling it or giving it to somebody who will love it. If you can't bear to part with some of the stuff, put it in a "maybe" box and store it in your attic or basement or other storage space. Label it with a description and date, and six months later, when you haven't needed any of it, toss it.
2. Write it down now, always. Our minds are wonderful things, but they leak like a sieve. We don't remember things when we need to remember them, and they continually come up when we don't need them. Instead of using your mind as storage for things you need to remember, write it down. I carry a small pocket notebook wherever I go, and write things down immediately. Then I process the ideas and tasks later into my calendar or to-do list, so I don't forget.
3. Have one inbox & process. Well, actually you need two inboxes - one for home and one for work. But many people have many more than that -- paper comes to their desk and lands in a number of places. Phone messages get placed everywhere. Notes to self are posted all over the place. Instead, have one inbox, and put all incoming stuff in there. Then, once a day (or once a week at home if that works better for you), process the inbox to empty. Take an item out of the inbox and decide what to do with it, right away: toss it, delegate it, file it, put it on your to-do list, or do it now. Do the same thing to the next item, until your inbox is empty. Don't defer these decisions for later.
4. A place for everything. Related to the above tip is to have a place for each item in your life. Where do your car keys go? You should have one place for them (next to the door is best) and you'll never lose them again. Where do your pens go? How about your magazines? I teach my kids to find a "home" for every toy or other item in their rooms (even still, their toys are mostly homeless wanderers, but they're kids) and that's a concept that works for us grown-ups too: each item should have a home, and if it doesn't, we need to designate one. Labels can help you remember where those homes are. Now, if you find something on your table or counter top or on you bed or on your desk, you know that it doesn't belong there. Find its home -- don't just toss something anywhere. The same concept applies to information: do you have one place where you put all your information? If not, try a personal wiki -- it's accessible from work and home, and you can create pages for each type of information in your life -- schedules, goals, to-dos, movies to watch, books to read, notes on projects, etc.
5. Put it away now. Most people have a habit of putting something on a table or counter top or on their desk with the intention of "putting it away later". Well, this is how things get messy and disorganized. Instead, put it away now -- in its home. It only takes a few seconds, and this one habit will save you a lot of cleaning and sorting and organizing later. When you find yourself putting something down, catch yourself, and force yourself to put it away now. After a little while, it will become second nature.
6. Clean as you go. Closely related to Habit 5, this habit is effective because it's much easier to clean things as you work or as you move through your day than to let them pile up and do a big cleaning session later. So if you're cooking, try to wash your dishes as you use them, and wipe the counter, instead of leaving a huge mess. Same principle applies to everything we do. If it's easier to do it in smaller increments, we are more likely to do it. If there is a huge mess to clean, we are more likely to be intimidated or overwhelmed by it and leave it for later.
7. Develop routines & systems. If you've gotten everything uncluttered and organized, you might sit back and enjoy the pleasantness of it. Being organized and having a simplified working environment or home is tremendously satisfying. But the problem is that after a little while, things tend to start to get disorganized and cluttered again. Things tend to gravitate towards chaos. The solution: you need to develop systems to keep your organization in place. For example, the inbox processing mentioned above is a system: you have specific procedures for processing all incoming papers, and you have a routine for doing it (once a day). All systems follow the same guidelines -- specific procedures and a routine that is done at a set interval (three times a day, once a day, once a week, once a month, etc.). It's important that you identify the systems you have in your life (and they exist, even if you don't know they do -- but they may be complicated and chaotic) and write them out so that you can make them efficient, simple, and organized. Develop systems for dealing with paperwork and mail, with kids schedules, with errands and laundry and chores and exercise and everything else. Once those systems are in place, you need to be vigilant about keeping them going, and then things will stay organized.
[[7 Simple Foods to Boost Your Mood!|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/07/7-simple-foods-to-boost-your-mood.html]]
Got the blues? There are intricate links between certain foods and our ability to feel more alert, calm – or even upbeat. Many foods that alter your spirit may be already on your kitchen counter. So kick start your day with these foods to boost your mood:
1. Whole-Grain Bread:
If you can picture your children asking you several questions one after the other, you already have an inkling as to what happens to your brain power when you eat whole-grain bread. [[Amino acids|http://www.biology.arizona.edu/biochemistry/problem_sets/aa/aa.html]] are building blocks of proteins and can be found in most foods. One essential function of amino acids is to deliver messages to your central nervous system, more commonly known as brain.
Proteins and amino acids play an important role in normal brain function, particularly before birth when the concentrations in the blood of the developing foetus can be three times greater than in the mother.
We also tend to forget that most of the essential chemical substances in the brain and CNS – the so-called neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin – are produced in our bodies from amino acids. The following amino acids and their related neurotransmitters are vital for a healthy nervous system:
* Gamma-amino-butyrate (GABA), glycine, aspartate, glutamate
* Tyrosine - dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline
* Tryptophan – serotonin
* Adenosine, ADP, ATP and AMP
* Arginine - nitric oxide
* N-acetyl amino acids and peptides
[[Supplement: Health 24 - Diet and your nervous system|http://www.health24.com/mind/Diet_and_your_mind/1284-1293,26691.asp]]
Whole-grain bread is enriched with the essential amino acids as compared to plain bread. The trick is to eat a few slices of whole-grain bread every morning with your breakfast to increase the transmission speed of nerve impulses in your nervous system.
2. Turkey and Chicken
These low-fat protein sources are rich in an amino acid called [[tyrosine|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrosine]], which boosts levels of the brain chemicals [[dopamine|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrosine]] and [[norepinephrine|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norepinephrine]]. These two chemicals are responsible for our motivation and reaction time. Tyrosine lifts energy levels and helps the body cope better with stress.
Studies have suggested that tyrosine may help people with depression. Preliminary findings indicate a beneficial effect of tyrosine, along with other amino acids, in people affected by dementia, including [[Alzheimer's disease|http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/Index.cfm/Id/1007001]]. Due to its role as a precursor to norepinephrine and epinephrine (two of the body's main stress-related hormones) tyrosine may also ease the adverse effects of environmental, psychosocial, and physical stress.
[[Supplement: Mother Nature - L-Tyrosine|http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/index.cfm/id/2919008]]
A chicken sandwich or chicken noodle soup may produce the same results. An effective alternate is tuna fish.
3. Water
Mild dehydration is a common but often overlooked cause of fatigue. When the body dehydrates, blood flow to our organs decreases and the body slows down. Drinking enough water each day can prevent you from feeling lethargic. But don't rely on thirst alone. Most adults should drink eight to ten glasses of water per day. Caffeinated soft drinks and coffee, however, are no substitute. They may act as [[diuretics|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diuretic]] and increase dehydration. Learn how to develop the water habit.
4. Bananas
Magnesium deficiency and stress are linked so closely that some doctors and dieticians advise people who lead a hectic life to add magnesium-rich foods like bananas to their diets.
Deficiency symptoms have three categories:
* Early symptoms include irritability, anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. Other symptoms include poor memory, apathy, confusion, and reduced ability to learn.
* Moderate deficiency symptoms consist of rapid heartbeat and other cardiovascular changes.
* Severe deficiency symptoms could lead to tingling, numbness , and a sustained contraction of the muscles, along with hallucinations and [[delirium|http://health.allrefer.com/health/delirium-info.html]] .
[[Supplement: AllRefer Health - Magnesium in Diet|http://health.allrefer.com/health/magnesium-in-diet-side-effects.html]]
Increased magnesium intake results in less anxiety and better sleep. If you don't like bananas, other good magnesium sources are nuts, beans and leafy greens.
5. Seafood
Seafood contains a lot of Selenium, a mineral linked to upbeat moods. Increased intake of sea food leads to a greater sense of happiness, more energy and a reduction in anxiety. If you juggle a hectic life, your level of stress hormones rises. Stress hormones flood the body during tension and resulting in lower resistance to cold and viruses and a tired feeling. Whole-grain breads are also good sources of selenium.
Cautions and possible side effects: Don't take more than 200 micrograms in supplement form; higher amounts may cause fragile, thickened nails; stomach pain; diarrhea; loss of sensation in the hands and feet; fatigue; and irritability. Doses of about 800 micrograms have been known to cause tissue damage.
[[Supplement: Mother Nature - Selenium|http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/23/59.cfm]]
6. Oranges and Grapefruits
Even a small deficiency in vitamin C – a key ingredient for boosting levels of norepinephrine – can leave you feeling irritable and blue. A lack of vitamin-C-rich foods also inhibits your body's ability to absorb the iron it needs to fight fatigue. Eating roughly 6 oranges per day can result in less nervousness, crankiness and depression. Vitamin C supplements are also effective.
[[Supplement: Mother Nature - Vitamin C|http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/Index.cfm/Id/2929001]]
7. Hot Chillies
Capsaicin, the natural ingredient that gives chillies their pow, stimulates the mouth's nerve endings, causing a burning sensation. In response, the brain releases endorphins, natural painkillers that produce a temporary high. So the more hot chillies you eat, the stronger the soothing effect. In fact, some hot-chilli lovers may just be hooked on the high.
[[Supplement: Wikipedia - Endorphin|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphin]]
Note: Most of the above I learned in medical school but following the [[HonCode principle|http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html]] (Health on the Net Foundation), I've tried to supplement this article with sources to back it up.
Gyanish Gungaram is a "blogless" freelancer and a medical student at Université de Lille in France, currently in his 2nd year. When he is not studying, he will pop up on Dumb Little Man with occasional tips to improve your health.
[[7 Ways to Grow the Action Habit|http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/grow-the-action-habit/]]
People at the top of every profession share one quality — they get things done. This ability supercedes intelligence, talent, and connections in determining the size of your salary and the speed of your advancement.
Despite the simplicity of this concept there is a perpetual shortage of people who excel at getting results. The action habit — the habit of putting ideas into action now — is essential to getting things done. Here are 7 ways you can grow the action habit:
1. Don’t wait until conditions are perfect - If you’re waiting to start until conditions are perfect, you probably never will. There will always be something that isn’t quite right. Either the timing is off, the market is down, or there’s too much competition. In the real world there is no perfect time to start. You have to take action and deal with problems as they arise. The best time to start was last year. The second best time is right now.
2. Be a doer - Practice doing things rather than thinking about them. Do you want to start exercising? Do you have a great idea to pitch your boss? Do it today. The longer an idea sits in your head without being acted on, the weaker it becomes. After a few days the details gets hazy. After a week it’s forgotten completely. By becoming a doer you’ll get more done and stimulate new ideas in the process.
3. Remember that ideas alone don’t bring success - Ideas are important, but they’re only valuable after they’ve been implemented. One average idea that’s been put into action is more valuable than a dozen brilliant ideas that you’re saving for “some other day” or the “right opportunity”. If you have an idea the you really believe in, do something about it. Unless you take action it will never go anywhere.
4. Use action to cure fear - Have you ever noticed that the most difficult part of public speaking is waiting for your turn to speak? Even professional speakers and actors experience pre-performance anxiety. Once they get started the fear disappears. Action is the best cure for fear. The most difficult time to take action is the very first time. After the ball is rolling, you’ll build confidence and things will keep getting easier. Kill fear by taking action and build on that confidence.
5. Start your creative engine mechanically - One of the biggest misconceptions about creative work is that it can only be done when inspiration strikes. If you wait for inspiration to slap you in the face, your work sessions will be few and far between. Instead of waiting, start your creative motor mechanically. If you need to write something, force yourself to sit down and write. Put pen to paper. Brainstorm. Doodle. By moving your hands you’ll stimulate the flow of ideas and inspire yourself.
6. Think in terms of now - Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don’t worry about what you should have done last week or what you might be able to do tomorrow. The only time you can affect is the present. If you speculate too much about the past or the future you won’t get anything done. Tomorrow or next week frequently turns into never. As Ben Franklin said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
7. Get down to business immediately - It’s common practice for people to socialize and make small talk at the beginning of meetings. The same is true for individual workers. How often do you check email or RSS feeds before doing any real work? These distractions will cost you serious time if you don’t bypass them and get down to business immediately. By becoming someone who gets to the point you’ll be more productive and people will look to you as a leader.
It takes courage to take action without instructions from the person in charge. Perhaps that’s why initiative is a rare quality that’s coveted by managers and executives everywhere. Seize the initiative. Be a crusader. When you have a good idea, start implementing it without being told. Once people see you’re serious about getting things done they’ll want to join in. The people at the top don’t have anyone telling them what to do. If you want to join them, you should get used to acting independently.
*MetaPhysics
*EpistomOlogy
*EthiCs
*PolitiCs
*EsthetiCs
[[Battle of the Bulge - Slim Down the Wallet!|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/07/battle-of-bulge-slim-down-wallet.html]]
Recently I went to dinner with a good friend of mine and as we went to pay our separate checks he whips out this pocket filing cabinet and proceeded to fumble through all this paperwork and clutter looking for cash.
It occurred to me that I have seen this happen before… the Stuffed Wallet Syndrome (SWS) and it doesn’t ever happen to be stuffed in a good way like with cash or ladies numbers. Not only is it hard to find anything when you need it, this can cause a big number of health issues especially back pain from sitting crooked.
So I thought about some simple tips that I use everyday to keep my wallet slim and organized.
1. Cards – The biggest culprit in most wallets can take up at least 50% of that finite space.
With every store in America having that dreaded plastic savings card, your wallet gets bigger. Instead check out [[www.justoneclubcard.com|http://www.justoneclubcard.com/]]. It’s a nice application that puts 8 barcodes on one printed card to carry. I actually played around with a resizing tool and fit much more on it using both sides. If you seriously want to pare these down just place them all together in your car. Wherever you go just carry the card into the store with you and put it back when you are back in your car.
Credit and debit cards are a little easier. If you have more than 2 cards in your wallet you may need to rethink your credit and spending habits. Just carry the two credit or debit cards with the lowest rate on them. You’ll be forced to save money if you don't have a plethora of cards to choose from.
Skip the social security and leave it at home in a safe place.
I try to follow a 1-2-2 rule: 1 ID, 2 forms of payment cards, and 2 insurance cards (Health and Auto) and that usually does it.
2. Receipts – When my friend was fumbling around in his wallet receipts and various other papers were falling out everywhere. File, delegate, To-do-list it, or record it and throw it out either as you get the receipts or as soon as you get home.
3. Cash – If you’re like me having too much cash in your wallet is never a problem but I use a debit card for everything anyways. But if you find yourself with loads of $1’s then try to not carry more than 10-12 of any bill. If you do have more than that, take out what you don’t need and put it in a safe place or put it in an account of some sort. The less money you have on you the less likely you are to spend it on more stuff you probably don’t need.
4. Change – My father likes to carry change in his wallet and I’ll never understand why. I keep change in my pocket and as soon as I get home it goes right into my change sorter. Bank of America started a new change saving program called “Keep the Change”. You use your Visa Check Card for everyday purchases and the total is rounded up to the nearest dollar. The difference is transferred to your savings and pretty much forces you to save money. Very neat idea and fewer coins will find their way into your sofa, car, and wallet.
5. Tri-fold vs. Bi-fold – Seeing how a tri-fold wallet is almost 100% thicker than a bi-fold it seems just logical that the latter is the winner here. Besides bi-folds usually hold more in a thinner package. Just don’t get one of those ridiculously huge bi-folds that can also carry your checkbook seeing as it defeats the slimming purpose.
Misc. – When my same friend opened his wallet he had so many various items in there that he would impress MacGyver. So here are a few guidelines for that other stuff.
* Pictures – Maximum of two or none at all. No one wants to see your entire photographed family history. I have pictures on my cell phone which is easier and keeps them out of my wallet.
* Keys – This is what a key ring is for.
* Condoms – One should be good. (Use your judgment on this)
* Wallet inserts – If you follow the above guide you shouldn’t need these.
If you have to question whether you should put something in your wallet, then don’t. If you really want to take this to the extreme try taking one ID, one credit card, and one insurance card along with any cash and hold it together with a rubber band or one of those binder clips.
Jeremiah G. is a freelance writer without a site of his own. He will occasionally pop his head out at Dumb Little Man with new suggestions that will make your life a little more efficient.
Adjectives Characterizing the Big Five Personality Dimensions.
Source: [[Gottfredson/John 1990|http://www.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/intel/index.html]]
|!Surgency|!Agreeableness|!Conscientiousness|!Emotional instability|!Culture|
|Extraversion| | |Neuroticism|Openness to experience|
|Talkative|Sympathetic|Organized|Tense|Wide interests|
|Assertive|Kind|Thorough|Anxious|Imaginative|
|Active|Appreciative|Planful|Nervous|Intelligent|
|Energetic|Affectionate|Efficient|Moody|Original|
|Outgoing|Soft-hearted|Responsible|Worrying|Insightful|
|Outspoken|Warm|Reliable|Touchy|Curious|
|Dominant|Generous|Dependable|Fearful|Sophisticated|
|Forceful|Trusting|Conscientious|High-strung|Artistic|
|Enthusiastic|Helpful|Precise|Self-pitying|Clever|
|Show-off|Forgiving|Practical|Temperamental|Inventive|
|Sociable|Pleasant|Deliberate|Unstable|Sharp-witted|
|Spunky|Good-natured|Painstaking|Self-punishing|Ingenious|
|Adventurous|Friendly| |Despondent| |
|Noisy|Cooperative| |Emotional| |
|Bossy|Gentle| | | |
| |Unselfish| | | |
| |Praising| | | |
| |Sensitive| | | |
|Retiring| | | | |
|Withdrawn|Hard-hearted|Slipshod| |Unintelligent|
|Silent|Quarrelsome|Irresponsible| |Shallow|
|Shy|Unfriendly|Frivolous| |Simple|
|Reserved|Cold|Disorderly| |Narrow interests|
|Quiet|Fault-finding|Careless| |Commonplace|
First, the [[revised Bloom taxonomy|http://www.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/451/revisedbloom.html]] gives slightly different names to the 6 levels of the hierarchy:
*remember (was knowledge)
*understand (was comprehension)
*apply (was application)
*analyze (was analysis)
*evaluate (was evaluation)
*create (was synthesis)
|!The Cognitive Process Dimension|! |! |
|Categories & Cognitive Processes|Alternative Names|Definitions and Examples|
|!1.''Remember'' - Retrieve relevant knowledge from long-term memory|! |! |
|1.1. Recognizing|Identifying|Locating knowledge in long-term memory that is consistent with presented material (e.g. recognizing the dates of important events in U.S. history)|
|1.2. Recalling|Retrieving relevant knowledge from from long-term memory e.g. recalling the dates of important events in U.S. history|
|!2.''Understand'' - Construct meaning from instructional messages, including oral, written and graphic communication|! |! |
|2.1. Interpreting|Clarifying, paraphrasing, representing, translating|Changing from one form of representation (e.g. numerical) to another (e.g. verbal) (e.g. paraphrasing important speeches and documents)|
|2.2. Exemplifying|Illustrating, instantiating|Finding a specific example of illustration of a concept or a principle (e.g. Give examples of various artisitic painting styles)|
|2.3. Classifying|Categorizing, subsuming|Determining that something belongs to a category (e.g. concept or principle) (e.g.Classify observed or described cases of mental disorders)|
|2.4. Summarizing|Abstracting, generalizing|Abstracting a general theme or major points. (e.g. Write a short summary of the events portrayed on a videotape)|
|2.5. Inferring|Concluding, extrapolating, interpolating, predicitng|Drawing a logical conclusion from presented information (e.g. In learning a foreign language, infer grammatical principles from examples)|
|2.6. Comparing|Contrasting, mapping, matching|Detecting correspondences between two ideas, objects and the like (e.g. Compare historical events to contemporary situations)|
|2.7. Explaining|Constructing models|Constructing a cause-and-effect model of a system (e.g. Explain the cause of important 18th-century events in France)|
|!3.''Apply'' - Carry out or use a procedure in a given situation.|! |! |
|3.1.Executing|Carrying out|Applying a procedure to a familiar task (e.g. Divide one whole number by another whole number, both with multiple digits)|
|3.2.Implementing|Using|Applying a procedure to an unfamiliar task (e.g. Use Newton's Second Law in ituations in which it is appropriate)|
|!4.''Analyze'' - Break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose)|! |! |
|4.1.Differentiating|Discriminating, distinguishing, focusing, selecting.|Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant parts or important from unimportant parts of presented material. (e.g. Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant numbers in a mathematical word problem)|
|4.2.Organizing|Finding, coherence, intergrating, outlining, parsing, structuring|Determining how elements fit or function within a structure (e.g. Structure evidence in a historical descriptioninto evidence for and against a particular historical explanation)|
|4.3.Attributing|Deconstructing|Determine a point of view, bias, values or intent underlying presented material (e.g. Determine the point of view of the author of an essay in terms of his or her political perspective).|
|!5.''Evaluate'' - Make judgments based on criteria and standards |! |! |
|5.1.Checking|Coordinating, detecting, monitoring, testing|Detecting inconsistencies or fallacies within a process or product; determining whether a process or product has internal consistency; detecting the effectiveness of a procedure as it is being implemented (e.g. Determine if a scientist's conclusions follow from observed data)|
|5.2.Critiquing|Judging|Detecting inconsistencies between a product and external criteria, determining whether a product has external consistency; detecting the appropriateness of a procedure for a given problem (e.g. Judge which of two methods is the best way to solve a given problem)|
|!6.''Create'' - Put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure|! |! |
|6.1.Generating|Hypothesizing|Coming up with alternative hypotheses based on criteria (e.g. Generate hypotheses to account for an observed phenomenon)|
|6.2.Planning|Designing|Devising a procedure for accomplishing some task (e.g. Plan a research paper on a given historical topic)|
|6.3.Producing|Constructing|Inventing a product (e.g. Build habitats for a specific purpose).|
[[10 Ways to Hack Your Brain |http://www.theoptimizedlife.com/success/10-ways-to-hack-your-brain/]]
Did you know that people compete every year to win the
U.S. Memory Championship? To attain the rank of grand
master of memory, you must be able to memorize 1,000
digits in under an hour, the exact order of 10 shuffled
decks of playing cards in under an hour, and one shuffled
deck in less than two minutes.
To this day, there are only 36 grand masters of memory in
the world.
And while you may not be interested in memorizing digits
and playing cards, I’m sure all of us would like to increase
our mental brain power. Whether you want to quickly
memorize the periodic table, learn a new language,
recite the names of each president forwards and
backwards, or cut down on your studying time, the
following memory techniques will help you do it.
The brain wasn’t designed to remember abstract symbols like
numbers and miscellaneous facts. However, if you can
translate those symbols into vivid visual images and
associations, even the dullest list of dates can become as
memorable as your own telephone number. The key is to
develop a system that allows for quick encoding and easy
recall.
We’ll start with the basic techniques and then move on to
the more advanced ones. Although the more advanced
techniques do take a bit more practice, they also deliver
bigger benefits, so don’t write them off too quickly. With
practice, you can become a memory master.
1. Acronyms
One of the most common memory techniques is the use of
acronyms. This technique uses an easily remembered word
whose first letters are associated with the list of items that
need to be remembered. Pilots use these extensively to run
through essential checklists during flight time.
An example would be:
ROY G. BIV: the colors of the visible spectrum Red, Orange,
Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
Keep in mind that associations which are exaggerated, absurd,
humorous, and involve all five senses are much easier to
remember than normal ones. We remember emotionally charged
events much better than boring ones.
2. Chunking
Chunking is one of the oldest memory techniques. Using this
method, the items to be memorized are divided into small
chunks or groups. Chunking is especially helpful for memorizing
telephone numbers, ID numbers, etc.
For example, if you want to memorize the number 411645754,
then split it up into small groups: 411, 645, 754. You can
then memorize each group by rote. By dividing the
larger number into smaller subsets, it will be much easier
to commit the number to memory.
When using this technique, it is also helpful to make
connections and associations among the different chunks and
numbers.
For example, if you want to memorize a grocery list, you
should group each of the items into related categories. So,
one chunk or group might be composed of oranges, apples, and
pears, while another chunk is made up of vegetables.
3. Acrostic
An acrostic is a memory technique that uses a made up
sentence or poem with a first letter cue. The first letter
of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember.
One example is:
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS).
This acrostic represents the sequence in solving or
evaluating math equations. Parenthesis, Exponents,
Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction
4. The Method of Loci
The Method of Loci is a memory technique that dates back to
ancient Greek times when orators, philosophers, and others
had to rely on memory for memorizing speeches and knowledge
in general. This was essential seeing that the printed book
wouldn’t come around until approximately two thousand years
later.
Therefore, they invented the Method of Loci. This memory
technique involves associating information you want to
remember with specific locations, also known as loci.
These locations can be points along a journey or objects in
a room. The ancient Greeks not only created rooms, but
entire palaces and cities to remember lots of information.
According to Wikipedia,
“In ancient advice, the loci were physical locations,
usually in a familiar large public building, such as a market
or a church.
To utilize the method, one walked through the building
several times, viewing distinct places within it, in the
same order each time. After a few repetitions of this,
one should be able to remember and visualize each of
the places in order reliably.
To memorize a speech, one breaks it up into pieces, each
of which is symbolized by vivid imagined objects or symbols.
In the mind’s eye, one then places each of these images
into the loci.
They can then be recalled in order by imagining that one is
walking through the building again, visiting each of the
loci in order, and viewing each of the images that were
placed in the loci, thereby recalling each piece of the
speech in order.”
To create your own mental journey, you must first select the
path you wish to use. Be sure to choose a location that has
the same number of locations as the number of chunks in the
information you wish to memorize.
Take a mental journey through the selected path. You should
be able to recall the specific order of the locations
without trouble.
Now it’s time to associate this new information with each
location along your chosen path. If you want to
memorize the presidents, then you might take a
mental journey through your school. In the first
room, you could have George Washington in an
astronaut suit and cutting firewood. In the
second room you could have John Adams
break dancing in front of the classroom.
And on and on until you have completed all
43 presidents.
Remember, emotion and exaggerated associations
are the key to memory.
5. The Image-Name Technique
Here’s an excellent (but simple) memory technique for
remembering names.
All you have to do is make up a relationship between the
name and the physical characteristics of the person’s name
you are trying to remember.
For example, if you were trying to remember a person by the
name of Tom, you might associate their name with the person
you went to prom with who was also named Tom. In this
instance, you are making the connection between Tom and prom
(rhyming) and between someone you previously knew from
high school.
If you want to remember the name Sally, you might imagine
them in a ballet. This association will help you remember
their name because of the visual imagery and the connection
between the “closely related” words that almost rhyme:
Sally and ballet.
By making connections, you are instantly more likely to
remember their name the next time you see them.
6. Mind Mapping
One of the best ways to learn new things is to relate what
you want to learn with something you already know. This is
known as association and it is the mental glue that drives
your brain.
Associations are also one of the best ways to improve your
memory. To maximize our mental powers, we must constantly
look for associations that connect new ideas and knowledge
with old ideas and concepts that we are already familiar
with.
Association is the primary method that memory champions use
to win international memory competitions. If you want to
enhance your mental abilities, then association is one skill
that you will definitely want to practice.
Mind mapping is one of the best ways to practice association.
According to Wikipedia, mind mapping:
“is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or
other items linked to and arranged radially around a central
key word or idea.”
Mind maps have been used for centuries to aid in learning,
brainstorming, memory, and problem solving.
To start creating your own mind map, simply get
out a piece of paper, multiple colored pens, and begin
drawing a handwritten mind map that connects a variety
of ideas and concepts to a central key word or idea.
The simple act of using your hand for thought can really
get the brain going.
Click here for a complete guide to creating mind maps.
7. Write an Article
One of the best ways to learn a topic is to start writing
about it yourself. This forces you to clarify your thoughts
and dig a bit deeper into the topic at hand.
By expressing the core ideas in your own words, you will
gain a much deeper understanding of the topic.
Explaining a topic to others will help you to “really”
understand the matter because teaching something to others
requires a completely different level of insight.
Think about it. If you had to teach a class, wouldn’t you
make sure that you understood the material even better than
the students. Take on the role of an instructor and you will
find yourself gaining a much deeper understanding of the
topics you study.
8. Peg words
Peg words are extremely powerful, but it does take some time
to learn how to use them. However, once you master this
technique, you can probably cut your studying time in half.
The use of pegs goes all the way back to the seventeenth
century and Henry Herson. He came up with a list of ten
objects that physically resembled the number itself. For
example, the number 1 was represented by a candle.
Number 8 was a pair of spectacles.
Peg words essentially become “hangers” or pegs on which
you can hang different items that you want to remember.
This system works by pre-memorizing a list of words that
are easy to associate with the numbers they represent. To
begin, you can connect simple objects with the numbers 1-20.
Those objects form the “pegs” of the system.
Once you have created a list of words for each number, you
can then begin using your peglist to quickly memorize a
list of objects.
For example, let’s say you want to memorize a grocery list
of 10 items. To begin, you would need to make a peg list for
the numbers 1-10. Here’s an example:
1- pencil
2- shoe
3- phone
4- door
5- book
6- basketball
7- hat
8- radio
9- car
10- barn
Now, you must associate the groceries on your list with each
of your peg words. Remember that your associations must be
exaggerated and filled with emotion in order to make them
easy to remember. Here are some examples of how you could
associate the grocery list with each of the peg words:
1- tomatoes - Visualize an army of pencils attacking a field
of overgrown tomatoes.
2- grapes - Visualize your favorite TV character stomping
through a big barrel of grapes with bright white shoes.
3 - cereal - Visualize opening your phone and having your
favorite cereal start shooting out of the mouth piece.
Get the idea?
Once you have created your list of peg words, you can use
them over and over again to memorize a variety of different
lists.
You could use the peg system to memorize the Presidents of
the United States, the periodic table, or the state capitals.
When creating your peg words, it’s best to use tangible
things or objects for each peg word because objects are
easier to associate other items to.
Also, make sure that you don’t use similar peg words for
different numbers. For reference, always keep a full list
of the peg words close by. In fact, putting this list in
your wallet or purse is one of the best places. This way,
you will always have access to the peg system.
At first, you may find it difficult to come up with the creative,
illogical, and exaggerated associations that help you
remember more. It comes with practice. However, once you
have mastered the technique of association, you will find
that you have also increased your creativity and problem
solving skills at the same time. The key to creating good
associations is thinking like a child again. Let your mind
wander past the limitations created out of what we now know
as “adulthood”.
9. Visualization
Visualization is an extremely powerful memory technique.
However, visualization doesn’t just improve memory. It can
also help reduce stress, improve sports performance, and
increase your motivation.
Create descriptive pictures of your possible future and move
yourself towards it. Visualize your next sports event or
public speech to improve your performance.
When studying history, play out visual renditions in your mind
of historical events that you want to remember. Imagine the
smells, sights, and sounds of Gettysburg or the excitement
and unity created by Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a
Dream” speech. By visualizing history with mental replays,
you are much more likely to remember them in detail.
10. FlashCards
When it comes to rote memorization, flash cards are my
favorite memorization tool. Flashcards can help you learn
new subjects quickly and efficiently. They are especially
useful for learning new vocabulary or even a new language.
One of the biggest benefits of flashcards is their portable
nature. They allow you to study anywhere at any time. It
doesn’t matter whether you’re on the bus, stuck in
traffic, or in the doctor’s office. You can always whip out
your flashcards for a quick 2 to 3 minute study session.
To create effective flashcards, dedicate one point to each
card. For example, you could put a vocabulary word on one
side and the definition on the other side. This way, you can
repeatedly quiz yourself until you have mastered all of the
concepts.
Considering that memory is such a fundamental skill, it’s
surprising that schools don’t teach us more about how to
learn and use our memory to its optimum potential.
Our mind, just like the rest of our body, needs continuous
exercise and training. Those who think they have a poor
memory actually just have an untrained memory.
Just reading this article won’t improve your memory. A good
memory comes from practice. Find something new and exciting
to learn. Start testing out these methods as soon as possible.
You could learn how to fly, learn a new language, photography,
or even investing.
When you have mastered these memory techniques, the world’s
knowledge is yours to discover.
*[[Omega3|http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/omega-3s-boost-grey-matter-12736.html]]
Hi everyone,
Lithium also increases gray matter.
Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Jan 18
Greater Cortical Gray Matter Density in
Lithium-Treated Patients with Bipolar Disorder.
PMID: 17240360
Neurosci Lett. 2002 Aug 30;329(2):243-5
Increased gray matter volume in lithium-treated
bipolar disorder patients.
PMID: 12165422
Lancet. 2000 Oct 7;356(9237):1241-2
Lithium-induced increase in human brain grey matter.
PMID: 11072948
Nerissa
*Kolmogorof Information Theory
*Giulio Tononi's information integration theory of consciousness
*Conway's [[Game of Life|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life]](WIP)
*Orion's Arm
*Nomic
*Prisoner's Dilemma
*Open Croquet
*Loglan (WIP)
*NicolasFlamel
|>|>|!My Favourite DAWs|
|1.|[[Ableton Live|http://www.ableton.com]]|
|2.|[[FL Studio|http://www.flstudio.com]]|
|3.|[[Reason|http://www.propellerheads.se]]|
|4.|[[BuzzMachines|http://www.buzzmachines.com]]|
|5.|[[CMusic|http://www.?]]|
|6.|[[Tuareg & Tunafish|http://www.brambos.com/]] |
|7.|[[EnergyXT|http://?]]|
Veel inspirerende zaken tegen het lijf gelopen de laatste twee maanden:
* [[Hyves|http://www.hyves.nl]]
*[[SecondLife|http://www.secondlife.com]]
**[[UvvyIsland|http://www.uvvy.com]]
**[[ViVox|http://www.vivox.com]]
*GettingThingsDone
**[[43 Folders|http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/]]
**TiddlyWiki
*ReasonDaw
**[[Wauters Tutorial|http://studwww.ugent.be/~mfvhauwe/wauter/reason/reason.html]]
On 9/26/06, Eugen Leitl <eugen@leitl.org> wrote:
[snip]
> I don't think this is going to happen. Our cypherpunk dreams never
> materialized. Anything involving threats at the physical layer will
> cause societies to go into armadillo mode. Kiss your residual freedoms
> good-bye then.
[snip]
Why do you suppose our "cypherpunk dreams never materialized," and
exactly what hopes does that phrase express? I have my own answers for
this, but yours interest me. I also think they'd generally interest
the list.
--
Jay Dugger
http://jaydugger.suprglu.com
Sometimes the delete key serves best.
On Tue, Sep 26, 2006 at 06:43:49PM +0000, Jay Dugger wrote:
> > I don't think this is going to happen. Our cypherpunk dreams never
> > materialized. Anything involving threats at the physical layer will
> > cause societies to go into armadillo mode. Kiss your residual freedoms
> > good-bye then.
>
> Why do you suppose our "cypherpunk dreams never materialized," and
There are many reasons, some more important than the others.
It takes a critical mass for interoperability, and most users
never cared (in fact, most even never knew and are still naive).
Alternatively, the activists never realized how weird they
really were. The infrastructure itself was never developed.
Some designs appeared close (MojoNation, MNet, a few others) but
nothing with all the required facets emerged. On the political
side the IP lobby and professional manipulators managed to pass
a number of laws and influence the public opinion using the
usual apocalyptic riders (in some cases, such as the AP
crackdown, even statuated harsh examples for deterrence).
Also, anonymity (reasonably simple to implement) invites abuse.
I was on the phone with a police officer just today actually,
who was investigating a case of online fraud involving Tor, and
you might or might not have heard about the recent Tor server
seizure in Germany (mine was spared), and actually abuse and
borderline illegal acitivities dominate the current network.
I'm hoping the current privacy witch hunt will encourage more
people to protect themselves, but of course the situation could
result just as well with activists ending up impaled on the stake
themselves. CCC claimed we lost the war, but not quite yet.
It will be certainly not worthwhile to stay on fascist networks
legally, that's for certain. Otoh, intelligence is not
corellated with risk-taking, so the new networks won't be
anything like the old. A really disruptive approach would
be a completely unregulated low-cost Iridium launched by
a rogue billionaire, but of course you can still penalize
end-user devices, unless fabbing is low-threshold that
black market is impossible to eradicate. See, we're weird.
Never going to happen.
> exactly what hopes does that phrase express? I have my own answers for
The original idea involved a lightweight digital currency infrastructure,
which was supposed to obsolete national currencies, the network becoming
the global, unregulated, realtime marketplace. Another facet was a distributed
cryptographic filestore allowing uncensorable communication and publishing,
allowing both one-time and persistent nyms and supporting prestige accounting.
This has turned out far more challenging than anticipated, even
ignoring the issues of user base criticality (bootstrap). I'm still hoping
we'll be getting a case of severe abuse and subsequent backlash, but
these chances are arguably thin. The metal chutes of the slaughterhouse
are steep, and slickened in blood.
The hope was that the network would become the last unregulated
frontier (lacking access to space), which humanity so desperately
needs in order to progress. It was so highly frustrating to
talk to scientific publishing professionals in mid-90s about
the fundamental change in scientific publishing that cheap
computers and networks where about to unleash. Of course it was
precisely the establishment that had the least interest in
novelty, and the most to lose from the lumpenscientist threat.
As budgets plummet, and the old fogeys (literally) die out,
this is slowly starting to change. At least open source still
has got a reasonably good press, for time being, so we're
not completely screwed. But, this is a fight for somebody
else.
> this, but yours interest me. I also think they'd generally interest
> the list.
I'm not sure. Tim May is just a troll on the Usenet.
--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
KuehleBorn
WeBlogs
WebSites
WebCommunities
WebForums
*MansNature
*ValUe
*VirtUe
*HappiNess
[[TiddlyWiki Home|http://www.tiddlywiki.com/]]
[img[email-encoder.gif][http://w2.syronex.com/jmr/safemailto/]
Via [[Dumb Little Man|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/04/10-sites-that-provide-free-books.html]]
[[Part I|http://www.friedbeef.com/2007/04/02/top-10-best-places-to-get-free-books-part-1/]]
[[Part II|http://www.friedbeef.com/2007/04/05/top-10-best-places-to-get-free-books-part-2/]]
[[The Ultimate Guide|http://www.friedbeef.com/2007/04/09/best-places-to-get-free-books-the-ultimate-guide/]]
Geek activism has not taken off yet, but it should. With the gamers recognizing the need for a louder voice, EFF gaining momentum and Linux taking on the mainstream on the one hand and recent severe losses in privacy, freedom of speech and intellectual property rights on the other, now seems to be the best time to rally around the cause.
Geeks are not known to be political or highly vocal (outside of our own circles)- this must change if we want things to improve. So [[here is my list of things|http://www.scienceaddiction.com/2006/07/23/95-theses-of-geek-activism/]] people of all shapes, sizes and sides of the debate need to know. Some of these are obvious, others may not be meant for you. But hopefully, some of these will inspire you to do the right thing and others will help you frame the next discussion, debate or argument you have on these topics.
#Reclaim the term ‘hacker’. If you tinker with electronics, you are a hacker. If you use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer, you are a hacker. If you build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you are a hacker. Reclaim the term.
#Violating a license agreement is not theft.
#All corporations are not on your side.
#Keep in touch with everyone you can vote for and make sure you know where they stand on the issues you care about.
#More importantly, make sure they know where you stand on the issues you care about.
#Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse.
#Read the [[original 95 theses|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95_Theses]]. Yes, they are irrelevant to these causes. Yes, they are religious- and not even close to my religion. And yes, they are 500 years old. But they do demonstrate how stating your beliefs clearly, effectively and publicly to challenge the status quo can change the world. Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur!
#Use [[TOR|http://tor.eff.org/]] for privacy and anonymity.
#Trusted computers must not be trusted.
#Democrats may seem to be on your side, but keep an eye on them. They may only be the lesser of two evils.
#Republicans may seem to be the enemy, but that is only because they are in power now. The true enemy is a lack of accountability.
#Read Eric Raymond’s [[The Cathedral and the Bazaar|http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/]].
#Why do I have to jump through hoops just to get video off my own home movie DVDs?
#Know the [[DMCA|http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf]] so you know what you are up against.
#The true enemy is the line: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, what do you fear?” The problem with that line, as [[Schneier has said|http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/the_value_of_pr.html]], is that it assumes that the desire for privacy implies wrong-doing.
#Proprietary data formats must never store public information.
#Some corporations are on your side- find them and reward them.
#No one has ever told me where I could play my 45 RPMs. Why are my MP3s any different?
#The analog hole is not a hole. The world is analog.
#If you are in the US, let your [[Senator know what you feel|http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm]].
#Treating your customers like criminals- or potential criminals- will turn customers away.
#This bears repeating, treating paying customers as potential criminals is a losing strategy.
#Some corporations may seem to be on your side, but are not.
#Fair use is a good thing.
#Use ''multiple operating systems'' regularly so you truly understand interoperability.
#Write to your local newspaper- they can shape the opinions of the people do not understand the issues we care about.
#Do not follow the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation|http://www.eff.org]], ''participate in it''.
#Read of [[Thoreau’s words on civil disobedience|http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Civil_Disobedience]].
#Data mining will not stop terror.
#''Express your opinion in public''.
#Blog.
#The GPL is not gospel, but it comes close.
#Use multiple MP3/music players so you truly understand interoperability.
#If you are in the US, [[let your house representative know how you feel|http://www.house.gov/writerep/]].
#Those in favor of suspending some liberties for security, answer this: “Who watches the watchers?”
#Except for extreme cases, the ''government'' should not be in the business of ''parenting our children''.
#When arguing with people who disagree, ''be polite'', but not condescending.
#RFID is just a technology- its existence does not make us more secure.
#Now and in the future, presence of encryption implies ''nothing''. In fact, whatever it does imply is ''none of your business''. Without any other probable cause, the user must not bear the burden of explaining reasons for use of encryption.
#Flame wars help the other side.
#New technologies to promote and develop media will prosper because of computers and the Internet, ''not inspite of it''.
#Security is a trade-off- what are you willing to give up?
#Calling Microsoft evil buys you nothing- it only polarizes the argument.
#Holding Google to it’s “Don’t do evil” mantra buys us a lot.
#Read of Gandhi’s actions in civil disobedience. Discover [[Satyagraha|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha]].
#Use [[Creative Commons|http://creativecommons.org/]].
#Understand the difference between civil disobedience and breaking the law.
#Can’t find anything to watch on network TV? Watch [[Democracy TV|http://www.getdemocracy.com/]].
#Frame the argument in terms of the average person, not the edge-case geek. These problems affect geeks first, but ''will affect everyone in the future''.
#Privacy, civil liberties and civil rights are a slippery slope. The reason we continuously fight for them is not that we all seek a utopian society where doves fly free- in fact, I seek a perpetual ‘tug-of-war’ where the rope gradually slips in the direction of my beliefs.
#Users do not want the permission to use digital media; they want to own digital media. This means using them as they choose, where they choose, in the device of their choice without fear of litigation or sudden inactivity. These users are customers- treat them with respect.
#Support the [[free|http://www.promo.net/pg/]], [[public domain|http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page]] [[archives|http://www.archive.org/index.php]] of information.
#''Undermine censorship'' by publishing [[information censored in oppressive countries|http://irrepressible.info/]].
#And then, there is the [[12-step plan for the games industry|http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/09/12-step-plan-for-the-games-industry-game-marketing-conf-keynote/]].
#Corporations and producers of digital media must trust their own consumers. Sales will reward trust.
#Breaking the law because you disagree with the current law is not the way to solve the problem in a democratic society.
#''ID cards'' do not make us more secure.
#Voicing your views in a Slashdot comment thread is good, in your own blog is better, but in places that non-geeks frequent is best.
#DRM does not work because the customer/user has the key, cipher and ciphertext in the player. (thanks [[Cory Doctorow|http://www.dashes.com/anil/stuff/doctorow-drm-ms.html]])
#[[Bloggers have rights|http://www.eff.org/bloggers/]] - be aware of them.
#Find out why [[electronic voting machines are regulated less than casino gaming machines|http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/03/16/GR2006031600213.html]].
#Find out about [[Spimes|http://www.boingboing.net/images/blobjects.htm]] - they are in your future if things go well.
#Have a global perspective in ideas of geek civil liberties, intellectual property rights and so forth. Do you like your country’s policies in this respect? Can you help people from another country?
#Geek activism is not all about extreme positions. There is a gradient- find your position on it.
#Read the [[PATRIOT ACT|http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR03162:%5D]]- know what you are really up against.
#In the US, put [[a few technologists in power in Washington|http://actblue.com/page/stomv]]. Abroad, do the same for your own seat of government.
#Write to mainstream media- they have more mindshare than they are given credit for.
#Read what your founding fathers said before taking someone’s word for it. Quote the founding fathers back at them- there were so many of them, and they said and wrote so much, that you will find a quote for each situation. Try this one for starters, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin. Read more Bejamin Franklin. Read more [[cool quotes|http://www.scienceaddiction.com/2006/04/25/outrage/]]
#Read more.
#Mixed tapes are legal. Time-shifting TV is legal. Regardless of the media.
#Decide what is offensive for yourself- don’t let the government decide it for you. If you do not, pretty soon, you may only see one side of every argument.
#Music purchases should not be governed by determining which seller has the most clout among the player manufacturers.
#We do not lock the door to our bedrooms or bathrooms because we have something to hide. We do not secure our networks, conversations, emails and files because we have something to hide.
#Make sure that if a vendor locks you in, you lock them out.
#80% of games are ''not rated M''.
#You may agree with Richard Stallman, but make sure you understand the opposing point of view.
#An email tax to certify that it is “legitimate” is an awful idea.
#Know your rights and be prepared to defend them.
#''Open source is not free''.
#''Free is open source''.
#The ESRB game rating system exists for a reason- so that parents can be parents and the government can get on with more important stuff.
#Do not allow corporations to get away with assisting oppressive regimes. Let your voice be heard.
#''Linux is no longer a philosophy'' - it is a good piece of software. Use it because it if it fits your needs.
#There are reasons [[based in mathematics|http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/rudmin1.html]] that establish the NSA wiretaps and other similar brute data mining ideas do not work.
#Multiple nag screens that warn us of possible insecurity do not make us more secure.
#More information available to the most number of people is a ''good thing''.
#There are [[DRM free|http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/guide/]] alternatives for [[music you can play anywhere|http://ymusicblog.com/blog/2006/07/19/buy-a-customized-jessica-simpson-mp3-at-yahoo-music/]].
#''Vote''.
#Free as in free lunch is good. Free as in a free people is even better. For software and for everything else.
#Quoting [[Schneier’s blog|http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/the_value_of_pr.html]]: Cardinal Richelieu understood the value of surveillance when he famously said, “If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged.” Watch someone long enough, and you’ll find something to arrest—or just blackmail—with. Privacy is important because without it, surveillance information will be abused: to peep, to sell to marketers and to spy on political enemies—whoever they happen to be at the time.
#Read our modern geek philosophers- read [[Bruce Perens|http://www.perens.com/]], [[Cory Doctorow|http://www.boingboing.net/]], [[Bruce Sterling|http://blog.wired.com/sterling/]] and even [[Richard Stallman|http://www.fsf.org/]]. Read [[Schneier|http://www.schneier.com/blog/]] to find practical reasons why stupid security mechanisms are stupid. Read them even if you disagree with them- it will help frame your point of view.
#DRM only keeps ''an honest user honest''.
#You have the right to anonymity on the internet.
#''Be proud of being a geek'', a gamer, a privacy advocate, promoter of free speech and an innovator without fear of litigation, of government or restrictions on liberties- a geek activist.
#Most of all- have fun.
I think GettingThingsDone appeals to geeks for a lot of reasons. Overgeneralizing for effect:
*geeks are often disorganized or have a twisted skein of attention-deficit issues
*geeks love assessing, classifying, and defining the objects in their world
*geeks crave actionable items and roll their eyes at “mission statements” and lofty management patois
*geeks like things that work with technology-agnostic and lofi tools
*geeks like frameworks but tend to ignore rules
*geeks are unusually open to change (if it can be demonstrated to work better than what they’re currently using)
*geeks like fixing things on their own terms
*geeks have too many projects and lots and lots of stuff
Uit: [[Getting Started With Getting Things Done|http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/]]
To get started with this blank TiddlyWiki, you'll need to modify the following tiddlers:
* SiteTitle & SiteSubtitle: The title and subtitle of the site, as shown above (after saving, they will also appear in the browser title bar)
* MainMenu: The menu (usually on the left)
* DefaultTiddlers: Contains the names of the tiddlers that you want to appear when the TiddlyWiki is opened
You'll also need to enter your username for signing your edits: <<option txtUserName>>
This is a really summarized version, but here it is, PowerPoint-style:
*identify all the stuff in your life that isn’t in the right place (close all open loops)
*get rid of the stuff that isn’t yours or you don’t need right now
*create a right place that you trust and that supports your working style and values
*put your stuff in the right place, consistently
*do your stuff in a way that honors your time, your energy, and the context of any given moment
*iterate and refactor mercilessly
So, basically, you make your stuff into real, actionable items or things you can just get rid of. Everything you keep has a clear reason for being in your life at any given moment—both now and well into the future. This gives you an amazing kind of confidence that
#nothing gets lost and
#you always understand what’s on or off your plate.
Also built-in to the system are an ongoing series of ReViews, in which you periodically re-examine your now-organized stuff from various levels of granularity to make sure your vertical focus (individual projects and their tasks) is working in concert with your horizontal focus (side to side scanning of all incoming channels for new stuff). It’s actually sort of fun and oddly satisfying.
Uit: [[Getting Started With Getting Things Done|http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/]]
[[Give Yourself a Lift With These 27 Effective Power Tips|http://ririanproject.com/2007/06/13/give-yourself-a-lift-with-these-27-effective-power-tips/]]
By projectririan on Productivity
“And what is a man without energy? Nothing - nothing at all.”
- Mark Twain
Give Yourself a Lift! No longer have any energy? Feeling a bit under the weather lately? Livin’ la vida loca just doesn’t have the same appeal? There are times when getting through the day is hard to do. You’re not thinking clearly, your head is getting heavy, and you keep looking at the clock to see how soon you can go home. Here are 27 ways to beat the slump and give yourself a lift.
1. Use your muscles.
Burning energy makes energy – doesn’t sound right, does it? But being active does make you feel more energetic. And laziness only begets more laziness. How can you be more active when you feel like slouching on the couch all day? This takes a bit of willpower and lots of persuasion. Go on regular walks with your dog or a friend, and visit the gym for a good 45-minute workout on a regular basis. Make this a habit, and you’ll always be known as the “Speedy Gonzalez” of the neighborhood.
2. A quick fix.
Cheap and readily available in coffee, soft drinks and pill form, caffeine has been the drug of choice for college students and truck drivers alike. Be careful, though, caffeine is a double-edged sword and too much of it can cause you to become jittery and can dehydrate you. As an alternative, try a power drink or a sports drink with added electrolytes.
3. Breakfast like a king.
They don’t call it the most important meal of the day for nothing. A sensible breakfast will give you the boost you need each morning to last you through the whole day. Hey, if you don’t put gas in your car, it won’t run. Same goes for healthy meals in the morning. To stay full longer, try oats. Oats are full of fiber and low on the glycemic index which means that the sugar is released into your bloodstream slowly, keeping your energy levels constant. Oats are also packed with B vitamins, which lower stress and help convert carbohydrates into energy.
4. Avoid quick-fix foods.
Candy, chocolate, hamburgers, chicken wings, french fries, etc., all these foods are high in sugar or fat and can do a huge number on your energy levels. A quick fact: sugar puts you to sleep. It does not, as most people think, give you more energy. So cut out all those candies and chocolates, and start eating more fruits and vegetables.
5. Tea for me.
Drinking tea regularly every day has been found to increase one’s stamina. However, the type of tea you drink is very important. You should stay away from tea that comes in tea bags, because chances are these contain high levels of caffeine. Instead, buy some dried herbs from your local supermarket and boil some water with them. Natural herbal teas are healthier than the bagged ones. A combination of Siberian Ginseng extract, peppermint, and green tea is a great choice.
6. Supplement your body.
Energy is generated in each and every cell in the body through a chemical reaction, which combines fuel from food and oxygen. The catalysts that make these reactions happen are the vitamins and minerals in out diet. Supplementing our diet can boost energy levels and make up for any deficiencies. The most effective energy boosting nutrients include B complex vitamins and Co-enzyme Q10. Chromium supplements also help stabilize blood sugar levels.
7. Head for a bar.
No, not the type that serves beer, I’m talking about energy bars. Jam-packed with carbs, these bars are designed to provide fuel for a short-term energy boost. Just make sure you read the nutritional breakdown on the label, some of them can contain more fat and sugar than a regular chocolate bar.
8. Drink more water.
Again, sounds obvious, but we’re not drinking enough fluids. This helps you stay hydrated, curbs your desire for an unhealthy snack and keeps you from getting drowsy. If you’re stuck in a boring meeting and you feel yourself nodding off, a sip of water will help you regain your focus.
9. Eat lunch every day.
Too many of us think we’re too busy to stop for lunch and don’t recognize that the resultant midday slump will impact our productivity and attention span. It’s always important to supply your body with a regular input of nutrients. You don’t need to have a heavy meat and potatoes meal at noon every day, but make sure you eat something. And avoid eating while you work at your desk; take a break for lunch even if it’s only 20 minutes.
10. Snack more often.
And avoid big meals. Eating a lot in one sitting causes the blood to divert from your brain and to your digestive system. This can make you feel lethargic. Instead, try eating four or five smaller meals each day. An apple or yogurt are good choices for a quick pick-me-up. Steer clear of chocolate bars or sugary donuts. Although they create a quick boost in energy, your blood sugar levels will drop even faster afterward, and you’ll feel more tired than ever.
11. Take a breather.
With each breath, cells are replenished with oxygen and the energy to perform all kinds of essential functions. You don’t need to be taught to breathe, right? Wrong. Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity, which means they are only taking in one third of oxygen needed. Spend a few minutes each day working on your breathing. Make sure you are sitting comfortably, clear you mind and make sure to breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth in order to maximize your oxygen intake and carbon dioxide expenditure.
12. Sitting comfortably.
You wouldn’t expect a sedentary activity like sitting down to wear you out, would you? Actually, a bad sitting position puts the body under enormous stress and can leave us exhausted by the end of the day. Most people sitting at a desk slump forward. Apart from causing physical imbalance and discomfort, this also interferes with the natural working of the respiratory system and can starve the body of vital oxygen. So choose seating that supports healthy posture. Good posture helps to keep the natural curves of the spine relaxed and ready to absorb and distribute stress encountered during rest and activity.
13. Get some laughter.
There may be more to the song “Put on a Happy Face” than just a catchy tune - putting on a happy face is actually good for you, and those around you. If you really need to cheer up and increase your energy, then watch a sitcom for half an hour, or better yet, get tickets to your favorite comedy club. Laughter has been proven time and again to be the best therapy for depression and lack of energy.
14. Splash your face with cold water.
Just like your morning shower wakes you up, washing your face will refresh you. Try splashing a little cold water on your face and you might banish your lethargy. Often, just washing your hands will make you feel less sleepy.
15. Take a short break.
Did you know that a simple thing like getting up from your chair and going to the bathroom can work miracles for your productivity? Stand up and stretch. It doesn’t have to be big and showy, accompanied by a loud yawn. Just get up and turn around, shake your feet unobtrusively and flex your fingers. If you can’t leave the office, sit back and breathe deeply to relax yourself and increase your oxygen intake. Stretching will get the kinks out of your neck and shoulders and increase your blood circulation.
16. Move and get your blood flowing.
Go for a walk in the park, take the stairs or hand-deliver a memo to another department. Get the blood flowing in your body; it will increase your metabolic rate and decrease your drowsiness.
17. Catch some rays.
Optimize the amount of light you’re exposed to during the day. Walk around outside instead of using the elevator from the parking garage. Try to reposition your work surface so you can see out a window. Fluorescent lighting is draining as it gives off too much color (usually yellow) and does not mimic the color spectrum of natural daylight. It also lacks the ultraviolet light of sunlight, which helps the body to produce vitamin D, essential for body growth and repair.
18. Aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy has been used for centuries as a therapeutic aid for weakness, sleep deprivation, depression, and other psychological ailments. Don’t dismiss nice-smelling things as too feminine or pointless: truck drivers have always used the scent of oranges to stay awake during long drives. Seems there’s something in the zesty scent that keeps you mentally alert.
19. Work on a different task.
If your routine is getting to you, work on something else that allows you to be more creative for a little while, pick a totally random piece of a larger project, and complete it. Often, just challenging your brain will ward off the midday slump.
20. Learn to power nap.
About 85% of mammals get their quota of sleep as an accumulation of naps during the day and night. Ok, so your boss isn’t going to appreciate you nodding off wherever you please, but a well-timed nap can do wonders for your energy levels and productivity. A good time to get some shut-eye is after lunch when most of us experience a bit of a downturn in the energy stakes. Take off your shoes and put your calls on hold. The trick here is to avoid napping for too long. Fifteen minutes is all you need.
21. Interact with coworkers.
Strike up a conversation at the photocopy machine, go to someone’s desk instead of sending an e-mail or throw a stress ball to each other if your work area allows it. A friendly conversation can make the day go faster, and having a few laughs together can improve everyone’s mood.
22. Think positive.
Attitude can have a powerful influence on how dynamic we feel. There’s nothing quite like dreading a particular task to make us feel tired and unmotivated. Fortunately there’s a neat little mental trick we can play on ourselves to help us over negative hurdles. Instead of focusing on the potential horror of the task, concentrate on the feeling of satisfaction you will enjoy when you have finished that task.
23. Invest in an ionizer.
It‘s a well know that people generally feel better and more energetic when they are by the sea. A major cause of this feel good factor is an abundance of negative ions in the sea air. Negative ions improve clear headedness and energy are formed whenever there is flowing water. This is perhaps why showers can be more invigorating than baths. At home and in the office negative ions tend to be in short supply. An ionizer, which pumps out negative ions is no substitute for a fortnight in the Costa del Sol, but it can actually reduce fatigue and improve mental clarity at the same time.
24. Turn down the heat.
Working in a cooler environment keeps you alert. Warm surroundings evoke the physical sensations and mental images of sleep. However, if your coworkers start shivering, keep your hands off the thermostat and take a good look at your wardrobe choices. Remove your jacket after lunch and avoid wearing a sweater, turtleneck or heavy polo shirt.
25. Focus on your plans after work.
Write down your remaining tasks so that you can clearly see at what time you’ll be leaving. Take a moment to think of what you’ll be doing in the evening so you have something positive to think about. This could be picking up your spouse to go see a movie or simply getting together with buddies for a few beers. Whatever it is, it’ll help you get out of the rut. In return, knowing that you have to leave work at a certain time will likely help you be more productive.
26. Get to bed earlier.
Chronic insomnia could be a symptom of a bigger problem and will cause you to drag in the early afternoon. Too much partying can have the same effect. Try to get the amount of sleep your body needs and you’ll be better able to stay alert all day.
27. Reduce your stress.
Your constant exhaustion might result from dissatisfaction with your job, your home life or yourself. It could also be a sign of depression. And while short-term stress produces adrenalin in your body, making you more alert, long-term stress, longer than a few hours, will wear away at your body’s natural defences and leave you feeling over-tired. Be honest with yourself and take some action to reduce the stressors in your life so that you feel better all day, every day.
You have to make a choice and be proactive in achieving higher energy levels. Try some of these tips and I’m sure you’ll see a marked improvement in your energy. Most importantly, have fun with your body and give it the energy and nutrients it requires.
Hackers ''solve problems'' and ''build things'', and they ''believe in freedom'' and ''voluntary mutual help''. To be accepted as a hacker, you have to behave as though you have this kind of attitude yourself. And to behave as though you have the attitude, you have to really believe the attitude.
But if you think of cultivating hacker attitudes as just a way to gain acceptance in the culture, you'll miss the point. Becoming the kind of person who believes these things is important for you — for helping you learn and keeping you motivated. As with all creative arts, the most effective way to become a master is to imitate the mind-set of masters — not just intellectually but emotionally as well.
Or, as the following modern Zen poem has it:
<<<
To follow the path:
look to the master,
follow the master,
walk with the master,
see through the master,
become the master.
<<<
So, if you want to be a hacker, repeat the following things until you believe them:
#The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.
#No problem should ever have to be solved twice.
#Boredom and drudgery are evil.
#Freedom is good.
#Attitude is no substitute for competence.
Quick Start Cheat Sheet
from the [[TiddlyWiki Tutorial|http://www.blogjones.com/TiddlyWikiTutorial.html]].
!Text formatting
|!Example|>|>|!How|
|''Bold Text''|' ' (without space)|words|' '|
|==strikethrough text==| ==|words|==|
|__underlined text__| __|words|__|
|//italic text//| //|word|//|
|^^superscript text^^| ^^|words|^^|
|~~subscript text~~| ~~|words|~~|
|@@color(green):colored text@@| @@|color(yourcolorhere):words|@@|
|@@bgcolor(green):Background@@| @@|bgcolor(yourcolorhere):words|@@|
|{{{Monospaced}}}| {{{|words|}}}|
|~DewikifyAWikiWord| ~|~WikiLikeWord||
|[[wikify a word]] | [[|non-wiki words|]]|
!Monospaced block
{{{
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Just a silly example
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Just a silly example
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!Horizontal line
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!Lists and outlines
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* Begin a list
* List with subitems
** Sub item 1
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* Begin a list
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# Begin a list
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# Begin a list
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!External link
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[[alternate text|image URL]]
[[TiddlyWiki|http://tiddlywiki.com]]
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[[TiddlyWiki|http://tiddlywiki.com]]
!Embed image
{{{
[img[alternate text|image URL]]
}}}
!Tables
You can create a table by enclosing text in sets of vertical bars (||, or shift-backslash on your keyboard).
{{{
|!Headings: add an exclamation point (!) right after the vertical bar.|!Heading2|!Heading3|
|Row 1, Column 1|Row 1, Column 2|Row 1, Column 3|
|>|>|Have one row span multiple columns by using a >|
|Have one column span multiple rows by using a ~|>| Use a space to right-align text in a cell|
|~|>| Enclose text in a cell with spaces to center it |
|>|>|bgcolor(green):Add color to a cell using bgcolor(yourcolorhere):|
|Add a caption by ending the table with a vertical bar followed by a c|c
}}}
|!Headings: add an exclamation point (!) right after the vertical bar.|!Heading2|!Heading3|
|Row 1, Column 1|Row 1, Column 2|Row 1, Column 3|
|>|>|Have one row span multiple columns by using a >|
|Have one column span multiple rows by using a ~|>| Use a space to right-align text in a cell|
|~|>| Enclose text in a cell with spaces to center it |
|>|>|bgcolor(green):Add color to a cell using bgcolor(yourcolorhere):|
|Add a caption by ending the table with a vertical bar followed by a c|c
!Block quotes
{{{
<<<
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
<<<
}}}
<<<
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
<<<
!Headings
{{{
!Heading
!!Sub-heading
!!!Sub-heading 2
!!!!Sub-heading 3
!!!!!Sub-heading 4
}}}
!Heading
!!Sub-heading
!!!Sub-heading 2
!!!!Sub-heading 3
!!!!!Sub-heading 4
[[How I Use My Hipster PDA|http://sachachua.com/wp/2005/05/08/how-i-use-my-hipster-pda/]]
After all my experiments with wearable computing using a one-handed chording keyboard and a speech synthesizer, I've found that the most portable device for me is still a 3x5 pack of index cards bound with a fold-back clip. Jokingly dubbed the "Hipster PDA" elsewhere on the Net, this low-tech device is surprisingly flexible and easy to use. I use mine to keep track of tasks and random notes for later entry into my online planner.
My Hipster PDA is composed of:
* a colored index card with my contact information
* my inbox: cards with notes on them that haven't been entered into the computer
* two pages of month templates from a 3x5 day planner
* a year calendar for 2005 and 2006
* my archive: index cards that have already been entered but might still be useful
* a colored index card with yellow sticky notes
* a stack of blank index cards
* a fold-back clip holding all of these things together
* a black signpen or a mechanical pencil tucked into the fold-back clip
One of the things I've found much easier to do with my 3x5 pack of cards than with a PDA or a Franklin-Covey planner is to keep track of get-togethers. When my friends and I schedule our next get-together, I lay the month templates out so that I can see the next 30 days at a glance. This is difficult to do with a PDA because PDA screens are small. A Franklin-Covey planner would probably be more organized, but I like being able to lay things out side-by-side instead of flipping through pages.
When I need to jot something down, I flip the deck and write on the last card. After I finish one side of the card, I turn it over, clip it, and write on the other side. When the whole card is full, I move it into my inbox.
Index cards are handy because it's easy to give information away to other people. Paper gets crumpled and business cards can disappear into the chaos of a purse or a bag. An index card is big and bright. I'm thinking of replacing half of my white cards with brightly-colored cards so that people can easily find information I give them.
I'm planning to do other things with my pack of 3x5 index cards. For example, I can write my projects on the cards. Reviewing these cards will reinforce these goals in my mind and remind me to keep making progress.
Index cards totally rock.
[[How To Improve Your Memory|http://howtosplitanatom.com/news/how-to-improve-your-memory/]]
Ook iets voor verder bekijken, bloglines etc
[[How to Focus Your Mind on the Project|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/09/how-to-focus-your-mind-on-project.html]]
When working on a major project, do you ever find yourself procrastinating? Of course you do! We all do! Whether you have attention deficit disorder or you are a polychrone or you simply suffer from information overload, it can be difficult to keep your mind focused on one project.
What follows is a guide to help you gain control of your focus so that you can make productive progress on your project.
How to Focus
1. Eliminate Distractions. Even one distraction can bring your house of cards down, so be complete about this. This means:
* Clear your desk. If you need to, clear it all off into a pile on the floor to deal with after you are done.
* No internet or computer programs open that are unnecessary for your project.
* No TV or Radio unless it is instrumental or unless you are doing art work and you work best with music.
* No noise. If you have other people nearby that make noise on a regular basis, consider getting a pair of noise canceling headphones.
* No phone. That's what voice mail and caller id are for. Don't answer it. If you think it might be important you can listen to the voicemail and decide when will be the best time to call back. Imagine that you are in a meeting and can't be interrupted.
* No email or feed reader.
* Just you and your project.
2. Visualize
Take 5-10 minutes to visualize your project and what you need to do overall and today.
3. Planning
Write out the plan for your project whether it is to clean the house, design a website, complete a writing assignment, create art, complete a day of errands, studying for an exam, or whatever. Write out the major steps from start to finish in a basic outline format.
4. Today Plan
Write out the action steps you will take today and the approximate time you will be working on each step. Be as granular in your outline as need to keep yourself on task, but not any more than is necessary.
5. Breaks & Rewards
Build in breaks into your Today Plan. Write in the times and use a timer to stay on track. Here is a [[free online timer|http://www.online-stopwatch.com/]]. Plan a reward for the end of the day.
6. Take Action
Work your plan. Use your Today Plan as your guide. Keep moving forward. When you find yourself getting distracted go back to your Today Plan. Be strict with yourself about keeping distractions from creeping into your project time.
7. Creative Projects
If your project requires creativity, staying focused can be extra challenging. Here are some tips specifically for this:
* Writing: Write your outline and then just start writing. Don't be afraid of a bad first draft. Once you have that then you can edit into a masterpiece. The first draft is most difficult. The editing is much easier. If you get totally stuck then you probably need either more time, more information, or a break. Figure out which. You may also need to re-examine the assignment. Walking and/or meditation breaks (with closed eyes) are very helpful.
* Arts: Get your "rough draft" in place: sketching, outlines, basic form, etc. For certain types of art such as logo design, it is good to do many iterations to get the right one. Make sure you understand the assignment well. Look at it from different angles to help get your creativity flowing.
* General: Remember to slow down. Nothing stifles creativity more than trying to rush it. And remember to have fun. Even if it is not a "fun" project, find ways to make it fun and things will move along easier for you.
# Savor a Reward
When the day is over and you've done your best, look back and recognize your accomplishments. Plan for tomorrow and then let it go for the rest of the day. Enjoy the reward you promised to yourself even if it is as small as a nice cup of tea while you relax quietly for 15 minutes before dinner.
[[How to Make New Friends and Give Your Social Life a Boost|http://ririanproject.com/2007/09/01/how-to-make-new-friends-and-give-your-social-life-a-boost/]]
By projectririan on Relationships
“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.”
- Tennessee Williams
Hand shake Moving to a new city, changing your job or starting a new college can often leave you feeling lonely, and needing to make some new friends. Or maybe you’re just stuck in a rut, and want to give your current social life a boost.
Sounds like a good idea in principle; you can never have too many friends, but how do you actually go about hooking up with a new crew? Try these tips, they may help you meet new people and form strong, lasting friendships with at least some of them.
1. The remote control is not your friend.
Chances are, you won’t meet too many new people sitting home alone watching TV and moping. If you want to make friends, you first need to meet people. So get out more, no matter where you live, this should be fairly easy.
2. Suppress thy shyness gene.
It might not be easy for some people, I know. Force yourself to go up and say hello to strangers at parties, meetings and gatherings. If you’re very shy, think of yourself as a “successfully shy” person, because you can still make new friends. Strengthen yourself, get rid of any timidity from your heart and approach someone whom you think you have a certain compatibility with. Making the first move takes the pressure off other people, and most of the time they will be relieved that someone else has set the ball rolling.
3. Introduce yourself.
Don’t fake anything, let your prospect know who he is dealing with. If you do, you won’t find it interesting to continue the relationship for you must feel tired of being someone else, not the real you. Visualize him as a friendly, considerate and kind person. Give him information that will make him receptive to you. Make the information benefit-oriented for him. Try phrases like, “I really like that shirt on you, it brings out your blue eyes,” or, “I overheard what you were saying, and I was really fascinated by how much you know about…”
4. Be interesting, not boring.
Even if you’re in a new city where you don’t know a soul, keep up with your interests wherever you can. When you do finally meet some new people, you’ll have something other than soap operas to talk about. It’ll make conversations more interesting if you can talk about something current, such as the latest film or gig you went to. And don’t forget to put that smile on your face, not a smirk but a sincere and nice smile. People would like those who smile a lot more than whose face is lifeless.
5. Ask leading questions.
The reason many people find themselves fighting awkward silences is because they have not prepared any good conversation questions to ask and because of this there is not conversation at all. Ask the person you are talking to a leading question. A leading question is one that provokes more of a response than a mere “yes or “no” Here are some examples: “Do you attend a lot of these charity balls?”; “How do you know the host?”; “Do you work downtown, too? What do you do?” The other person’s responses to these leading questions will let you know if he is interested in you or not. If you try to sell yourself to the person immediately, you will get resistance. If you push too hard or don’t ask your leading questions with true interest and sincerity, you will get negative answers, and the conversation may quickly come to an end.
6. Be a good listener.
Have you ever been in a middle of a conversation when the person you are talking to just gets up and walks away? Or fiddles in the chair? Or looks everywhere but at you? Many people think that in order to be seen as “friend material” they have to appear very interesting. Far more important than this, however, is the ability to show that you’re interested in others. Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them (their names, their likes and dislikes), ask questions about their interests, and just take the time to learn more about them. People love to talk about themselves, and the easiest way to be likable is to listen.
7. What makes you tick?
Just be yourself, and find some like-minded others. You don’t necessarily have to have a lot of common interests with people in order to make friends with them — in fact, some of the most rewarding friendships are between two people who don’t have much in common at all — but if you have something in common with people, it can make it a lot easier to talk to them and plan activities initially. If you’re sports mad, join a local team for training or competitions. If you want to help others, why not try volunteering?
8. Open yourself up.
Follow the lead that your listener is expressing. Once the person opens up to you, you can begin to open yourself up to him. You have his attention, and he is interested in you. Once you feel comfortable in his presence, tell him your strongest attributes are, the ones that will appeal to him most. If you get a positive response, you have successfully sold yourself to him. At this point, you can feel free to further develop your new friendship. If the person is unresponsive, it may be that you sound pompous and boastful to him. In this case, you should lower your volume a bit and sound as humble and sincere as possible.
9. Be fun to be around.
You don’t have to be a superstar to be fun. Be a social butterfly and try not to get sucked into long and involved conversations unless that’s what you want. Keep moving. Be positive and friendly, so that people feel good when they’re around you. From the very first conversation you have with someone, you should use body language to convey that you are affable, non-threatening, and approachable. Smile frequently, laugh often, and make eye contact. In your words, be confident, but don’t be cocky, condescending, or mean-spirited.
10. How to handle negative feedback.
Be prepared for some objections from the other person in the course of your conversation. When you interact with other people, remember that they can often make the conversation uncomfortable because of their own insecurities. The best thing to do is to be confident. Respond to each of his objections and try to agree with some part of them. Don’t linger or argue over an objection, accept the other person’s point of view without forcing yours upon him. Make sure that his objection is legitimate, not just an argumentative contest. First, agree that you understand the other person’s objection. Then ask the other person if there are any other reasons for objecting to your underlying reasons for his objections. For example, “Yes, I can see why you feel that way, but I feel that…”
11. Winning the battle.
The final part is the easiest part of your whole selling approach — open up the opportunity for another meeting. This is especially important if you meet someone who you aren’t otherwise likely to meet again. Don’t give him a choice of whether to take you on or not, give him a choice of how to take you on. “Do you have a pen, or would you like to use mine to write down your phone number?” Instead of saying, “Do you want to go out with me?” say, “Would you rather go to a movie or out dancing?” After you have gotten the other person to make some kind of commitment, summarize the proposition and reward the other person for accepting. An example of that is: “Thanks for giving me your phone number. I’m really looking forward to Saturday night.”
12. It’s all in the follow-up.
If you get on well with anyone, keep in touch with them. As always, consider your personal safety with anyone you don’t know very well, and don’t rush into giving them your home address or similar details straight away. Always trust your gut feelings about people. If you feel someone (as nice as they may seem) is not the right person to make friends with, then move along. Don’t just ditch your old friends either, drop them a line every now and again if you’ve moved away.
13. Don’t be clingy.
Making new friends is a lot like dating new people. You never want to seem desperate. Don’t chide acquaintances for failing to invite you to a party, for example; don’t call someone over and over or stop by uninvited; and never overstay your welcome anywhere. Understand if he or she wants to be alone or hang out with other people, and allow it to happen. You probably aren’t their only friend, so don’t be clingy. In general, take friendship slowly, and don’t try to become close to somebody right away. The move from acquaintance to friend can take a long time, and if you appear too clingy, potential friends may think you’re too much work.
14. Patience is a virtue.
Take a deep breath. You shouldn’t be so nervous, you won’t find a new best friend in one afternoon. It can take a while to get to know people, so just relax and take it easy.
So, take the time and initiative to create mutually beneficial relationships with the people around you. You’re sure to be better off for it.
/***
''Import Tiddlers Plugin for TiddlyWiki version 1.2.x and 2.0''
^^author: Eric Shulman - ELS Design Studios
source: http://www.TiddlyTools.com/#ImportTiddlersPlugin
license: [[Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License|http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/]]^^
When many people share and edit copies of the same TiddlyWiki document, the ability to quickly collect all these changes back into a single, updated document that can then be redistributed to the entire group is very important. This plugin lets you selectively combine tiddlers from any two TiddlyWiki documents. It can also be very useful when moving your own tiddlers from document to document (e.g., when upgrading to the latest version of TiddlyWiki, or 'pre-loading' your favorite stylesheets into a new 'empty' TiddlyWiki document.)
!!!!!Inline interface (live)
<<<
<<importTiddlers inline>>
<<<
!!!!!Macro Syntax
<<<
{{{<<importTiddlers>>}}}
creates "import tiddlers" link. click to show/hide import control panel
{{{<<importTiddlers inline>>}}}
creates import control panel directly in tiddler content
{{{<<importTiddlers filter source quiet ask>>}}}
non-interactive 'automatic' import.
''filter'' determines which tiddlers will be automatically selected for importing. Use one of the following keywords:
>''"new"'' retrieves only tiddlers that are found in the import source document, but do not yet exist in the destination document
>''"changes"'' retrieves only tiddlers that exist in both documents for which the import source tiddler is newer than the existing tiddler
>''"updates"'' retrieves both ''new'' and ''changed'' tiddlers (this is the default action when none is specified)
>''"all"'' retrieves ALL tiddlers from the import source document, even if they have not been changed.
''source'' is the location of the imported document. It can be either a local document or an URL:
>filename is any local path/file, in whatever format your system requires
>URL is any remote web location that starts with "http://" or "https://"
''"quiet"'' (optional)
>supresses all status message during the import processing (e.g., "opening local file...", "found NN tiddlers..." etc). Note that if ANY tiddlers are actualy imported, a final information message will still be displayed (along with the ImportedTiddlers report), even when 'quiet' is specified. This ensures that changes to your document cannot occur without any visible indication at all.
''"ask"'' (optional)
>adds interactive confirmation. A browser message box (OK/Cancel) is displayed for each tiddler that will be imported, so that you can manually bypass any tiddlers that you do not want to import.
''Special tag values: importReplace and importPublic''
By adding these special tags to an existing tiddler, you can precisely control whether or not to allow updates to that tiddler as well as decide which tiddlers in your document can be automatically imported by others.
*''For maximum safety, the default action is to prevent existing tiddlers from being unintentionally overwritten by incoming tiddlers.'' To allow an existing tiddler to be overwritten by an imported tiddler, you must tag the existing tiddler with ''<<tag importReplace>>''
*''For maximum privacy, the default action for //outgoing// tiddlers is to NOT automatically share your tiddlers with others.'' To allow a tiddler in your document to be shared via auto-import actions by others, you must tag it with ''<<tag importPublic>>''
//Note: these tags are only applied when using the auto-import processing. When using the interactive control panel, all tiddlers in the imported document are available in the listbox, regardless of their tag values.//
<<<
!!!!!Interactive Usage
<<<
When used interactively, a control panel is displayed consisting of an "import source document" filename input (text field plus a ''[Browse...]'' button), a listbox of available tiddlers, a "differences only" checkbox, an "add tags" input field and four push buttons: ''[open]'', ''[select all]'', ''[import]'' and ''[close]''.
Press ''[browse]'' to select a TiddlyWiki document file to import. You can also type in the path/filename or a remote document URL (starting with http://)and press ''[open]''. //Note: There may be some delay to permit the browser time to access and load the document before updating the listbox with the titles of all tiddlers that are available to be imported.//
Select one or more titles from the listbox (hold CTRL or SHIFT while clicking to add/remove the highlight from individual list items). You can press ''[select all]'' to quickly highlight all tiddler titles in the list. Use the ''[-]'', ''[+]'', or ''[=]'' links to adjust the listbox size so you can view more (or less) tiddler titles at one time. When you have chosen the tiddlers you want to import and entered any extra tags, press ''[import]'' to begin copying them to the current TiddlyWiki document.
''select: all, new, changes, or differences''
You can click on ''all'', ''new'', ''changes'', or ''differences'' to automatically select a subset of tiddlers from the list. This makes it very quick and easy to find and import just the updated tiddlers you are interested in:
>''"all"'' selects ALL tiddlers from the import source document, even if they have not been changed.
>''"new"'' selects only tiddlers that are found in the import source document, but do not yet exist in the destination document
>''"changes"'' selects only tiddlers that exist in both documents but that are newer in the source document
>''"differences"'' selects all new and existing tiddlers that are different from the destination document (even if destination tiddler is newer)
''Import Tagging:''
Tiddlers that have been imported can be automatically tagged, so they will be easier to find later on, after they have been added to your document. New tags are entered into the "add tags" input field, and then //added// to the existing tags for each tiddler as it is imported.
''Skip, Rename, Merge, or Replace:''
When importing a tiddler whose title is identical to one that already exists, the import process pauses and the tiddler title is displayed in an input field, along with four push buttons: ''[skip]'', ''[rename]'', ''[merge]'' and ''[replace]''.
To bypass importing this tiddler, press ''[skip]''. To import the tiddler with a different name (so that both the tiddlers will exist when the import is done), enter a new title in the input field and then press ''[rename]''. Press ''[merge]'' to combine the content from both tiddlers into a single tiddler. Press ''[replace]'' to overwrite the existing tiddler with the imported one, discarding the previous tiddler content.
//Note: if both the title ''and'' modification date/////time match, the imported tiddler is assumed to be identical to the existing one, and will be automatically skipped (i.e., not imported) without asking.//
''Import Report History''
When tiddlers are imported, a report is generated into ImportedTiddlers, indicating when the latest import was performed, the number of tiddlers successfully imported, from what location, and by whom. It also includes a list with the title, date and author of each tiddler that was imported.
When the import process is completed, the ImportedTiddlers report is automatically displayed for your review. If more tiddlers are subsequently imported, a new report is //added// to ImportedTiddlers, above the previous report (i.e., at the top of the tiddler), so that a reverse-chronological history of imports is maintained.
If a cumulative record is not desired, the ImportedTiddlers report may be deleted at any time. A new ImportedTiddlers report will be created the next time tiddlers are imported.
Note: You can prevent the ImportedTiddlers report from being generated for any given import activity by clearing the "create a report" checkbox before beginning the import processing.
<<<
!!!!!Installation
<<<
copy/paste the following tiddlers into your document:
''ImportTiddlersPlugin'' (tagged with <<tag systemConfig>>)
create/edit ''SideBarOptions'': (sidebar menu items)
^^Add "< < ImportTiddlers > >" macro^^
''Quick Installation Tip #1:''
If you are using an unmodified version of TiddlyWiki (core release version <<version>>), you can get a new, empty TiddlyWiki with the Import Tiddlers plugin pre-installed (''[[download from here|TW+ImportExport.html]]''), and then simply import all your content from your old document into this new, empty document.
<<<
!!!!!Revision History
<<<
''2006.02.17 [2.6.0]''
Removed "differences only" listbox display mode, replaced with selection filter 'presets': all/new/changes/differences. Also fixed initialization handling for "add new tags" so that checkbox state is correctly tracked when panel is first displayed.
''2006.02.16 [2.5.4]''
added checkbox options to control "import remote tags" and "keep existing tags" behavior, in addition to existing "add new tags" functionality.
''2006.02.14 [2.5.3]''
FF1501 corrected unintended global 't' (loop index) in importReport() and autoImportTiddlers()
''2006.02.10 [2.5.2]''
corrected unintended global variable in importReport().
''2006.02.05 [2.5.1]''
moved globals from window.* to config.macros.importTiddlers.* to avoid FireFox 1.5.0.1 crash bug when referencing globals
''2006.01.18 [2.5.0]''
added checkbox for "create a report". Default is to create/update the ImportedTiddlers report. Clear the checkbox to skip this step.
''2006.01.15 [2.4.1]''
added "importPublic" tag and inverted default so that auto sharing is NOT done unless tagged with importPublic
''2006.01.15 [2.4.0]''
Added support for tagging individual tiddlers with importSkip, importReplace, and/or importPrivate to control which tiddlers can be overwritten or shared with others when using auto-import macro syntax. Defaults are to SKIP overwriting existing tiddlers with imported tiddlers, and ALLOW your tiddlers to be auto-imported by others.
''2006.01.15 [2.3.2]''
Added "ask" parameter to confirm each tiddler before importing (for use with auto-importing)
''2006.01.15 [2.3.1]''
Strip TW core scripts from import source content and load just the storeArea into the hidden IFRAME. Makes loading more efficient by reducing the document size and by preventing the import document from executing its TW initialization (including plugins). Seems to resolve the "Found 0 tiddlers" problem. Also, when importing local documents, use convertUTF8ToUnicode() to convert the file contents so support international characters sets.
''2006.01.12 [2.3.0]''
Reorganized code to use callback function for loading import files to support event-driven I/O via an ASYNCHRONOUS XMLHttpRequest. Let's processing continue while waiting for remote hosts to respond to URL requests. Added non-interactive 'batch' macro mode, using parameters to specify which tiddlers to import, and from what document source. Improved error messages and diagnostics, plus an optional 'quiet' switch for batch mode to eliminate //most// feedback.
''2006.01.11 [2.2.0]''
Added "[by tags]" to list of tiddlers, based on code submitted by BradleyMeck
''2006.01.09 [2.1.1]''
When a URL is typed in, and then the "open" button is pressed, it generates both an onChange event for the file input and a click event for open button. This results in multiple XMLHttpRequest()'s which seem to jam things up quite a bit. I removed the onChange handling for file input field. To open a file (local or URL), you must now explicitly press the "open" button in the control panel.
''2006.01.08 [2.1.0]''
IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE!!! re-write getImportedTiddlers() logic to either read a local file (using local I/O), OR... read a remote file, using a combination of XML and an iframe to permit cross-domain reading of DOM elements. Adapted from example code and techniques courtesy of Jonny LeRoy.
''2006.01.06 [2.0.2]''
When refreshing list contents, fixed check for tiddlerExists() when "show differences only" is selected, so that imported tiddlers that don't exist in the current file will be recognized as differences and included in the list.
''2006.01.04 [2.0.1]''
When "show differences only" is NOT checked, import all tiddlers that have been selected even when they have a matching title and date.
''2005.12.27 [2.0.0]''
Update for TW2.0
Defer initial panel creation and only register a notification function when panel first is created
''2005.12.22 [1.3.1]''
tweak formatting in importReport() and add 'discard report' link to output
''2005.12.03 [1.3.0]''
Dynamically create/remove importPanel as needed to ensure only one instance of interface elements exists, even if there are multiple instances of macro embedding. Also, dynamically create/recreate importFrame each time an external TW document is loaded for importation (reduces DOM overhead and ensures a 'fresh' frame for each document)
''2005.11.29 [1.2.1]''
fixed formatting of 'detail info' in importReport()
''2005.11.11 [1.2.0]''
added 'inline' param to embed controls in a tiddler
''2005.11.09 [1.1.0]''
only load HTML and CSS the first time the macro handler is called. Allows for redundant placement of the macro without creating multiple instances of controls with the same ID's.
''2005.10.25 [1.0.5]''
fixed typo in importReport() that prevented reports from being generated
''2005.10.09 [1.0.4]''
combined documentation with plugin code instead of using separate tiddlers
''2005.08.05 [1.0.3]''
moved CSS and HTML definitions into plugin code instead of using separate tiddlers
''2005.07.27 [1.0.2]''
core update 1.2.29: custom overlayStyleSheet() replaced with new core setStylesheet()
''2005.07.23 [1.0.1]''
added parameter checks and corrected addNotification() usage
''2005.07.20 [1.0.0]''
Initial Release
<<<
!!!!!Credits
<<<
This feature was developed by EricShulman from [[ELS Design Studios|http:/www.elsdesign.com]]
<<<
!!!!!Code
***/
// // Version
//{{{
version.extensions.importTiddlers = {major: 2, minor: 6, revision: 0, date: new Date(2006,2,17)};
//}}}
// // 1.2.x compatibility
//{{{
if (!window.story) window.story=window;
if (!store.getTiddler) store.getTiddler=function(title){return store.tiddlers[title]}
if (!store.addTiddler) store.addTiddler=function(tiddler){store.tiddlers[tiddler.title]=tiddler}
if (!store.deleteTiddler) store.deleteTiddler=function(title){delete store.tiddlers[title]}
//}}}
// // IE needs explicit global scoping for functions/vars called from browser events
//{{{
window.onClickImportButton=onClickImportButton;
window.loadImportFile=loadImportFile;
window.refreshImportList=refreshImportList;
//}}}
// // default cookie/option values
//{{{
if (!config.options.chkImportReport) config.options.chkImportReport=true;
//}}}
// // ''MACRO DEFINITION''
//{{{
config.macros.importTiddlers = { };
config.macros.importTiddlers = {
label: "import tiddlers",
prompt: "Copy tiddlers from another document",
countMsg: "%0 tiddlers selected for import",
src: "", // path/filename or URL of document to import
inbound: null, // hash-indexed array of tiddlers from other document
newTags: "", // text of tags added to imported tiddlers
addTags: true, // add new tags to imported tiddlers
listsize: 8, // # of lines to show in imported tiddler list
importTags: true, // include tags from remote source document when importing a tiddler
keepTags: true, // retain existing tags when replacing a tiddler
index: 0, // current processing index in import list
sort: "" // sort order for imported tiddler listbox
};
config.macros.importTiddlers.handler = function(place,macroName,params) {
// LINK WITH FLOATING PANEL
if (!params[0]) {
createTiddlyButton(place,this.label,this.prompt,onClickImportMenu);
return;
}
// INLINE TIDDLER CONTENT
if (params[0]=="inline") {
createImportPanel(place);
document.getElementById("importPanel").style.position="static";
document.getElementById("importPanel").style.display="block";
return;
}
// NON-INTERACTIVE BATCH MODE
switch (params[0]) {
case 'all':
case 'new':
case 'changes':
case 'updates':
var filter=params.shift();
break;
default:
var filter="updates";
break;
}
if (!params[0]||!params[0].length) return; // filename is required
config.macros.importTiddlers.src=params.shift();
var quiet=(params[0]=="quiet"); if (quiet) params.shift();
var ask=(params[0]=="ask"); if (ask) params.shift();
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound=null; // clear the imported tiddler buffer
// load storeArea from a hidden IFRAME, then apply import rules and add/replace tiddlers
loadImportFile(config.macros.importTiddlers.src,filter,quiet,ask,autoImportTiddlers);
}
//}}}
// // ''READ TIDDLERS FROM ANOTHER DOCUMENT''
//{{{
function loadImportFile(src,filter,quiet,ask,callback) {
if (!quiet) clearMessage();
// LOCAL FILE
if ((src.substr(0,7)!="http://")&&(src.substr(0,8)!="https://")) {
if (!quiet) displayMessage("Opening local document: "+ src);
var txt=loadFile(src);
if(!txt) { if (!quiet) displayMessage("Could not open local document: "+src); }
else {
var s="<html><body>"+txt.substr(txt.indexOf('<div id="storeArea">'));
if (!quiet) displayMessage(txt.length+" bytes in document. ("+s.length+" bytes used for tiddler storage)");
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound = readImportedTiddlers(convertUTF8ToUnicode(s));
var count=config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound?config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length:0;
if (!quiet) displayMessage("Found "+count+" tiddlers in "+src);
if (callback) callback(src,filter,quiet,ask);
}
return;
}
// REMOTE FILE
var x; // XML object
try {x = new XMLHttpRequest()}
catch(e) {
try {x = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP")}
catch (e) {
try {x = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")}
catch (e) { return }
}
}
x.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (x.readyState == 4) {
if (x.status == 200) {
var sa="<html><body>"+x.responseText.substr(x.responseText.indexOf('<div id="storeArea">'));
if (!quiet) displayMessage(x.responseText.length+" bytes in document. ("+sa.length+" bytes used for tiddler storage)");
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound = readImportedTiddlers(sa);
var count=config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound?config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length:0;
if (!quiet) displayMessage("Found "+count+" tiddlers in "+src);
if (callback) callback(src,filter,quiet,ask);
}
else
if (!quiet) displayMessage("Could not open remote document:"+ src+" (error="+x.status+")");
}
}
if (document.location.protocol=="file:") { // UniversalBrowserRead only works from a local file context
try {netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege('UniversalBrowserRead')}
catch (e) { if (!quiet) displayMessage(e.description?e.description:e.toString()); }
}
if (!quiet) displayMessage("Opening remote document: "+ src);
try {
var url=src+(src.indexOf('?')<0?'?':'&')+'nocache='+Math.random();
x.open("GET",url,true);
x.overrideMimeType('text/html');
x.send(null);
}
catch (e) {
if (!quiet) {
displayMessage("Could not open remote document: "+src);
displayMessage(e.description?e.description:e.toString());
}
}
}
function readImportedTiddlers(txt)
{
var importedTiddlers = [];
// create frame
var f=document.getElementById("importFrame");
if (f) document.body.removeChild(f);
f=document.createElement("iframe");
f.id="importFrame";
f.style.width="0px"; f.style.height="0px"; f.style.border="0px";
document.body.appendChild(f);
// get document
var d=f.document;
if (f.contentDocument) d=f.contentDocument; // For NS6
else if (f.contentWindow) d=f.contentWindow.document; // For IE5.5 and IE6
// load source into document
d.open(); d.writeln(txt); d.close();
// read tiddler DIVs from storeArea DOM element
var importStore = [];
var importStoreArea = d.getElementById("storeArea");
if (!importStoreArea || !(importStore=importStoreArea.childNodes) || (importStore.length==0)) { return null; }
importStoreArea.normalize();
for(var t = 0; t < importStore.length; t++) {
var e = importStore[t];
var title = null;
if(e.getAttribute)
title = e.getAttribute("tiddler");
if(!title && e.id && (e.id.substr(0,5) == "store"))
title = e.id.substr(5);
if(title && title != "") {
var theImported = new Tiddler();
theImported.loadFromDiv(e,title);
importedTiddlers.push(theImported);
}
}
return importedTiddlers;
}
//}}}
// // ''NON-INTERACTIVE IMPORT''
// // import all/new/changed tiddlers into store, replacing or adding tiddlers as needed
//{{{
function autoImportTiddlers(src,filter,quiet,ask)
{
var count=0;
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound) for (var t=0;t<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;t++) {
var theImported = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t];
var theExisting = store.getTiddler(theImported.title);
// only import tiddlers if tagged with "importPublic"
if (theImported.tags && theImported.tags.find("importPublic")==null)
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status=""; continue; } // status=="" means don't show in report
// never import the "ImportedTiddlers" history from the other document...
if (theImported.title=='ImportedTiddlers')
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status=""; continue; } // status=="" means don't show in report
// check existing tiddler for importReplace, or systemConfig tags
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="added"; // default - add any tiddlers not filtered out
if (store.tiddlerExists(theImported.title)) {
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="replaced";
if (!theExisting.tags||(theExisting.tags.find("importReplace")==null))
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="not imported - tiddler already exists (use importReplace to allow changes)"; continue; }
if ((theExisting.tags.find("systemConfig")!=null)||(theImported.tags.find("systemConfig")!=null))
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status+=" - WARNING: an active systemConfig plugin has been added or updated";
}
// apply the all/new/changes/updates filter
if (filter!="all") {
if ((filter=="new") && store.tiddlerExists(theImported.title))
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="not imported - tiddler already exists"; continue; }
if ((filter=="changes") && !store.tiddlerExists(theImported.title))
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="not imported - new tiddler"; continue; }
if (store.tiddlerExists(theImported.title) && ((theExisting.modified.getTime()-theImported.modified.getTime())>=0))
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="not imported - tiddler is unchanged"; continue; }
}
// get confirmation if required
if (ask && !confirm("Import "+(theExisting?"updated":"new")+" tiddler '"+theImported.title+"'\nfrom "+src))
{ config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="skipped - cancelled by user"; continue; }
// DO THE IMPORT!!
store.addTiddler(theImported); count++;
}
importReport(quiet); // generate a report (as needed) and display it if not 'quiet'
if (count) store.setDirty(true);
// always show final message when tiddlers were actually imported
if (!quiet||count) displayMessage("Imported "+count+" tiddler"+(count!=1?"s":"")+" from "+src);
}
//}}}
// // ''REPORT GENERATOR''
//{{{
function importReport(quiet)
{
if (!config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound) return;
// DEBUG alert('importReport: start');
// if import was not completed, the Ask panel will still be open... close it now.
var askpanel=document.getElementById('importAskPanel'); if (askpanel) askpanel.style.display='none';
// get the alphasorted list of tiddlers
var tiddlers = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound;
tiddlers.sort(function (a,b) {if(a['title'] == b['title']) return(0); else return (a['title'] < b['title']) ? -1 : +1; });
// gather the statistics
var count=tiddlers.length;
var added=0; var replaced=0; var renamed=0; var skipped=0; var merged=0;
for (var t=0; t<count; t++)
if (tiddlers[t].status)
{
if (tiddlers[t].status=='added') added++;
if (tiddlers[t].status.substr(0,7)=='skipped') skipped++;
if (tiddlers[t].status.substr(0,6)=='rename') renamed++;
if (tiddlers[t].status.substr(0,7)=='replace') replaced++;
if (tiddlers[t].status.substr(0,6)=='merged') merged++;
}
var omitted=count-(added+replaced+renamed+skipped+merged);
// DEBUG alert('stats done: '+count+' total, '+added+' added, '+skipped+' skipped, '+renamed+' renamed, '+replaced+' replaced, '+merged+' merged');
// skip the report if nothing was imported
if (added+replaced+renamed+merged==0) return;
// skip the report if not desired by user
if (!config.options.chkImportReport) {
// reset status flags
for (var t=0; t<count; t++) config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="";
// refresh display since tiddlers have been imported
store.notifyAll();
// quick message area summary report
var msg=(added+replaced+renamed+merged)+' of '+count+' tiddler'+((count!=1)?'s':"");
msg+=' imported from '+config.macros.importTiddlers.src.replace(/\\/g,'/')
displayMessage(msg);
return;
}
// create the report tiddler (if not already present)
var tiddler = store.getTiddler('ImportedTiddlers');
if (!tiddler) // create new report tiddler if it doesn't exist
{
tiddler = new Tiddler();
tiddler.title = 'ImportedTiddlers';
tiddler.text = "";
}
// format the report header
var now = new Date();
var newText = "";
newText += "On "+now.toLocaleString()+", "+config.options.txtUserName+" imported tiddlers from\n";
newText += "[["+config.macros.importTiddlers.src+"|"+config.macros.importTiddlers.src+"]]:\n";
newText += "<"+"<"+"<\n";
newText += "Out of "+count+" tiddler"+((count!=1)?"s ":" ")+" in {{{"+config.macros.importTiddlers.src.replace(/\\/g,'/')+"}}}:\n";
if (added+renamed>0)
newText += (added+renamed)+" new tiddler"+(((added+renamed)!=1)?"s were":" was")+" added to your document.\n";
if (merged>0)
newText += merged+" tiddler"+((merged!=1)?"s were":" was")+" merged with "+((merged!=1)?"":"an ")+"existing tiddler"+((merged!=1)?"s":"")+".\n";
if (replaced>0)
newText += replaced+" existing tiddler"+((replaced!=1)?"s were":" was")+" replaced.\n";
if (skipped>0)
newText += skipped+" tiddler"+((skipped!=1)?"s were":" was")+" skipped after asking.\n";
if (omitted>0)
newText += omitted+" tiddler"+((omitted!=1)?"s":"")+((omitted!=1)?" were":" was")+" not imported.\n";
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.addTags && config.macros.importTiddlers.newTags.trim().length)
newText += "imported tiddlers were tagged with: \""+config.macros.importTiddlers.newTags+"\"\n";
// output the tiddler detail and reset status flags
for (var t=0; t<count; t++)
if (tiddlers[t].status!="")
{
newText += "#["+"["+tiddlers[t].title+"]"+"]";
newText += ((tiddlers[t].status!="added")?("^^\n"+tiddlers[t].status+"^^"):"")+"\n";
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="";
}
newText += "<"+"<"+"<\n";
// output 'discard report' link
newText += "<html><input type=\"button\" href=\"javascript:;\" ";
newText += "onclick=\"story.closeTiddler('"+tiddler.title+"'); store.deleteTiddler('"+tiddler.title+"');\" ";
newText += "value=\"discard report\"></html>";
// update the ImportedTiddlers content and show the tiddler
tiddler.text = newText+((tiddler.text!="")?'\n----\n':"")+tiddler.text;
tiddler.modifier = config.options.txtUserName;
tiddler.modified = new Date();
store.addTiddler(tiddler);
if (!quiet) story.displayTiddler(null,"ImportedTiddlers",1,null,null,false);
story.refreshTiddler("ImportedTiddlers",1,true);
// refresh the display
store.notifyAll();
}
//}}}
// // ''INTERFACE DEFINITION''
// // Handle link click to create/show/hide control panel
//{{{
function onClickImportMenu(e)
{
if (!e) var e = window.event;
var parent=resolveTarget(e).parentNode;
var panel = document.getElementById("importPanel");
if (panel==undefined || panel.parentNode!=parent)
panel=createImportPanel(parent);
var isOpen = panel.style.display=="block";
if(config.options.chkAnimate)
anim.startAnimating(new Slider(panel,!isOpen,e.shiftKey || e.altKey,"none"));
else
panel.style.display = isOpen ? "none" : "block" ;
e.cancelBubble = true;
if (e.stopPropagation) e.stopPropagation();
return(false);
}
//}}}
// // Create control panel: HTML, CSS, register for notification
//{{{
function createImportPanel(place) {
var panel=document.getElementById("importPanel");
if (panel) { panel.parentNode.removeChild(panel); }
setStylesheet(config.macros.importTiddlers.css,"importTiddlers");
panel=createTiddlyElement(place,"span","importPanel",null,null)
panel.innerHTML=config.macros.importTiddlers.html;
store.addNotification(null,refreshImportList); // refresh listbox after every tiddler change
refreshImportList();
return panel;
}
//}}}
// // CSS
//{{{
config.macros.importTiddlers.css = '\
#importPanel {\
display: none; position:absolute; z-index:11; width:35em; right:105%; top:3em;\
padding: 0.5em; margin:0em; text-align:left; font-size: 8pt;\
background-color: #eee; color:#000000; \
border:1px solid black; border-bottom-width: 3px; border-right-width: 3px; -moz-border-radius:1em;\
}\
#importPanel a { color:#009; }\
#importPanel input { width: 98%; margin: 1px; font-size:8pt; }\
#importPanel select { width: 98%; margin: 1px; font-size:8pt; }\
#importPanel .importButton { padding: 0em; margin: 0px; font-size:8pt; }\
#importPanel .importListButton { padding:0em 0.25em 0em 0.25em; color: #000000; display:inline }\
#importAskPanel { display:none; margin:0.5em 0em 0em 0em; }\
';
//}}}
// // HTML
//{{{
config.macros.importTiddlers.html = '\
<span style="float:left; padding:1px; white-space:nowrap">\
import from source document\
</span>\
<span style="float:right; padding:1px; white-space:nowrap">\
<input type=checkbox id="chkImportReport" checked style="height:1em; width:auto"\
onClick="config.options[\'chkImportReport\']=this.checked;">create a report\
</span>\
<input type="file" id="fileImportSource" size=56\
onKeyUp="config.macros.importTiddlers.src=this.value"\
onChange="config.macros.importTiddlers.src=this.value;">\
<span style="float:left; padding:1px; white-space:nowrap">\
select:\
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importSelectAll"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="select all tiddlers">\
all </a>\
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importSelectNew"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="select tiddlers not already in destination document">\
added </a> \
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importSelectChanges"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="select tiddlers that have been updated in source document">\
changes </a> \
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importSelectDifferences"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="select tiddlers that have been added or are different from existing tiddlers">\
differences </a> \
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importToggleFilter"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="show/hide selection filter">\
filter </a> \
</span>\
<span style="float:right; padding:1px; white-space:nowrap">\
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importListSmaller"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="reduce list size">\
– </a>\
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importListLarger"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="increase list size">\
+ </a>\
<a href="JavaScript:;" id="importListMaximize"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)" title="maximize/restore list size">\
= </a>\
</span>\
<select id="importList" size=8 multiple\
onchange="setTimeout(\'refreshImportList(\'+this.selectedIndex+\')\',1)">\
<!-- NOTE: delay refresh so list is updated AFTER onchange event is handled -->\
</select>\
<input type=checkbox id="chkAddTags" checked style="height:1em; width:auto"\
onClick="config.macros.importTiddlers.addTags=this.checked;">add new tags \
<input type=checkbox id="chkImportTags" checked style="height:1em; width:auto"\
onClick="config.macros.importTiddlers.importTags=this.checked;">import source tags \
<input type=checkbox id="chkKeepTags" checked style="height:1em; width:auto"\
onClick="config.macros.importTiddlers.keepTags=this.checked;">keep existing tags\
<input type=text id="txtNewTags" size=15 onKeyUp="config.macros.importTiddlers.newTags=this.value" autocomplete=off>\
<div align=center>\
<input type=button id="importOpen" class="importButton" style="width:32%" value="open"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
<input type=button id="importStart" class="importButton" style="width:32%" value="import"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
<input type=button id="importClose" class="importButton" style="width:32%" value="close"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
</div>\
<div id="importAskPanel">\
tiddler already exists:\
<input type=text id="importNewTitle" size=15 autocomplete=off">\
<div align=center>\
<input type=button id="importSkip" class="importButton" style="width:23%" value="skip"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
<input type=button id="importRename" class="importButton" style="width:23%" value="rename"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
<input type=button id="importMerge" class="importButton" style="width:23%" value="merge"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
<input type=button id="importReplace" class="importButton" style="width:23%" value="replace"\
onclick="onClickImportButton(this)">\
</div>\
</div>\
';
//}}}
// // refresh listbox
//{{{
function refreshImportList(selectedIndex)
{
var theList = document.getElementById("importList");
if (!theList) return;
// if nothing to show, reset list content and size
if (!config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound)
{
while (theList.length > 0) { theList.options[0] = null; }
theList.options[0]=new Option('please open a document...',"",false,false);
theList.size=config.macros.importTiddlers.listsize;
return;
}
// get the sort order
if (!selectedIndex) selectedIndex=0;
if (selectedIndex==0) config.macros.importTiddlers.sort='title'; // heading
if (selectedIndex==1) config.macros.importTiddlers.sort='title';
if (selectedIndex==2) config.macros.importTiddlers.sort='modified';
if (selectedIndex==3) config.macros.importTiddlers.sort='tags';
if (selectedIndex>3) {
// display selected tiddler count
for (var t=0,count=0; t < theList.options.length; t++) count+=(theList.options[t].selected&&theList.options[t].value!="")?1:0;
clearMessage(); displayMessage(config.macros.importTiddlers.countMsg.format([count]));
return; // no refresh needed
}
// get the alphasorted list of tiddlers (optionally, filter out unchanged tiddlers)
var tiddlers=config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound;
tiddlers.sort(function (a,b) {if(a['title'] == b['title']) return(0); else return (a['title'] < b['title']) ? -1 : +1; });
// clear current list contents
while (theList.length > 0) { theList.options[0] = null; }
// add heading and control items to list
var i=0;
var indent=String.fromCharCode(160)+String.fromCharCode(160);
theList.options[i++]=new Option(tiddlers.length+' tiddler'+((tiddlers.length!=1)?'s are':' is')+' in the document',"",false,false);
theList.options[i++]=new Option(((config.macros.importTiddlers.sort=="title" )?">":indent)+' [by title]',"",false,false);
theList.options[i++]=new Option(((config.macros.importTiddlers.sort=="modified")?">":indent)+' [by date]',"",false,false);
theList.options[i++]=new Option(((config.macros.importTiddlers.sort=="tags")?">":indent)+' [by tags]',"",false,false);
// output the tiddler list
switch(config.macros.importTiddlers.sort)
{
case "title":
for(var t = 0; t < tiddlers.length; t++)
theList.options[i++] = new Option(tiddlers[t].title,tiddlers[t].title,false,false);
break;
case "modified":
// sort descending for newest date first
tiddlers.sort(function (a,b) {if(a['modified'] == b['modified']) return(0); else return (a['modified'] > b['modified']) ? -1 : +1; });
var lastSection = "";
for(var t = 0; t < tiddlers.length; t++) {
var tiddler = tiddlers[t];
var theSection = tiddler.modified.toLocaleDateString();
if (theSection != lastSection) {
theList.options[i++] = new Option(theSection,"",false,false);
lastSection = theSection;
}
theList.options[i++] = new Option(indent+indent+tiddler.title,tiddler.title,false,false);
}
break;
case "tags":
var theTitles = {}; // all tiddler titles, hash indexed by tag value
var theTags = new Array();
for(var t=0; t<tiddlers.length; t++) {
var title=tiddlers[t].title;
var tags=tiddlers[t].tags;
for(var s=0; s<tags.length; s++) {
if (theTitles[tags[s]]==undefined) { theTags.push(tags[s]); theTitles[tags[s]]=new Array(); }
theTitles[tags[s]].push(title);
}
}
theTags.sort();
for(var tagindex=0; tagindex<theTags.length; tagindex++) {
var theTag=theTags[tagindex];
theList.options[i++]=new Option(theTag,"",false,false);
for(var t=0; t<theTitles[theTag].length; t++)
theList.options[i++]=new Option(indent+indent+theTitles[theTag][t],theTitles[theTag][t],false,false);
}
break;
}
theList.selectedIndex=selectedIndex; // select current control item
if (theList.size<config.macros.importTiddlers.listsize) theList.size=config.macros.importTiddlers.listsize;
if (theList.size>theList.options.length) theList.size=theList.options.length;
}
//}}}
// // Control interactions
//{{{
function onClickImportButton(which)
{
// DEBUG alert(which.id);
var theList = document.getElementById('importList');
if (!theList) return;
var thePanel = document.getElementById('importPanel');
var theAskPanel = document.getElementById('importAskPanel');
var theNewTitle = document.getElementById('importNewTitle');
var count=0;
switch (which.id)
{
case 'fileImportSource':
case 'importOpen': // load import source into hidden frame
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound=null; // clear the imported tiddler buffer
refreshImportList(); // reset/resize the listbox
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.src=="") break;
// Load document into hidden iframe so we can read it's DOM and fill the list
loadImportFile(config.macros.importTiddlers.src,"all",null,null,function(src,filter,quiet,ask){window.refreshImportList(0);});
break;
case 'importSelectAll': // select all tiddler list items (i.e., not headings)
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
for (var t=0,count=0; t < theList.options.length; t++) {
if (theList.options[t].value=="") continue;
theList.options[t].selected=true;
count++;
}
clearMessage(); displayMessage(config.macros.importTiddlers.countMsg.format([count]));
break;
case 'importSelectNew': // select tiddlers not in current document
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
for (var t=0,count=0; t < theList.options.length; t++) {
theList.options[t].selected=false;
if (theList.options[t].value=="") continue;
theList.options[t].selected=!store.tiddlerExists(theList.options[t].value);
count+=theList.options[t].selected?1:0;
}
clearMessage(); displayMessage(config.macros.importTiddlers.countMsg.format([count]));
break;
case 'importSelectChanges': // select tiddlers that are updated from existing tiddlers
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
for (var t=0,count=0; t < theList.options.length; t++) {
theList.options[t].selected=false;
if (theList.options[t].value==""||!store.tiddlerExists(theList.options[t].value)) continue;
for (var i=0; i<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length; i++) // find matching inbound tiddler
{ var inbound=config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[i]; if (inbound.title==theList.options[t].value) break; }
theList.options[t].selected=(inbound.modified-store.getTiddler(theList.options[t].value).modified>0); // updated tiddler
count+=theList.options[t].selected?1:0;
}
clearMessage(); displayMessage(config.macros.importTiddlers.countMsg.format([count]));
break;
case 'importSelectDifferences': // select tiddlers that are new or different from existing tiddlers
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
for (var t=0,count=0; t < theList.options.length; t++) {
theList.options[t].selected=false;
if (theList.options[t].value=="") continue;
if (!store.tiddlerExists(theList.options[t].value)) { theList.options[t].selected=true; count++; continue; }
for (var i=0; i<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length; i++) // find matching inbound tiddler
{ var inbound=config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[i]; if (inbound.title==theList.options[t].value) break; }
theList.options[t].selected=(inbound.modified-store.getTiddler(theList.options[t].value).modified!=0); // changed tiddler
count+=theList.options[t].selected?1:0;
}
clearMessage(); displayMessage(config.macros.importTiddlers.countMsg.format([count]));
break;
case 'importToggleFilter': // show/hide filter
case 'importFilter': // apply filter
alert("coming soon!");
break;
case 'importStart': // initiate the import processing
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
config.macros.importTiddlers.index=0;
config.macros.importTiddlers.index=importTiddlers(0);
importStopped();
break;
case 'importClose': // unload imported tiddlers or hide the import control panel
// if imported tiddlers not loaded, close the import control panel
if (!config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound) { thePanel.style.display='none'; break; }
importReport(); // if an import was in progress, generate a report
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound=null; // clear the imported tiddler buffer
refreshImportList(); // reset/resize the listbox
break;
case 'importSkip': // don't import the tiddler
var theItem = theList.options[config.macros.importTiddlers.index];
for (var j=0;j<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;j++)
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j].title==theItem.value) break;
var theImported = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j];
theImported.status='skipped after asking'; // mark item as skipped
theAskPanel.style.display='none';
config.macros.importTiddlers.index=importTiddlers(config.macros.importTiddlers.index+1); // resume with NEXT item
importStopped();
break;
case 'importRename': // change name of imported tiddler
var theItem = theList.options[config.macros.importTiddlers.index];
for (var j=0;j<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;j++)
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j].title==theItem.value) break;
var theImported = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j];
theImported.status = 'renamed from '+theImported.title; // mark item as renamed
theImported.set(theNewTitle.value,null,null,null,null); // change the tiddler title
theItem.value = theNewTitle.value; // change the listbox item text
theItem.text = theNewTitle.value; // change the listbox item text
theAskPanel.style.display='none';
config.macros.importTiddlers.index=importTiddlers(config.macros.importTiddlers.index); // resume with THIS item
importStopped();
break;
case 'importMerge': // join existing and imported tiddler content
var theItem = theList.options[config.macros.importTiddlers.index];
for (var j=0;j<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;j++)
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j].title==theItem.value) break;
var theImported = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j];
var theExisting = store.getTiddler(theItem.value);
var theText = theExisting.text+'\n----\n^^merged from: [['+config.macros.importTiddlers.src+'#'+theItem.value+'|'+config.macros.importTiddlers.src+'#'+theItem.value+']]^^\n^^'+theImported.modified.toLocaleString()+' by '+theImported.modifier+'^^\n'+theImported.text;
var theDate = new Date();
var theTags = theExisting.getTags()+' '+theImported.getTags();
theImported.set(null,theText,null,theDate,theTags);
theImported.status = 'merged with '+theExisting.title; // mark item as merged
theImported.status += ' - '+theExisting.modified.formatString("MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ss");
theImported.status += ' by '+theExisting.modifier;
theAskPanel.style.display='none';
config.macros.importTiddlers.index=importTiddlers(config.macros.importTiddlers.index); // resume with this item
importStopped();
break;
case 'importReplace': // substitute imported tiddler for existing tiddler
var theItem = theList.options[config.macros.importTiddlers.index];
for (var j=0;j<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;j++)
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j].title==theItem.value) break;
var theImported = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j];
var theExisting = store.getTiddler(theItem.value);
theImported.status = 'replaces '+theExisting.title; // mark item for replace
theImported.status += ' - '+theExisting.modified.formatString("MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ss");
theImported.status += ' by '+theExisting.modifier;
theAskPanel.style.display='none';
config.macros.importTiddlers.index=importTiddlers(config.macros.importTiddlers.index); // resume with THIS item
importStopped();
break;
case 'importListSmaller': // decrease current listbox size, minimum=5
if (theList.options.length==1) break;
theList.size-=(theList.size>5)?1:0;
config.macros.importTiddlers.listsize=theList.size;
break;
case 'importListLarger': // increase current listbox size, maximum=number of items in list
if (theList.options.length==1) break;
theList.size+=(theList.size<theList.options.length)?1:0;
config.macros.importTiddlers.listsize=theList.size;
break;
case 'importListMaximize': // toggle listbox size between current and maximum
if (theList.options.length==1) break;
theList.size=(theList.size==theList.options.length)?config.macros.importTiddlers.listsize:theList.options.length;
break;
}
}
//}}}
// // re-entrant processing for handling import with interactive collision prompting
//{{{
function importTiddlers(startIndex)
{
if (!config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound) return -1;
var theList = document.getElementById('importList');
if (!theList) return;
var t;
// if starting new import, reset import status flags
if (startIndex==0)
for (var t=0;t<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;t++)
config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[t].status="";
for (var i=startIndex; i<theList.options.length; i++)
{
// if list item is not selected or is a heading (i.e., has no value), skip it
if ((!theList.options[i].selected) || ((t=theList.options[i].value)==""))
continue;
for (var j=0;j<config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound.length;j++)
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j].title==t) break;
var theImported = config.macros.importTiddlers.inbound[j];
var theExisting = store.getTiddler(theImported.title);
// avoid redundant import for tiddlers that are listed multiple times (when 'by tags')
if (theImported.status=="added")
continue;
// don't import the "ImportedTiddlers" history from the other document...
if (theImported.title=='ImportedTiddlers')
continue;
// if tiddler exists and import not marked for replace or merge, stop importing
if (theExisting && (theImported.status.substr(0,7)!="replace") && (theImported.status.substr(0,5)!="merge"))
return i;
// assemble tags (remote + existing + added)
var newTags = "";
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.importTags)
newTags+=theImported.getTags() // import remote tags
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.keepTags && theExisting)
newTags+=" "+theExisting.getTags(); // keep existing tags
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.addTags && config.macros.importTiddlers.newTags.trim().length)
newTags+=" "+config.macros.importTiddlers.newTags; // add new tags
theImported.set(null,null,null,null,newTags.trim());
// set the status to 'added' (if not already set by the 'ask the user' UI)
theImported.status=(theImported.status=="")?'added':theImported.status;
// do the import!
store.addTiddler(theImported);
store.setDirty(true);
}
return(-1); // signals that we really finished the entire list
}
//}}}
//{{{
function importStopped()
{
var theList = document.getElementById('importList');
var theNewTitle = document.getElementById('importNewTitle');
if (!theList) return;
if (config.macros.importTiddlers.index==-1)
importReport(); // import finished... generate the report
else
{
// DEBUG alert('import stopped at: '+config.macros.importTiddlers.index);
// import collision... show the ask panel and set the title edit field
document.getElementById('importAskPanel').style.display='block';
theNewTitle.value=theList.options[config.macros.importTiddlers.index].value;
}
}
//}}}
*WholeBrain - Thinking
*MindMap
*ArsMemorativa
Niemand weet waar de grens tussen onintelligent gedrag en intelligent gedrag ligt, het is misschien zelfs onnozel te om veronderstellen dat er zo'n scherpe grens te trekken valt. Maar essentiële eigenschappenvan intelligentie zijn in ieder geval:
*Zeer flexibel reageren op situaties
*Gebruik maken van gunstige omstandigheden
*Dubbelzinnige of tegenstrijdige mededelingen zinvol duiden
*Het relatieve belang inzien van verschillende elementen van een situatie
*Overeenkomsten vinden tussen situaties,ondanks verschillen die ze mogelijkerwijs van elkaar scheiden.
*Verschillen zien tussen situaties, ondanks overeenkomsten die ze mogelijkerwijs met elkaar verbinden
*Op nieuwe ideeën komen door oude ideeën op een nieuwe manier samen te voegen
*Met volledig nieuwe ideeën komen.
Uit: Douglas R. Hofstadter: GEB, pag 31 (ned. ed)
*MindMapping
*CyBorg
*ArsMemorativa
[[Todo.txt in action|http://lifehacker.com/software/todo'txt/todotxt-in-action-183429.php]]
[[Creating A GTD Screensaver in PowerPoint|http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2007/06/creating-a-gtd-screensaver-in-powerpoint/]]
[[How to prioritise quickly and intuitively|http://kw-agiledevelopment.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-to-prioritise-quickly-and.html]]
[[Blogging: 11 things to do before you hit the Publish button|http://blog.shankarganesh.com/2007/06/25/blogging-tip-11-things-to-do-before-you-hit-the-publish-button/#more-187]]
This is a simple space-saving theme for [[TiddlyWiki|http://www.tiddlywiki.com]] called [[iJobs 2|StyleSheet]]
Basically its features are:
* The MainMenu is a horizontal bar at the top of the page
* The large SiteTitle has been removed and is now integrated into the horizontal MainMenu
* The SiteTitle is a link to a home page of your choice (Edit SiteTitle for example)
* The ''new tiddler'', ''close all'' plus various default macros are placed in a righthand sidebar slider called ''Tools''
* Also in a righthand sidebar slider are ''Options'' which also contains a link to the AdvancedOptions
If you intend to copy this StyleSheet, into an Empty TiddlyWiki, you will also need to copy the PageTemplate. //The NestedSlidersPlugin is required if you want the ''Tools'' and ''Options'' menus to slide open//.
BTW you could just download this complete [[TiddlyWiki|http://www.tiddlywiki.com]] from [[here|ijobs.html]] :)
''Update:'' Added a ''Time'' slider with a flash clock by [[2mstudio|http://www.clocks.2mstudio.de/]]. If you want this feature then save this [[file|chronograph.swf]] in the same directory as the [[ijobs(.html) file|ijobs.html]].
----
Many thanks to Simon Baird, Clint Checketts, Christine Hodges! Special thanks to Jeremy Ruston for creating TiddlyWiki.
The [[Alliance for Aging Research|http://dumblittleman.blogspot.com/2007/01/keeping-your-aging-brain-sharp.html]] recommends these 10 steps for improving your brain health.
*Eat a Brain-Healthy Diet. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (commonly found in fish), protein, antioxidants, fruits and vegetables and vitamin B; low in trans fats; and with an appropriate level of carbohydrates will help keep your brain healthy.
*Stay Mentally Active. Activities such as learning a new skill or language, working on crossword puzzles, taking classes, and learning how to dance can help challenge and maintain your mental functioning.
*Exercise Regularly. Exercising often can increase circulation, improve coordination, and help prevent conditions that increase the risk of dementia such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
*Stay Social. Spending time with friends, volunteering, and traveling can keep your mind active and healthy.
*Get Plenty of Sleep. Not getting enough sleep can have a negative impact on brain health.
*[[Manage Stress|StressManagement]]. Participating in yoga, spending time with friends, or doing other stress-relieving activities can help preserve your ability to remember and learn.
*Prevent Brain Injury. Wearing protective head gear and seat belts can help you avoid head injury, which has been associated with an increased risk of dementia.
*Control Other Health Conditions. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet, and controlling stress can help reduce your risk of diseases that affect your brain, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and hypertension.
*Avoid Unhealthy Habits. Smoking, heavy drinking and use of recreational drugs can increase the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.
*Consider Your Genes. If your family history puts you at risk for developing dementia, work with your doctor to find ways to maintain your brain health to help avoid or slow the progression of cognitive decline
Link: [[The National Institute of Aging|http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/forgetfulness.asp]]
No matter how old you get, if you can keep the desire to be creative, you're keeping the man-child alive.
[[John Cassavetes|http://www.brainstorming.co.uk/quotes/creativequotations.html]]
# Do a cartwheel.
# Sing into your hairbrush.
# Walk barefoot in wet grass.
# Play a song you like really loud, over and over.
# Dot all your “i”’s with smiley faces.
# Read the funnies. Throw the rest of the paper away.
# Dunk your cookies.
# Play a game where you make up the rules as you go along.
# Step carefully over sidewalk cracks.
# Change into some play clothes.
# Try to get someone to trade you a better sandwich.
# Eat ice cream for breakfast.
# Kiss a frog, just in case.
# Blow the wrapper off a straw.
# Have someone read you a story.
# Find some pretty stones and save them.
# Wear your favorite shirt with you favorite pants even if they don’t match.
# Take a running jump over a big puddle.
# Get someone to buy you something you really don’t need.
# Hide your vegetables under your napkin.
# Stay up past your bedtime.
# Eat dessert first.
# Fuss a little, then take a nap.
# Wear red gym shoes.
# Put way too much sugar on your cereal.
# Make cool screeching noises every time you turn a corner.
# Giggle a lot for no reason.
# Give yourself a gold star for everything you do today.
[img[Kuehleborn's Arachnophilia|http://www.kuehleborn.org/arachno.jpg]]
Kuehleborn lives in the Web!
Kuehleborn is my alter ego, and my internet-alias.
Kuehleborn is also a character in [[Albert Lortzing|http://www.albertlortzing.org]]'s romantic opera Undine.
Kuehleborn is the mind of the flesh-and-blood person living IRL as [[George Overmeire|http://www.georgeovermeire.nl/]].
------------------------------------------------
This is what we should live for, Danlo:
the heightening of our sensibilities, the rarefying of our desire,
the deepening of our purpose, the vastening of our selves.
The power to overcome ourselves.
To be more.
Or rather, to become more.
Who hasn't dreamed of such becoming?
- David Zindell: The Broken God
------------------------------------------------
//''Creativity''// is a __choice__, not a gift
//''Excellence''// is not a talent, It's an __attitude__.
------------------------------------------------
{{{GAT/d s:-: a? C++U--- P+ L E-- W++ N+++ o-- K- w+ O--- M-- V- PS+++ PE++ Y+ PGP t 5? X R+ tv+ b+++ DI++ D-- G++ e+++ h---- r+++ y+++ }}}
[[Let's Kill Your Distractions at Work|http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/07/lets-kill-your-distractions-at-work.html]]
Here are a couple things you can do at work to get rid of the garbage that plagues your day:
* Out of office: I don't care if you are using Outlook or Gmail. If you have things to get done, get your "Out of Office' alert activated. I have used this so many times it's sick. Whether you are in off site meetings or doing projects in your office, you can easily come up with an 'Out of Office' message that gets people of your back. "Thanks for the email, I am in off site meetings today, please contact XYZ" or "I am in meeting all day today, please contact XYZ"...you get the drift.
* Custom IM status: Again, I don't care where you are or what you use. If your Instant Messenger application allows for you to create custom statuses, then do it. Instead of setting your presence to "away", set it to "on a project - back tomorrow - contact XYZ for urgent issues". This way you are covered in case something does come up.
* Headphones: This one is simple. If your cube-mate won't shut up, toss on some headphones and listen to Run DMC or whatever you want. Chit-Chat kills me and my productivity so listen to whatever you want to drown them out.
* Go to [[Chipotle|http://www.chipotle.com/#undefined]]: Ok, I love Chipotle so I had to mention them. However, the key here is to get out of the office. While the clan all heads out together, have lunch alone if you need to think.
* One at a time baby: We are all multi-taskers. Come on, if you aren't multi tasking in someway you are probably not hitting all of the goals on your review. The key, and I say this knowing that it's damn near impossible, is to finish every task you can in one stroke. Having action items pertaining to 20 different tasks will inevitably lead to 'something' being missed. Touch a task once if at all possible. Get it done, and discard.
* Skip calls: I have never been called on this but a ringing phone does not mean it's a concern to you. Let the phone ring and let people leave voice mails. Interrupting the flow you have on a current project will most likely kill your productivity, especially if it's Joan asking why you aren't done yet. If you have a 'send call' feature on your phone, use it.
* The Bathroom: Ok, we all have to go right? Well guess what..every time I go to the bathroom at work there are 3-4 guys sitting there chatting. Be cordial but do what you have to do and move on. Get a beer after work if you want to be social but if you want to get ahead at work, chatting in the hallway is not a good idea.
* Media: I am not going to lie, this one kills me. I am a fiend for information and I always want to know what the latest news is. No, I am not talking about Iraq or world news, I am talking about Digg and other social tech sites. While at lunch, I give myself 30 minutes to look at this stuff. If I don't limit it, I will literally surf all day. I think the key here is to allow yourself some free time but to know your limits. Visiting Digg while I eat my homemade Ham sandwich probably boosts my productivity because it gives be a little break from the BS.
* Go Nuclear: Read [[5 Strategies To Web Work Without Distractions|http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/07/06/5-strategies-to-do-web-work-without-distractions/]] by Web Worker Daily. This article shares how you can effectively unplug entirely. If you need a nuclear option, this is it.
What do you guys do to get rid of distractions at work? In all honesty, this plagues everyone so by adding you solutions you will be helping other DLM readers and actually, you'll be helping me too.
- Jay White
Linda Gottfredson's papers on real life uses of
intelligence, they are very interesting.
Links:
[[Homepage of Linda S. Gottfredson|http://www.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/]]
[[Wikipedia article on Gottfredson|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Gottfredson]]
[[Transhumanism|http://www.transhumanisme.nl]]
[[Metaverse|http://www.kuehleborn.org/metaverseblog]]
[[Libertarianism|http://www.objectivisme.nl]]
[[Space Colonization|http://www.ruimtekolonisatie.nl/]]
[[ArtBlog|http://www.kuehleborn.org/artblog]]
[[Computer Music|http://www.kuehleborn.org/dawblog/]]
[[Teacher|http://c12-muziek.org/weblog/]]
[[My Sandbox|http://kuehleborn.hyves.nl]]
[[Monday Master Class: Rapid Note-Taking with the Morse Code Method|http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudyHacks/~3/237029211/]]
By Study Hacks on Study Tips
The Fast and the CuriousMorse Code
I’m currently taking a graduate seminar that assigns demanding articles of demanding length. Being somewhat busy, as I’ve mentioned before, I’ve recently been working to squeeze every last ounce of speed out of my note-taking habits. This has led me to a new note-taking approach I call the Morse Code Method. It’s engineered to be fast. Blazingly fast; yet still be able to support the type of detailed comprehension needed to survive a three-hour, 10-person discussion-based seminar.
It works as follows…
Brain Drag
Forget time for a moment. Your worst enemy when tackling a reading assignment is that weighty, sleep-inducing brain-drag that starts to grow over time, making concentration increasingly difficult. What brings this on? A big factor is halting your reading momentum. If you cease forward movement with your eyes so you can, for example, underline a few lines, or draw a bracket next to paragraph, or, dare I say it, highlight a sentence, it will require a large energy burst to get started once again. Too many such stops and starts and your brain will be fried.
The Morse Code Method is based on the following idea: you should never stop reading until you’re done with the entire article.
One continuous pass is the fastest, most energy-efficient possible way to get through a reading. It’s also the least painful.
The Dot-Dash Notation
This begs an obvious question: if you don’t stop your reading momentum, how do you make note of the important points? The answer is to deploy the following notation:
1. If you come across a sentence that seems to be laying out a big, interesting idea: draw a quick dot next to it in the margin.
2. If you come across an example or explanation that supports the previous big idea: draw a quick dash next to it in the margin.
From experimentation, I’ve learned that these dots and dashes are small enough that you can record them without breaking your reading momentum. In the end, your article will be a sequence of dots and dashes (like a Morse Code message!), effectively breaking down the reading into a useful sequence: big idea!, support, support, big idea!, support, support, support…
Processing
Once you’ve finished reading the entire article, it’s time to take notes. Review the sentences that you dotted and dashed. For the dots that still strike you as important, paraphrase the main idea in your notes, in your own words. (The paraphrase is key: it forces you to processes the idea in your brain, not just reproduce it like a photocopier). For each of the following dashes that still strikes you as important, paraphrase the example or explanation in a bullet point.
Go quick. Don’t worry about typos. Ignore fancy formatting. Just get the ideas down. As fast as possible.
Condensing
Now for the final step. This will only take you an extra couple minutes, but it’s the crucial boost that will transform you from “reasonably familiar with the readings” to “class star”:
* Reviewing what you just recorded in your notes, think for a moment about the following: What is the main question being asked in the article and what’s the conclusion the authors point toward? Record the question and conclusion in your notes.
Now you’re done. Don’t skip this last step! It is here that you pull out the big picture ideas that will form the core of class discussions, papers, and exam essay questions.
How This Compares to Classic Q/E/C Note-Taking
Fans of Straight-A might wonder how the Morse Code Method compares to the classical Question/Evidence/Conclusion approach. The answer: it’s a variation. By having you read the article before identifying a question and conclusion, the Morse Code Method better handles complicated articles with subtle arguments. Also, by having you actually read — not just skim — every sentence, you’re better prepared for more detailed discussions. When deciding what tactic to deploy, choose based on the needs of the class.
#Suicidal.
#Zum Tode betrübt.
#Frustrated
#Dissatisfied
#Restless
#Okay, and nothing more.
#Mind like water
#Cool and easy going
#Highly productive
#Himmelhoch jauchzend.
/***
''NestedSlidersPlugin for TiddlyWiki version 1.2.x and 2.0''
^^author: Eric Shulman
source: http://www.TiddlyTools.com/#NestedSlidersPlugin
license: [[Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License|http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/]]^^
Quickly make any tiddler content into an expandable 'slider' panel, without needing to create a separate tiddler to contain the slider content. Optional syntax allows ''default to open'', ''custom button label/tooltip'' and ''automatic blockquote formatting.''
You can also 'nest' these sliders as deep as you like (see complex nesting example below), so that expandable 'tree-like' hierarchical displays can be created. This is most useful when converting existing in-line text content to create in-line annotations, footnotes, context-sensitive help, or other subordinate information displays.
For more details, please click on a section headline below:
++++!!!!![Configuration]>
Debugging messages for 'lazy sliders' deferred rendering:
<<option chkDebugLazySliderDefer>> show debugging alert when deferring slider rendering
<<option chkDebugLazySliderRender>> show debugging alert when deferred slider is actually rendered
===
++++!!!!![Usage]>
When installed, this plugin adds new wiki syntax for embedding 'slider' panels directly into tiddler content. Use {{{+++}}} and {{{===}}} to delimit the slider content. Additional optional syntax elements let you specify
*default to open
*cookiename
*heading level
*floater
*rollover
*custom label/tooltip
*automatic blockquote
*deferred rendering
The complete syntax, using all options, is:
//{{{
++++(cookiename)!!!!!^*[label|tooltip]>...
content goes here
===
//}}}
where:
* {{{+++}}} (or {{{++++}}}) and {{{===}}}^^
marks the start and end of the slider definition, respectively. When the extra {{{+}}} is used, the slider will be open when initially displayed.^^
* {{{(cookiename)}}}^^
saves the slider opened/closed state, and restores this state whenever the slider is re-rendered.^^
* {{{!}}} through {{{!!!!!}}}^^
displays the slider label using a formatted headline (Hn) style instead of a button/link style^^
* {{{"^"}}} //(without the quotes)//^^
makes the slider 'float' on top of other content rather than shifting that content downward^^
* {{{"*"}}} //(without the quotes)//^^
automatically opens/closes slider on "rollover" as well as when clicked^^
* {{{[label]}}} or {{{[label|tooltip]}}}^^
uses custom label/tooltip. (defaults are: ">" (more) and "<" (less)^^
* {{{">"}}} //(without the quotes)//^^
automatically adds blockquote formatting to slider content^^
* {{{"..."}}} //(without the quotes)//^^
defers rendering of closed sliders until the first time they are opened. //Note: deferred rendering may produce unexpected results in some cases. Use with care.//^^
//Note: to make slider definitions easier to read and recognize when editing a tiddler, newlines immediately following the {{{+++}}} 'start slider' or preceding the {{{===}}} 'end slider' sequence are automatically supressed so that excess whitespace is eliminated from the output.//
===
++++!!!!![Examples]>
simple in-line slider:
{{{
+++
content
===
}}}
+++
content
===
----
use a custom label and tooltip:
{{{
+++[label|tooltip]
content
===
}}}
+++[label|tooltip]
content
===
----
content automatically blockquoted:
{{{
+++>
content
===
}}}
+++>
content
===
----
all options combined //(default open, cookie, heading, floater, rollover, label/tooltip, blockquoted, deferred)//
{{{
++++(testcookie)!!!^*[label|tooltip]>...
content
===
}}}
++++(testcookie)!!!^*[label|tooltip]>...
content
===
----
complex nesting example:
{{{
+++^[get info...|click for information]
put some general information here, plus a floating slider with more specific info:
+++^[view details...|click for details]
put some detail here, which could include a rollover with a +++^*[glossary definition]explaining technical terms===
===
===
}}}
+++^[get info...|click for information]
put some general information here, plus a floating slider with more specific info:
+++^[view details...|click for details]
put some detail here, which could include a rollover with a +++^*[glossary definition]explaining technical terms===
===
===
----
nested floaters
>menu: <<tiddler NestedSlidersExample>>
(see [[NestedSlidersExample]] for definition)
----
===
+++!!!!![Installation]>
import (or copy/paste) the following tiddlers into your document:
''NestedSlidersPlugin'' (tagged with <<tag systemConfig>>)
===
+++!!!!![Revision History]>
++++[2006.02.16 - 1.7.7]
corrected deferred rendering to account for use-case where show/hide state is tracked in a cookie
===
++++[2006.02.15 - 1.7.6]
in adjustSliderPos(), ensure that floating panel is positioned completely within the browser window (i.e., does not go beyond the right edge of the browser window)
===
++++[2006.02.04 - 1.7.5]
add 'var' to unintended global variable declarations to avoid FireFox 1.5.0.1 crash bug when assigning to globals
===
++++[2006.01.18 - 1.7.4]
only define adjustSliderPos() function if it has not already been provided by another plugin. This lets other plugins 'hijack' the function even when they are loaded first.
===
++++[2006.01.16 - 1.7.3]
added adjustSliderPos(place,btn,panel,panelClass) function to permit specialized logic for placement of floating panels. While it provides improved placement for many uses of floating panels, it exhibits a relative offset positioning error when used within *nested* floating panels. Short-term workaround is to only adjust the position for 'top-level' floaters.
===
++++[2006.01.16 - 1.7.2]
added button property to slider panel elements so that slider panel can tell which button it belongs to. Also, re-activated and corrected animation handling so that nested sliders aren't clipped by hijacking Slider.prototype.stop so that "overflow:hidden" can be reset to "overflow:visible" after animation ends
===
++++[2006.01.14 - 1.7.1]
added optional "^" syntax for floating panels. Defines new CSS class, ".floatingPanel", as an alternative for standard in-line ".sliderPanel" styles.
===
++++[2006.01.14 - 1.7.0]
added optional "*" syntax for rollover handling to show/hide slider without requiring a click (Based on a suggestion by tw4efl)
===
+++[2006.01.03 - 1.6.2]
When using optional "!" heading style, instead of creating a clickable "Hn" element, create an "A" element inside the "Hn" element. (allows click-through in SlideShowPlugin, which captures nearly all click events, except for hyperlinks)
===
+++[2005.12.15 - 1.6.1]
added optional "..." syntax to invoke deferred ('lazy') rendering for initially hidden sliders
removed checkbox option for 'global' application of lazy sliders
===
+++[2005.11.25 - 1.6.0]
added optional handling for 'lazy sliders' (deferred rendering for initially hidden sliders)
===
+++[2005.11.21 - 1.5.1]
revised regular expressions: if present, a single newline //preceding// and/or //following// a slider definition will be suppressed so start/end syntax can be place on separate lines in the tiddler 'source' for improved readability. Similarly, any whitespace (newlines, tabs, spaces, etc.) trailing the 'start slider' syntax or preceding the 'end slider' syntax is also suppressed.
===
+++[2005.11.20 - 1.5.0]
added (cookiename) syntax for optional tracking and restoring of slider open/close state
===
+++[2005.11.11 - 1.4.0]
added !!!!! syntax to render slider label as a header (Hn) style instead of a button/link style
===
+++[2005.11.07 - 1.3.0]
removed alternative syntax {{{(((}}} and {{{)))}}} (so they can be used by other
formatting extensions) and simplified/improved regular expressions to trim multiple excess newlines
===
+++[2005.11.05 - 1.2.1]
changed name to NestedSlidersPlugin
more documentation
===
+++[2005.11.04 - 1.2.0]
added alternative character-mode syntax {{{(((}}} and {{{)))}}}
tweaked "eat newlines" logic for line-mode {{{+++}}} and {{{===}}} syntax
===
+++[2005.11.03 - 1.1.1]
fixed toggling of default tooltips ("more..." and "less...") when a non-default button label is used
code cleanup, added documentation
===
+++[2005.11.03 - 1.1.0]
changed delimiter syntax from {{{(((}}} and {{{)))}}} to {{{+++}}} and {{{===}}}
changed name to EasySlidersPlugin
===
+++[2005.11.03 - 1.0.0]
initial public release
===
===
+++!!!!![Credits]>
This feature was implemented by EricShulman from [[ELS Design Studios|http:/www.elsdesign.com]] with research, programming and suggestions from RodneyGomes, GeoffSlocock, and PaulPetterson
===
***/
// //+++!!!!![Code]
//{{{
version.extensions.nestedSliders = {major: 1, minor: 7, revision: 7, date: new Date(2006,2,16)};
//}}}
//{{{
// options for deferred rendering of sliders that are not initially displayed
if (config.options.chkDebugLazySliderDefer==undefined) config.options.chkDebugLazySliderDefer=false;
if (config.options.chkDebugLazySliderRender==undefined) config.options.chkDebugLazySliderRender=false;
// default styles for 'floating' class
setStylesheet(".floatingPanel { position:absolute; z-index:10; padding:0.5em; margin:0em; \
background-color:#eee; color:#000; border:1px solid #000; text-align:left; }","floatingPanelStylesheet");
//}}}
//{{{
config.formatters.push( {
name: "nestedSliders",
match: "\\n?\\+{3}",
terminator: "\\s*\\={3}\\n?",
lookahead: "\\n?\\+{3}(\\+)?(\\([^\\)]*\\))?(\\!*)?(\\^)?(\\*)?(\\[[^\\]]*\\])?(\\>)?(\\.\\.\\.)?\\s*",
handler: function(w)
{
var lookaheadRegExp = new RegExp(this.lookahead,"mg");
lookaheadRegExp.lastIndex = w.matchStart;
var lookaheadMatch = lookaheadRegExp.exec(w.source)
if(lookaheadMatch && lookaheadMatch.index == w.matchStart)
{
// location for rendering button and panel
var place=w.output;
// default to closed, no cookie
var show="none"; var title=">"; var tooltip="show"; var cookie="";
// extra "+", default to open
if (lookaheadMatch[1])
{ show="block"; title="<"; tooltip="hide"; }
// cookie, use saved open/closed state
if (lookaheadMatch[2]) {
cookie=lookaheadMatch[2].trim().substr(1,lookaheadMatch[2].length-2);
cookie="chkSlider"+cookie;
if (config.options[cookie]==undefined)
{ config.options[cookie] = (show=="block") }
if (config.options[cookie])
{ show="block"; title="<"; tooltip="hide"; }
else
{ show="none"; title=">"; tooltip="show"; }
}
// custom label/tooltip
if (lookaheadMatch[6]) {
title = lookaheadMatch[6].trim().substr(1,lookaheadMatch[6].length-2);
var pos=title.indexOf("|");
if (pos!=-1)
{ tooltip = title.substr(pos+1,title.length); title = title.substr(0,pos); }
else
{ tooltip += " "+title; }
}
// create the button
if (lookaheadMatch[3]) { // use "Hn" header format instead of button/link
var lvl=(lookaheadMatch[3].length>6)?6:lookaheadMatch[3].length;
var btn = createTiddlyElement(createTiddlyElement(place,"h"+lvl,null,null,null),"a",null,null,title);
btn.onclick=onClickNestedSlider;
btn.setAttribute("href","javascript:;");
btn.setAttribute("title",tooltip);
}
else
var btn = createTiddlyButton(place,title,tooltip,onClickNestedSlider);
btn.sliderCookie = cookie; // save the cookiename (if any) in the button object
// "non-click" MouseOver open/close slider
if (lookaheadMatch[5]) btn.onmouseover=onClickNestedSlider;
// create slider panel
var panelClass=lookaheadMatch[4]?"floatingPanel":"sliderPanel";
var panel=createTiddlyElement(place,"div",null,panelClass,null);
panel.style.display = show;
panel.button = btn; // so the slider panel know which button it belongs to
btn.sliderPanel=panel;
// render slider (or defer until shown)
w.nextMatch = lookaheadMatch.index + lookaheadMatch[0].length;
if ((show=="block")||!lookaheadMatch[8]) {
// render now if panel is supposed to be shown or NOT deferred rendering
w.subWikify(lookaheadMatch[7]?createTiddlyElement(panel,"blockquote"):panel,this.terminator);
// align slider/floater position with button
adjustSliderPos(place,btn,panel,panelClass);
}
else {
var src = w.source.substr(w.nextMatch);
var endpos=findMatchingDelimiter(src,"+++","===");
panel.setAttribute("raw",src.substr(0,endpos));
panel.setAttribute("blockquote",lookaheadMatch[7]?"true":"false");
panel.setAttribute("rendered","false");
w.nextMatch += endpos+3;
if (w.source.substr(w.nextMatch,1)=="\n") w.nextMatch++;
if (config.options.chkDebugLazySliderDefer) alert("deferred '"+title+"':\n\n"+panel.getAttribute("raw"));
}
}
}
}
)
// TBD: ignore 'quoted' delimiters (e.g., "{{{+++foo===}}}" isn't really a slider)
function findMatchingDelimiter(src,starttext,endtext) {
var startpos = 0;
var endpos = src.indexOf(endtext);
// check for nested delimiters
while (src.substring(startpos,endpos-1).indexOf(starttext)!=-1) {
// count number of nested 'starts'
var startcount=0;
var temp = src.substring(startpos,endpos-1);
var pos=temp.indexOf(starttext);
while (pos!=-1) { startcount++; pos=temp.indexOf(starttext,pos+starttext.length); }
// set up to check for additional 'starts' after adjusting endpos
startpos=endpos+endtext.length;
// find endpos for corresponding number of matching 'ends'
while (startcount && endpos!=-1) {
endpos = src.indexOf(endtext,endpos+endtext.length);
startcount--;
}
}
return (endpos==-1)?src.length:endpos;
}
//}}}
//{{{
function onClickNestedSlider(e)
{
if (!e) var e = window.event;
var theTarget = resolveTarget(e);
var theLabel = theTarget.firstChild.data;
var theSlider = theTarget.sliderPanel
var isOpen = theSlider.style.display!="none";
// if using default button labels, toggle labels
if (theLabel==">") theTarget.firstChild.data = "<";
else if (theLabel=="<") theTarget.firstChild.data = ">";
// if using default tooltips, toggle tooltips
if (theTarget.getAttribute("title")=="show")
theTarget.setAttribute("title","hide");
else if (theTarget.getAttribute("title")=="hide")
theTarget.setAttribute("title","show");
if (theTarget.getAttribute("title")=="show "+theLabel)
theTarget.setAttribute("title","hide "+theLabel);
else if (theTarget.getAttribute("title")=="hide "+theLabel)
theTarget.setAttribute("title","show "+theLabel);
// deferred rendering (if needed)
if (theSlider.getAttribute("rendered")=="false") {
if (config.options.chkDebugLazySliderRender)
alert("rendering '"+theLabel+"':\n\n"+theSlider.getAttribute("raw"));
var place=theSlider;
if (theSlider.getAttribute("blockquote")=="true")
place=createTiddlyElement(place,"blockquote");
wikify(theSlider.getAttribute("raw"),place);
theSlider.setAttribute("rendered","true");
}
// show/hide the slider
if(config.options.chkAnimate)
anim.startAnimating(new Slider(theSlider,!isOpen,e.shiftKey || e.altKey,"none"));
else
theSlider.style.display = isOpen ? "none" : "block";
if (this.sliderCookie && this.sliderCookie.length)
{ config.options[this.sliderCookie]=!isOpen; saveOptionCookie(this.sliderCookie); }
// align slider/floater position with target button
adjustSliderPos(theSlider.parentNode,theTarget,theSlider,theSlider.className);
return false;
}
// hijack animation handler 'stop' handler so overflow is visible after animation has completed
Slider.prototype.coreStop = Slider.prototype.stop;
Slider.prototype.stop = function() { this.coreStop(); this.element.style.overflow = "visible"; }
// adjust panel position based on button position
if (window.adjustSliderPos==undefined) window.adjustSliderPos=function(place,btn,panel,panelClass) {
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/// EXPERIMENTAL HACK - WORKS IN SOME CASES, NOT IN OTHERS
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// "if this panel is floating and the parent is not also a floating panel"...
if (panelClass=="floatingPanel" && place.className!="floatingPanel") {
var left=0; var top=btn.offsetHeight;
if (place.style.position!="relative") { left+=findPosX(btn); top+=findPosY(btn); }
if (left+panel.offsetWidth > getWindowWidth()) left=getWindowWidth()-panel.offsetWidth;
panel.style.left=left+"px"; panel.style.top=top+"px";
}
}
function getWindowWidth() {
if(document.width!=undefined)
return document.width; // moz (FF)
if(document.documentElement && ( document.documentElement.clientWidth || document.documentElement.clientHeight ) )
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[[ What They Don’t Teach You In School|http://www.theoptimizedlife.com/self-improvement/what-they-dont-teach-you-in-school/]]
Dr. Thomas J. Stanley, author of The Millionaire Mind, has
dedicated much of his life to studying what makes
millionaires successful. His research has revealed some
very unique insight into the mindset of the wealthy.
For example, he found that millionaires contributed their
success to having strong social skills, having good mentors,
developing persistence, having a supportive spouse, and
working in a career that they love to be the biggest
factors of success.
Having a high GPA in school was listed as one of the least
contributing factors of their success. So while it may open
some doors, education is not what enables you to arrive at
your final destination.
As said by motivational speaker, Jim Rohn:
“A formal education will make you a living. Self-education
will make you rich.”
With that said, we must question the true value of college.
Is it really worth it? Well, I’ll leave that question for
later.
For now, I’d like to explore areas where are schools have
failed us. Yes, there are indeed some very simple factors
that contribute strongly to your success. Unfortunately,
they’re not being taught in the schools.
The first one is the concept of failure.
In school, kid’s learn that “failure” is a negative term.
However, it is nothing of the sort. There has never been a
single successful person who hasn’t failed numerous times on
their journey to success.
In fact, the most successful people in life are those who
have failed the most.
Edison ‘failed’ more than ten thousand times before he
succeeded in creating the light bulb. As said by Thomas
Edison: “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have
successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”
Here is my favorite failure story….
In 1832 he lost his job and was defeated for state legislature.
In 1833 he failed in business.
In 1835 his sweetheart died.
In 1836 he had a nervous breakdown.
In 1838 he was defeated for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1843 he was defeated for nomination for Congress.
In 1848 he lost renomination.
In 1849 he was rejected for land officer.
In 1854 he was defeated for U.S. Senate.
In 1856 he was defeated for nomination for Vice President.
In 1858 he was again defeated for U.S. Senate.
In 1860 he was elected President: Mr. Abraham Lincoln.
My motto is: fail as quickly as possible.
Our world is changing. We are living in a global economy.
You are no longer only competing against people living in
the United States. Because of the power of technology,
we are now competing at a global level.
We are competing for jobs with those living in Japan, China,
and India. These three countries are gaining incredible
economic power and are developing an excellent education
system.
You may be surprised to hear the many jobs that are
currently being outsourced. It’s not just the factory
jobs and the call centers. Not at all….
All sorts of computer programming jobs are being outsourced
to India. The computer and technology field has literally
been transformed by the extremely talented programmers in
India.
Accounting is another major industry that is beginning to be
outsourced.
Here’s a fact that may surprise you though. Not only are
companies sending jobs abroad, but they are also seeing a
100 percent increase in productivity. The people in other
countries are working 100 times harder for the opportunity
to have a job that we take for granted.
People in China and India are starving for your job. And in
our new global economy, they can have it.
Most of American students who graduate from college feel
entitled to a job. In India there are millions of eager
young students fighting for relatively few jobs. If we
don’t continue to improve our skills, we’ll be sitting
on the sidelines.
So, what’s the key to staying competitive?
You must learn to learn. The world is changing at an
incredible pace. Almost everything you learn in
college will be outdated in a minimum of 5 years.
That is, of course, unless you major in history.
You must keep up with the changes taking place in
your particular vocation to stay ahead of the curve.
Too many people believe that graduation is the end of their
learning journey, when in reality it is only the beginning.
We must be on a lifelong journey of learning, whether it be
from books, seminars, night classes, or home study courses.
What else is missing from our schools?
Finance!!!!
About 65 percent of college students who graduated in the
2003-2004 school did so with lingering debts to pay off.
This doesn’t count the number of young people in debt due to
credit cards and it certainly doesn’t help that they have
these shiny plastic cards being sent to them almost weekly.
How can they resist? Well, many don’t.
After they take the plunge, they are hit with high interest
rates and hidden fees. The credit card companies know that
young students are not educated in the world of personal
finance and they have made them their number one target.
Our young people are not being taught how to invest and
spend their money wisely. Success in life is often not in
how much money you make, but rather how you spend your money.
This is what we must teach students. This is a cornerstone
to living a successful life. However, instead students are
learning who won the War of 1812 and how to conjugate verbs.
All good things to learn I’m sure but not of much use in the
real world.
Let’s teach them instead about investing in a Roth IRA
account, a 401k, or the incredible value of compound interest.
Let’s teach our students the success principles that
actually make a difference in the real world.
Let’s teach them to be leaders.
Schools, for the most part, teach us to be good followers.
They teach us how to follow directions and color inside the
lines. Private schools, however, are often developing leaders.
They are developing the students who will lead all of those
good followers. Private schools are teaching their kids about
the importance of public speaking and how to be creative.
They don’t get a picture to color, they’re simply given a blank
sheet of paper to let their minds wander on.
So, if you want to become a leader, you’re most likely going to
have to develop those skills outside of the classroom. You
certainly won’t learn them in a textbook.
However, you can learn one of the greatest leadership skills
of all in an organization called Toastmasters. This is a club that can be found in cities across North America
that teach people how to improve their public speaking and
leadership skills.
And as you can probably imagine, public speaking is one of
the most important qualities you must have as a leader. You
must be able to motivate your employees, brief your superiors,
and ultimately “sell yourself”.
If it were up to me, I would make public speaking a required
class in schools across the nation. Unfortunately, they
haven’t asked me for my opinion yet.
One of the greatet lessons missing from our schools
is goal setting.
Only three percent of people commit their goals to paper.
These are the same people who find the greatest success in
life.
It has been said that just by writing your goal down you
will triple your results. By assigning a timeframe to your
goal, you will then quintuple your commitment to the goal
and the likelihood of achieving it.
Without a goal and a plan, we will never achieve all that we
truly want for our lives.
Every one of us has 168 hours a week to live our life to the
fullest. However, if we examine our lives closely, most of
us will find that we have 30-40 hours during the week that
we are wasting with television, the computer, and a number
of other distractions.
So many people go through life content with just being
average. They go through life just trying to get by. They
go to work, come home, cook dinner, take care of the kids,
and then go to bed in exhaustion.
Too many of us are running a rat race. We don’t know how to
slow down and enjoy the moment.
However, when we live with goals, life becomes an adventure.
Our life develops focus, meaning, and purpose. Without set
goals, we end up wherever life happens to take us, which is
never at a destination of our choosing.
Goals guide and direct our lives. They give us focus. They
give us hope. And in the end, goals help us to reach a new
level in life.
So, let’s teach our kids to make big goals. Let’s teach our kids
the greatest keys to success. And then, if we have time, let’s
teach them who won the War of 1812.
The last thing that schools do not teach is how to figure
out what you really want in life.
And to tell the truth, they could never teach you what
career endeavor is best for you anyway. This is a personal
journey that must be explored in the solitude of one’s mind.
However, our school years are the very best time to find out
what we really want out of life. It is then that we have time
to truly figure out what it is we want to do with our lives.
Unfortunately, far too many people never take the time to do
this. If you have been in the workforce for any time at all,
then you have met these types of people. They are the ones
who spend the whole week just looking forward to the weekend.
Maybe you’re even one of those people yourself.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting a job that
pays the bills. The danger comes when you fall into a
routine, when you don’t have a plan, passion, or goal to
shoot for.
It is then that the future looks very bleak for you.
Let’s not get stuck waiting for the weekend. Let’s find what
we truly love to do in life and make it our vocation.
As said by Steve Jobs,
“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for
your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to
fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly
satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the
only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
The most successful people in life are doing work which they
like best. It is very hard to succeed at something you hate.
On the other hand, it’s hard not to succeed when working at
something you love.
Everyone has a definite purpose and a vision for their life
that could enrich the lives of others. The key is tuning
into that purpose.
There is some one thing that you can do better than anyone
else in the world could do it. Search until you find out
what this particular line of endeavor is, make it the
object of your definite chief aim and commit your life to
achieving it. In your search for the work for which you are
best fitted, it will be well if you bear in mind the fact
that you will most likely attain the greatest success by
finding out what work you like best, for it is a well known
fact that a person generally best succeeds in the particular
line of endeavor into which he or she can throw their whole
heart and soul.
A definite purpose is something that you must create for
yourself. No one else will create it for you and it will not
create itself. Therefore, let’s spend our school years
exploring what we truly want out of life while we don’t have
to worry about the bills, the job, the kids, and the weekend
that never seems to come.
When we find work that we truly love to do, it is then that
we can live a life full of passion and purpose.
I believe that Christian D. Larson said it best:
“When you work simply for yourself or for your own personal
gain your mind will seldom rise above the limitations of
the undeveloped personal life;
but when you are inspired by some great purpose, some
extraordinary project, all your thoughts break bounds; your
mind transcends limitations; your consciousness expands in
every direction;
and you find yourself in a new world, a great world, a
wonderful world; dormant powers, faculties and talents
become alive,
and you discover yourself to be a larger man by far than you
ever dreamed yourself to be.”
– Christian D. Larson, Business Psychology, 1912
Education serves many wonderful purposes. I am a big
believer in education. However, I’m smart enough to
know that learning doesn’t stop at graduation.
I’m smart enough to know that today’s technology has
provided us with unlimited learning opportunities. As
inhabitors of the 21st century, we have a world of knowledge
at our fingertips.
I still know that the most important lessons in life are not
found in a textbook.
Although the knowledge you learn in school is important, it’s
not anything you couldn’t learn in a book. The overall experience
of college and the four-year commitment are of much greater value.
In the end, your success is still up to you.
And that, is what they don’t teach you in school…
Da Vinci code pag. 431
Harry Potter dl 1
Grandmaster Prieuré de Sion van 1398 - 1418. (vgls Brown)
vgls Harry Potter ontdekker van de steen der der wijzen, werd 600
[[Externe link|http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Flamel.]]
[[Web 2.0 Backpack: Web Apps for Students |http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/web_20_backpack_web_apps_for_students.php]]
[[How to Sleep More Effectively, Starting Tonight|http://ririanproject.com/2007/06/21/how-to-sleep-more-effectively-starting-tonight/]]
[[Laptop roundup|http://lifehacker.com/software/it-all-comes-together/laptop-roundup-270935.php]]
*Schaken
*Pianospelen
*Italiaans leren
*Wiskunde
*Biedermeiere project
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Wow! Een zeer mooie TW, en ook nog informatief!
[[Science-Matters|http://science.tiddlyspot.com/]]
So, now I also made my own at
[[Tiddlyspot|http://kuehleborn.tiddlyspot.com/]]
Philosophy
[[American pragmatist philosphy|http://parmenides.objectis.net/321]]
or
[[Elise Springer|http://espringer.web.wesleyan.edu/]]
And then,
[[TiddlyWiki in Action|http://giffmex.tiddlyspot.com/]]
[[TiddlyWikiTips|http://tiddlywikitips.com/]]
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Kuehleborn's Arachnophilia
[[Kuehleborn|http://www.kuehleborn.org]]
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[[100 Ways To Reduce Stress|http://www.circleofchristianwomen.com/MyWebs/selfhelp/stress.htm]]
Tips4Life, from the [[Dumb Little Man|http://dumblittleman.blogspot.com/index.html]]
Some of them are very good, others a bit Wayne Dyer for starters. So I reorganized them to meet my own needs.
# Get up 15 minutes earlier
# Prepare for the morning the night before
# Get to work early
# Simplify everything you can
# Clean out one closet or one drawer
# Unclutter your life.
# Set priorities in your life
# Say no more often
# Use your time wisely
# Do it today.
# Get enough sleep
# Talk less, Listen more
# Practice preventative maintenance
# Repair anything that doesn't work properly
# Make copies of important papers and store them where you'll be able to find them
# Make duplicate keys and store them where you can get to them
# Work at being cheerful and optimistic
# Practice a smile
# Pay attention to your appearance
# Strive for excellence, not perfection
# Hum a song.
# Learn the words to a song
# Eat nutritiously
# Meet your own needs.
# Schedule some time each day to play.
# Practice grace under pressure
# Be responsible for your feelings
# Avoid negative people
# Quit trying to "fix" people.
# Avoid tight-fitting clothes.
# Eat a meal by candle light.
# Recognize the importance of unconditional love.
# Say something nice to someone
# Write a note to someone you haven't heard from in a while
# Don't try to know all the answers
# Do something new.
# Take a different route to work
# Be Conscious of the decisions you make
# Stop a bad habit.
# Put safety first.
# Stand up and stretch
# Exercise
# Do everything you do in moderation.
# Remember that there are always options
# Develop a support system
# Have a "plan B"
# Watch a movie
# Draw a picture
# Teach a kid to fly a kite
# Walk in the rain
# Keep a journal
# Remember that stress is an attitude.
----
Don't rely on your memory
Ask for help
Chunk down big jobs into little ones
View problems as challenges
Look at challenges as opportunities
Smile
Be prepared for rain
Laugh at something
Look for the silver lining
Pet a dog or cat
Take a long shower or a bubble bath
Believe in yourself
Stop beating yourself up
Stop saying negative things to yourself.
Visualize yourself winning
Develop your sense of humor
Stop thinking that tomorrow will be a better day
Set goals for yourself.
Say hello to a stranger
Ask a friend for a hug
Give a friend a hug.
Look at the stars
Breathe slowly
Learn to whistle
Read a poem
Listen to some music you've never heard before
Watch a ballet
Read something
Buy yourself a flower
Smell the flower
Find support from others
Give support to others
Stretch your limits a little each day
Look at a painting or a sculpture
Plant a tree
Feed a bird
Buy some crayons and color
Learn a joke.
Know you limitations and let others know them, too.
Throw a paper airplane
Go on a picnic
Put an air freshener in your car
Eat some popcorn while you are watch a movie.
Take a walk.
Go to a ball game and scream
Praise others
Stop counting things.
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* Voor een beschrijving van het ArtificieelGeheugen: zie Yates pp 80 ev.
* Secunda secundae (tweede sectie van het tweede deel): Thomas behandelt hier de vier KardinaleDeugden:
** Prudentia (niet Sapientia) = wijsheid
** Justitia = rechtvaardigheid
** Fortitudo = standvastigheid
** Temperantia = matigheid
Wijsheid: Thomas onderscheidt hier de eerste drie onderdelen van CiCero uit diens DeInventione, neemt vervolgens zes onderdelen die afkomstig zijn van MaCrobius als grondslag en voegt daar het onderdeel solertia aan toe, genoemd door AriStoteles en memoria van CiCero. Daarmee concludeert Thomas dat wijsheid uit acht onderdelen bestaat,namelijk:
* memoria
* ratio
* intellectus
* docilitas
* solertia = vindingrijkheid
* providentia = vooruitziendheid
* circumspectio
* cautio
Zie ook Andrea da Firenze [[Triumph of St Thomas and Allegory of the Sciences|http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/a/andrea/firenze/index.html]] Voor een uitleg bij dit schilderij: Yates 91.
*USB-memorystick
*Voice-recorder
*4 color-pen4
*Highlighter
*Notebook (Treeware)
*mp3-player
*Cell-phone
*Agenda (Treeware)
*Book - just in case
[[The Nerd Handbook|http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2007/11/11/the_nerd_handbook.html]]
A nerd needs a project because a nerd builds stuff. All the time. Those lulls in the conversation over dinner? That’s the nerd working on his project in his head.
keyboard
It’s unlikely that this project is a nerd’s day job because his opinion regarding his job is, “Been there, done that”. We’ll explore the consequences of this seemingly short attention span in a bit, but for now this project is the other big thing your nerd is building and I’ve no idea what is, but you should.
At some point, you, the nerd’s companion, were the project. You were showered with the fire hose of attention because you were the bright and shiny new development in your nerd’s life. There is also a chance that you’re lucky and you are currently your nerd’s project. Congrats. Don’t get too comfortable because he’ll move on, and, when that happens, you’ll be wondering what happened to all the attention. This handbook might help.
Regarding gender: for this piece, my prototypical nerd is a he as a convenience. There are plenty of she nerds out there for which these observations equally apply.
Understand your nerd’s relation to the computer. It’s clichéd, but a nerd is defined by his computer, and you need to understand why.
First, a majority of the folks on the planet either have no idea how a computer works or they look at it and think “it’s magic”. Nerds know how a computer works. They intimately know how a computer works. When you ask a nerd, “When I click this, it takes awhile for the thing to show up. Do you know what’s wrong?” they know what’s wrong. A nerd has a mental model of the hardware and the software in his head. While the rest of the world sees magic, your nerd knows how the magic works, he knows the magic is a long series of ones and zeros moving across your screen with impressive speed, and he knows how to make those bits move faster.
The nerd has based his career, maybe his life, on the computer, and as we’ll see, this intimate relationship has altered his view of the world. He sees the world as a system which, given enough time and effort, is completely knowable. This is a fragile illusion that your nerd has adopted, but it’s a pleasant one that gets your nerd through the day. When the illusion is broken, you are going to discover that…
Your nerd has control issues. Your nerd lives in a monospaced typeface world. Whereas everyone else is traipsing around picking dazzling fonts to describe their world, your nerd has carefully selected a monospace typeface, which he avidly uses to manipulate the world deftly via a command line interface while the rest fumble around with a mouse.
The reason for this typeface selection is, of course, practicality. Monospace typefaces have a knowable width. Ten letters on one line are same width as ten other letters, which puts the world into a pleasant grid construction where X and Y mean something.
These control issues mean your nerd is sensitive to drastic changes in his environment. Think travel. Think job changes. These types of system-redefining events force your nerd to recognize that the world is not always or entirely a knowable place, and until he reconstructs this illusion, he’s going to be frustrated and he’s going to act erratically. I develop an incredibly short fuse during system-redefining events and I’m much more likely to lose it over something trivial and stupid. This is one of the reasons that…
Your nerd has built himself a cave. I’ve written about The Cave elsewhere, but here are the basics. The Cave is designed to allow your nerd to do his favorite thing, which is working on the project. If you want to understand your nerd, stare long and hard at his Cave. How does he have it arranged? When does he tend to go there? How long does he stay?
Each object in the Cave has a particular place and purpose. Even the clutter is well designed. Don’t believe me? Grab that seemingly discarded Mac Mini which has been sitting on the floor for two months and hide it. You’ll have 10 minutes before he’ll come stomping out of the Cave — “Where’s the Mac?”
The Cave is also frustrating you because your impression is that it’s your nerd’s way of checking out, and you are, unfortunately, completely correct. A correctly designed Cave removes your nerd from the physical world and plants him firmly in a virtual one complete with all the toys he needs. Because…
Your nerd loves toys and puzzles. The joy your nerd finds in his project is one of problem solving and discovery. As each part of the project is completed, your nerd receives an adrenaline rush that we’re going to call The High. Every profession has this — the moment when you’ve moved significantly closer to done. In many jobs, it’s easy to discern when progress is being made: “Look, now we have a door”. But in nerds’ bit-based work, progress is measured mentally and invisibly in code, algorithms, efficiency, and small mental victories that don’t exist in a world of atoms.
There are other ways your nerd can create The High and he does it all the time. It’s another juicy cliché to say that nerds love video games, but that’s not what they love. A video game is just one more system where your nerd’s job is to figure out the rules that define it, which will enable him to beat it. Yeah, we love to stare at games with a bazillion polygons, but we get the same high out of playing Bejeweled, getting our Night Elf to Level 70, or endlessly tinkering with a Rubik’s Cube. This fits nicely with the fact that…
Nerds are fucking funny. Your nerd spent a lot of his younger life being an outcast because of his strange affinity with the computer. This created a basic bitterness in his psyche that is the foundation for his humor. Now, combine this basic distrust of everything with your nerd’s other natural talents and you’ll realize that he sees humor is another game.
Humor is an intellectual puzzle, “How can this particular set of esoteric trivia be constructed to maximize hilarity as quickly as possible?” Your nerd listens hard to recognize humor potential and when he hears it, he furiously scours his mind to find relevant content from his experience so he can get the funny out as quickly as possible.
This quick wit is only augmented by the fact that…
Your nerd has an amazing appetite for information. Many years ago, I dubbed this behavior NADD, and you should read the article to learn more and to understand what mental muscles your nerd has developed.
How does a nerd watch TV? Probably one of two ways. First, there’s watching TV with you where the two of you sit and watch one show. Then there’s how he watches by himself when he watches three shows at once. It looks insane. You walk into the room and you’re watching your nerd jump between channels every five minutes.
“How can you keep track of anything?”
He keeps track of everything. See, he’s already seen all three of these movies… multiple times. He knows the compelling parts of the arcs and is mentally editing his own versions while watching all three. The basic mental move here is the context switch, and your nerd is the king of the context switch.
The ability to instantly context switch also comes from a life on the computer. Your nerd’s mental information model for the world is one contained within well-bounded tidy windows where the most important tool is one that allows your nerd to move swiftly from one window to the next. It’s irrelevant that there may be no relationship between these windows. Your nerd is used to making huge contextual leaps where he’s talking to a friend in one window, worrying about his 401k in another, and reading about World War II in yet another.
You might suspect that given a world where context is constantly shifting, your nerd can’t focus, and you’d be partially correct. All that multi-tasking isn’t efficient. Your nerd knows very little about a lot. For many topics, his knowledge is an inch deep and four miles wide. He’s comfortable with this fact because he knows that deep knowledge about any topic is a clever keystroke away. See…
Your nerd has built an annoyingly efficient relevancy engine in his head. It’s the end of the day and you and your nerd are hanging out on the couch. The TV is off. There isn’t a computer anywhere nearby and you’re giving your nerd the daily debrief. “Spent an hour at the post office trying to ship that package to your mom, and then I went down to that bistro — you know — the one next the flower shop, and it’s closed. Can you believe that?”
And your nerd says, “Cool”.
Cool? What’s cool? The business closing? The package? How is any of it cool? None of it’s cool. Actually, all of it might be cool, but your nerd doesn’t believe any of what you’re saying is relevant. This is what he heard, “Spent an hour at the post office blah blah blah…”
You can be rightfully pissed off by this behavior — it’s simply rude — but seriously, I’m trying to help here. Your nerd’s insatiable quest for information and The High has tweaked his brain in an interesting way. For any given piece of incoming information, your nerd is making a lightning fast assessment: relevant or not relevant? Relevance means that the incoming information fits into the system of things your nerd currently cares about. Expect active involvement from your nerd when you trip the relevance flag. If you trip the irrelevance flag, look for verbal punctuation announcing his judgment of irrelevance. It’s the word your nerd says when he’s not listening and it’s always the same. My word is “Cool”, and when you hear “Cool”, I’m not listening.
Information that your nerd is exposed to when the irrelevance flag is waving is forgotten almost immediately. I mean it. Next time you hear “Cool”, I want you to ask, “What’d I just say?” That awkward grin on your nerd’s face is the first step in getting him to acknowledge that he’s the problem in this particular conversation. This behavior is one of the reasons that…
Your nerd might come off as not liking people. Small talk. Those first awkward five minutes when two people are forced to interact. Small talk is the bane of the nerd’s existence because small talk is a combination of aspects of the world that your nerd hates. When your nerd is staring at a stranger, all he’s thinking is, “I have no system for understanding this messy person in front of me”. This is where the shy comes from. This is why nerds hate presenting to crowds.
The skills to interact with other people are there. They just lack a well-defined system.
Advanced Nerd Tweakage
If you’re still reading, then I’m thinking that your nerd is worth keeping. Even though he’s apt to vanish for hours, has a strange sense of humor, doesn’t like you touching his stuff, and often doesn’t listen when you’re talking directly at him, he’s a keeper. Go figure.
My advice:
Map the things he’s bad at to the things he loves. You love to travel, but your nerd would prefer to hide in his cave for hours on end chasing The High. You need to convince him of two things. First, you need to convince him that you’re going to do your best to recreate his cave in his new surrounding. You’re going to create a quiet, dark place here he can orient himself and figure out which way the water flushes down the toilet. Traveling internationally? Carve out three days somewhere quiet at the beginning of the trip. Traveling across the US? How about letting him chill on the bed for a half-day before you drag him out to see the Golden Gate Bridge?
Second, and more importantly, you need to remind him about his insatiable appetite for information. You need to appeal to his deep love of discovering new content and help him understand that there may be no greater content fire hose than waking up in a hotel overlooking the Grand Canal in Venice where you don’t speak a word of Italian.
Make it a project. You might’ve noticed your nerd’s strange relation to food. Does he eat fast? Like really fast? You should know what’s going on here. Food is thrown into the irrelevant bucket because it’s getting in the way of the content. Exercise, too. Thing is, you want your nerd to eat healthily so that he’s here in another thirty years, so how do you change this behavior? You make diet and exercise the project.
For me, exercise became the project ten years ago after a horrible break-up. When the project was no longer the Ex, I dove into exercise every single day of the week. There were charts tracking my workouts, there were graphs tracking my weight, and there was the exercise. Every single day for two years until the day I passed out in a McDonald’s post-workout after not eating for a day. Ok, so time for a new project. Yeah, nerds also have moderation issues. That’s another essay.
Significant nerd behavioral change is only going to happen if your nerd engages in the project heart and soul, otherwise it’s just another thought for the irrelevant bucket.
People are the most interesting content out there. If you’ve got a seriously shy nerd on your hands, try this: ask him how many folks are in his buddy list? How many friends does he have in Facebook? How many folks are following him on Twitter? LiveJournal? My guess is that, collectively, your nerd interacts with ten times more people than you think he does. He can do this because the interaction is via a system he understands — the computer.
Your nerd knows that people are interesting. Just because he can’t look your best friend straight in the eye doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to know what makes her tick, but you need to be the social buffer — the translation layer. You need to find one common thread of interest between your nerd and your friend and then he’ll engage because he will have found relevance.
The Next High
As you discovered when you were the project, your nerd’s focus can be deliciously overwhelming, but it will stop. Once a nerd believe he fully knows how a system works, the challenge to understand ceases to exist and he moves on in search of The Next High.
While I don’t know who you are or why in the world you chose a nerd for your companion, I do know that you are not a knowable system. I know that you are messy, just like your nerd. Being your own quirky self will be more than enough to present new and interesting challenges to your nerd.
Besides, it’s just as much a nerd’s job to figure you out and maybe someone somewhere is writing an article about your particular quirks. Good news, he’s probably reading it right now.
[[Things to Learn from Children|http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DumbLittleMan/~3/150093588/how-to-teach-children-and-learn-from.html]]
If you are lucky enough to be around children, you've probably noticed that they behave differently from adults. I suggest that many of these behaviors would be beneficial for adults to re-learn. The next time you are around children, stop and notice. What can you learn from them? How would being more like them help you to be a better person. Here are some things that I've noticed about children that inspire me to be a better person:
* Fully Experiencing Joy of Little Things
* Being Completely Present in the Moment
* Uncensored Creativity
* Lack of Pride - Forgive Easily
* Unconditional Love
* Happiness & Silliness & Laughter
* Noticing Everything Around Them
* Play, Play, Play
* Eating Slowly
* Day Dreaming
* Always Moving
* Always Stretching
* Endless Curiosity - Unafraid to Ask Questions
A hectic lifestyle makes it easy to skip a meal or just grab less-than-nutritious food on the run. But a busy day doesn’t have to stand in the way of great health. A multivitamin is great insurance for days when you do miss a meal or two, but real food should always be your primary source of nutrients. Keep [[these 10 foods|http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_hl_nutritional_all-stars]] on hand at all times, and you'll be able to whip up a delicious meal or snack that will keep your energy up and your immune system strong.
#Berries
#Citrus
#Vegetables
#Whole Grains
#Salmon
#Legumes
#Nuts and Seeds
#Lean Protein
#Olive Oil
#Tea
My Wishlist:
#General:
*Study Loglan, evt lojban
*Keep track of U.S. time-zone (-6)
*Always wear and use a multicolour pen
*Always wear and use a multicolour highlighter
*Practise to solve Rubrik’s Cube
**http://www.rubikvoordummies.nl.nu/
*Read words backwards
*Read sentences backwards
*Read words in anagrams
*Read words in cabbalistics
*Read, think and count numbers in binaries
*Read, think and count numbers as hexadecimals
*Know my own geek-code by heart and able to read other geek-codes.
#Games:
*Chess
*Trivial pursuit/and other games that are alike
*Warhammer
#Read:
*Dilbert
*Hitchhiker’s Guide to the galaxy
*Hofstadter: GEB; Metamagical Themes
*One sci-fi book a week.
#Movies and TV:
*Dexter’s Lab
*Spongebob
*Star Trek
*Cartoon Network
#Computers
*Learn Lisp
*Perl
*Php
*Apache server
*JavaScript
*BoundlessExpansion
*SelfTransformation
*DynamicOptimism
*IntelligentTechnology
*SpontaneousOrder
*Houd maat
*Spreek en schrijf precies
*Observeer nauwkeurig
*Wees speels
*Gebruik je gevoel voor humor
*Zie dingen in perspectief
*Wees creatief
*Wees een vriend
*Durf fouten te maken
*Wees vindingrijk
*Gebruik je gezond verstand
*A code of EthiCs should deal with three questions:
**For what end should one live (value) - life
**What principle should one follow to achieve this (VirtUe) - RatioNality
**Whom should benefit from one's actions (beneficiary) - oneself.
*Morality is not a primary, facts of reality give rise to it.
*A value is "that which one acts to gain and/or keep".
*A value needs both a valuer and at least two choices, an altemative to the value; otherwise it cannot be a value.
*The alternative of existence vs. nonexistence is a precondition of values, an immortal being could not possess them, only living organisms have grounds to pursue a particular side of this alternative - life is the root of value.
*Morality is a code of values accepted by choice.
*Man needs morality in order to survive - man's life is the root of morality.
*If man is to sustain his life, he must act long range.
*This need to project consequences into the future is made possible only by the same kind of consciousness that necessitates it - man must conceptualize the requirements of survival.
*Man must abstract principles (a general truth on which other truths depend) and then act on principle in any given circumstance.
*The opposite, a short range outlook, viewed long-range, is self destructive (pragmatism).
*RatioNality is the primary VirtUe, reason the ruling ValUe.
*Evasion of reality constitutes the essence of irrationality, of evil.
*Reality is an interconnected whole; any evasion of its parts will grow in scope if it is sustained, resulting in intellectual disintegration, in non-perception.
*Hope, faith, wishing are the opposite of virtue.
*The individual is the proper beneficiary of his own moral action.
*EgoIsm - rational self-interest - is the correct policy -'selfishness'.
**Involves not sacrificing yourself to others, nor sacrificing others to oneself.
**Man's life is not ruled by conflict, it does not require martyrs.
**Neither does EgoIsm rule out caring for those whom you value.
*Values, like concepts, are not intrinsic (i.e. mandated by gods) or subjective (picked arbitrarily), but objective - they depend on a proper relationship between your mind and existence.
*Value presupposes an act of evaluation, it is not good in itself.
*The 'good' is also an aspect of reality in relation to man, its not intrinsic or arbitrary.
*The three ruling values of one's life if one chooses to live are - ReaSon, PurPose, SelfEsteem.
*These values imply and require all of man's virtues.
*The primary virtue is RatioNality; six derivative virtues are:
**IndePendence, InteGrity, HonestY, JustiCe, ProductivIty, PriDe.
**These are useful for clarification of the primary virtue, but not necessarily an exhaustive list, they are the minimum knowledge of virtue needed to follow reason consistently.
**IndePendence is one's acceptance of the responsibility of forming one's own judgments and of living by the work of one's own mind, it is an orientation towards reality, not towards living off of others.
**InteGrity is loyalty to one's own convictions and values, loyalty to rational principles.
**HonestY is the refusal to fake or evade reality, it is the rejection of unreality.
**JustiCe is the virtue of judging men's character and conduct objectively, and of acting accordingly when dealing with them - rationality when evaluating others.
**ProductivIty is the process of creating material values, whether goods or services - adjustment of nature to man (this is the main existential content of virtue).
**PriDe is the commitment to achieve one's own moral perfection, it is moral ambitiousness.
*The initiation of physical force against others is the primary vice, which negates the ability to employ reason.
*Force is the opposite of both mind and VaLue - good cannot be achieved through evil.
[[Waking Up Early - 15 Tips That Work|http://www.davecheong.com/2007/06/15/waking-up-early-15-tips-that-work/]]
It has almost been one year since I posted about how to Wake up Early and Consistently. I thought now might be a good time to post a follow up, including what I have personally found to work.
Let me first start by saying that waking up early has made a huge difference in my life. I used to be the complete opposite - late sleeper and late riser. These days, I wake up at 5:30am everyday.
What I like most about being an early riser is getting that extra quiet time in the mornings to work at a few next actions even before the day officially begins. Lately though, I’ve opted to go to work earlier, so that I can clock in my 8 hours, leave at a reasonable time and still have a few precious moments with my baby daughter before she heads off to bed. Being able to maximise my free time doing things I rather be doing has made all the difference to my quality of life.
Here is a list of things that worked for me:
1. Have a good reason to get up.
I’ve found this to be the single most important element in being an early riser. Days in which I did not crystallise the reasons for getting up were more likely to result in sleep ins. Now, I make it clear the night before what it is I want to wake up early for. Initially, I found writing things down to be helpful, but this isn’t always necessary, as long as it is clear what the reasons are.
2. Be productive in the mornings.
It wasn’t enough to just be an early riser. If I had committed to waking up early for a reason, I’ve found it was crucial that I followed through. Not following through is like slow working poison. Over time, this has a cumulative effect and makes it harder and harder to rise early. This was a huge drain on motivation for me, especially when I was losing sleep and yet not getting the things I wanted to done. So stick to the plan and be productive.
3. Get enough sleep.
Your body is trying to tell you something if you constantly feel overly tired during the day. I’ve found it wasn’t really worthwhile trying to get up early if I didn’t get enough good sleep the night before. In the short term, I might get more discretionary time because I was sleeping less, which is good for coping with the spikes in workload. However, in the long term, things generally evened out - either because I was tired and couldn’t work as fast or I was sick as a result of a weakened immune system. My advice is to ensure you get enough sleep.
4. Go to bed earlier
One simple thing which helped me get enough sleep was to … well … go to bed earlier. Instead of constantly staying up past midnight and feeling tired the next morning, I now start preparing for bed around 11pm. I’ve found, around this time of night, I’m generally winding down anyway and not engaged in productive work. So shifting the hours around slightly has meant that overall my free time gets used more effectively - which is the primary reason for being an early riser! The amount of sleep needed is different from person to person and day to day. So, I listen to my body when it tells me that it is tired and it is time for bed.
5. Sleep more effectively.
The other thing I noticed about sleep is sleeping longer doesn’t necessarily translate to sleeping better. Somedays I can have 8 hours of sleep, yet feel like I haven’t slept at all. Other days I can be fully alert, productive and cheerful after only a few short hours.
If you find that you are still tired after a good stretch of 6-8 hours, chances are you’re not sleeping well. Most people just don’t need much more sleep than that. Sleeping well can be attained in various ways. I find having a good mattress and pillow with some quiet reading time before bed to be helpful.
6. No more another 10 mins.
I think everyone including me has two conflicting aspects to their personality. There’s the one which is good and generally seeks to self improve and be productive. Then there’s the other one - the little voice in the head urging us to sleep in for another 10 mins. I’ve learned the hard way that this little voice rarely has anything good to say. My advice is don’t ever have a discussion with him or indulge in anything he says! Sleeping in for another 10 mins is guaranteed to lead to another 10 mins and then another. The next time you hear that little voice, just say “No” out loud and …
7. Jump out of bed.
One trick I’ve found to be very effective in being an early riser and to stop myself from rationalising is to simply jump out of bed instantly. Once I am outside the comforts of the warm and cozy bed, I’m more likely to actually wake up and stay up. Someone once suggested to me by leaving the bedroom immediately, you also leave no doubt about your intentions to actually wake up and start doing things. Jumping out of bed and leaving the room actually works. They have prevented me from sleeping in on many a cold winter morning.
8. Use an alarm clock, just not the snooze.
Every day without fail, I wake up before the alarm goes off. I’m tempted to say setting it might not even be necessary! However, I take comfort in the knowledge that it’s there and waiting to go off, so I don’t have to worry about sleeping in. The trick with the alarm clock is to make it loud, annoying and not easily accessible. Try placing it away from arms reach, so that you can’t turn it off or get to the snooze button unless you get up out of bed. For me, this works wonders, because when it goes off, my wife and daughter are both still asleep and I instinctively try to get to it as quickly as possible.
9. Establish a stable routine.
What I recently learned from being a new dad is babies thrive on routine. My daughter now knows that bath time is followed by reading time and then bed time. Initially, she put up a fight resisting the bed. Now, she expects it!
In many ways, things are no different for us adults. I view the body as an instrument which can be trained. I’ve found establishing a consistent routine to be a key factor in becoming an early riser. This means waking up at same time everyday, not just the days I have to. This includes weekends, which typically aren’t as busy as the weekdays. Now, my body doesn’t even remember what it was like to sleep in and being a late riser.
10. Have something to look forward to.
Waking up early can be hard work, especially when you are used to sleeping in. Having a purpose is a good start, but this isn’t always enough. I mean, come one, are you really going to get up early to work on some TPS report for work? What I do in addition to having a purpose is to have a reward or other attractive incentive to get up for. It can be anything. I personally look forward to having time to check my emails in the morning, eat breakfast and drink a cup of tea.
11. Be aware of the consequences.
As I’ve written about previously, when faced with doing something we don’t want to do, we’re generally motivated not just by Pleasure, but also Pain. I’ve found that it was very effective to be aware of the consequences of sleeping in. For me, losing that extra 2 hours in the morning can have a significant flow on effect to my day and the rest of the week. Everytime I sleep in, I have to stay at work later and sacrifice quality time with my daughter in the evenings. This is something I clearly want to avoid, so being aware of this has been really effective in keeping me motivated when the alarm goes off.
12. Remove the option completely.
One trick I’ve found to work well also is removing the option of sleeping in completely. If we don’t have the option to sleep in, we won’t. The best way of doing this is schedule meetings and deadlines early in the mornings. This leaves one with no option at all but to get up because by the time the morning comes round, it is too late to cancel or reschedule a commitment. I’ve found this to be very effective because my actions now impact not just me but others as well.
13. Have a similarly motivated buddy.
Over the year, I have mentioned to various friends my desire to be a consistent early riser. Being encouraged by my example and results, they too have adopted the drive to be early risers. Not only is it gratifying to be helping others improve their productivity and quality of life, but having friends similarly committed helps keep me motivated and on track. Whenever we meet up, we always ask each other how we are doing with respect to being early risers. If anyone has fallen off the wagon, as a group we try to get them motivated again. Your spouse may be a good buddy even if only to kick you out of bed.
14. Keep track of your times.
Have you ever told yourself that you can sleep in just this once because you’ve already been good the whole week? I have. Unfortunately, my perception on how good I’ve been is subjective and often inaccurate. Sometimes I consider sleeping in because I feel that I’ve been good when in fact I’ve already slept in twice this week or six times this month. I’ve found keeping track of the days I have been good and not good to be immensely useful. I review this list periodically and whenever I find I’m falling behind, I use this list to renew my motivation and commitment.
15. Review all the things you got done.
I’ve written about the 10 R’s to success before. If you haven’t read that post, take a moment to do so. One of the more important R’s is Review which describes the importance of looking back on how successful you have been with your goals and what you’ve managed to accomplish. If things aren’t working out or the results weren’t as expected, then adjust your approach. Looking back at all the things you’ve managed to get done in the early mornings is a great motivator to keep you going.
Conclusions
Being an early riser is tough work, but I’ve managed to do it consistently. To be honest, I didn’t realise how hard it would be when I first started. I might not even have tried if I knew better in the beginning. However, I’m glad I did because the rewards are amazing. I get much more done now and my quality of life has improved.
If you want to be early risers yourselves, try out the tips I’ve highlighted. Some of them may not work for you, but I can bet that if you applied at least a few of these, you will see immediate results. Feel free to experiment and refine the process until you find a healthy balance you can sustain.
Good luck! Let me know how you go.
|>|>|!My Weblogs|
|[[Transhumanblog|http://www.kuehleborn.org/transhumanblog]]|TransHumanism & Futurism|
|[[Metaverseblog|http://www.kuehleborn.org/metaverseblog]]|Kuehleborn Spengler in SecondLife|
|[[Libertyblog|http://www.kuehleborn.org/libertyblog]]|AynRandObjectivsm & LibertarianIsm|
|[[Space Colonization|http://www.kuehleborn.spaceblog]]|SpaceColonization|
|[[Artblog|http://www.kuehleborn.org/artblog]]|Art|
|[[DAWblog|http://www.kuehleborn.org/dawblog/]]|ComputerMusic|
|[[Hyves|http://kuehleborn.hyves.nl]]|Personal sandbox :-)|
|>|>|!My Webcommunities|
|[[Delicious|http://del.icio.us/]]|My Bookmarks|
|[[Furl|http://www.furl.net]]|Frame Uniform Resource Locators; another Social Bookmarking Website|
|[[Reddit|http://www.reddit.com/]]|Social News Bookmarking|
|[[Digg|http://digg.com/]]|news website with an emphasis on technology and science articles|
|[[Technorati|http://www.technorati.com]]|Webtracker|
|[[Bloglines|http://www.bloglines.com/]]|Another Webtracker|
|[[LibraryThing|http://www.librarything.com]]|My Library online|
|[[Hyves|http://kuehleborn.hyves.nl]]|My Public Sandbox :-)|
|[[MSN Space|http://spaces.msn.com/kuehleborn/]]|My MSN Space|
|[[My Space|http://www.myspace.com/kuehleborn/]]|My Space|
|[[My Frappr|http://www.frappr.com/kuehleborn/]]|My Frappr|
|[[Flickr|http://www.flickr.com/people/kuehleborn/]]|My Photos|
|[[Ning|http://www.ning.com/]]|
|>|>|!My Webforums|
|[[Betterhumans|http://www.betterhumans.com/forums/default.aspx]]|TransHumanism & Futurism|
|[[InnerGeek|http://www.innergeek.us/forum/index.php]]|My InnerGeek|
|[[CM FM Music Technology|http://forum.midiaddict.com/]]|ComputerMusic|
|[[Buzzchurch|http://www.buzzchurch.com/]]|BuzzMachines|
|[[KVRAudio|http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/]]|ComputerMusic|
|[[Ultimate-Guitar|http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/]]|Guitar, Chords and Lyrics|
|[[Brainboard|http://www.frontreporter.de/phpbb/index.php]]|Gedächtnis, Lernen, Mnemotechnik|
|>|>|!My Webmailaccounts|
|[[Hotmail|http://www.hotmail.com]]|kuehleborn@hotmail.com|
|[[Yahoo!|http://my.yahoo.com/]]|kuehleborn@yahoo.com|
|[[GMail|http://www.gmail.com]]|kuehleborn@gmail.com|
|[[AIM|http://webmail.aol.com/]]|kueh1eborn@aim.com|
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|[[Mail.com|http://www.mail.com]]|kuehleborn@musician.org|
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|[[ICQMail|http://www.icqmail.com/]]|kuehleborn@icqmail.com|
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|[[Vodafone|https://my.vodafone.nl/]]|kuehleborn@vodafone.nl|
|>|>|!My Web Sites|
|[[My Homepage|http://www.georgeovermeire.nl]]|Homepage about the roles I play in daily life :-)|
|[[Kuehleborn's Homepage|http://www.kuehleborn.org/]]|Sometimes I wonder if this is about my RealLife or my VirtualLife :-)|
|[[Giorgio Productions|http://www.giorgioproductions.com]]|My work as a musician|
|[[Het digitale muzieklokaal|http://www.c12-muziek.org]]|My work as a teacher|
|[[Albert Lortzing Website|http://www.albertlortzing.org]]|My work as a musicologist|
|[[De Opera's van Albert Lortzing|http://www.albertlortzing.nl/]]|My other website on AlbertLortzing, entirely in Dutch|
|[[Biedermeier en Muziek|http://www.giorgioproductions.com/biedermeier/]]|My workspace for writing my thesis on Lortzing|
|[[Transhumanisme.nl|http://www.transhumanisme.nl]]|My website on TransHumanism|
|[[Ruimtekolonisatie.nl|http://www.ruimtekolonisatie.nl]]|My Website on SpaceColonization|
|[[Objectivisme.nl|http://www.objectivisme.nl]]|My website on Objectivism|
|[[Cryonics|http://www.georgeovermeire.nl/cryonics/]]|My Website on Cryonics|
|[[Louis Drouet|http://www.giorgioproductions.com/drouet/]]|My master thesis on Louis Drouet|
|[[Goethe|http://www.georgeovermeire.nl/goethe/]]|My website on Goethe, especially about Goethe's connections to music|
[[The 20 tips that got me an IT promotion|http://dumblittleman.blogspot.com/2006/08/20-tips-that-got-me-it-promotion.html]]
11 months ago I almost quit my IT support job with a large Accounting company. Jay, the owner of Dumb Little Man, and my best friend, told me to list 25 things I could personally do to get ahead. I was skeptical because I seriously hated this place but I made the list because I had nothing to lose but time and I didn't want to start to job search.
I couldn't come up with 25 so we settled on 20. He then tweaked it a little saying that it was too easy to fulfill. Anyway, I took the list and posted it on my cubicle wall. I read that damn thing every morning when I got into the office. To this day, I still have it practically memorized.
Last Friday, I was promoted and I actually moved up 2 spots so I am now earning an extra $15K year. Kind of nice if you ask me.
Here are the missions we put together:
#I will work and think as if I were the SVP of my IT group. This will include how I interact in meetings, with co-workers in the hall, etc. This will train me for the future.
#If I ever decide I don't like the company I work for, I will still act like the SVP because that is the position I want. I will not become a complaining, gossiping troll because my reputation will follow me.
#I will look for areas that my company fails. One day I will fix that failure by starting my own company.
#I will be the guy to speak out with new ideas in meetings. If it's going to save money or increase revenues, I will never be out of line.
#I will lead others and show my strengths because someday I may want these people to work for me.
#I will finish everything I start. I am not going to mentally bail on a project.
#I will shut up and listen when I don't know 110%.
#I will study new trends so I am the guy with the good idea.
#Regardless of what my boss says, I will review myself each month and then ask for help where I need it. My company can train me so that I can move on.
#If they ask for 132 TPS reports, I will do them. One day I may ask an employee of mine for similar reports (even though it's repulsive to think).
#I will speak my mind in the face of rejection when I am confident that my idea is a winner.
#I will know how competitors do things so I can suggest better solutions in meetings.
#I will not bend to process bureaucracy. If the customer needs it, we have to figure it out.
#I will learn as much as possible about the roles people play in my company. One day I will have to fill those roles.
#I am able to recite my 5-year goal at any time.
#Resume builders are nice but I am pushing for seminars that will train ME.
#I will dress more professionally then the rest on casual Friday.
#On internal conference calls, I will ask questions. Not dumb annoying ones, but questions that pertain to the company's EPS or EBITDA.
#I will be in the office before my boss' boss 90% of the time.
#I will leave the office after my boss 100% of the time.
43Folders:Staying focused over a long period of time?
Il giorno 12/feb/07, alle ore 03:53, Lead ha scritto:
Do any of you have any helpful tips or techniques you'd like to share
that would help me with this?
Hi,
I've always had the same problem... a very limited attention span. Recentely, I've discovered a very simple tips: working for 48 minutes and then taking a pause of 12. And then again, 48 of work and 12 of pause. I use a timer with a countdown and a blank screen at the end of the 48 minutes.
For me, it does works. When my attention is going to fly away I look at the timer, see that few minutes remain and i try to work harder to do the more I can do in those minutes.
I found it at the [[http://www.successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/|Success Begins Today blog[]. In addition, you can start another task during the 12 minutes of pause, something that doesn't require you attention during the next 48 minutes block, like starting laundry o or defragmenting hard disk. But I haven't try this, yet.
Pietro
PS: this is mi first post here, so hi all! I discovered GTD recentely. I've not fully implemented it yet, but I'm working on it and hope to find here a little help, when I'll need it. I'm not fluent in english (I'm italian), but I hope I'll made myself clear enough.
Ciao!
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One that I know that's good for task timing and is free:
[[http://www.sprinx.com/ShowPage.aspx?HighlightTabId=149&tabId=202&chosenMenuItem=187|SprinxPTimer]]
I guess one could use it as focus aid as well.