All Questions
3
votes
2answers
114 views
While browsing, how can I quickly capture thoughts/ideas across locations and environments into a centralized, searchable medium?
While actively browsing the internet (via phone/tablet/desktop), how can I quickly file an impromptu thought or idea into a centralized, searchable medium -- but importantly -- through a method that's ...
12
votes
8answers
570 views
Relaxing at work
What is a good way to get instant relaxation at work? At home, I can just sleep or play video games. At work, that looks like slacking off, even though I can't concentrate productively while stressed ...
3
votes
6answers
811 views
What are the (dis)advantages of Mindmap software?
Anyone with experiences on mindmap software? I've used Freemind and iMindmap for a while.
What are do you consider strong and weak points of the mindmap programs?
Freemind is as the name already ...
51
votes
3answers
2k views
Early birds vs. night owls: what does research have to say?
I know that I personally work a lot better in the evening and at night rather than in the morning. However, I am curious whether it is just a matter of habit or some sort of natural predisposition. ...
3
votes
3answers
132 views
Has anyone ever seen any basic, temporally intelligent scheduling tools out there?
I find myself working on a number of smaller projects for clients, as well as managing my daily list of "to do" items.
I'm looking for a tool that would allow entry of tasks (taskname, duration, ...
2
votes
3answers
134 views
Is there any application which can track things on daily basis
I am looking for some personal tracking or logging application in which i can enter my records for each day.
Just like we have the hard copy of the diary with all dates and times and we can look back ...
3
votes
4answers
343 views
Evernote vs. Google Keep for Personal Productivity: Pros, Cons or Other Suggestions?
I'd like to put all my eggs in one basket. Which have people have found most successful, and why?
9
votes
6answers
354 views
How to calculate my personal efficiency in programming?
I want to improve my personal efficiency. How better can I calculate my personal efficiency?
I am a programmer. I want to calculate my personal efficiency in programming.
3
votes
3answers
164 views
Bad biological clock and weird sleeping hours
I always sleep from around 4am until 12pm (a total of 8 hours of sleep). It is kind of a Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD)
I am from an Asian country and there people believe that you should sleep ...
7
votes
6answers
201 views
Consistent errors in math and programming
I am a programmer, and I discuss when I code, but everytime I compile, there are at least 1 to 3 bugs. For the math questions I do, given 10 questions, no matter how easy it is, I consistently have ...
-1
votes
3answers
113 views
Why is learning theoretical stuff necessary to be a software engineer? [closed]
I'm a engineer student. After passing 3 years of learning hard theoretical stuff, I expected that my fourth year would be interesting for me as a software engineer, but we are still learning about ...
37
votes
11answers
2k views
How effective is the Dvorak keyboard at improving productivity?
How effective is the Dvorak keyboard layout (or other alternative layouts) at improving efficiency/productivity at the computer? Has any research been done on improved typing speed or productivity?
18
votes
11answers
4k views
How do I get faster at typing when you already have a decent speed?
At the moment I type roughly with 60 words per minute. What kind of practice would I have to do to get to 90 words per minute?
What practice is best and how much time would it take?
1
vote
1answer
58 views
Help in determining when it's productive to pause?
I understand there comes a point where you can be so fatigued/stressed/distracted that continuing to work on a project will be less productive than if you were to step away to do something else.
...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
A time-management watch with alarms, timers and vibration?
I'm looking for a wrist-watch that can help me in various time-management tasks.
I'd like to
regularly write down what I'm doing (time logging) so I know where my time is going, the watch could ...
10
votes
2answers
215 views
Is there anything similar to TRIZ known outside of Russia for improving personal productivity?
I was born in Russian and went to school there in middle 90ies. During my school time we had a special subject called "TRIZ" that stands (in Russian) for "theory of inventive problems solving". Apart ...
5
votes
4answers
158 views
Advantages of disconnected time
It's often recommended to 'unplug' - that is to switch off your emails and mobiles ect for a particular amount of time.
While the benifits of doing this socially are obvious, the benifits of doing ...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
What are the criteria of when to make use of alternative contacts in out-of-office e-mails?
My question is more regarding career etiquette and maybe "social / emotional quotient", but for me it is a matter of "personal productivity" and I think it would be a great fit here. Sorry also if the ...
0
votes
10answers
342 views
What software for Time Tracking and Billing?
A friend of mine is running a consultancy company and she needs a software to manage the people that go to their customers. I've been using Project Management Software before, but this case is ...
6
votes
9answers
268 views
Simple program with subtasks
I need a program (something similar to Google Tasks but with showing/hiding subtasks) with following functionality:
tasks
subtasks (with multiple level, so I can, say, create a task with 3 ...
5
votes
3answers
202 views
Tracking a list of ideas and side projects
Is there a technique or software (referably text-based) for tracking a list of side projects?
Side projects, unlike things that "need to be done" or small pleasures, makes a long and complex list. ...
0
votes
0answers
52 views
Improving handwriting [duplicate]
I am a software engineer working in the industry for more than 7 years. As a side-effect of working on computers all the time, I donot have to write down too much. Due to this my handwriting has ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Poor fridge management [migrated]
Sadly, about 30-50% of the Western world's food is thrown away. Personally, I waste about half of my food, due to poor fridge management. I forget what I have bought and find expired food located in ...
10
votes
5answers
249 views
How to trick our minds into doing mundane tasks?
There are some daily tasks I am too lazy to do: simple cleaning, washing dishes, etc. When I have no other pressing tasks, I end up not doing these simple tasks. However, when I have something coming ...
3
votes
3answers
72 views
writing reports about phone meetings and keeping track and following up on them
I'm a solo business owner. I regularly have to talk to business partners on the phone for my business, and need to keep track of what we've talked about and what to do next.
Right now I just write ...
0
votes
1answer
127 views
Getting rid of an “I'll do it later” habit [closed]
I am in the IT industry working with software all day long from logic to code. Sometimes, very seemingly small things take a long time while larger tasks are solved in jiffy.
I have a habit of ...
6
votes
5answers
363 views
How to get over passive thinking
I need to get some advice on overcoming mental passivity. I have never had efficient study skills before (always managed to be average or above average by cramming), and now that I'm at a top 10 ...
1
vote
0answers
23 views
Web application to show busy/free information from a Google Calendar
I work part time as self-employed, and use Google Calendar to organise my time. I'd like to be able to include on my personal website a list of dates that I am available for hire.
Does anybody know ...
2
votes
2answers
98 views
How to solve my coursework problems efficiently
What is the most efficient way to approach problem solving?
I currently use trial and error or fitting the question to similar questions I have solved before. Breaking the problem down to the base ...
13
votes
6answers
484 views
How to work while depressed?
A depressed person must stop working while in depression treatment. But if that person needs to keep working, what can be done?
EDIT: Some reasons why I prefer stopping to work:
FOCUS:near ...
2
votes
3answers
119 views
Solution for Incomplete-able Tasks?
The problem I have with all current to-do list and task management systems is that what I construe as being ‘tasks’ doesn’t seem to be compatible with what the software makers do.
In my definition of ...
1
vote
2answers
147 views
recover from depression [closed]
I know a case where the person is intelligent , sharp and spontaneous . She has two younger brother and sister .From childhood , her parents were too conservative . Hence she was not allowed to do ...
7
votes
7answers
2k views
Does brain training software like “Lumosity” work?
I've read conflicting reports on the effectiveness of brain training, but I have come across few reports by users of such tools. Is "brain training" effective in enhancing cognitive function?
0
votes
3answers
115 views
Helping young people that want to improve productivity, but are struggling with authority?
Only a few years ago I was in at that age where everyone around me wanted to party and only have a good time. Even then I was driven to look for another path. Now I find myself with some younger ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
Using volunteering to develop my skills
A few months ago, I asked a Question at Workplace on skills advancement, in short I started my career as PHP developer and I'm now interested in RAILS development. I've spent some time learning rails ...
1
vote
2answers
114 views
Learn textual information by observation
I was reading a book "how to think like Sherlock Holmes". I have read few pages only and found that how we can easily remember things and situations by observing them.
Can we use the same method or ...
2
votes
4answers
3k views
How long after you drink coffee before it starts being useful
That is to say, how long before you notice the effects, feel more alert, and so on.
I'm assuming it's different for each person, but there must be a range. Also, does it differ for different types ...
11
votes
6answers
429 views
How can i reboot my brain when i have many things to keep in mind?
I feel i really need to take a break for a while now, i have a complex project to keep in mind, I am basically working on it all day, but after a while it starts to overwhelm me, and I cant clear my ...
3
votes
9answers
1k views
How to study long hours without being burnt out or getting bored?
I can't continuously study more than 2.5 hours. After that, I become exhausted. If I continue to study after that time limit, I read something but the materials seem to be not entering my head. I just ...
6
votes
2answers
176 views
How to do intellectual work pressed by deadline under extremely bad emotional conditions
Which strategies can help you get your intellectual work done, under these conditions:
Work of an intellectual nature (e.g. PhD thesis, scientific paper, etc)
Strict deadline because of life ...
1
vote
3answers
116 views
Good approaches to refactor myself to become more productive?
I am programmer and I want to be more productive in my profession.
I was searching for how to do this and in many places I encountered the idea that I should "refactor" myself.
So, how can I ...
4
votes
5answers
166 views
How do you go about preparing for your talk?
How do you go about preparing for a talk?
Could you please tell me whether you write the talk down first and memorize it, or if you write the entire talk down, practice reading it and then on the ...
3
votes
3answers
161 views
Reading a book a week
I want to try to read a book a week for 12 weeks beginning this summer. I have already began collecting recommendations for which books to read, and I will refine the list at some point, to get the ...
1
vote
3answers
95 views
search based mind map
I want to make a mind map, or something similar, for summing up certain things I am studying.
But I don't just want to sum up the information, I want to help me search for these things in the future, ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
How to mitigate typing problem [closed]
when typing almost every sentence, I must have some typo, and need to hit backspace to correct it. Although I am typing reasonably fast, as I have typed for 10 years, but the accuracy problem seems ...
8
votes
3answers
505 views
Coffee: good or bad for work? [closed]
Are there any reliable researches defending the regular consumption of coffee at work?
4
votes
3answers
153 views
Feeling after working on hard problem
Is it generally the case that getting stuck/working on a difficult problem means that you feel uncomfortable (i.e. you head hurt)? Or do some people feel like they are watching a movie and it is fun? ...
9
votes
4answers
255 views
any apps to help maintain 'end of day' journal, to keep track of the work done?
I recently started using a 'TODO' app (wunderlist) to keep track of tasks I need to do. I can keep personal and office stuff on it and since it syncs with my phone and home/office computers, it has ...
7
votes
11answers
247 views
How to stop myself from forgetting keys, helmet, mobile phone at shops and office?
That's the question.
What's a practical solution now to cure this kind of forgetfulness?
0
votes
4answers
155 views
What kind of punishment can be applied to group productivity?
I run a small site that requires constant work with two other co-founders. What we do is meet every week to talk about what's been done and plan the next week. The goal set here is always very ...
