All Questions
17
votes
5answers
1k views
How to overcome lazyness and procastination?
My greatest defect.
Present in almost all aspects of my live... Like my house, it's a mess right now, but I have time to clean, I just don't do it. I'd rather stay in bet and do nothing (high ...
22
votes
7answers
1k views
How to stop being a perfectionist?
For example, until I know each and everything about a topic, I just don't feel like moving ahead, I get stuck. And I find myself getting involved in very minute details of the topic, which usually ...
26
votes
8answers
1k views
How to be more productive at my own side project while having a family and a full-time job?
I have a 9-6 full time job and trying to develop a project on my own. I can only work on it during my off hours, meaning after 7pm.
It looks like I have full 5 hours till midnight, but after dinner ...
34
votes
12answers
2k views
Good at writing Todo lists, but awful at doing them
At night, before going to bed, I write a TO-DO list to remember what I want to do tomorrow.
It includes everything I wish to do, like what I wished to do when I was a child!
When I get up in the ...
30
votes
8answers
854 views
Is there any way to “save” highly motivated state in the evening and “load” it in the morning?
Sometimes in the evening I am in the flow state or I am just highly motivated to do my work. Unfortunately after some hours of work, I become so tired that I am no longer productive and I just want to ...
18
votes
6answers
686 views
How to keep up with academic publications (papers) as a researcher?
As an academic researcher involved in a field with lots of academic publications, I find it hard to keep with these constant stream of publications. Even if my field is already specialized, there are ...
23
votes
11answers
991 views
Often-heard advice for success: “Wake up earlier.” But how much sleep is enough?
A recurring tip I've seen in autobiographies or books on succeeding in business is "wake up earlier."
I don't particularly remember which millionaires suggested that advice, but I'm sure it's more ...
17
votes
12answers
2k views
What is the best way to improve English vocabulary?
I want to improve my English vocabulary. I want to know some of the best ways to improve my vocabulary.
How many words should I learn daily?
What resources should I use?
19
votes
5answers
941 views
Why am I not motivated in this excellent situation?
I am working as a freelance contractor. For a long time I have been paid by the hour. This has worked fine and my motivation has never been a problem. Now, I have gotten a deal where I get half of any ...
17
votes
10answers
644 views
How to stop your rss feeds becoming a mess/information overload?
So like probably many i use Google Reader to manage, read, filter my subscribed rss feeds. Subscribing only as much feeds as you can read doesnt really work. From time to time i delete some feeds, but ...
14
votes
6answers
668 views
Methods for Goal Setting
There are a lot of methodologies for doing more and doing things faster.
The problem is that you end up doing the wrong things faster.
At the other end of the scale you set many important goals, but ...
11
votes
4answers
665 views
What can I do to fight procrastination? [closed]
What can I do to fight procrastination? I'm looking for general advice, professional research and useful tips.
15
votes
15answers
2k views
Is there software to log tasks daily?
My boss wants me to write a logs about what I do during my work day, and he wants me to write how much it takes to perform the given task and details.
Something like:
Revising the CSS of the main ...
14
votes
2answers
358 views
How do I prevent being overwhelmed by my GTD inbox?
The first thing I learned about GTD was to get things "out of my head" into an inbox.
This results in an overly long Inbox list which tasks that I still need to rewrite into (multiple) "do-able" ...
12
votes
6answers
2k views
How to prevent/control daydreaming?
Daydreaming is becoming a serious issue for me as I miss valuable information in places such as classes, meetings and presentations. It doesn't depend on any specific element. In fact, it may be ...
9
votes
6answers
8k views
How to use Evernote to Implement a GTD System
One of the top FAQs is How to use RTM to implement a GTD system. I've decided against RTM, I don't like it as described in a previous thread of mine. I've decided I want to know how some people use ...
18
votes
2answers
447 views
What methods exist to keep yourself motivated when working alone?
When I studied, I went to the library to have some form of social control. The social pressure made me work better.
I'm now working from home for a living. It's my first week and my motivation isn't ...
14
votes
4answers
572 views
What is “Getting Things Done” (GTD)? [closed]
Rookie question that a lot of people who are using this site may want to know the answer for (including me). I have read a couple of things referring to GTD but nothing definitive. It'd be good to see ...
13
votes
6answers
485 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 ...
13
votes
4answers
437 views
How do I apply 'CRM' in personal life?
I see the sales guys at work using CRM techniques where they have a massive database which reminds them when to call people, make notes about when and where they are going on holiday, etc. So, now I'm ...
8
votes
2answers
348 views
How to use the second brain of the Stack Exchange network in a productive way?
This network is full of up-to-date knowledge regarding more and more different topics. I don't know any other knowledge base (global brain) with similar properties and options and minimal redundancy. ...
25
votes
13answers
944 views
How can I succeed in remembering people's names?
Even after I have asked a person's name a number of times, I still have trouble remembering it. How can I improve my ability with recalling names?
14
votes
11answers
692 views
How can I learn about complex subjects?
I am very interested in certain subjects which are quite complex (and not very mainstream), but I find it hard to learn about them since there seems not be a lot of introductory content about such ...
14
votes
7answers
1k views
What can I use to efficiently track progress on my tasks/goals?
I've been looking forever for a way to manage my tasks and goals efficiently. Most of them were too specific for project managers and had far more options than necessary to manage simpler tasks. None ...
13
votes
8answers
4k views
How often should you take breaks for maximum productivity?
When working on a project, how often should you take breaks and for how long for maximum productivity? Are there any studies or research on optimal use of breaks (universally), or is it more of a ...
11
votes
10answers
692 views
What is the simplest (yet surprisingly) effective productiviy increasing technique? [closed]
Many productivity systems are complex and hard to keep going. The benefit of these systems often comes from not the overall systems but from the specific tactics or techniques they encourage.
What ...
8
votes
4answers
617 views
Todo list manager that lets you queue next actions out of sight
I'm currently using Remember The Milk for my organisation system that is based on GTD.
One thing that I find is missing from my system is the ability to capture all the actions relating to a project. ...
21
votes
12answers
717 views
How to concentrate without external stimulants?
I'm a programmer and my work requires intense mental focus.
My goal is to get 8 clean, productive hours of programming per day.
I tried this yesterday, and I managed to get only 2:35 hours of clean ...
12
votes
3answers
741 views
How to stop mind from drifting off while reading?
Lets say I'm reading a text on programming language which has some example on poker. As soon as I read it, my mind drifts off about some related things around poker, like probability, last time I won, ...
12
votes
3answers
303 views
How can I turn productive actions into routine?
Every now and then I start doing something which helps my productivity: devise a better todo list, wake up earlier etc. However, I find that I only engage in this activity for a short period of time ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
Is there an automatic time tracking application? [closed]
I'm looking for a time tracking tool to monitor and boost my productivity. What I have in mind is a program that works in the background and keeps track of which application is active at any given ...
8
votes
3answers
444 views
Preparing questions when studying some topic
I noticed that I focus very well and do not forget the topic for months when I am told to prepare some questions for problem session (recitation) hours of the course I assist. On the other hand, I ...
7
votes
8answers
339 views
How can one stay reminded of useful tips, instructions, and other references on a routine basis?
As I spend my Sunday on this three-day weekend finally catching up on a lot of reading—most of it technical in terms of software and web development as well as web design—I find myself posing the ...
12
votes
3answers
302 views
How do I get out of overcommitment?
I tend to procrastinate more when I am overwhelmed by overcommitment. Sometimes, writing down a priority list and future plan helps, but sooner or later, the plan breaks down and I find myself once ...
8
votes
7answers
290 views
How to control or change habits?
I don't know what I need to write here, but I am explaining everywhere what I feel and think.
Everyone has some habits that may be good or bad. But firstly I want to control or change some of my ...
6
votes
4answers
415 views
Why do I feel tired easily even when I have had enough sleep?
Does anyone have this problem? You had enough sleep, but when you start your day you feel like you haven't slept at all. You feel tired and you feel bored easily, all you want is to rest.
6
votes
7answers
477 views
Putting limits on one's time online
As per Piers Steel's "procrastination equation",
Motivation = (Expectancy x Value) / (Impulsiveness x Delay)
I find that most of my own procrastination tends to involve the Internet and the easily ...
15
votes
5answers
935 views
Paper vs. digital: both have advantages, but which adv. is more important?
I started wondering recently if paper really could be the way to go. That is, in my everyday, non-GTD-obsessive personal issue tracking and task management. Here's why I'm considering this:
A task ...
11
votes
4answers
412 views
How do I register deadlines in a GTD system?
In a GTD system, I have (among other things) a list of "next actions" organized by context, which are things that I have decided I should act on at my discretion, and a calendar, which shows things ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
My open office is not effective in increasing my productivity, how can I counter this?
We have an open office (no cubical walls) that is intended to increase productivity.
However I find that the increase in distractions, both sound and visual negates this due to the difficulty in ...
10
votes
6answers
488 views
Do ergonomic keyboards/mice provide significant productivity improvement over “average” counterparts?
There's not much to add to the title of the question...
I'd like to know if there's been any studies done on ergonomic keyboards and mice, and their effect on productivity. This might help me and ...
9
votes
6answers
356 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.
9
votes
3answers
349 views
how to stop doing the same again and again?
I have been pondering the say “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
So the questions are:
how do you detect what things you are doing over and over ...
8
votes
4answers
422 views
How to effectively read and understand scientific literature?
If have read some other topics regarding this subject, but they were rather focused on the immediate understanding of a paper and not long-term knowledge of a topic.
Suppose I read a book about about ...
7
votes
3answers
256 views
How do you turn off your GTD mentality when you need a break
How do you turn off your GTD mentality when you need a break? Say you've even scheduled free time to do whatever it is that relaxes you. Perhaps what relaxes you are some of the personal projects you ...
6
votes
2answers
217 views
How does positive or negative self-talk work?
Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People recommends the following exercise:
Say "I like myself" to yourself 50 times a day for at least 14 days.
I've tried it and contrary to ...
6
votes
3answers
487 views
How do you sync your electronic to-do list with your physical to-do list?
I keep several large whiteboards at home that handle all of my daily, weekly, quarterly and long-term tasks/projects. I do not want to carry a day planner around given the way my life is, I use my ...
6
votes
2answers
479 views
What is Gathering Point in Time Management?
What is exactly Gathering Point in Time Management?
What is the benefits of Gathering Points?
1
vote
3answers
230 views
If after a few weeks/months I forget a topic which I studied in the past, does it mean that I never understood it in the first place?
I write blogs whenever I study a technical topic. After a few months if I start thinking about that topic, my mind feels like a blank slate.
Does it mean that I never understood the topic in the ...
15
votes
9answers
557 views
Be able to focus and read books when your partner watches TV
I like reading books a lot. Usually have only time for that at night, after work, but at that time my wife likes TV a lot and specially zapping; continuously jumping from one channel to another. I ...
