All Questions
12
votes
7answers
12k views
At what time do “early risers” go to sleep at night? [closed]
There is so much information out there about people who wake up early - for example, Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, wakes up at 4:30, as does General Motors' CEO and Disney's CEO.
What I never hear about is ...
9
votes
8answers
465 views
How to deal with dreaded tasks?
How do you deal with difficult tasks, which take long to complete?
My problem, for example, are emails which require a lot of writing or research. They are not the main core of my work, and usually ...
9
votes
8answers
388 views
How to Stop Glazing when Reading
When I need to read something, I have a really bad habit of just glazing over it and not really comprehending the words.
As a result I have no clue what I've read.
How can I stop glazing at a ...
9
votes
13answers
2k views
How to get rid of distractions and focus on what I am reading?
I need to study hard for a month, more than 10 hours/day. The problem is, I cannot concentrate on what I'm reading more than 15 minutes. I lose concentration easily while reading. the most important ...
9
votes
3answers
475 views
How to quickly restore concentration?
Very often I'm being interpreted while working or studying, sometimes the interruptions are small, and take a minute and sometimes it requires more than few minutes.
How do I quickly restore ...
9
votes
9answers
621 views
How do I memorize lists of technical terms?
I find it easy to remember the meaning of most technical terms if I'm prompted to explain each one of them. However, recalling all of them by their topics is a bit more difficult when they weren't ...
8
votes
7answers
365 views
What is the efficient way to remember things we read?
I read variety of things in a day; But I forgot those things in a week or so. I identified that 'spaced repetition' will help me to keep remembering things. To do spaced repetition, i take note of ...
8
votes
6answers
3k views
Does a Trackball make you more productive?
Does using trackballs instead of mice makes you more productive?
Are there any scientific studies on this subject?
8
votes
3answers
506 views
Coffee: good or bad for work? [closed]
Are there any reliable researches defending the regular consumption of coffee at work?
7
votes
4answers
464 views
wake yourself up on time
My question is pretty simple How do you wake yourself up on time?. Of course the most simple idea is to set an alarm clock or get someone else to wake you up but what are other methods you can employ ...
7
votes
6answers
730 views
How do I concentrate while I work on a computer?
My job requires me to work on a computer, which I do fine because maybe I fear my supervisor might pop in. But when it comes to doing personal projects on a computer, I totally slack off. It usually ...
7
votes
1answer
259 views
Did the pomodoros help or the fact that I was doing something?
I was blogging about me using Pomodoros when proofreading a book. It worked in that it kept me disciplined and focused. In the conclusion I wrote "I'm not sure if it was the Pomodoros themselves that ...
6
votes
5answers
584 views
The productive label printer
GTD recommends a standalone label printer so nothing gets in the way of printing labels immediately when they are needed.
Problems
Researching what's available as far as label printers go, I'm ...
6
votes
3answers
264 views
Do I need to find the most appropriate time to study?
At a time, I was a night owl. My family kept nagging all the time why would I stay up the whole night and go to bed when everyone else is waking up. So I changed it, as I also read articles that ...
6
votes
2answers
606 views
Is there a way to link tasks in Remember the Milk?
I'm looking for a way to create a context list in Remember the Milk such that only next actions show up, but when I complete a task its successor task automatically shows up in the list.
Is there a ...
5
votes
7answers
306 views
Is Google changing the way we approach problems or just plain “making us stupid”?
I have found that my long and short term memory is much worse than it once was.
Often I can't focus on thing in detail only skimming whole articles.
So, I tried googling these symptoms and I found ...
4
votes
2answers
168 views
How to overcome productivity/daytime-correlation
After reading some threads here on PP.SE, I've encountered that a lot of people seem to be more motivated and focused in the late evening/night to do challenging and work-intense tasks.
...
12
votes
10answers
652 views
How can I list down website passwords for better productivity?
I am an avid web surfer and I surf a lot of websites. I also have my accounts on numerous sites. The problem is when I need to sign in to some websites, I have to search my two mailboxes for username. ...
12
votes
5answers
427 views
Mind keeps wandering during conversations
I have trouble remembering instant things in mind. It really feels weird when I am talking about something and then I ask the person talking to me as, "Excuse me! Where were we?." I have been told by ...
9
votes
5answers
681 views
How to handle recurring but low priority tasks that aren't actionable now?
In a GTD system, how do I handle a task such as "checking the oil in the car", which should happen once a week or so but is also fairly low priority? My concerns are that
this task isn't actionable ...
7
votes
6answers
461 views
How to retain focus without coffee?
I would like to limit my coffee intake, which is about 5/6 glasses a day. I want to do this for health reasons and I think I'm more deppresed due to strong coffee usage (coffee makes me very tired in ...
6
votes
4answers
435 views
Too obsessed. Cant concentrate
I am an addicted computer programmer. I am doing my Engineering. I am extremely obsessive about things. I am soo much obsessive that people tell me that I work really slow. I feel that I am unable to ...
6
votes
1answer
239 views
Is there data on the effectiveness on mind-mapping?
When I'm trying to figure out a problem, I find it helpful to sketch out the parts of it on paper. Be it words or drawings, brainstorming thoughts into a visual form is quite effective for me to ...
5
votes
5answers
301 views
Single tasking vs Mulitasking
I'm a student and hoping to be an entrepreneur. Besides study I spend most of my time working on software development and recently thinking of organizing a team to work on the field of software and ...
5
votes
4answers
357 views
Advantages of a label printer
Following some comments on another question (The productive label printer) - I'll split this out as a separate question.
GTD recommends owning a label printer. Personally I've never quite got my ...
4
votes
3answers
277 views
How to focus on the current task and avoid any distractions?
I'm often finding myself getting distracted very easily:
I walking to another room to do something (e. g. fetch something, write down something or do a task), on the way I'm seeing something that ...
4
votes
2answers
185 views
Does it help to have dedicated computer workstations for dedicated types of work?
Has anyone seen research that demonstrates dedicating different computers to specific tasks (separated by physical distance) increases productivity?
4
votes
4answers
262 views
Online sharing and collaborating tool
To improve productivity, I would attempt to reduce the amount of travelling time, especially if it is for a meeting where the resources can be shared online. I have recently used TeamViewer as a tool ...
4
votes
2answers
613 views
How do I implement Mark Forster Superfocus task management on my Android mobile?
Mark Forster Superfocus task management and his previous systems does work for me. However, it was written for a pen/paper notebook implementation. I have problem implementing it on my Android mobile.
...
3
votes
3answers
122 views
Going from idea to execution
I have a problem with not being able to move from idea to execution. By idea, I mean a detailed, specific plan on what to do and how to do it. I make lots of plans, but rarely follow through with ...
3
votes
2answers
152 views
How to notate that a task can't be started until a separate task is completed in GTD
I did a search through the site and found some similar questions with some answers that aren't quite what I'm after. What I'm looking for is if there is a recommended way to note that a task is ...
3
votes
1answer
107 views
Sleep quality depending on daytime
Let's say you do everything well to have a good sleep: no excitation before, light diner, good position in bed, ...
Also given you sleep as much as you need too and wake up naturally, is it better to ...
3
votes
2answers
152 views
How can I organize my daily deals emails?
I get a lot of daily deals emails, from Groupon, to LivingSocial, to Google Deals, to a bunch of very specific ones like Newegg's shell shocker deals, and all of that is on top of regular daily ...
2
votes
1answer
179 views
Would Like To Be A Better Person In Life [closed]
I'am 28 now and i have the tendency to take everything for granted.I have always been extremely ignorant about numerous things that one would encounter in his/her life like studies,taking care of ...
2
votes
5answers
211 views
How to become a proactive rather than a reactive (lazy) learner?
My whole life I have been a reactive, lazy learner. What that means is that more or less any knowledge I ever acquired came in one of the three possible manners:
Someone madated a task for whose ...
2
votes
3answers
128 views
Completing petty tasks using Pomodoro techniques
While working on first task to practice Pomodoro technique, I raised 9 internal interruptions. Later on I decided them to move in specific lists. There are many interruptions and tasks which are ...
2
votes
8answers
562 views
Do audio books help our productivity?
Audio book sales are increasing since 2010 in the world.
But do audio books really help us analyze a book? I ask because some people (including me) like to touch what they read. This is also the ...
2
votes
0answers
326 views
Evernote : How do you use it ? [closed]
I am a big fan of Evernote and I use it for a lot of things, from personal stuff, to jobs document, knowledge base, How-to's, vacation planner, etc.
How do you use evernote and, if you are a premium ...
1
vote
4answers
602 views
How can we use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to code more efficiently?
E.g. creating a voice command to write a loop template.
1
vote
1answer
441 views
What to do in a 5-10 min break to recharge the batteries? [closed]
After a session of full concentration, I usually like to take a 5-10min break, usually take a coffee break, or go for a quick stroll around the office. I find that this allows my "batteries to be ...
-1
votes
4answers
272 views
What Revision Control Programs / Methods Do You Use When Writing? [closed]
What revision control programs or methods do you guys use when writing?
10
votes
5answers
948 views
Tickler file for email
Getting Things Done (GTD) recommends using a tickler file for things that aren't immediately actionable but should be dealt with at some point in the future.
How can the equivalent be done with ...
9
votes
11answers
419 views
How can I use the travel time (car driving) efficiently?
My job requires me to drive about 30 minutes to the firm and 30 minutes back to home.
How can I use this otherwise wasted time efficiently?
Do you have special audio CD's or tracks you do listen to in ...
8
votes
1answer
223 views
Should I schedule my tasks with deadlines?
Currently I have a few tasks that I want to do, such as reading book X, reading blog Y, listening to podcast Z, watching video W. I do them usually in my free time when I'm done with urgent work and I ...
7
votes
3answers
925 views
How do I increase my concentration in classroom?
I am in first year of my undergraduate university. I find it very difficult to concentrate in class and 90% of the time I do not know what is going on in the class. I am getting a bit low grades and ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
How to stop talking LOUDLY to myself?
I have a habit of talking "loudly" to myself. I get an immense satisfaction by doing so.
At the same time, I tend to do this in the market, while driving the scooter, working on a C program. ...
6
votes
3answers
592 views
Handling task dependencies with GTD
How does Getting Things Done (GTD) recommend handling task dependencies (one task that can't be started until another task is completed)? I understand how it works when they are part of the same ...
4
votes
1answer
102 views
If I can both sit and stand during an 8-hour day, what is the optimal balance of time sitting/standing?
So I have two desks right next to each other (actually, one is a regular desk and one is a refrigerator, my "standing desk"). I work from home, usually about 8 hours a day.
Is there any research ...
3
votes
4answers
233 views
How to overcome cold/allergies/mild sickness?
I am often very productive and motivated. However, this is destroyed when I have a cold or allergies or am simply not feeling well. I am not talking about having a very obvious illness - I am ...
2
votes
4answers
567 views
GTD application that syncs with iCal
I am looking for a mac os x GTD task based application (in the wunderlist way) where you enter and classify tasks, and you can also assign tasks to iCal, is this possible?
