All Questions
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 ...
5
votes
6answers
225 views
How to evaluate quality of a book
I'm reading quite a lot professional literature, it's often about information technologies, programming books, computer science etc.
The problem is that there are many books that are poorly written. ...
66
votes
13answers
2k views
How do I deal with distractions when working on a computer?
I spend most of my working day on a computer and know that when I am "in the zone" I am extremely productive. Getting to "the zone" is very dependent upon the task itself and environmental distraction ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
System that blends First things First and GTD?
I've been impressed by some of the aspects of both GTD and Covey's First Things First approaches, but can't get to grips with how to combine them. Are there any complete and available systems that ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Documentation matrix for scientific papers
Interested to know about any systematic and preferably standardized framework for analyzing research paper in consistent matrix form which would allow us to compare the same parameters over multiple ...
19
votes
9answers
2k views
How to motivate people to self-improve themselves?
I'm the curious type of person that likes to learn more, do things in less time, do things better, etc. I take that as a personal challenge and I honestly love it. Of course, it IS a challenge, not ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Managing a competitive colleague [closed]
I am facing this issue with a colleague. In general, we get on well, but when it comes to technical discussions or about new technologies , he will try to prove himself superior and try to make me ...
0
votes
3answers
98 views
Detecting and overcoming procrastinating
When the deadline is far away, I start procrastinating, not by not doing it, but by doing slowly; it is not by intention. I observe it by how it is always near the deadline when I get things finished. ...
3
votes
2answers
189 views
How do I maintain consistency when learning a new skill?
Sometimes, I find it difficult to maintain focus when learning new skills, especially when I'm just getting the hang of it. Most times, it's due to being distracted by learning another skill. How do I ...
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?
4
votes
2answers
150 views
How to productively read a computer science text book?
I find it hard to achieve true understanding reading theoretic computer science books. In particular, I struggle with symbolic notations and proofs. After spending a very long time perusing all the ...
1
vote
4answers
190 views
Writing more in spite of laziness
I am a PhD student, and I have found that writing down my ideas and thoughts helps me discover new ideas which fascinate me. Such ideas would be difficult to generate just by thinking. Unfortunately, ...
6
votes
7answers
326 views
While learning any new programming language, is it a myth to use a basic text editor instead of an IDE to learn concepts?
I am learning Ruby on Rails these days and asked one of my friend to provide me an IDE for Ruby on Rails, but he suggested to write code on Notepad/Dreamweaver (Windows user currently) first instead ...
8
votes
3answers
570 views
Intelligence And Productivity Are Correlated - What does the research have to say?
What does the scientific research say about productivity and IQ?
Most people would assume that intelligent people accomplish more in their lives ( ie. are more productive) but I have never heard of ...
6
votes
3answers
116 views
Failure tracking in Kanban tools ? Is it the philosophy of the tool?
I've been trying Kanban tools for a few days, and I do think I can adopt one of those tools really soon. I 'll decide after the 3 weeks routine period if it still fits my need.
I wonder: I immediatly ...
6
votes
4answers
147 views
Tips for bi-tasking?
I have decided that I'm a terrible multi-tasker, at the end of the day I have a bunch of unfinished emails, terminals and text files.
Mono-tasking is not for me, if I have to wait 5 seconds for ...
2
votes
3answers
108 views
Why do I become more lazy when thinking about the things I want to strive to achieve?
I am a cadet at the US Coast Guard Academy and am a Civil Engineering major. I'm determined to stick to this major, but I'm struggling to keep my GPA above 2.0. However, I've noticed that the more ...
5
votes
2answers
156 views
How to measure/increase productivity
I am an individual contributor in the team working from off-shore. My manager is onsite and he assigns work to be on calls. The project is in very initial stage so I am mostly doing POC's. However, I ...
1
vote
3answers
130 views
How to concentrate again after getting stuck at some point
I'm a self-employed IT guy at the moment. My self discipline is quite decent usually, I plan and think a lot before implementing something. I got stuck at some point now, because I didn't foresee a ...
25
votes
16answers
2k views
What to do when tired instead of surfing the internet?
After a full day, I am tired, and often end up mindlessly surfing the internet in the evening. It is the easiest thing to do when I've already made a lot of decisions during the day. Unfortunately, ...
6
votes
6answers
402 views
Listening / learning while still being productive at work
A lot of people around me in my office listen to music or podcasts on their headphones.
I am not particularly a fan of just listening to music all day, however, I can see the benefit of podcasts. ...
1
vote
3answers
188 views
How do I get motivated to study hard things?
Nowadays I study Logic and Philosophy. I think a lot in order to generate new ideas and try not to just know what other's ideas are.
This is hard, and I know that Mastery/Autonomy/Purpose help in ...
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. ...
2
votes
6answers
332 views
How to organise the mental and physical chaos in my life?
I have been reading and experimenting with techniques for many years. I have read the GTD book among dozens of others but I still can't find the answers to everyday problems. Working as a Web ...
0
votes
0answers
93 views
Workflowy: How do I best deal with large amounts of text?
I am new to Workflowy, but try to increasingly use it. It is already much improved over "Trello", which I used until now to dump information, simply because Trello already helped a lot with ...
8
votes
4answers
285 views
App to track activities and progress on them
I need to find application to track my activities and progress that I did on it (for example number of pages I read or exercises I did). I need to be able to look on what I spent last month for ...
4
votes
3answers
226 views
Time management strategies for computer science students
Over the past few months, I've been contributing to both Wikipedia and Stack Overflow, and working on open source software projects. However, I've found that my obsession with software development has ...
3
votes
6answers
327 views
Being motivated for self study
I am a software professional. I have reached a stage in career where I will have to do something apart from regular coding. I am very confused about what that extra thing should be. Sometimes I think ...
6
votes
9answers
296 views
Trying to achieve inbox zero in Gmail
I have a rather unruly inbox at this point. There's probably at least a thousand messages in there, with 300 or so of them unread. I'm trying to find ways to achieve inbox zero. As part of this I want ...
3
votes
1answer
77 views
Is there a system/method incorporating bookmarks, citations/references, and a document editor (e.g., Google Docs/Drive) with a revision history?
Currently, I'm writing a paper in Microsoft Word 2007. I use Endnote to organise my references and bibliography and hold electronic copies of papers I've found where possible. I have stacks of books ...
17
votes
11answers
763 views
How to solve my personal issues to be productive and happy person
Until two years ago, I was a positive thinker, easily forgot petty issues, and was productive. After that I started studying for a masters in Computer Science and started a full time job. This means I ...
1
vote
4answers
197 views
Where can I find references on good office design?
I am currently in a position where I will be in my office for a relatively long time and I am thinking of ways that I can alter my office to maximize my productivity for the different aspects of my ...
5
votes
2answers
212 views
What would be a good way to maintain an academic and professional journal ?
I maintain a journal(diary) to keep track of personal targets, habit changes, etc. and seeing its positive effects, I would like to maintain something similar for academic/professional acivities. The ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views
in GTD system. Where do I keep projects/Project planning?
I am just starting GTD, and trying to setup my system, but I am confused about where/how to keep projects.
Are projects stored as reference material?
What about Project planning?
Would this be in ...
3
votes
4answers
304 views
Grasping new things quickly or in less time
I am 4yrs experience software engineer. When a new requirement comes or when I move to another project, I take a long time to understand the process/flow. So become helpless to work on any development ...
0
votes
4answers
233 views
App that has nice separate lists for tasks and goals?
Is their any app (Web based, Android, iPhone, anything) which enables a person to manage both - his tasks and his goals, without mixing them up.
9
votes
2answers
192 views
Is there such a thing as a package receiving service?
Is there such a thing as a monthly fee/rent-based service that gives you a "virtual" address to which you can ship your packages, and pick them up at your convenience? Something that would eliminate ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
How do I study the books that don't have answers at the back?
There are several classical books on mathematics which are a pleasure to study from. However, after reading its materials and working through the theorems and solved problems, I feel very ...
2
votes
3answers
94 views
How do I move from collecting ideas to executing projects?
I use Evernote as a way to record ideas and web clippings that interest me. Some are ideas for projects. Some are collections of ideas that relate to prospective projects. There are quotes, metaphors, ...
5
votes
1answer
151 views
What does science say about productive learning time?
I wonder what science says about how to set learning time. Specificially I wonder about how to mix learning and free time. This is of course related to the attention span.
My rhythm looks the ...
2
votes
2answers
143 views
How to use pomodoro in a busy environment
I am a programmer working in an open-space environment. There are basically two types of people which make it difficult to use pomodoro:
Those, who want something completely trivial every 10 minutes ...
0
votes
1answer
54 views
How to deal with very short tasks with Pomodoro [duplicate]
Pomodoro encourages you to put interruptions into other tasks (more or less) but, sometimes, these new tasks can be very short - literally 5 minutes of work. Or 10.
If I am using a 25-5 work-break ...
6
votes
5answers
287 views
Hating sleep at night because of inadequate feeling of no achievement during the day
I've been having a hatred for sleep and when i mean hatred i mean a feeling of not wanting to fall asleep because i feel i've done nothing during the day to achieve my goals.
How can i stop feeling ...
1
vote
1answer
78 views
Can writing also improve productivity in other non related personal areas apart from the project we are working
Can writing also improve productivity in other personal areas apart from the project we are working on
e.g :
Writing to improve food habits (making a diary of what you ate and corresponding ...
1
vote
6answers
117 views
What can I do during the breaks between the stressful long study hours that would not be counterproductive?
Playing computer games during the breaks would not certainly be productive to do between the long study hours. Watching TV will also not be a good idea (it will jam the brain further, I guess). ...
16
votes
3answers
394 views
Is written stenography still useful?
Are handwritten stenography systems (such as Gregg shorthand and Pitman shorthand) still useful today for personal productivity? If so, how can they be incorporated into daily life in a digital age?
6
votes
6answers
376 views
How do you avoid being distracted by a pomodoro timer?
I have tried a physical version of the device (Clicking countdown clock, in the shape of an apple.) and I found that sometimes get distracted by the clicking sounds of the timer.
For a digital ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
How can I use Outlook folders to implement GTD?
I want to use Outlook folders to implement GTD so that I don't have to use a separate program.
How can I set up Outlook folders to be GTD lists?
7
votes
7answers
617 views
Does sitting with back straight really improve focus (and productivity)?
As part of my work, I am required to sit on pieces of furniture without any back support eg. Bar stool. My teacher reprimands me when I slouch saying that my focus will suffer if my spine isn't ...
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 ...
