Hot answers tagged computers
6
I personally feel comfortable only when I'm excited about what I'm doing.
If I'm not excited about what I'm doing, I can have the best chair in the world and it won't do much for my productivity.
Conclusion: emotions and motivation / mindset are the fuel of my productivity, not ergonomic chairs / monitors / etc. I don't think 'things' will help your ...
6
if your routine going on for sometimes then it is really the time to break out of your routine now. yes breaking your project into small pieces as pointed out by @gekkostate will definitely help.
1) i think that taking some sort of a break is also important to bring the motivation back for example if you can take 1 month all fun trip to somewhere leaving ...
5
So this is interesting because you are coming at this from a very different perspective than most people who are interested in productivity (and you're a bit closer to my own way of doing things)
So when I was first trying to manage my todo list I had a pen and paper notebook - tasks got crossed out in pen and new ones were added at the bottom. You read ...
4
Motivation is something that someone else can't give you. I've had a similar problem with getting work done. Here are a few things I would suggest to get some work done.
List the benefits of completing the code
Break the code/work into small parts so it doesn't feel long and tedious
I am a programmer myself and this is recurring problem that I face. ...
4
There is an element of truth in what @Tool says - the environment is not likely to be the key factor in making you productive.
That said, it is certainly an enabler: you don't want your setup to hinder your work, and you also don't want it to make you lethargic.
Mentally it is better to have your bed reserved for sleeping, and an office space for working - ...
3
I use OmniFocus and do not set due dates. Instead I set start dates and no due dates. That way in OmniFocus the task appears in my Forecast view.
This article also has some pointers.
http://gridwriter.com/2012/11/14/omnifocus-series-flags-due-dates-daily-review/
Hope this helps.
Glenn
3
I just did a little experiment and typed the following without looking at the keyboard:
a=a++ - used my middle finger for the = and +
a[0] - used my third finger for the [ and 0. used my fourth finger for the ]
a?a:b - used my fourth finger for the ? and my pinky for the :
There's no right or wrong to this. It's just what I do. And I do touch type ...
3
Let me suggest another software, Launchy (I'm not affiliated with it, but I'm a longtime user).
With its built-in plugin, Weby, running Google with your clipboard contents is literally three keystrokes:
Alt+Space to start Launchy;
Shift+Insert to paste from clipboard;
Enter
The only thing to do is setting Google Search your default plugin:
No ...
3
Try using a cloud synchronization service like Dropbox, there are other good services but I only use this one. As I do not neither own an iPhone or an iPad I do not know how good or comfortable their apps are, but it works with Android.
Basically you get some (free) storage space (e.g. 2 GB). With their different applications you can use Dropbox on ...
3
Spaces and full screen layouts are great. I use Moom to help arrange my screen as cleanly as possible — there are other tools that let you do the same thing.
But to really make my workflow sing, I use AlfredApp and created keyboard commands to switch to my most used apps. F2 sends me to my code editor, F1 to my broswer. By not taking the second or two it ...
3
You don't state what level of TCS problems you're dealing with or what books you're reading.
There are several incredibly bad textbooks in the field of TCS. Maybe you should look for alternatives which may provide better intuitive explanations, rather than just symbolic proofs. Or maybe you should back down for a while and go back to studying the basics if ...
2
I think the power/potential of voice activation tools for productivity would lie in using spoken word to trigger actions and events, but not to replace typing.
For example, if you can configure a voice recognition package to trigger commands like "open", "save", "build", "run", etc, you can save yourself time hopping through menus or typing hotkeys. ...
2
More efficiently in what sense?
IMO voice input for programming is substantially less efficient than typing, particularly in an decent editor with good macro and template facilities. I think you'd be better served figuring out the domain(s) you normally work in, figuring out what code gen tools you already have access to or can create, and nail down every ...
2
Just my thoughts on this in form of an answer, since the comment section got a little bit crowded. Feel free to not upvote this answer since there is no final conclusion from my side...
To estimate what to expect from a hands free input device, you have to realize: Our hands are very good a manipulating objects since we are trained to do so. So if you use ...
2
I totally sympathize with this problem. It's not uncommon for me to have 120 or more tabs open at a time. I mostly run Safari, and before Apple messed it up with the redesign, I had gotten it to run even a bit over 200 tabs fairly well (I have an iMac with 12GB RAM, btw).
But whatever browser you run, the big problem comes when everything starts to slow ...
2
Apologies for posting two answers, but after spending some time researching this I've found something that looks extremely promising and seems to be working for me so far. It's a Chrome extension called Tabs Outliner. Similarly to Firefox's Tree Style Tab add-on, it displays all your tabs in a collapsible tree view, making it easy to drag them between ...
2
I, too, would like a great tool for managing tabs, but in the absence of such a tool, here are a couple of hacks that can free up some of your computer's ram, and prevent Flash from turning your computer into a hotplate. Unfortunately they're not very elegant solutions and you'll have to keep doing them every now and then.
Quit your browser, unplug your ...
2
Managing Tabs
Lately I’ve been experiencing with the “Two-tabs rule”, being allowed to have only two tabs opened at a time, two supposedly being the number of tabs that you brain can handle without context-switching penalty. This works pretty well!
There is some minor cases when being limited with two tabs is annoying but setting the limit higher is just a ...
2
There is a tool called Tasktop Desktop that could be worth having a look at.
The tool generates task contexts that link an active task to whatever you do while it is active (e.g. opening documents, visiting web sites etc.). When switching to a previous task you are also switching the context and have all the documents available that you worked on before on ...
2
You can do this with a Autohotkey Script or use this Autohotkey compiled software ac'tivaid which has shortcuts to open marked text with distinct search engines. For the latter, after installing it, click "Extensions" in settings and install the "WebSearch" plugin. Then set up your desired search engines. I use it all the time
2
I believe that Google Desktop would fit very nicely. When you tap Ctrl twice, it appears a text box on the screen and you can type (or paste) the text and search over the internet and/or your computer (you can configure it).
2
Managing tabs is sometimes a difficult issue but Firefox has made it easy for you. Trust me, when it comes to be productivity and efficency, I believe Firefox is the way to go. You may have to scarifice some speed but I think it's worth the time you save trying to find your tabs. Though chrome provides an extension for managing tabs, GO FIREFOX! :)
The ...
2
I have the same problem. I struggle with the symbols, and that makes it really hard to follow the theorems.
Recently I came across a statistics book at a library which had a list of those symbols and their meaning at the start of the book and while reading I realized something that was so obvious - I should've compiled a similar list and kept it next to me ...
2
If the things you have open in tabs are articles you want to read later, save them using Pocket. Its basically a bookmarking system which deletes the bookmarks after you read them (or rather archives them). It has tagging and a nice clutter-free article view.
I use it to save interesting links I encounter, but do not have the time to read right now (e.g. if ...
2
I like to make extensive use of bookmarking to come back to things I need to read later.
I add them all to a folder on my Bookmark bar -- either bookmarking as I go or Bookmarking All Tabs.
Later I'll either come back to them individually or Open All Bookmarks with a right click and go through them when I have time. Then you can either remove them ...
2
As Dave said, most organisers will let you list unscheduled tasks so that shouldn't be an issue.
The best solution for you though is to learn how to create the required subtasks in each task you have listed as uncompletable. For example, you state that breaking down "work on x song" is not possible. Don't treat it as needing to write one verse, but instead ...
2
I often have tasks that can't simply be "completed" as well, for example "Learn this software framework" or "Make archery a hobby". In my view, these are really projects, and not tasks. So, while you can complete a project, you can't just "do the project". You have to break it down into elements which you can do. I have a few suggestions to use to help ...
1
A good guide on this from people who have spent their lives in front of a computer:
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/healthy-computing-guide
Shorter summary of that:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/08/computer-workstation-ergonomics.html
Mainly I like the part about the wrist being in line with forearms. Bending the wrist up or down ...
1
All good answers so far! The focus on your work that leads to forgetting your environment is called "distraction" in the world of pain management. It is amazing how your aches and pains disappear when you are doing something that is enjoyable and focuses your mind on something besides yourself or your body.
That being said, it is still an excellent idea ...
1
Interest, peace, uncluttered mind and good environment are four key factors to feel good and be productive.
Interest:
You need to be interested enough in what you are doing. If you are not interested, you will never be productive as you will not be enthusiastic about it.
So first make sure you take interest in your work.
Peace:
I would advice you to do ...
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