Adam Wuerl

3,598 reputation

1331

bio	website	wuerl.calepin.co
	location	Seattle, WA
	age	33
visits	member for	1 year, 11 months
	seen	Jun 14 at 21:51
stats	profile views	48

aerospace engineer, Star Wars nerd, PowerPoint hater, and family barista, @wuerl

	3,598 reputation	bio	website	wuerl.calepin.co	visits	member for	1 year, 11 months
1331 badges		location	Seattle, WA		seen	Jun 14 at 21:51

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94 Comments

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Feb 4	comment	How do you sync your electronic to-do list with your physical to-do list? Can you elaborate on why you've decided against RTM? Knowing what you don't like about that tool or approach will make it easier to identify solutions that would work for you. For example, is it out because it's subscription based, cloud-based, etc. Do you like the large white boards for your lists and just want a ubiquitous capture mechanism for when you're not by your boards that's better than email?
Feb 3	comment	How do I lock the Lorrell 86000 Series Executive Mesh Back Chair in place when I lean all the way back and basically turn it into a recumbent chair? Looking for instructions for how to do a specific thing with a specific model of office chair is pretty narrowly focused (even if the chair is popular) and also not particularly on topic for the site. Ergonomics is a tag, but ergonomics in the context of personal productivity doesn't really encompass instructions about how to use officer furniture.
Jan 26	comment	Online calendars. How long before the event do you set up the notification? This question is getting at a matter of personal preference that doesn't have a correct answer. Any advice is likely top reflect personal preferences and thus not be generally useful or so general as to be a statement of common sense along the lines of as early as necessary.
Jan 24	comment	At what time do “early risers” go to sleep at night? @David. As worded, this question is pretty general and isn't likely to have a "correct" answer. There's not going to be a time or range of time when people who like to get up early go to sleep. The answers are likely to be general statements about how much sleep people should get or personal anecdotes.
Jan 23	comment	Recommendations for Productivity videos Welcome to the site. Stack Exchange's Q&A model has been found to not work particularly well for poll or suggested list type questions where there's not a clear answer. However, if you're looking for general advice about good productivity podcasts the chat would be a great place to ask that type of question.
Jan 7	comment	Does it make sense to continuously listen to some sounds to avoid mind wanderings? This was a topic on the a recent episode of the Build & Analyze podcast. One host suggested white noise (there are links to a white noise app at the link above), and the other said they prefer music. I put this as a comment because it's anecdotal, but may have advice others would find useful.
Jan 4	comment	What Android applications schedule tasks which appear each day? That's all that was needed. Thanks.
Jan 4	comment	Not okay to take notes at meetings? Only reason I could see people frowning on electronic note taking would be if they think you're checking email or doing something else instead of listening. Keyboard taps can also be loud and distracting.
Jan 4	comment	How to compare performance? I like this question because it's asking for a way to scientifically assess a productivity technique that you've implemented. That said, if you feel heathier and more productive, isn't that good enough?
Jan 4	comment	What Android applications schedule tasks which appear each day? This question appears to be asking two questions and really needs to be edited down so it's clear what's being asked. The first part proposes a straightforward question about a et to remind yourself to complete tasks with specific attributes; the second is a question about motivation. I'm not sure how anyone could answer the motivation question without more data on why you're not motivated, and even then it's likely a subjective and localized answer.
Dec 30	comment	Does it make sense to continuously listen to some sounds to avoid mind wanderings? IMO it's not necessarily that it's off-topic, although that's probably the best matching reason for closing it. I think this question has a future but simply needs to be re-worded some. I think this site can value from more answers that are based on research (in the skeptics.SE model) and literature rather than personal opinion, especially on questions like this. Perhaps a re-word that emphasizes the desire for studies, data, etc. that suggest various types of music/sounds can enhance the ability to concentrate, focus, etc. I bet if you do that the community will vote to re-open very quickly.
Dec 15	comment	Are there software solutions that implement Structured Procrastination? Sounds like setting your alarm clock fast to scare you into getting out of bed in the morning. But the article's in Instapaper now, so perhaps I'll be able to answer once I read it.
Dec 12	comment	Which To-Do List managers are useful for students? Incidentally, this type of discussion (what tool should I use) seems perfectly suited for chat. Plus, that format will allow for a more freewheeling dialogue where people can help you tease our your true requirements, discover work-arounds in case nothing existing fully meets your needs, etc.
Dec 12	comment	Which To-Do List managers are useful for students? welcome. Obviously you've thought about what you're looking for in a to do list. But this is really a recommendation question, generally discouraged on SE sites (gaming, B&CG for the reasons explained. Our meta has a discussion about recommendations, which although infant offers good guidance. Please try re-phrasing your question along the lines of a guide: how to pick, not what to pick.
Dec 8	comment	Is there a master “catch-all” system for keeping track of things? You can send articles from Google Reader to instapaper. With the item highlighted just click the send to instapaper bookmarklet--it even works in the mobile version of the site.
Dec 6	comment	What is a learning attitude, and how can I improve mine? welcome to the site. I see the kernels of a good answer above and agree that all the things you'd do to prepare to teach someone else about a topic would probably help you learn about it yourself. But we try to have longer-form answers on this site. Can you elaborate on yours to prevent it from being deleted or down-voted?
Dec 5	comment	How to overcome “hyper” sensitivity? You're most welcome. I was trying hard to make sure that you didn't feel that folks suggesting the question isn't a good fit for this site didn't mean that you're not dealing with a real problem and emotions.
Dec 2	comment	How to overcome “hyper” sensitivity? @AnishaKaul I understand your point about concentration as an aspect of personal productivity, but based on your question the reason you're having trouble concentrating is not related to the topic of the site. If you were having trouble deciding what tasks to do, or how to keep track of your commitments it would be more on-topic. Here, the issue seems to be you've been greatly affected by reading about the holocaust and war, but this site isn't built to attract experts who can help with that and I don't think there's really a productivity-related question here.
Nov 16	comment	What can I do to quickly become a better orator/public speaker? Despite your caveat, and I agree recording yourself is not a replacement for actual public speaking, it does provide a totally different type of feedback. Being able to watch yourself is a critical aspect of improving your public speaking skills as it provides the best means of objectively observing your posture, gestures, pace, tone, voice, etc. All of these things seem different given the outside perspective and a little time since the delivery. Especially when you're learning new habits you should be recording yourself and watching it back.
Nov 15	comment	How do I avoid missing important/urgent e-mails? If you have the freedom to set up a separate account I like that idea. It reminds me of the prior art of the special zip code each President gets so correspondence from people in the know can get fast-tracked to his desk (letters from family and what not). I suppose if you can't set up a separate account the same thing could be accomplished in practice by giving people a special code or string to put in the subject, which you could then set up rules and filters to process into a special inbox.