I am a list-maker.
I haven’t always been, but when I am serious about getting things done, I turn to the practice.
But that doesn’t solve everything. Sometimes BEING ORGANIZED can feel like an extra task ON TOP of the ones needing tackling. How to best use this simple tool?
David Allen, productivity guru, recently shared some thoughts around this topic. If you’re looking to live more happily alongside your list AND check more items off it, this might be worth your coffee break.
We all hit the wall.
Original thoughts dry up.
Fresh perspectives fizzle.
Creativity dies.
But there WAS a time in life when that never seemed to happen. In our efforts to recreate creativity, what can we learn from revisiting childhood rhythms and rituals?
The folks at Lifehack say, “More than you might think!”
The old adage encourages, “Shake what your mama gave you!”
Beyond the mamas and the shaking lies a sentiment about using what you are given. But what if what has been given is not all that it could be?
This is the question for many iPhone owners: Which of those preloaded apps could be improved upon? Which upgrades are worth the change?
Here are three moves that I am glad I made:
1) Camera
One of the most significant upgrades from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S revolves around its photographic capabilities. That said, why not push that progress even further? My experience at trying to do this revolves around two apps:
Camera+
This is one of the most highly-reviewed apps in both the official App Store and in other sources I have read. One review I read said that Tap Tap Tap, the app’s developer is so skilled at advancing the photography of iDevices that Apple frequently incorporates their developments into later releases of their own stuff. What’s that quote about that the highest form of flattery?
If you plan to use your phone for any form of image-capturing, spend the buck on this one. Seven million people are already on the wagon!
Camera Awesome
If I didn’t already use Camera+, this would likely be my next choice. For the cheapies out there, this one rings in at the optimal price of FREE. I am not a huge fan of the generic “awesomize” feature, though if you are looking for a mindless way to improve most photos in a single click, this may meet your desire. Something I DO like is that Camera Awesome allows you to toggle over to video mode, whereas my app of choice, Camera+, leaves you stuck in strictly-stills mode.
2) Calendar
Initially using the built-in Calendar on my 4S, I had no real issues with the app. More than anything, it was the multitude of alternative calendar apps available that got me to wondering how many different ways there were to design a digital calendar. Make no mistake, there are MANY, my friends!
After some online homework, I settled on Week Calendar, primarily because I agree with their premise that the primary look that most of use in day-timers or agendas is… wait for it… a WEEK. Surprisingly, this feature is not available on many of the calendar apps. With some minor tweaking of the settings, one can craft this app into exactly what you need to stay organized, without having any unnecessary features cluttering up the process. I have continued to check out other apps but have settled quite happily on Week Calendar.
If you want other alternatives, you could start with investigating Calvetica Calendar or QuickCal Mobile, to name but two of the options out there.
3) Twitter
My Twitter frequency and usage increased markedly when I purchased my iPhone. For starters, Twitter is just a lot more enjoyable to use on my phone, so much so that I seldom even check it on my computer anymore. A couple reasons come to mind: 1) I love being able to rifle through the latest tweets when I just have a minute or two to spare. Those quick peeks, spread through the day, allow me to stay on top of the pile, quickly starring favourites for later, and never feeling much burden in the task of keeping up. 2) Tweetbot.
Like my journey with Calendar, I had no real beefs with the pre-loaded official Twitter app, aside from wanting the ability to schedule and disperse tweets over time. The search for that feature led me to Tweetbot, which does NOT possess that feature at all! (If Tweetbot ever adds the ability to schedule tweets, they will have perfected this creation.) However, if there is a better app for my Twitter-life than Tweetbot, I have yet to find it. The cheapskate in me balked at paying a couple bucks for an app to replace the free-and-not-obviously-flawed Twitter app. The rest of me has never looked back since growing accustomed to the sleek design and smooth usability of Tweetbot. If you’re looking to enhance your Twitter experience, join the Tweetbot team. You will not be disappointed.
How about you? Any “app upgrades” that you would deem most worthy? Any moves you made that you ended up undoing afterward?
Comment below to share. I would love to learn from you.
One memory from math class somewhere along my childhood was the day we learned about direct proportionality. This describes a relationship where one figure’s increases or decreases will impact another figure with equally proportioned increases or decreases.
An easy example would display the relationship between hours worked and wages earned: Work twenty hours at a given wage, then work forty hours at the same wage. The second instance will see you double your salary.
However, the world is filled with realities where direct proportionality is not in play.
Ever find yourself logging longer hours, in the quest to boost productivity? You may want to “check your math”. According to Jessica Stillman, there is much reason to be wary of those “over-forty” hours. The “bang for your buck” may be seriously lacking; it may even be bankrupting you.
Last week, we learned how to make fire with a block of ice! Today, we’ll dig into the slightly-more-practical folder.
David Kadavy offers this tip on how to chase higher levels of productivity earlier in your workday… and perhaps more simply than you might think.
He opens like this:
The hardest part of doing most things is just starting. We often think about how big of a project we have ahead of ourselves, and that’s what makes it hard to start. I know when I was writing my book, it seemed like most of my day was spent fighting the agony of just getting started. It was hard to ignore just how big of a project it was.
Thankfully, I’ve found a great hack for getting started. It’s called The 10-Minute Hack.
To continue, head over HERE.