It's About Time

Ok, my laptop is officially dead and I am officially behind and will probably remain so for the next few days while I scramble to get back up to speed. Fortunatley I knew this was coming and I have everything backed up! It was, afterall, an almost 7 year old iBook G4 that's literally been around the world and survived two, count'em, two motherboard transplants.

When was the last time you backed up all your important stuff? Do yourself a favor, save some time, frustration and money and do it now!

Speaking of time...

Successful time management can be challenging, especially to those who are new to freelancing or being self-employed.

When you have a boss telling you what to do and when to do it by, it’s much easier to prioritize and figure out what needs to be done and when. But when you’re not only dealing with client deadlines but also all of the day-to-day parts of running a business, on top of trying to maintain some sort of life outside of work, time management gets a whole lot trickier.

The smart folks at Smashing Magazine are sharing sixteen tips to help you better manage your time and find the time to participate in the things that are important to you. Also included are some further resources to improve your time management.

If you've got the time, or if you're in need of some, this is a great place to start: How To Find Time For Everything.

That's Right,

HMK

Anatomy of a To-Do

This is an older post from the smart folks over at 43 Folders that I find myself re-reading every few months or so in my effort to getting things done in the most efficient way possible.

The primary idea of a to-do is that it’s a task that can and should be done – a point that might seem obvious until you start uncovering how many of the items on your to-do list may not belong there (or, conversely, how many uncaptured items do).

The best and most useful to-dos share common qualities:

It’s a physical action.
It can be accomplished at a sitting.
It supports valuable progress toward a recognized goal.
It’s something for which you are the most appropriate person for the job.

Glancing at your own to-do list, do you see any potential troublemakers?

Notice any items that make you squeamish?

Any mystery meat tasks that seem "un-doable" as is?

Relax. 43 Folders will have you shaped up in no time.

I dig using John Blyberg's awesome Card Generator to create my list and then make it my monthly, impossible to ignore, laptop screen saver.


That's Right,

HMK