Maintain Office Productivity with These Tips

June 27, 2012 5:00:16 PM

How To Stay Productive After Work

lifehacker.com

 After a long, hard day at work, the last thing many of us want to do is go home, buckle down, and go to work on something else. It can be tempting to just fall down on the couch, order a pizza, and then stumble off to bed, but doing that means you never use your free time to learn a new language, read a good book, start your own blog, or work on any of the personal projects that you're passionate about. So how do you resist the temptation to do nothing when you're not working? Here are some tips.
Inspired by this thread at Hacker News , we asked you not too long ago how you made time for your pet projects when your willpower and energy reserves are running low. If there's anything both threads taught us, it's that there's no shortage of ways to stay motivated and productive when you feel like you're running on empty.

Get Started As Soon As You Get Home

A number of you said that if you wait until you've had dinner or spent some time with your family, it's too late and your energy is gone—you're too far out of "the zone" to really get back into it. The solution? Walk through the door, say hello to everyone, and head right for your workspace at home to do a little work. Whether it's a few minutes or an hour, getting started as soon as you get home and you're still in work mode goes a long way. Photo by AISPIX by Image Source (Shutterstock).
Commenter seewhatIdidthere1 says :

For me, body in motion tends to stay in motion, body at rest tends to stay at rest. If I want to get something done after work, I need to keep moving and not sit down and rest until I'm ready to call it day. For me at least, I literally avoid sitting down when i get home if there are other things I want to get done. Once I sit down, the odds me getting the next thing accomplished get cut in half.

Get Out Of the House

If the siren song of your couch or bed is just too much for you to bear, the key for you to make headway on your pet projects may be to get out of the house and go somewhere you can work or learn something new. Head out to your local hackerspace to get your DIY on, or drop by your favorite coffee shop to do some writing or coding. Reader cellophane suggests taking a class that keeps you out of the house, and reader William Mize says :

I'm working on my third novel, and I find that if I walk through my front door, I'm sunk.

There's Netflix, there's snacking, there's plenty to distract me from doing my pages for that day.
Instead, I stop by the Panera that is between my day job and my home.
I go there, order a healthy meal, open up my laptop and hit my word count before I go home.

Then, once there, I can enjoy guilt free laziness.

Give Yourself 10 Minutes. Just 10 MInutes

Lifehacker Editor-in-Chief Adam Pash gives himself 10 minutes in the evening to work on his pet projects , sometimes more, never less. If he can drag himself off the couch for 10 minutes of focused work, that's a success—and at the end of that 10 minutes, if he feels like working some more, he does. If he feels like closing up shop and going back to the couch, he does. The important thing here is that he makes himself get started, and even on those nights when he doesn't feel like doing anything, he at least gets 10 minutes of progress towards his goals. Photo by bendao (Shutterstock).

Pick Projects You Love

One of the best ways you can make sure you'll have the energy and the drive to work on the things that matter to you is to pick projects that you're passionate about and you're naturally drawn to. If you love something, you'll be much more likely to dedicate some of those precious after-work hours to it. Says commenter alterno2k7 :

Easy. Sign up for stuff you love.
I have Danish lessons and salsa lessons in the afternoon. If you already paid for them, you are gonna show up. Plus the feeling is so good when you are there, and you are productive without really being proactive on those days when you are really tired.

Reader mindar101 reiterates the point :

"The best exercise is the exercise that you'll do." Brilliant and so true, and also true for hobbies. Choose hobbies and side projects that you'll look forward to when you get home. Avoid things that you 'want yourself to do' but that will get all of two days' worth of attention from you, and then leave you sitting in front of the TV feeling even more rotten.

Make Sure You Get Some Exercise

Want more energy, or more hours in your day? Exercise. It may seem counterintuitive, but exercise is key. Even a walk around the block will make you feel energized, and the benefits grow with more regular and frequent activity. Reader Ben Bond summed it up nicely :

First, I find that exercising in the evening gives me energy for the rest of the night. Even a 15 or 20 minute walk right after work boosts my energy immediately. Second, going to a different location forces me to focus.

If you're not making time to exercise, that may be the first thing you want to do—if you can fit in a 20-30 minute workout into your day, you'll feel the results almost instantly, and while you shouldn't give up sleep, you'll at least be more motivated to do the things you've always wanted to do instead of wasting the evening in front of the TV. Photo by Mircea Bezergheanu (Shutterstock) .

Schedule It and Keep It in the Front of Your Mind

If you use some energy earlier in the day scheduling and thinking about your projects, it'll be easier to respond to an alarm or a beeping phone later in the day and go to work. Commenter MischiefMack also pointed out how important planning is , and suggested you get started thinking about your pet project before you even leave the office, so you're pumped and ready to tackle it when you get home. When you do get home, have a very specific goal to accomplish, and get started. Mad Molecule also stressed the importance of specific goals :

First, plan what you want to do with your evening ahead of time. When making this plan (and all plans), BE SPECIFIC. "I want to be productive" is not specific. "I will finish ten pages of this screenplay," "I will clean and organize the hall closet," "I will set fire to the homes of half of my enemies"—these are specific goals.

Speaking of goals, one commenter at Hacker News makes his goals for each night public so he has to stick to them—every day at lunch, he emails his friend with what he wants to accomplish when he gets home. Then, when he gets home, his friend has responded with a little encouragement (and a desire to see the progress), which motivates him to get busy before it gets too late to work.

Stop Working After Work and Get Up Early Instead

If coming home and working on that app you're developing just seems too daunting for you, maybe the key isn't trying to summon the energy to do more when you're tired, and instead giving in to the temptation to go to bed early. The earlier you go to bed, the earlier you can wake, and if you can wake up a little earlier, you can carve out some time in the morning to work on your pet project, read that book you've been meaning to read, or do some development on that new webapp you want to build. Plus, getting up early has other benefits , the least of which being it makes the start to your day much less stressful.

Forgive Yourself When you Stumble

Finally, realize that you won't be productive every night. Some nights you'll stay on the couch, and others you'll just forget to do what you meant to do. That's okay—forgive yourself and pick up again the next day. Remember, productivity isn't everything, and if you beat yourself for being unproductive on a night where you really just needed to rest, you run the risk of growing to resent your project and giving up on it entirely. Another commenter at Hacker News makes this point completely clear :

1. Let go of the guilt of not being productive.
2. Let go of any other guilt or pressure to do something more valuable with your time or improve something that you already know how to do.
3. Accomplish a small goal that is unrelated to your larger goal. The more unrelated, the better. If your goal is to start a company, teach yourself calligraphy instead or learn how to prune a fruit tree.
4. Once you're feeling good again, you know, where you feel good doing stuff after your normal work, take a look at your original goal. Can you start working on it again? Has the break given you a fresh perspective on it? Can you break it down into small achievable chunks now?
5. If yes, do that. If no, go back to 1.

What are some of your best after-hours productivity tips? Have any more suggestions for how to stay motivated to work on your passions when your day job has left you tired? Share them in the comments below. Photo by eurobanks (Shutterstock).
Title photo by StockLite (Shutterstock).

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10 Tips for Being Ultra Productive

June 27, 2012 4:45:20 PM

How to Be Ultra Productive — 10 Tips for Mastering Your Time Now | Psychology Today

www.psychologytoday.com

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." – William Penn
"Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can't afford to lose." – Thomas Edison
"It's how we spend our time here and now, that really matters. If you are fed up with the way you have come to interact with time, change it." – Marcia Wieder
Do you ever wish you had more time to do everything? Have you had days that were busy but inefficient? Would you like to be highly productive, feel accomplished at the end of each day, with even time to spare?
The following are ten tip to help master your time, interspersed with thoughtful quotes, many of which from well known, successful individuals who have (obviously) made good use of their time.
1. Do not confuse busyness with productivity . Highly productive people are often less busy than those who are overworked and overwhelmed.

"It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" – Henry David Thoreau
2. Do not confuse the urgent with the important. Last-minute distractions from yourself and especially others are not necessarily priorities.
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." – Steve Jobs
"If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got." – Lee Iacocca
3. The key to time management is self-management.
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." – Michael Altshuler
For tips on successful self-management, see my articles  Are You a Poor Communicator? How to Improve ,  Seven Ways to Say "No" and Keep Good Relations , and Eight Keys to Life Hardiness and Resiliency .
4. Remember the 80/20 rule of time management , which tells us that 80 percent of the importance of what we do in any given day lies in only twenty percent of the activities. Therefore, if you focus on accomplishing the top twenty percent of the most important tasks, you will feel more productive and satisfied at the end of the day.
"One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man gets a full year's value out of a week." – Charles Richards
"I get paid not by how many hours I work, but by the importance of the problems I solve." – Anonymous

5. Use a good day planner. The best ones give you at least one full page (or screen) per day, with space allocated for each working hour of the day.
"I must govern the clock, not be governed by it." – Golda Meir
6. Separate obligatory time from discretionary time. In your day planner, block out all the times when you're committed to others to be at a certain place at a certain time, such as meetings, conferences and other appointments. What's not your obligatory time is your discretionary time. This is the time you can manage.
"Realize that now, in this moment of time, you are creating. You are creating your next moment. That is what's real." – Sara Paddison
7. List: At the beginning of each day, write down a bullet-point list of everything you would like to accomplish this day.
"Make use of time, let not advantage slip." – William Shakespeare
"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
8. Prioritize: Next to each bullet-point item, assign an "A" if this is a "must do" item for today, a "B" for "should do" and a "C" for "could do." For large projects, break it down into small parts and prioritize. Divide-and-conquer.
"For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned." – Benjamin Franklin
"The key is in not spending time, but in investing it." – Stephen R. Covey
9. Implement: Focus on accomplishing your "A" list with your discretionary time. Check off each item as it's complete. With this system, even if you only accomplish twenty percent of your entire list for the day, you still would have accomplished eighty percent of the most important work.
"Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else." – Peter F. Drucker
10. What you don't finish today, transfer to your list for tomorrow and reprioritize.
In conclusion, when we manage our time wisely, we can be at our productive best, so we can enjoy life more and rest!
"Time equals life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life." – Alan Lakein
For more on personal success, download free excerpts of my publications "Communication Success with Four Personality Types ", " How to Communicate Effectively and Handle Difficult People ", and " Wealth Building Attitudes, Values, and Habits ".
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Preston Ni, M.S.B.A. is available as a presenter, workshop facilitator, and private coach. For more information, write to commsuccess@nipreston.com , or visitwww.nipreston.com .
© 2012 by Preston C. Ni. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Best Home WiFi Routers - Summer 2012

June 27, 2012 5:10:56 PM

Five Best Home Wi-Fi Routers

lifehacker.com

 Buying a wi-fi router these days is no easy task. Long gone are the days where one model rose above the rest: now there are routers with different features, some that focus on range, others that focus on speed, and still others with advanced features like NAS support and traffic shaping options. This week we're going to take a look at five of the best home wi-fi routers, based on your nominations.
Earlier in the week, we asked you which wireless routers you thought were the bestfor customization, range, signal strength, and features. You responded with more nominees than we could feature here, but a few models really rose out of the pack and were your clear favorites. Here they are:

Linksys WRT54G Series

The venerable Linksys WRT54G has long been one of the most hackable wireless routers on the market, and while they're a little trickier to come by these days, they're still widely available and if you can get your hands on one, you won't find another router that supports both the DD-WRT and Tomato alternate router firmwares better and more smoothly. Even though it's an 802.11g model and lacks 802.11n, and the range and speed of some of its more modern rivals, it's a rock solid router with a well earned fan base. It may be end-of-life from Linksys' perspective, but they do keep a well-updated support page dedicated to it. There's a reason this model has its own entry here.

Apple Airport Extreme /Express

A number of you nominated the Apple Airport Extreme and Airport Express for their simple configuration, minimal design, and remarkably low price point for what you get. It's not terribly hackable, and you're not going to buy an Airport model and go home planning to install custom firmware, but you will be able to slip an Airport Express in your pocket or suitcase and be able to set up or extend a wireless network anywhere you go (or plug it into any set of speakers to make them Airplay compatible), and you will be able to set up an Airport Extreme in a matter of minutes and have a cozy dual band 802.11n blanket over your whole house. The Express sports a pair of 10/100 Ethernet ports on the back, and the Extreme boasts four gigabit Ethernet ports for other devices. Both offer USB ports for connected devices like printers or (in the case of the Extreme) NAS devices. If you want a truly fire-and-forget router, the Airport Extreme is a good choice.

Netgear N Series (WNDR Models)

Netgear has come a long way, and its N-series (also known by their model numbers, WNDRXXXX) wireless routers are proof. PC Mag issued the N750/WNDR4000 an Editor's Choice award (and I'm a happy owner of one!) and the N900/WNDR4500 is one of the most powerful and speedy dual-band 802.11n home routers on the market today. Many of Netgear's N-series routers are compatible with DD-WRT, but even if you're not the type to flash your router's firmware, Netgear's own firmware offers quality-of-service controls, advanced access and parental controls, support for dynamic DNS, advanced wireless security options, and offer support for NAS devices and printers connected via USB. They range in price, and many of the better ones are definitely on the high-end, but in this case you get what you pay for.

ASUS RT Series

You may not think of ASUS when you think of wireless routers, especially if you haven't purchased a router in several years, but the ASUS RT series, specifically theASUS RT-N56 and RT-N66 models, combine great features and sharp looks into a networking package that offers dual-band 802.11n, support for connected devices like printers and NAS devices via USB, and some of the strongest signal strength and range available. Plus, most of ASUS's models support builds of DD-WRT or Tomato, so if you want even more control over the router's features, it's readily available to you. The RT-N66 even has detachable antennae that you can swap out for higher-powered versions that you can either buy (like the Mohu Bounce ) or build yourself .

Linksys E Series

When Linksys started to phase out the WRT54G series, they started to direct customers to the E Series—their easy-to-configure (and sharp-looking) replacement models. Every member of the E Series is an 802.11n router, and many of you praised them—specifically the E4200 —for their blend of features, simple setup, range and signal strength, and the fact that many of the E-series routers are compatible with DD-WRT, so you can flash the firmware and get even more features once the router is set up the way you like. Linksys' price point is attractive as well, and even if you opt not to flash the firmware, you can very affordably buy a router that takes moments to set up and needs little maintenance after the fact. It doesn't hurt that many of Cisco's routers specifically support household features like VoIP and traffic shaping for things like torrents, putting some relatively advanced features in the hands of people who may have been intimidated by them before.
Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all out vote to decide the winner!


No honorable mentions this week, as the next one down the line had fewer than half the nominations of the least nominated member of the top five, but if you think your favorite model got shortchanged, let us know why in the comments below! Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week . Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com !
Photo by nrkbeta .

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Build a Secret Bookcase Box

i 

Do you need a way to hide something of a bigger size, like bigger than would fit inside a hollow book?  Here is another idea using books and a book case.  This is only limited by the size of box you use and the number books you are willing to sacrifice to create the cover to the box.  So let's get started.

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Supplies:  A sturdy cardboard (mine was a box that held dish washer tablets) Books (enough to cover one side of the box) White glue E-6000 glue Table saw Tape measure Box knife


Blue painters tape


Sand paper

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If needed remove the flaps on the box with the box knife. 


Make sure that you have books enough to cover the front of the box.

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«

Using the blue tape, wrap a layer around the book close to the spine.  Do this to all the books.

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Set the table saw blade at 2 inches.  The goal is to cut 2 inches of the spine, off from each book.   

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We have a fine blade on the saw.  We put the blade up as far as it would go,

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but we had to turn more than one book over, and run it through from the other direction, removing the spine from the body of the book.  Recycle the left over body of the book.

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Don't remove the tape yet.

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Apply white glue to the cut end of papers, to make them a solid mass.  Let it dry.

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If your box has a glossy surface, sand it to make it less glossy, thus allowing the glue to stick to it. 

Remove the blue tape.

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Put some E-6000 glue on the sanded side of the box.  Place the cut end of a book spine on the glue, lining the bottom and side up with the bottom and side of the box.  For the each of the next book spines, put E-6000 glue on the side of the previous book spine and on the next section of box.  Stick the next book spine to the previous book spine and the box.  Keep the bottoms aligned with the bottom of the box.  Do this with all the rest of the spines until the front of the box is covered with book spines.

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Let it dry, up to 24 hours, it takes that long for E-6000 to cure.

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Now stick it in your book case, high enough that you can't see down into the box, and put books beside it, on both sides.  It is ready to keep your precious treasures away from spying eyes.  Enjoy.

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Facebook & Work: What you need to know

Post Interview Questions

6 Job Searching Tips Most People Skip

March 22, 2012 9:44:00 PM

6 Crucial Job Searching Steps Most People Skip | Wise Bread

www.wisebread.com

After making the decision to look for a new job, most job seekers put together a resumé and then start networking and marketing themselves to potential employers. Naturally, you hope to attract interest and win a job offer as soon as possible.
Fueled with the desire to take positive action quickly, however, you may skip important aspects of your job search. Even if unhurried, you may not realize that figuring out what you want in a job and an employer helps you increases your chances of getting hired.
Here are crucial steps that people often miss when conducting a job search. (See also:10 Outdated Job Search Techniques to Avoid )

1. Defining Your Ideal Job

You may jump into a search without considering what's best for you because you do not want to limit job possibilities. But even when unemployment stats are high, defining your ideal situation helps to focus your job search. 
Specific areas to consider include:

• Work content and day-to-day responsibilities
• Expertise you hope to contribute
• Duties you'd like to avoid
• Organization size, structure, and style

Using this information, communicate career goals to your network as well as human resources managers and hiring managers.

2. Updating Your LinkedIn Profile

Many job seekers focus on polishing their resumés and cleaning up their Facebook walls, but neglect their LinkedIn profiles. Remember to do the following:

• Upload a recent, professional image of yourself
• Freshen your experience to include projects and accountabilities relevant to your job search
• Build and expand your network 
• Request and offer recommendations 
• List stand-out stuff about yourself to infuse your personality and drive for excellence into your professional online presence

Your LinkedIn listing validates your professional experiences through connections with and recommendations from your bosses, colleagues, customers, vendors, and other relationships.

3. Researching Workplace Culture

Job seekers often fail to investigate the workplace style of potential employers. But having the right cultural fit is a key factor in your appeal as a job candidate.
Research organizational practices and ways of thinking in these and other areas:

• Encouragement of innovation and risk taking
• Expectations for workloads and extended workdays
• Commitment to employee development in terms of training, assignments, and promotions
• Decision-making styles, from empowering independent action to requiring multiple layers of approvals

Talk with friends and acquaintances about their experiences with the company. Read news accounts. Look at job descriptions on your connections' LinkedIn profiles. Check out employee reviews at career sites such as Glassdoor . 
Determine if a potential employer is a good match with your professional values and approach to getting things done. Then, use this information to articulate why you are a great candidate for the company during interviews with human resources staff, hiring managers, and potential colleagues.

4. Learning About Interviewers

In the excitement of winning an interview, job seekers often forget to gather pertinent information about those who are interviewing them. You may be reluctant, but asking questions often places you in a positive light with hiring decision-makers. Plus, you gather valuable information for interviews and follow-up activities.
Find out these tidbits about your interviewers:

• Names and titles
• Contact information, including email and mailing addresses
• Positions (if not clear by title), such as who represents human resources, who is the department head, and who are potential colleagues

Learn about each interviewer's background by looking at her bio on the company's website or reviewing her LinkedIn profile, noting career progression and special interests. This information can help you understand how to frame your responses, shape questions, and manage the flow of conversation during the interview. Plus, you'll have the details you need to send a thank-you note.

5. Uncovering the Difference Between Official and Working Job Titles

Many job seekers do not take the time to truly understand all the terms that companies use to describe openings within their organizations. Even the most discerning person may draw incorrect or incomplete conclusions about a position based on its title and job description. What's crucial is grasping that there is often a gap between your understanding as a job seeker and the intent of the employer, which may have an unusual organizational structure or quirky corporate lingo.
So don't rely on job titles to identify positions for which you are qualified and don't assume that you are ill-suited for a job based solely on the written description. Do your best to vet opportunities by researching a company, its culture, and its representatives with whom you are interviewing. When you meet with hiring decision-makers, ask clarifying questions about work content so that you can be sure you understand the requirements. Then, use this knowledge to reference professional experiences, skills, and accomplishments most relevant to the job opening.

6. Sending Thank-You Notes

Many job seekers forgo sending thank-you notes because they think that this step will not play a significant role in the hiring decision. While it's true that many companies call back candidates before a message can be composed and delivered, proper follow up contributes to success in a job search.
Differentiate yourself from other candidates by thanking your interviewers. Craft a thank-you note that conveys your appreciation and solidifies your position as a strong candidate. In your written communications, reinforce the value of your capabilities and let the hiring manager know that you are truly interested in the opportunity. These messages increase the likelihood that you will receive an offer.