20 TIPS FOR GOOGLE SEARCHING

Studies show that Google is the most popular search engine, and it continues to garner more and more of the search market. To get the most out of your searches, read 20 Tips for More Efficient Google Searching.

GET AN IMPORTANT TASK DONE BEFORE YOU CHECK YOUR E-MAIL

This E-mail management tip comes from a lawyer productivity blog, but it has application way beyond the legal field:

Try this technique. Get one project completed in the morning before you even open your e-mail client. Time management experts tell us that we should try to get the most important thing we have to do that day done first. So complete your most important job before you open your e-mail, even if you are like me and a lot of your "real work" is done via e-mail. This is not an original thought by any means. I'd encourage all of you to read"Geek to Live: Control Your Workday"by LifeHacker's Gina Trapani. But this makes so much sense because reading your e-mail puts you in the reactive mode. Getting an accomplishment under your belt first thing may make the day go better. Perhaps the greatest benefit of adhering to this practice is that you will hopefully never again find yourself working after 5 p.m. (with your family holding dinner for you) on what should have been a short project when you've known all day that it had to be completed today. At first I thought this was a good idea that wouldn't work for me because always check my e-mail from home before I leave for work in case I want to contemplate anything on the commute. But then I thought that is why it should really work for me once I arrive.

Source: Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog, "E-Mail Overload, Redux"

Keeping Focused at Work

From Dave Cheong, 18 ways to stay focused at work:

Write out a daily task list and plan your day.

Allocate time slots colleagues can interrupt you.

Apply time boxing (instead of working at something till it is done, try working on it for a limited period, say 30 mins. By that time, the task is either completed or you allocate another time slot, perhaps in another day, to pick it up again)

Setup filters in your email.

Do not check personal email in the morning.

Set your IM status.

Listen to the right types of music.

Use the headphones but leave the music off.

Fill up a water bottle.

Find the best time to do repetitive and boring tasks.

Bring your lunch and have it at your desk.

Don’t make long personal calls.

Clean up your desk.

Get a good chair.

Use shortcuts on your computer.

Close programs you’re not using.

Limit time on Digg, Delicious, news sites and blogs.

Change your mindset and make work fun.

TIPS FOR WRITERS ON HOW TO FOCUS

Matthew Stibbe offers 11 tips to help you focus on your writing work when you have a deadline to meet. Many of these tips are also useful for getting anything done on a computer. Here's a quick overview - visit How to Concentrate on Writing for the full version of each tip:

1. Switch off email.
2. Isolate myself.
3. Think about Greed and guilt.
4. Stop with the blog already.
5. Get up early.
6. Give yourself little treats.
7. Chunking.
8. Go full screen.
9. Switching Word into full screen mode.
10. Shitty first draft.
11. Change location.

Planning your Workspace at Home

More and more of us are telecommutors or otherwise work from home, at least part time. Much bandied about advice to be productive when working from home is to have a dedicated "work" area. Here are some things to consider when planning out your workspace, courtesy of 10 Ways To Help You Plan Your Home Office For Productivity, And Comfort - 1000cellphoneaccessories.com:

1. First figure out what you want this space to be able to accommodate.

2. Develop a floor plan and begin to draw where all of your equipment will go.

3. Don’t estimate the space - get out that measuring tape and measure where everything will go.

4. Plan for your plug-ins - electricity, phone jacks, etc.

5. Keep in mind who will be using the space - just you, your kids, your partner?

6. Check out the latest furniture, including home furniture that will store your computer and other electronic equipment.

7. Don’t forget miscellaneous storage space for all your supplies.

8. Remember storage for your paper filing, books, magazines, etc.

9. Plan for enough flat workspaces - desk, drafting table, folding tables for collating and big projects.

ARE CUBICLES ANTI-PRODUCTIVE?

The use of cubicles in offices is often thought to enhance productivity, by enhancing informal communication. However, there is growing concern that cubicles lead to lack of concentration. The restriction on reflection and deep thought may produce more harm than the benefits arising from unstructured communication.

Death to the Cubicle!

Quick Productivity Tip

Turn off the ringer on your phone and let voice mail pick up your calls for a while.