Archive for productivity – Page 2

Handwriting in the Digital Age

I’ve always admired people with good handwriting. It’s a skill (or talent) that I simply do not possess, and likely never will.

Here’s an article that gives some reasons why good handwriting is still a good thing.

Project Management with Google Apps?

There are hordes of free and non-free project management tools available, especially online.

If someone wants a reliable system and doesn’t want to spring for Basecamp or any of the other myriad of systems available, what is he or she to do?

Well, with the addition of Google Sites to the Google Apps suite, we have one more option to try out. I’ll be giving it a shot for one of my projects.

While it’s not a true project management system, it does provide an easy way to create new projects (simply create a new site) and group all the required files in one place. You can easily create pages with lists or whatever you need to track with the built-in page templates.

Some of the helpful links I found:

http://www.enterprise-dashboard.com/2008/02/29/google-sites-dashboards-project-management-dashboard-example

http://sites.google.com/a/altostrat.com/project-eggplant/Home

https://uto.asu.edu/blog/2008/02/29/strap-on-your-rocket-shoes-google-sites-for-asu

http://meetings.abanet.org/ltrc/index.cfm?data=20080317 (scroll down to the second post)

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P.S. I made a 17 minute video explaining how to use Google Apps for project management in more detail.

To get lifetime access, including future updates, enter your information and press the button below:

— Currently not available —

It’s risk-free! If you don’t like it for any reason, just let me know within 30 days and I’ll paypal you back a 100% refund.

The Canon MX310 Scanner/Copier/Fax Wondermachine!

My old Visioneer flatbed scanner recently died…no big loss because I was having trouble getting drivers for it.

It’s hard to find a scanner now without also buying a multifunction machine.

What I ended up with is the Canon MX310. I bought it from Costco for $95.

It’s a great little piece of equipment. It can do:

  • Flatbed Scanning (duh!)
  •  Sheetfed scanning (30 sheets instead of the standard 10 in this class)
  • Color and B/W copying (and the color copies are surprisingly good)
  • Fax

Now I’ve not had the need for a fax machine before, but interestingly I faxed 3 or 4 documents in the first week of owning it. Sometimes it’s just easier and faster to fax rather than email a scanned document.

Free Camtasia Plus Inexpensive Tutorials

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard about Techsmith’s big giveaway of Camtasia 3.

It’s a fantastic tool for doing full motion screen capture video.

Granted, it’s not the most recent version, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless.

If you haven’t grabbed your copy and registration key, do so right away:

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Camtasia Studio download:

http://download.techsmith.com/camtasiastudio/enu/312/camtasiaf.exe

Camtasia Studio Key:

http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/pcpls.asp

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Next, do yourself a favor and check out this fantastic Camtasia tutorial. I just bought it myself and it has already saved me hours of time learning and experimenting:

Recipe for Producing Hot Video Tutorials with Camtasia

It’s about 60 pages with many screen shots to explain everything you need to get started.

Mind Mapping Resources

I stumbled across this cool Squidoo lens:

http://www.squidoo.com/mindmapresources

(Have I mentioned how much I love Squidoo? You can find a link to my lenses on the right hand side of this blog.)

True to it’s description, it covers just about every Mind Map application available: free and paid, online and offline. Plus, there’s a bunch of help for using Mind Maps.

Don’t waste another second, Mind Maps can be an incredibly effective tool for learning and for organizing your thoughts, and this Squidoo lens is just what you need.

http://www.squidoo.com/mindmapresources

How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years

This article contains some helpful tips for keeping your XP machine alive.

We marketers can’t afford to have our computers running less than optimally, and certainly we don’t have time to mess around with a broken operating system.

Check it out!

Choosing an accountant for your online business

Here’s a great blog post:

http://fortuito.us/2007/06/how_to_pick_an_accountant_for

And another blog post, focused on how graphic artists can save tax dollars — but applicable to all marketers:

http://junewalkeronline.blogspot.com/2007/02/designers-dozen-tax-saving-tips-for.html

Become a Better Blogger

This post on LifeHack.org has some really great ideas for bloggers.

Even if you have been blogging a long time, certainly one of these 101 tips will benefit you.

The value of a mentor

If you have found yourself “stalled” in your business, consider doing what many others have done to get “unstuck”.

Find a mentor.

Locate someone who has achieved what you aspire to achieve, and hook up with them.

You may have to pay them. That’s ok. It means you’ll be more likely to listen to what they say, if your money is on the line.
Take some time to find someone who is a good fit for you and the goals you have in mind.

Many mentoring programs have a guarantee.

Think about it.

New Quickbooks Site

I’ve launched a new Quickbooks site:

http://www.quickbooksrevealed.com.

If you use Quickbooks, check it out!