Oliver Starr is the Editor in Chief of GTDtimes. He is a well known blogger and technology evangelist as well as a serial entrepreneur and former professional athlete. Oliver is best known for being the founding blogger for MobileCrunch, a TechCrunch Network Blog as well as for his prolific writing and speaking on mobile technologies. You can learn more about Oliver and read some of his personal writing at his own blog, StarrTrek, which as he says “goes where no blog has gone before…”
Okay, if that headline leaves you scratching your head you are probably not alone. After all, doing nothing hardly seems like a way to get anything done, however, it is my aim to convince you that at times, doing nothing is the most appropriate next action.
As you know if you’ve been reading GTDtimes with any regularity, I’m fairly new to practicing GTD and I make no claims of being an authority on the subject. In fact, it’s a great privilege to be able to learn from so many knowlegeable and experienced GTD’ers as a direct benefit of editing this site. Nevertheless, I believe that I can make a strong case for my statement above because my experience in another arena has proven to me that sometimes it is the choice to do nothing that leads to better results in everything down the road.
Back when I used to race bicycles for a living I had a problem finding people who wanted to train with me. It wasn’t that I had no friends. The problem, it seemed was that I rode too hard on my hard days and too easy on my easy days. Most less experienced riders do exactly the opposite. Their hard days are not intense enough and their easy days are too intense to deliver optimum recovery. After more than two decades in the saddle, I had learned that having the discipline to take a day completely off and just do as little as possible was a key component in my training program.
Without taking the occasional day off your body never gets that chance to fully recover and recharge. Your energy level never reaches maximum, you never get totally re-hydrated and in the long run, the twenty, thirty, forty or fifty miles that you put in while I was hanging out watching TV weren’t the miles that won you the race, they were the nails in your coffin as I rode away on fresher legs over the final climb.
Similarly, I believe that we all need a mental break from time to time so that we have the ability to focus completely, to make good decisions about what our most appropriate next action needs to be and so that we are capable of putting forth our best effort when and where it can do the most good.
In the geek culture in particular, there’s a sort of masochistic pride we seem to take in logging the most absurd hours, taking the fewest days off and forgoing meals and coffee breaks to prove we’re working harder than the next guy. Frankly, if we were bike racers we’d be peeing off the bike on training rides instead of stopping like civilized people. (Yes, I know it sounds impossible, but it is actually something that a professional cyclist can do without wearing it - seriously) .
Peeing aside, the truth is that this sort of behavior leads to all sorts of problems. As a double-divorcee myself I can attest to this being counter productive to relationships, but there are other costs that are equally steep. Stupid mistakes like accidentally hitting the “send” button or misaddressing a scathing email, falling asleep in a crucial meeting or simply doing less than stellar work are all quite possible when you don’t factor some mental recovery into your productivity strategy.
Like an athlete who doesn’t realize that the body improves while recovering from the stress of training, not the training itself, an executive who works non-stop is cheating herself out of the mental recovery that can enable creative thinking, problem solving, or even simply relaxing enough to get a good night’s sleep.
People used to laugh at my training schedule when they’d see a day that said: Mileage Zero, Couch 9 hours - they figured it must be a joke until they saw me with the remote control a stack of videos and a big bowl of microwave popcorn - yet it made perfect sense to me to schedule my recovery with the same discipline with which I scheduled my other training.
The thing is I bet that not a single reader of this site has doing nothing as a next action anywhere on any list or scheduled on any calendar. Of course doing nothing is a little bit hard to categorize as a next action. Perhaps we should also add occasional inaction to our lists. Who knows, you might just discover the same thing that I did during my racing years: that sometimes a little bit time spent doing nothing leads to accomplishing something much bigger down the road…
HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT FOURTH OF JULY AND THAT EVERYONE TOOK THE DAY OFF!!!
One of our most prolific contributors, Eric Mack, has been hard at work developing a tool that has been called the ultimate GTD application for Lotus Notes. Now, after months of beta testing with select companies, Eric is about ready to release the application to the public. However, before he did this he wanted to do one last set of tests and get some additional real-world feedback.
As a result, you’ve got a chance to get a 24 hour preview of eProductivity for Lotus Notes and for those folks that put in the time and energy to give Eric the sort of detailed feeback he seeks, it seems you’ll get a preview license and also be entered into a drawing for a full version.
For more information you should head on over to Eric’s blog and check out the announcement for yourself. Also, if you do check out eProductivity and find that it is as useful as people have been saying, could you please comment here so that others will have the benefit of your experience? Thanks.
If you happen to be a road weary traveler who works in or even with any significant amount of technology, I am certain you would agree that accessing your data on the road is one of the banes of your existence. Between lugging your “desktop replacement” aka your carry-on boat anchor (so that you have all your critical data with you - just don’t forget your Chiropractor’s phone number) and attempting to remember which files you’re going to need and then synchronizing them to your small and light “travel computer” aka your anemic, expensive, carpal tunnel causing DVD player.
On the one hand you end up dragging around this behemoth computer that does everything you need (so long as you are within cord’s reach of a power outlet) while on the other, you have ample run time however your productivity is limited by how well you planned ahead as to which data you needed to synchronize as well as how quickly you succumb to the hand numbing discomfort courtesy of attempting to work on a cramped keyboard.
Personally, I have found a third solution that allows me to use any computer while on the road and so long as the computer I’m at has a reasonable Internet connection it is pretty much just like I’m sitting at my own desk, working on my own computer. LogMeIn isn’t really one program - rather it’s a company that provides an entire array of services that for the most part revolve around providing remote access and administration for one or more computers.
Their basic program, LogMeIn Free is free just like the name says. Unlike most free products, however, this is not a frustratingly crippled version of some functional program that is purely intended to force you to upgrade if you really want the promised utility. This is not the “walled garden demo-version”. In fact, LogMeIn Free is not only the version that I, myself, am currently using, it is so robust and provides so many sophisticated capabilities that there are literally certain things that this program allows you to do to a machine remotely that are all but impossible to do while physically sitting in front of the machine that you are accessing via the LogMeIn Free interface.
Most of the time having anxiety is a bad thing or so we’re told. From what the doctors say (and research seems to support them on this) anxiety can lead to a whole host of problems from high blood pressure and heart disease to troubled sleep, sexual performance issues, and even accelerated aging.
Luckily for me, the Anxiety I’m referring to actually starts with a capital “A” and is designed to reduce rather than increase the stresses of trying to remember too many things which need to be out of my head and into a trusted system - so long as you use a Mac. Sadly, only Mac users can get this particular form of Anxiety. PC owners will have to settle for the original version.
Anxiety is a cool little application that does one thing but seems to do it very well. It sits unobtrusively in your menu bar or your on your dock (or both), waiting patiently for you to enter something that you need to remember.
When you invoke it you are presented with an interface that is so simple that I don’t think it could be any simpler and still be functional. It lets you select the calendar where you want to save the task, provides room to enter the task and shows you how many tasks are open in that particular calendar.
The only other things that you can click from the interface is an icon that opens the preferences interface and a corner that allows you to horizontally resize the GUI. That’s it.
Entering a task is fast and simple and for basic “get it out of your head and somewhere fast” sort of work this is ideal. Invoking it using ActiveWords or Quicksilver would be even slicker.
My only complaint is that in order to provide further detail about something you’ve entered into Anxiety you have to open the item in iCal which adds an extra step and a second application to the chore of entering certain tasks.
The good news is that Anxiety is donationware so you can try it and use the full featured version absolutely free for as long as you like to figure out if it’s an application that wll work for you. With zero risk it’s probably worth a few minutes to see if adding a little Anxiety to your work day might be just what the doctor ordered after all…
At this time the details are sketchy, however this link: http://qik.com/video/97932 which is courtesy of Debi Jones of MobileJones appears to be CNN reporting that the new iPhone will be announced a little bit later this morning at the Mac Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Little else is known about the phone, though many analysts have suggested that it will have GPS in addition to the ability to connect to AT&T’s faster HSDPA network (where that network is actually available).
There has also been a consistent rumor that this phone will sport an improved camera, the ability to capture video as well as still imagery, and that it will have Flash capability.
Regardless of what people suspect and what the analysts, pundits and rumormongers churn out we’ll all know soon enough when “The Steve” steps on stage and says: “and here she is: the new 3G iPhone, the most advanced phone in the world. Isn’t she beautiful?” - oh wait, hasn’t he said that already in previous years???
A recent article in Newsweek asks this fascinating question: is EF more important that IQ as a determinant or predictor in scholastic and professional endeavors?
How that question gets answered may well be the most important single factor in determining the way our children will - or at least should- be educated. According to the article, studies conducted with preschool aged children showed that those kids educated using techniques that help to develop executive function performed far better than their conventionally educated peers.
What’s more, in spite of the fact that education for maximizing EF appears to be much more frivolous and playful then a traditional literacy oriented curriculum the EF groups significantly outperformed their matched peers in all areas included their subsequent ability to learn to read, write and correctly perform mathematical equations.
This new thinking has the potential to be transformational if the powers that be are willing to embrace the realities of this data. The facts are too powerful to ignore; they even answer some nagging questions about people that appear to have the brightest of headlights (IQ’s approaching 200) yet seem to be unable to match socks, tie shoes or arrive somewhere in a timely fashion.
The reasons for this may be based upon the very substantial differences between IQ and EF. According to one physician, Dr. Richard Petty who has just written a short article on the topic:
“There is an important idea in neurology and psychology called “Executive functioning.” This refers to our ability to be able to make and carry out plans, direct our attention, focus and also to control our internal states: our impulses and emotions and to be able to switch from one task to another. In other words it is a key part of our ability to self-regulate our behavior, mind and emotions.
I can’t help but wonder if this also means that there will soon be another disorder affecting children and adults: EFDD and AEFDD (Executive Function Deficit Disorder and Adult Executive Function Deficit Disorder respectively). I’m sure that the lab rats in the white jackets are already hard at work at Glaxco and SmithKline, Ortho, Lilly and the other big pharma firms…after all this is another multi-billion dollar blockbuster dream come true for the industry; a likely easily diagnosed, incurable but eminently treatable “condition” that requires a lifetime of medical maintenance. I can hear the aforementioned company’s CEO’s shouting “Hallelujah!” from here.
Earlier today I got the chance to get a personal tour of a new application called Presdo that makes it fast and easy to schedule meetings with one or more people. My tour guide was Presdo founder Eric Ly who also happens to be one of the co-founders of another little application called Linkedin. Eric and his very small team - which he calls one and a half people - has been laboring over Presdo for the better part of the last two years and it shows.
Presdo, unlike one of its principal competitors, Tungle, (previously profiled on GTDtimes here) is a completely web-based application which means there’s no client to download, no limit to the type of operating system it will work on and no need to integrate the software into any other product such as Outlook or Exchange.
Given the commentary of the past few days related to the expiration date issue experienced by users of Cultured Code’s “Things” application, I felt it was only fair to call attention to their post that allows them to fully express their side of the story.
The bottom line is that they’ve acknowledged the error and admitted that perhaps they could have done a better job with the information that the expiration note provided (which is exactly what I suggested in my second post on the issue).
I’d call this one finished. The software was repaired quickly, the company took responsibility for the problem and I think I’m the only one that’s any worse for the wear in the general scheme of things. That’s OK. I’m reasonably tough and considering where I’ve worked in the past I’ve definitely taken worse beatings…
Wow. I’ve taken a bit of a beating related to my commentary about the expiration date issue experience by users of “Things” the GTD oriented software by Cultured Code. When I authored the original post my intention was to point out that anything that causes a person to feel like there’s the possibility that their trusted system can’t be completely trusted is a pretty significant problem. My opinion was that having software expire unexpectedly, whether it is beta or not could cause some people to determine that such software is apt to surprise them again.
For Cultured Code I’d say that my commentary has actually been good for them. For one thing, it’s pretty clear that they’ve established a very loyal group of users - users so passionate that they’ve not only argued vehemently against my points, even against my acknowledgment of certain of those arguments, but took such umbrage to my commentary as to insult me personally and even insult this site in general. Those are some passionate users and the folks at Cultured Code ought to feel pretty good about that even if the behavior of some folks was - well - less than cultured.
One user wrote a particularly lengthy admonishment that argued that I should point out that Things is still in beta. Okay, no problem. Things is still in beta, still others pointed out that the problem was fixed very quickly (though how quickly is relative to what time zone you inhabit and when you discovered the issue), another comment points out that it was possible - at least according to the commentators Google search results - to extract your data with some process or other and of course people were quick to post work-around advice in the forums.
So perhaps my reaction was a bit too extreme - however what I will say is this; one of my reasons for the nature of my post was based upon what I’d read in the forums. What is interesting is that some of the people that have been the most vociferous in attacking me had their own none-too-pleased remarks previously… here’s a sampling:
I’m not sure if this is related to the other topic on the expiration of the alpha version, but I’d like to report that my version 0.9.1.1 has most definitely expired today. The version on the web site is the same as what I have on my Mac, and downloading this version gives the same message–version expired. The only options presented to me are to quit the application, or visit the web site (and do what!!).
It’s rather annoying to have my list of tasks unavailable at work today. I’d be quite willing to pay for a working version right now, if that were possible.Ditto. My 0.9.1.1 also expired - originally downloaded from the main website. Downloaded again but same error message.
I understand that it’s beta software but would it be possible to not lock us out of the data, please? I’m already impressed enough by Things to know I’ll be getting a copy when it comes out so your revenue from me is practically assured! Well, assuming I can get my data back!
Same here, definitely downloaded a fresh copy and it still won’t run. Now, let me explain why this is unacceptable:
Yes, this is a preview and we knew it would cost $ at some point, and might even expire. That’s fine, I’d definitely pay for this app. However, no exact expiration date was ever given explicitly in the program. I have a list of things to do this weekend that I now cannot get to, thanks to this surprise expiration.
This was a bad move on CC’s part. An expiration date should’ve been given so we could at least prepare for when the app would shut down and lock down our data.
Same here. Latest version, my entire GTD list locked up and unable to be accessed, and downloading makes no difference.
Like David above, I’d happily pay the $39 or $49, but not having access to my list is completely screwing up my day.
Yes - I’ve been a beta user for a few months now. I live and breathe via Things, Needless to say I was shocked to get the expiry message on my beta version. I’ve been planing to purchase as soon as version 1.0 hits the streets, I hope there is some resolution soon as my business revolves around these tasks.
I thought I might find a thread like this after I was greeted with a rude expiration message this morning!
Hopefully we can have a resolution soon.
Aaargh.. another frustrated Aussie here.. a long list of things to do in THINGS, and now i am locked out.. setting my date back will lock me out of the company VPN, but i guess i can just print out a hard copy and go back to my old/antiquated ways for a few days.. not that i want to though..
Oh, believe me, it’s happening here in the U.S. already! I just rebooted, and boom - there went Things.
It’s already 9:30PM here, so maybe by the time I wake up this will all be a distant memory… Yeah, wishful thinking, I know.
Bugger.
Makes you wonder if the Cultured Code crew use Things themselves?
My Things expired, too. This will definitely make me rethink using this program for my gtd items in future.
Yet another frustrated Aussie down here in Melbourne. tastiger stole my thunder: bugger, bugger, bugger.
not sure if I’m quite at that stage yet, but certainly it would be nice if Things offered web sync/ access similar to something like Evernote.
Cultured Code majorly dropped the ball on this one; see this thread for the main discussion
Yeah.. At least let us pre-pay for the app and continue to use the trial version.. or something.
I also have grown accustomed (uh.. full-on-addiction) to my list and don’t want to go mucking around with my dates. I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.
Wow, major party foul, Cultured Code.
Thank god I happened to check the forums tonight (still 5/15 for me, and pre-9:00). I’m saving those tasks as a PDF immediately.
Same here in Indonesia. Please do not lock the main window. For anyone who lives in +GMT this is a nightmare in the morning.
I imagine waking up to 600 angry/frustrated users that got locked out should be… interesting. (I, personally, sent a scathing-ish bug report.)
missed the main discussion and had posted elsewhere.
add my voice to disgruntled.
what I hate most about the type of incidents is that I’m not a big enough geek to know what’s actually gone wrong and who’s fault it is so I vainly attempt to rectify a fault that I assumed I caused.HELP! mine expired as well and I actually have IMPORTANT stuff in it! please do something about this ASAP culturecode coders.
I’m in trouble. I guess I shouldn’t have relied on a beta program - but I had no idea I could get locked out! I need my projects lists back!
There are more of course, but I’m sure you get the point. So I’ll wrap this up by saying that I don’t disagree that I may have reacted somewhat harshly to this particular problem and I will add that the folks at Cultured Code did a good job of supplying a fix as quickly as they could. Nevertheless, it seems to me that this whole situation could have been avoided in the first place if the expiration message was a little bit more informative so that people weren’t left hanging and not knowing what was going to happen to their data. This is simple enough to do, doesn’t cost anyone anything, shouldn’t be limited to 1.o versions and would have prevented the messages above.
Final words - to those that took exception to my commentary and did so with class and solid arguments; thank you. I am not afraid to admit when I am mistaken and I appreciate it when well meaning people take it upon themselves to call me on any errors or misjudgments I might make. To those of you that also disagreed with my commentary but took it upon yourselves to be rude and insulting instead of offering a contrary opinion, maybe you should consider decaff…
Users of Cultured Code’s “Things” GTD application were greeted to a rude surprise on Friday when they went to open their software. Instead of the usual interface which opens to display your current task list they (and I should say “I” since I’ve been using “Things” myself for the last couple of months) instead received a message telling them that their software had expired and that they needed to visit Cultured Code’s website.
If you’ve been keeping your tasks in their program, making it in effect a very significant part of your “trusted system”, the last thing you want to see when you go to look at what you need to do is a warning. Your mind races - what if everything there is lost, you wonder. What if there’s no upgrade available? Or if there is, that it overwrites my data and I lose all my tasks? Or what if it turns out to be too expensive and I can’t get my data out?
All of these are valid concerns, though fortunately for “Things” users, none of them turned out to be true. Upon clicking the link you were directed to the Cultured Code website where, after some poking around, since it was not readily apparent what to do about the software, you could simply download “Things” again and you’d be able to restore your task list to its original status. Whew..
Now, I’m not sure why Cultured Code handled the transition this way, and I’m not sure what is different about the new version that I was forced to install on my computer since it isn’t readily apparent and they didn’t bother to have any kind of an explanation in the “expired” warning, nor on their site either.
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