Andy McIlwain @ andymci.com

Ideas: Take note with Google Tasks! November 4, 2009

If you’re anything like me, you’ll often have great ideas when you’re nowhere near a computer: in the shower, out for a walk, laying in bed, etc.

These moments can really suck, because no matter how hard you try, you’ll likely forget whatever great idea you had.

The solution? Start recording your ideas as they happen, and stop forgetting them!

Great Ideas: Gotta collect em’ all!

The practice of collecting thoughts as they occur is a fundamental part of Getting Things Done (David Allen, 2002), a system I was introduced to back in September. The primary purpose of the GTD® system is to increase productivity and reduce stress, but a huge side benefit is simply having a common area to dump all your ideas into.

A post on DailyBlogTips (How Do Your Come Up, Store and Organize Ideas for Blog Posts?) also has some good feedback in the comments from folks who have their own methods of keeping track of ideas as they occur, be it through emails, drafted posts or good ole fashioned pen & paper.

It’s all common sense, but one of the biggest problems is finding the tool that fits your personal requirements.

My suggestion? Use Google Tasks.

I use Google Tasks for all of my side projects and day-to-day task management. If you have yet to find a system that works, give this a try.

Why do I use Google Tasks? Multiple lists, calendar integration and mobile support are the primary reasons.

No matter where I am, I can whip out my phone and quickly type in a reminder. The newly-created “task” will automatically sync with Gmail, any due dates will appear on Google Calendar and everything will be reflected on iGoogle.

And since I use 5 different devices (my office workstation, my home PC, my laptop, my netbook and my iPhone), this centralized system is a huge help.

If you’re in a similar situation, this could be an ideal solution for you.

Here’s a quick introduction to Google Tasks, directly from the folks at GOOG:

View Comments | Posted in Google, Neat Stuff

Mixing It Up: New Work, Different Setting September 10, 2009

I’m chilling at the Sleepless Goat Café on Princess St. in downtown Kingston, waiting for my lunch of Koodoo Noodles to arrive, typing away on my netbook while catching up on web trends through popurls.

I don’t usually do things like this, mind you. I typically spend my lunch hour at the office, working away while sipping at coffee. But I felt like I needed a change of pace… something new, something different, something to “shake up” the monotony of day-to-day routine.

Give and Take – Striking The Balance

Should I be concerned about the dip in productivity, now that I’m no longer using the lunch hour to get things done? Perhaps. But I do keep myself busy with productive activities (as noted above), even if the activities aren’t directly tied to ongoing office tasks.

Balance, they say, is an important part of life. Whatever the subject may be, nothing is good in excess, and that’s something that I really need to work on. I find myself settling into habitual activities all too often, and while I do like the stability of repetition, I also know that it lends itself to missed opportunity.

Sure, an hour a day may not be much for discovering untapped opportunity, but it’s better than nothing.

View Comments | Posted in Slice of Life