Unlock The Power Of Your Phone Using ChargeKey

Is your iPhone lacking extra juice?

The ChargeKey can fix that.

It has the power to charge your device discreetly, without the need to plugin your phone in a wall socket.

You can also sync your phone with iTunes using the gadget. It can fit inside small pockets, without bulking. You’ll never need another power bank ever again!

Taking on the size and shape of a car or house key, the device fits nicely with other pieces on a keychain. The lightweight power bank is designed for a rough urban or outdoor lifestyle. It can bend while charging and stay connected to your phone while hanging off your crowded desk.

The ChargeKey is compatible with other Apple gadgets such as the iPad and iPad Mini. If you’re a student who never likes to stay indoors, this device is for you.

ChargeKey For iPhone 5/5s/5c by NOMAD | The Gadget Flow

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Michael has a thing for SEO and the study of online conversion rates. He also trains for marathons and drinks a lot of water on a regular basis.

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Focus On Achieving Your Goals And Defeat Your Need For Perfectionism By Using The Completionist Mindset

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Reduce Stress Levels and Increase Your Willpower Using These 3 Stress Reduction Techniques

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Cut Down On Your Electric Bills By Using A Bamboo Sound Amplifier

Every day we use electricity for almost everything that we do. Whenever we use our computers, charge phones, and watch TV, we utilize electric.

In fact, every time we turn the lights on and use house appliances, we consume electricity. Accordingly, to survive these bleak economic times, any applicable measures to cut cost, especially household bills, can greatly contribute in our desire to save some cash. We can use those savings to buy additional basic needs, instead. For instance, we can purchase more healthy food.

That is why you’ll certainly welcome the brainchild of two brilliant guys into your doors, and into your hearts. Their new product, an eco-friendly amplifier called Loudbasstard, works with smartphones like the iTouch, iPhone, and the Samsung Galaxy 3, and other portable media devices.

Franz Ignacio, a New York based Filipino architect and Japanese-Filipino anthropologist Koh Onozawa fondly describe their cool invention, as a sustainable speaker that can operate without electricity.

So, how do you use this amplifier? While playing music on your phone, simply slip in your gadget into the hollow portion of the Loudbasstard. Upon properly edging your phone in, this wonder product will amplify the music. The concave shape of this electric-free amplifier will boost the sound of your gadget while listening to your favorite music.

Original Source – Gmanetwork

Becoming a competent, rather than just confident, speaker requires a lot of practice. But here are a few things you can consider to start sharpening your presentation skills: 18 Tips for Killer Presentations

Anthony is an expert broadcaster/professional blogger who is fueled by cappuccino and jazz music. If he's not busy writing for clients, and churning out ebooks for greenhorn broadcasters and freelance writers, he gives tips to entry level broadcasters and freelance writers on his site The Write Freelance

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How Risk-Averse Entrepreneurs Succeed: Low-Cost Testing Using Reddit, PayPal, In-Person Pressure, and More

Entrepreneurs are risk-takers… or so the story goes.

In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. Over the last 13 years in Silicon Valley, I’ve found that the homerun hitters are precisely the opposite: risk-averse. They mitigate downside whenever possible with low-cost and short-term testing. They’re often extremely ambitious and aggressive (e.g. Travis Kalanick of Uber or Elon Musk), but they aren’t remotely haphazard.

They’re methodical, and this is a learned trait.

The above video is a conversation between me, several first-time entrepreneurs, and Noah Kagan, CEO of AppSumo.com. In this video, Noah — who was an early employee at Facebook and Mint.com — covers his risk-minimizing methodologies:

In the first 20 minutes:
- His career path, including failures.
- How he has used low-cost testing in his own ventures.
- Why focusing on the small things (even trivial things) is a big thing.
- Common mistakes and coping mechanisms of first-time founders (e.g. seeking multiple co-founders).

In the second 40 minutes:
- Live critiques (in some cases, constructive tear-downs) of real companies and entrepreneurs.
- How entrepreneurs can make the jump from theory to revenue… in real-time.
- How you can immediately stop “playing business” without customer contact.

If you’re going to skip any part, skip the first 20 minutes. Though I enjoyed every minute, the last 40 minutes are especially must-see.

For more from Noah, be sure to check out his previous how-to posts on this blog, as well as his free upcoming course (9/26/13) on creativeLIVE: How to Overcome Fear and Get What You Want.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What tools or services have you found most valuable for low-cost business validation? Any other tricks?

Posted on August 8th, 2013

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Is Inactivity Slowing You Down? Reach Your Goals Using The Wisdom of Action.

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Using TED Conversations in the classroom

All semester, TED Fellow Nina Tandon has been using TED Conversations as part of her class in bioelectricity at Cooper Union. Yesterday in the TED offices, she hosted a Live TED Conversation to answer questions about using  TED Conversations in her class. Here are some highlights:

Sarah Meyer:  So your students asked questions of the TED community as they studied? Did any of their conversations get particularly good responses? Did you or your students learn anything from any of the comments?

Nina Tandon: We’ve been just blown away from the response — our TEDinClass Conversations, for example, have been trending in the top five for 9 weeks straight, and each conversation is being viewed in up to 60 countries. And in total, the conversations are reaching about half a million Facebook users via shares. The students are also learning a ton content-wise through responding to comments. And then there’s the more-difficult-to-measure but equally important lessons in poise and maturity that comes from leading. It’s been amazing.

Emily McManus: What did you worry about most when starting this experiment, and how did you control for it?

Nina Tandon: When we first started, I was worried most about coming up with topics with the right balance between being general enough to relate to the TED community and yet specific enough to relate to class material. I decided to just be upfront about this with my students and to ask them each week to check in and let us know their thoughts. I’ve noticed that as weeks go by that the students are having more and more fun with coming up with these types of questions. One common way we traverse between the “super specific” and the “general” is via analogy. One student last week, for example, hosted a conversation loosely based on an analogy to muscle fibers. He’d noted that we have different types of muscle fibers with different “specialties”: fast twitch and slow twitch — so he drew an analogy to collaboration between specialists and asked: “Does society need more interdisciplinary work? Or more well-rounded individuals working together?” I could never have predicted conversations like this to come out of my class, but am so heartened to see it happen!

Melinda Dvisa: I’ve been using TED Conversations as journal prompts in my class for the past year. My students can use their journals to come up with topics for writing or as pre-writing. It’s proven effective. I’m now teaching developmental reading, and I often select TED Conversations to feature authors. Again, this has proven popular.

Nina Tandon: Wow Melinda, these are all great ideas! Thanks for sharing :)

Join the latest conversation from Nina’s class: “How does virtuality translate into reality?“

Check out all the student-run Nina’s Class Conversations: www.ted.com/conversations/topics/Bioelectricity

If you have further questions, or are thinking about using TEDConversations in your classroom, please email us at conversations@ted.com and we’ll be happy to work with you!

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8 Things You Can Cook More Efficiently Using an Oven

We all want to make the best use of our time, and time in the kitchen is no exception. For many of us, cooking has become synonymous with drudgery — with that perennial question, “What’s for dinner?” striking a silent sigh from within.

Yet cooking from scratch is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and our families.

While I do make my living as a cook, I’m just like the rest of you. I don’t want to spend needless time in the kitchen at the end of a long workday…or on my days off. I also don’t want to have to fuss over sauces or stove top dishes that require constant supervision to save them from the risk of total ruin.

One of the best kept secrets for efficient and easy food prep in the kitchen I discovered early on was to use the oven — and for a lot more things than pies, cakes, or roast chicken. It really is the ultimate kitchen multi-tasking device. I can get a recipe written up and laundry done while the soup I’m going to have for dinner roasts quietly in the oven.

Using the power of dry heat is a kinder, gentler way of coaxing flavour from simple ingredients. Don’t believe me? Try roasting your green beans next time you think about steaming them.It’s mostly a “hands-off process” once you’ve completed all the preparation – the oven does all of the hard work. Perfect for those of us who work from home, or a Sunday afternoon…when you’re likely home anyway.If you have time (but not attention), the oven is the perfect way to cook. Just make sure you put a timer on — and like that commercial from the 80's used to say: Set it, and forget it!Despite the hype about low-cost fast food, cooking from scratch is cheaper — and better for you. Using the oven makes it easy to do that with very humble, inexpensive ingredients.There’s no special equipment needed. Think of your oven like a big slow-cooker. With multiple settings, no need for a new piece of equipment, and no loss of valuable counter real estate. I’ve had best success with cookware I already have –- sheet pans and parchment paper for many things, and cast-iron frying pans and pyrex casserole dishes for things that are a bit more fluid.Soup. Any soup that is going to be pureed and/or that requires a flavour base of browned aromatics (onions, carrots, celery, garlic) is much easier to do in the oven. A rough chop, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and finally a toss to lightly coat with oil. Bake at 375 degrees until everything is fork-tender. Puree in a large bowl with hot chicken stock and adjust seasonings. That’s it!Chickpeas and other dried legumes. Dried legumes are so much more frugal than canned, but usually involve soaking, rinsing and simmering. Cooking chickpeas in the oven is easy as placing them in a casserole with a heavy lid — no soaking required. Toss in a small onion, whole garlic clove and a bay leaf, cover with 1” of water and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours. Bake up a lot and you can freeze the extras with a bit of the cooking liquid for later use.Jam. Cooking jam the classic way involves cooking fruit and sugar on the stove top until it reaches that magical temperature of 220 degrees. This usually requires stirring to avoid scorching on the bottom, and sometimes some scorched fingers in the process as it bubbles up. Most jam recipes follow a basic ratio of fruit:sugar. Just follow this ratio, but spread everything out in large roasting pan. Cook at 300 degrees for about 2 hours, with a stir every 30 minutes or so.  It will get thicker as you get close to the end.Beets. Are you tired of trying to figure out how to peel beets without running the risk of maiming yourself? Roast them unpeeled! 350 degrees in an oblong pyrex pan covered with foil; there’s not even any oil needed – the moisture in the beets does it all. After 60-70 minutes (for medium-sized beets) they should be tender through. Slice off the top and bottom and the peels will slip off!  Chop up and store to use in salads, or for quick pickles through the week.Savoury salads. Roasted root vegetables make a great base for savoury salads. Roast these on a parchment lined sheet pan with a bit of olive oil, onions, garlic, balsamic vinegar and spices if you like (smoked paprika makes a great addition, or try some ground coriander with your carrots). Roasting everything with the balsamic gives it a complex, new dimension that you won’t get by dressing it after the fact.Tomato sauce. Tomatoes taste best when they have been reduced slowly, with a bit of caramelization happening (for the geeks out there, look up the Maillard reaction). It’s super easy to achieve this using the oven. Fresh tomatoes are best — if they’re in season, but canned are excellent if they’re not. Add onions, rosemary, whole peeled garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Roast on a parchment-lined sheet pan.Caramelized onions. No worry about them burning. Peel and chop as many onions as will fit on your sheet pan. Chop them pole-pole, and toss with a bit of olive oil, and 1/2 tsp salt. Roast on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 60 minutes at 375 degrees.Polenta. Classic polenta requires stirring…and monitoring…and more stirring. Using the oven to bake polenta is dead-easy and only requires one intermediate step along the way — with equally delicious results! Bake 1 cup polenta, 4 cups water, 1 tsp or so salt, at 350 degrees in a covered 3 quart casserole for 1 hour. Check it for moisture, and stir in cheese if you want. Bake for another 15 minutes and serve.

So now that you have this technique at your disposal, play around with it. Start thinking of your oven as a “mechanical prep-chef” — and think about the different ways you might use a big batch of roasted beets, chickpeas, or tomato sauce throughout the week. A large batch of polenta can be eaten as a side dish, and leftovers can be chilled in a loaf pan and eaten sliced and fried until crispy 2 nights later.

The more ingredients you have prepared in advance, the less stressful dinner will be!

(Photo credit: Modern Oven Detail via Shutterstock)

Janice Mansfield is a personal chef specializing in creating customized Meal plans for people coping with multiple food sensitivities. She created a line of cocktail bitters for no other reason than she wanted chocolate bitters in her Manhattans! When not cooking or cocktailing, she documents the antics and unbearable cuteness her two Shiba Inus. Janice teaches cooking classes online via Google+ over at ChefHangout.com.

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Using my iPad at Work To Get Things Done

Editors note: This article speaks about two apps, Notesy and OmniFocus for iPad. Although the author uses these to get work done, these are by no means the only apps that can be used to be productive at work with an iPad.

When the iPad was initially released the tech media touted it as a “consumption only device”. This was mostly do to its lack of fast input that you would normally experience on a notebook computer with a hardware keyboard. The touchscreen input on the iPad is a tad bit awkward, at least at first, but after a few days and weeks the input isn’t really that bad. Not to mention you can hook up an external keyboard with all fo the new keyboard docks and cases to get entry as fast as any laptop or desktop.

I program in a Windows shop but use a Mac, iPad, and iPhone personally. Because of this I tend to have all of my “systems” set up on my Apple devices and consider my Windows work environment a “context”. At first, I was trying to use my Mac so I had access to full-strength OmniFocus, but with a small desk added complexity I decided to try and use Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools; OneNote and Outlook.

That didn’t last long. So, it was time to employ an iPad-only type of work plan.

Can this once deemed “consumption only device” be used at work to get things done?

The best part about using the iPad at work is its size and shape. It fits perfectly next to my main keyboard at work with its Incase Convertible Magazine Jacket propping it up so I can input into OmniFocus or Notesy. I can also easily tear it down and put it off to the side if I need to jot down some mind maps or a possible software design in a paper notebook.

Because of the size and shape I can easily take it to meetings where I may need access to project notes or agenda items that I need to bring up. It works well in our daily team meetings as well; I load up issues that have come up since the last meeting and can easily go over them when the time is right.

I don’t feel locked down with using the iPad at work. I don’t have to worry about writing something down or printing it out from Outlook when I need to leave my desk. I just take the iPad and a notebook with me.

The 10+ hour battery life on the iPad allows it to be heavily used throughout the day with little worry about it dieing on you. In fact, if I am just using OmniFocus to guide my day I can easily get two or three days out of one charge. Try that with any laptop.

The battery life of the iPad alone makes it the ultimate productivity tool as you can keep it by your side all day. The only other device that is comparable to this type of battery performance is the iPhone.

This takes the portability and the battery life of the iPad and smashes them together. If you have something you can take anywhere with you that is on all day you can truly use it as a device to carry your ubiquitous, trusted system. And even if you can’t hit a hotspot all day, you can sync your data when you do.

Using my iPad at work with Notesy and OmniFocus I have a system that is rock solid and can be fully trusted. It helps me get more done throughout my day as well as allows me to sleep like a baby at night.

The only thing that still is an annoyance with the iPad is the weirdness of input. I will never go as far to say that the iPad, because of its lack of solid input, is a “consumption only device”, but I can say that input can be a true pain. I tend to only use the iPad to enter quick actions, waiting fors, etc. If I want to get into project planning and organizing mode I do that on my Mac. Also, tools like myPhoneDesktop are nice if you have a constant WiFi connection and lenient IT policies at your work place.

myPhoneDesktop allows you to send text from you desktop (either Mac or PC) straight to you iDevice. It works surprisingly well.

Yes, you can use a bluetooth keyboard and case stand, thingy, but being the Mac fanboy I am I want to keep my iPad experience “clean” (you may flame me in the comments). iOS 5 should clear some of this up as the OS allows the landscape and portrait keyboards to be split in two seperate sections on either side of the screen. This allows the use of thumb typing like you would do on your cell phone which can be much faster and natural feeling then the touch-typing you have to do in landscape mode.

So, does the iPad stand up to be worked with? For this nerd, absolutely. Even with its input shortcomings, the benefits of a portable, always-on, ubiquitous device is just the thing that many knowledge workers need to augment their productivity.

I can’t express how much using an iPad at work has helped me keep track of important things as well as get things done.

Do you use an iPad or other tablet device for work? If so, how is it working out for you.

Chris is a developer, writer, tech enthusiast, and husband. He holds a degree in MIS and CMPSC from Penn State Behrend. Chris is also interested in personal productivity and creativity and how to utilize technology to get more things done. Check out his tech writing at androinica.com where he writes about Android.

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Rise Above the Hurt: Using Compassion to Heal

"Sunrise" from Mundoo on flickr

Hurt people hurt people.

I recently read this and it really struck a cord with me. When I read that statement and let the meaning really sink in, I felt myself being lifted to a higher level of understanding. I felt my heart open up and compassion flow through me because I realized, aren’t we all in our essence scared little children who are trying to protect ourselves? Haven’t we all been hurt in some way or another?

If someone hurts you, instead of reacting right away, pause and consider, WHY are they hurting you. Any anger, criticism, or judgment comes from a deeper, underlying fear. We have a choice on how to react to any situation. We ARE in control…if we choose to be. That means becoming more aware and pausing before going for that immediate reaction.

Eckert Tolle talks about the “pain body” that we all have. Some have a much larger pain body than others. This is the collection of all hurts, sorrows, anger, and fears in an energetic field around your body. It’s your baggage that you haven’t dealt with and continue to carry around. The pain body requires more pain to expand and therefore we end up experiencing automatic reactions to situations that become even more painful.

Compassion helps to melt away those pains. Quite honestly, if you take the time to really look at the pain you’ve experienced, is it serving you now? Yes, it may have been fine for a while to protect you from dangerous situations. An abused child needs to be protected and will naturally create ways of dealing with the pain. But as an adult, when the threat or danger is no longer there, the programming of the pain often still is! We are living our lives on programming that is no longer necessary—but we don’t know how to change that.

Just like computers need updating and new, improved software to function well, we do too! If you are running on old programs in your subconscious, then perhaps it’s time to upgrade. How do you know if you have old programs? Just look at the results you have in your life. Are you where you want to be? Are you living your dream life? If not, only YOU can change that.

We are in the process of discovering wonderful methods to heal ourselves. We have ways to free our hearts. It may be hard to think in terms of love if you’ve been hurt so badly. But forgiveness is something you can do to open the door to love, to compassion, and to free you own heart! Our world is so full of violence, anger, injustice, and hate. We each have a responsibility in our own lives to raise ourselves above that darkness, to choose to see love over the fear.

In the past year, I’ve been learning so much about natural healing modalities that can bypass those old programs in your system. Bruce Lipton, a renowned cell biologist, gives a great list on his website of all sorts of ways you can bypass the old and reprogram yourself naturally. Our brains are truly amazing and have huge capabilities to change and improve. The desire needs to start from within. This is why I think more and more people are finding themselves on a journey, dealing with huge crisis in their lives, and finding ways to overcome challenges. Become proactive about your life, the way you choose to live it, and that starts with being aware of how you are choosing to react to situations.

The next time someone hurts you, pause before you respond and think about what the underlying message may be. You may find that the real reason is that person is hurting as well. It may open up the communication if you can recognize that person’s pain and help them see where they are hurting. I am willing to bet it will improve the relationship. And those things that we can do on a small level in our own lives, are things that will work on a bigger level too.

Here is an experiment I challenge you to take on: make a conscious choice to be more compassionate, both with yourself and with others, and see what happens. One week, try it…you have nothing to lose. You can make a difference in the world—just start with yourself first!

Karin Volo is an expert in career and personal development. Having worked with entrepreneurs to international organizations, she has gained a broad business viewpoint and has also helped hundreds of individuals discover and find their dream jobs. The common thread with all of her clients has been that they are experiencing a transition. Her clients say she is professional, inspiring, dedicated, efficient, persistent, and determined. Karin’s passion is helping people better their lives and her purpose is to inspire and teach others to seek positive solutions for their challenges, whether it is with their careers, or their lives. Karin helps others thrive through tough times to discover and create their dream lives.

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Five Reasons Students Might Consider Using Credit

In North America, students can apply for credit when they attend a post-secondary institution, even without verifiable income. The credit available to them ranges from low limit credit cards to education loans that can reach into the tens of thousands.

A person can use this to their advantage, credit decisions made as a student can make a considerable contribution towards the amount of capital and assets they can obtain after graduation.

You can leverage the benefits of a credit card without succumbing to high interest rates.The high interest rates charged by credit card companies are a result of a multitude of factors, but the greatest factor is the high default rate on these types of products.Be smart when using credit cards, use the interest free grace period after a purchase to enhance cash flow. An individual may not have the funds now, but as long as the balance is paid in full no interest will be charged.In addition, many cards carry a set of free insurances that may include a 90-day replacement warranty for retail items that are stolen, lost or damaged and an additional year of manufactures warranty on certain electronics and appliances.

Please note that anything considered a cash advance on a credit card will incur interest from the day the transaction occurred. Also, people need to read the credit card disclosure for their particular card before making any purchases.

See a credit card as an opportunity to build a relationship with a financial institutionApplying for a lending product is a chance to discuss future needs and see what other valuable services the company offers.Companies want your business, so remember to ask if they have any special banking offers or discounts for purchasing multiple products.Furthermore, your loyalty to a company can lead to better lending and interest rates when buying a house or planning for retirement.A long credit history can make you a more appealing credit customer

Credit worthiness includes many variables, including repayment habits; the number of open credit facilities a person currently has, debt to income ratio and credit history.Even if a person never carries a balance from one month to the next, regular use of a credit card will contribute towards a positive credit score. In particular, lenders like to see credit cards that have been active over an extended period of time and show no late payments.Sadly, as a person gets older the lack of a credit history makes lenders see them as a risk and therefore applying for credit becomes harder once a person is no longer a student.Remember, a secondary user on a credit card gets no credit history benefit because the application is under the primary cardholder’s name.Using credit facilities can prepare you for a more secure financial future after graduation.At some point, people will consider home and vehicle ownership. A decent credit history will offer more options when it comes to low interest rates and how much debt a credit company will allow someone to carry.Besides financial concerns, having an excellent credit history can affect a person’s ability to get a job or rent an apartment. Employers and landlords are now using credit checks to filter out candidates and unsavory tenants.As the job’s and renter’s market becomes more competitive a great credit rating might give a person a competitive advantage.The use of credit products develops a sense of independence and responsibilityOptimally, it is wise to have one of three things before applying for a credit card. These include some savings, a job, or parents willing to cover debt expenses.Although, making minimum payments might be convenient, it makes paying off the card almost impossible. Minimum payments in the long run do not make economic sense, but it will keep a credit score clean.Over time, students need to transition financial responsibilities over from their parents. Paying for a credit card might be someone’s first reoccurring bill. It is an opportunity to develop good repayment habits and budgeting skills.

Although, using credit is not for everyone, applying for credit as a student can be an important milestone. Used wisely, even a student credit card can alleviate many future hurdles involved in asset acquisition and give a person a sense of responsibility before taking full control of their lives.

Philip Viana works for a bank in Canada. He is hard at work developing the formula to a meaningful, mindful and happy life. He writes about productivity, financial advice, technology, and lifestyle at BurntheNegative.com. http://about.me/philviana

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Using Google+ Circles

Here are some suggestions for how you can use Google+ circles to intelligently segment your status updates.

+Family: Still looking for a better job. There just isn’t much out there these days. I’ll keep pounding the pavement weekends and evenings till I find something though. Sorry I can’t make it to the holiday thing this weekend, but finding a new job is important to me. Wish me luck!

+Roommates: Let’s do another weekend video game fest. That was fun last time!

+Hot Friends: I’m free Friday night. Let’s go out!!!

+Friends -HotFriends: Can’t on Friday… my boss is making me work late again.

+Ex’s: OMG… my wealthy uncle left me and my siblings $10M, and I haven’t even seen him since I was like 5.

+Friends to Dump: Can’t believe how gassy I’ve been lately. Went to the doctor, and he said it might be a permanent thing I’ll just have to deal with.

+Stalkers: It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally moving to India to study meditation for a few years. I’ll miss all of you so much, but I’m going to a place where Internet access is very limited, so I probably won’t be online much for a while. xoxoxox

* * *

+Media: Looks like some silly prankster hacked into my account and posted fake sexy pics of me. I guess it happens when you’re changing the world. Let’s forget about it and move on to talking about real issues… like how we can keep spending money we don’t have, without it looking like we’re spending money we don’t have.

+Girlfriends: Dammit!!! Sent those pics to +Media instead of to you guys. I’m so toast.

+Wives: I know it’s hard on you, hon, but we’ll get through this. It will all blow over soon. You know you’re the only one for me. <3

+Public: We’ve had numerous complaints from privacy advocates about Google’s privacy practices, so we’re launching a panel to investigate them. If they don’t send someone to testify willingly, we’ll have to subpoena them.

+Wives +Girlfriends: Don’t worry… we’re gonna work Eric Schmidt over till he guarantees this sort of thing can never happen again.

+Wives: No idea why those people commenting on that last update are acting so familiar. I just sent it to you and my staff members.

+Facebook +Microsoft: Thanks again for the campaign contributions!

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7 Ways You Shouldn’t Be Using Your Calendar

photo by woody1778a http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodysworld1778/

For some people, their calendar is the be-all-to-end, sacred tool of their productivity system. And for others it is just a dumping ground for anything and everything that they think they should do.

And here is exactly where the problem is.

Calendars aren’t meant to hold every piece of data that you need for getting things done. There are meant to hold time specific data that if it isn’t done at a certain time that is marked on your calendar, the task dies and it is too late to do.

Let’s take a look at 7 different ways that you shouldn’t be using your calendar.

Setting up false due dates will not only clutter your calendar, but will also make you frustrated and possibly even less productive. False due dates are those things that you add to your calendar when you say, “well, I think that I should have this part of my project done by this date here,” and then mark it with your fake due date.

What this does is help you put off tasks that are related to that project until you are closer and closer to the date.

This isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with milestones, but to put a hard date a piece of a project when it isn’t actually do will most likely set you up for failure.

This is another one of my pet peeves; something that I tried in school that never, ever worked. Time blocking is the idea of setting a portion of time in your calendar to devote to one specific thing that you need to get done.

Maybe you have some work that you have been meaning to get done for some time now, so you “block” out 3 hours of your day to work on that one specific thing. Now, if you actually get through the 3 hours of working on that one thing that you need to do, you are a much better human than I and most others.

The reality is that if you are a “knowledge worker” the chances of blocking out a portion of time to work on one thing is somewhat unrealistic and almost always gets ruined by something else that comes up.

Instead of time blocking, try something like the Pomodoro technique or just starting a task or project with no expectation of how much you are going to work on it.

People love lists, but calendars are not at all where they belong. If you are finding yourself putting things like, “make lunch, take out puppies, grab wallet, grab watch” etc., as calendar items or notes of a calendar item, consider using a checklist application or a simple piece of paper to keep track of this data.

What I have found, is that if you aren’t actually checking things off the checklist and just looking at the items on your calendar, sooner or later you are going to overlook something.

Sorry, but checklists are meant to be checked.

Some people take meeting notes or notes during an even on their calendar within the calendar’s notes field. This is not bad place for putting more information about an event in your calendar, like a description of the place where your meeting is, or a little reminder of what the meeting attendees names are. But, this isn’t the place for full fledged meeting notes.

Try taking notes on paper or in a dedicated note taking programming (even a mass of text files will do). These are easier to link to or access later, rather than going into your calendar program.

This is an extension of the last two points.

A calendar is meant for time and day specific things like meetings and tasks that must absolutely (and can only) be done on a certain day. Keeping all kinds of little pieces of data like reminders of things that need done in your day or even just information about something doesn’t really belong in your calendar.

Once again if you need reminders of things try using a task management app and if you need to store information related to projects and things that need done, this type of data better belongs in a text file or even personal database.

This is something that I found myself doing up until just a few weeks ago; putting standard events like “Work” in my calendar. I think that this was to make myself “seem” more busy than I actually was. I mean why would anyone have to block out 8 hours everyday that says “Work” on it?

I say if you have something standard that you do everyday like Work or go the gym or whatever, don’t clutter your sacred calendar space with it.

And of course the most important way you shouldn’t be using your calendar is not using it!

Hopefully by now you realize that your calendar is like a holy place, it is reserved for things that are going to “die” if they aren’t handled at the certain time or day that they are placed on the calendar. And because of this realization, not using your calendar to keep this type of information is setting yourself up forget things and not get these important things done.

Chris is a developer, writer, tech enthusiast, and husband. He studies MIS and Computer Science at Penn State Behrend. Chris is also interested in personal productivity and creativity and how to utilize technology to get more things done. Check out his tech writing at androinica.com where he writes about Android.

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7 Ways to Build Your Network Without Using People

If you spend any time trying the usual networking strategies, then you’ll probably notice that most of them seem insincere at best. It always feels like you’re fighting between your own agenda and the best interests of your new “friends.”

That said, networking is perhaps the single best way to achieve success.

So how do you achieve the goal of advancing your career and expanding your professional network without using people? Here are 7 tips that should help.

Too often, we spread ourselves too thin by setting up accounts on social media sites, going to networking mixers, cold-calling potential clients, asking interesting people out to lunch and so on. For most of us, this all-out pursuit leads to burnout instead of results. Rather than trying to be everywhere at once, decide which area should receive your attention first. Choosing to focus on one mode of communication makes it easier to give your new contacts your full attention … which is exactly what they deserve.

Take a bit of the pressure off of yourself. You don’t need to say the exact right words at the exact right time. Networking is more about taking the time to listen to people’s stories and looking for the places that you can provide something of value to them. it is crucial to understand where people are coming from and what’s important to them. That way, you’ll be able to help them out in the future.

Stop firing your business cards to everyone you meet and blasting emails out to anyone that looks interesting. It’s much more beneficial to have 10 people that would help you at any time than it is to have 100 that recognize your name. Spend some time finding people that are relevant to you and then pursue the relationships that seem to have a genuine connection.

Just because you reached out and said hello doesn’t mean that the other person is required to help you. Instead of approaching networking with the hope of gaining favors, try reaching out with curiosity. Contact interesting and relevant people and see what happens. Figure out what makes them unique. See if there is a way you can help them. And if you do help them, don’t expect anything in return.

Please don’t make the mistake of categorizing networking opportunities by status, position, or other superficial metrics. People advance in their careers. People change jobs and industries. Furthermore, you literally have no idea who knows who. That fast food worker could have a cousin that works on Capitol Hill. Treat everyone with respect and don’t dismiss anyone as irrelevant.

Unless you have a mutual contact that is putting you in touch for a specific reason, it’s best to avoid asking for anything when you make that first contact. Did they win an award or did their company do well last quarter? Send a quick note of congratulations. Over email it’s especially important that you offer a little praise before delving deeper. If they reply to your first email, then you can move on to asking for advice or setting up a date for lunch.

Networking isn’t just about reaching out to new people. A huge part of it is nurturing your current network of friends, co-workers, and peers. You can start helping these people today because you already know what they are interested in. Network with the people that are already close by sending helpful information and connecting them with other interesting people you already know.

These steps aren’t difficult, but the do require you to take action.

There aren’t any secret sayings that will turn you into a world-class networker. Simply, begin reaching out and helping others however you can. If you’re looking for more, then I’ve put together an even longer list of networking tips.

James Clear is the founder of Passive Panda.com, a site for people that want to earn more money. Join Passive Panda's Free Newsletter on Earning More for proven tips and strategies.

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Healing the Inner Child - Let Go of the Past and Move Forward Using Nlp and Hypnosis Mp3 Audio Program

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Using nature to grow batteries: Angela Belcher on TED.com

Inspired by an abalone shell, Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures that humans can use. Selecting for high-performing genes through directed evolution, she’s produced viruses that can construct powerful new batteries, clean hydrogen fuels and record-breaking solar cells. At TEDxCaltech, she shows us how it’s done. (Recorded at TEDxCaltech, January 2011 at Pasadena, CA. Duration: 10:26)

Watch Angela Belcher’s talk on TED.com where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 900+ TEDTalks.
Photo: Dominick Reuter

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Time and Procrastination: Using Technology To Become Efficient With Your Time

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Ever since I started school I have had to battle my procrastination. Sometimes it almost feels like a disease; one that is treatable at times, but just seems to never go away. Because of my bad procrastination, I adopted systems like GTD,  a calendar and scheduled and time-blocked everything,  reminders of important tasks and due dates “dinging” from everywhere. What I found is that unless I am on top of my game and choosing to “be productive”, I easily fall back into the pit of procrastination, where time is never “of the essence”.

I’ve read quite a few books and essays on the psychological effects and reasons of procrastination. Something interesting that has stuck with me is in the book Procrastination by Jane B. Burka (not an affiliate link) having to do with the way that “procrastinators” perceive and interact with time. According to Burka there are two ways that we deal with and understand time: objectively and subjectively. Objective time is “measured by clock and calendar” and is predictable where as subjective time is measured by our own personal understanding and is outside of clock time.

As you can see, if your personal subjective time isn’t lining up with the world’s objective time you can have some serious issues, especially since your boss, your professors, and your spouse tend to base everything off of objective time.

I have this problem with objective time and after reading through Procrastination I decided to break myself of it by employing some different techniques when it came to my “time management skills” or lack thereof.

Some bright person once said, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” and that holds completely true with managing your time. The first thing that I had to do to understand how I use my time was track almost everything. For instance, I found myself being late in the mornings for work and always blamed it on something external; like the winter weather, traffic, how long it took to get gas in the morning etc. It wasn’t until I started tracking how long it actually took me to take a shower and get out of the house did I understand that I needed to get up about 20 minutes earlier. It sounds stupid, I know, but to someone who thinks they understand time and where it goes, it takes the detail of tracking the real world to understand it.

You can track your time many different ways but some of the best apps that I have found for Android and iPhone are great when you are on the run and need to get a quick statistic to use for planning. There are a ton of options on both platforms but in the free category I would go with Eternity Time Lite and aTimeLogger for iPhone and Time Recording – Timesheet App and Track Task Time for Android. All of these offer the user the ability to track multiple activities, create their own categories, and gives them reports and statistics they can use to help understand just where there time goes.

You can also track your time use on your PC or Mac with RescueTime. RescueTime basically tracks what applications you are spending your time with and can give you a realistic view of where your computer time is going.

One of the most elusive ways that procrastinators abuse time and do not sync their subjective time with objective time is underestimating how long a task will take to complete. I’ve been told my many former and current software project managers that when they ask a software developer how long it will take to get something done they usually multiply their answer by two or three to set realistic expectations. Many of us are confident (sometimes overconfident) and do not set realistic time constants on ourselves.

This is where starting a task or project immediately and then time blocking the rest of it is a great way to balance time. The idea is simple, when given a task or project to complete,  jump in and start working on it for at least 25 minutes. This allows you to understand how big the task or project is which allows you to make realistic predictions of how long it will take to complete. This is syncing your subjective time with objective time. After this you can time block the project.

Time blocking, the idea of blocking out a certain amount of time on your calendar for a task or project, has been around forever and works well if you have a realistic view of how long something will take to complete. After starting your task or project, take out your favorite calendar app and start “blocking” out time in your schedule to complete the task. Usually, if I think something is going to take 2 hours to complete, I block out about 2.5 total hours. This gives me some starting and stopping leeway. I also suggest only blocking out 50 minutes at a time to prevent burning yourself out. It seems that 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of rest/play when you are in a working period is ideal.

When it comes to generic timers for PC or Mac I highly recommend FocusBooster. It’s an Adobe Air application that lends itself to the Pomodoro technique of task timing, but you can use it for setting your working time on a task or project. For calendaring, I have to admit that I solely use Google Calendar for all my calendaring needs as it is everywhere I go and I can sync it to just about any device I want to. That isn’t to say there aren’t a bunch of good calendaring options out there, it’s just that Google Calendar has met all of my needs thus far.

Having an understanding of how to sync your subjective time and the world’s objective time can save you a ton of pain in your personal and professional life. But, if you are anything like me you will need a some help along the way to understand where the objective time goes. Hopefully if you understand the difference between your “inner clock” and the real world, track how long it takes you to accomplish tasks, and think more realistically about how long it take to accomplish something and schedule accordingly, you can say goodbye to procrastinating your time away.

Chris is a developer, writer, tech enthusiast, and husband. He studies MIS and Computer Science at Penn State Behrend. Chris is also interested in personal productivity and creativity and how to utilize technology to get more things done. Check out his tech writing at androinica.com where he writes about Android.

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Expressive Personality - Develop Personal Magnetism Using Nlp and Hypnosis Mp3 Audio Program

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Expressive Personality 2 - Develop Personal Magnetism Using Nlp and Hypnosis Mp3 Audio Program

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New " The Person Using This Mug Is A Personal Development Teacher " Mug Occupations

If you are choosing the better gift. It is for you. This Mug & Pencil-Cup manufactured with the best technology of images. It guarantees the best print colors.This product could be used in your desktop, or to drink. You can use dishwasher and microwave too. If you need some product different that we don't have at the moment, just contact us to make speciality for you.

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