26
Podcast Episode #6 – Way behind Schedule
Well we are extremely behind in recording these. I hope to get caught up at some point.
Here’s some of what we talked about…
- Topics
- Win 7 RC – is it worth getting hyped up for, windows mobile sweetness – gAlarm
- Agile/processes – New toys (Macbook Pro, Nokia BH-503), boxee
- OS X Java Vulnerability
- IT Conversations (Stackoverflow)
20
On Wasting Time
Well, it’s been a while, but that’s not to say I haven’t been thinking about some things. In particular, I’ve been thinking about unproductive computer time. No, I’m not talking about playing games, I’m talking about things you have to do with your computer that you don’t want to, namely searching for files or organizing files so they’re easier to find when you want them.
Tom once told me that if he can’t find a file on his computer in five minutes, he’ll just download the file again if he can, the end result being the same file in several places. I’ve had a related issue in real life: I put important forms (like tax forms) in safe places until I need them, but when the time comes to find them, I’m not as smart as I was when I put them away. Consequently, I end up hunting in all the obvious places, having completely forgotten what the safe place was.
So the question: how do you organize your files so you don’t fall prey to duplicating files or outsmarting yourself? What do you do to reduce how much time you waste dealing with files?
2
Making a To Do Timeline with Excel
I used to use Outlook for my task-keeping, or more specifically a PDA syncing with Outlook. Recently I’ve switched to using an iPod Touch, which does not come with anything for making to do lists, let alone something that syncs with Outlook and is as helpful as what Windows Mobile uses.
Necessity, however, is the mother of invention. I’ve adopted to using Excel as my to do list, and I actually like it much better than what I used to use. Read on for details.
