Archive for the ‘Productivity’ Category

Pocket change – Cool Gadget for iPad

December 31st, 2011 by John Gallagher No Comments

Now, if I only had an iPad!!  On my list for 2012…

 

Posted in Pocket Change, Productivity | No Comments »

4 Internet Apps I use to be more productive

April 25th, 2011 by John Gallagher 1 Comment

To stay productive, there are some specific Internet technology that I use.  When I open up Internet Explorer each day, here are the tabs that I see:

 YouVersion is a free Bible app that I use for daily reading.  Currently, I am going through the New Testament in a year.  I also have this on my Blackberry.

Hootsuite is a tool I use to compile of multiple feeds including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  I can review the feeds quickly and also make lists of people I want to follow so I don’t have to look at ALL the people that I follow at once.

I use Google reader to compile the blogs that I follow so I don’t have to remember each web page and it also helps to keep my email cleared out.  Anytime a blogger I follow puts out a new post, the RSS feed is pulled into Google Reader.  I currently follow about 75 blogs.  Of course, I don’t read EVERY post, but it allows me again to quickly peruse the list.

LoseIt is a free Internet app that I use to track my calorie intake and exercise calorie burn.  Since using this app, I have lost 12 pounds in about 8 weeks!!  It makes for a great accountability tool!

These are the apps that I use on a daily basis to be more productive. 

What apps do you use to be productive?  What else should I be using?

Posted in Discipline, Productivity | 1 Comment »

My Nook after 90 days…

March 5th, 2011 by John Gallagher No Comments

 

Because I travel regularly and I normally have a few books going at once, I decided to purchase the Barnes and Noble Nook.  Here are my observations after the first 90 days I have had it.

Pros:

  • I only have to carry one ‘book’ to have all of my books on it.  I have read 3 books so far and I have my Bible on it as well.
  • The screen is clear and easy to read
  • It has Sudoku on it as well!
  • The highlighting and note features are both easy to use after a short training period.
  • Love the ‘Lookup’ feature for when I don’t know what a word means.  This was VERY important when I read ‘Mojo’ by Marshall Goldsmith.  A really good read, but some of the vocabulary he used was well-advanced!

Cons:

  • The web browser is just OK.  Of course, I am not a fan of touch screen keypads due to my large fingers. 
  • When using on an airplane, my reading time is reduced since I must turn my ‘electronic device’ off during takeoff and landing.  I cringe when seeing other people continue to read their print books!
  • While I find the note taking feature easy to use, I find it very difficult to navigate through the notes after I am finished.  On the ereader vserion on my laptop, I can easily see the comments, but am unable to copy and paste them into Evernote. 

So, after a few months, I am still not ready to completely retire my hardback books.  Until Barnes and Noble is able to make it easier to manage the notes and highlights (as the Kindle IS able to do), then I will only consider the Nook an OK tool for the novel reader, but it lacks the necessary tools for a business book reader looking to add to their personal development.

Do you have an ereader?  What do you consider to be the best and worst features of your ereader?  Have you completely switched away from print?

Posted in Book review, Leadership, Productivity | No Comments »

How 10 minutes = 7 weeks lost productivity

February 26th, 2011 by John Gallagher 1 Comment

You know the person…The one you can ALWAYS count on to be late for meetings to get started.  They always have a good excuse, right?  You get the obligatory “Sorry, I am late”:

But, do you know that being just 10 minutes late for a meeting can result in WEEKS of lost productivity per year for your team?

The math is very simple. 

  • You regularly arrive 10 minutes late for a meeting
  • You are in 5 meetings a week on average (250 meetings per year – we can talk about having too many meetings later!!!)
  • You have 7 people in each meeting on average

Do the math:  250*7*10 =17,500 minutes = 292 hours, 0r 7.3 weeks’ productivity!!! 

There it is…New Math  10 minutes = 7.3 weeks…LOST!  You cannot get that time back no matter how hard you work.

Being on time for meetings is productive.  It is also more respectful of the people you are working with each day.

Do you have a picture of this person?  Is this person always late for meetings YOU?  Next time someone is late for a meeting, show them the math.

Posted in Discipline, Leadership, Productivity | 1 Comment »