Ryminate

3 Ways to Make Better Use of Car Time

David Allen of GTD fame has made a short column available for download on making good use of car time.  Many of the ideas he offers resonate with what I have been trying to do in transforming my car into a medium of efficiency and effectiveness, (or at least a place where I do more than bob my head to uninspiring music, or worry about things I need to do--Sorry David).  You can check out David's list, but my list would consist of the following items (which David does cover to some extent):

1. Listen to audiobooks
2. Make phone calls
3. Record thoughts

LISTEN TO AUDIOBOOKS
The transformation of my car time began many months ago when I decided that regularly listening to the radio in the car was making me numb and dumb.  I would turn it on and listen until I was dissatisfied by the music or ads, and then change channels, listen until disatisfied, change channels, listen, around and around.  This type of channel surfing passes time, entertains to some extent, but is not the most efficient or effective use of time.  In fact, I believe it drains rather than fills.

I then began listening exclusively to NPR.  This was a step in the right direction, (and I still enjoy listening to NPR from time to time), however, the stories become repetitive throughout the day, and I found that much of the news presented I already gleaned from other sources (e.g., newspapers, blogs, cnn).

Next, I decided to move to audiobooks on CD.  This move was made possible by my  local library, which previously unbeknownst to me has an outstanding selection of audiobooks, and even allows you to borrow downloadable books via the internet.  Audiobooks are incredibly expensive, often more than double the hardcover book price, so this was tremendous discovery.  Since then, I've read / listened to everything from Surowieki's "The Wisdom of Crowds," to Clinton's "My Life."  Now, finally I have found some time to do some recreational reading!  This time serves to reinvigorate my mind and help me think about things in different ways, which is very valuable to me.  So valuable in fact that I think I've stumbled upon a lifelong commitment to audiobooks.  I might even pay for one someday.

MAKE PHONE CALLS
Certainly making business calls while in the car can be effective, however, unless these calls are very short, or unavoidable, I like to stay from them.  Why?  I like to think of the time I spend in the car as time where I "check out" from the grind for a while and focus on proactive activities that are not directly related to my immediate to do list.  Instead, I often will scroll through the contacts on my phone and decide who I haven't contacted in a while.  This might be a friend from law school, a sibling, a parent, someone in my business network, or a friend from church.  I then will give them a call to say hello and catch up.  These are usually short calls, but their ROI  is fantastic--not in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of building and maintaining health relationships.  (Is there anything more important than this?)

RECORD THOUGHTS
This one is simple.  I keep a pad of paper in my car that I use to jot down those insights that pop into my head as I am listening to audiobooks, talking on the phone, or just thinking.  Getting these things on paper is critical, as often some of my best ideas come while engaging in these proactive activities.  I also will sometimes use the voice recorder on my phone if my route is free of traffic, redlights, and stop signs, which rarely is the case.

Since making these changes I really look forward to my time spent in the car.  It is a time where I can reenergize my batteries, learn, think, and reconnect with people.  To me, this sure beats the listening to the latest American Idol winner on the radio sing their latest and greatest.

Giving up TV

Steve Pavlina wrote today on 8 Changes He Experienced After Giving Up TV.  His list consists of "saving time," "feeling more ambitious," "expanding socially," etc.

My wife and I have not gone as far as to completely "give up" TV, however, we often go for weeks at a time without turning it on.  We do watch DVDs once and a while and put them on for the kids, (and every six months we seem to do an Alias or 24 binge watching an entire season on DVD over the course of a week or two); however, the daily noise of the TV just isn't there. 

Part of the reason we don't watch much TV is that life is busy for us.  The other reason is that we made the conscious decision not to get cable.  Without cable we get all eight or so network stations, about six spanish channels, and another six channels that offer either home shopping or TV sermons.  While I readily admit we would likely watch more TV if we had more channels, I'm glad we made the decision we did.  It's kind of like making the decision to set aside money each month for long-term savings.  You make the decision once a year, set it in motion, and then the decision doesn't need to be made every pay period.  I like making decisions this way, and I think it more often than not leads to better decisionmaking. 

Some of the perceived benefits I see from very limited TV time include the following:

1. A more peaceful home.  Again there isn't that relentless TV noise.
2. More time to spend with the wife play with the kids.
3. Sensitivity.  Many TV programs have a desensitizing effect due to content. 
4. Realism.  Many programs also depict situations where a character faces insurmountable obstacles, which are always resolved in 30 minutes or less.  Social scientists have published studies on how this may be effecting the American psyche, and the demand for resolutions according to unrealistic timelines.
5. More active lifestyle.

Make no mistake, I could make another list outlining  benefits that can be derived from watching TV--there are many, particularly when you watch in a measured and calculating fashion.  However, for me the costs/benefits analysis is such that I think we'll be fine without cable for the foreseeable future.

For some very interesting statistics put together by A.C. Nielsen Co. on TV viewing here in the good old USA check out this article: A.C. Nielsen Co. Article.  Some of the more interesting stats to me are as follows:

• Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes
• Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66
• Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV: 49
• Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54
• Number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
• Rank of food products/fast-food restaurants among TV advertisements to kids: 1

Thinking about an MBA???

I read a great piece on making the decision to go back to school for and MBA. You can check it out here: NoMBA.pdf.  The author, Rajesh Setty, writes on how to get by without going back to school by focusing on attitude, making alternative plans, knowledge gathering, creating powerful networks, etc. 

In discussing networking, Setty points out 5 key "network hubs" as I call them, that are useful to consider in taking stock of your own personal network.  Here they are:

1. Professional organizations in your field
2. Non-profits that are highly respected
3. Golf
4. Alumni networks
5. Political affiliations
6. Religious affiliations

Empty your Inbox with the "Trusted Trio"

Gina Trapani at LifeHacker suggests another way to keep from suffering from InboxAsaToDoListitis.  She suggests dragging all messages into one of the three following categories (works best with Outlook):

The Trusted Trio

• Action
  

  These messages represent tasks you must complete; whether that's a response that will take more than two minutes (anything less than that, just respond on the spot!) or some sort of an action. All these messages represent an item on your to do list.

• Archive
  

  The Archive folder is your long-term email reference library. Place all the messages that contain information you may want to retrieve at some point in the long term future in Archive. Any completed threads, completed requests, memo's you've read, questions you had answered, and completed project email goes into Archive. Basically, whenever an email is "closed" but you may find it useful at some point in the future place it in Archive.

• Hold
  

  The Hold folder is a temporary holding pen for important messages you'll need quick access to within the next few days. If you're waiting on someone else to get back to you with crucial information, or you're maintaining a thread about a time-sensitive topic, keep it in the Hold folder. For you GTDers, items in the Hold folder might correspond with items in the next few weeks in your tickler file.

RSS

If you're like me you have between 10-20 websites that you check everyday.  Sometimes you check them multiple times a day.  Then are a few that you may check a few times a week or month.  Often there is nothing new to see, or at least nothing of interest, but you still spend the time visiting the website.

Enter RSS.  RSS is a technology that checks a set of pre-designated websites for you letting you know when something new has been posted.  As you can imagine this saves a heap of time.  Instead of checking your regular 10-20 websites over and over again for anything new, (which may take 30 minutes), RSS does that for you in seconds. 

Bloglines is a great application out there known as a "RSS reader" that will do this for you.  You simply setup an account, type in the web addresses you regularly visit, hit subscribe, and it sets it all up for you.  Then, instead of going to your regular websites you go to your Bloglines account and it will let you know what's new.  My explanation is very basic, but once you get to Bloglines and actually try it out you will see that it is quite intuitive.

This is a great tool that really has the potential to save you time.  If your interested in reading a more technical explanation check out this link.

Love IS the Killer App

I picked up a book from the library this week entitled Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends, by Tim Sanders, after reading about it on Paul Allen's blog.  He described it as, (and I'm paraphrasing here), one of the most influential business books he has ever read.  He's right--it's a powerful read.

I began reading the book after work at about 6pm and finished it at around 12:45am; I could not put the thing down.  Sanders, the former director of Yahoo's in-house think tank, claims love of all things is the key to personal and business success.  While Sanders thesis on it's face may sound like some kind of  "hippie" approach to white-collar success, (he did work for Yahoo after all), his arguments are both logical and provide for several ah-ha moments. 

Sanders claims contrary to popular belief, business success is not a zero-sum game.  Rather, business success today comes as a result of becoming what he terms a "lovecat."  Again, despite the cheesy moniker, Sanders is definitely on to something.  He suggests a three points:

1. Knowledge - Set aside time to read as many cutting-edge books in your field as possible.  Take notes in the margins and inside covers so the book becomes a quick reference within your library for the key theories, observations, and prescriptions it promotes.
2. Network - Keep track of all your contacts, exchange cards as often as possible.  Use the knowledge you gain while reading to become a resource to those around you. 
3. Compassion - Love those with whom you interact.  Do this through your words and through actions.  Don't be afraid to give two handed handshakes and hugs.  Use the word love.

This may sound unrealistic, particularly the thought of giving your boss a big hug, but Sanders explains it in a way that is convincing.  You don't need to become a Carebear, but we could all do at least something to increase the love in our work environments (even if that only means more smiles and eye contact).  I certainly have not done Sanders' book justice in my brief summary, but I can honestly say this is one of the best books I've read this year. 

Let me know if you get the chance to read it.  I would love to hear what you think.

Rule of 3

There are so many things to do everyday that often I go to bed without the feeling that the day was a success.  I've got a new idea for changing that: the Rule of 3.  Choose three things that are the most important things for you to do everyday.  These should not be things that to be done once a week, (such as washing the car), but things that important for you to do everyday.  Focus on these three things, do them everyday, create a simple checklist even. 

The completion of these three things on a daily basis can be at the very least a benchmark for a successful day.

1-800-Free411

If you're like me, you hesitate to call 411 for an address or phone number because it costs way too much.  When you do use it, you feel guilty.  Well, now you can dial guilt free.  1-800-Free411 is exactly that--FREE.  You do have to listen to a 10 second commercial before you receive the requested information, but that seems a small price to pay to avoid 411 guilt.