Your Desk Can Make You More Productive

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Desk

Not my desk, not my mess. (Photo credit: Jim Carson)

When my desk is messy I feel out of sorts.  It’s amazing how a clean desk can lift your mood.  I pride myself on being super organized and having it pretty much together but sometimes my desk falls through the cracks.  I get lots of mail and lots and lots of magazines (which I love!) — but sometime’s it’s overwhelming.

I’ve had a feng shui expert write about how positioning things on your desk could make you more productive in the past.  But there are some other things you should consider like clutter, light, size and monitors.  Here’s a look at those things from TheNextWeb.com called “How to arrange your desk for maximum productivity.”  How does your desk look?

Start Next Year’s Taxes Today

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Tax

Tax (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

Tax day is here! So you’re either cringing and cramming to get your return in on time or you’re sitting back, sighing a breath of relief that you’ve already gotten your money from the government. Whichever category you fall into — this post is for you.

Be Prepared

I’ve spoken about Evernote before because I think it’s a great tool for keeping organized and remembering everything you need to in one place. It’s also fabulous for keeping track of your tax information.

I used it this year and it really helped to keep me on track. Next year you should try it too. Starting now though will keep you less stressed when tax time comes around again. Here’s what I did:

1. Make a notebook in Evernote called “Taxes”.

2. Create a note that lists out all the documents that you will need to collect for next year’s taxes. That’s all the 1099 forms for each of your accounts and employers. Put a checkbox next to each so you can check them off as you get the correct paperwork.

3. Throughout the year put notes and receipts in this notebook for tax writeoffs.

4. When you start getting 1099 forms back later in the year — scan them into this folder.

5. Once you get all your information together — do your taxes! Or send off all the forms to your accountant.

That’s it. If you just take the extra step to be a little bit ahead of the game you won’t be scrambling this time again next year. Think of all the time and money you’ll save! Let me know how you keep track of your tax information.

Try This Tip To Be Less Stressed

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Google Calendar

Google Calendar (Photo credit: HRC)

I have a productivity tip that will help you save time, your sanity and make sure you arrive stress free to dinners, meetings, phone calls and appointments.

The way to do this is to prepare and think ahead. Whenever I make plans for anything I instantly import them into my digital calendar. I use Outlook for work and Google Calendar for home stuff. As soon as I make the appointment I type in the time, date and how I will get there.

I make sure to do this right then and there so I don’t forget. If I move on to something else I’m sure to get wrapped up in that other project and might not remember what I’ve committed to do. So I put in all the pertinent information and figure out how exactly I’m getting there. If I’m taking the subway, walking or driving I make sure to get directions and include them in my calendar notes.

Then I set the reminder alarm for however long I think it will take me to get there plus 15 minutes. Sometimes you need a little time to get ready to go if you are doing something else. So I add in this extra pad for myself.

When I’m ready to leave , I just glance down at the directions I’ve already laid out — and I go. It’s a great system for arriving on time and unstressed.

Carrot: Bossy To-Do List App Makes Productivity a Game

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image_1I don’t usually respond well to bullies but for some reason I’m really liking the Carrot app because of it’s pushy ways.  I downloaded the to-do list app after a friend told me about it and I’ve been using it for several days.

The idea is that this to-do list with a personality will help you to get all your tasks ticked off.  And when I say “personality” I mean “attitude.”  Carrot’s mood changes depending on how productive you are.  It’s pretty funny actually.  But as you finish a task you earn points and unlock new features and get rewards.

Here’s my list of pros and cons:

PROS:

  1. The fun game-type format makes you want to complete tasks to find out imagewhat Carrot has in store next.
  2. It’s very easy to use and intuitive.
  3. One of the gifts I was given was a cat named Captain Whiskers.  How cute! 

CONS:

  1. Not very forgiving if you make a mistake at first.  As you work your way through the levels you are able to edit, undo and change tasks.
  2. There aren’t any pictures of Captain Whiskers. I think they will probably improve on this in future versions to increase the fun factor.  
  3. I could see people getting tired of Carrot’s schtick and not using it after the novelty wears off.

I think this could be a fun way to get more done for a lot of people.  It’s definitely worth a try.  Let me know what you think of Carrot if you’re using it.  Also — I have no idea why it’s called Carrot.