Tag Archive for: time management

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.

Fancy Hands: Make Your Life Easier With An Assistant

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image from twilio.com

Even very productive people have trouble getting everything done throughout the day. But the secret really is being able to delegate. If you can take something off your plate so you can work on something else that you’re better at — you will be much more efficient. Enter…the assistant.

I know you’re thinking “I can’t afford an assistant!” I know because I said the same thing until I found FancyHands.com. It’s basically a virtual assistant service. Read more

Founder of “Bootights” Relies on To-Do Lists

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I love clever stuff.  Those things that make you go “why didn’t I think of that?” That’s how I feel about Bootights!  You know how you have to wear socks inside your boots even when you’re wearing tights? Just so you don’t destroy the tights or your feet don’t freeze? Well Bootights are tights that are especially designed to wear with boots! Yep — brilliant, right?

The founder Shelby Mason is a list maker just like us! So naturally, she’s my featured list producer: Read more

6 Tips for Working Through Distractions

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Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot : FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Being back to work after Hurricane Sandy with my whole team has been a great morale booster.  So happy everyone made it in and I could see all their familiar faces — it’s one more sign that life is returning back to normal.

But it’s easy to get distracted with all the war stories being tossed around.  Plus — many people have to deal with insurance claims (myself mostly) and worries of childcare, heat, hot water and power at home.  So getting actual work done is quite a challenge.  Here’s some tips:

1.  Tune out: I’ve gotten very good at this over the years from working in busy news rooms but it does take some practice.  Engage for a bit and listen to all the stories from your coworkers but then at some point you have to mentally check out.  This will allow you to focus on tasks in front of you.  Sometimes headphones will help — I suggest blasting Dave Matthews Band or your favorite to drown out sounds around you.   Read more

Making an Ignore List

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L is for Lists

L is for Lists (Photo credit: Swiv)

Sometimes even more important than a to-do list is an ignore list. I just made one this weekend actually. I wrote down all the to-dos that I wanted to accomplish. Then I reevaluated this list.

Sure I wanted to finish the slides for a presentation I’m doing in December…but it didn’t need to get done right now. Doing that task would push other more important tasks to the bottom of the pile. So I added it to my ignore list. This doesn’t mean I’ll never get to it – it just means that I don’t need to get to it right now. So I’m ignoring it this weekend.

Doing this will help you to prioritize and really look at each to-do individually. If you don’t have the drive, resources or time to complete that task right now — don’t. Put it on your ignore list. Eventually you can move it to your to-do list and get it done.