Productivity Voice

I have wrote previously about this. My main machine is an iPad. Most of my work is contained into the iOS ecosystem. The reality is that like everyone I know, somedays I need help focusing, it is when my iPad (or even the iPhone) comes to the rescue.
Need focus on the iPhone or the iPad. Activate Guided Assistance (SETTINGS/GENERAL/ACCESSIBILITY) and next time you need to focus on something but your mind is to scattered, simply triple click on the home button, activate, and work with the assurance that the extra step will serve as a reminder of your real purpose.
i.e. Even when active, I will get distracted, but the fact that I need to enter the password and require one more step is in general enough for me to keep me in task.

Last december I decided to replace the Apple Bluetooth keyboard that I have been using since I got my original iPad. The reason was the Logitech K810.
I had been jelaous of the Mac Book Air iluminated keyboard for a while. I sit in my office at 4:30 A.M. and having light on the keyboard is really cool. Aside of that, it does 2 more things that really make a killing on the Apple keyboard.
First it has an ON-OFF switch. I know you can turn the Apple keyboard off, but it had turn on in the bag more than what I am willing to admit. This one has an actual switch, works fantastic.
Second allow you to use the same keyboard with up to three devices, and do fast switch between them. As my iPad is my main machine, my iPhone aside. I can now use the keyboard in one or the other, hiting F1 and F2. The switch is fast, and incredible convinient.
Those where the three reasons to get this keyboard, Lighted Keyboard, an ON-OFF Switch and the ability to use it in more than one device.

I remember that my mother always said that you can do anything in life. Even that during certain period of time I though she was lying, later in life understood that the missing part of her sentence was that you can do anything, but not everything. There is a need to understand and learn that for every YES you provide there is something you are telling NO, consciously or not. So pick wisely, doesn’t matter what you pick, you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Pick wisely.

For years I was convinced that I was a night owl. I struggle in the mornings, and thrive at nights. Last year in the name of productivity, (and desperation) I decided to test what will happen if I wake up at 4:00 A.M. to work. I was like many struggling with lack of focus, concentration and a day full of distractions.
What began as a test out of desperation, looking for something that I had lost, quickly turn into one of the most interesting tricks I had discover in productivity.
Our house sleeps until around 7:00 A.M. Thats the time to get my 4 year old daughter wakes and I need to get her ready to go to school. My old routine was simple, I wake up at 6:30 A.M., shower, dress and get coffee and do my daily review. Then I went and get my daughter ready.
When I decided to change the rules of the game, and begin waking up at 4:00 A.M. I discover that I could shower, dress and get coffee to do my daily review between 4:00 A.M. and 4:30 A.M. It was exactly there that the best came, I was basically free of distractions, between 4:30 A.M. and 6:30 A.M. but even better, I had just sleep 7 to 8 hours and was totally fresh. In other words, I was in prime condition, and had two free hours of silence and without interruptions.
I could not believe my luck, I had discover two hours of quality time, without interruptions, and highly focused time. In many days I can accomplished more on those hours than the rest of the day, same as you will accomplished.
I understand that you are a night owl, as I was. I understand this will not work for you. For years I tried to get those hours at night, work hard all day, have my family time, wait for them to go to bed, and try to work after that. The problem was, that in many days I was simply exhausted. Even that I push trough, took me hours to accomplish the stuff I was looking forward to accomplished. The next morning I began the same race, and continue walking the world, simply exhausted.
These days, I go earlier to bed, sit in my desk at home at 4:30 A.M. and work for the next two hours in silence and without interruptions and distractions. In many days, I accomplish more on those two hours, than the rest of the day. Not only that, on a bad day; you know those that you feel that you did nothing, I was really productive the first two hours of my day. On a good day, I feel unstoppable.
Think for a moment what you can do with two hours of no distractions, stop snoozing television at night and go to bed. Wake up earlier and discover a couple of hours of full focus and without distractions, then begin working on that really important thing.

Breaking promises to our kids over time simply breaks the relationship. Our kids stop trusting us. Don’t take our promises seriously. To my knowledge, after certain point, there is no return.
Parents don’t break promises because they are bad parents, they break them because they don’t see how that little promise will cause an important effect in the future. The problem is parents forget all those that they had broke already. Our kids remember each one of them.
Learn to keep your promises to your kids, write them down, make sure your kid is clear on what you are offering. Ask him/her to explain the promise to you. Then honor them. Always!

I mention this Tip on my Book 25 Tips for Productivity. The idea is simple, begin a list on witch you will write down all those things you will stop doing, because it is more efficient to hire someone, or because you shouldn’t be the one doing them.
i.e. I don’t wash my car, it is item #1 on my Do Not Do List. Wash the car put me in a faulty mood, therefore, I pay happily.

No one can eat Beans and Rice seven days a week (neither steak and fries), so why do you think you can consume an unlimited amount of information seven days a week. Pick a day (mine is Saturday) in witch you will not consume media. No web articles, no books, no seminars, no new inputs, no email. Sport athletes rest at least once a week. You should do the same. Pick a day and declare it UNPLUG DAY.

How many times have you measured to do the laundry just to end up with a mess all around? (In my case many times) That’s until I found a pump bottle. Now I make a mess once a month or less (When I refill this pump bottle with my favorite brand of laundry soap, as well as the other products)
In my case I got a bottle of a brand called “Method” Use the first time and then replace with my favorite brand. I measure once, and now I know (and it is written in the bottle) that it is 4 pumps for Tide, 7 for Downy, and 5 for Clorox. I never again need to measure or create a mess around the washer.
i.e. The hardest part after emptied the bottle was to discover how many pumps I need for each product. (Pump into the measuring cap only once)

On any and every email client that I use my signature said: “Sent from a random place using my iPhone” Brevity is only allowed when your email comes from your mobile phone. People expect longer emails when they come from the computer or the iPad. Instead of writing longer emails, add that line for the signature (all your email programs, all your devices), people will understand the shorter email and you will be able to answer more in less time. One of the most important things is that all your devices said the same, nothing worse than people knowing from where you are sending emails.
i.e. My signature said: “Sent from a random place using my iPhone” but you can also said things like: “Sent from my Phone — please forgive the brevity and any strange auto-correct results I didn’t catch :)

Most people see Procrastination, as something really bad. Others had learn to procrastinate productively. Create a list, your Procrastination Lists. Add some stuff that you want to accomplish. Some that it is fun. Some of those things you love and some of those that you only do when procrastinating, but that can be useful. After you create the lists, here is the important rule:
ONLY DO THOSE THINGS WHEN YOU ARE PROCRASTINATING.
You will discover that you can productively procrastinate, and accomplish an incredible amount of useful things.
i.e. If you add to the book read a book, and you read 100 in 2013 you will be ahead of the world