My Productivity Secrets

My Productivity Secrets

David Pogue of The New York Times fairly recently wrote about his productivity secrets. I was not surprised that I too use a good number of these so called “secrets.”

Below is our side by side comparison:

Productivity Secrets	POGUE	TECHNOCOP
WORKPLACE	I work at home	Mostly @ THQ
I use typing-expansion software	TapIt4Me	Autohotkey
I use dictation software	Dragon NaturallySpeaking	Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10
I know where everything is.	iD3 database	Windows 7 (W7)Search , N97 Search App on the phone & SUGARSYNC
Keyboard Shortcuts	macro software	W7 & JumplistLauncher
Calendar Program	standalone calendar program	Google Calendar. Also Outlook just to sync with the N97 phone.
I don’t waste time	3 lb machine	Macbook AIR, 1 home & 1 Office Desktop, Pen X and the N97 smartphone.
Have others take care of administrative stuff (booking airline tickets, hotel reservations, etc) for you.	Let’s his wife handle most administrative tasks.	To coordinate my TEAM’s Activities, we use a Wiki. Minimizes emails and reminders.

* I also work at home. That’s two, three or four hours more work time each day that I don’t spend commuting.

* I use typing-expansion software. You can read more about the software here by Pogue. Pogue says, “but the point is that I type only the first couple letters of many common words, and the software expands the rest. Since so much of my writing is technology-related, a lot of these words come up often—and they tend to be long ones.” I use AutoHotkey.

* I use dictation software. When I have long-form writing to do, I dictate into Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10. I was already happy with version 9. But version 10 is simply incredible. I am getting 95%++ accuracy. This entire post was written, er, dictated using DNS 10.

* I know where everything is. Pogue uses a software called iData 3. It’s a freeform database, meaning that the “cards” in this database don’t have separate fields for Name, Street, City and so on; instead, you can type or paste whatever you want into each freeform card. In my case I only use the powerful search of windows 7 to find almost anything in my computers.

* I use macro software. Pogue says,”Shift-Control-W to open Microsoft Word, Shift-Control-C for my calendar program, and so on. The less I have to use the mouse, the faster I fly.” I agree that is why I use W7’s own. I press WINDOWS +1 for Firefox, WINDOWS + 2, for MS WORD, and so on. I also leverage the power of Jumplist Launcher for other shortcuts.

* I have a great calendar program. Pogue uses a stand alone cross-platform calendar program. I just use Google calendar. It also auto syncs (both directions) with OUTLOOK only for purposes of syncing with the N97 smartphone.

* I don’t waste time. Pogue uses his 3lb laptop as his primary workhorse, “so that I can be productive during any little blob of downtime.” I use a Macbook Air and 2 desktops. All the files across all 3 computers are synchronized using SUGARSYNC. So, it does not matter which computer I am using, in a matter of seconds, files are synchronized across all of them provided I have internet connection.During the very few times that I am using MAC OSX Leopard of the Macbook AIR, files are synchronized there too. When I don’t feel like working on a computer, I simply input everything (schedules, notes, todo’s) in the N97. I also use the ADAPX PenX for all handwritten notes.

* Admin Stuff.  Pogue writes, “and I’m lucky enough that I don’t spend time on bills, taxes, travel arrangements, kid-activity scheduling, and so on; my sainted wife takes care of all that administrative overhead.” I on the other hand use an online collaboration software – Google Sites. I just post a particular requirement on our What’s New page and every member of my team automatically acts on the required attendant tasks to complete the same. No need for individual emails, telephone calls, or meetings. Members of my team simply leaves a comment on the same page should they require further elaboration.

These are my productivity gems. They have allowed me to effectively manage simultaneous projects, several business endeavors, career, family, and even leisure.