I have always wanted to give meditation a try.. and this article really gives a nice brief insight into the process and benefits of meditation.
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Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
GTD with Google
I have yet to read the book , but I really like what I have read from various sources on the net [wikipedia and other sites] That I thought, why not give it a shot first before actually going out and buy the book. (Ofcourse since a Indian edition doesn't exist it would cost a bit too). For all those who are still wondering, I am talking about Getting Things Done by David Allen.
So, I have started exploring various tools that can be used to follow the GTD Lifestyle. Till now, the best I way I have found is Google Notebooks. I know most prople prefer using GMail along with the GtdGMail addon [http://www.gtdgmail.com/] But the problem is that I use my Gmail account for normal email use, and creating a new one for GTD usage is not feasible as I will have to sign-in/ sign-out of Google repeatedly since I am a heavy user of Google Products [Notebook, calendar, iGoogle etc]
Then, I found a article on GTD with Google Notebook at lifehacker and it seems to click for me [http://lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/getting-things-done-with-google-notebook-256844.php]
Now I have created the following Google Notebooks:
1. GTD:Inbox
2. GTD:Next Actions
3. GTD:References
4. GTD:Someday/Maybe
5. GTD:Projects
One extra notebook I have apart from the above is:
6. GTD:Archive
This is for all the actions/projects that are done and dusted. This is recommended in the book as well as various articles covering GTD with GMail, though this article missed it somehow. Having this is important for me as it gives me a sense of achievement.
Anyways, I am gonna try this setup for a few days and find out if it helps. Ofcourse, I can always switch to a program like ToodleDo [http://www.toodledo.com/] or Thinking Rock [http://www.thinkingrock.com.au/] if I want a more GTD driven software.
So, I have started exploring various tools that can be used to follow the GTD Lifestyle. Till now, the best I way I have found is Google Notebooks. I know most prople prefer using GMail along with the GtdGMail addon [http://www.gtdgmail.com/] But the problem is that I use my Gmail account for normal email use, and creating a new one for GTD usage is not feasible as I will have to sign-in/ sign-out of Google repeatedly since I am a heavy user of Google Products [Notebook, calendar, iGoogle etc]
Then, I found a article on GTD with Google Notebook at lifehacker and it seems to click for me [http://lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/getting-things-done-with-google-notebook-256844.php]
Now I have created the following Google Notebooks:
1. GTD:Inbox
2. GTD:Next Actions
3. GTD:References
4. GTD:Someday/Maybe
5. GTD:Projects
One extra notebook I have apart from the above is:
6. GTD:Archive
This is for all the actions/projects that are done and dusted. This is recommended in the book as well as various articles covering GTD with GMail, though this article missed it somehow. Having this is important for me as it gives me a sense of achievement.
Anyways, I am gonna try this setup for a few days and find out if it helps. Ofcourse, I can always switch to a program like ToodleDo [http://www.toodledo.com/] or Thinking Rock [http://www.thinkingrock.com.au/] if I want a more GTD driven software.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
You can't survive if you are unpopular
In the latest episode of The Apprentice, A guy called "Surya" was fired. He was the PM of the team that lost. I wasn't able to watch the complete show and missed the actual task. But this guy fought like hell in the boardroom. He just wasn't ready to go. And he wasn't giving lame excuses either.
He switched teams a few weeks ago and has not been able to "fit in" the team. He has got the talent(it seems) but he never looked like gelling inside the team. He was the Project manager for 3 tasks out of which the team won 2. He also had the best overall record of 5 wins and 2 losses. But once you are in the boardroom and the whole team says I think Mr. X should then Donald trump doesn't really has an option, does he?
One thing I hate is that 9 out of 10 times its the Project manager who is fired. Its like the Manager has an axe on his head. A person remains the Manager till his/her team loses and once it loses he is the most probable candidate to go out. I think they need a little tweak here so to make sure everyone gets a crack at being a Manager.. But since the show will go off the air after this season, we probably wont have this change :/
He switched teams a few weeks ago and has not been able to "fit in" the team. He has got the talent(it seems) but he never looked like gelling inside the team. He was the Project manager for 3 tasks out of which the team won 2. He also had the best overall record of 5 wins and 2 losses. But once you are in the boardroom and the whole team says I think Mr. X should then Donald trump doesn't really has an option, does he?
One thing I hate is that 9 out of 10 times its the Project manager who is fired. Its like the Manager has an axe on his head. A person remains the Manager till his/her team loses and once it loses he is the most probable candidate to go out. I think they need a little tweak here so to make sure everyone gets a crack at being a Manager.. But since the show will go off the air after this season, we probably wont have this change :/
Friday, June 29, 2007
An Open Request
Come on people , don't just browse around and leave, drop a comment, tell me if you hate the posts or have some views. Drop me a mail if you don't want to comment. Write something, Write anything.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Cost of speaking too much
Well in the latest episode of The Apprentice(here in India), the guy I was kinda rooting for just got fired. And it wasn't because he screwed up in one of the task but simply coz he let his tongue take control of his brain. He let his tongue run out of control and called himself "White trash" in the board room. STUPID. The result he was fired instantaneously. I feel sorry for the guy since he was a talent powerhouse but then again maybe he was not that smart. He not only used a offensive term in the boardroom, he isolated himself from the product he was trying to sell and trashed himself in front of Donald Trump. His reasoning: "He calls himself that sometimes when he is kidding". Come on man, "You are in the board room of apprentice in front of Donald trump, You don't kid around here" He was probably very safe coz of his past performances and may be he was agitated coz of the fact that he didnt perform well in the task. Guess he would learn to shut up and stop calling himself that.
Now the task was to promote the latest Lexus 2007 model which had all these neat features, none of which seemed highlighted in the event of the loosing team. The other team really worked on the brand image of Lexus and the Luxury associated with it. They had a much bigger crowd there and it seemed a really well managed event.
There was a 2nd routine firing, that of the Project Manager Jenn.. Now, not only she didn't do a good job, she was pathetic in the board room. She was like these guys are great and didn't do anything to defend herself or to stand up for her the decisions she took. Adding to the injury was the fact that her opening presentation was poor coz she overlooked Sun's daily movement.
There are a few ticking bombs left there, and things should really heat up if couple of people who clearly aren't upto the mark are let go from the show.
Another intresting turn of event in the show was clear irritation on Trump's face when he was cut down by his over zealous assistant in firing making his points.
Now the task was to promote the latest Lexus 2007 model which had all these neat features, none of which seemed highlighted in the event of the loosing team. The other team really worked on the brand image of Lexus and the Luxury associated with it. They had a much bigger crowd there and it seemed a really well managed event.
There was a 2nd routine firing, that of the Project Manager Jenn.. Now, not only she didn't do a good job, she was pathetic in the board room. She was like these guys are great and didn't do anything to defend herself or to stand up for her the decisions she took. Adding to the injury was the fact that her opening presentation was poor coz she overlooked Sun's daily movement.
There are a few ticking bombs left there, and things should really heat up if couple of people who clearly aren't upto the mark are let go from the show.
Another intresting turn of event in the show was clear irritation on Trump's face when he was cut down by his over zealous assistant in firing making his points.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
What a Sunday!
Truly an amazing day for Sports Enthusiasts. Hamilton rode beautifully in his Mclaren to win the US GP. Angel Cabrera, a guy whose name wasn't heard by many won the US Open Golf Tournament, overpowering Tiger woods who was staging a comeback of sorts in the 3rd and 4th after having a dismal first two rounds and Real Madrid are spanish league champs once again.
Lets talk about Madrid for a bit here, this is a team which was in shambles till the first half in season, All that money, the great names in the squad were upto no good. This was a team which was truly a shadow of the powerhouse Real Madrid of the past. But they managed a miraculous comeback with an amazing winning streak towards the end of the season to upset holder's Barcelona. Some have celebrated the success by praising the grit and determination of Fabio Capello and his team, others have whined about the One-on-One record deciding the top position instead of the Goal difference in the league.
One thing that was evident was the top fitness level of the team, it was evident that Madrid played much better in the 2nd half than 1st including the dramatic comeback against Espanyol when they were 0-3 down to win the match 4-3.
The same spirit was evident in the second half of the last game against Mallorca when they made a comeback from 0-1 to win the match 3-1. It was amazing that the best player on the field (Becks at that point) had to be subsituted to make the turnaround in the match.
With Becks and Roberto Carlos leaving this season and Reyes uncertain position. It would be interested to see which players will Madrid get for next season and whether Capello would still be there or not as the coach
Lets talk about Madrid for a bit here, this is a team which was in shambles till the first half in season, All that money, the great names in the squad were upto no good. This was a team which was truly a shadow of the powerhouse Real Madrid of the past. But they managed a miraculous comeback with an amazing winning streak towards the end of the season to upset holder's Barcelona. Some have celebrated the success by praising the grit and determination of Fabio Capello and his team, others have whined about the One-on-One record deciding the top position instead of the Goal difference in the league.
One thing that was evident was the top fitness level of the team, it was evident that Madrid played much better in the 2nd half than 1st including the dramatic comeback against Espanyol when they were 0-3 down to win the match 4-3.
The same spirit was evident in the second half of the last game against Mallorca when they made a comeback from 0-1 to win the match 3-1. It was amazing that the best player on the field (Becks at that point) had to be subsituted to make the turnaround in the match.
With Becks and Roberto Carlos leaving this season and Reyes uncertain position. It would be interested to see which players will Madrid get for next season and whether Capello would still be there or not as the coach
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