Tag: PLEASE

bookmark_borderWhoosh zoom

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Ever get one of those days when you can’t settle your brain on one topic? It whooshes around, steadfastly refusing your requests to please PLEASE focus on the document you are trying to read, preferring to hone in on any of eight or nine different topics.

I used to fear this state of mind —the whole “can’t concentrate on anything” frame of mind is a bit of an alarm bell these days— but now I embrace it, and occasionally encourage it. The trick is to be able to flip from topic to topic, keeping an open mind at all times, capturing as much as you can.

HOW you do this is an entirely different thing of course. In the past I’ve tried multiple text files, roughly divided per topic, but it can be a little tricky to find the information at a later date… “I KNOW I wrote it down.. somewhere…”. This is similar to scribblling things down on a notepad and ends up with the same problem. Unless you review your notepad once a week (or more if the info is time critical) then you end up with a notepad full of useless, lost, information.

I’ve mentioned productivity tools and methodologies before and have tried variations on many of the more common ideas. I’ve captured tasks ensuring they were a next step rather than an end goal, I always ask for deadlines when someone asks me to do something, and if a job is quick and easy I’ll do it there and then.

However that’s all well and good for things which are easily quantifiable as “tasks”. At the moment I’m in the ‘theory’ stage of a few things and as my brain is leaping about, hopping from topic to topic, I need a reliable way to capture my thoughts.

And I’ve turned to Microsoft for the answer.

The product is called OneNote and is, essentially, a note taking application. You can create high level divisions (top-level tabs), and have sub-divisions (side-level tabs), and then start typing, drag in images, or even sketch free-hand. You can search, collate and distribute info as you need it. Admittedly I’ve only been using it for a couple of weeks but it’s already fast approaching “must-have” status in my own little software scoring system.

I still use Outlook for tasks, but I’ve hardly written anything down on my notepad in the past couple of weeks. Could this be the start of my own little paperless office??

bookmark_borderReferrer Spam

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Well it looks like the buggers are at it again. Anyone else getting huge numbers of referrer links from the likes of:

  • potassium-rich-foods DOT ipupdater DOT com
  • topamax-side-effects DOT ipupdater DOT com
  • ambien-side-effects DOT ipupdater DOT us

And will someone PLEASE tell me what they are trying to achieve with this? Is someone actually paying people to do this?? Don’t we understand the internet yet people!!

bookmark_borderMiscellany

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I’ve seen it used several times in the past week or so. It DOESN’T make you look or sound cool, smart, or ‘better’ in any way shape or form. To what do I refer?

grok – tr.v.: To understand profoundly through intuition or empathy.

Please, PLEASE, stop using it. You know who you are.

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I got paid today. Thankfully no charges from the bank and as it turns out my company accounting monkeys DID process the pay run on Thursday, we even had the Director of… er.. summat or other… come round to apologise.

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I want a laptop. A small, thin, cheap laptop on which I can write up blog posts and stuff. Needs only be capable of text editing, holding some MP3s, and viewing photos. Ohh and I’m skint so if it’s free so much the better. Anyone??

Maybe I just need a keyboard for my phone? (This MAY be a hint).

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My Mum has printed off your best wishes and will be taking them to my Gran this evening in hospital. So thanks again to you all. My Mum has spoken to social services about my Gran’s situation so we’ll see what comes of that (and yes my thoughts on the matter are currently sitting in a draft post).

bookmark_borderOwn up

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Right, which one of you was it? You! At the back! Stop twirling!

Come on, I won’t be mad. I know it’s “what you do” and everything so don’t be shy, just come forward so we can have a little chat about it…

Frances, I know you had fun in the Bahamas but will you PLEASE stop ruffling the papers on my desk. No Ivan, you can’t leave the room again, and no I don’t think Jeanne wants to “party” with you.

Now. Which one of you kept me awake last night? That incessant wind and driving rain was, granted, most impressive, but really, could you confine it to daylight hours so I CAN GET SOME FRICKIN’ SLEEP!!

(Today’s posting may be adversely affected by lack of sleep, OR you might not notice the difference).

bookmark_borderFinish what you are saying

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One of the characters in the book I’m reading mentions that he is always “ahead of conversations”. He mentions that by the time someone is partway through a sentence he invariably knows what they are going to say, and the rest of the time he has to maintain an “air of interest”. This act bores him to tears, leaving him mentally unstimulated.

Anyone else sympathise with this? I’m not saying it’s a permanent thing, but all too frequently I find myself having to bite back the words “Yes, I get your point, you don’t need to waffle on for another minute, PLEASE SHUT UP!”.

Moving on.

Feeling slightly more human today. Was in bed and asleep by 10pm last night, slept straight through until 7am. Seems to have cleared my head a bit thankfully. Thanks for your well wishes (and threats of suicide). I’ll catch up with you all later today and this evening. Promise.