Hide Google SearchWiki Buttons in Results [Featured Greasemonkey User Script]
If you're finding Google's new SearchWiki ranking buttons are more annoying than useful, you can hide them using this Greasemonkey user script (a definite candidate for a Better Google extension). Are you customizing your results with SearchWiki, or just wishing those buttons weren't cluttering up your results? Let us know in the comments.
GreatSummary Boils Down a Web Page to a Few Sentences [Reading]
Rather than dismissing a web page or other digital document as TLDR ("too long; didn't read"), run it through the GreatSummary webapp, which summarizes online content in a few sentences. Enter a URL or chunk of text into GreatSummary, choose the number of sentences you want to see (from 1 to 100), and click the "Summarize!" button to get a short digest of the content. I tested GreatSummary on several Lifehacker articles (here's a 5-line sum-up of my lengthy Android review)—and despite the fancy mathematical algorithm behind it, the results are so-so. Overall it's a useful app to see key sentences, but don't depend on it to hand you every cannot-miss point.
Get Your Act Together Thanksgiving Week [Holiday Productivity]
If you're at work today here in the U.S., things are probably pretty quiet: your bosses and coworkers took vacation days to piggyback on the holiday, meetings are canceled, clients are out of the office, and come Wednesday afternoon everyone will bolt for the door by 3PM to get on the road or start roasting their turkey. That makes today, tomorrow, and Wednesday morning the ideal time to get your act together. Just before the holiday buying frenzy and last biz deals of the year, this week's the time to clear off your desk, review your lists, make new ones, take stock of where you are on big projects, throw out the crap you don't need, clear your email box, shred all that useless paperwork, sort that pile of mail, clean out that filing cabinet, and knock down your read-it-later list. While it's easy to envy your coworkers' week-long European vacation (and I'm looking at you, Kevin)—this week is actually the best time to be at work. It's a slow time for you to catch up, take stock, and get things in order without the pressure of ringing phones and hovering coworkers. How are you spending this short, quiet week at work? Tell us what you'll get done between now and Wednesday in the comments.
Make a Better Sweet Potato Dish This Thanksgiving [Thanksgiving]
Minimalist chef (and my man crush) Mark Bittman says this Thanksgiving's the time try something better than "that canned sweet potato with marshmallows thing," and offers a yummy can-free alternative that cooks up fast. Hit the play button to check out the results, which look like sweet potato hash browns. Are you cooking this Thanksgiving? What recipes are you using to spice up the traditional meal? Post your links, photos, videos, or summaries in the comments, and we'll round up the good ones just before Turkey Day.
Making Time for the MITs (Most Important Things) [Back To Work]
Over the past 14 years, I have studied productivity, the learning process, and time management. Just six years ago, I returned to university to earn a degree in psychology to understand the application of fundamental thought changes. To this day, I am fascinated by the processes people use to "be productive." Personally, how do you measure your own productivity? For many people, there is some "gut check" at the end of the day; a reflection on what they did (or didn't do) and how they feel about that. How do YOU know if it was a good or a bad day?
Have you ever finished a day, looked around, and realized you did not do some of the most important things on your mind? You kept on meaning to get to it, but there just was not enough time!
I can only begin to report on what I've heard over time. People tell me they make a "mental priority list," they email themselves at the office, they even leave themselves voicemails to "remind" themselves of the MITs for the day.
I have seen people write on their own hands, ask their coworkers to help them stay on track, still others will book a conference room in the office—for themselves! It seems that everyone has their own way to minimize the distractions and focus in on what they KNOW they want to get done.
Here's an exercise I use to place the appropriate (and timely!) attention on what I consider to be the MIT's—the Most Important Things.
- Start off by thinking of 3 things to focus on for the next 12 hours.
- Write those—as objectives and/or goals—on a sticky-note or index card.
- Put that note somewhere you'll see it throughout the day.
- Review it occasionally.
- At the end of the day, ask yourself, "Did I do what I said I would do? Did I focus on what I said I would focus on?"
- Finally, throw away/recycle the index card.
The next morning, repeat the exercise. I recommend you do this for five business days. Who knows, at the end of those five days, you may have made progress on 15 significant areas of your work AND your life!
Hint: the exercise is not about a Post-It or index card. The key is in deciding what's important, before you start your day, and bringing your attention back to those projects on a consistent, purposeful basis. Instead of focusing on having the "right" time management tool or the "perfect" system, place your focus on the process.
This idea is meant to provide you with a marker and a reminder…something you can use to recalibrate your (limited) focus throughout the day. Remember, it's easy to get back from a meeting and "quickly" check your email. However, it may be more "time-cost effective" to get back, review your list of three and set a timer for 17 minutes.
Regularly focus in on one of your MITs, and end the day feeling productive and knowing you made significant progress on your goals.
Jason Womack travels the world teaching people and their companies about workplace effectiveness and productivity. He is a small business entrepreneur, a former teacher, a busy business traveler, and an active triathlete. He can be reached at 805-640-6401 and by email at jason@jasonwomack.com.
Participate in the National Day of Listening [Holidays]
November 28th has been designated the National Day of Listening by StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving oral history.
This Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks you to start a new holiday tradition—set aside one hour on Friday, November 28th, to record a conversation with someone important to you. You can interview anyone you choose: an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or a familiar face from the neighborhood.
Daily culture in the United States has moved strongly away from oral traditions, StoryCorps is seeking to change that. Check out their web site for a guide on conducting interviews for the National Day of Listening. If you're using video to record your interview, check out 8 ways to shoot digital video like a pro. If you're using a computer to record the interview, check out WavePad. Share any tips or tricks you have for budding interviewers in the comments below!
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