In my last post, I talked about using "notes to yourself" as a means to build fodder for status reports, track completed activities, etc.
Another tool in the arsenal for this is "Jott" - a free service I found out about a couple of months ago through Big Wes when he commented about it in response to one of my posts.
Jott is a service that allows you to call a phone number and leave a voice message to yourself or any number of predefined recipients (or groups of recipients via a Jottcast). After you leave your "Jott," the service converts it to text and sends it to you or your chosen recipient via email. Very cool. They even provide a link to listen to the original audio recording in case you suspect something's gone awry in the translation.
As with the method of sending an email to yourself, this just becomes a part of your inbox processing workflow (a la GTD) and you can act on or file the email as appropriate.
I have a speed dial key on my Blackberry to make it easier to use this - I just hold down J, and it connects me to Jott. Simple as can be, and easy to incorporate into my habits.
By the way - Jott continues to improve the service and make it even more user-friendly. They've already done a "version 2" upgrade since I've been using it.
Read MoreFor the past several years, I've been a "front pocket wallet" kind of guy. However, I found that my front pocket wallet was growing thicker, and that I couldn't significantly downsize it because I have a need for more cards of various kinds.
I also don't like a big, thick back pocket wallet because I find them uncomfortable and unsightly. If you've ever seen the Seinfeld episode where George's wallet explodes because he puts in just one too many receipts, you'll know what I mean.
Thin is in (my pocket)
I recently found just the solution: the "All-ett" wallet, which claims to be the world's thinnest wallet. I've been using it for a little more than a month and I am so happy with this wallet!
It's made out of spinnaker sail cloth, which is a very thin and strong material (you can choose from a variety of colors - I went with black). In the picture at right (from the All-Ett site), both wallets contain exactly the same things. You can clearly see that the All-Ett, on the left, would be much more comfortable to have in your back pocket.
Curious how it works? Check out the demo at their site to see the flat wallet in action. There are also some good testimonials posted there.
Something for everyone
Check out the variety of products they offer - in addition to several types of wallets, they carry card cases, checkbook covers, and travel wallets.
Give it a try - there is a 30-day, unconditional money back guarantee, but I don't think you'll be sending this one back!
Read MoreLife's been busy this past week (include a complete rebuild of my laptop due to a bad memory chip, of all things), but I wanted to share a couple of useful resources I've been introduced to recently. Both are research-related, and definitely worth sampling.
- The first is a Squidoo lens on internet research. I do a lot of internet research in the course of work and life, and I found some tremendous tidbits of wisdom here. You'll also find a list of "11 Search Tips" - I already knew some from the list, and learned some new things. One of my favorites is on there:
- "Take advantage of "type of document" searches. For opinions search for PDF and Word Docs and for statistics look for XLS documents (include chart or graph in your search terms)."
I do this all the time, to great benefit - for example, you can do a search for '<person's name> ppt' to get any posted presentations they've done. You can find out a lot about what business people are up to by doing this - tremendously valuable for networking.
The next is a gadget/service called Clipmarks. Clipmarks is a great (free) way to catalog tidbits from your research. Plenty of other tools let you bookmark pages - this one is different. Sure, you can save a whole page, but the coolest thing is it allows you to grab portions of a web page so you can keep only the parts you care about. You can create public or private collections, and there are some built-in features to facilitate sharing.
You can use the Clipmarks web site, but I recommend installing the Clipmarks browser integration for maximum effect (IE and Firefox plugins are available, and the social browser Flock is supported).
Coming soon - I'm beta testing a site that will be an awesome resource to get good prices on airfare. More to come when it emerges from beta.
Read MoreThis is a "Fresh Gear" post, but it also fits under "Travel Light" - it's all about a travel headset that's impressed me quite a bit. This one is called the Logitech Premium Mobile Headset, and I have been using it for about a month and just love it.
I'm a traveling dictater1 once again
Me, a dictater? No, I'm not a tyrant - I just use software to do dictation while I'm traveling.
Last year, I posted about how I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking (voice recognition software) to perform a number of tasks like creating speaker notes in presentations, responding to email, and even composing blog posts. I still do that, but I have not been traveling with my old headset since I wore it out (actually, I rolled a chair over the cord and sliced it so it got all staticy2).
I was looking for a replacement and found the Logitech Premium Mobile Headset. Here are some of the highlights:
- This new headset folds up very flat and I can fit it easily into one of the inner pockets on my laptop bag
- It has adjustable earpads so it is very comfortable
- It includes an adapter so you can use it with USB or standard microphone/headset jacks
- It works with any voice-related software, such as NaturallySpeaking, Skype, and even voice-capable instant messaging clients
- It has inline controls for volume control and microphone muting
- The microphone sound quality is excellent (I'm using the USB interface, primarily)
- It has stereo sound so you can listen to music on it, should you wish to do so (and the sound is decent)
- Its the behind the head design keeps you from getting "headset hair"
- It also includes a carry case - however, I found the case to be too bulky for my needs
I'm very impressed with this one so far, and it has earned a place in my 'permanent checklist' for what goes in my laptop bag for every trip.
1 Yes, I know dictater isn't a real word. Some of my jokes are meant for me. Feel free to enjoy them with me, if you like.
2 I'm not sure "staticy" is a word to anyone but me, either.
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