A Next Action and a Project – Getting Things Done
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Do you ever have a simple task that gets put off for no good reason? You know, something you’ve been needing to do, but just can’t get it done?
I’ve been needing to get a dental checkup for quite some time. I don’t have any teeth problems, but I want to get back on a six month checkup schedule. Since insurance pays for it, why not?
The problem has been that I just couldn’t get motivated to do it. I’ve put it off, delayed, and not thought about. But all the while it was nagging at my subconscious.
I solved the problem. With a simple GTD trick, things are moving along.
Two days ago I added “dentist” to my project list. I finally followed David Allen’s advice and put my stake in the ground. I held myself responsible for the outcome of getting to the dentist.
Then I added “lookup local dentists” to my list of next actions. This gave me an easy, tangible thing I could do to get closer to my goal.
The outcome has been very positive so far. I don’t have an appointment yet, but I’m closer than before. I have a dentist’s phone number and address. I just called to get an appointment, but they are closed on Fridays. Argh!
Hopefully I’ll get this project done in a couple weeks. It will probably take that long to find an opening with the dentist and get the appointment over with (if I’m lucky). But then I can take “dentist” off my project list. It will truly be out of sight & out of mind.
Lesson learned – If you have something you need to do, put your stake in the ground. Add it to your project list and come up with a tangible next action to do. You’ll be done in no time.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user natural gas.
[tags]legal andrew, next action, getting things done, gtd[/tags]
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The Lazy Man’s Packing List
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How many times a year do you have to travel somewhere? If you’re like most people, you probably travel far more often that you want. Lawyers and law students have to travel a particularly sane amount, be it for depositions, interviews, or court appearances.
I finally got tired of writing out a packing list every time a trip came along. So I developed my lazy man’s packing list. It’s just a Word document that has my basic packing list already typed out. I print out a copy, then handwrite a few changes or additions. Then I’m ready to pack. This way I make sure to pack the major things and small items I might forget (like sunglasses).
Would you like a copy of my packing list? Here is the word version. Please feel free to tailor it to your own needs. It’s here to make your life easier.
Do you have a tip to make a quick packing list on the fly? Is there something important that I left off mine? Please let us know! Leave a comment or drop me a line.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user noizyboy.
[tags]legal andrew, packing list, travel[/tags]
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My Favorite WordPress Plugins
The other day I wrote a post that prompted a great comment from Law Student. One thing he wondered was what WordPress plugins I use here at Legal Andrew.
So many choices!
One thing I love about WordPress is the endless opportunities for customization. There are thousands of themes and plugins you can install. This makes it so even the least tech-able person can have a WordPress blog that looks & performs exactly the way he wants it.
However, part of the difficulty with this many choices is figuring out which plugins you should use. In many instances, there are several plugins that provide the same ultimate functionality. That’s a good reason for lists like the one I’m providing here. We can all learn from each other.
Plugins I use
Akismet – Stop comment spam in its tracks. If you use Akismet, you won’t have a need for comment moderation. It’s now caught over 2,000 pieces of spam for me.
Democracy – If you need a poll, this is your tool. Check out my ad poll in the upper left sidebar.
FeedBurner Feed Replacement – If you’re using FeedBurner to run your blog’s feed, you should check this one out. It forwards your users from the default WordPress feed to your FeedBurner feed. That ensures that you’re tracking all your readers.
Google Sitemaps – Everyone’s concerned about SEO, right? This plugin makes it easy to create and maintain your Google sitemap.
Live Comment Preview – If you’ve ever left a comment here, you noticed a live preview of your comment below the text input box. I hope you like it, and this plugin will let you have one too!
Popularity Contest – This little gadget is the power behind the “Most Popular” post list in my left sidebar. It’s neat, but the posts don’t line up precisely with my statistics. Close enough, but not precisely.
Related Posts – This might be my favorite plugin. The first thing it does is provide the “You might also like…” links below every post. It does this automagically by checking keywords in the post. Also, if you ever see a 404 page here, you’ll see a list of posts that might be close to what you’re looking for.
Simple Tags – Do you want an easy way to put Technorati tags in your posts? This plugin will do the trick. You can even specify where they appear. Handy.
Subscribe to Comments – Blogs are all about comments. This plugin lets users subscribe to comments with their email address. You can even subscribe without leaving a comment of your own.
Mobile Edition – Since I’m a fan of mobile devices, I had to have a mobile version of my blog. This plugin makes it easy as pie.
Contact Form – Finally, you’ve got to make sure your readers can contact you. I put my email address everywhere, but I also have an online contact form. This is a great plugin for people who strive to maintain anonymity or are just worried about spammers.
What about you?
So that’s my list. At least, those are the plugins I currently use. They come and go from time to time, but this is the core set.
What are your favorite WordPress plugins? Did I leave out some that you feel are crucial to your blog? Are there some that do the above tasks even better? Please post a comment or drop me a line.
[tags]legal andrew, wordpress plugins[/tags]
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File 13 and GTD – When All Else Fails, Trash It!
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Have you read David’s book on getting things done? I finally got my hands on a copy last week (free from the library!) and I’m starting to dig in. Hopefully my productivity will go through the roof.
The first thing that stands out to me is the importance of the trash can. In quite a few places, David reiterates that we should purge, trash, recycle, and get rid of things we don’t need. Why? How do you know what you don’t need?
Trash the clutter
Stuff clutters space. That’s a fact of life. The more junk you have, the harder it is to organize, and the more difficult it becomes to find what you need. Trusty file 13 provides the solution.
But what if I need that piece of trash later on? That’s where GTD comes to save us!
If not actionable AND not reference = TRASH
Yep, it’s really that simple. I’ll even claim that you can apply this simple formula to anything in life. Take that little trinket that’s sitting on your desk right now. You know the one. Does it do something for you? If not, does it have some sentimental or emotional or reference value? If not, why do you have it? TRASH!
Unless I’m mistaken, this is the way David outlines the beginning of the GTD workflow. When you finally get to the almighty processing stage of your inbox, you simply ask these two easy questions: actionable?, reference? If you can’t answer “yes” to either one, the thing you’re holding adds no value to your life. It’s better off in the landfill (or recycling bin).
Now, if I can only apply this principle to my desk right now. 🙂
As a side note, you don’t always have to trash things that don’t belong in your life. Try recycling them, donating to charity, or even selling them on eBay. We just sold a few odds and ends on eBay, and we made a tidy little sum in the process. That definitely makes purging more worthwhile.
How do you handle trash and purging in your GTD flow? Do you have any great tips to help detach from “priceless” stuff? Stick a comment below or drop me a line.
[tags]legal andrew, david allen, getting things done, gtd[/tags]
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Discussing RSS With Clients – Read Short Stories
Do your clients read blogs? Do they understand what RSS can do for them? Heck, do you use an RSS reader?
Here’s my attempt to help you explain RSS to clients. I even made a nifty graphic!
Read short stories
No, that’s not what RSS officially stands for. However, it will work for this simple explanation. When you want to read the web, don’t scour websites one at a time. Use RSS. You can Read Short Stories in no time by using this cool technology.
Save time
That is the huge benefit of RSS. In the days of old, you had to type in each web address you wanted to read. You never knew if your favorite page was updated. You couldn’t automatically keep track of things important to you.
RSS changes that. You can know when your favorite pages update and read the latest material, by simply opening your RSS reader.
Aggregate content
Yep, your RSS reader is a program or service you will use to “aggregate” content from the internet. This means that your favorite news sources, weather sites, blogs, websites, etc are all sent to one, happy, organized place. Now for the nifty graphic:
As you see, the key to RSS is really your RSS reader.
RSS readers
My reader of choice is Google Reader. There are quite a few others, which you can easily find by searching “rss reader” on any major search engine.
The benefit to Google Reader (and a few others) is that everything is kept online. Thus, you can access your RSS sources (known as “feeds”) from anywhere with an internet connection. Google Reader also allows good organization of your feeds with labels, as well as sharing your feeds with friends.
Learn more!
There are tons of uses for RSS. Simply look around the web for the little RSS icon (
). You’ll see many sites that offer content via RSS. Why not stay updated?
As always, if you have any thoughts or comments on this article, please leave a comment or drop me a line. I treasure your feedback.
[tags]legal andrew, rss, read short stories[/tags]
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The Networking Carnival – Fourth Edition – Help for Newbies
Are you ready for some whirly fun at the carnival? The response for this month’s networking carnival was great! Here’s what Thom posted, that I asked people to respond to:
A new year has begun. Instead of doing the typical New Year’s resolution, let’s focus on something a bit different. Let’s help out the people who are new to networking. Provide your best tip to help networking newbies start the year right.
So without further ado, here comes the networking carnival’s parade!
The first float we see is Stephanie West Allen, sporting a cool display that is all about learning to CLICK with people.
Next, we see the float from Emmanuel Oluwatosin, where he encourages us to build our networks early. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself behind at crunch time.
Coming around the bend is Anastasia Pryanikova’s float. And what is she doing? She’s mentoring people on how to find a mentor.
If you can still contain your excitement, you can see Ben Yoskovitz and his take on newbie networking. He’s got rocks all over his float. He was living under them, but now he’s moving them. He’ll teach you how to find big success.
For those lawyer folk out there, Law Student has a spiffy float that is covered in great tips to help law students and new attorneys network.
Wait! Law students have another float made just for them! Brett is leveraging clubs, groups, and social functions to make networking connections. This is another great guide for law students.
Now comes a float that says JibberJobber all over it. Yep, it’s from Jason Alba, and he gets at the heart of what networking really is.
And look who’s bringing up the rear… No, it’s not Santa Claus. It’s everyone’s favorite networking guru, Thom Singer! His float provides some great advice for the new networkers out there, explaining what networking IS and what it is NOT.
Finally, the following posts were also submitted. However, I think they’re really off-topic. Thus, I’m linking to them, but not writing anything about them.
- Charles H. Green: Why You’re So Predictable AND Trust Tip 3: The ABC 20 Question Rule
- Paul: ExtremePerspective: Network Marketing Amway
- Jack Yoest: Rocky Balboa: Courage, Integrity, Faith, Victory The Movie
Thank you to everyone who submitted a post to this edition of the carnival. I hope you enjoyed seeing the carnival parade and that you go read everybody’s posts and help each other learn! I welcome feedback on any and everything I write, especially my first carnival to host. Please post a comment or drop me a line.
If you are interested in hosting the February networking carnival, please contact Thom Singer (thom@thomsinger.com).
The cool picture at the top is from Flickr user Jael
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Enhance Your Online Presence With a Video Greeting
Are you trying to have a strong and positive online presence? If you’re in a job search, you definitely should focus on your “Google juice.”
In other words, what do people find when they search for you online? Fortunately, this is in your control.
One important thing you can do is to have a personal website or blog. A great option is to register the domain that consists of your name “johndoe.com.” This provides a great way to showcase yourself for anyone who may be looking for you (especially potential legal employers).
Another method is to create an audio resume, using the tool I mentioned a few days ago.
Something I have definitely overlooked is to create a video greeting. Chris Brogan just wrote about this concept at Lifehack:
YouTube is one of the most misunderstood pieces of software out there. It’s not TV. It’s a video sharing platform. Record whatever you want. But here’s a trick: why not record a video saying who you are, what you’re into, or what you do for work. Why not make it interesting, funny, or relevant? Post it, and then post the link to the video on your blog and your MySpace. A video greeting, so to speak, does wonders for adding some dimension to who you are.
A video greeting is definitely a unique and interesting way to showcase yourself online. You can be creative, show off your speaking abilities, and illustrate your outgoing personality. Why not give it a try?
[tags]legal andrew, chris brogan, lifehack, youtube, video resume[/tags]
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Online Networking with JibberJobber – Part 3
This is Part 3 in a series of posts on Jason Alba’s Career Toolset, JibberJobber. Check out Part 1 and Part 2
I think I’ve covered the basics of JibberJobber, so this final post is really to highlight a couple things I didn’t get to yet.
First, JibberJobber has a neat online “Library.” Basically, users input links, articles, and books that they find interesting. You can share your library items with others or keep them private. It’s really quite neat.
Next, JibberJobber connects you with a good set of auxiliary tools. You can map clients & companies, track expenses, keep tabs on your career coaches, and import/export data.
Finally, JibberJobber helps you monitor your career progress. You can run a series of reports from the “Reports” page. You can track your job application activity, your action items, and your relationship goals. It’s a great way to track and monitor your progress.
If you haven’t checked out JibberJobber, you should. It’s a great career toolset.
[tags]legal andrew, jibberjobber, jason alba, networking[/tags]
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Month in Review – December
Hello to all of you wonderful readers. If you are new to Legal Andrew, I’m glad you found your way here. If you’re a regular, I’m glad you keep coming back. I value all of your time and participation.
Popular posts
1. The most popular post for December is You Gotta Love a Free Espresso Machine. It was #1 on Google for “free espresso,” but now it’s down to #3. Sadly, traffic to the post is down a bit too.
2. Second place goes to Why People Hate Lawyers – Just Read Their Blogs!. That was my contribution to ProBlogger’s last group writing project. I’m glad people liked it.
3. After taking out a couple posts that were top last month, Harness the Power of Word Cross-References for Mammoth Documents takes third place for December. Interestingly, that was my contribution to ProBlogger’s September group writing project. The lesson here: give to others. Be part of the community!
Subscribe for easy reading
Because I value your readership, there are two easy ways to subscribe to Legal Andrew. You can follow the RSS feed (what’s that?) or get email updates.
Contact me
If you need anything or just want to chat, feel free to contact me. You can post a comment to any post here on the blog, or you can drop me a line. Also, feel free to Skype me (aflusche). If I don’t answer your call, it’s because I’m slow getting to the headset sometimes (sorry).
Happy New Year!
[tags]legal andrew, month in review, november[/tags]
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Basecamp for Lawyers and Law Students
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Grant Griffiths has a great post about using Basecamp in the legal profession. This is a great time to look at the software more in depth.
Online project management
Basecamp is an online software set created by 37 signals. It’s a fully featured task and project management system. You can have many users, lots of projects, and easily refine permissions to protect confidential information.
They have several different plans ranging in price from $12 to $149 per month. With each one, you get a 30-day free trial (basically, you can cancel within 30 days and pay nothing).
Uses for lawyers
Grant explains the way he is planning to use Basecamp:
In my practice, Basecamp will be used to manage cases. Each client will have access to their own case. By using Basecamp, each client will have access to all the documents in their case. They will know when court dates and other important dates are. They can leave comments or questions about their case and they can keep up on the progress of their case.
Thus, you can give information directly to your clients, online! They can track their matters at any time, from anywhere with internet access. You don’t need to email files back and forth, since they are all securely online. Your calendars and tasks are easily tracked too.
Have you used Basecamp? Do you see other uses for lawyers or law students? Stick a comment here or drop me a line.
[tags]legal andrew, home office lawyer, grant griffiths, basecamp, 37 signals[/tags]
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About Andrew Flusche
Lawyer, bicyclist, husband.
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