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April Fools Day Roundup
Here’s some of my favorite April Fools pranks from yesterday:
- Google’s new name: Topeka: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/different-kind-of-company-name.html
- Gmail had a vowel outage: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/todays-vowel-outage.html
- Christian men to appear on The View (including Max Lucado and Mark Driscoll): http://donmilleris.com/2010/04/01/singersongwriter-derek-webb-to-cohost-abcs-the-view-in-june/
- Speaking of Driscoll, a review of his latest book: http://www.wordandspirit.co.uk/blog/2010/04/01/book-review-sweetheart-mark-driscoll/
- Starbucks is going to add two new cup sizes: http://www.starbucks.com/blog/10113/starbucks-listens-to-customer-request-for-more-sizes.aspx
Mashable has a good roundup as well: http://mashable.com/2010/04/01/funniest-april-fools-jokes-2/
And one of my all-time favorite jokes (from last year), the Internet needs a reboot: http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/04/01/internet-reboot-today/
Productivity Changes
I recently discovered a website called Study Hacks, which “explores strategies for building a life that is both remarkably accomplished and remarkably enjoyable. Its primary audience is students, but at least half the content is non-student specific, and the site enjoys readers of all ages.”
I’m already putting some of the principles into practice. And I’m already seeing the benefits of them.
Those that know me well know that I am addicted to my phone. I got my first Blackberry between my Sophomore and Junior years of High School, and will never go back to a “dumbphone”. I “upgraded” to a Droid in December, and my addiction only grew. I was constantly checking for new texts, email (Gmail is instantly pushed to the Droid, which was 20 minutes faster than to my Blackberry), Facebook status updates, and tweets (I never checked my Twitter from my Blackberry, since there weren’t any good apps). I’m usually not the kind of person who likes to talk on the actual phone (but it depends on the person), and I am absolutely horrible at responding to voice mails, even though I have Google Voice.
Anyway, one of the tips to increase your productivity on Study Hacks was to set a time in the evening when you stopped checking email, and concentrated on winding down and relaxing for the evening. I realized I inadvertently stress myself out in the evenings by wearing my phone and wondering if its going to buzz.
So every night for the past several weeks, around 6 or 7pm, I turn my phone on silent, and stick it on the charger in my room. If I’m expecting a text or email, I’ll check it every once in a while. But the key is that it’s not on me. I wasn’t putting unconscious stress on myself by wearing it. For a few waking hours each day, I’m free!
A similar ritual goes on in the mornings. Ever since I got the multimedia docking station, it’s been living next to my bed each night, and now serves as my alarm clock. (My alarm ritual is a different story all together.) When I finally get up, I’ll leave it on the charger, and won’t touch it until I’m ready to eat breakfast. During breakfast, I’ll only go through my Facebook notifications and updates, and look to see if I have any urgent emails. Then, I’ll put it back in my holster, and get out the door. No more “information overload”. I’ll read through my emails and tweets when I’m on the bus. But my mornings are so much less stressful and calm when I only go through a few things, then watch the news while eating breakfast.
It’s a fairly easy concept to accomplish. In the mornings, spread out catching up on all of the “overnight updates” over several hours. If anything is urgent, it will bump itself up to the top of the queue. Otherwise, you’ll get to it soon enough. And in the evenings, set a time a few hours before bedtime to put the phone on the charger, and check it on an infrequent basis. Again, anything urgent will catch your attention quickly. Otherwise, it can wait.
2010 Year / Decade Resolutions
I’m not usually one who’s big on “resolutions” this time of year. But I guess the fact that this year is the beginning of a new decade, some changes are in order. So, here are my 10 Resolutions for 2010, the year and the decade:
- Quit procrastinating on everything so much.
- Start prioritizing and organizing my time and schedule to maximize my productivity, as well as my relaxation.
- Listen more, talk less. (2 ears, 1 mouth concept.)
- Pay more attention to those around me, rather than myself.
- Read more.
- Read the Bible more.
- Strive to get the most out of each class I take, even though I may already know the material, or the class may have nothing to do with my major or future career.
- Make new friendships at work and school, as well as cultivating existing friendships.
- Find and maintain an appropriate balance between real-life and social media.
- Don’t go insane.
A New Start
2010. A new year. A new decade. A new start.
(BTW, it’s pronounced “twenty-ten”, not “two-thousand-and-ten”.)
One of my resolutions this coming year (and decade) is to put more time into this blog. I’ve said that several times before, but this time it’s for real. I’ve already got many ideas brewing in my head, some of which have already broken out onto my phone or on paper, so this time it promises to actually be true.
The rest of my year/decade “resolutions” will be come in the next post. As for now, I’ll just say that my goal is to blog about anything that doesn’t fit in a 140 character tweet. Anything from faith, to technology, to cyber-security, to sports. It’s going to be a real grab-bag.
I’m not out there to become the next Brian Krebs, or Tim Challies. I’d just like to have a place to share my thoughts with friends and family, and be able to look back at them on down the road and remember what was happening “back in the day”.
So here’s to 2010. Let’s make it a good one.