David Allen & huffpo taking it easy

As I'm rushing to get everything done at the end of the semester, I happened to run across this post on Lifehacker:

"Getting Things Done author David Allen says that in order to get to a calm, productive state of mind, we have to slow down and think, instead of trying to work more, faster, and harder:

One of the most subtle ways the better aspect of us retreats is in busy-ness. Losing perspective in trying to control everything, finish it all, fix it all—all at once. Getting things done out of frustration instead of inspiration. Helping out of compulsion, not compassion."

In reading this post I discovered that David Allen is now blogging on the Huffington Post in their "Living" section. I'm trying to find the connection between gtd & huffpo, other than the fact that I'm a huge fan of both. But then, maybe that's all it takes :)

Google Operating System

Thanks to a cool blog called Google Operating System, I got inspired to, as the blog states, "move my operating system online." I decided to retry iGoogle, and it's working well so far. Here's a screenshot from my page:

How do you bank?

I ran across this ad on a website I recently visited.


But I would much prefer to see a different type of ad, so I made one.

HVBU=Human Values Banking Union :)

finally found: blank pocket notebook

I used to swear by the cheap pocket sized, spiral bound pocket notepads with ruled pages and the spiral at the top of the book. But the covers would inevitably come off, and then soon would come the top pages. And then I switched to the slightly larger spiral bound pocket ruled notebooks with the spiral along the side. But those were always too big for my pocket, and the covers would still come off.

And then I discovered the hipster pda. At first, I was in love. I went crazy organizing it with tabs and preprinted sheets, but found myself falling out of using the system. So I scaled back, and just carry a bunch of index cards in a binder clip. I love the sturdy blank writing surface and the portability, but I miss the flip-through feel you get with bound pages. What to do, what to do...

Finally, after a long search, I stumbled across the perfect companion for creative minds like mine: a pocket notebook with blank pages and appears to be not cumbersome to carry in your pocket: Moleskine's Cahier Pocket Plain Notebook.

Here's what the website has to say :

The new Moleskine Cahier [kaa yáy] Pocket Plain Notebooks are offered as a set of 3 notebooks with plain (blank) pages, each with a heavy duty cardboard cover with visible stitching on the spine...Sold as a set of three journals, each 3.5 x 5.5 inches and containing 64 pages, with the last 16 sheets detachable.

As long as the cover is not too heavy duty and rigid, it looks like a great product. As a bonus, the back cover boasts a pocket like its hardcover companions.

It's from Moleskine, so the quality is likely high, but so too is the price. At 3 notebooks for 7 bucks, it makes it hard for a poor grad student to stock up on them, or at least to justify it to myself. But I'm tempted to try them out, and possibly convince myself that it's worth the price. In the meantime, I'll be looking for more affordable imitations.

Next on the list, cracking the conspiracy against unruled composition books.