Michael Linenberger's Blog

Apr 8, 2011

The primary purpose of a to-do list isn’t to get everything done. No, the primary purpose of a to-do list is to set your mind at ease that you know what your responsibilities are. That’s the main reason you should keep one.

A close second is that is this: a to-do list helps prevent your most urgent things from slipping through the cracks—it prevents you from dropping any major balls. That’s because any good to-do list allows you to emphasize your highest priority items.

No, the hope of getting everything done should be the last purpose of a to-do list. Why is it in last place? Because you intuitively know you’ll never do it all—there’s just too much going on these days. And so beating yourself up when you can’t only leads to frustration, and even possibly tossing out the list altogether; and that’s no good.

So get realistic about the functions of a to-do list and why you are using one. Using it as a tool to clearly see what you owe to who and when, and as a way to prioritize what you do now—that’s it’s highest function. It will make your work life much more enjoyable if you do not think you need to do it all.

That’s why the MYN approach to to-do lists works so well. It provides a laser focus on urgent items (your Critical Now), but it gives you a way to view the next-level items easily (Opportunity Now). And then those many many things you’d like to do but you know may not get to for a while? Those are managed in the Over the Horizon list that you keep out of your main focus, in a place where they do not distract and overwhelm you.

So start using the MYN system today.

Michael

April 4, 2011 [Updated Dec 7, 2016]

This article extends from my previous blog and shows other ways to limit Outlook’s blue-box e-mail notifications.

Research shows that even small work interruptions can greatly impact workday efficiency. As I discussed in a previous blog entry, those little blue e-mail notification boxes that Outlook puts up for all incoming mail are a big source of interruptions. When these things pop up every 3 to 5 minutes or so—guess what—your productivity is getting hosed. And the efficiency drop can happen even if you do not stop to open the mail item—they are super distracting.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could limit their appearance to only mail from the most important people (say your boss) and so cut down on their disruption? Well you can; you can adjust Outlook so the blue notification boxes only appear for certain people. But it’s a little tricky—and making that adjustment takes a few steps.

Continue reading →

Apr 2, 2011

I am a big fan of turning off e-mail notifications in Outlook, particularly the blue notification rectangle that announces new mail in Outlook versions 2003 and later (officially called the Desktop Alert in Outlook).

The trouble with that box is it displays just enough of the message to suck you in completely, thus truly doing a great job of wrenching your attention away from higher priority work. Research shows it can take up to five minutes for a worker to completely refocus on a task after an interruption. So as these things pop up every 5 or 10 minutes, or even more often, guess what—your productivity is getting hosed (even if you do not stop and open the mail item).
You will want to turn them off.

How you turn off Outlook E-mail Notifications depends on what version of Outlook you have.

Continue reading →

Mar 30, 2011

As you know, the MYN system can be used on any tablet. But in fact, my very favorite mobile MYN-compatible software (TouchDown) only runs on Android, not on the iPad.

Only now would I consider an Android tablets because they have been slow to catch up with the iPad. The Motorola Xoom is the first to really be practical. One reason the new Motorola Xoom tablet is so important is that it is the first to use the new Android 3.0 operating system (code named Honeycomb); until this new 3.0 version, Android on a tablet was a bit rough.

But now that has changed. Browsers work better, there is a new ebook reader, and more. Here is an article that summarizes the improvements in Android 3.0 over previous versions of Android.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/android-3-0-10-things-you-need-to-know

Michael

Mar 28, 2011

By now you know I am a bit biased toward using Exchange server with Outlook (I really do encourage it). That’s because using Exchange with Outlook solves a ton of mobility issues and adds tons of features. But if you use Outlook and do not work in a company that uses Exchange, or if you cannot afford 2 Starbuck latte’s a month ($7 a month for Exchange at Godaddy), then you are stuck with using an Internet mail server like Gmail or one of a thousand other possible Internet e-mail services as your server feeding mail into the Outlook client.

In that case how do you sync Outlook with your handheld? Well, when using Internet mail your Outlook tasks are only stored on your local Outlook—the server does not sync tasks, nor many other data types. So you need a way to get data from Outlook into your handheld. The only real way to do this is to sync directly between your Outlook computer and your handheld, like with a wire or with local Wifi. So you have to do it when at or near the computer. Aside from being incredibly inconvenient, things can get complicated when doing that, especially with all the task software choices on handhelds.

Well, for Android users, here is a nice article from PC Mag that helps solve that problem. Take a read and leave a comment as to whether it helps or not.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2382337,00.asp

Michael

Mar 26, 2011

Here’s an excerpt from my new Outlook book (the 3rd edition of Total Workday Control). In the excerpt below I describe how Exchange users on Outlook for Mac 2011 can store mail locally, thus clearing space on their Exchange Server account. This roughly duplicates the Personal Folders feature on Windows Outlook. This is from Appendix A, page 332:

Continue reading →

Mar 26, 2011

We are very excited to announce that the third edition of Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook will release in a week or so.  In addition to the powerful e-mail and task management system of all editions, here is what it adds:

• Outlook 2010 is fully covered and integrated into the MYN system.
• Outlook for Mac 2011 is covered as well.
• It adds a 15-minute Quick Start at the beginning of the book to help people get started with the system in minutes.
• Adds more mobile solutions including ways to use the system with iPad, iPhone, and Android devices.
• Suggests non-Outlook task solutions for those that cannot or don’t want to use Outlook for tasks.
• Adds many new ideas on getting your workday under control including: new ways to file and search mail, managing Strategic Outcomes, and taking your e-mail and tasks on the road.
• All chapters have been updated to match Michael’s latest thinking.
• We’ll discuss the book more in future newsletters; we’ll even provide some excerpts.

The book should ship from Amazon and BN.com by the first week of April, and be in bookstores a few weeks after that.

March 18, 2011

The iPad 2 seems to be talked about (and advertised) everywhere. And you cannot have missed the ads for the new Android-based Motorola Xoom—the ad where the intense looking guy fiercely folds up his laptop and turns it into a tablet with 3-D buildings on it. These companies are spending a ton of money on advertising, trying to win the early tablet market share battles.

Inevitably, the media head-to-head comparisons of the two go on and on. You saw my link to a feature by feature comparison earlier. Here are a few more reviews you might be interested in.

Continue reading →

Mar 8, 2011

If you are using Outlook Exchange and filing mail locally to Personal Folders (just about everyone in a medium to large company is), then read on. A new option for you called Personal Archives is here. With Personal Archives (new to Exchange Server 2010), Microsoft now gives you a cloud-based archiving choice that is easier to use, safer, and more accessible when mobile. And, by the way, you just may “have” to use it in the not-to-distant future.

A little background first. Many of you, if you use Windows Outlook, use Personal Folders to file mail when cleaning your Inbox. These folders are stored locally in something called the .pst file—it helps you get mail off the overloaded Exchange server. Also, if you use AutoArchive, Outlook stores the archived mail locally in a .pst file too. By the way, Appendix A of my Outlook book provides a full explanation of Personal Folders and the .pst file including when and how to use them. And Appendix B teaches you how to use a .pst file for archiving.

Why Personal Folders (.pst files) Are a Problem

Using Personal Folders (.pst files) with an Exchange Server to store excess mail locally can work well; many of us have been doing that successfully for years. However, there are also a ton of problems with doing that. Some are problems for you, and some are problems for your IT department. Continue reading →

Mar 5, 2011

I saw this head-to-head comparison of the iPad 2 and the new Android 3.0 Motorola Xoom Tablet. It looks like they are about a wash feature wise. Of course, you may have preferences on the two operating systems. Here’s the comparison:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381322,00.asp

By the way, Android OS smartphone sales recently surpassed Apple iPhone sales. I have an iPad and a smartphone from both OS’s (iPhone and Android), and I like each for different reasons—I really think either OS will work for you.

And in case you have not been following my articles, if you want to use my MYN system to manage tasks with any of these, I recommend preferred software for each:

• If you use Outlook with Exchange, and use the iPhone or iPad, get TaskTask (called TaskTask HD on the iPad).
• If you use Outlook with Exchange, and use Android, get TouchDown.
• If you do not use Outlook (or do not use Exchange) I’d manage tasks in ToodleDo and use the following apps:
• —— for iPhone or iPad, get the ToodleDo app
• —— for Android, get the Pocket Informant or Ultimate To-Do List

Please comment below on how well any of these are working for you.

Michael