Glimmerick

Ok let’s face it. Some of us are terrible at remember dates and deadlines. I will be the first to readily  admit that. Test dates, essay due dates, work days, special events… it doesn’t matter! I forget them  all. I am really good at forgetting. Luckily, my love for electronics and my mental weakness meld together into an easily conquerable problem.  Remember The Milk is the coolest program I have come across in months! All you have to do is create tasks, and then it reminds you in various, useful mediums. Each of these mediums allows for short messages that reminded the user that a due date is coming up. I like Gmail the best. You can add maps to your tasks as well, so if you are going on a grocery run, you can see how close it is to your kids’ soccer game, and better gauge time. There are many useful elements to this program, but I simply use it as a “To-Do List.”

1. Access it through their website
2. Gmail add-on **My Favorite**
3. iGoogle
4. AIM, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Skype and Yahoo! are all supported

To the left if an example of what is on my “To Do List.” I have tests, errands, events, etc. They are nicely organized by dates, and can be “completed” fast, which is essentially crossing them off the list. Here you can see how it will look in your regular Gmail inbox. I find it very convenient to see my list next to my email, so I am frequently reminded.

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A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language. ~Dale Carnegie

When people remember my name, it makes me feel special. It should make most everyone feel special. This person has taken the time to remember my name.  Just recall a time where you have met a person maybe once or twice, you don’t remember their name, but they come right out and say, “Hey Tage, how are you doing?!” This one act is so very important and thoughtful, yet most people don’t think twice about it. “I’m bad with names,” is a common excuse, one that I am very fond of. Re-thinking that mindset, I have realized that it is just an excuse for me to be lazy. I decided to delve into the information super highway to uncover top tips to remember names. Here are a few of them that I found to be especially helpful:

1. Just Pay Attention!- What seems more important at the end of a conversation, the person you are addressing remembers your name or remembers every single detail of the conversation. Seems very logical to me– THE NAME!!!. Focus on their name and make it a priority over what they are talking about at first. They will be more forgiving if you have their name committed to memory. Sure it would be great to remember their name and catch every detail of the conversation, but let’s face it, a lot of us aren’t that good. Sure you may remember their name for those 45-60 seconds, but when you run into that person again in the workplace and are grasping at straws, you may have wanted to make a better effort. Those first moments when you meet someone are key! Focus, focus, focus.
2. Repeat 2-3 times- First say, “Hey nice to meet you Larry!” Then you might throw in a, “So where you work Larry?” This may seem a bit overkill, but many experts swear by it.  Then at the end of the conversation, of course part with their name, “Well it’s been nice talking to you Larry.”

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I often have a problem with procrastination.  I frequently put off a large portion of a project/job/report/etc until the last minute. Let me explain, in terms of a paper.  When I need to write a paper, I know that I should work on it as soon as possible, so that I don’t leave it all until the very end. So I jot down an idea here, write a few sentences there, and I think that I am making progress. As soon as I know it, the paper is due at tomorrow, and I have a paragraph or two.  All along, I had deceived myself that I was actually working on it, while actually I had just been picking at it, accomplishing nothing.  The blog Organize IT writes a nice post about the idea of dealing with something as it comes up, and I recommend you read it.  While reading his book, Sam Walton has a great answer to looming projects that I find really helpful to keep in mind:

Let’s be out front. Let’s do it right. Let’s get it done now and get on with it.

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