Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Mind Blown!!

Two things recently have just blown my mind!

  1. Firstly this review from Federico Viticci. What a review. 5 Stars
  2. And then the app he's referring to... Mind blowingly amazing!! Can't gush enough about it.

 

A quick highlight from an amazing review and software:

Editorial supports TextExpander snippets but it also allows you to set up snippets created with its proprietary syntax and tokens. In the “Snippets & Abbreviations” screen of the Settings, you’ll see options to ignore case when typing snippets, enable or disable TextExpander integration, and suggest TextExpander snippets. Similar to Pythonista’s code completion, Editorial can display small “bubbles” above the keyboard that suggest a matching snippet showing the abbreviation (with letters you’ve already typed highlighted in blue) and a preview of the full snippet.

This is genius!! This alone is the single best implementation of snippets in iOS and should become MANDATORY on all applications. I use xx(something) a lot on iOS and sometimes forget.. Now I type xx and like magic my snippets appear above my keyboard!!! MIND BLOWN!!!!! GENIUS!!!!

Monday, August 19, 2013

GTD conversation via IM

From a recent (ish) conversation I had with a colleague over IM:
so how do you apply GTD in a nutshell
12:21Timms, Howe (UK - London)
It's not a nutshell kind of explanation I'm afraid. But there are five steps:
1. Capture (Get it all out of your head and written down so your brain has space to think)
2. Process (Take that 'stuff' you've written down think about what it really is)
3. Organise (Now you know what it really is, put it where it belongs)
4. Review (This is the REALLY important bit. Review what and WHY you're spending time and attention on things)
5. Do (You've done all the hard stuff. Time to just do the widgets knowing that you're doing the most important thing to you at that moment)
It's Awesome
Yes.. I said it's awesome in real life.. Kill me now.
what if you have something you cant be sure what the benefits are till you've done it? for eg reading a journal that could be really important to your essay or not at all...
12:29Timms, Howe (UK - London)
How do you decide if spending the time on that journal is the best thing?
It's kind of simple:
What are you NOT doing if you're reading that journal? Will anything MORE important than that essay get broken? If the answer is no you could probably read that journal and if it's turning out to be dull, move on to another one
If you should be doing something more important - DON'T do anything to do with the essay and get that done
If it's free time. No critical etc. Why not answer the real question. Do I do enough general reading of journals so that I can be confident in having a wide perspective for this essay? (if not, why not?)
Could I get better at evaluating journals (Skim readin, speed reading etc)
Perhaps I take ages to read journals (Why? Could be all sorts of reasons) or I spend TOO much time reading journals (random ones because I love it - that's nice, but it doesn't help the essay etc)

Friday, August 16, 2013

Saw this and thought of COO

Keep People From Feeling Left Out

Social rejection is hard in any setting, including at the office. When people feel excluded, they can't be productive, innovative, or collaborative. As a manager you need to create a work environment that discourages rejection

Nice little post.Applies to both managers and leaders equally.

 

 

BBC News - 'Tipping point' for mobile health apps

"We are at a tipping point in computer science where the technology is getting so small... We can then have people monitor themselves without taking any effort," he said.

Professor Gill Rowlands, a GP and clinical senior lecturer at Kings College London, added a note of caution: "I would like to make sure that the applications people use have been quality tested."

.. And check for security risks

 

Sylvia Ann Hewlett

In short, sponsorship is about taking calculated risks. Why do it? Because the payoff is priceless.

Amen

In today's complex organizational matrix, no one person can maintain both breadth and depth of knowledge across fields and functions. But she can put together a posse whose expertise is a quick IM away. Some sponsees add value through their technical expertise or social media savvy. Others contribute fluency in another language or culture. Still others may help you advance the organization's goals through their ability to build teams from scratch and coach raw talent. Building a loyal cadre of effective performers can extend your reach, realize your vision, build your legacy, and burnish your reputation

Never underestimate the power of your network.. I had a very telling experience recently where I was able to help out an old colleague by contacting a very good relationship I had with a third party vendor

 

 

Why You Should Stop Keeping Score at Work

It’s beneficial, even productive, to make your accomplishments visible, instead of hiding away keeping mental score. Understanding what everyone is doing means that you’re not worried about percentages and brownie points but focusing on getting awesome things done together as a team and aligning the points between individual and collective progress and meaning.

I read this article with a particular person in mind...

Further evidence that you need to celebrate personal and team successes. I'll stress that making your personal accomplishments visible is a crucial behaviour and essential for the 'aligning of points'. So stop keeping scores but make sure you celebrate when you score a goal!