Are You Putting Off Productivity?

I recently took a good look at what was keeping me from accomplishing what I needed to do. After all, I had my goals. I had them written down. I read my affirmations daily. And still, I was not achieving what I wanted to do.

Leaving town was a major undertaking. And that's not good when you're a professional speaker! I need to be able to leave at a moment's notice and arrive ready to give my full attention to my audience. So it was time for a look at what was holding me back. Here's what I found.

1. I used my desktop computer in the office. However, my accounting program and contact databases were on that machine, so my assistant also needed to use it. We sometimes found ourselves waiting for the other person to get off the machine before we could do what we needed to do.
2. I used a 3-lb laptop on the road. Though I rarely used them, I had to pack the CD player and floppy drive, plus the docking bar with the parallel port on it - just in case I needed any of those items.
3. I often found myself without a file I needed or a contact's information. It took me up to an hour or two before I left town each time to decide on and transfer what I needed to my laptop, then another 30 minutes or more when I returned to update my desktop with all I had worked on while I was gone.
4. I had an early 2MB Palm V that could not hold any e-books and did not sync with my Outlook calendar and contacts. So again, I spent a lot of time copying and pasting information between my desktop or my laptop and my Palm.

In general, things were not working well and the problems were pretty obvious.

Here's how I resolved most of my issues.

1. I bought a new laptop. This is 3 years newer than the other, but it's four times faster and has a larger screen. And while I traded a 3-pounder for a 7-pounder, my new laptop has a built-in floppy and a built-in CD burner. That means all the pieces are with me all the time. And with the CD burner, I can back up data quickly or move it to another computer easily - very nice when you need to use someone else's computer!

2. I moved my desktop to another office for my assistant. That means she and I can be working at the same time on the rare occasions I'm in the office - what a concept!

3. I only put the programs I need for my tasks on my laptop. So if I don't think I should be doing it, I didn't load the software. I did not put my accounting program or my databases on my laptop; instead, I'm delegating those tasks to my assistant (another new concept!) If I need to look at anything on those programs, I'll walk into her office and check.

4. I purchased a new color Palm. It's color with lots of memory. Best of all, it syncs with Outlook contacts, tasks, calendar and notes. Plus it uses Word and Excel, as well as Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is truly revolutionary! To ensure I have the information I need with me, I put the Palm into its cradle and it automatically syncs everything. No more deciding what to take, then copying and pasting it! I find I'm editing
Word documents on the plane, plus I'm getting a lot of the e-books read in airports and sitting alone in restaurants.

When I want to create an article from scratch (as I'm doing with this one), I use the keyboard.
In short, my travel life has changed dramatically in the past 2 weeks! And as I walk back into my office this afternoon, I'll pull my laptop out and put it on my desk, then sync it with my Palm. I will have everything with me that I've had on the road for the past 10 days. My assistant's work life won't be interrupted and we'll never lose a beat in getting the job done!

Just the sense of calm and control are worth it. No more frantic transferring of files as I leave. No more waiting to use my computer while she prints invoices for the month. No more... well, you get the idea! I'm thrilled with the make-over!

Do you need to review your productivity? Take this short quiz and see: 

1. Do you always have the information you need with you - either on your cell phone, your laptop, and your PDA (personal digital assistant, such as a Palm Pilot or IPAQ)?
2. Are you trying to share a computer with anyone else?
3. Can you get on the Internet as often and as long as you need to?
4. If you need a client file while you're traveling do you have it? Can you get it within 15 minutes - even after hours?
5. If you need to move a file or print a file, so you have a way to do that while you're traveling?
6. Are there tasks that are not getting done? Why? Could it be cured by shifting or adding technology?

Remember: Technology is a tool that works FOR us. If you're working harder and longer because of the technology, it's not working the way it should. Don't put off productivity!
For more on productivity, get Jeanette's special repor "Ten Most Overlooked Productivity Tools" at TechTamers.com

HTC Titan: The Ultimate Windows Phone 7 Experience

Move over Android phones because the new HTC Titan is here to give new meaning to the word "innovation." These yet to be released smart phones from HTC Corporation are one of the few handsets to run in a Windows 7 operating system.

The imposing name of these smart phones is a clear indication that HDC Titan offers more than just a stunning display. The 16M colors S-LCD is big yet not that unpleasant to the eye at 4.7 inches. This screen is multi-touched enabled and has a gyroscope sensor that comes in handy when changing screen orientations. The display resolution is at 480 x 800 pixels.

Users will be surprised that even though HDC Titan is big in terms of size and weight, the candy bar designed unit is surprisingly thin at 9.9mm. Not bad since it is close to the iPhone 4 white model which has a 9.5 mm thickness, a 0.2 mm extra from its black counterpart.

The HDC Titan retains the comfortable rectangular shape its predecessors have since it has smooth, rounded corners that fits well in the hands of the users. The unit exudes a feel of minimalism with its carbon gray exterior at the back and black framing on the front side. Users will also notice that this hefty but solid handset is made with aluminum housing.

When it comes to HTC Titans battery, it is not far off from the recent Android phone releases. It has an average continuous talk time capacity of 11.83 hours while at standby mode, the handset can last for as long as 360 hours.

One thing that smart phone users will love in HDC Titan is the high camera resolution that most competing Android phones lack. With an 8MP resolution, users can capture lifelike photos of stunning moments. Video conferencing is also possible via Skype.
Unlike traditional point and shoot cameras, HDC Titans camera features a f/2.2 lens with dual LED flash and BSI sensor. The images produced from these cameras show almost life-like colors and are not blurry. There are instances though that the exposure of the images is too short, resulting to shaded details being lost.

When it comes to the software, HDC Titan boasts of its capacity to run in a Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS. It also has a 512 MB RAM and a single core 1500 MHz processor. These features give HTC Titan users smoother experience in loading a variety of multimedia like games and videos. HTC Titan has a built-in internal memory of 16 GB to enable users to store their favorite movies and songs. Not bad for a mid-range phone!

The HTC Titan supports different avenues for connectivity. It has a 2.1 Bluetooth version and is Wi-Fi enabled. Connecting to personal computers for data and file sharing is possible with the microUSB port found at the bottom part of the phone. Users will also notice that this latest HTC phone model includes a DLNA connectivity option. This can be useful in connecting to a television or any external display for streaming of photos, videos, and music.

With all the features mentioned, smart phone users can give the HTC Titan a try so they can get that Windows Phone 7 experience in their phone.