Simplicity Is Elegance

I have to admit: I am in a “simplify and eliminate” mood today. I got rid of one time-suck earlier today; have “renegotiated” several commitments (in David Allen’s GTD parlance) in the past week; and am getting quite fond of that sense of liberation that follows. It feels like my lungs gained an additional 20% capacity at the same time as a large and heavy stone was lifted out of the metaphorical backpack we all carry — a deeper breath of fresher air and a much lighter load.

So I’m going to continue that process of simplification by taking myself out of the “Seven Days of Inspiration” equation, at least partially. I can’t take myself out completely because — well, someone has to choose the links. But I am going to continue what I started in the last 7 Days post: just the links, ma’am (and sir). No more thoughtful ruminations from me (though I am going to summarize the post in one phrase/sentence, to make sure folks can tell what the post is about in case the title’s not clear enough).

What that means: You take the links, or leave ‘em. You read ‘em, or not. You get something out of them, it’s yours and yours alone. No more leading questions, so to speak. I’m letting you, the jury, draw their own conclusions. (That metaphor got jumbled pretty quickly, didn’t it?)

So, without further ado, here are the seven links for this week. This week’s theme: productivity.

This Weeks’ Links: The Productive Solo

• Do You Make These 5 Mistakes When You Try to Take Action? — Positivity Blog — five ways you might be holding yourself back
• How to Be Excellent (Or, Principle vs. Technique) — Experience Designer — thoughts on a first flight lesson and approaching new subjects for best results
• How to Manage Your Time Effectively — Ian’s Messy Desk — five simple (though not always easy) steps to get a better handle on your schedule and tasks list
• Links on Remote Assistants — Productivity501 — Mark Shead asked his remote assistant to gather some helpful posts on remote assistants; this post is the result.
• Luminotes Is a Wiki Without the Markup Learning Curve — Lifehacker — discusses a new app (both standalone and web-based options apparently available) to set up a personal wiki for enhanced productivity (and, I suggest, learning new practice areas)
• Top 10 Contact Management Resources to Keep Your Business Organized — Internet Mogal — a rundown on five contact management apps (Outlook is not one of them)
• What to Do About That Big Project You’ve Been Putting Off — Web Worker Daily — step by step process and suggestions to power your way through that monster project you just can’t seem to get started on

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! We’ll be debuting some new features on TIS next week — do come back and check ‘em out. I’d love your input.