Archive for the “General work pimps” CategoryThe video above shows an interview of efficiency expert Julie Morgenstern saying that you shouldn’t check email in the morning. Even though others have suggested this, including Tim Ferriss, I can’t say I’ve successfully tried it to the point that it was permanent. How often do you check email? Do you find any difference in your productivity when you check your email first thing in the morning when you get to work? Out of the available keyboard layouts, the Qwerty layout is used most often in the western world. But there’s always been this rumor that one of the other alternatives, the Dvorak layout, is actually more efficient. Apparently, it can make you type faster with higher accuracy. Before we address the truth of this rumor, let’s recall what the Dvorak layout actually looks like. I found a Dvorak keyboard layout comparison with Qwerty. But the first layout pictured on the page is actually just 1 of 3 available Dvorak layouts - the two-handed layout:
Image Credit: Wikimedia The other available layouts (the second and third image) are for one-handed use, one for lefties and another for righties (and no, I don’t mean politics). Why do people say the Dvorak is more effective?
If that’s the case, why do people still use Qwerty?
So what’s everyone else saying? Let’s go back to the first page I linked to, where, if you scroll down further, you’ll find a heated discussion from various readers about Qwerty vs. Dvorak. You’ll see that many people have tried it have different opinions, and the ones that really struck me I’ve summarized here:
I also like this quote from Nicholas Thompson’s article over at Slate:
My personal verdict: In the end, it seems like the Dvorak layout has some important improvements over Qwerty, such as the prevention of RSI (repetitive strain injury). The numbers that the people are throwing around also show that it can make you a faster typist, but that probably depends on how good a typist you are in the first place anyway. Also, unless I have the ability to be at least 30% faster, I don’t think it’d be worth it. Besides, my current typing speed doesn’t lag that far from my thinking speed - what’s the point of typing faster than you can think? Another important point is that technology is changing really fast. The use of handheld computers and cellphones grant people to type just by using their thumbs. The size of these gadgets alone should make a difference on what keypad layout is optimal for them. Also, I’ve been trying out Dragon Naturally Talking, which is a pretty good voice recognition program. In fact, I’ve written a few emails and blog entries without typing anything. If this technology improves, we’ll have more options when it comes to input devices - although they won’t necessarily make keyboards obsolete. I guess there’s really an optimal computer keyboard out there, which will give us good speed, less carpal tunnel syndrome, and higher accuracy. The Dvorak seems to come close, but I doubt it’ll be adapted by the majority of the typing market anytime soon. Personally, I might try it myself - if only because I want to take care of my typing hands. What keyboard layout do you use? Have you tried several kinds? If you’ve only used Qwerty, have you ever thought of trying Dvorak or other alternatives? Photo Credit: Image from Ginny Austin from stock.xchng Howdy, readers! Here’s our discussion for the week: What is your best workday like? What time should it start and end? What are the tasks that should be included in your ideal workday? What should be left out? Go ahead and share your answers. Using computers for long hours without breaks isn’t healthy. However, one can lose track of time if an activity requires a lot of concentration. That’s why Dejal decided to create Time Out. TimeOut gives you two (2) break options: a normal break and a micro break. The normal break is a 10-minute break after 50 minutes of use. A micro break is a 10-second break after 10 minutes of use. While it does have some presets, TimeOut is very customizable. The time between breaks and length of each break can be set. Even the signal to start the break can be configured as well. For the technically-inclined folks, Time Out can also run different scripts that would signify the begin and end of the break. If you really need to go on with your work, Time Out offers a postpone or skip button that would immediately end the break. However, this program is only available for Mac users. So if you’re a Mac user who wants to encourage yourself to take breaks, Dejal’s Time Out is one good choice. TimeOut requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and is Leopard-ready. Screencapture from Dejal.com
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2008
 
Readers Answer: Do you access social networking sites in the office?Posted by: in General work pimpsLast week, I asked readers the following question: “Do you access social networking sites in the office?“ Below are their responses: PYW reader Gautch states that he’s working with a team to set up an internal social network for their company. “Our testing ground is our own social network. So i guess i have to state, yes I visit social networks at work.” He adds, “On a side note, in our department, we are about to phase out email because the SN is working so well. But I highly doubt we could phase it out company wide.” Miguel seems to have a contrarian view, especially when it comes to Facebook. He wrote, “In fact, I delete my Facebook account. I in fact think that LinkedIn could end up being more useful than Facebook. Facebook is fun, but it seems like there’s a lot of potential for Linked In to be used for business networking.” But one of the reasons why employees don’t access social networks at work is because they’re blocked, as gs1192 points out. “Absolutely not - even though mostly because they’re blocked by my companies firewall and blocking software.” What do you have to say? Do you think it’s okay to access social networks in the office? Do you think companies are being too harsh by blocking them?
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07
2008
The Economist Debate: Worker Competitiveness in Wealthy Countries is on a Permanent DeclinePosted by: in General work pimps
There are only 3 days left to vote in The Economist Online Debate on the following proposition: “The competitiveness of workers in today’s rich countries is in permanent decline.” To participate in the debate, click here. Currently, 64% of respondents voted against the proposition. However, if you believe otherwise, there are 3 days left to sway the vote. The comments section of the debate is rather interesting. Here are some excerpts: From Jon Ingham (emphasis mine):
From Ravmanj (emphasis mine):
From Gianluca Marcellino (emphasis mine):
As for my thought, it certainly looks that worker competitiveness in wealthy nations is on a decline - at least where knowledge work is concerned. It’s not surprising, since the technology available to us this day (the internet, computers becoming more inexpensive) has granted us to conduct business in a global scale more than ever. On the surface, the first major difference between the knowledge workers from developing countries such as China, India, and the Philippines is the price. And why not? Cost of living in these countries is cheaper relative to the US and the UK, and as the population in these countries becomes more educated, more literate, and more bilingual, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Do I think that this decline of Western worker competitiveness is permanent? No. Clearly, we’re in a transitional stage where the developing nations of the east are showing the strength and quality of their workforce. If the west wants to catch up, they need to restructure their workforce and train their people to both deal with these changes in the global workforce and find the areas in which they can be uniquely competitive. What do you think? Do you think competitiveness of workers in rich countries is definitely declining? If not, why? If so, do you think this decline is permanent? Pic Credit: Screencapture from The Economist In most industrial cultures, when a parent asks their child what they want to study in college, their desired field of study is measured against money. Say “I want to study Fine Arts!” and your parent tells you to take up architecture instead. State “I want to become a novelist!” and people state it’s wiser to study journalism. They state this as if journalists and architects are all about making money, and as if artists are always starving.
I don’t think so. I think we’re raised to believe in this false dichotomy. To get to a more realistic perspective, we’ll have to look halfway between the scam artist who yells “Make money while you sleep!” and the pragmatist who preaches that working hard is the only way to earn a decent living. On my personal quest to finding this midpoint, I’ve learned the following:
Were you ever faced with the dichotomy of doing what you love vs. working for pay? How did you deal with it? Photo Credit: Image from Ayhan Yildiz from stock.xchng Tags: Career, Productivity, work life balance, Working smart  The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one. Image by Justyna Furmanczyk from sxc.hu
The software doesn’t need any installation – it’s ready to use once downloaded and extracted. When first run, the program will ask you if you want to create a database. The database refers to the set of files you would want to index. Though the interface might look overwhelming for beginners, a short step-by-step instruction is available in the Help option. Once you have a database, you can go start searching for files. Searching is a fairly straightforward process. How fast it conducts the search varies and depends on how deep your search parameter is. It took the application just a fraction of a second to search for files with a certain extension through an index with 37,000 files while a more specific search took longer. It may be a bit daunting at first, but once you get the hang of using Index Your File, searching for those important files will be a whole lot easier. Index Your Files is compatible with Win95/98/NT/2000/XP/Vista. Screencapture by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media
We’ve often discussed Web 2.0 and millenials here at Pimp Your Work, so I thought I’d share this presentation with you. It was made by someone working for IBM, who got her job by using Web 2.0 tools. Talking of these tools, please don’t forget to answer our latest open-thread question about using social networks in the office. Other readers have already shared their answers with us. |
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Even if you’ve learned Dvorak, you might still be forced to use a Qwerty keyboard on some instances. When you do, you’ll have to momentarily retrain yourself to remember typing on a Qwerty keyboard if you’re so used to the Dvorak setup already.
Is there really a dichotomy of doing what you love vs. working for money?
When dealing with huge number of files and an equally big amount of folders, getting your hands on important files can take precious time. 
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