(Photo: Erik Abderhalden)
John Hodgman his a highly accomplished author, comedian, actor and public speaker at the tender age of 42. How does he manage to be so productive? In an ongoing series, the blog Lifehacker asks very successful people how they work and what tricks, methods and tools they use to be efficient. Here's what Mr. Hodgman had to say.
Many go-getters use treadmill desks, even though they may actually impair their work. Mr. Hodgman, however, has found that a bed is the optimal workplace:
As per above, I do not stand up. I lie down. While I’ve written in bed occasionally since college, I would always feel guilty about it and try to keep to the desk. But now that I am 42 I do not care anymore what humans think, so I pulled out the sofa bed in my home office and now do everything there. It’s the most productive I’ve been in years, and it makes the nap transitions incredibly smooth.
That's smart! It's similar to the understanding of Winston Churchill. When Churchill was asked to explain how he was so successful and productive in many different fields, he responded:
Conversation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down. Never sit down when you can lie down.
Mr. Hodgman also describes the tools that he uses to keep track of his day:
For a very long time my process was simple: I would think of things to say or do in the shower, and then forget them. Then I would remember them while walking around and write them by hand in a Moleskine notebook. Then I would transcribe that notebook to an MS word file, and then forget all about that file until forced by terrible circumstance to actually compose a script, a sketch, a book, etc. Occasionally I would draft using Apple mail, as it was a quick and dirty way to make sure my dumb thoughts were backed up and available to the cloud.
But since I’ve been performing more and more live comedy, I’ve been using Google Drive to replace all of the above, except the showers.
I'm sure that Google is working on fixing that deficiency.
Comments (1)
but as it's just a concept, I won't.
shame
I've asked about this.
They all report that they can tell by the sound when a poured beverage has nearly filled a cup or glass.
Blind people have been pouring liquid into cups/glasses/mugs for centuries without problems (using various touch/sound clues) so why would they need/want something that turns a standalone device (i.e. a mug) into something that takes batteries, probably doesn't stand up to the dishwasher, and has more things that can break???
Instead of putting the sensor into a cup, put it into a "stirring stick". That way the stick can be placed into any existing cup and can be removed for hand washing or changing batteries, etc. Plus you only need one "sensor stick" (just design it so that one size fits most cups/glasses). Plus you could add temp sensors to the stick to warn the user if the liquid is too hot.
Even seeing people can easily learn to leave the light out when they go to the kitchen in the middel of the night to poor in a glass of water or milk. Just by sound and weightdistribution.
But hey nowadays if you can't stick a battery in something- it really is soooooo 2000-and-Late.....
1. Yes, the technique most use is to put their finger in the glass or cup, and feel the liquid. OK, one person says it's a little hot. Well, what about boiling water for tea? That's real hot! And what if you have a guest, or a date? You think they want your finger in their drink?
2. Many people who are blind have other problems as well. Blindness that is caused by a brain issue, such as a premature birth where the cortex may not fully be developed, often leads to other issues, from motor problems to cerebral palsy to perception issues. A person with blindness and motor trouble may not be able to do the finger techniqe at all!
3. A common misperception, as stated by Lasse, is that blind people compensate with their other senses. This is a myth. They may concentrate on their other senses, but blindness does not magically make your hearing stronger. You may be more sensitive, but your ears work the same as any other person! And again, many blind folks have other issues.
Ultimately, I applaud anything that makes something easier for a person to do everyday things the rest of us take for granted. It's not over-engineering, is compassionate engineering!
She will keep putting milk in mine, though - but that's not a blind thing, loads of people do that.