Disqus - Latest Comments for Matthew Cornell

Re: links for 2006-06-20

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:46:51 -0000

Thanks for the link!

Re: Bought a Cheap DVD Player: RCA DRC200N

Matthew Cornell — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 21:15:18 -0000

FYI: I had some real problems with this unit, esp. the sound - it developed a terrible hiss, sadly, *after* the warranty expired. Highly UN-recommended.

Re: How To Community Blog

Matthew Cornell — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:42:27 -0000

Thanks very much for the link, Steve. I like how you described my blog - much appreciated!

Re: 7 Idea Dumping Tips (How To Manage Diarrhea of the Brain)

Matthew Cornell — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:32:32 -0000

Nice post. Another idea that I've found useful is to keep a lighted pen next to the side of the bed, along with a pad of paper. Rather than getting up when thoughts strike (and turning on a light, going into another room, etc. and upsetting sleep) I just jot it down right there. Of course one has to *do* something with it later, but that's what GTD excels at.

Re: Easy Way To Save Valuable Time Reading RSS Feeds

Matthew Cornell — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 18:34:52 -0000

Thanks for the tip. Bob Walsh talked about a similar idea here: "80/20 Your information feeds": http://codesnipers.com/?q=node/308

Re: Increase Your Reading Speed

Matthew Cornell — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 18:37:04 -0000

Thanks for the tip. For a non-technical way to read more efficiently, you might enjoy " How to read a lot of books in a short time": http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-to-rea...

Cheers!

Re: Harry Potter: A Great Example of GTD and Idea Capture

Matthew Cornell — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 21:06:47 -0000

Enjoyed the post. I think capture tools still haven't quite caught up. The things you mention are crucial, and provide the context that adds meaning to the thought. Of course I'd argue those should all be *links* to the idea. This is what I try to do manually with my "Big-Arse Text File - a Poor Man's Wiki Blog PIM" (http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2005/08/my-big-ars...). Location would be cool (not capturing it now).

Thanks!

Re: Scrybe: Contextual Calendar To The Max

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 21:09:11 -0000

I had the same reaction. Thanks for the pointer.

Re: Productivity links for March 15th

Matthew Cornell — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:32:03 -0000

Thanks for the link!

Re: The Power of 10 Minutes

Matthew Cornell — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:30:28 -0000

I've heard it called the "tolerable ten." I like 96 minutes as well (80/20 rule applied to 8 hour day), and Drucker talked about 90 minute blocks...

Re: Use Completed Task Lists As Motivators Or Artwork

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:53:16 -0000

I like it! Maybe putting up something representing *projects* would make sense, say images from a magazine?

Re: Time Management, Simplified: How to Be Productive With No Worries

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 19:08:08 -0000

Interesting! A few points, meant to be constructive. First, your summary misses some major concepts, and highlights others that are secondary. For example, major: figuring out action. Minor: contexts.

Second, it seems like your simplified system doesn't have a place for everything that comes up, which is a major consideration in clearing your mind. For example, if an idea occurs to you, but you're not ready to act on it, you need a place to store it. Otherwise, it'll still be on your mind. I don't see where it would go in your system...

Thanks for the stimulating post - I like the direction you're taking!

Re: Time Management for System Administrators

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 10:18:11 -0000

Thanks for the pointer. I've added the book to my wishlist.

Re: Tech Support Tale of the Week

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 11:36:35 -0000

> ...and nobody notices for a month and a half.

Good story. I personally can't stand it when no one's eating our dog food, esp. when it's me who's not eating. Thanks.

Re: links for 2007-08-05

Matthew Cornell — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:51:39 -0000

Thanks for the links!

Re: BlogBurst to Change Contributor Agreement

Matthew Cornell — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 21:56:45 -0000

Thanks for the article, Jonathan. I recently received an invitation, and came across your post while researching it. One question: I noticed you have ads on your site, but they say they prohibit advertising. I don't currently have any, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks again!

Re: Over 100 Great Productivity Tips

Matthew Cornell — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:15:37 -0000

Thanks both for the idea, and for the link. A success!

Re: When Is A Blog Post A Success?

Matthew Cornell — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:34:49 -0000

Great point. After blogging for two years, I *just* realized what my blog's purpose is: 1) To establish my reputation, 2) to help my readers, and 3) to know what I think (via writing).

Re: When Is A Blog Post A Success?

Matthew Cornell — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:35:36 -0000

As a follow-up, having a goal enables *focus*, which in turn enables making good choices, in this case, about what to write.

Re: Productivity Thought of the Day

Matthew Cornell — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 17:13:03 -0000

Thanks very much for the link, Stephanie.

Re: 5 World-Class Vices for Less Than $5

Matthew Cornell — Sun, 20 May 2007 22:03:44 -0000

Appreciated your including the chocolates. I'm a fan of home-made drinking chocolate (simple recipe here: http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-to-mak...) and have it every day. You remind me of a quote I heard a while back about chocolate vs. wine. It went something like this: To buy the best chocolate bar in the world you'll pay between $6 maybe up to $12. For wine? $100s !

Looking forward to reading your book (being delivered from Amazon).

Re: How to Tie the Perfect Tie… Every Time

Matthew Cornell — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:52:07 -0000

Thanks for the video. I'm experiencing "Tie Karma" - I was a programmer for 20 years and recently (Jan!) quit my job and switched careers (to personal productivity consulting). Dressing like a slob has caught up with me, and I now have to (in fact *enjoy*) dressing up for business.

That said, I still find I have to try a few times with most of my ties before I get the length perfect. This is because I have a variety of fabrics and lengths, and each one requires a different starting point.

However, I really liked your tip about getting it square. I like my tie to look perfect, my pant creases to be razor-sharp, etc.

Re: Savant School: How to Memorize 10,000 Numbers and More

Matthew Cornell — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:15:34 -0000

I actually think these are excellent examples of why we should *not* use our brains this way. Think about it: These tricks wouldn't be so impressive if they were easy/natural. That means our brains aren't adapted for this kind of memorization. It wouldn't be a problem except memory is a bit of a zero sum thing: Taking up room with a bunch of low-level stuff (such as a billion-digit number, mental todo lists, etc.) chews up brainpower that's better used on the higher-level stuff: Thinking, coming up with new product ideas, solving problems, etc...

Re: But What Do I Write On My Business Blog?

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:26:32 -0000

Thanks for the great post - well said!

Re: Build Web Site Traffic With Free Tools

Matthew Cornell — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 08:24:54 -0000

Thanks for the great idea!

Re: A Branded Out of Office Note

Matthew Cornell — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:12:45 -0000

What a great example - thanks! It shows providing value even when out of the office. Very nice.

Re: Could You Use a Wiki for Marketing?

Matthew Cornell — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:18:45 -0000

When I worked in a computer science research lab I led an effort to create a "boss" blog for research sharing. It was great success, and is still in use. More at: Applying 'Boss' Blogging to a Research Lab
http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2005/09/applying-b...

I do like the idea of creating one for clients. One example that comes to mind in the productivity realm is Merlin Mann's (http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/Main_Page). I'm thinking of doing a FAQ for my field.

Thanks again for your blog - I'm enjoying it!

Re: Shiny Objects

Matthew Cornell — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:09:00 -0000

Hey Chris, my great great uncle Ezra (so I'm told) is spinning in his grave! I do appreciate your urge to check out ideas' origins - I try to do the same, ideally going to first sources if possible. At least you got an answer. I tried to track down where the idea came up in one of Des Paroz's podcasts, but failed:

In the 3/22 podcast someone mentioned an evolutionary biologist who believes one of the causes of depression/anxiety today is the fact that we have so many more decisions to make than our brains are capable of making. An example was given of 1-2 generations before and the limited number of choices then as compared to now.

Take care!

Re: Audio-The Down Engine

Matthew Cornell — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:42:27 -0000

A link to the original post would be helpful. I blog once a week no matter how I'm feeling, and there are times when I'm down...

Re: 39000 Comments

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:34:05 -0000

Wow!

Re: Give Away Your Best Stuff

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:37:52 -0000

Very nice - I agree. At one point I was afraid people would take something I came up with, then I moved in the opposite direction!

Re: Use Google Reader to Blaze News

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:02:33 -0000

The killer feature that Reader is missing is something Bloglines has had for a while: The ability to create anonymous email accounts that you can use to pipe email-based subscriptions to a feed reader. I recommend this setup to clients so as to protect their email inbox...

Re: Start Every Day New

Matthew Cornell — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:19:46 -0000

Looking at the world fresh every day - great idea; how to do it? Children in particular help to switch off our filters...

Re: Confidence is Gold

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:03:46 -0000

It's true. I wonder how much comes from supportive parenting and early environments... Also, the importance of experience - we gain confidence (and master fear) when we *do* things and reflect on the consequences, I think.

Re: Figure It Out

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:08:59 -0000

Good stuff. I'm esp. grateful as I'm continuing to push into new areas, ones I have *no* prior experience in. Definitely trying things, hitting walls, having successes, and re-evaluating. Rich!

Re: It Starts With Your Audience

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:11:57 -0000

So true. For customers, for forming relationships, keep the other person's needs/wants/desires in mind. There is a balance - listening is a gift in a way - and it's a challenge, but great stuff.

I've been noticing this increasingly as I shop - who is a good salesperson, i.e., how helpful are they? Do they ask my needs, do they listen, do they bring an attitude (+ or -)? Guess what - there's a *lot* of room for improvement, myself included.

Re: Why I Am Not a Podcaster

Matthew Cornell — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:18:57 -0000

I'm actually in the opposite camp. First, I don't commute much, so I don't have long stretches of hands-off time to spend productively. Second, I prefer strongly reading over listening because I find reading much more efficient. For example, skimming, table of contents, etc.

That said, I really appreciate how you're pushing media, thinking about novel applications, trends, and the future, and making it happen. Super impressive!

Re: Lunar Eclipse over Anthem, Arizona

Matthew Cornell — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:42:27 -0000

Neat! I wanted to see it, but apparently not enough to stay up late. :-)

Glad to see your music is happening as well.