Think it. Jott it. Do it.

Hands Free Note Taking Strategies

If you haven't read  The art of the doable to-do list yet, be sure to give it a good read. One part that really struck a chord with me talks about using specific, active verbs.

When you're telling yourself to do something, make it an order. An item like "Acme account checkup" doesn't tell you what has to be done. Make your to-do's specific actions, like "Phone Rob at Acme re: Q2 sales." Notice I didn't use the word "Contact," I said "Phone." Contact could mean phone, email, or IM, but if you're taking out all the thinking and leaving in only action, your verbs will be as specific as possible. Literally imagine yourself instructing a personal assistant on her first day on the job what you need done.

So now just be sure that when you're Jotting yourself, clear your throat, and posture your voice to intimidate the life out of your imaginary personal assistant and make sure those things get done. :)

Text Messaging While Driving Banned

It's official, starting 2008 in Washington state you will now pay a $101 ticket if caught with your hands on your cell phone.

For some of us though, the drive time is the best time to be productive on our phones. What to do? The solution is simple:

1. Get an earpiece or bluetooth headset for your phone.
2. Use Jott so you can still text message - hands free!

Jott automagically turns your voice into a text, so you don't have to stare at your phone keys while driving and trying to text message at the same time. And if you don't have a headset or earpiece, you may want to Jott yourself to remember to pick one up.

You-Do Lists

Ok, you've gotten all of your tasks done for the day, and your drive home of glory turns stressful when you remember all that stuff your kid needs to do tonight. In comes: You-Do lists.

Step 1
Call Jott (1-877-568-8486) and one by one, rattle off everything you can think of for your kid to do from washing their uniform to brushing their teeth.

Step 2
When you get home, log into jott.com, select your Jotts and click "Print Jotts" to print them out.

Step 3
Hand off your You-Do list to your kid and return your mind to a state of glory.