Control+Alt+Delete to lock your keyboard is a bit of a palava and if you don’t select ‘lock computer’ afterwards, you might risk not actually locking it….

Tech team today showed me Windows+L – works a dream! Thank you!

Enjoyed reading Rework over the weekend.

The idea of taking blog posts to create a book meant that it was easy to read, visual and the ideas seemed to stick in my head.  It’s useful for anyone whether they are working in a day job, thinking of starting their own business or anywhere in between – it’s a ‘life skills’ type of book.

I found it refreshing the way they encourage creative thinking and efficiency instead of stress and slog to help you get where you need to be.

There’s one chapter called ‘Planning is Guessing’ and, as someone whose main role is supposed to be  ‘planning’, I was curious to know more about this particular viewpoint!

The arguement here was that long term plans can give a sense of control, but if are rigidly observed can end up being restrictive. Whilst I agree that it’s impossible to know what’s going to happen, I think there needs to be some kind of direction in the short term – even if a guess is the best anyone can do. On that note, Colin has taken to sending me ‘guesses’ instead of ‘estimates’!

So I don’t think the issue is the idea of  planning itself, but rather the the way we adapt and incorporate the present into our future plans.

Time to go and get some ‘guessing’ done!

Chatting to my brother at the weekend who was concened he hadn’t ‘achieved’ a lot during the weekend and he felt a bit guilty.

I recognised the feeling – if I don’t do everything I set out to do, it can be a bit disappointing.

I do have a to do list, which is a wonderful thing.

But it’s almost as if by the time something makes it onto the list, it becomes an obilgation, a chore = no fun.

Then, getting round to looking at the list turns into a chore in itself.

My wise friend Elaine mentioned looking at the outcome in order to motivate the action.

I thought about the letters that I’m going to get back from my friends once I’ve written to them.

Think that bit of advice did the trick. I’ll meander around some stationary shops today…

Leo has done a lovely simple post on getting things done.

Pic credit: Rick McCharles

In a philosphical mood following the sad news about Michael Jackson.

Granted, there are some people who would point to the more questionable things he did in his life in recent years, but from my perspective his songs were the soundtrack to a lot of memories in me and my friends’ lives.

Without doubt he was a master at what he did and in his earlier years at least, came out with songs, unexpected styles and dance moves that broke from the norm. Take, for example that scary Thriller video and the ‘leaning’ move in Smooth Criminal – it plays at 7.15 in this video.

In so many fields, one of the pillars of enduring success is innovation. Michael Jackson was great at this and it’s probably one of the reasons that he has created so many classic songs and dance moves. He could always be relied upon to make the audience sit up and take notice with something fresh, energetic and exciting.

However, even though innovation was a natural talent with Michael Jackson, it also needs to be combined with focus, because, as the last few years of his life show, it appeared that his self absorbtion and various personal dramas clearly took the edge off his ability.

Whatever your opinion, the force of emotion is clear – not sure that news about anyone else would have the effect of slowing the web down!

RIP MJ

Personal Finance and investment site with advice and comparison tables

A great personal finance site

I love the design of this marketing site – I like the way the information is organised.

Functional design and reliable content

All the latest news on the web

I love Leo’s Zen Habits site – it’s really nice, not preachy, with loads of ideas on how to simplify your life in all areas. I always look forward to reading the feeds in the morning