Timeboxing is the new #1 productivity hack

Timekastening is the new 1 productivity hackTimeboxing is the new 1 productivity hackTo-do lists are not beneficial, argues productivity expert and Filtered.com CEO Marc Zao-Sanders in the Harvard Business Review. They tend to grow long and unwieldy, and people tend to cross the easiest items off them first.Timeboxing has been proven to be the most useful productivity tool. Timeboxing is a calendar-based time management system that came out 1 in a study Sanders conducted of 100 productivity hacks.Its a simple concept for every task you have, pick out a date and time on your calendar and box off an amount of time for that task. For that time period, you will be working on and hopefully completing only that task.Timeboxing often fits right into your workflow. As Sanders puts it, If you know that a promotional video has to go live on a Tuesday and that the production team needs 72 hours to work on your copy edits, then you know where to place the timebox.Timeboxing is visual.Not only can you see it right in front of you, but so can your colleagues, if you use a shared calendar.You can play with time. Use the scheduled periods to cut a larger problem into chunks. Spread a project over a long period of time or compress it into a short one. Recapture periods of goof-off time that would normally be lost by scheduling a timebox where youd normally be scrolling mindlessly. Schedule super-short timeboxes for increased focus. Timebox your email.It keeps a record. It looks forward but is also backward-facing if need be you can review what youve done the week or month prior if its all been a blur. Or a performance review looms what were the highs and lows of the last six months? Its in your calendar.Productivity In a world when work fills the time available for it, constraining the time available to get that work done will force you to finish up faster. So dont give yourself too much time to complete something, although it will be difficult to estimate how much time yo u need at first.Most importantly, its almost as easy and uncomplicated as a to-do list. So toss those sad Post-Its and give it a try.

Introverts Can Make the Best IT Leaders

Introverts Can Make the Best IT Leaders Introverts Can Make the Best IT Leaders According to a recent article in Forbes.com, often introverts can excel in leadership positions, despite long-held beliefs to the contrary. As many as 40 percent of executives reported that they were introverts, according to Jennifer Kahnweiler of Forbes.com. Many famous leaders are introverts, including perhaps the most famous technology leader of them all- Bill Gates. How does this work? Introverted people can excel in leadership positions if they turn what they might think are weaknesses into strengths. Here are five qualities of introverts that make them great leaders.EmpathyMany introverts are great listeners, and they will take the time to understand another parts point of view before they make a decision. Having empathy for others is a great quality for a leader to have because they will be able to put team members at ease and understand the differing needs of executives.DepthIntroverts also tend to drill down and get to the heart of the matter instead of gathering a little bit of knowledge about everything. This can be an excellent quality for a leader to possess because it allows them to thoroughly understand a problem instead of rushing into half-baked solutions. The ability to delve into problems and issues is also a valuable communication skill, as it allows introverts to ask pointed questions of team members in order to get to the heart of a problem.A Calm DemeanorHaving a calm demeanor in the face of pressure or others stress is also a quality that both great leaders and introverts share. The ability to speak calmly in high-pressure situations can be invaluable to a high-level IT professional. Even though speaking in front of others is a common fear in introverts, many introverted executives have learned ways to calm themselves and exude confidence even in the face of stress.Writing SkillsAccording to psychological experts, many introverts are mora comfortable writin g down their thoughts rather than speaking. While this may seem like a drawback, it allows introverted IT professionals the opportunity to present well-written and thoughtful reports, documents and written business communication. Because of a preference for the written word, many introverted professionals also do well with social media and conducting business in an online environment.

Harnessing Power Slow Moving Currents

Harnessing Power Slow Moving Currents Harnessing Power Slow Moving Currents Harnessing Power from Slow Moving CurrentsAfter the sun has gone down and the wind has stopped blowing, water in seas and oceans can be predictably used for energy production. Many hydrokinetic systems extract energy from waves whose motions are greatest at the surface of the sea. But because cables connecting energy to the power grid are sensitive to motion, floating or suspended systems whose cables are free to move about are subject to losses.In addition to researching harvesting energy from waves, Swedish researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden, have taken a different approach. They have designed and are now testing complete systems that take advantage of motion due to currents below the seas surface. Generating power at the bottom of the ocean where systems are protected from strong waves and floating debris, the cables can remain still, secured to the ocean floor.Direct Connect ChallengesThe energy de nsity of water is higher than air, so the saatkorn amount of power can be generated at lower speeds. Until recently, techniques for extracting usable energy from water moving at variable low speeds have been limited. Marine currents are very slow, about 1 m/s. Marine-current turbines operate at low rotational speeds, typically 530 rpm, but standard electric generators spin up to 100 times faster.Illustration of a wave power plant. Photo Uppsala University.Prior attempts to connect slow-moving turbines to standard high-speed generators involved gearboxes, producing complex, bulky systems that required maintenance and were notlagecost-efficient. For cost-efficient, robust, low-maintenance operation at the bottom of the ocean, the approach the Uppsala University group has taken directly connects a slow-moving turbine to a low-speed electric generator, with as few moving parts as possible.The directional vertical-axis turbine theyve developed has no blade-pitch mechanism, no yaw mechani sm, no gearbox, and no oil or grease required. Recessed into a gravity foundation on the sea floor, the turbine is mounted with a direct drive onto a generator designed to efficiently generate power at low speeds.Floor-mounted linear generator. Image Uppsala University.Permanent magnets are used in these generators, and the key is having many poles, says Mats Leijon, research director and Uppsala professor. Traditional electromagnets cannot be used because their losses are too high at low speeds. Both iron bore and ferrite magnets are possible, and how they are wound affects efficiency, with wave windings being preferred over traditional sling winding distributions, says Leijon.The greatest challenge has been in this direct connection. Combining the two different disciplines of flow in turbines using Navier Stokes equations on one side with Maxwell equations on the generator side, connected by a rotating shaft, is a theoretically interesting problem, but very difficult to solve says Leijon.River ValidationTurbine design and modeling presents another challenge due to the lack of experimental data for comparing and validating models. Leijon explains that data does exist for low-speed generators, but there is not much for undersea turbines. The aerodynamic data of turbines used in wind power is similar to the hydrodynamic data of undersea turbines, but needs to be verified at low speeds.The turbine blade design (size, number, solidity) depends on its location, depth, and the flow profiles of the moving water it will encounter. Flow profiles determine the forces the blades will encounter and can help researchers understand structural and mechanical effects of friction against the sea floor, which can also cause vertical velocity variations and shear.Flow profiles are easier to measure in a river than in the ocean, and years of abundant flow data down to the hour is known for some rivers where hydroelectric power is generated, so proof of concept has begun there.Hy drokinetic power has been successfully generated under varying conditions on the bottom of riverbeds, and three different system designs have been tested. This research is bringing to light the performance and tradeoffs of different designs and will validate and improve detailed simulations for operating on the ocean floor. Ultimately, this work could lead to the development of economically feasible, full-scale commercial power farms in the near future.Debbie Sniderman is CEO of VI Ventures LLC.The aerodynamic data of turbines used in wind power is similar to the hydrodynamic data of undersea turbines, but needs to be verified at low speeds.