Keyboard Karma ~ a blog by Helen Crozier

Amazon Kindle Software for PC - no Kindle required!

 

Amazon released Kindle Software for the PC today (MAC coming!) and I'm loving it. I've owned my kindle for a couple of weeks and am still getting used to it. I love the size - makes it very easy to thrown into my handbag so I'm sure I've always got something great to read. I'm also loving the bookmark, highlight and notes facility. I find it a little too easy to download books sometimes but so far I only have five which considering the temptation available isn't so bad.

The new software released by Amazon is great. I've downloaded all the books to my laptop.They are in glorious colour and all the hyperlinks to websites work. Links to websites on the kindle do NOT work but you know I don't really mind that. It means that I feel far more like I'm disconnected and reading a 'proper book' when I can't suddenly go off surfing the web at the merest whim. Highlighting and bookmarks/notes made on the kindle synchronise to the pc which is excellent if you are researching/writing.

I think it's a smart thing for Amazon to do this. You can download the software and purchase books without a kindle - gathering up your library and then when you finally do give in and go the way of the kindle your library will be ready and waiting for you!!

As an aside I clicked in the wrong place and downloaded a book that I didn't want yesterday - Amazon issued a credit within 5 hours and removed the book from the kindle. I have had great experiences with Amazon customer service - they lead the way in taking care of their customers. Hooray!! My only wish is for the iphone kindle app - why can't Australia have that??

Crazy busy? Overstretched, Overbooked, About to Snap?

  

Almost two years ago I purchased this book - Crazy Busy by Edward M Hallowell from Amazon and got a lot out of it. Who wouldn't be attracted by a tagline Strategies for handling your fast paced life?

I've decided to read it again! I feel as if I'm finding so many 'time poor' people that I need to revisit Edward Hallowell's strategies with a view of helping those who are feeling shattered and scattered.

I have no doubt that developing one's technological capabilities can and does help make things easier. It is unfortunate that people don't treat themselves to the tools and skills that will definitely help without breaking the bank! I so agree with the author when he says "You should make sure that you do not meely make your life faster and more full of data - more difficult to follow and keep rack of -in an effort to make it more fulfilling".  One woman I know has recently just left her web development business to persue a photography career - she's unplugging and I think that's fabulous! Conversely this week I also heard about a woman with 50,000 emails in her inbox!!

What do you think? Is technology providing you with more quality time or is it just filling your life up with more 'things and stuff' of the digital/electronic variety?

Julie/Julia Project: the art of simple blogging

 

Just returned from seeing the delightful Julie and Julia at the movies. I pounced on this book when it first emerged in 2005 when I wasn't even blogging myself. I loved it though - the story was very sweet and it had 'successful movie' written all over it!  In 2002 Julie Powell began her food blog. She was using such simple vanilla blog software with no social media widgits  - nothing really other than a calendar, a countdown box saying how many days she had to go to finish the project, how many recipes left to cook from Julia Childs' Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a comments area and that was that. Friends at Julie's birthday 'lobster' dinner come up with the idea of putting a paypal button on the blog for donations to fund the ingredients for future meals but that for some reason did not seem to eventuate.

Ahh technology was so different back then. The scene where Julie is having lunch with her girlfriends is a reminder of how far we've travelled. One of them is entering info or checking her diary on a Palm PDA (one of my favourite early tech tools). All the mobile phones are chunky flip numbers. The television in Julie's flat is exactly like the one in my son's room - a real 'box'....

Interestingly enough Julie Powell has kept her current blog almost as simple as the original. It's written on blogger and there are no widgets. It is the ultimate plain unadorned blog containing a profile, a few links and archives to previous posts. Nothing else!! I have to say I find it rather refreshing considering what blogging widgets and gizmos we have available today.

So... if you are inspired to write a blog - don't worry about all the decoration - truly it is more about the message rather than how it looks ... ok?

If your heart says you should be a blogger don't get bogged down in the technology - Julie didn't and still does not!

PS I thoroughly enjoyed the movie - two love stories, two dreams and lots of gorgeous scenes from Paris - what more could you want?

Millionairess League E-Book: Be inspired!

 

 Hot off the press from the inimitable Sarah Prout....I am  honoured to be included in the group....

Great reading at only $15! 

The Millionairess League eBook

Need a good dose of business inspiration? Are you curious to see how other women make money online?

This is your chance to get a snapshot into the minds of successful online businesswomen. Discover their favorite websites, invaluable online resources and the exciting projects they are currently working on.

Be inspired by their passion, creativity, success and flair for online adventures.

In The Millionairess League eBook you'll discover:

• How Social Networking can transform your Business.

• Secrets, Hints and Tips to Online Success.

• Definitions of Empowerment, Inspiration and Business Fulfillment.

The 30 businesswomen profiled cover the vibrant spectrum throughout various stages of business development. This ranges from the start-up phase, fuelled by excitement, to booming online empires.

Within the 95 PDF pages is a wealth of information from women that answer a series of questions such as:

What is your business/personal mission?

Who do you admire professionally and why?

 

THE MILLIONAIRESS LEAGUE (30 Online Business Adventures) IS FOR ANYONE THAT ENJOYS READING MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES OF SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSWOMEN.

It showcases women in various fields of interest such as publishing, share trading, property, iPhone app development, Law of Attraction, community building plus many more!

Explore the world of possibility and inspiration from empowered online entrepreneurs.

BookMooch: Give Books Away. Get Books You Want

 

 

Don't you just love the graphics of this?

1. Sign up for free at www.bookmooch.com.
2. Type in the books you want to give away (10 to get you started).
3. Receive requests from others for your books.
4. Mail your books and receive points.
5. Ask for books from others with your points.
6. Use for free: your only cost is the postage to send your books to others.
7. Get more books: every time you give a book, you can get a book.

I've seen Book Crossing (fun but a bit more 'random') and Slim Ink Book Rental (like Netflix for Books) so BookMooch just adds another interesting tool to the box for indulging in one of life's most wonderful passions without adding too much clutter to your shelves or damage to your bank account. I've signed up and from home will add some books to the list and try not to be embarrassed :-).

Slim Ink Book Rental Reduces Book Clutter

 

Having spent the entire long weekend trying to declutter and offload masses of 'stuff' - I'm pleased to see that Slim Ink is still going strong. Slim Ink is an Australian online book rental service. It works similar to the DVD rental systems were you sign up for a certain number of books to have out at the same time. I have my eye on the 'casual' plan which allows you to have two books out at one time over a three week period - this costs $20/month. I really like the idea and it surely must work out cheaper than buyng the books. My book shelves groan at times with the weight I ask them to carry. With this system the books come to reside for just a short time and then leave again. Paying the $20 would also encourage you to read a little faster so as not to waste your membership. Sure it's not as cheap as the local library but hey there are no fines if you are a bit slow to finish. The selection seems broad enough to entertain and includes many award winners.

I'd love to hear opinions from any members. Congratulations to Working Solo for putting together such a great site!

The Power of Less - do less get more done

 

 

Very excited that Leo Babauta's book arrived from Amazon today.I actually ordered 5 - one for myself and 4 as gifts for clients. 

Leo Babauta's Zen Habits blog is a terrific read as are his e-books however I am thrilled to be able to sit down this evening with a glass of wine and this lovely hard cover publication. As soon as I've finished I'll give my thoughts but in the mean time you can visit the book's comprehensive website www.thepowerofless.com

Randy Pausch: may you continue to lecture forever

It's strange that with the current way information travels almost faster than the speed of light I could totally 'miss' the phenomenon that is Randy Pausch,  Computer Science Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. In September of last year he delivered a what is now famous 'last lecture' entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams".  The reason I found out about him (albeit belatedly) is he also delivered an inspiring lecture on time management which popped up in my rss feeds. In August he was told he had 3-6 months of good health left. Pancreatic cancer is waging war on his body - secondaries in his liver. I downloaded both lectures and started to get to 'know' him. He's a totally wonderful, charismatic being. I then panicked and was afraid to find the news that he had perhaps passed away. Thankfully not. I was relieved beyond belief that he was so far proving stronger than what was trying to destroy him. The update on his web page says that he has been approved for a treatment involving radioactive injections into the liver. I hope and pray that this treatment will give Randy more time - he really doesn't want to leave and from the response to the lectures  on youtube plus the ABC special show - many many people do not want him to go either. If you get the chance watch his lectures. Both are incredible. His book has been released as well and can be purchased from Amazon. More resources are available here. Read, watch & listen to this man - he has a lot of important information about life that he has generously shared with us - intending it to be a legacy for his three beautiful children. I keep reminding myself ever since I watched the lectures on my ipod how unbelievably important it is that we get this time management thing sussed.... if only so we get more hours to have 'fun with the ones we love'. Essential tools for this? An electronic calendar, PDA or paper diary.... a to do list..... a filing system.... an empty email inbox..... a man after my own heart!!

Good Reads: Easily keeps track of your literary side

GoodReads is a great website that allows you to see what your friends are reading. Members list their favourite books, discuss literature, forum groups and connect with others.  Kind of like a FaceBook but actually for books. It's fun going through your bookshelves and listing what you've read - I think we keep books just to remind ourselves that we've read them - with GoodReads you can give your books away knowing your reading history is recorded.  Great way to document what you've done in your offline book club. Tell me you've joined and I'll add you!!

Birthday Coach gets spoilt rotten

OK so it was my birthday today - late January not a great time for celebration - we are kind of all 'over it' by then and it always coincides with the back to school rush....so I was very pleasantly surprised with lots of special spoiling. A nice new 8gb nano in calm blue (needless to say it's gorgeous) ..... a promise of a weekend away at the Peppers Bale Salt Resort in April, two gorgeous homemade cards from my sweet 'babies'..... lunch at the delectable Whitewater and then a visit from a great friend who so generously gave me a Maggie's Harvest .....
I've downloaded a few ABC Television shows which is exciting so if I dare to experience insomnia I can discretely catch up on the First Tuesday Book Club and no-one will be any wiser.  New technology, a  promise of a child-free weekend away to look forward to, the most spectacular food book .... what a lucky lucky girl...

Zen To Done: The Simple Productivity E-Book!

Zen Habits won "Best Overall Blog 2007" and it's not hard to see why if you hang out there for a while. Leo Babauta's a brilliant writer and seeing as I"m the 'calm tech coach' I can relate well to his 'zen' habits.

Zen Habits covers: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.

This morning I purchased his e-book Zen to Done and read it from cover to cover. One of the best e-books around - you can buy it here and the reason I recommend it is that it merges some of the best productivity theories around (David Allen, Stephen Covey) but brings a whole new fresh look of simplicity and possiblity to the idea of getting the IMPORTANT done rather than just the URGENT.  I'm going to buy more copies and GIVE them to my clients.

What is ZTD?

Simply put, Zen To Done is a simple system to get you more organized and productive, and keep your life saner and less stressed, with a set of habits. ZTD teaches you:

1. The key habits needed to be productive, organized, and simplified … and no more than that.
2. How to implement these key habits … tips on forming a habit.
3. How to organize these habits into a simple system that will keep everything in your life in its place.
4. How to simplify what you need to do.
5. Minimal ZTD. Also includes an even simpler version called Minimal ZTD.

Leo's got an astronomical 32900 subscribers to his blog - and the great news is that today he QUIT HIS DAY JOB and he attributes the success of his e-book to being able to do that so let's keep buying his work and supporting him.

Congratulations Leo I'm so happy for you!

I want what Tim Ferriss is having!

Tim Ferriss is this famous, famous guy who proposes we can all escape the 9-5 (who does 9-5 anymore anyway?), live anywhere and join the new rich. He went from $40,000 pa and 80 hours per week to that much per MONTH on 4 hours a week!! I have known about this book for well over a year but for some strange reason I've resisted it. Don't ask why I can't explain!! Anyway after reading Leo Babauta from Zen Habits great email ninja post on Tim's blog I was determined to just get the The 4-Hour Work Week and read it. I hadn't seen it on my travels so had not even browsed through the pages so thought I would need to order it from Amazon. Not so. I was in Dymocks this morning and jumped with excitement when I saw it on the shelf - it was a totally different cover to the 'normal' one - this one's a bit strange - but when I flicked throught a couple of the chapters I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. Strange what a holiday can do sometimes. You always get a mini-fresh start and outlook on life so perhaps it was just good timing. I saw a chapter called "The Low Information Diet" and I was just dying to read it.

Thing was I had other committments today. Poppy my youngest turns 13 tomorrow - the same day we have a guest arriving from Ireland so she had her 'celebration' today. Movie, Yum Cha then Waterworks with 3 friends. As I strolled through my seaside suburb escorting them from one place to the other I felt incredibly grateful. It was one of those deliciously warm days and many people were still on their holidays. Groups of Europeans sitting at picnic tables playing cards. Dads off work taking their 'tribe' for a swim. Tourist after tourist snapping away. Still who could blame them. The sea was turquoise and truly it felt good to be alive. I was catching up on my missed out vitamin D from the holiday up north and at the same time carrying Tim's book inside my bag thought smugly that I was making a good shot at the 4-hour work week. Returned from holiday Wednesday afternoon. Conference call Thursday morning with my own Tech Coach, Sandra de Freitas. Wrote and sent out my newsletter Thursday evening (2 hours). Browsed technology section of department store for new products this morning (30 minutes - cut short by bumping into a friend and having coffee to discuss pros/cons of buying a mac laptop for her daughter's 18th birthday). Not bad.... 3.5 hours! Seriously I am retiring for the night now and am afraid I will be so taken by this book that I will do what others have done... devoured it in one sitting!! I think we all deserve an easier life and look forward to reading Tim's plan.......

Pay it forward and get sorted!

I've been reading the Zen Habits blog for close to a year now and a lot of Leo Babauta's content resonates strongly with my 'calm tech' philosophy. His blog is very very popular and I just love this post entitled 'Faith in Humanity:How to Bring People Closer and Restore Kindness'. I'm a lover of the Pay it Forward Philosophy - I saw the film and was amazed by it and wished it had been more mainstream and been able to have the same size results as perhaps Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth.

Anyhow I applaud Leo's gesture and to honour it I am offering a signed copy of Lissanne Oliver's new book 'Sorted' to the first two people to comment on my blog and describe how they promise to 'Pay It Forward".  "Lissanne's new book contains 42 organising 'recipes' covering everything from work and paper to on the go and living. With over 250 organising tips this practical and inspiring book will solve your organising woes." Today I also donated  three hours of my time as a lucky door prize to  a Women in Business Christmas Dinner . What will you all do to pay it forward?

Slow Guide - Sydney

I was in Dymocks Bookstore yesterday and I swear I truly love being in a book shop almost if not as much as being in an Apple Store. I found this gorgeous book - the SLOW guide to Sydney (live more, fret less) and seeing as I've not been the calmest lately I thought I'd grab a copy and check it out. "Whether it's urbanisation, consumerism, technology or globalisation, the truth is everything has become a race to the finish line - with a price" - how yuk and how true!!!The writers describe it as a city guide in praise of wonderful, rich, soul-tingling slowness. A guide that reveals the best places in the city to reconnect with your passion for food, hand-made fashion or gifts, architecturally stunning buildings or parks that are brimming with flora and fauna. Excellent.... I shall use this on my tech-fast days and report back.
There is a website where you can peek inside, and also a Melbourne guide.
PS I've set up a new blog category SlowCoach :-)

"Almost-Perfect Marriage" Relationship Refresher

On Monday I heard the promo for that night's ABC's Night Life Radio show which was featuring Stephanie Dowrick talking about her new book The Almost-Perfect Marriage. Made a mental note to listen but life got in the way. Thank God for podcasts!! I've just been listening to the recording while I work on the computer now and it's terrific. She is well aware that men aren't too keen in general on reading heavy relatinship books so she's put together these "one minute relationship skills" for time-poor readers. You can buy the book from Stephanie's online bookshop (which has an enormous selection of titles) or in any other good book store. Dymocks even offer a digital version in case you get the urge to read it late at night when the shops aren't open. The podcast is currently available from  the ABC website here but I suspect they only keep the current week's shows available so don't leave it too long to download.