GTD: Getting Things Done

I have been using processes like GTD to organize things I have to do for work, school, and others for a long time, but in a method that I devised myself that works well for me. I use google docs as my collection and organization utility. I love the fact that google docs can be accessed anywhere at any time as long as an internet connection is available, which tends to be most of the time for me these days anyways. Every so often, especially when I am getting overwhelmed, I will collect my thoughts by collecting everything I have to do and making a google doc out of it. I will then look through my collection of tasks and organize them based on importance, due date, etc by processing the information. I then will organize the information into tiers based on my analysis of them and set a rough timetable of my future actions to most efficiently use my time to get these things done. Then, I do what I need to to get these individual, and now thoroughly organized tasks, completed based on the timetable that I made.

I find that I often become very anxious when I do not organize my thoughts and tasks. This anxiousness leads me to become less productive because concentration becomes difficult on the task at hand as I begin bothering myself with what else needs to be done. Having a place to organize my thoughts, like in google docs, and then act on the tasks at hand and actually have a visual representation of things getting done, serves to calm my nerves, keep down stress, and make me sleep better at night. I used to be highly unorganized in high school and the beginning of college, but I realized that once I became organized, school, work, and life overall became easier and more enjoyable, which is why I continue to use my own method of GTD.

Participation in Social Networking

Social Networking allows social connections that may have lasted in person for only minutes of even seconds go a long way professionally or personally. Professionally speaking, social networking can be very beneficial in both getting hired originally and maintaining professional relationships that can promote the flow and exchange of ideas, especially in a subject as diverse and dynamic as education. Tools like linkedin are a great way to get your name out there initially and begin a job search. Tools like twitter, facebook, google+, and newer utilities like edmondo can be extremely beneficial for the transfer of ideas and resources that can help a teacher with integration of technology as well as teaching in general.

Personally, as someone that grew up overseas, I know that social networking has allowed me to keep up with my classmates that have graduated and spread throughout the globe attending university and just now starting to enter the job market. It is amazing being able to look at a simple web page and know what is going on in someones life that I may have not talked to for 1 or 2 years, and I really appreciate the opportunity to do that as do many of my friends that grew up with similar lifestyles. If I am ever traveling, I will often look at my facebook friends group to see if anyone lives where I am going at that moment to perhaps stay with them for a night or two to save money not staying in a hotel. I have some friends that specialize in computer troubleshooting, car troubles, or whatever else, that I can post a message on their profile and will receive help within days of hours. I know that students, having been one just 1 month ago, use these tools exceedingly as they become more and more useful and popular in communication and connection making. Social networking allows us another social sphere besides reality where we can present ourselves, our ideas, and our discoveries to distinct groups of contacts.

The difference between blogs and traditional web pages

There exist many differences between blogs and traditional web pages that derive from their purposes, the ways in which they work, and the way they are hosted online. Traditional web pages are used as a medium for basically any type of information that can be posted on the internet. They can be created through web editing programs, flash, or any number of types of different software. They can incorporate an enormous amount of features that are basically endless as well. However, creating and updating them can be difficult, which makes them somewhat static in many respects. Blogs are very simple to both create (I made this blog in 5 minutes), and to update (as soon as I press enter, this post can be viewed by the entirety of the internet). Creating and hosting them is also free and is done through a hosting service, like blogger, that allows you to create many different blogs and organize them how you like. Blogs are very good for group collaboration as well, as the creator has options on who can author and comment on posts. People with similar interests can create a community online through blogging, reading each others blogs, and commenting on others blogs, which makes them highly dynamic and interactive. Blogs basically offer anyone, even those with limited technological understanding, the option to publish opinions and ideas on the internet in a very simple to use environment. Traditional web pages are more open and free to operate in, yet creating and editing them takes some knowledge on the subject.