Copywriter, technical writer, translator (FR>EN, ES>EN, IT>EN), journalist

Posts Tagged productivity

A community’s search for a condominium management system

Walk by my condominium’s property management office and you’ll see a wall-mounted form holder for maintenance requests. I wouldn’t touch these forms. I’d rather call or email the manager or assistant manager. I can attach photos to email to more fully explain my message.

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Are you running too many applications?

Is your computer slow right now? Maybe there’s something you can do about that – right now.

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Getting time tracking down to a science

New software captures billable hours The financial crisis of 2008 permanently changed the legal services industry. That’s when businesses began to exercise greater diligence in managing their legal spending, according to Peter Zver, who claims greater scrutiny of law firm invoices have led to more challenges of

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The speed value of an empty desktop

It’s common for people to replace their computers every three or four years. They seem to believe performance degrades so much that they need new machines to gain speed increases. Sometimes that’s true. Hard disk drives,for instance, can wear over time. Inexpensive machines aren’t usually built to be upgraded. But

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Inbox Zero: tips to clear your inbox (and your mind)

On June 11, 2016, I had the pleasure of presenting tips on how to empty your inbox at the Editors Canada national conference in Vancouver. Despite mine being the final time slot of the day, I think I managed to keep too many people from yawning. I presume

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Troubleshooting a Mac: Beware of Third-Party Utilities

In early June, I gave a one-hour workshop at the Vancouver Editors Canada conference. I spoke about Inbox Zero, the lack of which can be a drag on productivity. Two things happened at this conference that triggered my dreaming up a series of blog posts, the first of which you’re now reading.

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Getting the edge in document assembly

Senior partners don’t simply hand the firm’s reins to associates when they retire. Passing their knowledge, insights and expertise to the next generation of leaders is a process best systematically practised over years. This is the second of a two- part series on document assembly systems. The

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Why writers should use mind maps

I don’t experience writer’s block. That isn’t a boast. I’ve developed tactics that enable me to write a decent first draft without much difficulty. The main tactic: I use a mind map.

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My relationship with Getting Things Done

The David Allen Company is taking its Getting Things Done show to Toronto (my hometown) in a few weeks. That, plus a recent reminder about the system, got me thinking more deeply about how I use it in my own life. Warning: this post ended up being

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