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Give Others the Time of Day: Contribute Your Technology Tips to a Time-Management Book

    An Open Invitation

I would like to offer you an opportunity to contribute to Time/Self Management, a nearly completed book by management training and consulting company A.E. Schwartz & Associates. This book – developed to help people improve their time management skills – suggests a variety of technology tips that allow for better, more efficient use of time.

    Your Contribution

Your potential contributions can take the form of any technology, tool, or time-management/productivity related tips that you believe to be useful for effective time management. The book’s tips fall into the following 12 categories: Goal Setting, Planning, Daily Projecting and Recording, Work Time, Making the Most of In-Between Time, Managing Paperwork, Telephone Management, Communication, Procrastination, Managing Crisis, Self Discipline, and Home Tips. We especially encourage you to submit tips within the categories of Self Discipline, Goal Setting, Procrastination, Managing Crisis, Planning, and Making the Most of In-Between Time.

    Benefits

Although no monetary compensation will be granted, you will be acknowledged within the book. This opportunity promotes you and possibly your area of expertise. It is an opportunity to enhance your credibility and possibly practice by contributing in this publication which will be marketed nationally.

    Submission requirements

We need to receive all submissions no later than June 6. Submissions are to be sent via e-mail—no attachments please. The tone and language of the text is succinct, to the point, and easy to understand, so we ask that you state your answers clearly and in short sentences. Please explain or define any technical jargon you happen to use. Also, it is critical that your tip be fairly general and not time-sensitive—as such, we prefer that there be no mentions of specific application names and that any suggested technology be of the type that will continue to be used in the foreseeable future. We welcome and encourage you to submit multiple tips (preferably in multiple categories) to increase the chances that your contribution will be unique and selected. Finally, please include your name, company, and e-mail with your submission.

    Sample Submissions

Below are two examples of technology tips from the book that display the qualities we are looking for:

1. Try a PIM. New personal information managers (PIMs) are being implemented by agencies who want their professionals to stay on task and well-informed. They are designed to allow their users to schedule various tasks, and also for board members to better structure the pace of work completion. The software comes with electronic notepads and alarm clocks for specific reminders. This database allows workers to input their schedules and correlate them with upcoming tasks and dates.

2. Just hit reply. Respond to emails immediately. This will save you time and energy in the long-run. Even if you need more time to answer the sender’s request, inform them of this; then add the task to your to-do list. This way, you will be clear on which emails you have or have not responded to. As an added bonus, your contacts will be impressed with and appreciate your promptness.

    Disclaimer

A.E. Schwartz & Associates recognizes the importance of keeping your responses as true to their original form as possible. You can expect no more than 5% parallel change if the responses are coherent and grammatically correct. It remains up to the publisher's discretion who, what, and how much of your submission will appear.

    Contact

We welcome you to e-mail us at aes@aeschwartz.com or call us at 617-926-9111.

awilso's picture

Fujitsu Scansnap workflow help required

Hi,

I have recently started to convert my entire business to digital workflow. I am using the Fujitsu scansnap and a good shredder and the evidence is clear in a clean desk for the first time in ages.

I have been playing with Automator for some time and always found it difficult to use, but this scanning business has got me interested. Let me tell you what I have done and then you will see the help I need.

I basically scan everything into a directory, call it >dir A and then using preview in the leopard finder I drag and drop into a directory filing system. However I wanted to be able to use spotlight to bring up files when needed using metadata - It turns out that you can use spotlight to search meta data and also it turns out you can use preview to add metadata to PDF.

Great - so I have created a folder action in >folder A which opens automator automatically when a new scanned file lands there and I have written a script in automator that highlights the new file when it lands. What I am struggling with is getting automator to offer up the Metadata (set PDF metadata script) for each file so that I can just enter the keywords etc.

Has anyone managed to achieve this and could they tell me how to do it.

Sorry to be dim, but it would make the whole filing and retrieval exersize a great deal easier.

Many thanks.

 
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