People need to be reminded more often
than they need to be instructed.
-Samuel Johnson
Welcome to Reminderer.net, a site I built to help me internalize lessons I learned from books. To use it, login with your Google account and add items. Every time you visit the site, you'll see the items that are due. Click the appropriate button based on your progess. As you progress, you will see the item less often.
I've gotten a lot of good advice over the years from books, presentations, personal conversations, and especially from my own introspection. The problem is that I've failed to make the most of that advice by not building it into my life, by not internalizing it.
What's the use of reading Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" or Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" only to forget all the great lessons in a month?
Now, whenever I read a book or watch a presentation that I want to remember, I put the lessons in reminderer.net. As I review my reminders everyday, I internalize the lessons.
The site is free. Let me know how you like it.
Here are some public items that people are being reminded of . . .
Early is on time; on time is late.
Write for a specific person.
Inspiration is perishable. Don’t put off working on things you’re excited about.
Give more than you get.
Make short lists. Commit short term only and get things done. Planning is guessing.
Meetings are toxic. 7 things to make meetings better:
Set a timer.
Invite as few people as possible.
Always have a clear agenda.
Begin with a specific problem.
Meet at the site of the problem. Point to real things and suggest real changes.
End with a solution.
Make somebody responsible for implementing the solution.
Find your voice and be yourself.
Increase liberty for others.
Encourage initiative in others.
Don’t be afraid to make decisions. Decisions are temporary.
Teach rather than advertise.
Be patient with people.
Tone is in the fingers. Don’t let the lack of perfect tools keep you from getting started.
Work fast.
Own your bad news. Let your customers hear the bad news from you first. Try to make it right for your customers. Express sympathy.
Focus on yourself rather than the competition.
What is the simplest, easiest, fastest way to make progress?
Write.
Only hire when you need to.
Everything is marketing.
Emulate drug dealers. Give away samples.
Take your audience backstage.
Use obscurity to improve.
Be at-home good.
Let your customers outgrow you.
Say no by default.
Underdo your competition.
Get plenty of sleep. Night is for sleeping.
Don’t be a hero. Be smart. Figure cost v benefit.
Focus on quick wins. What can I finish quickly?
Interruption is the enemy of productivity. Use large blocks of time. Turn off distractions. Concentrate.
Interrogate your work: Who, what, when, where, how, and why.
Who benefits?
What problem is being solved?
Is this the most important thing to work on right now?
Is there an easier way? Judo problems by solving them as best as possible with minimum effort.
How am I adding value?
Why am I doing this?
Launch now.
Don’t waste. Sell your by-products. What can I sell?
Focus on what won’t change.
Ignore the details early on. Focus on getting the basics right.
The good is the enemy of the best. Be willing to pass on what is merely good, so you can have the best. Be a curator.
Try getting along without. Prefer small and simple.
Make a dent in the universe. Do what matters.
Planning is guessing. Keep busy working on what is most important now.
Hard on things, soft on people. To have great results with people, go slow.
Think, “How should something be done?” Not, “How is something done?”
Organize your life to minimize brain strain.
Plan before you start. Know the why and how early. Avoid working purposelessly.
Take notes to help shift contexts later.
Review key info weekly.
Prefer search over organization.
Be completely honest, but never judgmental, with yourself.
Get stuff out of your head as quickly as possible.
Use tools you already know.
Stop searching for perfect organization.
Integrate work with life instead of balancing.
Group similar tasks together.
Break big chunks into small ones.
Only keep in your head what truly needs to be there.
Do not assume constraints.
Share knowledge to be powerful.
Use stories to remember.
Avoid multitasking because it makes you less efficient.
Live a life worth remembering.
Plan for the important events in your life. Work backwards and be prepared.
Practice SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.
Be active: Concentrate, take notes, apply.