While the concept of outsourcing is not new, there has been a big trend of personal assistants to perform your every-day tasks. Things like buying groceries, setting up appointments, and writing thank you cards. Many people outsource functions like house cleaning and gardening, but how about having someone cooking for you?

In today’s world where everyone seems busy, hiring a personal assistant could free up some valuable time. But is it worth your money? This is where I have a hard time evaluating the worth. If it was for business, you could easily figure out if its worth the money to outsource. But when it comes to your personal life, its extremely hard to associate value to time. If you weren’t cooking for an hour, you could be spending time with your kids. You can’t associate cost to that.

The video is online, and their web site has a list of the personal assistant companies they covered. Tim Ferriss, the person behind the 4-Hour Workweek book also has a good list of resources for personal outsourcing.

So have you outsourced anything in your life? What was it? I am somewhat interested in having someone cook for me. I do like cooking though, so we will see. Maybe I’ll try it out and report back.

I tried many software approaches to organizing things to do, but none gave me the flexibility and portability of index cards. Probably the most widely used or referenced index card system is the Hipster PDA, from the DIY Planner folks.

Out of all the Hipster PDA templates, I only use the action item list one. There is one major tweak that I made to the card though. Not every item on the list will have a square box next to it. If there is a box next to each item, how do you know which one is of higher priority? Perhaps you put a number or some marking on it. But then what happens if you accomplish that task, and are wondering what is next? To reorganize your priorities will require cross outs or other new markings, and overall make a mess of the card. You would have to rewrite the whole card over if you want to quickly and easily identify what is next.

So how do I know what is a priority? I draw a box for the highest priority of that day. And once that is accomplished, put an X mark inside it. For things of lower priority that don’t get boxes, if they get done simply put an X mark beside it. With this workflow, you can easily see what is the high priority that isn’t done yet (box without an X), tasks that are complete (anything with an X), and lower priority items (empty space next to the item).

One implementation trick I have with the actionable index card system is to create a new card each Monday and Friday. The Monday card will be from Monday through Thursday, and Friday’s card will be through Sunday. I found that creating a new card each day just wastes time. I do keep records on when I accomplish major tasks, but I have no need to record the exact date of when it was done. But more on that system later.

Hopefully this gave you some insight into how I manage my work. Are you already a student of getting things done? What are some of your techniques on the system you use?

I like Lifehacker’s definition better, because it mentions getting things done smarter and more efficiently. But my definition of a lifehack is any method that enhances your producitivity to get things done. To me that covers both definitions, in a smaller package.

1. Know when to leave for the train – Calculate the full time required to get to the train from your source location. This would include drive time, parking time, check-in time, and walking time. Add some padding time (five to ten minutes), and subtract the time from the time the train leaves. This is the time that you need to leave. Given that the train is always on time, you should never be waiting longer than ten minutes for your train.
2. Know what train cab to sit it – Usually, each train station will have exits, stairs, or escalators at different locations. When you exit the train for the first time, you will determine which direction you need to go, but also note if you are going toward the front or back of the train. The next time you take the same route, sit in the cab closer to your destination’s exit.
3. Know where to sit – Personally, I don’t like having the sun shine right on my face in the summer because it is so bright. Even with sun glasses on and your eyes closed, you feel the hot sun shining on you. Most trains will have forward, backward, and to the side seat configurations. Determine what side of the train the sun is on, and which direction it shines. Then try to get a seat where your back is against the sun, and on the opposite side of sun. If you like sitting in the sun, you can still follow this tip, just sit where the sun is shining :)
4. Protect your ears – I’ve been on a bunch of trains, and none of them are quiet. Make sure to bring some good earplugs to block out the noise. If you like to listen to audio while on the train, I would suggest buying a pair of Etymotic ‘in the ear’ earphones. They are a bit expensive, but they block out up to 42 dB!
5. Talk to your neighbor – Just like airplane neighbors, I try to talk to them for a at least a few minutes. You never know when you will meet someone interesting.

I hope these tips help the readers, and if you have tips of your own that you want to share, please respond in the comment area.

Source: irs.gov

When the package arrived, six out of the sixteen bags were popped open because of air pressure. I notified them about the shipping problem, and they shipped me six ‘replacement’ bags! I have to say that their customer service rocks.

So out of the three flavors, I enjoyed the jalapeno the most. I’m sure that I will purchase the jalapeno and original flavors again, but not sure about the bbq one. The bbq flavor wasn’t unique enough for me… it tasted like any other kettle type bbq chip.