Hats off to Wordpress and its contributors.

In the past, producing podcast recordings was time consuming. I would record the audio using either Garageband or Audacity and a USB mic. I would then export the file to the desktop, import into iTunes, and convert to mp3. I then uploaded the mp3 file and assembed the podcast in Wordpress.

Enter the iPhone.

Over the last 2 months I have accumulated several voice recording applications for the iPhone. I am most impressed with “Recorder for iPhone” by Retronyms.

I decided to try this app to record 2 podcasts. I recorded the audio using the iPhone headset. Upload to the mac was straightforward thru the application’s sync feature and the AIFF files opened directly in iTunes.

The sound quality seemed fine though I tended to hiss my S’s. And the process of producing an mp3 was significantly shortened. All in all a great experience.

The only fault I find with Recorder for iPhone is that it does not have a pause feature nor does it have a way to resume a recording interrupted by a phone call.

I highly recommend podcasters consider the iPhone as a great supplement to a desktop setup and to seriously consider Recorder for iPhone by Retronyms.

Having just completed the process to 2.3.2 in late January, the process did not seem as intimidating. Actually, the upgrade proceeded quickly with the actual file transfers taking all of the time. Really straightforward. And not so intimidating since I made a complete backup before starting the process.

For any who are hesitant to make the update, just make a backup of everything and follow the upgrade directions.

Thanks to the tutorial at Styling for Print WordPress Codex , I have added a print stylesheet to eliminate the sidebars, comments, and other elements not required in printing. You can use your browser’s print feature to print a selected post on this site.

This is another example of how to overcome fear and/or procrastination:

• Become more knowledgeable about what you fear or put off.
• Take action, then fear and procrastination disappear.

Let me know if the print style sheet causes you problems.

Thanks

Craig

• Hello, this is Plain Simple Mangement, I am Craig Walters, and today’s podcast deals with Time ManagementThank you all for your responses to my poll, and thank you for visiting my web site. In the future the web site will become a more integral part of the podcast, so please visit here often.Time management has won the poll so far, so I will share with you my views on time management.Some thoughts on time
  • Time is man’s theoritical construct to measure the rate of change. What we are really interested in is change and the rate of change, not the passage of time.The change we seek is to progress from the current state to the desired state. All of our energies should be focused on making this transition.As I mentioned before, Asimov in “Time, Space, and Other Things” points out that we have been given the life we need. He calculates the heart rate time the life expectancy for several other mammals and man, and finds that all mammals except man have about 1 billion heart beats during their lives. Man and man alone has 3 billion. He concludes that we have the time we need to do what we need to do.Our issue is not having enough time, it is an issue of how do we spend the time we have.I conclude that there is enough time do do what is important.So what is important.
    • Refer to the mission and vision statements that you have developed for your lives.
    • If you have not done so, then do it now.

  The Mechanics

  • I have used manual systems and computer systems. I don’t think it makes much difference. Eventually I have to answer the question; “What is the best use of my time now?” I find that manual systems are just as good as computer systems in answering this question.Since I do not spend 24×7 in front of a computer, something that I can transport is more ideal–Maybe a PDA, maybe index cards.For the most part, calendars only manage the interruptions rather than support the accomplishment of objectives. We use calendars to keep track of the interruptions. Sometimes, we put entries on the calendar in our own interest rather than some one elses, but most of the time we are serving someone else.It does not matter what you do as long as you meet these criteria.
    • I can review what actions I need to take
    • I can record progress and other necessary actions.
    • I can record my dreams.
    • I can list those actions that will achieve my dreams.

  Examples

  • In the 70’s I thought that John Dean had his stuff straight, when appearing in front of the Watergate commission. I journaled everything, noted everyting and spend more time recording my life rather than living it. Do not be a John Dean.Cardio-vascular surgeon
    • He carried index cards in his pocket, 1 per patient
    • The relevant info for each patient and family was on the card.
    • He could scan them easily.
    • The totality of his current surgical doctor life was in the deck.
    • The deck went with him everywhere.
    • He used the cards to share with others. He probably used these cards to plan his surgeries.

    I really love the system provided during
    the 80’s or 90’s provided by Century Plastics.

    • ScanCards used a specialized card.
      • This was not good.
    • 20th Century used index cards. Yea!!
      • I have placed a scan of the page on the web site.
    • I accomplished more using the index cards
      than I did using any other system.
    • My calendar and my administrative assistant managed my distractions.
    • My index cards managed what I wanted to do and need to do
    • Century Plastics and their card system are no longer available.
    • An alternative approach
      • Buy 3×5 Post-it notes.Buy a nice notebook or portfolio that you might and will carry everywhere.Buy a set of Avery dividers that have sufficient partitons for your life.Identify these dividers as the sections of your life.As tasks, objectives, initiatives, gotta-do’s come up,
        write them each on a 3×5 postit and stick
        in in the appropriate section of your life.When you have a free moment or an hour or a day, review the post-its.Select the postit that you love most now.

        Put you heart into its progress.

        These post-its or index cards are youre agents.

        • Write on them as things change.
        • Use highlighters to call out actions.
        • Use different colored cards for different purposes, priorities, etc.
        • Move them to your accomplishments box when you finish them.

    The God box

    • I have to share this with you.I am independent and self centered, or have been. I think I can solve my problems. Some I can not.I can not solve them all.For those I can not, I take the card out of my stack and put in the box labelled “God’s box”.I do not dwell on fears.I do not dwell on things I can not control.I let God deal with it as he may and move on to addressing what I can do someting about.

      This is the most sane prayer I have ever prayed: “…move me forward in your plan for me. I ask not that You bless what I decide to do, but that You will lead me to do what You have already blessed.”

      Actually it is the second most sane prayer. The first most sane prayer is the Lord’s Prayer. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven>”

  Conclusion

  • We have all the time we need
  • We need to focus on what matters.
  • We need to minimize the distractions that keep us from getting there.
  • Simplicity is the key.
  • What is the best use of my time now??
    • I hope you felt this podcast was a good use of the last few minutes.
    • I hope that the next few minutes take you closer to your dreams!! Good luck!

Links to resources:

Here are the links I promised you in the podcast. Please note that I have no financial interest in any of these offerings and, as far as I am concerned, they are available as is. I hope they work for you if you elect to go down the low tech path.

• www.scanplan.com I found this link today in my preparation for this podcast. When I was in college, the scheduling people used a similar system each quarter to schedule students into classes, and it seemed to work quite well.
• http://www.executivegallery.com/Pages/SCIdx.htm Here is the old scan card system that I mentioned in the podcast. I used this system for a while and it did serve its purpose. I did not like the size and propriety of the note cards–thus I elected a 3×5 system.

I feel like I need to tell you some other rules for time management.

• Delegate anything that you can delegate.
• Try and minimize the urgent interruptions, focusing instead on the important aspects of the job.
• Set aside times during the day to return phone calls and to answer e-mail. However, if you are in the office and the phone rings, answer it. Otherwise you could play phone tag forever if you return or answer calls at a different time than the caller–who is also managing his or her time.
• Look for an minimize time wasters imposed by the system. You have to spend your time with people but you do not have to spend your time in mediocre applications.
• Plan meetings with an agenda and an expected outcome. Drive meetings to achieve the outcome. I can accomplish in 20 minutes what others take an hour in doing.
• Do not procrastinate decisions. If you have the necessary data, make the decision. Otherwise you waste everyone’s time.
• Read a good time management book but don’t get stuck to the method to the extent that it spends 30 seconds keeping you from what you need to be doing.

Good luck.

Craig

• What the manager thinks about his organization matters.
• Request from reader to discuss the Hawthrone experiments
  • Western Electric Company, Chicago
  • 1924-1933
  • change in working conditions had unexpected effects
  • belief that change occurred because subjects knew they were being measured for the effect
• Observer Effect
  • Schrodinger’s cat
    • observation creates meaning
  • can not observe [measure] something without affecting it
    • tire pressure
• Subject expectancy effect
  • subject expects a result and unconsciously manipulates the situation to produce the result
• Observer expectancy effect
  • observer expects a result and unconsciously manipulates the situation to produce the result
• Placebo effect
  • probably Subject Expectancy effect
  • I will please. [latin]
  • the ‘drug’ has no medicial value
  • the patient’s expectation creates positive or negative results
• Pygmalion effect, Roesnthal Effect
  • Teacher expectation of students enhanced student behavior
• Commonality
  • Expectation
    • What the manager expects influences what he gets as a result
    • What the employee expects influences what he produces as a result
  • We can not intact with the organization without affecting it in some way.
    • positive
    • negative
  • People react to a manager’s attention
    • Ph.D. Kenneth Blanchard, M.D. Spencer Johnson: The One Minute Manager
      • one minute praises
      • one minute reprimands
  • our regard for our organization and the individuals in it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.
  • The subconscious mind does not differentiate between a fact and a belief
    • placebo effect
    • mental images
      • Elston Howard and Warren Spahn
    • manager’s motivate beliefs
• Manager’s action items
  • expect the best from everyone
  • regard everyone as a valued contributor
  • promote an environment where people expect the best from themselves
  • be an active participant in the organization
  • promote positive mental images of success
  • discourage negative thinking
  • remember fear and faith
    • fear: mental images of what you don’t want to have happen
    • faith: mental images of what you do want to have happen
  • be authentic, sincere, and legitimate
    • avoid manipulation
      • Hawthorne experiments
    • mind games