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How to recycle your old TV
Is there a proper way to dispose of an old 19-inch TV set that no longer works? We would certainly prefer to recycle rather than send it to a landfill.
—D.J.
— Best Buy has an electronics recycling program, but charges $10 for televisions under 32 inches. Click here for more info.
— Another resource for electronics disposal is Round 2 Technologies, 6301 E. Stassney Lane, Building 6, Suite 400. The recycling company charges a fee, but will accept a variety of electronics and other appliances, including televisions ($15 for a table-top, $20 for a console)
— The TCEQ also maintains a directory of recycling businesses at www.recycletexasonline.org.
— If you have a functioning television, many thrift stores, including Goodwill, will accept it.
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Dispose of VHS tapes and old medication
I have lots of old, used, VHS tapes. I hate to throw them away because of all the plastic. Where can I recycle them?
—M.G.
For a $6.95 shipping fee, Washington-based Greendisk will accept up to 20 pounds of VHS tapes, as well as variety of other media-related waste. The company claims on its Web site that all material is reused or recycled. For a complete list of what they accept, click here.
I’m wondering how to properly dispose of prescription and over-the-counter drugs after they are out of date or they are no longer needed to be taken. I would appreciate knowing what to do.
—G.K.
This question is one of the most frequently asked to “Question Everything.” Unfortunately, there isn’t a great answer. Solid waste services advises that medication be disposed of in household trash. Seal the container first. Do not flush pills down the toilet or put them into the water system in any other way.
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Listen to a sample from Ann Daly’s ‘Do-Over!’
When’s the last time you called for a do-over — during recess in elementary school? Ann Daly thinks you’re do for another one. The speaker, life coach and author is launching a new audiobook, “Do Over! How Women Are Reinventing Their Lives.”
“I think of a do-over as an intentional reinvention by women done with all the exuberance of spirit we had on the playground when we were kids and we were shouting for a do-over,” Daly says.
Daly wants “Do Over!” (available at anndaly.com/books and at BookWoman bookstore) and its accompanying downloadable workbooks to provide women with the inspiration and practical know-how they need at any juncture in their lives when they find themselves thinking “Now what?”
Click here to listen to a sample from the audiobook:
http://www.anndaly.com/Introduction.mp3
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More on T-shirt quilts
Below is a list of additional resources for T-shirt quilts, as mentioned in Monday’s Question Everything column. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with information.
—The Austin Area Quilt Guild. Near the bottom of the page on the left side click on “Quilters for Hire”.
—Bits ‘N Pieces Quilting
—Castle Path Quilting in Round Rock.
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More job-hunting tips: Image
Hoping the new year brings a new job? We’re republishing some of our favorite job-hunting advice today. These tips on professional image were originally published Sept. 21, 2008
Sara Canaday is an image consultant, but that doesn’t mean she’s solely focused on your shoes or your haircut.
Not that she doesn’t have strong opinions in these areas - an of-the-moment haircut, for example, is one of her top recommendations for conveying that you’re sharp and in-the-know. But she can talk with the same authority about behavioral psychology, branding and emotional intelligence as she does about slingbacks. Her approach shows her deep interest in, and knowledge of, how we form impressions about each other and how we can manage the way others perceive us. And her definition of image runs a lot deeper than appearance. After all, that haircut isn’t going to do much for your image if all your colleagues remember is that constant scowl on your face.
In an uncertain economy, you might be taking some time to polish up your resume, but polishing your image could be equally important. If yours needs a boost, Canaday has some ideas for you. She is principal consultant at Austin-based Empowerment Enterprises and consults with companies and individual clients. A typical week might find Canaday helping a client put together a wardrobe that makes an impact, coaching another client on emotional intelligence and presenting at a conference on leadership presence.
Image is your ‘brand’ Canaday isn’t suggesting that what you look like is more important than what you do. But like it or not, our colleagues and potential employers do pay attention to image, whether consciously or not. And if something about your image is distracting attention from the great work you do, that’s a problem.
“You’re losing out on your opportunity to convey a message,” Canaday says. You could be the most organized, detail-oriented person in your department, but no one knows it because you’re undercutting your good work with your coffee-stained clothes and disheveled hair.
Image, she says, is part of your “personal brand.” Branding yourself comes up whenever I talk to career experts: Think of yourself as a business of one, even if you work for a big company. Define yourself not by where you work or your job title, but as your own personal “brand” that emphasizes your core strengths (for example, you’re a creative, tech-savvy organizational guru). This can help you stay afloat amid changes in your workplace or help open doors to another job. Taking control of your image helps you make sure you’re conveying the things about yourself that you want to emphasize.
Time for a change? As we mentioned earlier, Canaday says that changing your hair delivers big impact for a relatively small investment.
“It’s one of the first things people see,” she says. By keeping up with trends, you’re sending a message that you’re up to speed in other areas as well. “Believe it or not, those things will translate into whether you have an updated hairstyle.”
It also helps to update your accessories such as your bag, attaché case or jewelry. “You don’t have to spend a lot of money,” Canaday says. In fact, never spend big on trends, she advises. Make classics your big investment pieces.
You can give your work clothes a new look with alterations - such as taking out shoulder pads or shortening a jacket - or wearing them differently. “Break up traditional suits,” Canaday says. “Wear the jacket with something else.”
Of course, a lot of us work in offices where even a broken-up business suit would be considered wildly dressy. But you can give your image an upgrade even in an office where casual Friday lasts all week. Choose “power neutrals” such as black, gray, olive green and chocolate brown and businesslike prints such as houndstooth instead of more whimsical ones, Canaday advises.
Going deeper Image is a lot more than how you dress and groom yourself, Canaday says. Just as that coffee stain makes you seem disorganized even if your Microsoft Outlook is in pristine shape, a sour demeanor can convince your co-workers that you’re hard to deal with, even if you’re actually a team player.
Mood is infectious, Canaday says. “People like to be around those who are in a good mood, because they feel in some way they are causing that mood,” she says. The opposite also holds true: If you’re not in a good mood, people feel subconsciously that they’re the reason, and they don’t want to be around you.
Your emotional intelligence also contributes to your image, Canaday says. Even if we can’t define it precisely, we all know emotional intelligence when we see it, she says.
Think of a person who is calm and diplomatic under pressure, empathetic and can adapt their behavior to the situation.
Upgrading your professional image changes how others perceive you, but it also can change how you see yourself, Canaday says.
“Reinventing your image might help you reinvent on a different level,” she says. “The way we put ourselves together affects how others perceive us, but also affects our conduct and our own psyche.” If you look more put-together, don’t be surprised to find yourself acting more put-together.
Interview tips Nothing gets you thinking about your professional image like a job interview. In the past, it was a given that interview attire meant a business suit. And you still can’t go wrong by erring on the side of tradition, Canaday says. ‘You’ll never be faulted for overdressing,’ she explains. ‘It simply shows that you had enough respect for yourself and the people you’re meeting with to take the time to dress in the most professional, polished manner.’
You have a little more leeway if you’re interviewing in a field such as advertising or retail, where your employer will be looking for your creativity to come through in how you present yourself, Canaday says.
Still not sure what to wear? If the company where you’re interviewing has a human resources department, it’s perfectly fine to call there for tips, Canaday says.
But whether you’re going traditional or creative, it’s essential to look polished, Canaday says. That means well-groomed hair and nails and non-distracting jewelry and accessories.
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More job-hunting tips: Networking
Hoping the new year brings a new job? We’re republishing some of our favorite job-hunting advice today. These networking tips were originally published May 27, 2008
A few weeks ago, Austin career and work/life balance coach Renee Peterson Trudeau gave us some tips on recession-proofing your career (if you missed that column in print, you can still find it at statesman.com/lifeguide). One of the things we talked about was networking, and Trudeau recommended someone from her own network who could also talk about the art of making connections: Austin businesswoman Patti DeNucci.
Networking comes naturally to DeNucci: Her dad owned a car dealership, and by watching him she learned about the importance of building and maintaining relationships. Today, she has her own company, DeNucci & Co., which matches freelancers and consultants with companies.
Networking does not come naturally to me (being a wallflower does), so I was eager to learn more from this master connector.
Her core message is not about having the smoothest lines at the cocktail party. Instead, she says the heart of networking is about treating every person with respect. Here are her tips for making connections.
Make networking a habit. Don’t be the person who networks only when business is bad. “When times get a little more challenging like they are now, I think those who have cocooned themselves into their very comfortable job or have had a company that has always done really well forget there’s always that investment to be made in spending time with friends and colleagues,” DeNucci says.
If you’re getting back in touch with people after ignoring your connections for a long time, approach them with humility. Admit that you haven’t done a great job of staying connected and stress how much you want to reconnect.
Don’t make it all about you. Especially if you’re contacting someone you haven’t communicated with in a while, think about what you can do for that person in return.
Keep track of things like your connections’ Web sites, hobbies, birthdays and kids’ names as a way to start conversations or renew connections. DeNucci also recommends the books “The Art of Friendship: 70 Simple Rules for Making Meaningful Connections” by Roger Horchow and Sally Horchow and “The Ripple Effect: Maximizing the Power of Relationships for Your Life and Business” by Austinite Steve Harper.
“Brand” yourself. Think about what you want people to remember about you, and make sure you convey those qualities when you network.
Don’t rely on e-mail. Picking up the phone is better, DeNucci says, and meeting face to face is better still.
Don’t hit every single event. Think about what you want to get out of the time and money you’re investing in networking. Your rule of thumb could be that you only attend events where you’re likely to meet potential clients, for example.
Two prime locations for starting a conversation at an event: by the registration table or by the buffet.
Prepare some opening questions (“How long have you been in Austin?” “What do you know about the speaker?”) to start conversations at an event.
Don’t be a reckless namedropper. It’s fine to mention people who have sincerely offered to give you a recommendation, but, “If you don’t truly know this person, don’t drop their name,” DeNucci says.
To really make an impression when you follow up, send a written note instead of just an e-mail.
“Be very mindful of other people’s time,” DeNucci says. Everyone is busy. You might have heard other career experts advise scheduling informational interviews with people in the field you’re interested in, but they’re a big time commitment. “It’s a very useful tool, but I think it’s been abused,” DeNucci says. “I think sometimes the informational interview can be intrusive unless the person on the other end is totally open to doing it.” By the same token, keep your e-mails brief and to the point.
Be careful when you help other people make connections. “Whenever you match two people up, it’s really important to know what each of those two people is expecting,” DeNucci says. Get clear on this so that you can determine whether the two can help each other.
“That’s the science part; the art is having to do with chemistry,” she says. “You can put two people together and think they’re perfect, but for whatever reason it might not work out.”
And don’t make a referral for someone you don’t know well. If you recommend someone who’s a bad match for a position, it reflects badly on your reputation.
How should you ask a connection for something without seeming pushy or obnoxious? It depends on your relationship with the person. Obviously, it’s easier to ask for something from someone with whom you have a longer relationship. If you’d like something from a newer acquaintance, it’s fine to ask but it’s extra important to be respectful of the person’s time and do something for the person: Take her out to lunch and pick her up.
Above all, remember your manners. “I will almost always make time to have at least a 10-minute phone call” with someone who is polite, DeNucci says, but she’s less inclined to offer time to someone who’s pushy or brash.
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Job-hunting tips
Hoping the new year brings a new job? We’re republishing some of our favorite job-hunting advice today. First up: Tips on finding a job in tough times, originally published April 27, 2008.
Renee Peterson Trudeau can tell when Austinites are feeling anxious about the economy.
The career and work/life balance coach says her phone starts ringing and her inbox fills up with messages from people concerned about their jobs. And right now, Trudeau says, the level of career anxiety is the highest she’s seen since 9/11.
With layoffs in the news, it’s easy to feel afraid, says Trudeau, who’s president of Career Strategists in Austin. (She’ll be holding workshops on “Finding Your Career Mojo” on Saturday and May 29. Visit careerstrategists.net for more information.)
“It’s really helpful for people to hit the pause button and realize, ‘Gosh, I don’t need to get caught up in what everybody else is fearing. I really need to focus on my career and my life,’ ” she says.
Trudeau gave us some tips for moving past this fear and taking control of your career’s direction. If you do find yourself job hunting, whether by choice or necessity, here are some ways to be prepared.
Know what you want Counting on your employer to manage your career development just doesn’t work anymore, Trudeau says. “Job stability and loyalty are really a thing of the past,” she says. Instead, take more of a “free agent” mentality: Think about where you want to go and the steps to take to get there.
If you’re not sure what you want your next step to be, Trudeau recommends asking yourself these three questions:
1) What do you want? These are the essentials you require in a job - for example, you know you won’t be happy unless you’re writing or working with kids.
2) What do you do best? Think about your innate gifts. You want a job where you spend most of your time doing what you do best.
3) What’s a fit for you? Think about your personality (do you hate giving presentations?) and what’s going on in your life (do you need flexible hours to care for an aging parent or small child?).
Know what employers want There are, of course, skills specific to every field, but there are also personal qualities that are essential in just about any job, Trudeau says. With companies placing more emphasis than ever on “culture fit,” don’t forget to hone your abilities in these areas as well:
Building relationships with people from diverse professional backgrounds on different levels (in other words, getting along well with everyone from the CEO to the receptionist).
Managing projects small and large. Multitasking. Being organized and detail-oriented while handling many different tasks at once.
Solving problems and generating ideas.
Getting along with others and collaborating.
Target your resume The No. 1 resume rule? “Remember that you are creating an ad for you,” Trudeau says. “This is not your bio.”
That means you should be assertive in highlighting your awards, accomplishments, promotions and quantifiable results.
There’s no one-size-fits-all resume. Going generic won’t get you anywhere, Trudeau says. “You’ve got to create a resume that positions you for the job that you want,” she says.
A lot of job changes used to be a resume red flag, but Trudeau says that’s rarely the case today because many of us have gone through layoffs, mergers or taking family leave. Employers take all of that into account, she says.
Resume writing is tough, so don’t rush the process and don’t hesitate to get help. One idea from Trudeau: Contact one of the many professional organizations in Austin with mentoring and résumé review programs.
Get enthusiastic references Don’t ask someone to be a reference just based on his or her title, Trudeau says. It’s not that impressive to have the senior VP recommending you if she doesn’t really know your work that well. Choose a reference who’s articulate and who will rave about you, even if she’s not a big name in your field. And don’t think that your references have to be limited to current or past supervisors, either, Trudeau says. Choose a peer who’ll do a great job of talking you up, or even a fellow board member from one of your organizations. Just remember to include at least two people who have worked directly with you or for whom you’ve worked among your references.
Network … now Ideally, your support network should be in place before you even start job hunting, but we’re all so busy that it’s easy to lose touch with our contacts, Trudeau says. It might be time to renew your involvement in professional groups: You don’t have to say yes to every one that comes along, but if you can find a couple that really resonate with you, they can be a great place to build connections.
And think beyond trade groups: You can make valuable connections through your moms group, a church or neighborhood association, for example. There’s also the world of professional networking online. “LinkedIn is a really powerful tool,” Trudeau says. If you’ve never visited the site, LinkedIn helps you make new professional connections and reconnect with old colleagues.
Now is also the time to get over any misgivings that networking is cheesy or inauthentic. “It’s really about relationship building,” Trudeau says. “You want to approach it as a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Think about how you can help the person who’s helping you professionally, she says. For example, if you’ve had an informational interview with someone who works in a field you’re considering, wrap up by thanking him and asking what kind of support you can offer.
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Upcoming events by Austin experts
Renee Trudeau, an author and life coach who has frequently provided expertise in the Life Guide column, is offering a free telephone class on Thursday.
The “Managing Your Energy/Saying No” conference call is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register here or e-mail info@reneetrudeau.com.
On Jan. 29 from 9 to 11:30 a.m., Trudeau will present “The Career Strategy Workshop: Find a Fit, Create a Plan, Love Your Work” at the Austin Community College campus in South Austin. Register here or e-mail info@careerstrategists.net.
Ann Daly, a speaker, life coach and author who’s also been featured in the Life Guide column, is launching a new audiobook, “Do Over! How Women Are Reinventing Their Lives,” with a pair of events in Austin next month:
— Book reading and signing 7 p.m. Feb. 4 BookWoman, 5501 N. Lamar Blvd. Free
— Workshop and book signing to benefit GENaustin (Girls Empowerment Network) 8:30 a.m. Feb. 26 Goodwill Community Center 1015 Norwood Park Blvd Tickets: $25, genaustin.org
UPDATED on Jan. 23: The time and venue for the GENaustin event have changed. The event is now scheduled for El Sol Y La Luna (600 E. Sixth St.) from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Feb 26.
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More on ‘Getting Things Done’
Omar Gallaga’s story about the book “Getting Things Done” originally was published in January 2008.
Modern life overflows. It bulges at the stuffed e-mail inbox and piles up in teetering stacks on the desk, sloughing off ATM receipts and fluorescent-pink Post-its. With the volumes of information we process and work with today, “overwhelmed” is now a normal state for many. Lobbed into the impact zone of an impending info-world avalanche, a 2001 book was published by a little-known productivity consultant named David Allen. It was called “Gettings Things Done,” and, after a slow start, the book began to gain steam, especially after it became available in paperback and began to get enthusiastic write-ups online. By 2004, its teachings had become an online phenomenon, prompting the kind of devoted blogging and discussion usually reserved for celebrity rehab gossip. It has spawned a cottage industry of online guides, home-brewed software and instructional blog posts from fans who are constantly tweaking their filing methods and e-mail habits to get to a higher plane of “GTD” bliss. It has inspired techies like David H. Walker and John Metcalf, two University of Texas graduates and friends, each running a new company. They talk about Allen the way some people do about the Dalai Lama or Bono. “I’m convinced the way he does it is perfect,” Metcalf says, “I would love to spend a day in his life and watch him do the things he does.” Though not everyone who takes the GTD plunge sticks with it, many who do find themselves getting more work done in shorter amounts of time, or at least letting fewer things fall through the cracks. It creates a kind of productivity euphoria that leads many to bug their friends in hopes that everyone can get on the GTD bandwagon. Task-oriented Walker’s company, 302designs, makes T-shirts. Metcalf is getting into micro-lending. Both were struggling with going from full-time students to full-time entrepreneurs. Walker’s eyes brighten as he remembers his first experiences with GTD. “You’re able to knock stuff out,” he says, “I would get stuff done and still have three hours left in my day.” Allen thinks that techies especially have responded to GTD because of its flow-chart simplicity and systematic ways of dealing with data. “Tech people are almost as lazy as I am,” he told the American-Statesman by phone from his home in Ojai, Calif. “Gee, how automated can we get this stuff so we don’t have to spend extra time and energy?” GTD works off a simple guiding principle: What if you could get all the clutter out of your mind - storing every stray idea on paper or electronically for later retrieval - freeing yourself to think about more important goals and ideas? Like Walker and Metcalf, many others who have picked up “Gettings Things Done” have changed the way they work and stay organized. Today, the “Getting Things Done” paperback consistently places in the top 100 of Amazon’s book sales (as of this writing, it was ranked 57 among all books on the site). Online, bloggers and techies have found ways to “hack” “Gettings Things Done” to suit their own needs, building its methodology into home-brewed software and tweaks to Palm Pilot, Outlook and Mac calendar software. If there is a cult around “Gettings Things Done,” it is one more of homage than obedience: Fans take Allen’s teachings and adjust them for different needs. In all its forms, GTD has made Allen a guru among the organized, a messiah of time management. Was it the timing? The book came just after the dot-com bust and Sept. 11, 2001, when tech workers were looking to simplify their lives. As the iPod age has increased the flow of media in our lives, it seems natural that a method to wrangle our many disparate pieces of information would sell. The book itself traffics in many clichés of corporate self-help-speak and seems to assume that everyone has a boss, an office and a filing cabinet to deal with. But its principles are useful, adjustable and explained in simple, practical ways. Allen isn’t surprised by the success. “Some days I get up in the morning and I wonder how come this has only sold a million copies and it’s only in 28 languages,” he said. “There’s a lot more people on the planet who could use this.” We spoke to several Austinites who are using “Gettings Things Done” to organize their lives. These are their stories.
The Hipster PDA
John Wohn, a former information technology manager at Dell Inc., loves to shock his techie friends when they want to “beam” him their digital information via a BlackBerry or Palm Pilot. He pulls out a bound stack of 3-inch-by-5-inch note cards, and takes down their information. “The Hipster PDA,” as it’s called by techie GTD fans, is any low-fi, paper-based approach to carrying around data that some might hold in a Palm Pilot or iPhone organizer. Wohn uses the methods described in “Gettings Things Done” to keep thoughts and tasks organized, one per card. “I’m a techie by heart, but I don’t trust electronics with things like my calendar and my contacts because I haven’t found a PDA or BlackBerry or anything like that that works for me,” Wohn said. Everywhere he goes, he carries a small vinyl two-ring binder to hold his 3-by-5s, which contain to-do items such as “Move air hockey game to the game room” and “Sell dining room set on Craigslist.” He uses a recipe box to keep a “tickler file,” a set of small folders for future reminders. Categories include “I Want,” a list of gift ideas and “Personal Enrichment.” The first item there is, “Re-Read ‘Getting Things Done.’ ” Wohn says he first heard about GTD on the blog Lifehacker.com, which itself offers tips and tricks for handling information overload. He liked what he read, so he got a copy of the book. He had difficulty retraining his brain, especially when it came to e-mail. “I had a very hierarchical pyramid of folders. That’s just the way my brain works. It took a lot to give that up.” Now, he dumps all his old messages into one searchable folder while keeping his inbox down to just one screen worth of messages. The most useful habit he’s picked up, he says, is a weekly “brain dump,” in which he thinks about future projects and goes over his to-do lists and calendar. He often suggests GTD methods to those who ask, but finds many people (including his wife, he says) are set in their ways. “Most people have their own method that works or doesn’t work for them,” he says. They’re not interested in changing. He’d give up his cards if Allen released the perfect personal digital assistant, Wohn says. “He should find some enterprising entrepreneur and build a PDA that works specifically on ‘Getting Things Done.’ He would make a mint if he did that.”
The facilitator
Kim Reist, who teaches people to use a piece of software called Microsoft Sharepoint at the Texas Medical Association, started using GTD about three years ago. Reist says she spends about 95 percent of her work time using Outlook, and GTD was a “revelation” for handling e-mail, tasks and her calendar. Reist said the methods helped her separate her work tasks and what she has to do at home. She now teaches an informal class on applying “Getting Things Done” to Outlook for her co-workers. She says older colleagues appreciate that GTD doesn’t rely on the latest software or electronics. It can be applied to folders and paper just as easily. “I think its strength is that it’s not so tied to technology,” Reist says. She particularly admires the tickler file, which she says she used when she worked in the hotel industry in the ’80s. “It’s a system you could use even after a nuclear holocaust,” Reist said. “You could still use scraps of paper and get things done.”
The virtualizer
Ahmed Taleb, an account manager at Austin’s Bulldog Solutions Inc., read “Gettings Things Done” three weeks ago and isn’t sold on it just yet. One particular sticking point is that the book talks quite a bit about paper and folders, even encouraging those implementing the system to buy a label maker. “I didn’t really go so far as to do it full-on and devise a file system,” Taleb says, “I’m trying to move to being as paperless as I possibly can.” He sees a big project coming down the pike and made this recent stab at getting organized to see whether GTD would stand up to his needs. “I’m still at the evaluation stage,” Taleb says, “My measure of success will be six months from now if I can locate any item I’m looking for in 30 seconds.” He thinks Allen’s book “falls a bit short,” especially when it comes to technology. “I don’t think the methodology addresses some of the sophisticated things that can be done with electronics and virtual tools,” he says. Techies have tried to take up that perceived slack: The online community that includes sites such as 43folders.com and Lifehacker.com often spotlights new software applications that incorporate GTD - programs with names such as iGTD for the Mac, Next Action and Actiontastic. And there are hundreds of documents on the Web about “hacking” GTD to work more effectively with Gmail, with the iPhone and other programs.
The guru speaks
When does David Allen think about the GTD movement he created? Mostly, he thinks a lot of people are doing it wrong. Allen speaks quickly and confidently, his voice a big, industrial stapler, even over the phone. Allen is an ordained minister in a New Age church and among the jobs he had in his younger days were travel agent and karate instructor. He thinks people who aren’t fully embracing GTD methods are missing a lot of its power. On the other hand, “If you’ve got a way that makes things easier-faster-better that produced a result with less input, that’s GTD, I don’t care what you call it,” he says. He believes many GTD devotees don’t really trust the systems they’ve built to keep their ideas and tasks. But even a little GTD is better than nothing. “If you just write 10 percent more out of your head, your life will change and improve, and that’s GTD.” However, he thinks that much of the software that’s been written and electronics tools tweaked for GTD can be a waste of time. “For the most part, they’re list managers,” he says, “Well, how many ways can you create a list? It’s a lot easier to hand-write a list than input it into the computer.” Many people aren’t doing weekly reviews and don’t always feel comfortable when their minds are freed of clutter. Allen thinks it makes people uncomfortable to have a clear head, and that they often feel that they need a gnawing sense of anxiety to feel they have something to control. So, he’s writing another book, to be published in January 2009. He calls it a sequel to “Gettings Things Done” that will explore more ways to apply his methods and will try to solve the “underutilization” and “underimplementation” of GTD. He wouldn’t rewrite a thing in the original book, he says, but he feels there’s much more power there that people aren’t tapping. “It took me 25 years to figure out what I figured out,” Allen says. “It might take another 25 years to distribute the education in a way that people really get it.” So what’s Allen getting done today? On this January morning, he’s walking a pair of Cavalier King Charles spaniels at home under oak trees and working on his book. He’s bemused by those obsessed with GTD, those who he says love their “productivity porn.” GTD has plenty of doubters - those who tried to get things done but fell off the next-action wagon. But it’s tough to argue with a guy who can write a book while doing a phone interview and taking a nice relaxing walk on a cool sunny morning. Allen will work and relax and continue to train CEOs, while in Austin offices and homes, the GTD faithful will task and to-do, still trying to find the best way to get it all done.
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More free shredding
In addition to the shredding events mention in Monday’s Question Everything column, Certified Shred of Austin will provide free shredding this Saturday, Jan. 16 at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 11819 I-35 S. The event will take place from 10 a.m.-noon. Shredding is free, but donations of canned goods will be accepted for donation to the El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission food bank.
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More info on Loop 360 constuction
As mentioned in today’s “Question Everything” column, here is a link to information on the Loop 360/RM 2222 project.
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Revisiting The Happiness Project
When we interviewed Gretchen Rubin back in 2007, she was working on turning her blog, The Happiness Project, into a book. Now, two years later, her book is just a week away from release.
This interview was originally published in October 2007.
What do you want out of life?
To be happy, right?
So how do you do that?
Gretchen Rubin has thought a lot about just that question.
The New York author, wife and mom of two (and former lawyer) started pondering happiness one day in the back of a cab.
“I realized I didn’t spend any time thinking about happiness or what I needed to be happy, even if I was already happy,” she says. “And here was this thing that I thought was kind of my ultimate purpose, and yet I didn’t spend any time thinking about it.”
Right then, she conceived “The Happiness Project”: She would try “every principle, tip, theory and scientific study” she could find about happiness and report on what worked - first in her blog (www.happiness-project.com) and eventually in a memoir.
Earlier this month, she landed a deal with HarperCollins, which plans to publish her book in winter 2010.
Her ideas about happiness are down-to-earth and doable - you don’t have to get a promotion, get married, go on a spiritual pilgrimage or otherwise wait for a “perfect” life before you can be happy.
“This stuff is not rocket science, and it’s not really that hard once you can articulate what the changes are that would make you happier,” she says.
Rubin talked with us by phone about creating happiness in your life - and why it just might start with having a snack. Here is some of her advice.
Happiness isn’t going to just show up. “That’s a very strong strain in what I hear about people’s thinking about happiness,” Rubin says. “John Stuart Mill sort of summed (this misconception) up the best when he said, ‘Ask yourself whether you are happy and you shall cease to be so.’ And it’s just kind of this idea that you shouldn’t be questioning happiness, and that you’re happier when you’re thinking about other things. I just don’t think that’s true at all.”
Happiness really is in the little things. If you’re waiting on a new job, a marriage proposal or your sister to finally start being nice to you, realize that “Those don’t make you as happy as really loving your coffee shop in the morning or having a really pleasant commute experience,” Rubin says. You don’t have to make a dramatic move like quitting your job to travel the world, either, she says. Happiness is possible right where you are.
Have some fun. Rubin has four areas to look at in building happiness in your everyday life. The first: feeling good. Maybe there’s nothing “wrong” but you still don’t feel happy.
“It’s not just enough to have an absence of bad feelings,” she says. “You need to have fun, you need to have enthusiasm, you need to have down time.”
Use the bad stuff. The next area: feeling bad. Happiness doesn’t mean that you gloss over bad feelings. “Actually, feelings like guilt, anger and boredom are important signals you need to change something in your life,” Rubin says. “You should not ignore them. You should pay attention to them and fix them.
Be a grown-up. “Feeling right” is also part of Rubin’s happiness equation. “Feeling right is like what it is to be a grownup,” she says. “In feeling right, it’s like you don’t always get to feel good. Sometimes you have to feel bad in order to feel right. Sometimes you have to make a trade-off. … For example, let’s say you have a very long commute that’s very unpleasant, because you want your children to go to school in a certain district. You made a decision, and you feel right about that decision: That’s the kind of parent that you want to be, even though it makes you feel bad.”
You can see the goal of “feeling right” in Rubin’s “Twelve Commandments.” She says they’re simple rules that “encapsulate the way I want to be.” Some examples: “Be Gretchen,” “Let it go” and “Act as I would feel.” Having these rules in her head helps her be the person she wants to be when she’s making all those quick, almost subconscious, decisions we face every day on how to behave, Rubin says.
- Learn something. The final part of Rubin’s happiness framework is “an atmosphere of growth.”
“People feel much happier when there’s change and there’s progress,” she says. “Like when they’re learning something or they’re growing something or things are moving forward. I don’t know why, but it’s just the nature of happiness.” That’s true even if that learning or moving forward isn’t very pleasant in the short term.
“Sometimes I’ve found when I make myself do something that actually makes me very uncomfortable, it can really make me happy in the long term,” she says.
Make your goals concrete. If you know what you want to change in your life to build happiness, set some very specific ways to make things happen. Instead of setting abstract goals like “take time for friends,” think about how you’ll actually make this happen. Start a book club so you can see your friends more? Set up automatic reminders so you won’t forget their birthdays?
Decide that you love making the bed. Rubin says she was surprised at how often a simple change in perspective could clear up an area of unhappiness. Rubin used to hate making the bed, but one day decided to tell herself that she loved the task. And, sure enough, now she actually does: It’s a quick, easy way to get the satisfaction of a job well done.
Know “The Secrets.” One of the most charming parts of Rubin’s site is the list called “Secrets of Adulthood,” a collection of simple truths and tips that can eliminate a surprising amount of unhappiness. If you skip any self-examination or major life-changing and just follow the advice to “try not to let yourself get too hungry” or remember that “over-the-counter medicines are very effective” (instead of just simpering around with sinus problems like I tend to do) you’ll still come out ahead.
We can all be happier. Yes, some of us are naturally ebullient while others are more melancholy. But we all have a range, Rubin says, and we can all find ways to be at the top of our range.
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Football armbands are a fashion statement
Could you please explain to me what the small white bands that many professional football players wear around their forearms are for? I see less of this on college players.
—B.K.
According to this article from the New York Times last year, it’s all about fashion:
Most do not wear the bands to practice, signaling the vanity of their use. All admit that they wear the bands only because they think it looks good, which would be the only plausible reason.
“There is absolutely no benefit from a performance standpoint or a medical standpoint,” said Ralph Reiff, a certified athletic trainer and director of St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis. He has seen the upper-arm bands become popular on football players from the NFL down to middle school. “It’s purely a fashion statement.”
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More on contractors
Thanks for the information regarding plumbers. Do people have recourse in checking on roofers?
—M.G.
Check out the Texas Department of Insurance roofing FAQ here, and the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas consumer rights page here.
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Transfer old film to DVD
I would like to get super film transferred to DVD before it is lost forever. Some of the film is old —Â like World War II, late ’40s, early ’50s, the old 8mm. Any idea on who does this so I can find out if I can afford it?
Contact Dub King, 2105 Justin Lane, 451-3827, or Expressions in Video, 1524 S. Interstate 35, Suite 160, 469-7675.
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More info on book and phone book recycling
More on book donations
Yesterday’s Question Everything column included a question about where to recycle books. Several readers also recommended the Austin Public Library’s Recycled Reads store, which resells used books and donates unusable books to Books Beyond Borders, which converts them into building material for use in developing countries. Donations are accepted at all Austin Public Library locations and at the Recycled Reads store, 5335 Burnet Road. Click here for store hours and other information.
Phone books are here
Reader R.V. asks about recycling phone books (does anyone still use these?). There are a few options:
—City of Austin recycling bins.
—Ecology Action accepts small amounts of residential phone books.
—H-E-B stores are offering phone book recycling bins starting this week through Jan. 10.
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More on cards for soldiers
As mentioned in today’s Question Everything, the Red Cross is once again sponsoring their Holiday Mail for Heroes program, which makes it easy to send holiday greetings to men and women in the military. For directions on how to participate, click here.
If you want to participate but don’t have time, the Red Cross will be at the Clay Madsen Recreation Center, 1600 Gattis School Road in Round Rock this Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m -2 p.m.. For a suggested donation of $2 people can sign cards and the Red Cross will distribute them to deployed soldiers, veterans’ homes and military families. Any funds collected beyond the cost of the cards will be used to support Red Cross Services to Armed Forces.
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Restaurants open for Thansgiving
Several readers have asked about restaurants open for Thanksgiving. If you’re looking to go out for dinner to tomorrow, Statesman restaurant critic Mike Sutter has the details here.
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Last minute Thanksgiving donation drive
If you’re looking to get an early start on turkey day festivities, Operation Turkey, which is looking to feed 4,000 people in need tomorrow, is smoking over 130 turkeys and boiling 900 pounds of potatoes until 6 p.m. today at Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill, 6901 N. Interstate 35.
If you’re in the neighborhood, bring donations of men’s women’s and children’s clothing and toiletries (shaving cream, razors, shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.) and have some free beer.
Click here for more information.
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Dispose of old medication in the trash
We have just cleaned out our medicine cabinet and would like to know the safest way to dispose of old medications.
—D.C.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a great answer to this question. Solid waste services advises that medication be disposed of in household trash. Seal the container first. Do not flush pills down the toilet or put them into the water system in any other way.
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Holiday cards for members of the military
The Red Cross is once again holding its Holiday Mail for Heroes program, which sends holiday greeting cards to members of the military. If you would like to participate, write your holiday message according to the following guidelines:
—Sign all cards
—Open cards with “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”
—Limit cards to 15 per person or 50 for school class or business group
—Bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes (there is no need to include individual envelopes and postage for cards)
Do not send letters, include personal information, glitter or inserts. Mail the cards to: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456 by Dec. 7.
Click here for more information.
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