iPhone 3Gs - yes, i’m an iPhone fan...not just because it’s a cool phone, but because of the apps on it and how it makes me more productive. Here’s how I’m using the apps on the iPhone:

1. - Safari - internet searching for any question I have - can’t live without internet access

2. -Voice Memos - I have a 45 min commute to / from my current client. I use this time & voice memos to write (actually dictate) my book.

3. -Lose it! - great application for setting weight loss goals and track the calories a I consume / burn in a day

4. -Air Mouse - a nice app that turns my iPhone into a mouse for my MacBook

5. -Echofon - great app for posting to Twitter and reading inspirational Tweets

6. -Facebook - keeps me in touch with friends & family - I love knowing what’s going on in my friends lives

iPhone 3Gs - yes, i’m an iPhone fan...not just because it’s a cool phone, but because of the apps on it and how it makes me more productive.  Here’s how I’m using the apps on the iPhone:

1. -Safari - internet searching for any question I have - can’t live without internet access
   

2. -Voice Memos - I have a 45 min commute to / from my current client.  I use this time & voice memos to write (actually dictate) my book. 
   

3. -Lose it! - great application for setting weight loss goals and track the calories a I consume / burn in a day
   

4. -Air Mouse - a nice app that turns my iPhone into a mouse for my MacBook
   

5. -Echofon - great app for posting to Twitter and reading inspirational Tweets
   

6. -Facebook - keeps me in touch with friends & family - I love knowing what’s going on in my friends lives
   

MacBook Pro 17 inch - I’ve converted to Mac this year.  I’ve had countless PCs...I’ve owned several Dell’s and IBM’s and had many other’s assigned to me by my clients.  The MacBook pro is the most advanced machine I’ve ever worked on.  it makes me more productive because I’m not messing around with all of the crap that happens with a PC - virus updates, defragging hard drives, staying on top of software updates, etc.  I took the time to get EVERYTHING i can on my MacBook & it still is the fastest machine I’ve ever owned.  It took me about 2 weeks to get used to it (navigation, functionality, keyboard, etc), but now I’m getting a lot more done.  I can’t say enough about this machine.  Yes, it was expensive, but it was worth every penny.

oDesk.com

This is a great service.  If you think it’s expensive to hire people to work for you, try oDesk.  This service allows virtual employees to work for you from all over the world.  This is truly an open market place and hourly rates vary widely  So far, i’ve:

1. -hired someone in the Philippines to do web research for my next company - approximately 50 hours of work for a flat rate of $75 US.
   

2. -hired a transcriptionist overseas to transcribe & edit the first draft of the eBook I’m writing.
   

Here’s what i love about it:

1. -it has a huge list of people willing to work ALL over the world
   

2. -There are skills tests for the contractors, so you know what people are capable of before you hire them
   

3. -It allows people to bid on your work - competition is good!
   

4. -if someone isn’t working out for you, just end your agreement with them with the click of a button
   

5. -You can audit the contractors work - oDesk takes snapshots of their screen as they work on your stuff.  If you see they’re surfing the web or not working on your stuff, you don’t pay for that hour of work.
   

6. -Finally, oDesk takes care of all the payments & monetary exchanges.  I pay in US dollars & I don’t have to worry about anything else. 

CashFlow 101

This is Monopoly on steroids.  Play a great game and LEARN about finances at the same time.  I try to go to a CashFlow game playing night once a month.  it allows me to meet like-minded people, teach others what I know and try some different financial strategies while I play.  It also reinforces everything that Robert Kiyosaki teaches in his RichDad book series.  You don’t have to buy the game, just go to a CashFlow Club game night and play with others.  What do you have to loose, you might just learn something and meet some great people.  Find a CashFlow Club here:

http://www.richdad.com/Club/FindClub.aspx

MobileMe

This ties in with the whole “I’m a Mac person”....just like everything else I’ve experienced with Apple, the Mobile Me solution is easy to use & does it’s job.  I synch my iPhone, find the voice memos I dictate on my commute, convert them to MP3 files and upload them to my iDisk in my Mobile Me account.  From there, I share the files with my transcriptionist (hired on oDesk) and she gets to work.  It’s easy and it works.

Skier's edge - Big Mountain Series

I love down hill skiing but couldn’t find any exercise equipment to mimic real downhill skiing until I found the Skier’s edge.  I’ve been using it 3-5 times a week.  Why do I love it? I know that i’m getting in shape for the ski season, while burning a lot of calories.   I put my Mac in front of me and run my ‘reprogram yourself’ presentation while I work out.  I’m combining an exercise I love while engraining new beliefs into my consciousness.  Heightened heart rate & endorphins + new beliefs = a new me.

Omnifocus for Mac and iPhone

Read up on David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology on my Studying page.  I found Omnifocus after following David Allen’s coaching DVD.  These tools (which integrate between my Mac and my iPhone) allow me to get tasks out of my brain and get them organized in the context of when / where I can get them done.  As soon as I started using these tools, doing a brain dump of tasks, I literally had more energy and focus.  I didn’t realize how much energy my brain was using up by just trying to remember what I needed to get done every day.  Getting my tasks out of my brain and into a tool to help me stay organized made me much more energetic and productive.

This is much more than a task tracking tool....it’s an optimization tool for your time.