Small Business

Use Automated Reminders to Keep Yourself Focused

By Rick Broida

Updated on: December 4, 2007 / 9:21 AM EST / MoneyWatch

Are you easily distracted? HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU, PAY ATTENTION! It's okay, I understand: It's all too easy for your brain to get pulled off task, what with e-mail and instant messages to answer, incredibly interesting blogs to read, and other daily diversions. ProductivityPortfolio suggests using timed reminders, in the form of pop-up notes, to manage your attention. Specifically, the author employed software that would ask him one of two questions every 60 minutes:

Are you inventing work to avoid the important items?
Are you working on your most important task?

Basically, you're setting repeating nag alarms -- not a bad idea if you frequently multi-task when you should be, um, single-tasking. The author uses a program called NoteZilla for his reminders, but why spend $30 when you can get a freebie that'll do the same thing? Try Sticker Lite, a freeware sticky-note app that lets you set recurring alarms.