Cool tool...

If you use Google Reader and Firefox, this is my new favorite add-on: Better GReader. If you're frustrated by bloggers who only publish previews in their feeds, this is a solution. One click (either in the settings box or on a post-by-post basis) pops the page into your Reader window (OK, it's in a frame, but it's still handy!). Even better -- click the preview and you'll even see the comments. Hallelujah!

(And thanks to Lifehacker.)

Quilting in a smaller space...

I thought you might be able to help me. Right now, I have an entire large bedroom for my sewing room, and I've let my storage solutions expand to fit the space. I'm moving into a smaller apartment, with no separate space for sewing. The one bedroom is relatively small, so it will be dedicated to sleeping, although the ironing board will probably end up in there.

I'm looking for creative solutions for small(er)-spaces. For example, I'd really like to keep my pegboard, on which I hang rulers, rotary cutters, templates and a few other odds and ends. I thought I might hang it in the front hall closet (which is double wide and extra deep), but my mom suggested I might be able to put it on a wall in the dining area, and hang a quilt over it using a decorative curtain rod. (I've got a small double-bed CW quilt that would be perfect for this.) Then I wondered about doing that with a design wall... then my head exploded!

So, what thoughts or suggestions do YOU have for quilting in a smaller space? (And on the cheap, of course!) Here's the space, although my apartment is the mirror image of this diagram:

"Inbox Zero" Update

I know you've just been DYING to hear if I've made progress on this task. I'm happy to say that I have -- my work inbox is down around 50 or 60 messages, which is significant. One of the key messages was not to let email notification run one's life. I'm definitely guilty of that -- if that little envelope appears in my task tray, I click right over to see what's going on. Sometimes it's important, but most of the time, by far, the email would not suffer for resting 30 or 60 minutes. (Sometimes, problems will resolve themselves in that time!) I'm making an effort to stay "on task" longer, and I can definitely see benefit from that if I can make it a habit.

Less email-related but still work-productivity related, I laid down the law at work about proofreading. All documents must come to me and must leave 24 hours for turnaround time. I'm so sick of getting something handed to me that the author expects proofread and approved while they stand in my office. I'm taking back my day -- minute by minute, but I'm doing it!

77 + 4 + 479 = Progress

So I haven't actually read the Inbox Zero "instructions" yet, but I thought I'd take a pass at my work and gmail addresses. Definitely made some progress. In fact, I'm calling gmail done with just four messages -- if I archive them, I'll forget they still need action!

Can YOU get to "Inbox Zero"?

Is it possible? Can one really have an email inbox with zero messages in it? And I don't mean a brand-spanking-new-right-out-of-the-box-email address, either. I mean your real everyday active addresses, the ones you use day in and day out.

True confessions... how many messages are in your inbox, waiting for action? Wasting space? Making your head hurt? Here's what Merlin Mann at 43 Folders says:

Just remember that every email you read, re-read, and re-re-re-re-re-read as it sits in that big dumb pile is actually incurring mental debt on your behalf. The interest you pay on email you’re reluctant to deal with is compounded every day and, in all likelihood, it’s what’s led you to feeling like such a useless slacker today. Maybe? Think about it.

Ouch. I'm at about 160 at work (a lot got ignored today while I tackled a big data project, but that number's been creeping up again lately anyway). Only 78 in my gmail. I'm scared to look at my other account (it gets digests from Yahoo groups) -- oy, it's 482. Clearly, I need help. I don't know if I can ever maintain "inbox zero," but frankly, if I could get to about "Inbox 40" in each account, I'd be thrilled.

I do use email folders at work, but email, like paper, doesn't file itself. I guess it will filter itself, though... more investigation needed! I've got housecleaning to do this weekend, but I'm going to read the system and give it a try next week. It surely can't hurt!

via Mental Floss