Gmail & Google Calender

I made a switch from exchange to Gmail a year ago and now i am very happy with Gmail and Google Calender. I keep both of them open whenver i open my work browser. I will close my browser when i need absolutely no distraction.

One useful habit i acquire, or at least i try to, is that i always add an entry to Google calender at the first chance (such as when i receive an email with a deadline or I book a flight three weeks before travel). This helps me greatly since i have bad memory and lack a sense of time.

Google calender boosts my confidence because each time something comes up, i can quickly find out my schedule by browsing my calender page (i use monthly view as my default view and the only view). And when I decide to do something before a certain time, i will add it to the calender, which will be evident when i scan the calender to plan my day.

There are also non-urgent emails that i decide to respond at a later time or emails that i cannot decide what to do with right away. My trick is to star such emails. Periodically, i will review stared items to see if it is the time to respond them.

Finally, I love the Google desktop's To-do list gadget. It is clean, simple, yet useful. I use it to keep my day-by-day to do list that does not have a deterministic deadline. For example, as of now, i have

"Paris hotel"
"Passport photo"
"Book DSI"
"send xx an article"
...

about a total of 10 items. Once I am done with one item. I will happily check it off, which will sink to the bottom and become gray. Get one thing done and check it off give me so much happiness and a sense of progress.

I never use the whole google deskbar, which i think is too distractive and takes too much space. I actually undock the to-do list. It can be activated by Shift+Shift, which is very convenient. There are more sophisticated to-do list, but they're too ambitious and too complicated. Google's may appear too simple at first. but then I figure out that's probably all i need.

Now I can proclaim that i am a man of a few nerdy toys.