Productivity

I admit that I am a bit of a procrastinator.  It's true.  However, recent developments have increased my daily productivity dramatically.  In no particular order:

1. I got married.  Being around someone who, like me, has good goals and good intentions has given me more strength to act on my good goals and good intentions.
2. I got organized.  My apartment is finally getting over our move-in clutter.  I am sticking to my agenda and to-do list that I have loaded onto my new phone.  Whenever I think of something else that I should be doing, I note it down for future reference.
3. I am doing.  The big thing about acting on ones intentions is actually acting on ones intentions.

I really hope that I can keep this up.  In addition to becoming more productive, I am also getting rid of some poor habits (like eating so much fast food).  I feel really good about the direction I am going.  I will only be able to feel better about it though once it becomes a permanent change.  In two weeks time, let's see how I am doing.

DROID

I recently found myself in need of a new phone plan. After much thought, I decided to get the Droid X from Verizon. The clincher was probably the hypnotic robotic voice featured in the Verizon commercials. Here are my thoughts about the phone after one week of using it.

Things I like:

1. I like being able to find directions on the fly.  
2. I like that it plays music.  It can access all of the music on my computer as well as Pandora internet radio and even old fashioned FM radio.  I can even make mp3 ringtones based on files on my computer.
3. Having the Internet in my pocket is useful in general.
4. I installed a to-do list app along with my calendar.  I really wanted this phone to help keep me organized.  Having computer assistance saves me a lot of time over writing out agendas and to-do lists by hand.  I also appreciated being able to sync my phone with my existing Google Calendar account.
5. I like being able to receive and send e-mail on the fly.  I can even use the Google Voice app to send free text messages.
6. I appreciate the gospel study resources I have been able to find on there.  The church I belong to has a Gospel Library app with all of the references I need when I go to church each week.  Further, I was able to upload my personal study notes to Google Docs, which I can now call upon on my phone.  Finally, I am able to add pdfs and ebooks of other scripture resources to the phone for easy access.
7. It is also cool that I can use the phone to read ebooks in general.
8. I can also keep track of my budget from my phone.
9. It's also a camera/videocamera.

Things I don't like:

1. I wasn't exactly paying for phone service before, so my expenses will be increasing with the phone.
2. Although it can do many of the same tasks as my laptop, I can still do a lot of things faster with my laptop, such as typing and surfing the web.

I am overall impressed with the phone.  I now have a reason to carry my phone around with me.  If I am careful not to let it distract me, I am sure that this phone can be a useful tool for making myself more efficient.

Update: 02/21/11


After having the phone for a while, here are some of the things that I actually use it for.

• Running errands: I can compare prices of products using Google Shopper or ShopSavvy (in particular, I can ask "how much does this sell for on the Internet?")  I have full use of e-mail to communicate with my wife while she is at work.  I can take pictures of things and send them in e-mail to people.  Finally, if the store I go to doesn't have what I need, I can look it up on the Internet and find a store that has what I want.  If I don't know where that store is, I use Google Maps to give me GPS-aided directions.  This is a lot more efficient than what I did before, which is go home, research it, and look for what I wanted another day.
• Going to church: At church, I used to bring a backpack and bring my scriptures, my class manuals, and my notebook.  Now I only have to carry my phone, which is nice.  Further, I can look things up on the Internet to find more on a topic on the fly.  Finally, I take notes on my phone using Springpad and review them later.
• Going to school: The smartphone is an mp3 player, so I can listen to music as I go to school on the bus.  If I want to listen to a Podcast, I can download it with Google Listen.  If I want to read blogs, I can use the Google Reader app.  If I am studying something, I can study flashcards using Ankidroid.  Finally, I use Google Calendar, Springpad, and e-mail to keep my day organized and make sure I don't forget things.
• Latin night: Every Thursday my wife and I have noche latina where we speak Spanish.  It is nice to have Google Translate to look up words on the fly.
• Taking trips: Getting directions to unknown places is super convenient.  It's nice to not have to worry about getting lost or have to hassle with stopping to ask people for directions.  Basically, it's nice having the utility of a GPS device.