waster

Presumably LinkedIn has some algorithm by which they look at people with similar skill set groupings, and say ah, statistically most of the people with this set have these three additional skills, and then farm that out to your network to see who endorses it. New endorsements tweak the skill set, which feeds back into the algorithm. It's almost like a glorified, twisted game of The Game of Life.

OP, maybe something like this? http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ismartalarm-iphone-control...

edit: Or this? https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alarm.com/id315010649?mt=8

So, maybe the deadlines? Start with the goal: Are you talking about building a company/launching a product? Pick a date, set it on some calendar that you look at all the time, and then set objectives/milemarkers that'll help you get there. Calendar those, and reminders. Set even smaller pieces into your calendar.

You can also get a buddy to check in with you/pester you, though that doesn't work for everyone. Or publicly blog about the deadline and your progress.

I, for one, was impressed with the site. It's the right mix of frankness, humour and, well, given the subject matter, titillation. Well done.

From the usefulness perspective, tracking my time allows me to a) objectively see where I'm slacking off or rockin' it. Perception can be skewed without the objective tracking; b) view my effectiveness, but only because of how I use my tracking system. If I'm not being effective, I don't enter time for that period. But inspired by OP, I'm going to add an effectiveness metric to my tracking system, and possibly include what my distractors are; c) have a built-in reporting system to my clients, if I need to track hours vs. job for invoicing; d) gain a better sense of how much any given job will take me in advance. This sense has improved dramatically by reviewing my time tracking-data longitudinally.

Thanks for sharing, OP. And thanks to the rest of you who posted your own systems and links to other ones.

The net result is extreme productivity and focus when I am working, punctuated with breaks that, while not always relaxing in nature, are completely different than what I'm doing when I'm working. My last employer, before I went solo, was stunned by my productivity. I'm not saying that to compliment myself at all, but rather to underscore what I think is the extreme effectiveness of this approach (I have found that if my use of this approach falls off, my productivity falls off). Focus hard for what is basically a sprint, and then do something else, ideally that you find relaxing. Then do it all again.

It's a modification of the work hard/play hard philosophy: Work hard, play hard, work hard, play hard, work hard, play hard....

Ida and Dactyl are possibly the best-named pair, IMHO.

Obviously this won't work for facial recognition, but I see that's discussed in other comments.

My bet is on yes.

And as an aside, isn't the Russian space program always "beleaguered"?

Yes! This is not unlike having a child solve the problem of the 18-wheeler stuck underneath a too-short overpass. Have outsiders review the data, the situation, suggest possible causes and solutions. This extends to so many venues, IMHO, beyond accidents like the Challenger/Feynman, Chernobyl, Fukishima and Asiana Flight 214. Some of the most successful and impressive businesspeople I have know are those that discuss their work with outsiders openly, and really listen to what the outsiders have to say.

I do also imagine an outer protective layer could increase durability and thus expand the range of applications. That layer could, in theory, be either more rigid or equally flexible.

Edit to add: Also, TechShop. Menlo Park apparently has fewer crowds than SF, but it's further from you. And I've also heard good things about Hacker Dojo.