A recent article from Lifehacker on Distraction-free writing tools reminds me about my own struggle to get things done. Here is what I do when I need to sit down and write:

1. Go to a dedicated space where distractions will be minimal (For me, that’s my basement study area).
2. Turn on an app like Think, which basically turns your multi-tasking computer into a single-tasking machine (because you need to) while focusing on the app you are using and blocking all alerts and updates from other apps showing up.
3. If the task at hand involves heavy writing, use OmmWriter or similar full-screen writing app. Trust me, the soft music and the key-pressed effects do help!
4. Unlike Anson, I am not as discipline as to adopt the Pomodoro Technique. I basically just keep on writing until I can’t think of anything else, and then take a break (by physically leaving the place I work), and come back within 30 minutes.

More importantly, don’t write until you finally sit down in front of your computer. Keep the thoughts and points in your mind throughout the week. Create a mental outline as to what you want to say. So when you finally do sit down and write, you are really there to write it out, instead of struggling with where to start…

Oh, I also tend to write non-linearly, i.e, I don’t necessary start from the introduction and move on…. Try filling-in your various main points BEFORE spending time figuring out how to connect one thought to another. Sometimes, I also find it helpful to have the final words spelled out and work backwards!

So what’s your writing style? What works and what not?

…The protagonist has no face, no personality, and yet there’s something about his situation that makes him instantly identifiable, someone to feel sympathy for. I almost felt a sense of desperation the longer I played as I tried to find something, anything, that would change his life for the better… or even at all.

Play it here.

[Every Day The Same Dream]

PixelQi’s screen technology represents a key breakthrough for the portable computer market, especially for low-cost devices — a screen that is readable in direct sunlight and more power efficient than current display technologies. Pixel Qi’s screen consumes 25%-50% of the power of a regular notebook screen in their power savings mode and will be available at comparable price points and volumes to standard LCD screens. Pixel Qi’s screen can be manufactured using the same fabrication machinery as conventional LCDs.

See how it kills the iPad:

And see how it compares with Kindle and Transflective LCD:

Mary Lou Jepsen, the founder of Pixel Qi, was the CTO for One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).

[link: Pixel Qi]

First Google Chrome’s speed test:

And then we have Opera’s parody as response:

Catching up with the happenings around blogsphere, my first question is this:

Is it just me, or is the iPad a bigger version of the iPhone (minus the phone part)?

Am I the only one that is completely NOT sold as to why we need an iPad at all?

Anyone?