How much time is wasted at work?

How much time do people waste in the workplace?  A lot more than most people probably think!  I came across this great infographic today in a post on Campus Socialite called Hardly Working: A Look In To Laziness In The Workplace.  They grabbed these statistics from Online MBA who put together this eye opening display:

And this doesn’t even touch on all the useless meetings and other time sucks of office life – one more feather in the cap of working from The Anywhere Office!  It’s a wonder anything gets done at all. With a more flexible work schedule it’s easier to schedule some of these “distractions” into your day and still get solid work time in – but when you are in the cube farm from 9 – 5 it’s a different story.

What do you think are you surprised by any of these statistics?  Post a comment below and let us know!

Shooting Flip Video or Digital Photos? Get yourself in the shot with XShot!

Recently while using my Flip camera to shoot some video for this blog I came across a problem. I was shooting the post about “working outside your office” so I wanted to move around and decided to hold the camera so I could be mobile and not be stuck with the static shot I would get from using my tripod (like I normally do).  There were two issues with this approach:

1. My arms are only so long so I couldn’t hold the camera out far enough to get much of me and the background in the shot
2. The camera shook a lot so the video jumped around a bit

As I always do when looking for the solution to a problem I searched Google and found a solution – the XShot 2.0 camera extender.  This amazing device is only 9″ in length and weighs 5 ozs. when closed but folds out (like an antennae) to 37″ long and can hold a camera up to 1.25 lbs.  It includes a standard tripod mount on the end that swivels up to 180 degrees so you can attach your point and shoot digital camera or your pocket camcorder (like the Flip video), simply extend it and get yourself and others in the shot!  I was jonesing on trying it out so I contacted XShot and they were kind enough to send me one so I could give it a try and review it for you.

Watch this video below where I do a quick demo of how it works:

Ever since I’ve had a digital camera I’ve always done the single-arm stretch to take photos of myself and others without having to ask someone Read more

Terry Tate Office Linebacker – Our Hero!

In honor of the SuperBowl this weekend (which should be a great game) I thought I’d post one of our favorite videos from SuperBowl’s past – Terry Tate Office Linebacker!  I still can’t understand why Reebok ever stopped this campaign.  Even if they put it on hold you think they would bring it back to life every year during football season.

I think a lot of offices could use TTT in the house! (Warning – if a bit of strong language bothers you, or laughing so hard you cry, then you might not want to watch this).

You know you can’t bring that weak-ass stuff up in this humpty-bumpty! You kill the joe you make some moe or else your in for a long day a loooong day babyyyyy wooooo!! Jason and I never get tired of watching this . . . it was one of the first videos I put on my iPod Touch!

For more Terry Tate videos visit Returnofterrytate.com . . . Happy Superbowl Weekend – enjoy the game!

3 Tech Tools to Help You Travel Lighter

During this past holiday season I spent about 18 days in Syracuse NY visiting family and friends.  I decided for the first time ever to travel for an extended holiday vacation without my laptop – having to walk through several airports lugging heave luggage I figured the less tech gear I had to take with me the better!  Thanks to two small pieces of technology (that fit in my pocket) and one service I use I was able to stay connected, entertained, and when needed – productive.

Watch this short video to learn more about how I took The Anywhere Office with me and was able to work from anywhere while traveling lighter than ever before!

Two things I forgot to mention in the video . . . The reason I have an iPod Touch and not an iPhone is because I refuse to switch from Verizon to AT&T as my cellphone provider.  I have been a loyal Verizon customer for years for two main reasons – excellent signal (I can make and receive calls from just about anywhere and almost never have a dropped call) and great customer service (sadly almost unheard of today).  The minute Apple gets smart and moves away from their exclusive deal with AT&T and brings the iPhone (or some variation of it) to Verizon I will be the first one in line to get one!

Also one additional app I use on my iPod Touch that really helped me stay in touch was Yahoo Messenger.  Yahoo is the main IM service I use and I was able to seamlessly stay connected using my iPod Touch so I didn’t miss any messages from my family, friends, and colleagues – simply awesome.

BTW – I shot this video using my new Flip UltraHD camcorder and the Gorilla Tripod – 2 more great portable pieces of technology I have!

Comment below and let me know what is the key technology you use to stay connected when on the road.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (15.5MB)

TAO Podcast – Search and Research

This episode contains the first half of last week’s radio show. We discuss fundamentals of internet research including places to search and specific ways to search more effectively.

Visit www.TheAnywhereOffice.com and click archives to listen to the complete show. While you are there be sure to visit our blog and post comments and feedback as well.

TAO Podcast Theme Music – Begin by Andy Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:23 — 11.0MB)

Show #10: Search and Research – How to search the web effectively

This week we explain some key strategies and tips for how to search the web like a pro. Learn to save time daily with our super search tips. Thanks to Richard Robinson of Legacy Scribe for joining us as our guest on the show.

If you missed the show you can listen in below or download the MP3 file.

Show # 10: Search and Research – How to search the web effectively
The internet is arguably the single largest repository of knowledge and information in the world. Knowing how to search through this data and find what you’re looking for is critical to reaping the benefits of this incredible resource. We are joined by Richard Robinson, an award-winning family history writer, co-author of two books, and the information officer for the international Association of Professional Genealogists. Learn how to avoid becoming road-kill on the information super-highway.

Here’s what we covered:

• Why people search: We look at all the different things people search for everyday both personally and professionaly. We spend more time searching than we think . . . we’ll show you how to save at least an hour a day!
• Where to search: We explore the various types of search engines and list some of our favorites for more niche based or narrow searches.
  • The Big Boys: Google, Yahoo, and MSN (with their newly launched LIVE search).
  • Meta Search Engines (search more than one engine at a time): Metacrawler and Momma
  • Specialized Search Engines:
    • IMDB (Internet Movie Database)
    • Amazon (books and music)
    • eBay (items for sale and vintage items)
    • Epinions (product reviews)
    • The Internet Archive (very fun – open access to writings, literature, music, and images)
    • Great collection of specialized search engines
• How to search: We discuss various tips and strategies for conducting effective searches and finding what you need quicker:
  • Is it best to start with a wide or narrow search?
  • Boolean search tips – using operators like AND, OR, NOT, +, -, and quotes to fine tune your searches.
  • Using Google niche searches to find specific items including Images, Videos, Froogle, News, Discussion Groups, and Maps
  • Google Alerts – Setup robots to automatically search important terms for you on the web and in the news and have Google email them directly to your inbox . . . What a time saver!
• Guest: Richard Robinson, president of Legacy Scribe, an award-winning family history writer, co-author of two books, and the information officer for the international Association of Professional Genealogists.

To listen to the show you can use the flash player below or download the MP3 file. Use the PLAY IN POPUP link below if you want to use our flash player and roam the web while listening.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:03 — 10.5MB)

The Online Video Explosion

During our last show we were talking about the recent explosion of online video. I found a few blog posts that discussed this topic. Smart Mobs had a short article entitled “Watching Online Video” where they discussed who is watching online video. They go on to say:

“Julie Supan,senior director of marketing for YouTube,said the site now serves up 35 million videos per day,and users upload 35,000 videos per day,with 100 million page views per day. These are massive numbers for a site that’s not even a year old yet”.Which prompts this question posed by unmediated.org, if Youtube.com now gets more traffic than the BBC.Which is mainstream media?

Another story I found from Wired called “A Guide to the Online Video Explosion” asks what do people want to watch? They noted that:

” . . .the networks are racing one another to get their broadcast programs online, while also creating Web-only content.

But don’t let them fool you. What’s happening here isn’t just TV online. Gone are the rigid 30- and 60-minute blocks; now the clip is it – be it 30 seconds or eight minutes, we’re watching only the money shots. Gone is top-down broadcasting; instead, the network has been, well, networked, with thousands of creators and places to watch, from single-serving sites like Rockboom to slick aggregators like iTunes and blinkx. And gone, too, is the at-this-time, at-this-channel programming; now we’re not only time-shifting with DVRs, we’re space-shifting as well, watching stuff on our laptops, iPods, and cell phones – even loading it back onto our TVs.”

What are your thoughts on this recent trend? Post a comment to this post and let us know!

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