Dustin's Desk

Create Your Running Route with RunningMap

2008-06-30T23:58:00.002-05:00

Every time I complete a run, I am always trying to guess how far I ran. I don't have to do that anymore thanks to RunningMap. RunningMap is a neat little website that allows you to utilize Yahoo! Maps and create routes on the streets where you live.

When you create a route, it will tell you the distance of the route in miles (for those of us in the U.S.) and kilometers (for our metric system buddies). You can simply create a route that is equal to a mile and run it back and forth depending on how many miles you wish to run (or bike!).

RunningMap also allows you to save all of your routes you created and to search for other routes created by users in your area. It even has the option to print the map, which might be useful if you want to take the route with you in case you get lost. (You never know!)

How You Can Use 'Joe's Goals' to Benefit Your Health

2008-06-30T09:39:00.005-05:00

I like systems. A system has a pattern and sense of organization to it. Therefore, working around and with systems helps me increase my productivity. Are you the same? If so, keep reading; you are in for a treat.

I recently had the problem of developing a "fitness system" shoved in my face when I decided to really try to lose more weight. I did not know how I could incorporate fitness into a system that would be right for me. Then I found this useful little site called Joe's Goals. Joe's Goals is an application designed to help you, well, reach your goals. Check it out. It is essentially a website that incorporates goals and notes with a calendar-esque framework.

This works out very well for my fitness plan. You will quickly learn after playing around with Joe's Goals, the columns are represented by the days of the week and the rows are represented by your choice of a 'goal' or 'logbook.' If you choose a goal, you will be able to place a checkmark for that goal on each day of the week that you complete that goal. For example, as seen in the image, I have a goal labeled 'Just Water' meaning that my goal is to only drink water. According to the chart above in the image, I have had nothing to drink but water since Sunday. On the other hand, if you choose a logbook, you simply write in a note for each day instead of a simple checkmark. This allows for much more detail and versatility. So according to Joe's Goals, I ran 2 miles on both Sunday and Thursday.

I think you have got the idea by now. So essentially, to create your own workout routine just add your own desired exercises such as 'bench press' or 'pull-ups' in the form of a goal or logbook (a logbook is recommended for better detail) and simply update your Joe's Goals chart.

Joe's Goals even has a nice little chart feature so you can view your progress on your goals. If you look in the lower left-hand corner of the chart, you will see some text that reads 'Report: 30, 60, or 90 days' and simply click one of the numerical values to see how you have been making progress on your goals over the last 30, 60, or 90 days.

Have fun creating your own fitness plan and let me know if you figure out some other creative ways to use Joe's Goals in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Post-It Productivity: How Post-It Notes Can Help You!

2008-06-30T05:17:00.001-05:00

Most of us buy Post-it® notes and use them for just that, notes. We write notes down and usually stick them on our refrigerator, walls, and even our computer monitors and stop there. But how can we be more productive with Post-it notes? Post-its can actually be applied to your life in several ways such as reminding us of our goals or even as a simple bookmark. If you are interested in learning more ways you can utilize Post-it notes and be more productive with them, keep reading!

Let’s start with the basics. Everyone initially uses Post-its as reminders for various things such as meetings, goals, dentist appointments, etc. We usually write events down such as “Dentist appointment 3:00 on Tuesday” or “Finish term paper” on Post-its and stick them somewhere. The “somewhere” is the important part. You don’t want to stick them just anywhere; stick them on an object you use everyday of your life such as your bathroom mirror, computer monitor, or front door. Placing these notes on a heavily used object will ensure that you are being reminded of each day of your different events or goals. I would personally suggest a bathroom mirror, if you have one, because it has a flat surface and we at them everyday when we brush our teeth or wash our hands.

Using Post-it notes is also ideal for movie rentals, food, or any other item in your home that is date-oriented. You can write down the date that your rentals have to be returned and stick them on the movies themselves or you can write down the date of which you bought the food or stored left-overs in the fridge and stick the dates on the food so the next time you are wondering if something is good, you don’t have to think about how many days ago you put those delicious looking Chinese leftovers in the fridge.

Post-its are also ideal for marking important pages you would like to refer back to when doing something like a research paper or just simple assignments which require much flipping of pages. You may decide that you would like to put up a photo on your wall, yet you don’t have any tacks, etc. Stapling the photograph to the Post-it can solve this problem. Cutting the non-adhesive part of the Post-it can create a temporary tape. Adding motivational quotes to Post-its and placing them around your house or office can surround you with positivity and productivity.

Lastly, Post-its can be good for reminding other people as well! Does someone owe you a few bucks? Bug them by placing Post-it notes reminding them and drive them insane until they give you your money back. Let your co-worker know what he needs to do tomorrow when you are off work so you don’t constantly get phone calls from him asking you to remind him; he can just look at the post-it note!

Use your imagination! Tell me how you are being productive with your Post-it notes in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

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