The phone rang early this morning, and a man with an accent asked for my husband. I said he wasn’t home. After a pause, the man said “I’m calling from Israel” — to which I said nothing cause it was early and I don’t really talk much early and I hadn’t had enough coffee to carry on a conversation, much less hold the phone.

After a longer pause, he said, “I’m calling from The Jerusalem Report”. And I responded “To interview him?”

“No,” he said, “his subscription is up for renewal.”

I hung up and thought that was really funny cause I didn’t even skip a beat…I went right into PR mode. Liz will understand.

btw…I just realized that I’m the only one posting to the PR category. It’s like having my own personal blog!

I recently came across Buy Green at OfficeDepot.com, a section dedicated to “green” office products. It got me thinking that, with a little effort, we could all implement environmentally-friendly office policies. Around Earth Day, I was inspired to compile a list of Green/Environmental links for my website. Now it’s your turn… how have you made your offices (and/or homes) “greener”?

I can get pretty maniacal about process. When I was first learned about the Getting Things Done phenomenon, I glommed onto it like a process-obsessed moth to a properly indexed flame. At the same time, I knew how easy it is to the processing overtake the doing. In the intervening time, I think I’ve developed a pretty good — yet still evolving — system for organizing my life.

The system is centered on a tool called Kinkless GTD. This is my master vault, where I keep all my to-dos, organized by project. On the surface, it is simply an outline written in the excellent OmniOutliner. Underneath the surface, however, are scads of scripting and formatting rules developed by one Ethan Schoonover, using OmniOutliner’s support for third-party scripting. He calls the package Kinkless GTD, or kGTD.

This system is not for everyone. It can be clunky at times. For me, it works, because it embodies the principal of GTD I value most, which is to Get Things Out of My Brain. Everytime I have a thought about a project, I write it down in my kGTD document, filing it under the proper project. Everytime I get an email from a client, saying she’s going to delivery something by X date, I write it down in kGTD, tag it as “Waiting on” and list the date it’s supposed to arrive. Everything anything happens, it goes down in my kGTD outline.

The benefit being, if all my to-dos are one place, they’re easy to retrieve. The first thing I do everyday is open up my kGTD file, sync (which removes done items and changes the formatting of due items so they stand out more), and then scan the document for items to do today. I write those down on a separate list — usually a notepad next to my keboard — then work exclusively off that list for the rest of the day. If I’m feeling really energetic, I’ll even mark down time slots for each task, so I know, realistically, what I’ll be getting done today for sure.

What was revelatory for me about GTD was not the specific systems it describes, but the philosophies behind them. Get stuff off your brain and onto paper. If you’re frustrated, fix the process. Put stuff where it belongs. I’ve tried lots of other tools, and I keep coming back to kGTD, because it’s the easiest tool that allows me to accomplish those goals.

Been collecting links for a while, so I thought I’d do a little purge into a post here. Some of the best blogging articles I’ve read lately (many on referral from Matt, Sandy, Andrew and others - thanks guys!):

• Content is NOT King - the folks at Performancing reject conventional wisdom. Provocative!
• Value Blogging: Less writing, higher quality, says Aaron Wall.
• Filthy Linking Rich - E-Marketing-News takes a look at how good linking strategy can bring you fame and fortune.
• More from Performancing: How to monetize your blog. While I HATE the word “monetize” I like the idea of money.

Just a few good articles I’ve read lately. Want to pile on? Any suggestions to share? Comment!

While I love that people occasionally take the time to send me an e-card, so many of them suck. And now that spammers are mimicking Hallmark’s e-cards, it’s tempting to never open another one again.

But if you get a card from Some eCards, you better open it - because it’s likely the coolest e-card you’ll ever get. Seriously.

I ask because I’m finally reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done and getting really excited about reorganizing myself. A few of you have recommended the book, but I know some of you eschew his methods.

So - tell us what YOU do to stay organized. I’m eager to hear any little detail you would like to supply!

Just found this site where I’ve already spent more time than I should’ve…..Smashing Magazine — a weblog dedicated to web-developers and designers. Great color mix samples and tons of info.

The Chicago Center for Literature and Photography (CCLaP) recently interviewed two of our members. We send a hearty thanks to Executive Director Jason Pettus for his fantastic podcasts!

Listen to Gapers Block Editor and Publisher Andrew Huff and me, Writing and Communications Consultant and mediabistro Chicago Host Chris Benevich.

Visit GapersBlock.com for all the coolest art and entertainment activities in Chicago, and come to mediabistro Chicago parties to mix ‘n’ mingle with your fellow creative, content, and media professionals!

Most of us work from home, and I bet at least some of us spend time working at our dining room tables, couches, on the patio…

But repetitive tasks (like keyboard typing or mousing) can be rough on bodies, and even rougher still if we’re sitting in awkward positions or uncomfortable seats.

How do you manage your workspace to make it body-friendly? Let’s hear some specific resources - things you’ve done businesses you’ve patronized.

I’ll start: I have a wonderful chair from Relax The Back, and if you bring them a doctor’s note or a referral from a physical therapist, they often will give you a discount. And their customer service rocks! They even do house-calls for repairs.

I also like the Logitech cordles laser keyboard and mouse combos, which are very durable and once again - the company offers excellent customer service.

Finally, I use services like Break Reminder software to keep myself moving and taking breaks at regular intervals, I have my monitor positioned about 18 inches from my face, I try to do hand exercises and close my eyes every hour or so, and I try to just listen to my body. If I don’t feel well, I take a break, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.

How about a little guerrilla research to find out how the group feels about e-newsletters as recipients? It might give us some insights about what to do — and what not to do — in our own communiques. Results will be posted early next week. Take the newsletter survey.