I think I watch too much tv.

I know it's a common complaint, and there's a lot of good programming out there that I shouldn't feel is wasted time. Nonetheless, I do somehow end up watching too many things that I can barely even remember afterwards. I'm looking at you Property Ladder.

So, I've worked up a short checklist of avoidance tactics, that (mostly) work for me:

• Go out. Any excuse: For a walk, shopping, take some photos, read a book in the park. It doesn't matter. Leaving the flat will always raise my mood.
• Focus. Don't surf the net while watching telly. This is a particular problem for me: I focus quite intently on one thing, flipping between stimuli - catching all of neither, and never quite relaxing and immersing myself in one. Put the laptop out of reach, or turn the telly off.
• If it's late enough, go to bed - get more sleep and be in a fitter, happier and more productive mood the next day. If I'm not tired, 30 mins with a book does the trick.
• Only watch programmes off the PVR, turning the decision to watch into a two-step one. This doesn't wholly work for me, as I still, after all this time, occasionally record crap. I'm still looking at you, Property Ladder.

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Just occasionally I know I'm heading off somewhere I could do with Google maps for, but where data is either hugely expensive (overseas), or not available (North Wales, planes, down a well).

Luckily you can take screenshots with the iPhone, so an easy solution for cheapskates like me is to take a bunch of screenshots of the relevant map screens in before you leave the free data area.

Works for web pages too if you can't be bothered with the iPhone's fiddly cut 'n paste.

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Here's a quick post that will no doubt further amuse those of my friends who take the mickey about my l33t OCD oranised-ness.

Right by the door to my room I've got a little three-storey office in-tray (in no way stolen from my office many years ago) which I use it as my 'drop box' when arriving in or departing from the flat. The three layers are used like so:

1. Top layer: Stuff I take in and out every time; Wallet, keys, coins, camera, glasses, headphones, phone etc.
2. Middle layer: Stuff I only take out occasionally; Boat key, library card, my Moo cards etc.
3. Bottom layer: 'One offs' waiting to be taken somewhere else; E-tickets, presents for others, leftover Euros etc.

All part of the place for everything and everything in its place principle.

Let the mickey-taking commence...

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This is a post I've been meaning to make for ages. It involves boozing, and amateur systems analysis, which anyone who knows me knows are two of my favourite things.

In the UK, among other countries, the culture when buying drinks is to buy a round for everyone in the group who wants a drink. Simple, but not without its drawbacks for larger groups: Rounds vary wildy in size, sometimes making people reluctant to step up to the plate, often you have to order too much to carry, and worst of all, it rewards fast drinking, because quick drinkers get to join more rounds.

So, what to do? Enter rounds of three, and it's so simple, even a rabid drunk can manage it. In one sentence:

Buy rounds for whoever wants a drink at the given time exactly as usual, except limit the round to three drinks.

This means you can carry them, noone gets stung for a big round, and people drink at their own pace - safe in the knowledge they won't get left behind.

Now I admit the truth is it's hard to persuade a group to alter learnt behaviour - however the times I've tried it with friends it's worked nicely, and given a nice rest evening to the livers of those who wanted one...

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I use lots of apps that allow me to put little status updates in them – Facebook, Twitter, IM clients and even Dinqi, my own lifetracking app. I like this idea of letting people know what I'm up to, and starting conversations with them, however I don't want to spend my life updating my status on myriad different applications. What to do?

Enter RSS, Twitterfeed and Ping.fm.

The diagram below shows how I post to a few primary sources and use a few apps to spread the love, as well as how I get notified when someone replies:

A few notes:

• If I want to post random stuff in directly I start at Ping
• I still visit Twitter and Facebook when I have a quiet moment and want to browse what folk are chatting about.
• Work and play aren't absolute – if it's not a secret then the Play route is fine for both.
• By MSN I mean MSN Messenger - there just wasn't room in the diagram.
• This isn't exactly how I have it now – Twitterfeed has only recently started supporting Ping and I haven't bothered to rejig stuff since, but I will.
• This is just how I do it. It probably won't suit you exactly as is, but is hopefully interesting anyway.

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