Intense clip from the movie "Behind Enemy Lines"...

I just bought this movie off of itunes and think this part is one of the best scenes of the movie. The graphics are amazing and so is the camera work of the aerobatics of the FA-18 Hornet trying to get away. Great movie if you like action and drama films.

Latest addition...iPod Classic 160GB

I finally bit the bullet and went for it. I ordered a new iPod classic. Its like the original iPod, but it holds a ton of music, videos, etc . Something like 40,000 songs and will play 7 hours of straight video or 14 hours of music. Since I have been traveling a lot, my smaller iPod nano would not stay charged long enough and it would die on flights. This makes those trips just that much longer. The cool thing is that I can now watch my movies and other things all on this thing too. Wooo Hooo.

The 4th of July is approaching and I am looking forward to a little relaxation over the 3 day weekend. I plan on doing a 50 mile bike ride here in Scripps Ranch. TLC and I did the 25 miler last year, but this year she is going to sit this one out. We are going to probably ride this weekend. Enjoy the 4th!

FedEx Commercial- Very Funny

Bee to the lip at 22 mph, San Francisco, Washington D.C , TLC and I hit the road

Its been a nutty couple of weeks. A couple of weeks ago I had to go to San Francisco for work for our QBR. This is our quarterly business review where we go over some of the finer details of the quarter. Overall the meetings went well and it was a good time with the coworkers. I returned to an empty house as Taunya took Maddox to her parents house in Madera, CA. This is a small town near Fresno. It was Maddox's first plan flight. He beat my personal record as I never flew until I was 21 years old. The kid is knocking out 1st's already. I did some hanging out with friends, went to sushi and did some riding with some of my time. I will tell you that it being that quiet around here was pretty unsettling to say the least.

Anyway, so last week I went in on a ride the day before I headed to a conference in Washington, DC. I was going about 22 mph and saw this little black thing coming at me. As it got closer, It was clear to me, its a bee. I tried to close my mouth but too late. The Bee hit my lip and then started to go into my mouth. In a panic, I began to spit and with a finger knocked him out of my mouth. Then I thought hmmmm, that is not bad.....ummmm hold on...what is that? Oh, its my lip killing me because he stinger is still stuck in it. I pulled over slowly skidding and with no mirror, pulled the stinger out of my lip. At this point, my lip began swelling like I just took a good shot in a street fight. I had about only 14 miles on the odometer, so I decided to finish out the remaining 16 miles and then head for home. After the 30 or so miles I got home and Taunya was staring at me and could not figure out what happened. Of course, she looks at me and says "Did you get in a fight on your bike?". I started to laugh and told her what had happened. I asked her to take a picture of it for me so you could experience it like I did. Well almost...

DC was good. Went by the white house on the way to the trade show called "CF United". Google it and you can find out more about the conference if you would like. Basically a developer conference for ColdFusion users and Adobe was on of the key sponsors. The weather was nice and I was happy to be home.

The latest heatwave of the past 3 days has been pretty bad. I went riding yesterday and managed to log about 64 miles before I broke another spoke on my other bike. I dropped that one off at the shop and rode my tri bike with TLC today and had a great time. My mom came over and watched Maddox for a couple of hours so we could hit the road. Taunya did well given the fact that it was in the high 80's and she has not really riden since before the baby. Boy it was hot though.

Maddox is getting better, developing and looking more and more like his mom everyday. He is such a joy to watch, hold, change and be with. Let it be known, that is it sits right now, the kid has blue eyes and fair skin with light brown/blondish hair. The skin is fair, but nowhere near mine. I basically put out a kid that has my face but with no single trait that looks like me. I am really happy that he is healthy, but I mean honestly, the kid is white. Nothing wrong with that as you all know.

As some of you read this you might think what is wrong with this guy? Well nothing, but I thought I would of at least gotten the eyes, hair or the skin even. Nada. We will see how things go. When I mention this to Taunya, Grandma Gaufin and others, they just tell me that they still could change and they laugh. Well news on the front too. His eyes went from dark blue to light blue. I mean at baseball games, soccer, etc. When I yell, "Nice job Maddox", people are going to whisper "is that his dad?" to other parents. The others are going to whisper back "Yeah, funny huh? He looks nothing like him"

I am THAT guy. I will be posting another youtube video of Maddox from this weekend shortly.

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Motown 25 Live, March 25 1983

So...I realize that I am going to get inundated with emails or comments for posting this video but I realized that many of you may of never seen this.

The other night we were feeding MAC and I was showing Taunya some of the videos and music that I have downloaded and collected over the years. It was at that point that she mentioned she had "never" seen the "beat it" video from Michael Jackson. I was like "Huh?". So I showed it to her and she could not believe it.

In light of all of this guys scandals and issues, this performance was one that I watched live as a 10 year old kid. While watching this, I was completely floored and starstruck. I could not believe that anyone could dance and sing like he could. At that time, he was truly a superstar. If you have not seen this piece of music history, take the 5 minutes and watch it. It makes you wonder what really happened to the guy that seemed to have it together and so much going in his direction.

Some things to note. 47 million people watched this performance, he debuted "the moonwalk", this song alone has been sold over 5 million times.

Maddox at 3 weeks

Note the dogs panting in the background along with the hiccups.

103 Miles, 8800 feet elevation, 96 degrees in 7 Hours & 19 minutes

Last Saturday (5.17.09) I took on the challenge of a 103 mile bike ride. The ride was called "The San Diego Century" http://www.encinitasrace.com/sdc/ . They called "century rides" because they all are pretty much 100+ miles. I guess what drew me to it was the fact that there was no swim on the front or a marathon on the back..:)

Training-
How much does one train for something like this? I was doing about 100 miles a week on the bike and that was about it. Should I have of trained more? Yes, but race days for me seem to make me pull out the 6th gear for some reason. Ideally, I would of like to have of logged about 1 good 80 mile ride in before, but I just could not fit it in the schedule. Between the swim and run training, there was just not enough time.

Conditions-
The day of the race was set to be unseasonably hot. I do well in the heat, but I have not trained in the heat at all lately. Primarily because we have had some May gray type of conditions here in San Diego lately. Nevertheless, I did know what do pack in terms of nutrition and hydration from doing Ironman so I felt comfortable there. However, this course was one that started from the coast and went to the foothills and back. I knew that it was going to be in the 80's by 9am so I wanted to start the race as soon as possible. I was hoping to be out of the foothills/mountains before it hit the high 90's. This was not the case however. There were A LOT of hills and a majority of them were in the foothills/mountains where it was supposed to be the hottest. There were AID stations throughout the ride and I stopped at all 7 of them to hydrate. No water, just all electrolyte drinks.

The Race-
The race had a window from 6-8am. You could start the race anytime between then. They would have the roads blocked off at least for a couple of hours. Given how hot it was going to be I was there at 5:45 am trying to be one of the first out of the gate to get started. When I arrived, I said to myself, "Its kinda warm now". So I took off at 6am and started the ride and it was evident that I was not the only one with this idea. There were a bunch of cycling teams out and my plan was to draft or find a peloton to ride with to save me some time and energy. I did just that and heard that Floyd Landis was riding the course as well. He lives in the area, so it was not uncommon to see him out on the ride. If you do not know who he is, its worth Googling him.

I rode the first 40 feeling strong. I rode with a team called "Red Burro Racing" from Las Vegas and managed to take advantage of riding with the group. They were FAST. On some of the downhills we were going over 50 mph and within a couple of feet of each other. Some of the riders ahead of me hit a snake crossing the road and I could see them running it over as we flew down this hill. Thank the lord that nobody freaked out and decided to turn, otherwise we would of all of been in bad shape. It was fun. After riding with them, I moved on to another couple of groups and really began to start to feel the heat. It was at about 60 miles when I thought I might of bit off a bit more than I could chew. It was at this time when I was doing the biggest climb and it was close to 90 degrees as I was heading into the foothills of Ramona. Instead of quitting, I was thinking, you are fine, ride your race and push it a little harder. So I did. I was drinking Gatorade and http://www.nuun.com/ tablets trying to stay hydrated every 10 minutes.

I finally got inland and it was better but I ran out of fluids for about 20 minutes before I could get to the next AID station. I was getting worried as the conditions we so bad, that 20 minutes could really be the difference between a good race and "bonking" or cramping out due to being dehydrated. I finally made it and sat there for about 25 minutes drinking, eating gels and doing more drinking. I started the remaining 35 or so miles back to the coast and and started to feel better but the sun was still unbearable. I still just kept pedaling as I saw others stopped along the sides of the road as I rode past.

I made it to the next AID station with 22 miles left and I started to feel better already. The hydration was paying off and I had a tiny cramp here and there, but that was it. I pressed on and finally made it back to the coast and headed toward the finish. I finished in the above time even with all of the stops in 7 hours and 19 minutes. I was impressed with my time given the conditions. You know its hot when people are staring at you from their cars with the look "are you nuts?".

Will I do it again? Yes. It was a beautiful ride and I honestly really enjoyed it. It was my second real bike race, but I enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I will be doing another one in October in Poway. http://www.tourdepoway.com/

Some interesting stats for you;

• Total Time- 7:19:23
• Calories burned- 7216
• Ounces consumed- 240

*I had two 20 ounce water bottles on my bike and I filled them up both, 7 times.

Friends of Maddox...

Sorry for the delay, here is Maddox!

Maddox Anthony Conte has arrived @ 5:33 am this morning

Hello everyone,

Most of you have recieved a text from me at this point stating that we were on our way to the hospital last night. What an experience is all I can really say. We left the house last night at 11pm and stayed awake all night until the guy arrived this morning.

He is an interesting little guy weighing in at 7.5 lbs and 20 inches long. He keeps his eyes open alot and looks like a burrito all wrapped up. We delivered at Sharp Mary Birch, Hospital. We had a great team of nurses and doctors. Everything went well and all of us are doing great. Taunya really did well and the doctor told us that we could be going home as soon as tomorrow. We are really excited about that so we can get started on building our routine around this guy.

We are going to be adjusting so if we do not return the calls right away please be patient. I will be posting pictures later today!

60 minutes- Taliban vs. Green Berets

I watched this tonight on 60 minutes and thought I would share it. Not only is it inspiring, it is about a story that shows mind over matter can be a factor when it comes to doing anything. I have been watching 60 minutes since I was a kid. They always seem to do some of the best journalism I can remember. Take the time to watch this.

The Simple Life

Before the madness begins, I was thinking of things that I really enjoy.  Here is a list that comes to mind;

• Hot coffee in the morning
• Long talks with the wife.  
• Seeing the smile on my wife's face when she rides her bike.
• Waking up early when its still dark outside.
• The rain
• Accidentally falling asleep(wink wink).
• Feeling exhausted after a intense swim, bike or run.
• Being home with my dogs Mona & Truman.
• PS3
• Reading, yes I said reading.
• Ice cold beer while BBQ'ing.
• Sushi
• Friends like Katie & Chris, Jeff, Craig, Dave and Tim.
• Reconnecting with old friends.
• Quiet mornings.
• Watching my sister and nephew interact.
• Open minds.
• Trying new foods.
• Changing my opinion.

These are what comes to mind.  What do you enjoy?  Take time to jot them down.  You might be surprised with what you end up putting down.  Taunya went walking this morning with her friend Niki this morning.  Some contractions, but nothing really.

More baby news- We have a date...

So we went to the doctor yesterday as we are scheduled to have labor induced on May 1st if he does not come sooner. Still no name yet. We are taking suggestions..:)

Baby News!

There is none.  Thanks for the calls and emails.  We are in a holding pattern.  Maybe he realizes that life is more simple in there?  Maybe he is lazy already and knows that once he is out, he is going to hear about things like chores, jobs and gas prices.  Maybe he just is stubborn like his mother and is waiting until the last minute?  Maybe is like his father and knows to make the most of a good thing like free room and board?

Either way, we are ready for him to get here.  Its like being 9 and having knowing that Christmas is 4 nights away?

How ironic.  As I type the song "A Horse with No Name" by America is playing in the background as we sit here in the living room.  Taunya is sleeping already with both bulldogs surrounding her.  Funny.

If you are reading my blog, I am going to probably post here first when we are on our way to the hospital.  So if you are a regular reader of the blog, just know that you will probably be in the know when it comes to the baby ne

Tick tock, tick tock, ko koo, ko koo...

Well,

To sum it up that is pretty much what is going on now.  Its like watching paint dry around here.  As I sit here watching Truman and Mona chew their bones, snorting and making noises, I am waiting for the day.  Tick tock as I watch the clock and want the little guy to get here.  The ko koo for what I am going to be when he actually arrives.  Like I said, its like that long day at work, or sitting thru a 3 hour lecture and looking up at the clock and saying "OMG, its only been 22 minutes??"  Yeah, thats me.  I am THAT guy.  

As I sit here I am supposed to be in San Jose right now for training.  I talked to my boss and he let me get out of it which was nice.  I was worried that I might get stuck up there if Taunya went into labor.  Its only an hour and 15 minute flight, but if she went into labor I would probably not be able to get on a plane to come home until around 5:45 which would put me home somewhere around 8am. Not good.  So I decided to stay here and hang out to be more of a help.

I did a triathlon on Sunday that I was pretty much 100% not trained for at all.  Having been traveling and recently coming off of back spasms just a week ago, I still went ahead and did the race.  The distances were as follows; 1 mile swim, 26 mile ride and then a 6 mile run.  The last time I ran was about 3 weeks ago just before the back spasms.  I have not swam that far since about a year ago.  It was brutal, but amazing what you can tell your body to do when dealing with pain and issues when it comes to endurance events.  Some of the highlights or lowlights if you will from the race for me.

1. Swim-Took in 4 mouthfuls of San Diego Bay.  It was windy causing some chops in the bay.
2. Bike-26 miles, I think I did it just under an hour.  If I averaged 26mph that would be impressive.  I will wait to see my split times.
3. Run-Just trying to hang on. The first 1.25 miles was on beach sand.  Brutal.
4. Run-Ran with a 69 year old guy for awhile.  Cool dude.  Really nice guy.
5. This race is called the Superfrog/Superseal Triathlon.  Its done in Coronado and on the NSW(Naval Special Warfare) base where all of the SEALS train.  
6. My heat was with the military and I was running and swimming with some 20 year olds with 2 percent body fat, that were navy seals.  Alot of them passed me on the run needless to say.  
7. Finally, I did the whole race without stopping and walking at all.  I was proud of that fact.  With the exception of the Ironman, I have never stopped or walked in a race.  I am proud of that fact.

Anyway, enough of that  We might get some drizzle tonight but the weekend is looking to be a warm one.  I am looking to scoop up some new wheels for my bike pretty soon so I am excited about that.  Other than that, my next race is a bike, race again.  I am looking forward to it.  The only bad thing is that its a 100 mile race.

Oh yeah, Taunya finally had her baby shower this weekend.  Talk about waiting to the end?  Thanks to Katie her friend for putting it together as t really went well.  Thank you all for your help and baby stuff.  Its all gonna be put to use.

Justin Timberlake cracks me up

All,

This is the "g" rated version but this had me in tears the first time I ever watched it.  Let me know what you think.  This skit is one of the best ever on SNL or Saturday Night Live.  Enjoy!

Happy Easter! Vegas, Boston, Tampa, baby news and my 1st bike race

It has been awhile since I have really sat down and typed.  I think that may have of been underestimating the work that it takes to get ready for the boy.  I will say that between the both of us working, the dogs, home projects and the like, we have been really busy.

We went to Las Vegas about a month ago for a close friends of ours 30th birthday party.  It was a great time for the both of us.  A much needed break and we just relaxed.  We were there from friday thru sunday.  Taunya bought her much wanted diaper bag and I got a shirt and hat.  Not just any hat, a Kangol.  Fun, Fun, Fun.

The last two weeks I have been traveling for work.  The first week I was in Boston and the last week I was in Tampa.  Boston is a great town and I really like it.  It was around 44 degrees so it was not too bad compared to the 23 degree's it was the last time I was there.  Other than work, one of the cooler things that we did was go to a Boston Bruins hockey game.  It was fun and exciting to actually watch professional hockey.  Something to note on the way back was that I sat next to a woman who had two kids.  One was 15 months old and the other was 4.  It did not bother me at all,

 but I gave her a hand with alot of things. I was helping her so much that people were asking me how old my kids were.  When I replied "I have one on the way, but these are not mine" they seemed amazed that I was not annoyed with all of the noise.  Well the truth is that the kid screaming the entire 4.5 hours of the flight was annoying and almost drove me nuts, they are kids.  They really do not know what is going on and quite honestly the poor woman was doing everything to try to keep them quiet.  She was extremely thankful when we got off the plane, but I felt its was the least I could do.  The funny thing is that we never exchanged names at all.  It was not really necessary I guess.

That same weekend Taunya's parents and came down to visit and give us some help putting up wainscoting in the babies room.  Man, what a task.  I can say that between the nail gun, the mitre saw and tape measure I thought I was going to lose my mind.  Frank and I (my father inlaw) began on Friday afternoon and finished around 9pm on saturday night.  I was so tired the day after I could of slept almost the whole day.  Overall it looks really good but I spent sunday morning and pretty much all day cleaning up

.  

The following monday I took off to Tampa, FL for guess what?  More meetings.  I had some delays in Denver flying United and I ended up getting into Tampa much later than I had planned.  It was really no big deal.  I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel which was nice and had a great view of the city.  After being there for 3 days, I headed back home.  The flight was uneventful which is always good, but it was extremely packed coming from Denver to San Diego.  The plan was full of spring breakers!  My next trip is the second week of April that will put me in San Jose.  Its going to be a long one..ugh.

Everything is coming along fine with the baby these days.  Taunya is getting bigger and sleeping and overall moving around is getting tough for her.  She is still working and will probably work right up until the baby is born.  She is probably going to take off the following 3-4 months after the baby is born and then go back to work.  Working is essential for Taunya as she really enjoys what she does and her co-workers.  There is a woman in our complex that lives about 5 doors down who does daycare.  We have known here since we moved in here and she comes highly recommended from others.  Well we really lucked out because she has an opening for us!  So the plan is that Taunya will stay home long enough for her to have an opening and then we will shift over to using her.  Childcare is expensive let me tell you from some of the research that we have done.  I can understand why some people just choose to continue to stay home.  When you do the math, it can really make sense to stay home.  About 3 weeks ago we had the whole house painted.  I was going to take on the task, but between work and travel and everything it just was too much.  The colors are dark and light with some accent walls around the house.  This is just one more thing to check off of the list.

Finally, I did a bike race about a month ago as well and it was really really fun.  At first I was not really sure how much I was going to like it, but after we got rolling I really enjoyed it.  It was a 26 mile race and I started out in the middle of the pack.  I went by myself and met a neighbor up there.  The race was held on Camp Pendleton which is a Marine base here in town.  The course was somewhat hilly.  I finished the race in 1:21.  This is an average of just over 19 miles per hour.  In racing, this is quick.  Its not really too fast, but I felt I did well.  I could of done much faster had I not been dropped from the main pack.  I was fighting the entire time to catch up at times, but with the wind right in my face I had to do almost double the work.  Bike races are all about strategy.  Its all about staying with the Peloton and then at the last minute breaking away and heading for the finish line.  I was pretty much unaware of this.  

What I decided to do was to just go as hard as I can for the last 10 miles. The first 16 miles were somewhat hilly, but had a staged climb in there as well.  Hills and climbing are my strong point.  I passed a lot of guys going up the hill which was fun.  After climbing the hill there was a fast downhill.  I tucked down and peddled down.  I reached 45.2 mph!  Wooo Hooo!  I then began my attack to the finish passing a lot of people again.  I was happy, but I noticed that I had like 5 guys all drafting behind me!  I pulled a little off to the right in order to have them switch and let them break the wind for awhile.  Well guess what?  None of them would come up and take the lead.  This made me really mad, so I decided I would dig deep and try to drop them.  So I stood up and really started driving.  I dropped them but then I noticed that others caught up.  So if you can picture this, I was riding in the front of the pack with a line of about 5 guys behind me all in line.  I kept looking down to see how close the guys were behind me and could only see one tire.  Some guy yelled.."you have power".  Rather than get happy, I just got more mad.  I again slammed the quads and hammis and tried to drop them.  Again, no luck.  As we came close to the finish line, I began to sprint it out and head toward the finish line.  I crossed and was pretty much really tired and my legs felt like butter.  After the race about 5 random guys came up and said "nice pull".  This is the way that someone who sat in your draft the whole race says thank you.  I did not say thanks but more like "your welcome".  Next time, I won't be so nice.

New site with great video technology

Hey everyone,

I just thought I would pass this video on. The skit is funny but one thing that you should note is the quality of the video. Its better than HD. Pretty funny stuff out of this guy. If you have not seen the movie "Superbad", I would reccomend it. It's hilarious. You can find alot of these videos at http://www.hulu.com/ . More updates about the baby and the last 3 weeks later.

45 days of a new diet...I am sticking to it

Hey everyone,

30 days ago I switched to a somewhat vegitarian diet. I was inspired by an article that I read on plane returning home from a business trip. The article, was in the Wall Street Journal and it was titled "The 247 lb. Vegan*". As I read on, the story was about Tony Gonzalez. Tony plays football in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs. He also played high school football here in San Diego at the same time I did. I guess I felt some connection on that basis, but more of the one on the issue of weight and overall health.  Click on the title of the post and it will take you to the article

If you look at the title of the article, you will see an asterisk.  It is due to the fact that he mixes in some chicken and some fish.  It is essential to make sure that are getting some form of protein.  I have been having things like tofu and some beans to make sure I am getting enough.  I am also mixing in some chicken and fish.  As of today, I have only had red meat 3 times.  Not that I had an urge for it, but I was literally pinned in a corner and had to eat it as the only option.  

Why am I doing this?  For the most part, I am trying to really lean down for the following reasons; 

1. The baby is coming and I want to make sure that I am in good health.  Not that I am not in good health now, but there is always room for improvement when it comes to making food choices.  
2. I wanted to help Taunya out more and start cooking more.  With the baby coming and all,  I wanted to give her one less thing do to.  Plus with me cooking more it forces me to learn how to make more vegetarian choices.
3. Race schedule.  Triathlon season starts this month.  I am curious to see how I will do making the switch.  After 45 days into it, I am slimming down already.  
4. Why not?  I started this thing saying to myself lets be realistic right?  So I began doing it slowly.  When going out to dinner or lunch, I started just ordering the vegetarian option.  For example, at work they ordered food for us due to an all day meeting.  I ordered the veggie sandwich.  When I got it, I thought it was the best thing I had ever had.  I must admit, I was leery about the whole thing but I just went for it.
5. It's a great long term health plan!

Now that you know why, here is how I am doing it.  As I mentioned earlier, I am just merely trying to eat better.  I like to take it meal by meal.  That is how I started and now its become habit. I am eating more fish and last night I went to sushi.  That is okay.  It helps me get my protein and I really like sushi anyway so it works.  I have come the realization that eating vegetables and other non-meat items is not really hard.  What is the really hard part, is trying to find vegetarian options.  This is the HARDEST part.  This forces you to cook more and look for more healthy places to eat over all.  Since I have been doing the veggie thing I have had to learn about more spices and stuff as a way to help increase the tastes of some dishes that I make.  This has been a struggle, but when its all over, I do not feel stuffed or hungry.  Its a weird feeling, but I am addicted to it.  

On another note, I did go thru a period of breaking out.  I have done some research online and this may be a result of my body "cleansing" itself of some of the processed products that may have been in my body.  It has pretty much gone away, but it made me think about what I WAS eating. 

Finally I also cut out soda as well.  I did this kind of at the same time and I have been doing well.  I just either have water or iced tea.  

If you have any questions or comments, please send me an email.  Remember, If I can do it, you can do it.  After all, my father is a butcher.

Snatch

This is one my Top 5 movies. This is an awesome fight scene.

Zen Habits- Great little blog with a ton of great topics

Top 10 Productivity Hacks - Overview

We all need a productivity boost now and then — sometimes throughout the day. We each want to be productive for very personal reasons — to accomplish more, to make more money, to get done earlier to make more time for our personal lives, to accomplish our goals. But whatever the reason, these Productivity Hacks will do the trick.

Here they are, in reverse order (click on links for more on each):

#10: Take care of your Most Important Things first. Your Most Important Things for the day — the things you most need to accomplish that day — should take priority over everything else. However, we all know that fires come up throughout the day, interruptions through phone calls and email and people dropping by, new demands that will push the best-laid plans aside. If you put off your MITs until later in the day, you will end up not doing them much of the time.

Try to get all three of your MITs done before moving on to anything else. If you can do that, the rest of the day is gravy!

# 9: Wake up early. Decide what you’d like to accomplish each morning, and build your morning routine around that. Like to exercise? Put that in there. Healthy breakfast? Go for it. Check email? Fine. The mornings are a fresh start, peaceful and free of ringing phones and constant email notifications. If you get your Most Important Things done in the morning, the rest of the day is just gravy. (see How I Became an Early Riser.)

# 8: Simplify information streams, crank through blogs & email. Think about all the information you receive (email, blogs, newsletters, mailing lists, magazines, newspapers and more) and edit brutally. You will drastically reduce the time you spend reading. For everything else that begins to come in after your editing process, ask yourself if you really need to be getting that information regularly. Most of the time the answer is no. Now, after this process, you should be left with less to read. Here’s the next step: crank through it all, really only reading the really interesting ones.

Editing and cranking through the information you receive can free up a lot of time for more important things — like achieving your goals.

# 7: Declutter your workspace; work on one thing at a time. The decluttering your work space part of it is simply to remove all extra distractions, on your desk and on your computer. If you’ve got a clean, simplified workspace, you can better focus on the task at hand. (See more on how to do this.)

Now, with distractions minimized, focus on the task at hand. Don’t check email, don’t work on five projects at once, don’t check the stats on your blog, don’t go to your feed reader. Work on that one task, and work on it with concentrated focus until you are done. (See How NOT to Multi-task.) Then celebrate your achievement!

# 6: Get to work early; work fewer hours. My best days come when I get into work early, and begin my work day in the quiet morning hours, before the phones start ringing and the din of the office begins it crescendo to chaos. It is so peaceful, and I can work without interruption or losing focus. I often find that I get my MITs done before anyone comes in, and then the rest of the day is dealing with whatever comes up (or even better: getting ahead for the next day).

Added bonus: you skip rush-hour traffic.

But just as productive is the second part of the tip: leave early and work fewer hours. It’s paradoxical, but if you work fewer hours, and know that your time is limited, you will be more focused. Then you have more hours to yourself! Everyone wins.

# 5: Avoid meetings; when you must meet, make it effective. I find it best to say no to meetings up front. I just say, “Sorry, I can’t make it. I’m tied up with a project right now.” And that’s always true. I’ve always got projects I’m working on that are more important than a meeting.

Now, you probably won’t be able to get out of most meetings, so here are some tips for making meetings more effective.

# 4: Avoid unnecessary work. If we just do any work that comes our way, we can be cranking out the tasks, but not be productive at all. You’re only productive if you are doing work that moves you towards a goal. Eliminate non-essential tasks from your to-do lists, and start to say no to new requests that are non-essential.

If you do not take these steps and speak up, and say no, then you will be overloaded with work that you simply do not need to do. Cut out the non-essential tasks, and focus on those that really matter.

# 3: Do the tough tasks first. You know what those tasks are. What have you been putting off that you know you need to do? Sometimes when you put things off, they end up being things you don’t really need to do. But sometimes they are things you just gotta do. Those are your tough tasks.

Do them first thing in the day.

# 2: Work off-line as much as possible. To increase your productivity, disconnect your Internet connection. Have scheduled times when you’re going to check your email, and only let yourself check your blogs or surf the web when you’ve gotten a certain amount done. When you do go online, do it on a timer. When the timer goes off, unplug again until the next scheduled time.

You’ll be amazed at how much work you’ll get done.

# 1: Do something you’re passionate about. This might not seem like the normal productivity tip, but give it a thought: if you really want to do something, you’ll work like hell to get it done. You’ll work extra hard, you’ll put in even more hours, and you’re less likely to procrastinate. It’s for work that you don’t really care about that you procrastinate. Read the full post for tips on how to find your dream job and do work you truly care about.

Raise your hand if you know or have been affected by one of these.

Workaholic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Colloquially, a workaholic is a person who is addicted to work. This phrase does not always imply that the person actually enjoys their work, but rather simply feels compelled to do it. There is no generally accepted medical definition of such a condition, although some forms of stress, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work-related. Although the term "workaholic" usually has a negative connotation, it is sometimes used by people wishing to express their devotion to one's career in positive terms. The "work" in question is usually associated with a paying job, but it may also refer to independent pursuits such as sports, music, art, or blogging.^{[citation needed]}

A "workaholic" in the negative sense is popularly characterized by a neglect of family and other social relations. The term has no clinical definition, however.

Workaholism in Japan is considered a serious social problem leading to early death, often on the job, a phenomenon dubbed karōshi. Overwork was popularly blamed for the fatal stroke of Prime Minister of Japan Keizo Obuchi, in the year 2000.