Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: StephenPSmith.com

I was recently contacted by the the OnePlace Chaos Management System, created by former High Jump Software CTO, and current Riverock Technologies CEO, Steve Kickert. They have a 30-day free trial going for using the OnePlace system, so I thought I would give it a shot and perhaps review it for you all.

Recently reviewed by web consultant Steve Borsch in MinnPost, this ground-breaking online project management software combines team collaboration, information sharing and management features in its goal to eliminate the chaos felt in all aspects of a team’s business life.

Here is a snippet from Borsch’s post:

What did I like about OnePlace?

It’s easy to use, and within 15 minutes, I’d used most of the key features that enabled project/task management; time tracking; reporting; calendar; discussions; file sharing; notes; lists and more.

I loved the iPhone interface. Connecting what we do on our desktop computers or laptops to Internet/web server functionality “in the cloud,” isn’t enough when we carry around devices like an iPhone (or the rumored touch tablet) and other small devices growing in penetration.

Let me remind you, OnePlace is not a sponsor, nor do I receive any compensation for posting this. I signed up on Saturday and decided to share this with you. If any of you would like to give it a try as well, please click on info.oneplacehome.com/projectmanagement.

On the other hand, (in the interest of full disclosure) Wrike.com is a sponsor, and I have also signed up for the new Enterprise version, which I will be reviewing in the next week or so. I do like the Wrike system very much, and wrote a review of the original platform here [link].

Highlights

The unlimited users feature is definitely one of Wrike’s strongest. As a person who does not have a lot of group-interactive work to manage (UPDATE: Hoo boy, I do now!), I tend to have more of the one-off projects that require a short period of collaboration between users in different parts of the world. You can create a Project (Group) and a task by email.

I also like the automatic updates and the feature of uploading and attaching a document as part of a task. Each time this document is downloaded and changed, the user can upload the new version and a record is created that retains each successive version. Each Group can have all of the data needed for the project’s completion right at hand, whether it is a text file, a spreadsheet, or even images.

Feel free to come back and share your thoughts and comments!

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/3q3qfx. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

There is an excellent thread on Time Management over at Work.Life.Creativity about managing time (and managing up) in an office environment that is filled with distractions, including the boss!

Here is part of the the initial post:

I work with a team in a very small business (I’m one of six FTEs, and we’ve got two PTEs). Sadly, my boss is an entirely distraction-driven person, and many of the folks in the office (I’m not there most of the time - I telecommute) abuse this and make it worse, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think that they mean to do it, but it’s the way that the business seems to have been set up (to a certain degree, I’m the nOOb to the staff).

As a result of the distraction-driven nature of the business, he constantly misses deadlines and puts projects on the backburner…and then complains about the fact that nothing seems to get done.

Go read the whole thing, and leave a comment, what would you suggest?

This is a great forum, and I am glad to be involved with it again.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5xqzh7. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

I found this notebook in a book/stationary supply store in Booth Bay, Maine, the other day when the lovely bride and I had a day off together. Of course I had to buy it, simply because of the cool features.

The notebook comes with a page of stickers and labels and DIY tabs that you can place where-ever you want in the book.

There is also an index page.

The 192 pages have college-ruled, light blue lines. The paper takes the ink from my Micron .45 mm pen very nicely.

You can order this notebook online from the Canadian webstore at bluelineinc.com

Of course, what exactly I am going to do with this notebook is unclear. I have a few days now to think about it! One thing that I can tell you is that I am excited to have my online time back.

By the way, this is what my workspace looked like Tuesday, after working away from home - 70+ hours a week for two months.

I know, kinda embarrassing, but I wanted to share it with you so that I had some serious motivation to get it cleaned up. It looks much better now, and the physical in-box will be empty by the end of the day! There is a massive Weekly Review and Monthly Goal-setting session planned for Friday.

Things are getting very exciting here at the hidden base. Stay tuned.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/4q9kwe. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

Today’s guest post is from Mike St. Pierre of The Daily Saint.

Most offices are boring.  A brand new executive plaza near my house just rented some space to a small business.  The layout they chose was somewhere between used cubical and leftover partition.  I feel ill just driving by the place- imagine if you had to work there!

Dan Pink points out that aesthetics matter.  If you feel good about a space in which you spend 8-10 hours a day, chances are you’ll get more done.

Google is known for uniting function with fun.  Guy Kawasaki took a tour and noted the climbing wall, bean bag room and growing cacti gardens.  Amazing stuff.

To see how your space can improve so that you can get more done and leave at a reasonable hour, check out these resources:

• Office Design: How to Build a Better Office
• Three New Designs for Optimizing Collaboration
• Best and Worst Office Design Images

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/4z8jg8. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen