One thing I missed since I moved from a Mac (using The Hit List for GTD) to Outlook (using Jello Dashboard for GTD) was the availability of a global hot key that I could use to bring up a text entry box which I could use to quickly add things into my electronic Inbox, for later processing.

I have found a way to achieve this, and here is the setup I am using now:

If you are like me, you carry in your backpack, bag or briefcase all sorts of physical stuff, other than documents, papers or magazines. You know the type: phone chargers, USB cables, power adapters, network cables, USB sticks and other small gadgets or accessories. Over time these things accumulate and it becomes harder and harder to find them and to keep them organized.

I have been using a low-tech tool for organizing these things: ziploc bags. I now carry two large ziploc bags in my backpack, labeled "frequent use" and "infrequent use". The first one has the things that I would most likely need to use every time I sit down to work: my iPhone USB cable, my laptop power adapter, etc. The other one includes all other things that I need every once in a while so I want to have them handy, but I don't need them every day. This includes a USB cable for my camera, a two-to-three prong adapter for when I find myself in old buildings that don't have grounded outlets, a couple of USB sticks, etc.

When I arrived in Switzerland nine years ago I didn't speak a word of German (much less Swiss German!), so for a while I faced a very real and practical problem. I would encounter signs on the street, and have absolutely no idea what they meant. Does this sign mean I can pass, or I cannot? "Watch your step" or "Watch for the vicious dog"? During that period, I often wished for a gadget that I could point at the sign and would give me an instant translation.