I’m always looking for tools and ideas that help save time and allow me to be more productive (thus 3LUXE). One of the biggest time drains in our (my) life today is email. I’m continuously checking my inbox for urgent matters and on nights and weekends I’m constantly looking for updates via my blackberry. It’s crazy and I know I’m not alone.

Tim Ferris author of The 4-Hour Workweek recently posted How to Stop Checking E-mail on the Evenings and Weekends that has some great time saving techniques.

1. “Batch” email at set times. Have an email-checking schedule and do not deviate.
2. Send and read email at different times. Go offline and respond to all email from a local program such as Outlook or Mail.
3. Don’t scan email if you can’t immediately fix problems encountered.
4. Don’t BIF (before I forget) people during off-hours.
5. Don’t use the inbox for reminders or as a to-do list.
6. Set rules for email-to-phone escalation.
7. Before writing an email, ask yourself: “what problem am I trying to solve?” or “what is my ideal outcome?”
8. Learn to make suggestions instead of asking questions.

Check out Tim’s blog Experiments In Lifestyle Design for additional details and more time saving tips.

Time to get back to my inbox.

All the best,
Bill

Anyone who has a garden has thought about composting. But for many of us it’s a little too much work, especially when it -3° here in Minnesota. Today Daily Candy featured the NatureMill PLUS. A convenient, indoor, odorless, under the sink composter. Put in your trash, leftovers, apple cores etc. and the NatureMill PLUS does the rest. You put in up to 60 pounds of waste, and approximately every 2 weeks an indicator light comes on signaling you to remove a tray of concentrated compost fertilizer. Food for your garden and great for the environment. The NatureMill Plus only costs about $0.50/month to operate and will divert over two tons of waste from landfills over its life.

All the best,
Bill

With Valentine’s Day less than a week away and the weekend upon us, the malls and specialty shops are going to be swamped with frantic customers all looking for the perfect gift and collectively spending over $17 Billion. With the average consumer spending over $125, and many of us spending more than that, it’s more important than ever to find the right gift. We here at 3LUXE think we have some great gift ideas. In continuing our focus to help consumers navigate tough purchasing decisions, we’ve introduced our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide.

According to the National Retail Federation, traditional gifts still top the lists for most romantics: 48% are planning on buying candy, 36% are thinking flowers, and 17% of recipients will be opening the precious gifts of jewelry. You’ll find some incredible examples of these items in our guide along with romantic favorites like lingerie and lotions. But our Valentine’s gift guide goes beyond the traditional and expands into helping plan romantic experiences. We’ve added the categories Romantic Valentine’s Evening At Home and Romantic Valentine’s Getaways with the understanding that there is more to Valentine’s Day than a box of chocolates.

With whatever you decide is right for your valentine, remember there is still time to avoid the crowds and buy your gifts, whether that be decadent chocolates or diamonds, online.

All the best,
Bill