February 2019 Summaries

You can use Jira filters to sort and segment issues by various criteria, such as issue type, status, assignee, and more, to quickly find your most important tasks. To create a filter in Jira, you conduct a search and then click Save as to convert the search criteria into a filter, giving it a name and clicking Submit. You can access your filters by clicking the Issues and filters tab in the left navigation menu, where they appear under the STARRED section, and edit them from the View all filters screen. Additionally, you can subscribe to a filter to receive periodic email updates of issues that match your filter criteria. By using Jira filters, you can create more customized lists of issues that help you stay on top of the tasks that are important for you.

Google Drive is an online storage service that provides 15GB of free cloud storage, allowing users to store and create documents, share folders and files with others, or use it as a middle ground for collecting and transferring data to external services. Google Drive integrates seamlessly with other Google apps, such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more. The service offers various features, including creating and uploading folders and files, sharing files and folders with others, searching for files, downloading files, and automating workflows using integrations like Zapier's Google Drive integration. Google Drive also has a desktop and mobile app, allowing users to access their files on multiple devices.

Evernote allows users to share notes and notebooks with other users through email or public URLs. When sharing a note, the recipient will receive an email with access to the shared content in the "Shared with Me" section of their Evernote account. To create a public URL for a notebook, only individual notes can be shared using this method, as notebooks cannot be made publicly accessible. Users can also integrate Evernote with other apps and services using Zapier or other third-party tools, allowing for automatic sharing and synchronization of content across different platforms.

Google Calendar offers more than just a place to jot down appointments, but also features to manage schedules, set reminders, and stay in sync with colleagues, family, and friends. It's accessible, especially for users familiar with other G Suite apps like Gmail or Google Docs. To get started, create an account and access the calendar through a web browser, either on its own or integrated with other apps. Users can import existing calendars, create events, invite guests, add locations, conferencing options, and set notifications. The Find a Time feature allows users to find the perfect time for meetings, while the event details page provides options to edit, save, and share events. Users can also view different periods of time in the calendar, such as one day or a year, and share calendars with others. Additionally, Google Calendar offers features like out-of-office times, appointment slots, and automation capabilities through Zapier's integration.

Creating issues in Jira is a fundamental step in planning project work, allowing teams to track and manage various types of tasks and projects using customizable fields such as summary, due date, sprint, priority, and assignee. The process begins by selecting the project and issue type, with six standard options including Task, Story, Epic, Bug, New Feature, and Improvement, each with its own field options and unique icon. Teams can also create custom issue types and customize which fields display for issues using a configurable overlay window. Additionally, Jira offers automated workflows through Zaps to integrate with other apps such as Google Forms, Gmail, and Google Sheets, enabling seamless creation of issues from external data sources.

The planning fallacy is a psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to underestimate the time required to complete tasks and projects, often due to optimism bias and a lack of consideration for past experience or historical data. This can lead to inaccurate estimates, which can have severe consequences in professional settings, such as underestimated project timelines, inadequate budgets, and disappointed stakeholders. To overcome the planning fallacy, individuals can use estimation techniques like using historical data, having someone else estimate, estimating in ranges or building in time for delays, using three-point estimations, calculating a fudge ratio, and estimating during the low point of their day. By understanding the planning fallacy and taking steps to avoid its pitfalls, individuals can create more realistic estimates and improve their time management skills.

Evernote is a powerful note-taking and organizational tool that allows users to create digital notes and organize them across multiple devices. The free version offers basic features, while the premium version ($7.99/month) adds advanced features such as digitizing receipts, searching PDFs, and seeing version history of notes. Evernote integrates with over 1,000 apps through its Zapier integration. Users can create notebooks to sort out where their notes will live, organize notes in other ways using shortcuts, tags, and filtering by tags. Notes can be added with rich media such as images and audio files, and users can also use templates to create pre-made layouts for notes. The app allows users to add shortcuts, tags, filter by tags, search, share notes, and invite others to edit or view shared notebooks. With its advanced features and integration capabilities, Evernote is a versatile tool for organizing projects, work, and day-to-day life.

This Google Sheet template helps users objectively compare options and make informed decisions based on their values by using the Decision Matrix method. The tool takes into account multiple factors beyond just pros and cons, providing a score for each option to help choose the best one. By following a straightforward process, users can use this template to make life-changing decisions with confidence.

Trello is a powerful tool that can be used as a personal to-do list or a project management system to coordinate and assign tasks to team members. It is inspired by the Kanban project management system, which uses lists and cards to organize tasks into a coherent workflow. Trello allows users to create boards, lists, and cards to organize their tasks, and offers features such as due dates, labels, and Power-Ups to enhance its functionality. The app can be accessed from the web or on mobile devices, and offers desktop apps for Windows and Mac. With its flexibility and versatility, Trello can be used in a variety of ways, including simple to-do lists, Kanban-style project management, and team collaboration tools.

The Evernote Web Clipper is a browser extension that allows users to instantly save articles or websites they're looking at to any notebook in Evernote for future reference, marking them up later. The clipper can be downloaded and installed on various browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge. Users can choose how to clip their article, such as saving it as a simplified article or full page with comments and clutter included. Additionally, the Evernote Web Clipper makes it easy to send articles automatically through integrations with Zapier and other apps, allowing users to automate tasks and organize their online content in a personal database.

Slack is a popular communication platform that has become the centerpiece of team communication for both professional and personal groups worldwide. It allows users to create workspaces, host chat rooms, send private messages, and share files. The service offers various features, including pricing plans, integrations with over 1,000 apps through Zapier integration, and a user-friendly setup process that lets users set up their workspace quickly. Slack also provides tools for organizing teams, creating conversation channels, inviting people to join the workspace, communicating in channels using threads, emoji, and file sharing, managing notifications, assigning roles and privileges, and adding apps to the workspace. With its flexibility and wide range of features, Slack has become a powerful tool for team collaboration and communication.

To create a Dropbox link, you can follow these steps: Open the Dropbox website and log in, hover over the file you want to share until the Share button appears, click Create a link, copy the link, and customize settings as needed. Alternatively, you can right-click on the file on your computer and select Copy Dropbox Link, or browse to the file on your phone or tablet, tap Share, then Create a link, and choose how you want to share it. Note that creating links is not secure, so use this method for non-sensitive information only.

Coursera is an online professional development platform that offers a wide variety of courses in almost any field imaginable, with over 2,700 courses to choose from. Coursera also offers Professional Certificates in Applied Project Management and Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, which can be completed for a fee. edX is another popular platform that offers a range of professional certifications, including over 100 programs in fields such as data science, corporate finance, and front-end development. Alison is an affordable alternative that offers courses from top institutions like Yale and Microsoft, with many courses available for free or at a low cost. Udacity focuses on cutting-edge topics like deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, with Nanodegree programs developed in collaboration with industry partners. LinkedIn Learning offers bite-sized courses on business software and tools, as well as creative fields, with a focus on day-to-day skill-building. Skillshare presents itself as a community-driven platform that offers courses in creative fields like iPad Art: Create Robots. Codecademy is a popular platform for learning programming, web development, and data science, with personalized feedback from instructors. General Assembly offers courses in development, design, and data, with a focus on interaction with instructors and mentors. Udemy allows anyone to create and sell courses, with over 80,000 options available. Many platforms offer a range of pricing options, including free or low-cost courses, as well as premium subscription services. Ultimately, the best platform for professional development will depend on individual goals and preferences.

You can change the push and email notification settings for any Google calendar by opening Google Calendar on your computer, navigating to the calendar's settings, and adjusting the event notifications and general notifications. You can also add custom notifications for specific events and turn off all notifications on desktop or mobile devices. Additionally, you can configure notifications in other apps using Zapier integrations, allowing you to direct notifications to a platform of your choice such as Slack.

To host an engaging webinar, it's essential to have a plan and the right tools in place. Focusing on a specific niche topic can help attract more interested participants, while mind mapping can aid in brainstorming content ideas. Structuring the webinar for consistent engagement involves keeping it concise, sprinkling interest points throughout, and planning time for Q&A sessions. Interacting with the audience is crucial, and gamification elements such as polls and prizes can be used to keep participants engaged. Finally, improving one's speaking style and overdelivering on promises can leave a lasting impression on attendees, while adopting new tips and strategies over time can help refine the webinar experience.

Evernote is an email client that allows users to forward their unwanted or non-essential emails to it, which then stores them in a designated notebook for later reference. This can be done by forwarding emails to Evernote's unique address, which is found through the application's settings page. Alternatively, Zapier can be used to connect an email app to Evernote and automate workflows that send certain emails or labels to the service. By using either method, users can declutter their inboxes while still having access to valuable information stored in Evernote.