As part of an effort to further systematize my personal and professional organization, I’ve recently started using Remember The Milk. I first started using it in 2008 and recently started using it again. I am finding the functionality (and the iPhone app) of the service impressive and quite flexible. That all said, it does have lack one feature that Google Calendar has: the ability to have multiple reminders. Since some tasks or activities are complex (e.g. require coordination with other people, require advance planning etc), I find multiple reminders helpful.

Assuming one is motivated to be organized (Seth Godin points out that lack of motivation, rather than lack of knowledge, often undermines productivity efforts), it is crucial to combine systems (Getting Things Done by David Allen is the classic here) with the right tools. I have used paper based agendas at various points, but at this stage I prefer to use digital systems. What I find great about seeking to improve one’s productivity and organization is the immediate benefits one receives. Executing a series of items on a properly organized to do list is satisfying.

Notes: I’ve been away from this blog for several months but I am hoping to get back into it from time to time.

I’ve been thinking about professional development lately and my views have changed in some ways. My understanding of professional development is now broader and more nuanced than before. For example, I think the professional development needs and interests of people vary depending on their organizational context and where they stand in their careers. I now also think of professional development in broader terms – improving one’s technical skills further, for example. One area where I am looking to develop my skills further is Excel and Access (e.g. I’m working on learning “Visual Basic for Applications” (VBA). Beyond that, I’m keenly working on developing my understanding of the financial industry. There is much more to learn but this is where I am focusing on these days.

As promised, I am writing a 2010 Year in Review to reflect on my accomplishments and projects of 2010. For the sake of balance (and to inspire me to move forward), I will also mention some projects where I didn’t make much progress. As I mentioned in my rushed post, I am once again inspired by Seth Godin who has written up his 2010 Year in Review post some time ago.

• Completed two consulting contracts for an investment management firm in Toronto: DONE (this work focused on classification and taxonomy): DONE
• Delivered conference presentation on Net Neutrality at the Canadian Library Association Conference in Edmonton, Alberta: DONE
• Applied for many, many, many jobs (+90): DONE
• Started an interesting full time position at a Big 5 Canadian Bank in September: DONE
• Learned the basics of the Canadian securities / investment industry by taking a CSI prep course through the University of Toronto (my blog post on the CSI course is the most popular on this blog!): DONE
• Started several paid freelance writing projects: IN PROGRESS

The Not Done Category includes:

• Finish novel started in November 2008: NOT DONE
• Wrote the CSI exam (Volume I and II): NOT DONE
• Write at least 100 blog posts in 2010: NOT DONE (not even close!)

Aside from the above I also completed some significant personal and financial goals but those fall outside the scope of this blog. I am also disappointed that I blogged so little in 2010 (either here or in other places). I find blogging and the process of writing to be a rewarding practice but it often seems daunting. I am also thinking of reorienting my blog away from libraries (which I still admire and value, but I don’t work in a library and I have limited day to day contact with the library world per se) and toward the world of banking, finance and economics. I am also considering adding some additional elements to this blog such as book reviews.

How was your 2010? Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve? Will 2011 be different?

With the start of a brand new year, I feel inspired to blog once more. This blog post comes to you from an Internet cafe in New York City operated by “New York Industries, Inc” and I’m in a great mood. Being in this great American metropolis never fails to inspire me.

As it has been several months since I have blogged, I am considering this blog’s direction and purpose. I am inspired by the “year in review” posts that Chris Guillebeau (Guillebeau actually has this interesting process of doing a personal/travel/business annual review that is well worth reading) and Seth Godin put up about 2010. I don’t have time to write up my thoughts in much detail right now but I feel that 2010 ended on a high note after months of struggle and difficulty.

And with that, I shall conclude.

Speaking the language of a large, complex organization is a skill that takes some time to develop. In my new role, I have been tackling the challenge of learning a great deal about how the organization operates and understanding my own role. I have been particularly struck by the great amount of abbreviations that need to be mastered and understood in the course of daily work. The organization does have an acronym dictionary available for staff (a great idea to implement if you don’t have one) but, almost by definition, it cannot cover everything. So I’m taking copious notes, asking questions and meeting with my colleagues to deepen my understanding.

This particular experience has also prompted me to reflect on my ongoing journey from student to professional, a journey that is still unfolding. Back when I was a university student, people would sometimes say one of the benefits of university study is learning how to learn. That is absolutely true! All those study habits, highly developed reading skills and so far are tremendously valuable in the world of work. I am also finding the ability to quickly asses and understand complex documents and policies to be worthwhile, even if the approach is new to me. As much as I am focused on being a professional, I still think there is much to be said for the wide ranging interests and curiousity of (good) students. Those are some of the traits that I will seek to keep.

Notes on the diagram: The above diagram is my first attempt to visualize some of the insights from the lecture I am reporting on below. The baseline on the bottom is meant to signify the possibly of forgetting or failing to invest in learning. The gentle arc I have put in place suggests that learning is the generally the focus of early life but it very much continues as one continues through life. I left out some of the more informal kinds of learning only because I did not quite know how to symbolize them or where to place them on the arc. I’m certainly open to suggestions on how the diagram could be rendered richer and morecomplete.

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to attend a public lecture at the iSchool Institute by serial technology entrepreneur Steven Forth. His talk explored the theme of lifelong learning and the question of who owns learning and our records of this. During the wide ranging topic, he also discussed setting goals and learning plans. In reading productivity books and blogs (including the noted Getting Things Done book), I had come across some of this goal setting ideas before. However, Forth paired this system with the Strengths Finder methodology in a way I found quite engaging. Through graduate school and in other contexts, I have had an interest in learning how different people learn and this talk deepened that interest further. One aspect I had not yet previously considered was Forth’s example of how some people prefer to understand a model or abstraction first and then consider applications while others prefer to build up experience and then derive rules or a model from that.

In reflecting on the event, several questions come to mind that I would like to share with my readers:

• How should one reflect on and plan informal learning (loosely defined as learning that occurs outside the purview of formal educational institutions)?

• What is the right balance of learning goals? (in Forth’s examples, drawn from real individuals, he generally listed three major goals per year with a mix of career goals and lifestyle goals)

• Beyond funding for educational activities, how should employers support learning? (A truly complex question but one well worth exploring)

Now for some shameless self promotion! If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested to have a look at my post on the inaugural iSchool Institute given in April: The Launch of the iSchool Institute. The next iSchool public lecture, “IT Has a Great Future Potential: Is the Management Ready?” by Bruce J. Rogow on October 27 looks very promising as well; register for this free event.

In a complex organization, information has many different qualities and poses different problems. For traditional librarians or researchers, it is traditional to think of information positively. Better information and better organized information helps people think through problems, feel less stress and otherwise work more effectively. However, risk presents another way to think about information. Information risks are varied including managing privacy issues, complying with legal requirements and managing internal controls. The risk approach to information is something of a new concept to me and I am still thinking my way through its implications. What kinds of risks can be eliminated? What sort of risks can only be monitored? What kinds of methods exist for measuring information risks? These are some of the questions I have been thinking about lately and which I may explore in this blog later on.

In the September 2010 issue of WIRED, Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff have an interesting article, “The Web is Dead, Long Live the Internet.” While it is certainly an interesting article that looks at the rise of apps and the appeal of closed systems such as those made by Apple, I am unconvinced. Part of the argument – that most users of the Internet simply want it to work effectively and reliably – does have some merit. In my mind, this article jumps the gun by a few years at least. The App way of experiencing the Internet is still mainly a handheld device experience and most users still use computers, rather than smart phones or tablet computers. The article is at its best when it considers how the move from Web to Apps may effect business models; the authors argue that Google effectively dominates the Web but that potentially more companies could succeed in an App economy though they may still function as an oligopoly.

It has been over two months since my last post so I thought I would briefly write once again. The summer has seen me work on a number of projects, undertake some travel and read quite a few books. I’m thinking that I may review the direction and emphasis of this blog as a matter of fact. Before I alter course, I think I will post reviews of some of the books I’ve been reading. Stay tuned for more posts as August progresses.

One of the volunteer roles I took on this role was serving as co-editor of the Courier, a newsletter produced for members of the Toronto Chapter of SLA. The position gives me the opportunity to work with a variety of writers and meet new people in the profession. I am happy to report that the latest issue, Volume 47, Number 3, Spring 2010, is now available on the SLA Toronto website.

Here is the Editor’s Letter I wrote for this edition:

Our second issue of 2010 is one of the biggest and best we have ever seen. As usual, the Courier remains the best place to stay informed about the activities and accomplishments of the chapter’s members and leadership. This issue also contains reports on one of the Chapter’s latest events — Dine-Arounds, a wonderful way to combine dining with professional development.

This issue also benefits from a number of first time contributors ranging from student members to librarians. The winners of the 2010 FPinfomart Student-to-Conference Award, Elysia Guzik and Shannon McMillan, have included their statements in this issue. Katya Pereyaslayska and Sandy Iverson both explore the topic of education from different angles. Dana Craig and Peter Duerr of York University explain how GIS technologies can be used to cope with disasters and emergencies. The breadth and variety of these contributions should make for a very stimulating read.

Please enjoy the issue and keep sending in the great contributions!