Have you seen the new Eames documentary, yet? The full title is Eames: The Architect and the Painter. Here’s a teaser, the trailer, above. Bonus: James Franco narrates!

This just in, Ice Cube on the Eames:

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99 % is a great website (whose name predates the popular OWS movement), focusing on workplace efficiency and creativity. Recently, they posted 10 tools for concentration and efficiency. This is a good time to double down on your efforts to work effectively, as holiday distractions are around the corner.

Here are ten applications that can help you focus:

1. Self-Control – Block out distracting websites for a set amount of time.
If you find yourself slipping into a Twitter sinkhole when you should be updating your business plan, Self-Control may be the app you need. Set it for 4 hours, for instance, and your browser will behave as if it’s offline for that period of time. No amount of browser restarts or computer reboots will stop it. Before you have heart palpitations, know that you can whitelist or blacklist certain sites. So, rather than completely disabling the entire Internet, you can selectively decide which sites are OK, or not OK, to visit during your focus period. For Macs only. PC users can try Freedom, a similar app.

2. TrackTime – Audit how you’re spending your time on your computer.
This good-looking app tracks everything you do on your computer, spitting back out a sort of “attention audit.” How much time are you spending in Firefox? How many hours a day in your email client? What are listening to on iTunes? If you let TrackTime run in the background, it builds these patterns into a lovely rainbow-colored timeline of your online life. Its most effective use is as a sort of wake-up call: If your daily timeline shows you shifting between apps and tasks every 2 minutes or less, you know there’s a problem. For Macs only.

3. Concentrate – Maximize focus while shifting between different tasks.
Concentrate is great for shifting between tasks that require different mindsets. I have a variety of recurring tasks that require different tools: 1) Writing, 2) Social Media Management, 3) Event Planning. Concentrate lets me configure a different set of tools for each task. When I activate “Writing,” the app automatically closes my email client and Internet Browser; blocks me from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; launches Microsoft Word; and sets my instant messaging status to “away”. Then, when I want to concentrate on “Social Media Management,” I can customize a completely different set of actions to happen relevant to that activity. There’s also a handy “concentration” timer. For Macs only.

4. Notational Velocity – Centralize and sync all of your scattered notes.
If you’re anything like me, one primarily challenge for focusing is getting all your notes in one place. Before Notational Velocity, I would write some notes on paper, some on text files on my desktop, some on my iPhone notes app when on the go. Notational Velocity organizes all of your notes on your desktop in a centralized, searchable location and syncs with Simplenote or WriteRoom on your iPhone. This seems like a little thing, but it really makes life so much easier. (More nerdy details here.) For Macs only.

5. FocusBooster – Focus on single tasks for 25 minutes apiece.
This app is based on the principles of the Pomodoro Technique, a time management system that challenges you to focus on a single task for 25 minutes and then give yourself a 5-minute break. Combining the features of a to-do list and a time-management coach, FocusBooster allows you to list out your daily tasks, and then it tracks your time as you work through them. When 25 minutes are up, an alarm sounds and you get a break. It’s an easy way to practice expanding your attention span without going overboard. For Macs and PCs.

6. Think – Limit your attention to a single application at a time.
This is an extremely simple app that’s akin to “Spaces” on a Mac. When activated, Think allows you to bring just one application into the foreground on your computer, while everything else is hidden underneath a nearly opaque backdrop. While you can easily shift between other applications when you need to, it creates a clean space for focusing on the task at hand. (It also works well in tandem with FocusBooster.) For Macs only.

7. FocusWriter – Create a distraction-free environment for writing.
If writing is something that you do on a regular basis, it’s incredibly useful to have an easy way to create a distraction-free setting. FocusWriter re-creates a word processor-like environment, blocking out absolutely everything on your screen except for the words you type on a simple grey background – all menus (date, timer, dock, etc) are tucked away until rollover. Despite its pristine appearance, FocusWriter does have the usual rich text editor features, such as spellcheck and word count. Plus a few bonuses like a daily writing goal (word count or writing time) and very gratifying typewriter sounds for each keystroke. For Macs and PCs.

8. Anti-Social – Block the social websites that are killing your focus.
Anti-Social is like a light version of full-scale Internet-blocker Freedom. Rather than blocking the Internet in its entirety, Anti-Social automatically blocks all of the known timesinks for a set period of time. Sites that are off-limits include Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Digg, Reddit, YouTube, Hulu, Vimeo, and all standard web email programs. It’s not that different from Self-Control (see above), except that it comes pre-equipped with a blacklist (which you can add to, of course). If you can’t handle your Internet abstinence, you can turn Anti-Social off by rebooting your computer. For Macs and PCs.

9. StayFocusd – Curb the time you spend browsing time-wasting sites.
This extension, for users of Google’s Chrome browser, works in the reverse manner to Anti-Social or Self-Control. Rather than setting a period of time for which you CANNOT use the Internet, it allows you to set a period of time to indulge in time-wasting sites. Only want to give yourself 60 minutes a day for Twitter, vanity Googling, and updating your Netflix queue? This is your app. Rather like when you were a kid and only allowed to watch 2 hours of TV a day. For Firefox users, LeechBlock performs a similar function. For Macs and PCs.

10. Time Out – Take regular breaks to keep your focus sharp.
For optimal focus, we need to take regular time-outs to relax and rebuild our energy. Time Out is a super-simple application that runs in the background while you work. At set intervals (say, every 90 minutes), it fades in and gently reminds you to take a 5-10 minute break. You can also use it to remind you to take 1-minute “micro-breaks” to avoid eye strain from staring at your computer like a zombie for hours on end. For Macs only.

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I have posted photos from Selby photoshoots before. Today, I offer you additional guilty voyeuristic pleasure with a Selby film on Lucy Chadwick. It’s “a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll,” as the Osmonds once sang.

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Apparently, I’m not the only one crazy about Japanese washi masking tape: a special collaboration has resulted in tape large enough to use as giant wall decorations.

[source: hello sandwich]

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The fact that this post goes under the category “Easier” may mislead you: what I’m about to propose is no longer easier for most of us. 99% (and no, this is not related to the Occupy Movement; the 99% refers, here, to the famous ratio: 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration), a great website regarding productivity and creativity offers a challenge to work in half-hour blocks, which may be harder than you think. That means writing or editing for a half hour without checking your email, or working on your CV without reading a favorite blog or making a phone call. Here’s what happened when Cal Newport tried it.

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Remember when we wrote about this discovery? The thrill was not cheap–nor has it died. Here’s a few examples of what you might choose to do with your Japanese paper tape while in temporary digs, or waiting for your art to come back from the framer:

These shots are from this blog. Here are some more shots of paper tape

The dispenser is useful when you indulge your addiction to this tape. You can purchase tape, here.

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I love this book idea as well as its long title:

A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life: How to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc… and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place

I think the title tells us what the book is about, and it offers something hopeful: the anti-Martha Stewart prescription.

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We’re not happy with these cooler climes, but we believe in getting ready. Chains have featured prominently in fashion, this year, but we like this softer take: a chain scarf

This same talented knitter is also responsible for this scarf, which made it into the New York Times:

[photos, here]

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Have you met ‘The Minimalists,” yet? If not, you might be interested in starting here. Though I resisted some of their suggestions, initially (such as clearing my Braun calculator and other well-designed objects off my desk), I’m continuing to read their invitations to ‘reduce,’ with interest.

Here’s a great post on cleaning up your desk

And one on cleaning up your virtual desktop

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Our friends over at From Your Desks featured an interview with designer Chip Kidd. If you aren’t familiar with his name, you are most certainly familiar with his book design.

Here’s a peek at his desk:

Not exactly the office of a minimalist, but charming in its own way. Here’s the interview.

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