Productivity is such a hot issue in recent years in part because distractions have all but taken over our days. We spend time checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and dozens of other sites – and before we know it, half of the workday has eroded away. Designer Lucas Neumann was driven to create a real, physical object that would help us stay on task and accomplish goals throughout the day.

Bossy is a small desktop cylinder that Neumann likens to a sticky note. It combines the unlimited organizational powers of the internet with the tactile satisfaction of finishing a task and crumpling up the note that reminded you to do it. The big difference – other than the difference between analog and digital, of course – is that Bossy breaks up your daily tasks into three to-dos at a time, eliminating the overwhelming feeling of having a million things to do.

The Bossy pulls your to-do list from your task management software and serves your tasks up three at a time. The display is pleasantly uncluttered, with a white background and three cute circles displaying the things you need to accomplish. When you finish one, you press the soft silicon surface and the bubble pops, giving you a satisfying tactile experience to go along with your sense of accomplishment.

One of the more interesting aspects of Bossy is its ability to mute your distractions. It can turn off your Twitter feed and Facebook notifications so that you can keep all of your attention on the tasks at hand. Will Bossy ever replace the ubiquitous sticky note? Possibly, but at the moment it’s just an interesting prototype that the designer hopes to fund via Kickstarter after some further development.

The post Meet Bossy, the Friendly Digital Sticky Note Task Organizer first appeared on Gajitz.

The switch plate is an overlooked, underused and often abused home accessory. For as small a space it fills, designer Justin Porcano very cleverly turned the small uni-tasking panel into a full-on utility area.

Porcano created the Walhub, a dedicated location to hang, store, place and stick those items you use every day – keys, sunglasses, light sweaters and even the mail. Just to the right or left of the switch (the Walhub offers plates for rocker and toggle switches) is an added area that can feature up to two hooks and a slot wide enough to fit several envelopes. It can purportedly hold up to fifteen pounds.

Walhub adds practical function to a logical location.  In one swoop, the lights are turned off and your keys are in your hands. Now, the question is: do you know where your keys are?

The post Simple Extension Turns Switch Plates Into Storage Centers first appeared on Gajitz.

For decades, we’ve been looking forward to completely digital paper-free offices. Unfortunately, it appears that this dream will never come true. We’ve got the technology to go paperless, but offices and homes are still chock full of papers. So maybe the answer is to use current tech to make paper filing simpler.

That’s the aim of iMicroData, the company that developed the iMD Smart Filing System. The system smoothly integrates digital technology with analog filing methods to create a wired filing cabinet with folders that show you where they are. The system requires you to index all of your existing files into an app. Then, using wi-fi and RFID tags, it tracks which drawer the folder goes into.

When you need to locate a file, you go to the app and search for the identifying information, including keywords or tags. The app tells you which drawer the folder is in, unlocks that drawer and causes the LED on the outside to blink. When you open the drawer, an LED glows on the folder you want to lead you right to it. If you need to move the folder to a different location, you put it there and press the “re-file” button on the outside of the drawer; the system learns the new location. Conductive rails in the drawers keep the folder LEDs powered; each folder has a light that lets you know it’s receiving power.

The system can even track down missing or checked out files, a feature which makes the whole setup priceless for companies with notorious file losers. All in all, the iMD Smart Filing System can track up to four billion folders, which is the equivalent of 40 million file cabinets. The “master” cabinet will cost $2000 and each additional cabinet will cost $1500, which sounds totally worth it for the office arguments this system could prevent and the added level of security that comes from not having to label folders or drawers.

The post Smart Filing System is a Clever Blend of High-Tech + Low-Tech first appeared on Gajitz.

Of all the household items that have been enhanced with technological components, this product may be the most unexpected. A Swiss company called BLACKSOCKS has put RFID chips in – you guessed it – socks. But it isn’t to track down those oft-joked-about missing socks that go AWOL from the dryer; it is actually part of a very sophisticated system to keep your foot clothes looking and feeling just right.

The Smarter Socks system involves an RFID scanner and an iPhone app, along with regular deliveries of fine Italian socks. After a load of socks is washed, the user scans each sock with the RFID scanner. The scanner sends the sock’s info to the app via Bluetooth, telling how old the sock is, which matching sock is its sole mate, how many washes it has endured, and which foot it goes on.

The black socks will, like all black clothing, fade over time – that’s why the app’s Blackometer function tells you when your fancy-pants socks are “no longer properly black,” then helps you order new ones. This seems like overkill, but if you’re going to have electronic socks you might as well only wear the nicest-looking ones possible.

If one of your socks manages to escape and you just can’t find it, the app allows you to pair up the remaining partner with another match-free sock to form a brand new pair. The company behind the system admits that while their product is pretty great, it can’t eliminate the chore of matching up socks entirely…which is kind of what we’re holding out for.

The post RFID-Chipped Electronic Socks Keep Themselves Organized first appeared on Gajitz.

Keeping cords and cables out of the way is one of those problems with a million solutions – but no one solution that works for everyone. Could this simple piece of plastic be that universal solution? The ISI Clip is little more than a flexible, folded little piece of plastic with a few slots in one end, but it solves one of the most irritating problems of the information age.

The ISI Clip fits over the edge of a desk or table, letting cords and cables slip easily into the slots on the end and keeping them organized. The concept is simple, sophisticated and utterly useful, making it one of the cleverest cord management solutions we’ve seen.

The post Simple Little Clamp Keeps Cords Organized + Out of the Way first appeared on Gajitz.