Monthly Archives: October 2009

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 25th October 2009

This coming week brings with it some work challenges that will result in long hours and a requirement to focus more than usual. We have the same challenge every October so I know how to get through it.

Hopefully my home office will be completed this week, framing my last picture and then it is time for a writing update.

Had a list of five household items to do today, and glad to say that I did them all so I am just about to sit down with a noce Pinot Grigio and enjoy some R&R time!

Here are my collection of links for this week.

  • My first link for this week is to an intriguing application called RescueTIme. The intro on the website claims that RescueTime recovers on average 3 hours and 54 minutes of productive time for an average user. I will leave this here as I am going to play with this and write a full review.
  • My second link is a link to a post about Applying the Pomodoro Technique in Writing. I linked to the Pomodoro technique last week and this post looks at how you can apply this technique to writing.
  • My third link is a review of Evernote from MacWorld. Evernote is one of my favorite applications so be sure to check out this review.
  • My fourth link is a link to a great list of free GTD Resources from GTD Times. I have not featured GTD Times for a while but this is a good resource for people into productivity and the Getting Things Done methodology.
  • My fifth and last link is a link to part three of a GTD Series from The Productive Organizer. The third post in the series provides information on why the author chose to use the ToDo application by Appigo as their GTD application of choice. Great series of posts that I recommend you to check out.

Hope you all have a great week!

OmniFocus, GTD, and You – Free Whitepaper

This white paper has been out a few days and I was meaning to blog about it sooner but only just got the chance due to my every increasing workload.

So, here is the news regarding OmniFocus and GTD.

OmniGroup, the team behind the Mac and iPhone Getting Things Done app, OmniFocus have released an awesome and free white paper titled OmniFocus, GTD, and You.

This is a 20 page white paper that looks at GTD and the way that you can implement it in a software application such as OmniFocus. Obviously this is very biased towards OmniFocus but the white paper is also of use and contains great information for those of you who do not use OmniFocus.

The white paper starts with a statement from David Allen, the creator of the Getting Things Done Methodology.

“OmniFocus is a stellar tool for keeping track of outcomes and actions in the Mac environment. It supports simple but important practices for keeping your head clear, staying focused, and managing your commitments.”, David Allen.

Great for OmniFocus to get this endorsement from David Allen, and an endorsement that is well deserved. DavidCo, the company of David Allen are now promoting OmniFocus as their Mac GTD app of choice in their online store.

I am not affiliated with OmniGroup or OmniFocus in any way so I have nothing to gain. I have used OmniFocus since the first beta versions and I have recommended it to many people.

Be sure to check out this white paper and if you do use a Mac, give OmniFocus a try!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 18th October 2009

The last week has been replaced with a blur!

I had a great time at the A4UExpo in London. It was great to meet up with so many old friends.

I was back at work for a day before going away for the weekend with my family and I have just returned.

Hoping to get some more time this coming week.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

  • My first link for this week outlines the Pomodoro productivity technique as an alternative to GTD. This makes good reading for anybody interested in productivity. I follow GTD but must admit that some of what works best for me in my own system has crept in to the way I get things done. This topic needs a post all on its own!
  • My second link is a link to a nice post titled 100 Ways To Develop Your Mind by Steven Aitchison. There are 100 little tricks to help you develop your mind, something which we all can never do enough!
  • My third link is a post from Productivity501 that provides a review of Virtual Assistants. I gave AskSunday a trial last year and this is something I am going to try again in the new year for a couple of projects I have. Interesting read and a great resource for people who have work that can be delegated to a virtual assistant.
  • My fourth link is a link to a new productivity app for the Apple iPhone called 2Do. This looks a neat little app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The interface looks nice, shame there is no desktop version to sync with!
  • My fifth and last link is a link to part two of a GTD Series from The Productive Organizer. The second post in the series provides information on why the author chose the iPod Touch as their GTD tool.. Great series of posts that I recommend you to check out.

Hope you all have a great week!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 11th October 2009

After a hectic week I am tonight preparing to visit the 2009 A4UExpo that is held over the next few days at the Excel conference centre in London.

Looking forward to meeting a lot of old friends and also hoping for a bit of inspiration to start some new projects this side of Christmas.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

  • My first link for this week is an old but very good post titled What is Wrong with GTD. This post was doing the rounds on Twitter so I thought I would mention it again although I linked to it in the past. Well worth a read and I would love to know your thoughts on the subject.
  • My second link is a link to a nice post on how to set up Evernote as a GTD system in 15 minutes. It is no secret that Evernote is a tool I use and love although I do not use it as a GTD system. Interesting yo see how the author does it. Would this work for you?
  • My third link is a post from Nik Agarwal titled I’m Joining the GTD Bandwagon. This is a good intro to GTD and explains why the author of the post decided to give it a shot. I always like reading this type of posts to see how other people discover GTD and their initial thoughts on the methodology.
  • My fourth link is a link to a nice comparison of the two leading Mac GTD Apps, OmniFocus and Things. I am a long time OmniFocus user, ever since the very early beta although I must admit that the look of Things has taken my eye quite a few times.
  • My fifth and last link is a link to part one of a GTD Series from The Productive Organizer. This initial post int eh series provides an overview of the Getting Things Done methodology. Great series of posts that I recommend you to check out.

Hope you all have a great week!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 4th October 2009

Another week flies by..

Looked at the calendar today and worked out that it is just over 11 weeks until Christmas. The Christmas lights went up in my village this week and our local supermarket is stocking up on advent calendars already!

Here are my collection of links for this week.

  • My first link for this week is a fantastic post from LateralAction.com titled 9 Productivity Lessons from the First 2 Months of Parenthood. I have four children myself and anybody with children can tell you how they change things. I always state that productivity has been forced on me. I have to be productive or I would fail in everything I do!
  • My second link is a link to a good post from the Task Blog titled Before Getting Things Done, there’s Getting Things Started. This is a very good post that covers the fact that most people fail to start rather than fail to get things done. Having a methodology goes out of the window if procrastination prevents you from making that every important first step!
  • My third link is a post from Web Worker Daily that provides some Productivity Tips from the Trenches. These are tips from some successful Internet workers and they each share some tips on how they get things done.
  • My fourth link is a link to a nice little post from ZenHabits titled
    There’s No Task Easier Than No Task. Simple but effective post that asks the question about if the task should be on your list in the first place?
  • My fifth and last link is a link to a list of the Five Best Weight-Management Tools from Lifehacker. I do not have a weight problem but I have been looking for a way to track my weight and fitness activities and some of the solutions listed here look great so I though I would share it.

Hope you all have a great week!

PDF Productivity with iPhone and Dropbox

iphone dropbox pdf productivityThis is the first guest post that I have had on DidIGetThingsDone.com and it is written by Chris Garrett, co-author of the ProBlogger Book, speaker at many blogging and new media conferences and a genuine good guy.

In this post, Chris is going to provide an overview of PDF Productivity with the Apple iPhone and Dropbox.

Since I bought my iPod touch, and more recently upgraded to an iPhone 3GS, I have been making better use of my time by reading PDF documents while out and about. You can see more about my iPhone software productivity obsession here.

It is amazing how much spare time you actually have in a day. Think of all the times you are just waiting.

  • Daily commute
  • Waiting in line
  • Sat at a restaurant table
  • Outside changing rooms while friend or family member tries on their 20th item
  • Before meetings
  • After calling a taxi
  • Airport lounges
  • Security lines

Rather than sit and stare into space or doodle on a napkin, I have been reading ebooks, memorizing from mindmaps, and generally trying to fill the time while filling my head.

Up to now I have been getting these documents onto my iPhone using various methods such as emailing them to myself, or using an app called Files that allows you to configure your iPhone as a mini file server. Now I have a better choice, which makes moving files to your iPhone AND enabling offline storage much easier.

Dropbox now has an iPhone application!

If you do not know Dropbox, you are in for a treat. It is a free online storage space (up to 2gb, then you start paying) that allows you to sync files between computers and your online storage. It’s like a hard disk that follows you around. Now with the iPhone app you can sync to your iPhone too. And when you make the file a favorite you have instant access to the file even without an internet connection.

Go to https://www.getdropbox.com and check it out and create an account, then install the appropriate desktop application for your computer type (windows, mac and linux). When you have done that, grab the iPhone app and get logged in. Now any files you drag on to your Dropbox will appear on your iPhone – easy!

Of course my wife is not happy that I have my head down tinkering with my iPhone all the time … as yet I haven’t found an app that can help with that particular speed bump …

Do you see the iPhone as a productivity boon or a productivity pain? Please let me know in the comments …