It is Friday for me and this post is scheduled as I am rushing to finish off a work project and then I am leaving for a week in the English Lake district after a manic week at work.
I am loaded up with some good books so hopefully will get them reviewed whilst I am away.
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a link to the latest MacHeist bundle. $154 of free Mac Software including the writing productivity tool, WriteRoom for free, or a small donation.
My second link is a link to a great post titled 100 Uses of Evernote. Love Evernote and there are some wild and wacky suggestions on how to use it in this post.
My third link is a cool app called Curio. I saw this originally due to the Evernote integration. I am going to start using this myself and a full review will be coming pretty soon.
My fourth link is a link to a user review of RescueTIme. I mentioned RescueTIme last week and I have signed up and the data is being collected. I have not had a minute to look at it though but I will in the coming weeks. This is quite an interesting post of the technology in action.
My fifth and last link is a link to part five of a GTD Series from The Productive Organizer. The fifth post in this series looks at Contexts, Tags and Executing Tasks.. Great series of posts that I recommend you to check out.
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.
It has been my daughters tenth birthday today. People always comment on how time flies and I must admit that it does not seem two minutes since she was born but I also am happy that the past ten years have been fantastic and I have enjoyed every minute.
Life is a collection of memories and I sure have invested a lot in the memory bank over the past ten years and I thank my wife and children for providing me with these memories.
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a great post covering some Advanced Topics of Getting Things Done with Evernote. Evernote and GTD go together like peas in a pod and posts like this are great for identifying little nuggets from how other people are utilizing such cool apps.
My second link is a link to a How I Get Things Done post from Farcornertech.com called Mind Like Water: My Perfect Readiness GTD. Interesting stuff and good to read about how the author combines work based GTD on Microsoft and home based GTD on Apple Mac.
My third link is a link to a great Mac application called TextExpander. This has been around a while but I have only started to really look at it the past few days. Wow, this can really save you some time so if you are on a Mac, check it out!
My fourth link provides a Gmail GTD post covering GTD Action Lists and Gmail Labels. Again, I am not a heavy Gmail user but I know a lot of you are so I always like to include these Gmail GTD tips.
My fifth and last link is a link to an overview of the GTD book and methodology from benchfly.com. I always like to read these intros covering GTD and productivity to see what peoples first impressions are.
Planning ahead of me this week. Mind Mapping skills at the ready, and I am looking forward to it!
I have had another good week although I was only working three days of it after a great short break to Swaledale. Spent all weekend doing DIY as we are now ripping out the en-suite bathroom.
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a great post titled GTD with a Baby on Board. This post is from the Glad Dads blog and it is a great post about the changes that a baby can bring, especially to your Getting Things Done methodology.
My third link is a link to a post from LifeHacker titled Dump Your To-Do List and Keep Your Sanity. This is an interesting post that presents the concept of ditching the to do list. Worth a read.
My fourth link provides information about 10 great ways to use Evernote. I love Evernote and use it every day. I am using it more and more after purchasing my ScanSnap scanner. This post provides 10 ways to use Evernote to your advantage!
My fifth and last link is a link to a blogger who is running a competition for the chance to win free copies of the Getting Things Done book by David Allen for signing up to his newsletter. If you do not already have the book, this is worth a shot.
I will get another post done this week about my initial set up. My holiday next Sunday will sort of cut short my time in the new office, but for good reason so I will write more about how my new office is shaping up on my return.
I am loving the ScanSnap and must tell you all about it in a blog post!
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a simple GTD and Evernote workflow blog post from Darren Crawford. Darren has set up Evernote as his GTD system. I would love to be able to integrate OmniFocus and Evernote more and this is something I am trying to do with AppleScript.
My second link is a link to a post about how one blog author uses the new Microsoft Outlook 2010 for his Getting Things Done system. I used to use Microsoft Outlook before I switched to the Mac and at the time I use PlanPlus from Franklin Covey. This is a good read for those of you using Microsoft Outlook.
My third link is a link to a post about Getting Things Done with the Google Tasks Feature from the Tech Tips for Catholics blog. This is an interesting read from a blog with some good resources. I found this via Twitter and a random search on the GTD hashtag!
My fourth link is a link to link to a good post that i was reading recently titled 4 Steps for Organizational Agility. This is from the Merchant Stand blog. Akthough not directly related to GTD it does focus on the need to be agile from an organizational perspective. How strange it is to see productive workers working in an organization that does not share the same ethos!
My fifth and last link is a link to a part 4 of some great OmniFocus tips for Advanced Users. This tip is about how to use OmniFocus to unlock future projects. I have learned a lot from these posts and they are great reading for all OmniFocus users!
I go away on my main summer holiday next Sunday for two weeks in Italy so this is the last post I will be writing live. I will get some scheduled for when I am away and put my trust in the WordPress scheduling system.
Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter as I post great Productivity and Motivational links on a daily basis!
I am eventually back into my home office and I aim to make it as productive as can be!
It has been around three weeks in the making and I am very happy with it. I just have to sort out the cabling so it is all hidden and I will also get a blog post written about my findings.
I am starting to play with my ScanSnap and Evernote and must admit that I am very happy with the results so far!
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a link from the CNN Money website titled Getting Things Done guru goes digital. Quite an interesting post about the GTD and the new digital help we are getting to implement it.
My second link is a link to a GTD and Covey Implementation via “Things” [Mac, iPhone]. This is a nice review of a GTD/Covey implementation using pretty much the same hardware as I do, a Mac and an iPhone. I used to be an advocate of the Fraklin Covey system before I discovered GTD!
My third link is a link to a blog post titled 7 Ways Less Can Mean More. Interesting post from the Mildly Creative blog that shows you when doing less of one thing gives you more benefit in creativity and productivity!
My fourth link is a link to link to Getting Things Gnome! . This is a cool new app for the Linux GUI, Gnome that you must check out if you are a Linux user!
My fifth and last link is a link to a part 3 of some great OmniFocus tips for Advanced Users. This tip is about how to use OmniFocus. I have learned a lot from these posts and they are great reading for all OmniFocus users!
Hope you have all had a great weekend and heres wishing you all the best for the coming week!
Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter as I post great Productivity and Motivational links on a daily basis!
The much publicized Apple iPhone 3.0 update was released around 1000 PDT yesterday.
I started my update as soon as I could and installed the latest version of the iPhone OS eagerly waiting to test out some of the new features. All very well and good.
Today, my two killer iPhone Apps, OmniFocus and Evernote both got upgraded to take advantage of the iPhone 3.0 features.
OmniFocus
OmniFocus version 1.5 for the iPhone has been released.
The main feature in this upgrade include integration of cut, copy, and paste features as well as utilizing the integrated maps.
These improvements include better synchronization, no “Pending” Tab, Instant Groups, Advanced Searching, Way Better Audio, Landscape View and many bug fixes.
The great guys over at Evernote have made a nice little video of the latest features of 3.0.
This is a great time to own an iPhone if you are into productivity!
I am writing this post on Saturday as I am taking my wife away tomorrow for our wedding anniversary which is on Monday the 15th of June. We are staying in a nice hotel and spa to celebrate our 13 years of marriage!
I started to clear out my office and I am dedicating more time to it next week. I want to get it decorated in the next week so that I can start to plan the layout and get the new office furniture ordered. I am really looking forward to improving my home office.
My second link is a link to a little post and video about how to Get More Organized with Evernote. I love Evernote and I am looking forward to getting my new scanner and going totally paperless using Evernote!
My third link is a link to a great post titled Three Quick Tips for Getting Ahead in Life. All three tips are simple but very thought provoking and I am sure that you, as I can take something from these three tips.
My fourth link is a link to a post about Making OmniFocus look good with themes. I have mentioned before that I love the functionality of OmniFocus but the visual appeal of Things and The Hit List do draw me to their apps. This post shows you how you can make OmniFocus look much better by applying themes.
My fifth and last link is a link to a post about GTD.NET, which is a Microsoft .NET GTD Application for Windows desktop clients as well as Windows Mobile Devices. Not one for me but looks great for Windows users. I will download it to one of my Windows VMs to check it out.
I am happy to say that I am eventually upgrading my home office and this is something I am really looking forward to.
My current office layout is now nearly 8 years old and a lot has changed since then. Time for a change and time for me to start with a blank canvas and plan an ideal and productive home office.
My home office 9 foot x 7 foot, so a pretty good size for just me and all the techie gadgets I can fit into it!
I am trying to get quite a minimal layout within my office whilst building a great working environment. My current office is rather cluttered and does become a dumping ground for a lot of things.
So, the essentials I need as far as I can see are a chair, desk, filing cabinet, inbox trays, and some cabinet to hold my printer.
I am totally clearing my office and buying everything new. I am going to take down my wall units and get the office painted and new carpet.
I currently have a desk with two drawers down each side. One is a drawer and filing cabinet and the other is three drawers. The filing cabinet is bad as it is hard to get my files in and out due to the layout of the drawer and the fact that it does not fully open. I currently have quite a cheap fake leather chair. My printer is on the top of a nice Ikea wooden cupboard.
For my new office I want a big, curved desk to hold my MacBook Pro and 30″ Monitor. I have seen one in Ikea from the Galant range. I want to do away with pedestal drawers as I just seem to fill these with junk, as most drawers are in most offices.
I am looking for a nice premium but trendy chair. Not really started looking but one in Costco does take my eye although it is quite expensive at £250.
I currently do not have a great filing capability and I must have a good filing cabinet in my new office. I want at least two drawers with the ability to utilize my manila folders and A to Z system.
I do not implement the Tickler File so no need for the 43 folders!
I have a laser printer that I do use quite a lot when I need to print anything out. It is only a small footprint but I still need some cabinet to keep it in, ideally out of view.
I am also really fancying a scanner to go totally paperless. I currently have a HP OfficeJet All In One but this has a large footprint and takes an absolute age to scan from.
I therefore will purchase a Fujitsu ScanSnap. The models I am looking at are the S300M or the S510M. These are not cheap scanners but the ability to duplex scan as well as use the ability to load the document tray with up to 20 sheets makes these a very attractive proposition.
I love Evernote and the ability to scan from the ScanSnap scanners straight to Evernote looks amazing, and one of my main drivers for trying a totally paperless office.
If I implement a paperless office I am going to need a good shredder. I currently have a bin shredder but it is quite lightweight so I may look at the cost of updating to something more heavy duty as I plan to shred everything I can.
I will take photos and keep you all updated of my new workspace.
Also, the photo at the top of this post is NOT my current home office 🙂
I would love to hear any recommendations anybody has about building the ideal home office or the choice of equipment to place in the office to make it as productive as possible.
At long last, the awesome collection tool Evernote is available for the BlackBerry mobile platform.
I love Evernote and currently use it on the web, my Mac, and my iPhone. I used to be a Blackberry user and I know that a lot of Blackberry users have been waiting for this for quite a while.
This was announced on the Evernote Blog where you can find full release information.
I will leave you with a little video from Evernote about the Integration.
I am happy to say that I am eventually upgrading my home office and this is something I am really looking forward to.