Tag Archives: gtd

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 8th February 2009

I have had a really big report to finish this week for a client, probably the largest I have ever done so my head has been busy and I have not had much time for blogging.

I am happy to say that I finished the report but I do not like having a piece of work that totally consumes your time. I feel trapped with this type of work and try my best to avoid it at all costs.

I have a lot going on and when I have to focus on a sole project like this for a whole week it does upset my rhythm. Surely something I need to look at and blog about!

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week is a link to a post from fellow productivity blogger Dragos over at eDragonU about using Travel as a Personal Development Tool. I love to travel and I have been fortunate enough to travel to travel to many countries and I agree that if used right, travel can really help with personal development.
My second link is a link to a four part series (and growing) on Evernote and GTD. I love Evernote and use it in my GTD setup along with OmniFocus. I picked up some good little tips from these posts so check them out.
My third link is a link to a post from TXFX about why Things is not a GTD App. I found this through a link to my blog in the post and the post certainly makes interesting reading.
My fourth link is a link to a post from the Daily Herald titled Its High Time To Get Organized. Being a GTD Advocate and Productivity Blogger I couldn’t agree more so what are you waiting for!
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to a nice little review of Tracks, the Ruby on Rails GTD App. I have done a review of Tracks which I aim to get posted this week.

Don’t forget that if you have a great post that you would like me to link to, the best way is to link to me in your post as I pick up all trackbacks and usually respond in kind.

Alternatively, leave me a comment on one of these posts or contact me via the contact form.

Hope you all have a very productive week ahead. I know I will!

Andrew..

OmniFocus iPhone App Updates to 1.2

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The OmniGroup have today released version 1.2 for their iPhone OmniFocus application.

I have been using OmniFocus both on my Mac and iPhone since beta versions of both products.

I have had my gripes with OmniFocus on the iPhone, mainly due to the speed and I am glad to say that v1.2 definitely feels snappier, but still there is still some room for improvement before that annoying lag is removed from the application startup.

Here are a list of new features in v1.2 of OmniFocus for the iPhone.

The Nearby view now displays each context as soon as its distance is determined, rather than waiting to figure out the distance to each context before showing any results. It also scrolls much faster.

Checkboxes are much easier to touch.

When creating a new action, the keyboard appears immediately rather than sliding in after the screen.

On the home screen, Settings have moved to the Info button in the bottom right corner.

The Reset Database button in Settings will now reset the saved sync password in addition to the database, and will then take you back to the original welcome screen.

Syncing automatically compacts the database on a regular basis, but when syncing is not enabled there’s now a Compact Database button in Settings. (There’s also some text there indicating how many tasks are stored in how many zip files, so you can tell whether your database could benefit from compacting.)

Added underlying support for the new autocomplete settings for projects and groups which are coming in OmniFocus v1.6 for Mac.

Actions without contexts are no longer considered unavailable

Version 1.6 of the desktop app has just gone to Sneaky Peak so that will hopefully be due out soon, bringing with it improvements.

iZoho iPhone Application

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Zoho
Zoho is a popular project management program which has only been available for desktop and laptop usage up until last year.

The addition of the iZoho iPhone application is meant to branch the service out to smartphone users who require access to the organizational software while away from the computer.

The release of iZoho effectively boiled down the existing formula of the program in order to provide an optimized experience for mobile users.

This effort has resulted in the iPhone version hosting only document, presentation and spreadsheet access, something which is still fairly impressive but ultimately of lesser worth than competing programs.

Users are able to open, edit or create new Zoho documents and organize their data through this format but are forbidden write authorization for the other two categories.

While it may be useful to view presentation and spreadsheet information the document-only usage of iZoho cuts the service off from being of any real use past a simple convenience for pre-existing Zoho users.

Although there is certainly nothing wrong with iZoho it’s difficult to shake the feeling that there are better uses of your time and effort while perusing the software.

Taken as what it is, iZoho is sufficient as a somewhat limited productivity app but fails in holding itself up against the competition and it’s own, non-mobile renditions.

Do you have any experience with iZoho? Please leave a comment and share if you do.

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 1st February 2009

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Well, one month down in 2009 already. Hope your year is working out well.

I have been bashing the @Home context again this weekend removing the tiles from our bathroom in preparation for a tiler to arrive next week. Need a well earned break in front of my computer tonight to catch up on what I have missed this weekend.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week is a post by Michael Deutch from the MindJet Blog titled Making it all Work with MindManager Michael is a regular reader and commenter on this blog and it is great to see such a great GTD post on the MindJet blog.
My second link is a link to the Zen Habits post on How to Get Things Done with Twitter. I have been using Twitter for quite a while now and must admit that sometimes it can be counter productive and quite a distraction. This post shows you how to use Twitter productively and in my opinion it is a must read for all users of Twitter.
My third link is a link to a different take on GMail GTD from Neil Dixon. First time I have linked to this blog and it is a good read. Neil provides some good information if Gmail is the mail system that you use.
My fourth link is a link to 10 Productivity Tips for Road Warriors courtesy of Ian’s Messy Desk. I can spend quite a few days away from the office on road trips so I can see the benefit of the information presented in this post. Carrying a portable document wallet system is a great one for me. All the business receipts go into their correct folders as well as my portable inbox, for any notes or anything else that needs collecting for later processing.
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to a 100 GTD Resources from Mashable. This is the most recent up to date list of GTD resources and applications. There were some new ones on here that I had not heard of. I found out about this through Twitter.

Well, I have got a bit of research and other web work to do before I can call it a day. I am currently listening to a great R&B Spotify Playlist courtesy of Kieron Donoghue. If you have not done already, you must check out Spotify!

Hope you all have a great week.

Andrew..

Tracking your Time in iGoogle, NetVibes, and Windows Vista

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This is not a new application but one I have just stumbled across and one that looks quite useful, especially for Windows users.

This is available as an iGoogle App, a NetVibes App or a Vista Sidebar Widget.

A lot of iGoogle apps lose their appeal after they’ve started to clutter up your homepage and haven’t been touched in days, weeks or even months.

The Activity Tracker is an exception to this rule however and offers a staggering level of organizational potential through a simple yet detailed interface.

The add-on allows users to manage their work to the exact minute by creating a virtual to-do list combined with a punch-card system. Activity Tracker functions through monitoring the amount of time that has been spent on a given task, recording the duration through a timer which is stopped and started by the user.

It allows for a list of upcoming jobs, actions and plans to be customized (and displayed in the drop-down menu for easy reference) then times out the given period. The program is exceptional for a variety of purposes and has been created to be simple yet effective enough that it can be used for anything from casual time management to professional work.

Anyone who finds themselves having a hard time staying on task or remembering how they divided up the work day can benefit from making use of the iGoogle Activity Tracker.

It’s a fantastic tool to have on hand for users as wide-ranging as students who need to manage their homework or studying scheduling to consultants who track the minutes of their work to submit for later payment.

There are a lot of alternatives to this Activity Tracker and I will cover some more of them in upcoming reviews.

If you have any experience in using this or another application like it, I would love to hear from you so please comment below.

Evernote Note Taking Application Review

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I have got quite a few reviews stacked up for release on this blog and I cannot believe that I have never published a review of Evernote before.

I did review the Evernote iPhone application a few months ago. I love Evernote and it really is one of those applications that I use on a daily basis.

Evernote is one of the most well-known organizational programs on the internet and is a great choice for users looking for a GTD application or just a better, general tool to help sort out their daily lives.

Its “remember everything” slogan encapsulates the main goal of the app; to provide an easy and convenient method of taking digital notes from the user’s daily life.

Visually, Evernote is outstanding. The simple yet detailed aesthetic cultivated by the developers makes the program very welcoming and a joy to check into.

Evernote’s main features are all clearly laid out and easy to access for new users or those who only ever really use the program at a basic, surface level.

Each form of the system from the no-download web access to portable phone usage looks and navigates extremely well so users shouldn’t be worried about how their operating system or choice in medium will be able to handle it.

The developers of Evernote have obviously spent a lot of time packing the program with important features. Interface support is, frankly, quite astonishing.

As mentioned before, Evernote can be used on the web, on a Windows or Mac Client and also on mobile devices including the Apple iPhone. The option of signing in and using the whole array of tools without a download is also great for users who wish to access the program from various computers.

Some of the more innovative aspects of the application include incredibly simple copy and pasting from the web (both words and pictures) into Evernote and text searching within images.

The “Endless Tape” view through Evernote Windows is also interesting in that it allows users to scroll through all of the ‘memories’ they’ve pasted into the program — a great feature for those who want to make sure absolutely everything gets sorted from within their various files.

Once notes have been taken it’s also quite easy to organize, store and peruse your various work which makes it an excellent choice for those who want to incorporate the program into a GTD philosophy of work.

There aren’t too many faults worth mentioning with Evernote when considering the large amount of attention and continued work that has obviously gone into the program. While it may have a fairly overwhelming number of features this is ultimately a pretty difficult aspect of the program to consider negative.

The community attached to the program should help to make the learning curve relatively gradual and exciting. In future versions it would be good to see a greater emphasis on sorting information into more detailed categories, tasks and next actions although users are still able to make this happen on their own accord with a bit of effort.

The support is pretty remarkable and it’s obvious that the popularity of the program has lead to a great, helpful community. From Evernote’s homepage users can peruse press releases, news, updates, tours and manuals along with a quick video tour which highlights the main program features for the uninitiated.

RSS feeds, Facebook fan pages, FriendFeed and Twitter options all help to further increase the level of involvement with the Evernote world that dedicated fans can choose to get into as well.

Users will no doubt be impressed by Evernote and its wealth of features no matter what kind of organizational tool they’re interested in.

Whether accessed through the website, offline mode or via a mobile phone the program is a great bet for the busy user interested in introducing a little more order to their day to day lives.

How David Allen Gets Things Done

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This video has been doing the rounds over the past couple of days so I thought I would post it to my blog in case you have not already seen it.

This is David Allen, the Author of the Getting Things Done Methodology in his home office. Although the video is only short, it shows you how David organizes his own office.

If you have not seen it, check it out.

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

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This weekend my @Home context has been getting a battering. I have knocked quite a few items off this list which included changing taps and replacing the floor in my en suite bathroom. Hopefully going to settle down for a nice move with my wife tonight and some well earned rest!

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week is a link to a comic representation of Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix. I like this post, great visual representation that helps you get the time managament matrix with a smile.
My second link is a link to Motivating your Volunteers, a post from Rebecca Leaman on the Wild Apricot Blog. This is aimed at motivating volunteers in non-profit organizations but the concepts of Maslow can be used in many circumstances. I had a great Risk Management teacher when I was younger who was a real advocate of Maslow and reading this post stirred great memories for me.
My third link is a link to a a great thread on Lifehacker about analogue (low tech) capture devices. The good content is in the comments showing you what people use as their low tech capture device. As expected, the Moleskine is mentioned quite a bit.
My fourth link is a link to a good post from a GTD advocate about how they implement GTD. Nice post from somebody who started with Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero process and then moved to GTD.
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to a review of PlutoPro. This is a Mac only GTD App that lives in your Menu Bar on your Mac. Looks quite a nifty lightweight app that has been added to my review list for another day.

I have a got a few GTD Application Reviews lined up for this week as well as some ideas for some more posts about my GTD thoughts. I have been listening to David Allen in my car over the past week whilst travelling and it has really sparked some great post ideas.

Hope you all have a great week.

Andrew..

Motivational Songs – Spotify Playlist

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I have been using Spotify for the last couple of weeks and I am very impressed with the service it offers. I have created a playlist of 20 Motivational Songs for you to listen to for free

I received the free invite from Kieron Donoghue who has incidentally just published a great blog post titled Ten Reasons why Spotify Rocks. Read this blog post as a great intro to Spotify.

So, what is Spotify?

Spotify is a new way to enjoy music. Simply download and install, before you know it you’ll be singing along to the genre, artist or song of your choice. With Spotify you are never far away from the song you want.

There are no restrictions in terms of what you can listen to or when. Forget about the hassle of waiting for files to download and fill up your hard drive before you get round to organising them. Spotify is instant, fun and simple.

One of the cool things you can do with Spotify is to create and share playlists. So, in the spirit of my site I have put together a playlist of 20 Motivational Songs for you to listen to, free of charge courtest of Spotify.

To use this list you need Spotify installed on your Mac or PC. Then, simply follow this link to listen to my 20 Motivational Songs. Cool!

Good news, I have ten Spotify invites to give out to readers of this blog. To get one, sign up to my newsletter (so I have your email address) and leave a comment here. The next ten people will get a free invite to what is the hottest free music system on the Internet right now!

So, here are my songs in no particular order!

Life – Haddaway
I Feel Good – James Brown
I’ve Got the Power – Snap!
Survivor – Desiny’s Child
The Final Countdown – Europe
What a Feeling – Irene Cara
Circle of Life – Elton John
Tubthumping – Chumbawamba
Lose Yourself – Eminem
Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban
Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
The Best – Tina Turner
Mony Mony – Billy Idol
Jump – Van Halen
Unbelievable – EMF
Killer – SEAL
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.

I am not sure what regions Spotify currently works in but it does work in the UK for a change!

Motivational Songs

Another great post on Motivational Songs is from Jamie Harrop. View his 58 Top Motivational Songs for a more comprehensive list.

Got any more good Motivational Songs? Let me know and I can add them to the list.

Round Toit iPhone App Review

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Round Toit iPhone owners can pick and choose from a staggering number of productivity applications, many of which are excellent in their own right, but the aim of your organizational goals is usually the most important criteria for choosing the right download.

Round Toit is pretty much just another of many to-do list applications but it succeeds in finding a good way to channel all of your tasks into a solid, temporary holding tank.

I first heard of the term a Round Toit from Zig Ziglar who is told to carry one in his pocket as his business card. Then when people say that haven’t got around to it, he would give them his card and say “You have now”.

Round Toit succeeds in its work toward providing a fully realized grouping and sorting system for all types of data. The application doesn’t aspire to be something that it isn’t and focuses well on the specific task of collecting and organizing all sorts of data the user has collected.

Items can be prioritized in different manners and allow for customized alerts, deadlines and more while unsorted work can be filtered into organized and/or unorganized categories for later handling. All lists can be moved around or edited quite easily and the overall view is clean and pleasant to look at.

The application costs $4.99 to download but may very well be worth the entry fee for iPhone owners in the market for a new productivity application. Probably the best way to assess Round Toit is within its stated framework as a to-do list and nothing else.

Users expecting a fully formed GTD app will be disappointed with the lack of options but those interested in a fantastic, virtual dumping point for new work and memos will likely be quite pleased with what Round Toit accomplishes.