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Category: post

TextEdit


TextEdit

Here’s the thing, most people think they need to install a “Word Processor” on their Mac. They go out and purchase Microsoft Word (part of the Office suite) or Apple’s Pages (part of the iWork suite) in order to remedy the assumption that the Mac does not ship with a word processor. I would argue that, for most intents and purposes, it does. It’s called TextEdit. It has shipped with every version of Mac OS X since version 10.0. The current iteration includes most of the features that people might use a traditional word processor for. In fact, it is so chock full of features not found in a normal “text editor” that I would argue that it qualifies as a full fledged word processor. Let’s run down just some of those:

  • The ability to create lists and outlines with advanced controls for numbers and bullets including support for the ious outlining styles (Hard, Legal, etc.).
  • The ability to create tables.
  • Advanced spell checking.
  • Advanced text formatting including spacing, text alignment, and kerning.
  • Embedded hyperlinks.
  • Include images,  photos, music, or movie files.
  • Open and save in Microsoft Word document format including the recent “docx” format.

There are even those who have extended it’s functionality by creating small utilities that extend it’s functionality. For instance, NanoCount provides word and character count for TextEdit. With all of this, do you really need what we typically think of as a full fledged word processor?

The Mother of Invention

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. I would say that, more often, problems are. This was recently brought to mind when I read about and subsequently purchased this pencil:

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You see, I have always hated writing with pencils. I hated the way they felt on the page (scratchy), I hated that the line would become uneven quickly as your sharp point quickly ground to dull. I hated constantly having to turn it slightly every couple of words in an attempt to keep the point sharp.
Uni-ball has solved this problem with the Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil line and it has done so in a very simple way. It has a spring-loaded clutch system that slowly rotates the lead every time it hits the page. This in turn keeps the lead constantly sharp at the point. It is one of those eureka moments that makes one say “Why didn’t I think of that?”.
I suspect the answer to that question is that, most of us, work with a problem instead of looking for a full fledged solution. In my example, I either did not use a pencil or, when forced to, came up with a solution that, in truth, was a way to work with the problem. The difference is a subtle one, but it is often times what separates folks like you and I from the folks that come up with brilliant “million dollar” ideas.

My Daily Log

I have long been intrigued by the usefulness and power of keeping a daily log of ones activities. I felt it was time to fully detail my method and workflow. Recently, I have been coming across many articles surrounding the methods and values of “life tracking”. I have some links to those articles and other related resources at the end of the post.

There are many useful reasons for keeping a daily log. For instance, in a former job, I had a micro managing boss who often popped their head into my office to ask what I had gotten done that day. Because I kept a good time stamped log of what I did, I was always able to tell her exactly what I had done, when I did it, and even how many times I was interrupted by other things that prevented me from doing even more (including her popping her head in my office).

The options and possibilities for how to keep a log are nearly endless. For instance, a simple piece of paper or notebook would suffice. The key, for me at least, is to make your Daily Log as simple as possible to add an entry to.

My daily log is a text file I call @log.txt. The preceding @ sign allows it to sort to the top of my finder window alphabetically. As plain text it is highly “portable” (i.e. I can open it up on any device). The trick is in the workflow and couple of tools I use to add a log entry. Without further adieu, here is how I tie it all together:

To add an entry, I invoke Quicksilver:

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The advantage of using Quicksilver is that it is available to me from any application I happen to be in at the time. I don’t have to “switch modes” to add an entry. I simply type “@log” and it finds my log file. I then hit the tab key and select the “Prepend Text” command. I personally like having the latest entry first in the file.

I then invoke a TextExpander command, triggered by typing “dlog” that formats the entry the way I wish:

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I then type the entry, hit return and it is added to the file. The result is an entry that looks like this:

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I store this file in my Dropbox folder so it syncs to all of my machines and “the cloud”. Thus, it is available to me anywhere I can access the internet.

This setup has been working very well for me for years now. I think a big key is to come up with something that is easy and as ubiquitous as possible.

For further reference and ideas, here are some other resources about keeping a daily log:
* For This Guru, No Question Is Too Big – Jim Collins tracks his activities to ensure he is spending time on the things he feels are important.
* Politican as self-tracker – Bob Graham’s notebooks – How a US Senator proved the CIA wrong with his obsessive self tracking.
* Ping’s Thesis – From Diary to Graph – How one man not only tracks his daily activities but also can graph it with fascinating results.
* My Big-Arse Text File – a Poor Man’s Wiki+Blog+PIM – Much of my own inspiration came from this post by my friend and short term personal saviour Matthew Cornell.
* Living in text files – Why do a use a text file for my daily log? The answers are here.
Update
In a serious error of omission, I forgot to include probably the best two posts on this very subject written by my friend Chris Bowler:
* Track Yourself With a Custom Log File
and
* Custom Log File Revisited

Changing The Landscape

This may sound strange but one of the crucial tools that helps Princess Bethany and I save our marriage on a daily basis is a shared calendar. We both work out of our home office, we have many meetings and events that we must attend together, and it helps in making sure that the scheduling needs of Duchess Beatrix is always tended to. Without the ability to share a calendar, our lives would be utter chaos.
Up until very recently, we have been using Backpack’s built in calendar for this task and it has been really great. Bethany and I each have separate calendars for our work and personal items. We also have a calendar for joint events. It is very easy to keep track of which things pertain to our work, which things are personal and which things we had to do together. Because it is browser based it is easily accessible as well.
Once I got an iPhone, things started to break down a bit. I was able to subscribe to the ious calendars in Backpack in iCal, and then sync those events to my phone. The only problem was the subscription option is a “read only” solution. I could not add or edit events on either the iPhone or in iCal. I was fine with this for a while as I rarely need to add events when out and about. The calendar is more of a “dashboard” for my day. That being said, when those rare times would occur, my solution was to capture the meeting specifics on a 3×5 card and then add those to the calendar when I returned home. Having to “touch” the event more than once did drive me a bit batty.
Then, Princess Bethany got an iPhone. While I was willing to put up with the limitations of this solution, I knew that her level of patience for such things was less than mine. A change would have to be made.
I knew that, in order to have native read/write calendar functionality across all devices, I would have to use iCal. The problem with this is that iCal does not natively allow you to have calendar sharing and synchronization across machines on a network. There are ways one could workaround this using a shared MobileMe account but this is a less than ideal solution.
The solution is a product called BusySync. It installs as a pane in System Preferences and seamlessly allows you to do real iCal calendar sharing between multiple Macs – with read write and password control. It is a fantastic solution and works so well you wonder why Apple has not implemented this feature in iCal themselves. It could not have been simpler to set up and make the switch. Here is what I did:

  1. With the Backpack calendars subscribed in iCal on one of the Macs, I exported each calendar individually. To me, this is the simplest way to get the data out of Backpack.
  2. I then deleted those calendar subscriptions from iCal.
  3. Next, I imported the calendars I had exported back into iCal, being careful to make sure it imported each one into its own new calendar.
  4. I then installed BusySync and followed the instructions for sharing the calendars.
  5. Finally, I went to the other Macs, installed BusySync there, and followed the instructions for subscribing to the calendars.

It really was simple and took far less effort than I thought it would. Things just plain work. Make an appointment in iCal on one Mac and seconds later it shows up on every other one. Make a change to an appointment and it also syncs in seconds. The other obvious advantage is that, when we make an addition or change on the iPhone, it updates every calendar the next time we sync. Read/write capability everywhere.
It has only been a day or so but I can already see how much more functional this setup will be.

The forgotten cost of features

A perfectly blank sheet of white paper is a tool of infinite possibility. For input you could use a pencil, a pen, a crayon, a marker, a stamp, a brush or more. You could use all of those at once. You can write or draw or paint in any direction. Even multiple directions on the same sheet. You can use any color you want. How you enter data onto it and how that information is structured seems almost limitless. That flexibility and power is available to you because of it’s lack of features. In fact, it is featureless – devoid of them.
Let’s add a feature. Let’s put some ruled lines on the paper. Make no mistake, this feature adds value. It allows me to be able to write neatly by using the lines as a guide. This makes the data more legible by providing a structure for me to follow. It also has a cost. It takes away some of the flexibility. Could I still write sideways in opposite direction of the lines? Sure. Am I likely to? No. Why? Well, it would go against the provided structure and thus make the data less legible. Ruled lines would intersect and, to a small extent, obscure my words and drawings.
OK, next feature – A box at the top left corner of the short end of the page. Perfect. That empty box has some value. Perhaps I could write a date in there. Perhaps I could use a colored marker to fill it in – color code the page. Perhaps I could put the name of the project that this piece of paper belongs to. Does the box take away from the available free space on the page? Sure it does. It is a trade off though. What I give up in space I gain in value right? Well, that depends on the perspective of the individual, but I think I like it.
Enough on that. Let’s add a feature to that box we added. Lets pre-print what we think people should use that box for. You know, to make it clearer for the end user. Let’s print a label in that box called “Title”. Perfect. Now I have added value by reducing the amount of thought a user of this paper has to put into figuring out why that box is there, right? I think you can now see where I am going with this…
I think it is far too easy to look at the addition of features to anything – hardware, software, analog, digital, even a simple piece of blank paper – as a benefit without also recognizing the associated and often forgotten cost.
In the world of hardware and software, the companies, developers, and tools that get it right weigh the cost of adding features heavily and take every feature addition under great consideration. In fact, they reject most feature requests right out of the starting gate. They appreciate feature requests but more often than not read them and ignore them. They simply let the signal rise above the noise to determine what features to add. When they do add a feature, they do it in the most unobtrusive and seamless way possible. They are careful to make sure the value far outweighs the cost.
The costs do not stop there. In fact, if you add a feature you now have to support that feature if it breaks or does not work as the user expects it to. Also, adding a feature could actually loose you a sale. Those of us (I am not alone) who are feature wary may opt for something else just for the simplicity.
This does not mean that you cannot have a ton of features yet still maintain flexibility. One example is TextMate. TextMate is a very powerful text editing program for the Mac. It is chock full of features and has a robust plug in architecture that allows you to add even more. Yet all that power is hidden in the UI. When you launch TextMate all you see is a blank white page ready for input. The features are not in your way. If you just want to get some writing done in plain text you have the only feature you need right there. The power is not there unless you need it and then mostly as a menu item optionally accessible via a keyboard shortcut.
On the other hand, Notes.app on the iPhone is very basic in features. You can take notes, you can email a note, and that is about it. But that is what makes it great. You can use Notes.app any way you want. Type up a blog post draft. Enter in a book recommendation. Make a shopping list. Note the dimensions of that room you need to buy furniture for. In fact, it’s lack of features and structure are what provide it’s true power.
As you can see from these to disparate examples, It is not about not adding features. Features in an of themselves are not a problem. It is about adding the right features and only the right ones. I like ruled paper with a predefined area for a title and date just like the next guy. It is about understanding that for every added feature there is a cost and not forgetting to consider that.

Elements of Style for Twitter: The Art of The Follow

This is the second of my series of posts attempting to provide some proper style guidelines for Twitter. It is my hope that, with enough uptake, these will help raise the level of conversation and quality on Twitter.

Following

There are many criteria and considerations one may choose to examine when deciding whether or not to follow someone on Twitter. In fact, many criteria are needed to consider such a weighty decision because every person you follow changes not only the number of tweets in your stream but also the overall personal value of Twitter itself.

Here are some important criteria:

  • Tweets – Quickly scan through several pages of the persons tweet history. Are any of interest and/or value to you? If so, how many? Place value on quality over quantity.

  • Profile – How one describes themselves in such a small amount of space is often a very accurate picture of their interests and what is important to them. Does it interest you?

  • Website – Click on the link they provide to their personal website. Read what is offered there. Does that help to paint a better picture of them and their interests? Do they align with yours?

  • Product – Do they produce a product that you use? Do you care to hear about new releases or other product news?

Here are some important considerations:

  • Relationships – As a social network, Twitter is designed to cultivate and maintain relationships. Even those who use Twitter solely as a microblogging platform at the least is seeking to build a relationship with the audience. Be respectful of this and follow no more people than you are capable of cultivating a relationship with, no matter how small or one sided.

  • Your “noise” threshold – How many people can you follow and keep up without losing important and useful information in between the less useful tweets? Everyone is different here. Some people can follow thousands and be OK with that. I would suggest that 250–300 is the maximum for most people.

  • Your time threshold – Anyone you add to your Twitter stream will increase the amount of time you will need to read and process those tweets. Time has value. Consider adding people costly.

Being followed

If you would like to be the sort of Twittizen that people would like to follow, here are some style elements you should follow:

  • Give people a good reason to follow. – Use Twitter to provide a mixture of useful information, humorous asides (if your have good humor) and occasionally answer the single question Twitter asks (“What are you doing?”). The information and humor is why people may follow but the ambient intimacy the question asked creates helps people get to know and, thus form a relationship, with you.

  • Who are you? – Make sure your bio and the web link you post therein are accurate representations of you and what you hope to offer those who follow. Doing so allows them to be able to make an informed choice.

  • Be helpful. – If someone posts a question in an area that you have some knowledge, share it. If there is a product that you love and use, evangelize it. Reach out to those who have a need as it raises the overall karmic nature of Twitter.

  • Be respectful. – As stated above, people who choose to follow you are investing their time and attention which come at a high cost. Honor that.

Elements of Style for Twitter: ReTweets and Follow Friday

This is the first in what may end up being a series of posts. This is my attempt to provide some proper style guidelines for Twitter. It is my hope that, with enough uptake, these will help to raise the level of conversation and quality on Twitter. If you do not know what Twitter is (and hopefully you enjoy that rock you are living under) please see: http://twitter.com/

The Useful ReTweet
A ReTweet (RT) is the re posting of a tweet that someone you follow has posted so that your followers might be exposed to the information if they, themselves, do not follow the original author of the tweet.
Here is an example of how it is often done…
Original Tweet:

Here is a great link on personal productivity. Get your butt in gear: http://examplehere.com

ReTweet:

RT @patrickrhone: Here is a great link on personal productivity. Get your butt in gear: http://examplehere.com

The problem with this is that there is no context provided by the retweeter as to why he or she may find this important enough to retweet. It is for this reason that I generally suggest avoiding them. Instead, choose to do what I like to call a “via” instead.
Here is the Original Tweet again:

Here is a great link on personal productivity. Get your butt in gear: http://examplehere.com

Via:

This is a fantastic post about productivity. Really helped me out: http://examplehere.com (via @patrickrhone)

The advantage to this is that now those who follow you to hear your voice and opinions actually receive them. Not those that belong to someone who they may or may not choose to follow.
The Proper “Follow Friday”
Follow Friday is a kind of Twitter tradition. Basically, every Friday you post a Tweet to recommend people you think are worth following and include the #followfriday hashtag.
Here is an example of the usual and, in my opinion, unstylish norm for this:

Follow @person1, @person2, @person3, @person4, @person5, #followfriday

I hate it when people do it like this example (just spew a list of usernames). I think what would be far more stylish and useful to do something like this:

Follow @person1 for great quotes, funny asides and interesting links #followfriday

By doing so, you are telling your followers not only who you think they should follow but also why. Therefore they can make an informed choice on the matter without needing to do further research.

Mea culpa

The next time someone points out something you have done wrong – a loved one, a boss, a coworker – Own it. Don’t deny it, don’t try to defend it, don’t make excuses. If there is any truth whatsoever to the accusation, take the blame.
Owning up to our shortcomings actually puts us in the more powerful position. By facing them, we assume the power to correct them. By denying them, we deny ourselves this ability, thus leaving ourselves powerless.
Also, admitting fault and expressing an honest apology and desire for improvement, more often than not, immediately renders the temper and ill will of the accuser moot. If someone is angered by something that you have done, and they approach you with that anger, that anger is much harder to hold when met with “You are right. I am sorry. Let’s all learn from this.”
I often think about how many corporations could improve their customer service experience by simply training their employees to make “We’re sorry” be the first thing that leaves their mouth when met with a customer complaint. Combining that with giving those workers the power to correct any issue is what separates the companies with unmatched service from the rest.
The bottom line: Mea culpa. Assume the empowerment (and responsibility) that comes from being the one who is actually in control of the situation and the only one who can do something to correct it. Be the hero, not the zero.
This post was inspired by a comment made by my lovely and brilliant wife, who is often burdened with way too many excuse makers in her life.

Book Review: Making It All Work


I think we often times put too much faith in reviews. We put too much trust in the reviewer, as if they are an accredited source free of personal experience that may cloud their judgment. Here is the thing about reviews that I always try to keep in mind when reading them, they are the opinion of the author. It is for this reason I generally take them with a few grains of salt. It is also why I generally avoid doing them.
With this said, this is the first of what will, hopefully, be regular reviews of books I am reading. I will be writing these from my perspective and, therefore, approaching the books based upon my own personal experiences and desires. I think it is important to state such things, up front, so that you will understand that if I give either a glowing or less so review, your milage may y. In fact, I encourage you to read each and every book I review, regardless of my take, in order to form your own opinion. In other words, I would like you, gentle reader, to not “read” too much into it (and yes, I am aware of the very “metaness” of the pun I just executed as well as my proclivity towards both parenthetic asides and “quote marks”).
Here was my problem with Making It All Work, the long anticipated follow up to Getting Things Done, by David Allen: I have heard it all before. You see, I was one of the many people who really dug deep into the Getting Things Done philosophy. Not only did I read the book several times, as well as practice the system, and try every GTD application, I also attended his GTD: The Roadmap seminar when it came through town here a couple of years back. I really fell deep into line with the program. Because of this, there was not much more for me to get out of the book. Don’t get me wrong, there were some useful nuggets of wisdom that I found. It was just not the further enlightenment I was hoping for, largely because I was already there.
He spends the first half of the book digging a bit deeper into the concepts that he lays out in Getting Things Done. This deeper exploration does turn up an interesting take or two. I especially enjoyed his “What is true now?” approach to getting “unstuck” and deciding exactly what one thing, out of the many, you should be doing right at that time. For someone who is new to GTD, or never really grokked the principles and meaning behind the methods, this stuff is invaluable to helping to cement the concepts.
The second half of the book he uses to discuss, in great detail, the idea of the Vertical Map. I have written about this concept before. A vertical map is basically how your actions and projects are part of and work towards your entire life’s roles, goals, objectives, principals and values. The thing is, this is what the GTD: The Roadmap seminar I attended, led by David Allen, was all about (another aside, this seminar has now been retitled GTD: Making It All Work). We spent the better part of the day immersed in, and doing the beginning work on, these ideas. In other words, this was all well worn track for me. Vertical mapping is something I engage in as part of my review process. That said, if it is not part of yours than this is where the real value in this book lies for a GTD practitioner who wants to take things to the next level and see that there are actually reasons to get things done beyond their own sake.
So, in summary, if you are brand new to Getting Things Done, start with that book. If you are familiar with Getting Things Done but are seeking a bit of deeper meaning then this book will be a good one for you. If you are a black belt GTD ninja with your special org-fu merit patch, you will likely be left unenlightened.

Three days. One backpack.

Here is yet another installment in my unexpected series of posts about travelling light. This time, I’m taking a three day business trip. My plan: Pack everything I need, clothes and gear, into one small backpack. Check it out.

Three Days. One Backpack. from Patrick Rhone on Vimeo.
P.S. I also think this is the first video I have done for this site that does not mention my Levenger Circa (though you can see it if you look close).
Update: I have gotten several requests for links to the items mentioned in the video. Here they are: