Category: post

I know it has been a while once again so this will be an attempt to catch back up and share with you all of the informative little nuggets of wisdom I have run across.
Apologies up front. My brain is kind of all over the place today so this part of the series might come off as a bunch of senseless rambling.
Leo at Lifehack.org shares some great tips on pairing down your todo list to it’s bare essentials. He introduces the idea thusly

“Do your days seem to be crazy busy and your to-do list filled up with an endless supply of tasks? Is your calendar full and your work day a non-stop rush from one thing to another?… If so, you may have too much on your plate. It’s time to step back, take a few minutes, and pare down that to-do list to just the bare essentials”.

Basically, the idea is to only focus on those things that you absolutely need to get done and defer the rest. I have noticed an increasing number of movements along this line as of late. David Seah’s Emergent Task Planning sheets being one elegant example of this. As someone who has been very overwhelmed as of late with a mind-boggling amount of tasks on my plate I can say that such methods have had an alluring appeal. And now that you have used these techniques to win back some time, Leo also has this list of productive ways of using it.
The 37 Signals Product Blog highlights some blogs posts on how to use Backpack to get your GTD on… And my post on my GTD Implementation ideas is one of the ones featured! So cool to be recognized.
Wondering what this whole GTD thing is I speak of and how to get started? Well how about this massive list of GTD resources?
My iChat buddy list is nowhere near the number where it is in need of organization. That being said, when it gets there I plan on using this method promoted by Chanpory at LifeClever. Simply divide them up into groups based on the frequency with which you chat with them. They also suggest some other groupings that, depending upon your usage, may prove more useful. The root of it all is to use the grouping features in your chat client to tame that list, enhance the signal and manage the noise. Interesting ideas for sure. Much is written about taming e-mail but (IMHO) not nearly enough is written about getting control over your IM.
For those of you who are fed up and really want to go radical on the distraction cutting front, checking out what Brian Oberkirch did to trim his attention sails is awe inspiring. In fact, I am literally afraid of some of suggestions but there are some true gems in there too.
While we are at it, how about a no meeting day for your place of work?
Personally, I would like a no anything day every once in a while.

OmniFocus, the long awaited Getting Things Done based application from the fine folks at The OmniGroup, is currently in alpha and has been made available to a few brave folks, of which I am one, who are willing to put up with the potential bugginess of it all. Therefore, there is not too much I should say about it quite yet. Here is what I can say:

• I have been actively using it for for all of my personal and work related projects and next actions. I have run into a couple of bugs but that is to be expected in an alpha build. Having had a former job in software QA, I have had experience in such matter and I have been making sure to back up the database regularly. That being said, nothing yet has made me nervous about actively using it for my GTD system.
• It is a very solid GTD application. It is really effective at encouraging you to focus on next actions and working your plan in contexts. It has it’s own built in quick entry panel and Quicksilver integration to make adding items quick and easy. It is, in my humble opinion, going to be the GTD app to rule them all once it is released.

• Short of 37 Signals pulling any rabbits out of their hat soon, I very well may use it permanently for my GTD system.

Even though it is not widely released, The Omni Group has been very forthcoming with video previews and other information about the application. If you are interested check out Ethan Schoonover’s OmniFocus videos here and here for a good overview of the product.

Wow, long time since a post. Life has been crazy. Hopefully, the offerings of today will make up for it:
OmniFocus looks like it is coming along just fine. Although it is still in Alpha and has not yet been made available outside The OmniGroup, Ethan Schoonover provides a long detailed video of the sorts of things we can expect. Needless to say I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on this.
Unclutterer has a great post about a new organization system for files called Freedom Filer. Basically, they give you the tabs for your hanging files and a system, you implement it and they promise you will never have paper in a clutter in your file cabinet again (or be afraid to even get that far). Looks intriguing. I have had “organize filing cabinet” on my someday/maybe list for a while now. Therefore, this solution is tempting.
Whitelines is a new concept in paper. Instead of a darker ruled page that we have become accustomed to, it actually has a white rule. Some of the advantages to this is that your writing stands out more and the lines do not show up if you make a photocopy.
Zen Habits is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs. Not only due to the middle path solutions to life that are on offer but the posts are regular and the content is well written. Take, for instance, the recent series on ZTD (Zen To Done). It is a modified version of GTD with a focus on forming habits and simplicity. Brilliant ideas and suggestions here, especially if you are having trouble staying on the productive saddle.
Lifehacker comes through once again on the Google GTD tips. This time, the walk you through using Google Notebook to get your Org-fu on. Google Notebook is a very useful tool in it’s own right but this brings it to another level. Ya dig?
Speaking of Fu… Merlin Mann drops the knowledge on some handy ways to use Smart Mailboxes in Mail.app… His fu is strong.

I am currently at MinneBar, an un-conference happening in the Lowertown area of Saint Paul today. Looks to be a great day with many promising sessions.
I am liveblogging the event (or at least the sessions I am attending) over at my other web space – The Random Post. Hop on over and check it out for some regular live updates.

When some people first start implementing GTD, they feel the need to run out and spends lots of cash getting chic notebooks, nice pens, expensive folders and labelers. While these things are nice to have you don’t need a lot of money to get started with a trusted system. Towards that end, Brett at the ever useful Cranking Widgets blog has a good tutorial on making a GTD system for about $20. Proof that is is about the system, not the tools.
Jott is the first truly killer web app I have seen in a while. It works like this – Call Jott, tell it who you want to send a Jott to, talk after the beep, the magic robot turns your words into text, robot sends your words as e-mail. Send a Jott to yourself, send one to others, all from your phone. Killer.
Wise Geek has some good tips on making your offline life a little easier. Some of my fave tips here include, keeping your essential items in one place, keeping a backup fund of cash hidden for emergencies, and saying “no”. (via Lindsay)

I finally broke down and ordered some of those nifty Action Pad Minis and Cards from Behance. They have come today and boy are they nice. I may have a more formal review in the future but here are some initial impressions:

• Very good paper, nicely designed, and they take pen ink very well. The presentation and packaging denotes quality and was clearly designed by and for creative types. You can almost feel the “hipness” dripping off of them. Each package contains a pamphlet outlining their “Action Method” system. It is very GTD in nature with a creative focus.
• One of the reasons I decided to get the Action Cards is because my lo-fi system was in need of a little refresh. As stated previously, I have been using my Levenger Shirt Pocket Briefcase as my principle capture device. While the index cards I have in it are great for that, I desired something a little more structured for fleshing out and tracking projects in that same portable size. The Action Cards are great for this. They are 3×5 inches, same as a standard index card. They have an area at the top for project title and date and sections with checkboxes underneath for action steps. This is just what I was looking for.

• I got the larger Action Pad Minis for work. Very similar in configuration and paper quality, these are larger and actually designed to fit in a Large Moleskine notebook, which I often take with me to meetings. The main difference from the Action Cards other than the size is that these have an area for “Backburner” items at the bottom – basically, a someday/maybe area.

One might wonder “why use these when you could just as easily use a regular old piece of paper?” I think that the Behance folks do a good job of answering that question:

“When you have a project that is tracked with a beautiful chart or elegant sketchbook, you are more likely to focus on it. Just like billboards on the highway or commercials on television, the methods you use to organize action steps can make you more (or less) engaged by a project.”

This is very true for me. Using nice, well designed, products makes me more engaged in what I am using them for.

LifeDev has a good write up of the Behance line of “Action” products. I just ordered up some of these and will be giving my own review once they arrive and I have had a chance to play. I have already been cooking up some good ideas as my current system is in a bit of flux right now.
Do you own a Mac? Are you using Quicksilver? No? Why not? If you have yet to drink the kool-aid then perhaps this Lifehacker series of videos showing off all of the cool things it can do will be all the push you need.
Also, if you are using a Mac and not using TextExpander then you need to grab another cup for another flavor of kool-aid. TextExpander will automate all of those things you type on a regular basis. If you find yourself typing the same things all of the time, you can use this to do the typing for you with just a few keystrokes. In addition, they have a new downloadable “snippets file” for regular html expressions. Coders take note, this will save you a TON of code typing. (via 43 Folders)
Google is continuing their march towards total world domination by offering a free 411 service. Just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 and one of their highly advanced automated robots will find the business you are looking for. No more high telco 411 fees. Yea! I personally welcome our Google Overloards. (via TechCrunch)
I have talked about my move towards using open source wherever possible before. Here is an unbelievably comprehensive list of open source software for Mac, Windows and beyond. (via Lifehacker)

Steve Rubel at Micropersuasion has come up with this handy collection of “MiniMe” Bookmarklets which load micro versions of sites in a small window you can keep next to your browser window. Therefore, you can keep things like Wikipedia, Google Reader, Digg and many others in a little browser window off to the side while you work on other things. Very cool idea.
Slow Burn Productions is putting up some great content, including beating me to the punch on an idea I have had in the cooker – “Pocket Moleskine vs. Levenger Shirt Pocket Briefcase“. You see, I have switched from using the Moleskine to using a Levenger Shirt Pocket Briefcase myself and it has been working great. I keep it in my back pocket and find it a much more convenient and at-the-ready capture tool. That is not the only reason for the switch though. It also stands as fact that my Moleskine 18 Month Planner was stolen along with other items in a recent break in so it would have been replaced anyway.
For those of you in the Twin Cities Area, I am going to do everything I can to make it to MinneBar ’07, a Barcamp happening on April 21st down in Lowertown in Saint Paul. There will be some great sessions and demos. Looks like a good time. Be there or be opposingly right angled.
(Update – I give a more detailed review of the Levenger SPB in the comments.)

The Random Post is my new little experiment in blogdom. It is a tumblelog which is described by Wikipedia as “…a iation of a blog, that favors short-form, mixed-media posts over the longer editorial posts frequently associated with blogging.”
Mainly, this will be the place I put all the little stuff that does not seem to be worthy of inclusion in a full post on patrickrhone.com. That being said, I do have my del.icio.us links feeding over there so you may see stuff show up there that I then decide to mention here.
I am using a free service called Tumblr to publish mine which makes it super easy. Gina at Lifehacker has an excellent tutorial for getting started with it. It is a really good solution for those who feel they don’t have the time to blog or would not know what to say.
In any case, take a look and tell me what you think.

I have been getting a few requests lately to post some tips about setting up a blog and/or personal web space. I cover mostly blogging here but most of my suggestions can be adapted for other types of sites as well. Without further ado, here are the tools I use, along with some tips, and what I recommend for those just getting started:
Tools

• Hosting and Registration – I use Dreamhost. They really make hosting fun, simple and cheap. The prices they offer and what you get for that money is simply unbelievable. Their bottom package is only .95 and it gives you 200 gigs of storage and 2 Terabytes of bandwidth. You get one free year domain registration with any new account sign up and additional years or domains only costing .95. It is a steal. Not only that but they have “One Click Installs” for many of the tools you will need to get a blog up an running (more on that later).
• Blogging Software – I use Movable Type as it is what all of the cool kids use (Lifehacker, Kottke, etc.). That being said, I would not recommend it for a fist time blogger or someone who is uncomfortable with setting such things up. The install can be a bit tricky for a newbie but there is plenty of documentation for those willing to take the dive. For an easier path, I would actually recommend WordPress to a first time blogger. It has a more user friendly interface on the back end, a WYSIWYG style editor for posting, and ( here is the kicker… ) Dreamhost offers it as a one click install. Therefore, very easy setup for someone who does not know how to install web based tools. The other good thing about WordPress is that there are literally hundreds of templates out there that are easy to install to give your site a nice look and feel. Which brings me to…

• Template/Look and Feel – I do not use a pre-built template for my site. My site design is original and built from the ground up using inspiration dirived from many sources. I am a big believer and fan of minimalist design and less-is-more functionality. The “look and feel” of my site is part of an overall personal branding that is derived from such ideas. In that vein, this look and feel extends to other personal and public documents as well such as my resumé. I think that in our ever more connected and public world, developing a “personal brand” is all the more important and my website reflects that idea. I was able to do this because I have a good friend and web advisor who is brilliant at code wrangling and pixel pushing. Between my vision and his skill we were able to create something unique. That being said, there are some great books out there that give examples of great web design for inspiration. This is where I started. So if you have the skills or know someone who does, it is worth putting in the extra effort to come up with your own unique design.

• Posting – I actually do not use the Movable Type interface to write and publish most of the posts to my blog. I use an application from Mariner Software called MacJournal. Amongst it’s many stellar features, It has an excellent full screen mode for distraction free writing and I can publish to my blog from my Mac with only a couple of clicks. It is a wonderful tool and now there is even a Windows version. Well worth the money. That being said, there are plenty of other ways to easily push and publish content to your site. Flock, for instance, is a Mozilla based web browser that interfaces with you blog and many other web services such as Flickr and offers a very nice interface for posting what you are surfing directly to your site. The point here is to use tools and processes that make blogging easy because then you will be more inclined to keep up with it.

Tips

• Find your voice – Blogging is a conversation with the reader. Write as if you are speaking to a friend about all of the cool stuff you are doing or finding on the web.

Identify your source – If you are posting about something you actually saw from someone else posting it, make sure to say that. (i.e. “via 43Folders”). Always identify your original source as it is proper “netiquette”.

Be original – Blog about something new and fresh or a new and fresh take on something not new. For example, there are a bunch GTD blogs out there now. The world does not need another GTD blog. What would be good is a blog that focuses on how to implement GTD in large groups and organizations – I have yet to see anyone focussing on that.

Blog what you love – Of course, the other example is a blog like mine. The fact that I mention GTD so much is that it is that much a part of my life. But I also blog about productivity in the workplace, cool Mac applications, Ubuntu, the occasional Windows app, my wife Princess Bethany, etc.. I blog about all sorts of things that I love or otherise capture my imagination.

That is it for now. Not only would I love your feedback in the comments but I would love even more if, when you start a blog or site, post it up in the comments or otherwise send me a link. I would love to see what others are doing.
Note: Many of these suggestions and tips I originally wrote in a response sent via e-mail to my friend Jonathan Cisco. He has since gone on to start a blog of his own detailing his experiences moving to New Zealand – DreamingNZ.com.