Category Archives: Productivity

A Guess At Evernote’s End Game

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 15 Comments

Ben Brooks on Evernote Acquiring Penultimate:

Anybody else confused about Evernote’s end game?

This actually seems like a highly logical move for Evernote and a smart strategy. Evernote wants to be our external brain and our brain tends to capture a variety of media in a variety of ways. That doesn’t always lend itself to a single application. As it continues to evolve, I see a world where Evernote’s prime offering becomes less about capture more about storage and recall. The app, both on OS X and iOS has always been an impressive step towards ubiquitous capture, but it always falls short in certain areas. This left Evernote with three options:

  1. Stop expanding their offerings, continue to improve on them, but limit their potential.
  2. Continue to add features, bloating the main offering and making it far less tempting to use.
  3. Create or acquire applications that offer a focused and optimized experience that act as part of a larger ecosystem.

I believe the acquisition of Penultimate is yet another step towards the latter.

One of my biggest problems with Evernote has always been the feeling that I am crossing streams. I don’t want to blend notes, sketches, recipes, contacts and more, I’m already disorganized enough. Sure, I could create folders (or use a naming convention) that separates all of these things, but that’s not how I like to work. I tend to use my applications as filters. Different apps for different intentions, so the idea of keeping things separate, while also storing them together is a tempting one.

I enjoy the separation that comes from using Evernote Hello for contacts, Evernote Food for recipes, Skitch for taking and annotating screenshots and now Penultimate for handwritten notes (not to mention Evernote’s already impressive core functionality). It provides a focused experience in an optimized app when I want it, as well as universal access in the main Evernote application when I need it.

Related side note: anyone care to take bets that a dedicated text editor can’t be all that far behind?

Cloud offerings such as Dropbox and iCloud offer the storage, but neither focuses on capture (although both work with several applications that do). By providing integrated options that focus on all aspects of capture, Evernote sets themselves apart from these platforms.

This will sound a little lofty, but these latest steps echo things we’ve seen in Apple’s own ecosystem. Owning the end-to-end experience between hardware and software has always helped set them apart. While I don’t think Evernote is going into hardware anytime soon, I can’t help but wonder if they are looking to do something similar by not only providing the platform, but by creating or acquiring the applications that make the experience better.

Filed Under: Productivity

The One Thing | The Productivityist Manifesto

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 0 Comments

The One Thing, simply put, features one thing on the internet that captured my attention and that I believe is worthy of yours.

When someone coins a term, there’s temptation to poke fun. When my podcast co-host Mike Vardy does it, temptation is an understatement.

When Mike first started using the term “Productivityist“, I would crack or joke or ten. When he first sent me his manifesto, The Way Of The Productivityist, I shut up and started nodding.

If you’ve been looking for a realistic, yet still idealistic way to be more productive, The Productivityist Manifesto was made for you. Do yourself a favor and go read it now.

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Filed Under: Productivity

5 Lessons From Blogging 5 Days A Week For A Year

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 19 Comments

A big part of improving comes from setting ambitious yet achievable goals. We create long-term projects by coming up with a game plan and implementing a structure for achieving goals. Many of my own challenges come not from a lack of ambition, but from a lack of follow through. I can see what I want to accomplish, but haven’t always had a framework that helps me achieve them. I’m exceedingly good at starting, but not so much on the finishing.

When setting goals, there’s always this temptation to create a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), while there is value in these, those of us who struggle to finish won’t get far if we don’t set some SOBG (Sprawling and Often Boring Goals) as well. While my overarching goals here on this blog are to create habits and skills that help be more consistent at my career and as a person; I tend to use this site as a training ground. It’s a place where I can experiment and grow while helping a reader or two along the way by sharing what I learn.

While I’ve been blogging since late 2008, it wasn’t until April of last year that I decided to get serious about my efforts. That lead to the first SOBG I set for myself and for this site. Starting May 2, 2011, I challenged myself to blog five days a week for a year. I wanted to see if I could actually do it, I wanted to see what I could learn from it and I wanted to see what results could be achieved through it. Over 260 posts later, I’ve answered the first question. Now I want to share five of the most important lessons I learned along the way

Difficult Challenges Require Scaffolding – Considering my blogging was infrequent at best, I took the month of April to really think through my workflow and my tools. There was a temptation to jump in and get going, to start then and there, but this tactic had always hindered me in the past. Taking the upfront time to create a framework that would not only help me through the excitement, but through times of boredom proved essential. The process evolved along the way, but that upfront time paid off big time, especially when the going got rough. It’s only through aligning specific goals and targets with a process that we can truly achieve our more ambitious goals.

Ambition Is Nothing Without Support – It doesn’t matter if you are working alone on a project or as a group, you need people who help keep you on track. You need someone who will kick your ass when needed and help you along the way. I was fortunate to have this in my wife. Not only did she help correct my chimp grammar on all of the posts (impressive when you consider her lack of interest in all of my “geeky crap” and my god awful grammar), she was a task master when I fell behind. I easily would have abandoned the project without her and everything would have been far less readable without her touch.

Your Output Is Only As Good As Your Input – The more you want to make, the more you need to consider. While some will find this in their own contemplation or even in something as simple as boredom, I need to let my ideas collide with the thoughts of others. So much of the past year was finding the people who challenge and inspire me. It was a year of getting to know several of the people who continue to help shape and inspire the thoughts in my head and the words on this site. The beauty of the internet, especially Twitter, is that you can move past admiring the work of others and actually get to know some amazing people.

Big Goals Are Possible With Busy Schedules – We tell ourselves we’re busy, and we often are. We use it as an excuse not to attempt the ambitious, but big things are possible. I’m not saying you can overload your schedule; you have to choose and sacrifice, but there’s a lot more time in the day than we allow ourselves to believe. The problem, more often than not, is that we waste it. We watch bad TV (or even good TV), we go down rabbit holes on our browser (even though that isn’t always a bad thing). Whatever it is you’re looking to accomplish, there’s likely a way. You just have to be honest with yourself and ruthless in what you eliminate to achieve it.

Prepare To Learn About Yourself – We all start writing for different reasons. For some it’s a process of self-discovery (no matter how cheesy that sounds). For others, it’s an attempt to chance one’s circumstances or livelihood. Regardless of the intent, it’s impossible to sit with your own words day after day and not learn more about yourself. Others will often benefit from your words, but sadly, no one will learn as much from the endeavor as the man or woman behind the keys. I know myself so much better than when I first started. I have so much more faith in my words and in myself.

It was a year spent turning things on that won’t turn off, dealing with crap I’ve avoided and talking with an amazing range of people, both on and off of the site. I can’t adequately thank those of you who were kind, interested or foolish enough to follow along. I’ll be sure to continue to share my plans for the site as and if they evolve. In the meantime, it’s business as usual.

Filed Under: Creativity, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Drafts, Pop and Intention

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 0 Comments

There is a new tier of applications aimed at speeding up our actions on iOS. What started as integration between applications evolved into dedicated apps such as Launch Center that exist to get us where we want to go faster. Now, with the introduction of two new text apps, Pop and Drafts, that same speed is available to our writing.

Pop and Drafts exist for a singular purpose: open the application, start writing without having to hit another key and then decide what to do with your words later. Both apps approach the same task with a different focus, Pop exists to only to capture and copy your ideas where Drafts aims to take your words and help you use them in a variety of ways. The focus is entirely on capturing your words, so these applications open faster than traditional note-taking apps. They reduce the friction and the time it takes to get words out of your head and onto your screen.

I don’t want to talk about the minutia or potential uses of each app; they’ve already been well covered. I don’t want to dismiss them; both of these applications are well executed and are already proving useful, even those those who didn’t expect it. I do, however, want to talk about the idea of write first, determine second. While I see the benefit of these apps, I also see a potential concern. What we gain in speed, we give up in intention. I want to capture an idea as quickly as it occurs. I’m terrified of losing inspiration, but the more I attempt to create, the more I benefit from determining where my ideas belong.

I am as distractible as one can get, but I’ve found I can hold onto it long enough to consider where it goes and push the right buttons. I can take a short-term loss in speed for a long-term gain. There is something to writing and then figuring out what you want to do with your words, but today I’d rather write with intent. Sometimes I’ll start moving on something and discover I was wrong or chose the wrong tool for the job, but more often than not, the decision to write with intent has led to better results. Choosing a specific tool, like Simplenote or OmniFocus provides a structure and begins a workflow that guides an idea forward.

I’m a fan of shortcuts. I’m a fan of giving your mind creative space, but I’m a bigger fan of acting with intent. Inevitably, you have to hit the button, to take all of those steps that these applications save you (or possibly more). There’s a real argument to be made that these applications benefit us. That they help us to get an idea down faster, but they also add yet another layer of abstraction between capturing and acting on an idea. So consider forgoing them and consider your intention at the onset. Get your idea to the right place, determine if it is a worthwhile, and either act on it or eliminate it.

What is your priority? Intention or speed? Make that determination first and then choose your tools wisely.

Filed Under: Productivity

Geeky Quick Tips | Forcing Focus With OmniFocus and Keyboard Maestro

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 6 Comments

Geeky Quick Tips is a series of simple, code-free tips and tactics for doing more with your Mac or iOS device. For more detailed geekery, be sure to checkout the Techie Scheky series.

When at work, I’m able to control quite a bit of the real estate around me. I’m able to create a space that helps keep my unfocused mind on track. When working from home, this isn’t always possible. Our small apartment does not allow for a workspace and my 13″ MacBook Air does not offer enough screen space to help me keep things like my task list in my line of sight. I’ll head down some rabbit hole and all of the sudden the night will be gone without ever having done what needed to happen.

Anyone who reads this site regularly knows that I’m an OmniFocus advocate, that it has done a lot to help me organize my disorganized world. But to be honest, I was finding that it sucked for me at home. This wasn’t a byproduct of OmniFocus, rather it was user error. I’m guilty of out-of-sight, out-of-mind (I mean, I use OmniFocus for a reason…) and since the smaller screen size means less open windows and more full screen usage, my task is usually out of my sight and it’s often out of my mind.

I tried having a stern “talking to” with myself, I tried promising myself I’d do better, but no matter how hard I’ve tried, intentionally opening my task list hasn’t come naturally to me. Since that didn’t work, I decided to do the next best thing: I made my computer do it for me. I created the simplest Keyboard Maestro macro imaginable to automatically open OmniFocus every 90 minutes, seven days a week from 8:30am – 11:59pm (a lot of my writing is done between midnight and 2am, so I’ve decided to let my mind roam free during those hours). Regardless of what I’m doing, every 90 minutes the “Home” perspective (the list of things I need to do while at home) pops into the forefront of my view. 

Keyboard Maestro Editor and OmniFocus Macro

While this is still new, this stupid little hack is proving to be an invaluable gut check. My computer forces me to take a momentary look at what I should be doing, it breaks my web-based trance. Occasionally it also breaks a nice flow, but considering flow is always a struggle and the interruption is infrequent, the gain is proving to be worth the loss. When working on something important, I’ll jump right back into what I’m doing. When goofing off on the web, I’ll take a second and see how I might want to better spend my time (or find a way to rationalize and continue goofing off…).

Much like many of my visual reminders to focus, this might seem a little silly, but if you find yourself prone to getting lost, this is a nice way to tether yourself to what you truly hope to accomplish. 

Be sure to subscribe for free by Email or RSS to automatically receive future Geeky Quick Tips and more from A Better Mess.

Update: Ben Brooks offered up a nice revision for those looking for a subtle reminder. Rather than having OmniFocus pop-up, potentially interrupting something important, Ben suggests using Growl to provide a reminder instead. I’m going to try this on my iMac at work, while leaving the more aggressive pop-up macro above active on my MacBook Air at home.

Keyboard Maestro Macro Growl Editor For OmniFocus

Ben also pointed to some excellent suggestions from Dan Byler on how to use Keyboard Maestro to minimize distractions as well.

Filed Under: Productivity

Using Your Distractibility To Your Benefit

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 4 Comments

I spent years fighting distraction. I wasted countless amounts of hours attempting to pull everything out of my line of sight, doing anything I could to help keep my eyes in the right place. I tried to build blinders that would keep me on track. I fought relentlessly and I fought futilely. It was a battle that could not be won.

I’ve tried the minimal workspace. Despite the fact that it only lasted a few days (I’m messy, haven’t you read the name of this site?), it didn’t really remove any distractions for me. Since to some extent, my brain is constantly seeking distraction; it will find them even in their absence. I also tried throwing caution to the wind. I let my distractible demons take over to see what would happen. This, shockingly, did not work either…

So, how do you avoid distractions when you can’t avoid distractions? It’s easy, you don’t. You embrace your nature and do the only thing you can, you chose better distractions. If there’s anything I’ve learned in a lifelong battle with ADHD, it’s this: it’s not a matter of eliminating distractions, it’s about putting the right ones in your path. And this could not be more true when it comes to your own workspace.

The Stupid Little Stuff

Over the past two years, I’ve been adding specific distractions driven to keep me on point. I changed the desktops on both my 27″ iMac and 13″ MacBook Air to Damien Newman’s “Squiggle”, a visual that very meaningful to me and is in the logo of this very site. There is a ripped up and peeling post-it note, the only thing allowed to mar the sanctity of my iMac, with the word SHIP to remind me to finish what I start (a lifelong battle). I placed a mug from the guys at Good Fucking Design Advice right in my line of sight that reminds me “Don’t Fucking Procrastinate” (another lifelong battle) and filled it with the remnants of a Quarterly project from Mike Monteiro to remind me to create. My wall is littered with Hugh MacLeod images, Savage Chicken comics to keep me sane and a picture of my boss with a text bubble that reminds me that he believes in me (a helpful reminder when evidence points to the opposite). 

These may seem stupid, but when my attention strays, these visuals are designed to do one thing: remind me what I’m trying to do and encourage me to get back to it. It’s not flawless and I still stray, but by controlling the distractions, I give myself something positive to see rather than the negative.

The Bigger More Important Stuff

There are also tangible reminders of my work. As I’ve said in the past, I use post-it notes to remind me of critical, short-term tasks. I use GeekTool to put my calendar directly on my desktop, making it difficult to miss a scheduled obligation. I often have a small pile of work that’s yet to be processed and keep that front and center so that it doesn’t get buried. I’ve also started using a new reminder at home to try to keep me on track while working on a smaller screen in a smaller apartment, but more on that tomorrow.

Part of overcoming anything is accepting and embracing it. And in the case of distractions, it’s often a matter of accepting that there may be no way to overcome them. Once you’ve embraced that fact, try controlling what it is that distracts you and create an environment that makes the most of that distractibility to help keep you on point. 

Do you have any tricks that may seem strange to other that helps keep you on track? How do you go about setting up your work space to help you get where you want to go?

Filed Under: Productivity

What We Unfocused Folks Should Focus On

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 0 Comments

While I’ve been sharing quite a bit about my ADHD this week between Monday’s post and the podcast, I haven’t really gotten specific about how I manage it. With that in mind, I wanted to share some of what I’ve been focusing on for those who struggle with focus or feel they lack it entirely.

Focus on process

Knowing how we plan to do our work is essential. We constantly look for excuses and not having a process serves as a great one. For years we’ve lacked a method. We thought desire would be enough to get things done. We hoped that passion would be enough, but it wasn’t. Taking a step back from our ambitions and beginning to build a foundation to accomplish the kind of work we aspire to helps to eliminate our excuses. Finding the right mix of tools, tactics and tricks gives us less of a reason to fall short and offers us a support structure.

Focus on deadlines

Knowing when our work needs to be done can be an essential part of getting it done. Those of us who have ADHD tend to procrastinate and procrastinators tend to strive on one thing: deadlines. Giving ourselves deadlines and taking them seriously can go a long way toward scratching things off our list. We have to use them sparingly, we have to treat them as immovable once set, but, when done right, they can go a long way to help move us in the right direction. Deciding when our work begins can be just as important. We tend to take on too much, so using start dates to keep other projects out of our line of site helps to keep our focus on what matters most in the moment.

Focus on projects

Knowing what we’re working on and having a way to see it all is probably the single most important addition to an unfocused world. When opportunities are presented, we want to say yes. When something interesting is put in front of our face, we want to follow it and see where it leads. When we try to keep all of the projects on our plate in our heads, we tend to conveniently forget just how much we are doing. Having it all in one place (in my case, OmniFocus) constantly forces us to look how much is on the plate and make difficult decisions about what we will and will not do.

Focus on purpose

Knowing why we do the things we do must play a major role in our lives. Passion goes a long way toward helping us overcome that everyday struggle to keep our attention on what matters. It certainly won’t solve all of our problems, but without it, all of the steps above are useless. Everything is pulling at our attention, so aligning our passion with our work helps us from straying too far. Building our world around our interests can make everything else seem slightly less interesting and thus slightly (but only slightly) less distracting. There will always be things that we have to do, but tying them to the things we want to accomplish can make a massive difference.

The keen-eyed amongst you may have noticed that I not so subtly hit on the who, what, when and why, but avoided the where. Trying to do my work anywhere has always been a problem, so rather than trying to create some unrealistic pristine environment, I’ve been trying to develop an ability to work everywhere. Part of what I’ve been focusing on is learning to work under any conditions. It hasn’t always been easy, but, like anything, it’s gotten simpler with time. Allowing myself to work anywhere and creating a structure that helps me do this has helped me channel my natural distractibility toward more productive pursuits.

What are you really focusing on?

I know that focus has always been elusive for us, but starting here can go a long way toward making it a bigger part of our lives. Take a step back and force yourself to look at each one of these areas and see where you might want to improve. And let’s face it, it’s not just us. There are plenty of people out there who don’t inherently struggle with things like ADD and ADHD who could do a lot more with the natural focus they’ve already been blessed with.

How about you? How do you make the most out of focus?

Filed Under: Productivity, Self-Improvement