April 2008

Since I first talked about Blinders, there has been a common theme around here of finding ways to streamline and eliminate distractions. A few weeks ago, I mentioned turning wireless off. For a little more drastic measure, you might (and I might!) consider a program a a friend told me about called Freedom:

Freedom is an application that disables wireless and ethernet networking on an Apple computer for up to three hours at a time. Freedom will free you from the distractions of the internet, allowing you time to code, write, or create. At the end of your selected offline period, Freedom re-enables your network, restoring everything as normal.

Freedom enforces freedom; a reboot is the only circumvention of the Freedom time limit you specify. The hassle of rebooting means you’re less likely to cheat, and you’ll be more productive. Not rebooting is why we bought Apple computers in the first place. When first getting used to Freedom, I suggest using the software for short periods of time.

Popularity: 45% [?]

I don’t mean to brag. But it’s true. I’m a fabulous procrastinator. Better than most.

A few weeks ago, I was in a stretch that required 45 pages of writing in about 7 days. Required might not be the best word. I knew each of those due dates at least three weeks prior. So, perhaps I should say, I procrastinated myself into 45 pages of writing within a week’s time. Yup. That says it better.

Sometimes writing comes easily for me. Sometimes not. But I know one thing for sure. My biggest hang up, just about every time, is getting started. I tend to think that I need a big chunk of time set aside to work on a project, and so I’ll delay until such a time is upon me. As you might know, those times are scarce.

In the midst of all that writing a few weeks ago, I tried something different. Toward the end of a day of work, I only had about an hour remaining. It wasn’t enough time to really dive in to one of the writing projects, but it was enough time to get started. So I did.

After that hour, the writing was far from done, but I had a good head start. I was able to step away with some new ideas rattling around and a sense of having made some progress. With another 50 or so pages of writing “requiring” my attention in the next two weeks, it is a method I will use again. I guess it is time to just. get. started.

But you deserve some credit too. If you’ve made it this far, you must be procrastinating something as well. Perhaps I’m not as superior as I thought.

Popularity: 46% [?]

I’ve been evaluating Evernote for the last few weeks. I like it. A lot. So much that I’m tempted to change over from Yojimbo.

But not yet.

Here’s what I like:

• Without a doubt, my favorite feature is Evernote’s ability to recognize text in an image and make it searchable. I can snap a picture with my iPhone or capture a screen with Skitch and any words in the image will be searchable by Evernote. Beautiful.
• Evernote’s ability to automatically sync with it’s online version is a very close second. The web interface via iPhone is too slow for heavy use. But to know that previously captured ideas or research can be available at anytime makes Evernote very intriguing.
• Evernote has saved searches which serve the same function as how I use smart folders in Yojimbo.
• Evernote works on both Mac and Windows. For those who are on one platform at work, and another at home, this is an invaluable way to keep a synced database of ideas available in both places.

Here are a few things that are missing for me (which need to be seen as a comparison to Yojimbo since that is what I am used to):

• Evernote does not have unique note types for serial numbers, passwords, and URL’s like Yojimbo. But, I only use Yojimbo for Serial Numbers, and it would be easy enough to just enter them in a non-formatted text file. In fact, when I drag a serial number note from Yojimbo to Evernote, that’s what Evernote does automatically.
• The interface for navigating through tags is still a little clunky. Since I use hundreds of tags, it would get messy quickly. I think Evernote should adopt a system for sorting through tags similar to Leap. Leap adds a search window to quickly narrow down tags. And once a tag is selected, the only tags now listed are those that have a file shared with that same tag. This is a must feature for Evernote in my opinion.
• Yojimbo has a great userbase with lots of add on scripts available through independent developers. It remains to be seen how this kind of userbase will develop around Evernote. But based on Evernote’s buzz, I would say there is good potential for that.

So what is keeping me from switching right now. Two things. Two very practical things:

• Time. I’ve discovered that all of my Yojimbo notes can be dragged into Evernote. Unfortunately, the tags don’t go with them. With 800 notes and hundreds of tags, I just don’t have the time in this season of life to go through and retag all those notes. Maybe after I’m done getting my masters. Maybe. But maybe by then Barebones will have made an iPhone syncing version of Yojimbo. Maybe.
• Money. Right now, the cost of Evernote is unknown, and i’m not going to commit to it without that information. They have stated that it will always be free, with a ‘premium’ subscription model. But, I’m not going to lock in until I have an idea of what it might cost me for the amount of data I have.

If I were starting today, Evernote would be my choice. If you are looking for a good place to store notes and ideas, it should be your choice too. If you want an invite to the beta, I still have a handful left.

Popularity: 79% [?]

This is part six of a five(!) part series on capturing everything. Previous entries:

Jott is a handy little service that lets you call a toll-free number and speak a message. Jott will transcribe and deliver that message to someone else via email or text. I first played with it last October. It seemed clever enough, but at the time, I didn’t see how I might use it.

I have seen the light.

Last week, Lifehacker had a post on how to use Jott as a conduit into Evernote. Since I have been trying out Evernote, I thought I’d give it a try. It worked. It was slick.

And it got me thinking.

I already have a unique email addresses setup to send tasks into OmniFocus, and ideas into Yojimbo, as I described in Capture Everything: Out and About. In Jott, I set up each of those email addresses as a unique contact.

With a simple phone call, I can effortlessly channel a to-do or idea into the proper bucket. It is especially helpful for longer thoughts as you can just speak a stream of consciousness. Last week, I “wrote” a critical transition for a paper while walking to my car in a parking lot. The transcription is delightfully accurate…as long as you don’t include the word Cartesian.
Now…if I could only find a way to capture the inspiration that strikes while I’m in the shower without ruining my iPhone…

Popularity: 69% [?]

An ad in the latest MacWorld magazine is promoting another MacUpdate bundle. Starting April 16, MacUpdate will have a new software package available. I mention it here, because at $64.99, it will include both Leap and Hazel. These are the two key software pieces I used to organize my documents folder, which I mentioned last week.

Also included in the package will be Parallels, SoundStudio, StoryMill (which I’ve also mentioned before), MenuCalendarClock, ArtText, Typinator, DVDRemasterPro, and BannerZest.

Looks like a good deal if you are interested even just in two or three of those titles.

Popularity: 70% [?]

I think it is pretty clear around here how important Yojimbo is in my workflow.

However, Evernote looks promising. They have both a Mac and Windows client that syncs notes to a server so they can be viewed online or on a mobile device. Plus, there is text recognition for finding words in images. I’m going to play with the beta and post some thoughts about it next week after I get past a few writing deadlines.

In the meantime, I have a handful of invites to the private beta. If you would like one, leave a comment below.

Popularity: 100% [?]