July 2008

This is part of an ongoing series called Blinders where I explore some of the ways I streamline my computer workflows to minimize distractions.

I’m often surprised by how many Mac users I see that aren’t using Spaces. It does require a new way of thinking about the desktop, but once you have put it to work for you, you too will ache when you use a machine without it.

I use Spaces as a means of removing distractions. I am able to focus in on what I am working on, while still having other programs available for quick access if I need them. For example, I am writing this blog entry right now in Ecto, which is the only program visible on my screen. However, I have Leap, Yojimbo, Firefox, Mail, NetNewsWire, iChat, iTunes and OmniFocus all running close by, tucked away in other spaces.

I have found it works best to assign a general purpose to each space. I use the default set up of four spaces of two rows and two columns (pictured to the left). This allows me to switch between any two spaces with a single keystroke. Here’s how I put each space to use:

• Production (Space 1) - I reserve this space as a main workspace. If I am doing any work in Scrivener, Pages, the Adobe suite, etc., it goes here. If I have more than one app open in this space (which is more often than I would like to admit to), then that tells me I’m not very focused and I need to hone in on a single project.
• Reference (Space 2) - Space 2 is used for general reference of items I want to have close at hand, such as my notes, tasks or calendar. Yojimbo, OmniFocus, iCal, and iTunes are all assigned to open in this space.
• Tinkering (Space 3) - This space kind of serves as an overflow space. Similar to the tinkering context, it is a space for things which don’t require as much focus as the Production space. This is where my web browser usually is found, and often Leap or Finder are open in this space as well. There are no apps assigned to this space, but I often drag an app down to it from Space 1 if I need to clear some things away.
• Communications (Space 4) - Other than Firefox, just about any program that ties me in with others is contained in Space 4. Mail, iChat, NetNewsWire and Twitterific all have been assigned a home here. These are some of my most critical apps, but also some of the most distracting. It helps to cluster them all together.

A few weeks after I set up Spaces, I recognized that it would be more useful if I was intentional with it. That’s when I put this plan in place, expecting I might need to tweak it. For the most part, it’s been working. This system might not work for you, but it can give you an idea of how you can organize spaces for your own creative workflow.

Popularity: 39% [?]

I’m deeply committed to Yojimbo, but I’ve been flirting with Evernote for about three months now. Last week, Evernote rolled out a beautiful new iPhone app with the launch of the app store. Here are a few early impressions of the iPhone app:

• It looks fantastic. It is fun to look at, and easy to understand.
• It is the perfect app to capture ideas as it will seamlessly allow the user to capture an image, a note, or even an audio reminder.
• The interface for viewing your notes isn’t as fun to look at. Text maintains the same formatting and linebreaks as the desktop version, so it doesn’t flow with the small screen. You can zoom in, but then you have to scroll side to side. Granted, it is a beautiful thing to have access to all my notes on the iPhone, but I’d like for them to be a little easier to read and navigate.
• There is no way to edit a note. You can’t just search for a note that comes to mind, open it up and add another thought or two. (This also isn’t available in the iPhone web app for Evernote, I soon discovered.)
• There is no way to email a note. Earlier, I wanted to send some information that I had stored in Evernote to a friend who needed it. I couldn’t. This is available in the web app, so I can only hope they ran out of time and it will be available soon.

After a few minutes of trying out this app, I got really serious about switching. I even dragged all of my notes from Yojimbo into Evernote with plans to begin the slow process of retagging them. But after playing with the app more, I still don’t think I’m ready to make the switch. I’m such a tease.

Popularity: 53% [?]

The arrival of iPhone 2.0 has changed how I use my iPhone more than I imagined it would. But I did anticipate one thing correctly: OmniFocus for iPhone has tripled the usefulness of OmniFocus for me.

Some have been unhappy that OmniFocus is charging $20, but I gladly paid it. And after a few days of use, I can see that it will be the best $20 I spent in the app store. (Don’t even get me started on Super Monkey Ball!) Here are a few impressions, positive and negative:

• The most important feature for me is two way syncing which has worked like a champ. It does require the beta of OmniFocus 1.1 on your Mac, but after I installed that, I had no problems with syncing via MobileMe. The first day or so, it was painfully slow to update on my iPhone. But after archiving my old data in OmniFocus, it works great. I wish it were a little faster, but I assume that is going to be one of the limitations of using the Edge network.
• Assigning a location to a context has a lot of potential. My Home context has my home address assigned, and the same could be done for work, errands, or any other. The locations do not need to be specific. Just to give it a test, I assigned one of my contexts with a location of movie theater. The location button showed me the nearest movie theater where the tasks could be completed. I’m realizing I will need to rethink some of my contexts to better use this feature. I will need to find the balance between making them more specific without overloading myself on contexts.
• Due dates (and start dates) can be a little quirky. I don’t use times for my due dates, only days. By default, everything on my Mac has a default time of midnight, which means I basically only need to think in terms of days. On the iPhone, however, the due and start dates default to the current time of day when added, so some items due today might show as due soon if that time hasn’t passed yet, while others might show as overdue. I would prefer to have the ability to disable the times, or to have them default to midnight like the desktop version.
• My biggest gripe right now is with the action view. When looking at a context, there is no way to sort by due date, or by anything, it seems. Any context that has a lot of items in it will require you to scroll up and down to see what is on the list. It’s not very Focused. But, on the brightside, it has motivated me to hammer a way at a few tasks to shorten those lists down.)

One of the downsides of the way the App Store is setup is that there is no way to test a program before buying. I hope these impressions can help others make a decision whether or not it is worthwhile for them. OmniGroup has posted a video preview which will give you a chance to see the program in action.

Popularity: 69% [?]

You, like me, might be angling toward a MobileMe membership.

We already have a .Mac account, but with iPhone 2.0 coming out later this week, I’m realizing that a family pack will be useful for the two iPhones in our house. Amazon has the .Mac family pack for $120 while they last. I offer no guarantees that this will work, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t. This seems like a cheap way to get a MobileMe family pack since .Mac memberships will automatically be converted to MobileMe when it launches.

Popularity: 44% [?]