An Eisenhower Matrix Approach To OmniFocus

Esteban Umerez Argaia, another lawyer using OmniFocus, shares his somewhat unique OmniFocus Setup in his first ever English blog post. The uniqueness comes from him using the Eisenhower Method (or a variation of it) to distinguish importance, in Esteban’s case demand, and urgency of projects.

One axis is for Urgency, but the other one is for Demand. I mean, how demanding a project or a task can be, whether it’s because the client is very demanding, or because the task itself is complicated. That way, a task can be urgent and demanding, urgent but easy, not urgent but demanding, not urgent and easy. And everything should get laid out in four quadrants, but I actually only use three of them, that I have called: Urgent and Active; Keep In Sight; On Hold.

This approach is followed by Esteban also for Perspectives while Contexts seem to be less important to him, though he still uses them.

Unbound Dropbox Photo Management for iOS & Mac

If you followed my post on Exporting your iPhoto Library to Dropbox, moved away from iPhoto and iCloud and consider quitting Apple stock apps for Photo Management altogether than Unbound is for you.

Unbound dropbox photos ipad iphone

Unbound is a Photo Management and Viewing app for iOS with separate version for iPhone and iPad. Next to browsing, viewing and sharing it allows to move, delete and upload photos right within the application. The clean and simple user experience is further improved as Unbound caches photos you view from your Dropbox and hence reduced load times as you show around the latest picture of your kids.

I am using Unbound for a couple days now and need to say I am very happy with it. I am staring to consider dropping iPhoto on Mac OS X as well and replace it with either Unbound for Mac, which is currently in beta, or with Pixa.

Make OmniFocus 1 Look Like OmniFocus 2

It’s a little hacky, but with a little theme, the change of icons and some tweaking of the UI this GitHub project by Jon de la Vega makes OmniFocus 1 looks and behave a little like OmniFocus 2.

OmniFocus 1 modded to look like OmniFocus 2

While Jon explains how he modifies OmniFocus 1 in the included Readme file and also provides a roll-back procedure to remove the modification, there is a small chance to corrupt your OmniFocus 1 copy (a deinstall and reinstall would fix it again), so keep your data save and backed up!

Take Your OmniFocus Data Places With Ofexport

Whether you want to display your daily OmniFocus todos on Panic’s Status Board, on your desktop with GeekTool or export selected tasks to TaskPaper or completed ones into a log file: The ofexport project by Paul Sidnell comes with a whole slew of features to export your OmniFocus database.

Export to a number of text based file formats:

  • TaskPaper
  • Plain Text
  • Markdown/FoldingText
  • OPML (Can be read by OmniOutliner, various MindMap tools)
  • HTML
  • ICS (Can be subscribed to via the Calendar app)
  • Modify the existing format templates or create new ones.

Filter what gets exported:

  • Include/exclude tasks, projects and folders with text searches (regular/logical expressions)
  • Include/exclude tasks and projects by flag state.
  • Include/exclude, tasks and projects by start/completion/due date.

Restructure the data:

  • Flatten the outport document to create a simpler document (just projects containing tasks).
  • Sort tasks by date or text.
  • Eliminate empty projects/folders.
  • Organise by project or context hierarchy.

An extremely powerful tool, but remember that this Python-based solution is interacting directly with OmniFocus’ database and should the OmniGroup make any changes ‘under the hood’ it’ll likely break scripts like ofexport. Also keep a current backup of your OmniFocus data! Although ofexport is only meant to read from your database, you do not want to have any regrets after toying around.

The True Value Of Education

This “This is water” video is an amazing summary of David Foster Wallace commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College and should remind us all of the true value of education and about choices we tend to forget we have in our sometimes boring, stressful, professional adult life.

It will be the best 10 minutes you’ll spend on the internet today. Trust me! Thanks for John Gruber for digging out this gem from all the noise.

Mac Travelling – My Entire Setup In Overview

This little series of posts looks at the most efficient way to travel with your Apple devices. I am on the road often, flying across Europe and doing the odd trip to the US. When I travel I like to keep things light, but functional. Over the past 10 years I have learned many lessons and have incrementally improved by electronic travel setup. These posts cover aspects of my setup and those of fellow nerds.

I like to close this series with a summary of my entire travel setup which takes my Apple devices and me around Europe and beyond. This overview includes a few smaller helpers I have not covered before in the series, most of which help me deal with the non-digital aspects of work and travel. Everything you find listed here lives in my Timbuk2 Commute Laptop Messenger bag (size M) still leaving plenty of space for anything else I might need or pick up during my travels.

Whats in my bag

  • Cheap (because I lose them all the time), but good pens – I go with the Pilot G2 ink roller ball pens
  • A set of colour gel pens from Muji with matching case that allow me to sketch note meetings in my Moleskine journal
  • My extra power on the go is the Mophie Juice Pack Air, recharging both my iPhone or iPad mini if no power is around
  • A set of three Muji zip pockets that organise some of my travel documents (loyalty cards, passport, vaccination pass, …), foreign currencies and expense receipts that I collect
  • A big “IN” folder I use ever since I picked it up at the public GTD seminar of David Allen I attended in Munich some years back. It collects all physical inputs that cross my path during my travels
  • I cannot live without good music and I need proper headphones – not some tiny in-ears – to get the bass sound I enjoy. I went with the Audio Technica ATH M50 which are somewhat bulky and have no fancy noise-cancelling (and hence no additional batteries to charge) but deliver a great boom
  • All my special travel cables are stored in a little Timbuk2 Clear Flexito Toiletry Kit (size S)
  • Sun glasses, you know.
  • My Apple power supply enhanced with the PlugBug
  • The badge that gives me access to my companies offices around the world 24/7
  • Spending quite some time on the phone when on the road I tried all sorts of headset (and bluetooth ones are the worst) and finally settled with the Bose MIE2i Mobile Headset – not for music, just for phone calls and the one or the other podcast
  • My Montblanc wallet holds all cards I only require occasionally, the four I need frequently are in my iPhone Wallet Case
  • My current Apple gear is a MacBook Air 11″, iPad Mini 32GB Cellular and an iPhone 5 32GB
  • Not pictured: My Sony RX100 Point-and-Shoot camera – maybe the best compact one you can get at the moment

With the exception of the MBA, which is soon to be refreshed by my employer with the most recent 13″ version, I am extremely happy and feel rather complete with this setup. Since I spent quite some years to improve it, I hope you enjoyed my little series of posts about it and found some inspiration for your own.

Other Posts In This Series:

A Courtesy For All OmniFocus 2 Testers

The great thing with the OmniFocus 2 for Mac Private Test is that you can run OmniFocus 1 and 2 in parallel and off the same data set (via OmniSync Server). This helps a lot to maintain a working system while OmniFocus 2 becomes more feature complete and stable.

At the same time the bad thing is that you can run OmniFocus 1 and 2 in parallel. It is only ‘bad’ if you use a lot of AppleScript with it. The reason for is that AppleScripts simply addresses “OmniFocus”, not really caring about version numbers. This is perfectly fine since you typically will not have two different versions of the same application on your computer. Unless you are testing.

Since OmniFocus 2, when installed for the first time, renames OmniFocus 1 to “OmniFocus 1.10.4″ to allow the above mentioned operation of two versions, all AppleScripts will from now on always address OmniFocus 2.

That was the case until my mate and AwayFind(er) Dan Byler came along and decided to fix this as a courtesy to all OmniFocus 2 testers. His AppleScript simply renames the OmniFocus applications back and forth as you need it, ensuring that all existing AppleScripts always address the version of OmniFocus intended.

Really appreciated, Dan! Thanks on behalf of all OmniFocus 2 testers.

Awesome & Intelligent TaskPaper Theme

ThemeDemo ThingsColors I have recommended TaskPaper many times before. If you do not need the depth and breath of a tool like OmniFocus and generally like plain text, then TaskPaper is one of the best choices you can make for managing your todo lists. In particular when you can get such nice and intelligent themes like the below.

It is crafted by DataDuke from Munich (Servus!), is called ‘Things Colors’, mimics the colour scheme of the CulturedCode’s Things and implements some conditional formatting based on how tasks are tagged. On the related GitHub page he also shares some insights into his journey and approach to productivity.

A truly neat theme!

The ‘Today’ OmniFocus Perspective

Colter Reed started a series about the OmniFocus Perspectives he uses. His ‘Today’ Perspective is nearly identical with mine although I made a few different choices when it comes to grouping and sorting.

Next to my ‘Today’ Perspective I recently changed the approach for my ‘Next Action’ Perspective somewhat dramatically. However, one thing that will never change is, as Colter points out, the need to review on a regular basis.

Every night, spend five minutes to review what you’ve done that day. For every task you didn’t get to, make a conscious decision to either leave the task on your list for tomorrow, reschedule it for another day, or maybe even delete the task if it no longer makes sense.

The Perspective introduced works around Flagged and Due tasks which makes perfect sense. Just remind yourself that due dates mark real, externally imposed deadlines or promises made to others while flagged tasks are more of an intention (you strive to get them done today).

Also have a look at Colter’s Perspective for scheduling tasks which should resonate well with you if you are in the ‘start date’ camp of OmniFocus users.

Mac Travelling – Here Is To My Timbuk2 Bag

This little series of posts looks at the most efficient way to travel with your Apple devices. I am on the road often, flying across Europe and doing the odd trip to the US. When I travel I like to keep things light, but functional. Over the past 10 years I have learned many lessons and have incrementally improved by electronic travel setup. These posts cover aspects of my setup and those of fellow nerds.

Before I am finishing off my small blog post series about ‘Traveling with a Mac’ I need to write an ode to the most important part of the my personal travel setup: My Timbuk2 Commute Laptop Messenger Bag.

While I cannot remember when I first came across Timbuk2, I know for sure that I have developed a nearly unhealthy addiction to their products over the last 10 years or so. The quality of their bags and luggage is unmatched and so is the unique design. Originating from San Francisco, Timbuk2 not only says they do top quality, they also commit to it by providing a lifetime warranty on their bags.

Since availability of their full product range in Europe is limited and oversea shipping costs are not necessarily inexpensive, it became a habit for me to drop by their retail shop in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighbourhood every time I am in the Bay Area for business. A new store is set to open in Seattle this week. By now my family and I own nearly a dozen Timbuk2 messenger bags, backpacks, duffles and suitcases.

With its heritage in bike messenger bags, most of Timbuk2’s bags are made for urban, mobile and cycling lifestyle. Choosing the right design still allows you to also carry the bag with suite and tie – which I do – but for many the California bags might be to a tad to casual or sporty looking. For those I recommend the bag reviews Shawn & Stephen did on the Tools & Toys blog.

The Commute Laptop Messenger Bag is the second laptop bag from Timbuk2 I own. It is not because the previous one was kaput – Timbuk2’s ballistic nylon fabric is pretty much unbreakable – it is simply because I felt I needed a change in design.

Timbuk2 Commute Messenger

Everything about this bag is well thought trough and compared with previous generations also shows how good the Timbuk2 folks learn from customer feedback and come up with incremental improvements to an already nearly perfect product.

You’ll find plenty of pockets to store and organise your stuff: Some fit your pens, some your extra battery or external hard drive and the mesh pockets inside the big compartment hold your power supply and cables in place.

I personally love the small details that really make the difference when it comes to usability:

  • There is a pocket which Timbuk2 calls “Napoleon Pocket” and you can access it without opening the front flap. I keep my wallet and badge in there so I can have them handy without much hassle
  • The two front pockets have extra soft linen perfect to protect and even clean your smartphone or point-and-shoot camera
  • The front flap is waterproof and saved my gear from various rain showers I faced waiting for taxis and so on

The big trick about this bag, however, is the laptop compartment. Depending on which size of the bag you chose, it can fit any Apple laptop from the 11” MBA to the 17” MBP (and other brands, I suppose) plus a tablet (7” or 10”) plus another iPad, Kindle or a simple notebook.

When going through airport security you can open the laptop compartment so that all your gear lays flat and ready for x-ray without taking it out. It perfectly works with TSA in the US, but as European airport security has its own procedures, I personally do not benefit much from this feature. Still the laptop compartment has plenty of space, is well organised, protective and allows for quick access to your devices.

The bag is really made for business travellers since you also have the nearly mandatory luggage pass through so you can stick it on your trolley handle. The strap can also be removed and you can carry it briefcase-style.

Although you will find some of the “biking” features of Timbuk2 on the Commute Messenger, I personally would not recommend it for biking to work unless you have a relative short distance to cover. Other Timbuk2 models offer more features that improve fit and stability of the bag when riding like the additional, removable cross strap and also use materials that better deal with sweat and air circulation around your back.

If you like it a little special you can also get your bag custom built with a nearly endless choice options.

While this reads like a raving “to good to be true” review, it is only because I truly swear by Timbuk 2 bags, their quality, design and attitude and the Commute Messenger is indeed the most important aspect of my travel setup. Like for any other post on my blog, I did not even receive the little pouch I use for cables for free.

Other Posts In This Series: