Mind Like Monkey

How the changes on Mobile Me are going to affect your Omnifocus Experience

I was going to begin this saying: ‘unless you leave under a rock, you know by now that Apple announce that Mobile Me will disappear in June 2012’; but then I was reminded that the fact that I am constantly checking under certain rocks, doesn’t mean, people is looking under those too.

There is no certainty if the new service, iCloud will allow us, OmniFocus Users to continue putting our OmniFocus Files there, or if by June 2012 we will be out of sync ability. One of the things that allow me to do so much with OmniFocus is the fact that I can see the same information regardless of witch device I am using. Most of my Omnifocus use is on the iPad and the iPhone, and for me is really important that they sync. At this time, we can assume that in June 2012, we will be out of luck and sync ability.

I know that 12 months seems like a lot, but should I remind you that it is already June 2011, do you remember June 2010, yes feels like yesterday, before you digest that you will be writing 2012 in your paperwork. The good news is that the cool people of Omnigroup had create a service that it is in Beta and for free now (they had a disclaimer that the service could go paid in the future)

Your device will allow you to use their service Omni Sync Server. Set it up is as simple or more simple than set up Mobile Me. 

You go to the link (click here if you miss it) and put your email to get the invitation. Fill the information and you will receive an email with the instructions or a link that will configure your OmniFocus automatically.

After you do that, you are set. The OmniGroup Save the day!

 

I did that after the Apple Keynote,because I want to be sure how was going to work, and I regret that I didn’t do that years ago (or when the service was released). I was impress how fast the synchronization of my data is now, I am not sure why, but it’s significantly faster, and I am happy about it.

If you use Mobile Me, take in consideration that the clock is ticking and you will need to find a solution, (unless apple release something that they had not announced) you will need one. If you are an advance user, you can set up your own WebDav solution, other wise, you may try the OmniSync Sever. Just on the speed improvements will be worth to check it. That was the most impressive thing for me, how fast my apps sync now, for sure there is some secret and or special sauce in that server.

 

The I will not Procrastinate list

 
Somedays I need a list like that. We all somedays want to or simply procrastinate, today it has been one of those days. I just put on Twitter the following set of tweets:

 

I am honestly considering not doing nothing, I don't want to even see the short list (yes this post is in the short list), so I begin considering look into software that I don't need, to do functions that I don't use, so I don't do what I need to finish. (and I will complaint later on about not doing that stuff, but that's other story) 

I have talk about my DO NOT DO LIST in the past on my personal Blog (Click here), it's a trick I learned from Michael Hyatt a long time ago, and it's basically a list of stuff you will not do, period.

I was surprised by the fact that my list has not changed nothing in so long, so when I was going to download an install a developer version of a certain software in my main Mac and iPhone I refer to the list, and read: "I will not test with my Productivity tools and machine"

 

I am glad I have this list, the things that I will not do in this list, had save me for spend countless hours playing with my machines instead of doing something more productive, and more importantly to hurt my productivity on other times, therefore, I choose to disconnect and rest and recharge, will not do what I need, but will not hurt more my productivity for today.

Using Flags in Omnifocus

One of my favorite things on OmniFocus are the Flags. OmniFocus allow you to put flags on Projects as well as in Actions. In my particular case, I only used Flags for Actions, but let me explain the concept as I understand it for Projects.

 

Using Flags for projects generate that all actions bellow that project contain the flag, if you are wishing to have a way to make the project or all their actions different or easier to filter, this may be a way to go. As you can see in the image bellow, when you flag the Project, all actions get flagged, therefore is you use a FLAG filter, all will show.

 

 

As I said, I don’t use flags for Projects, but I use them extensively for actions. I had said before that in the morning I do a review, every morning, and the first things I do is remove all the items with flags on it. In order to do that I open a the Flag Perspective, and if any item is there I just remove the flag. After all flags are removed, I begin my morning review. The morning review consist on read all the actions that I have on my list, and mark three to five actions with the respective flag. The result is a short list, of things that will show up on the different perspectives, because they are flagged.

 

Somedays after I review, I end up with more than five, I am not counting how many flags, I am just trying to set priorities on the day. When that happen, I just clean based on the final list and leave three to five. In the great days, those in witch I mark those flag items as complete, if the speed allow me, I go and do another mini review, and select more items to be flagged, other times, I just work on my lists based on the contexts. One of my favorite things of this method, is that I can consider my self successful when I finish those things that I mark on the morning, even if it’s only nine am, and can evaluate my day at the end of the night or the next morning when I didn’t finish. 

 

Another trick I have learn is to be kind with myself, even if you mark three things, the day can go crazy, insane and in the opposite direction of your original plans, the cool thing with a complete system is that you can be sure that everything is captured, and even if you couldn’t accomplish anything on that list, you can build a new one the next morning and continue playing, for example if you mark three items, for witch context is @Office, and at nine in the morning you got the call that your kid is sick. Well you will pack the computer, go home and those items will not be done that day, even if you accomplish many more, those will be there in the morning, you just need to learn the difference between that, and procrastination.

 

The final trick, is to remember that the list is nothing else than that. You can go in the morning, mark three things and do other three in your list, and it’s fine, you make a different decision based on later feedback, and that happen, and it’s ok.

 

The Real Priorities

I am guilty of trying to accomplish more than what I can. Over the years I have push, organize, work harder and eventually sadly some things had failed. Some projects that I don't really care, and some that I care a lot for.

The reason some of this projects had failed is because they weren’t real priority. The real priority is the thing for witch you will stop doing other things in order to do accomplish that. For some people is reading, for others is TV, for some is their family; regardless what it is, that's the real priority, and if you pay attention you will find witch one it is yours.

When I was working on an office environment, my priority was play with my baby when I arrived home every night. When I got home, I hang up the phone, and pay attention to her, I didn't care about anything else. I didn't succeed 100%, but was pretty successful.

In 2010 I made finish my first novel a real priority (I finally released my novel on May 2011. It's called The Writer, for more information click here) I stop doing other things so I could finish it, I stop doing many things, it was something important for me to accomplish, it was a priority. I wrote a lot, I wrote early or late when people went to sleep, I wrote on planes, and many little times I had, that was not my first priority, but an important one.

Yesterday, listening to the last episode 17 of 'Back to Work' with Merlin Mann and Dan Benajmin, Merlin said that a priority is not something that you need to have done, or must be done, a priority is something for witch you will stop or not do other things.

For the longest time, I didn't understand the concept of scarcity, understand that I only have a limited amount of hours. One of my priorities in life is make my daughter happy, and I know it is a priority because I am willing to stop doing things to spend time with her. For me is a priority to write, because I am willing not to read (one of my favorite things to do in the world) so I can write a little. I am willing to stop doing many things, in order to spend some time writing.

For me it's not a priority, (at least not any more) to live in a museum home, I don't care anymore that the house is not perfect, I don't care if people stop by and the house is not pristine, because for me is more important spend time with my daughter, because I prefer to write, those are priorities for me, my wife, my daughter, my writing, everything else, is not a real priority, sorry, and because of that, everything else will suffer, because I will be willing to sacrifice everything else in order to give a chance to my real priorities.

 

The question now, is what are your real priorities, I had a friend, that his higher priority is to play golf, I like golf, but not like him, he will be out sunny, wet, cold or hot, every chance he had, he will not do things in order to play golf, that's his priority, I have a friend that love her house pristine, clean and impeccable. Even when my home is pristine, feels dirty next to her home. For her is a priority to have her house that way, and she will stop doing things in order to have her house that way.

What are your real priorities, what are the two or three things that you will stop doing things in order to do those, what will make everything else behind because those need to be done, what will get late, not be done, and procrastinating about in order to finish those things, those are your real priorities, for some people is their work, for others is cooking, for others is reading or cleaning the house, everything else in your lists are not, are things you must do, or should do, or will so someday, but they are not priorities, your priorities are written in your heart, you don't need any reminder and everything else will wait in order for those to be done.