This episode of Free Agents is all about space. Mike and I discuss the role of mise en place (French for “set up” or “putting in place”) for a successful free agency. Also, I talk about the effect of dedicated spaces on production, Mike is thinking about leaving his co-working space, and I’m plotting a sabbatical for more “space”.
This episode of Free Agents is sponsored by:
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FREEAGENTS at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
FreshBooks: Online invoicing made easy.
This week, MacSparky is sponsored by Ulysses, the writing application I use every day. Ulysses gives me a focused writing environment, eliminating distractions and encouraging me to do the hard work of moving the cursor across the line.
While there are plenty of minimalist writing tools, there is only one Ulysses. That is because in addition to obsessive design, Ulysses has some real power under the hood.
I love the way Ulysses organizes the various facets of my life and where I do my writing. This screenshot is only the tip of the iceberg for me. As I go deeper in these levels, I have all sorts of text that I’m currently writing, have already written, or use as a reference. And because it syncs across macOS and iOS, all of it is always available to me. There is a reason I always have this app open.
For the latest operating system updates, Ulysses was there. Version 14 adds a new dark mode, better designs on sheets, Siri Shortcuts integration, and iPhone XS Max support. The Siri Shortcut support lets you create a new sheet, view an individual sheet, or even view a group of sheets.
My thanks to Ulysses for not only sponsoring the website this week, but also for helping me move the cursor every day. You can get three free months of Ulysses with this link. Check it out.
Join us this week for MPU+. Katie and I chat about my new phone, Katie’s broken Mac, iOS 12 follow-up, Siri Shortcuts, transitioning from Dropbox to iCloud, my laptop replacement, and more.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
The Omni Group: We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Gazelle: Sell your iPhone for cash at Gazelle!
FreshBooks: Online invoicing made easy.
Handy: The most reliable name in house cleaning.
Today Facebook explains that on Tuesday, they discovered a security issue, compromising 50 Million accounts. Just to be clear, that is a five followed by seven additional zeroes. While I’m not a fan of Facebook generally, I do appreciate that they shared this with users within days of discovery. (The post explains they discovered the breach on September 25.) At the same time, it’s only been days and 50 million is an awfully round number. Is that really all?
While it is easy to poke fun at Facebook, I think a lot of companies are vulnerable. The hackers are getting smarter and they only need the folks holding our data to make one mistake. Get yourself a password manager and please use multiple, secure passwords. You probably know my choice is MPU sponsor 1Password but whatever your preference, get some real security tools to back you up.
This week, the Omni Group has released version 3 of OmniFocus for the Mac. This release closes the loop on the version 3 release which began a few months ago with the release of version 3 for iOS.
While the new version of OmniFocus still works with GTD, I look at the new release as an intentional breaking away from prior constraints related to making it a GTD tool. Contexts are out. Tags are in. But what does that mean? I wrote an article for Inside OmniFocus over the weekend where I explained the addition of tags has fundamentally changed the way I use the application.
Multiple vectors into your task system can only be a good thing. With the new version of OmniFocus you don’t need to put four tags on every task but where appropriate, you could. With increased flexibility with tags, it makes OmniFocus’s custom perspectives even more useful.
One example I cited in my above-linked Inside OmniFocus article is invoice follow-up. I’ve got many legal clients and some automation that will generate a task for me to follow up on invoices. Those tasks appropriately belong with each individual client but with the new OmniFocus, I’ve been adding one additional tag to my creation script that inserts an “invoice” tag. Now when I set aside time to follow up on invoices, it no longer involves a hunt through my system. I simply pull up available tasks with the “invoice” tag and go through my list. That’s a small example, but you get the idea.
Just like with the release of version 3 for iOS, this new version of OmniFocus doesn’t make any change simply for the sake of change but only where it makes the application easier to use or more powerful and, in several cases, both of those things.
Another example of that is the new Forecast view that now mixes your calendar items in with your tasks in their calendar order. If you have a deadline at 9:00 and a dentist appointment at 10:00, the deadline appears first. Clever.
The deceptive part is that these changes and refinements add up to way more than the sum of their parts. I find the application more nimble and more powerful than before. It’s completely changed my own “system” for using the application. To learn more about version 3 check out the OmniFocus web site. If you’d like a lot more words on the new version, I’d recommend Rose Orchard‘s review over on MacStories. And, of course, if you’d like 5+ hours and 69 separate videos on using OmniFocus, I’ve got that covered too.
Here’s my 5 minute video review of the iPhone Xs Max, via my memoji-fied avatar.
Links of Note:
Also, if you like these videos you can subscribe to the Bonus Sparky course at Learn.MacSparky or my YouTube channel.
This week’s sponsor, SaneBox, might be my most used web service. SaneBox helps me manage the deluge of email. I’ve had a few releases in the past month, and that means the old inbox has been getting hammered. SaneBox has had my back the whole time, sorting email, with uncanny precision, into different folders automatically so I can find everything I need, exactly where I’d expect it.
Best of all, SaneBox works everywhere. The last few weeks we’ve had updates to both iOS and macOS and mail tools and plugins are breaking everywhere. Not SaneBox. SaneBox runs in the cloud so no matter how many times you update your operating system, change to different platforms, or just decide to switch mail apps, SaneBox keeps working for you.
There is a whole lot SaneBox can do to help you tame your email. To learn more, head over to SaneBox and use the links in this post to get a discount. Who doesn’t love a discount now and again?
I’m happy to announce the release of the third edition of the OmniFocus Field Guide. This is a video course that takes you, soup to nuts, through the Omni Group’s supremely bad-ass task manager. My goal is to make you no less than a task-managing ninja.
This course includes 69 videos totaling over 5 hours of content.
Topics Include:
Introduction and Overview
Learn what makes OmniFocus unique and learn how to download and install the apps and a basic overview of how the apps work on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Syncing OmniFocus
This section also demonstrates how to set up the OmniSync Service.
Capture
Emptying your brain into your task manager should be fast and efficient. OmniFocus is both. In this section, you’ll learn how to quickly capture tasks into your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Process
This is the meat and potatoes of OmniFocus. This section teaches you how to set up projects and contexts along with their different types and flavors. There is also an extensive explanation of defer and due dates and full tutorials on how you can use OmniFocus to put these tool to use. This section also demonstrates the rational use of flags and how to set repeating tasks. With version 3, OmniFocus added tags. There is a lot of content concerning how tags work and the best strategies for implementing them.
Perspectives
There is also an extensive demonstration of OmniFocus perspectives. Understanding how the built-in perspectives work (and how to roll your own) will make all the difference in your OmniFocus ninja-hood. This portion of the video walks you through, step-by-step. Once you figure out custom perspectives, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without them. This section also explains how to use the OmniFocus Forecast feature to get ahead of the curve and plan your days out into the future.
Action
Next, you’ll learn about how to crank through your days and complete your tasks. This section also has practical advice about how to make sure you spend your time completing tasks and not fiddling with OmniFocus. Once you’ve got process sorted, action will be where you get things done, and it will feel great.
Review
Adding a regular review practice to your tasks can make a huge difference in your productivity (and sanity). OmniFocus supports this, and this section teaches you how along with some common sense tips for everyday use.
Settings and Interface
Learn how to customize the app to work and look the way you want it.
Automation
OmniFocus has some mighty automation chops if you know how to use them. In this section, learn about automation through text, Siri Shortcuts, and an entire mini-course on creating project templates.
The Apple Watch
OmniFocus has an impressive Apple Watch application. Learn how it works.
Systems
There isn’t just one way to conquer the world using OmniFocus. This section covers the best systems to get the most from OmniFocus.
Additional Concepts
This course wraps up with further discussion about advanced task management concepts like how to deal with too many projects and tasks, the relationship between managing tasks and creativity, and the difference between your internal manager and your internal maker.
The OmniFocus Field Guide, by the numbers
69 videos
5+ Hours
One appearance by a lovable alien, far from home.
The OmniFocus Field Guide is sold at an introductory price of $24. It will raise to $29 shortly after launch.
If you bought the prior version of the OmniFocus Field Guide in 2018, you are entitled to a free upgrade. Send us a note and proof of purchase. If you bought the prior version before 2018, it is a new purchase.
Did you say you wanted a trailer?
On this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, Katie and I talk about Apple’s latest operating system, macOS Mojave. We discuss the state of the Mac, yearly release cycles, what we like, what we don’t, new features for productivity, and more.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
Molekule: The only air purifier that actually destroys pollutants. Use mpu for $75 off.
SaneBox: Stop drowning in email!
1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Save up to 20% using this link.
Fujitsu ScanSnap: ScanSnap helps you live a more productive, efficient, paperless life.
