Mike Vardy's Blog, page 112

The Flagging of Tasks

On Episode 40 of Generational, Eric Hess explained how he flags his tasks in OmniFocus:

"....of all of my list of things that are next to do, these are the things that actually I want to focus on today. They are simply ways to highlight individual tasks."

Flagging can be done in a variety of ways depending on how you choose to manage your tasks -- it's not limited to OmniFocus. Asana has Priority Headings (and you can mark tasks for Today, Upcoming, or Later if you want), Flow has flags, and others use a the idea of "flagging" in one form or another (and if you use paper you can simply add an asterisk to tasks that you're prioritizing most for the day). Leo Babauta talks about his Big Rocks and Josh Kaufman (among others) refers to MIT (Most Important Tasks) and using those almost compels you to flag regularly.

Flags can really help you when you feel as if you're letting some of the important stuff slide for the sake of getting more done overall.

Whether you have been using a task manager for a long time or are just getting started, having the option to flag tasks isn't a bad thing...when done in moderation.

           Related StoriesThe Productivityist Workbook: Now on Amazon!It's Time to Flip the RSS SwitchGiving Away My Birthday 

A Look Back at The 2013 World Domination Summit

Three weeks later, I'm ready to share my 2013 World Domination Summit experience. To be clear, I can't possibly share that much of it -- this is an event that everyone needs to experience to fully appreciate it. But I'll do my best, as I've done for the past two years before this one.

I've attended every single WDS to date, and each can be described as truly amazing...but in very different ways. In 2011, I didn't know what to expect, which made it all the more special. In 2012, I had an idea of what to expect, but those expectations weren't just met -- they were surpassed (and there were some surprises thrown in the mix as well). I went into this year's event thinking that I was going to be amazed, but not necessarily altered all that much in the process.

The thing is I was already going through a form of alteration as I prepared for the event. It's like my mind and body is attuned to know when WDS is approaching, and it starts to create change within. So I arrived in Portland excited and ready to immerse myself once again in the aura that only world domination can offer.

Before I dive into what I did see the World Domination Summit, let me share with you the fact that I didn't attend any workshops. I took the time in between the larger auditorium sessions to connect with people and take breaks. I wanted to pace myself accordingly, and I did.

The main stage speakers that I did see were amazing. The quality of speakers was top-notch and I particularly enjoyed the talks delivered by Nancy Duarte, Jia Jiang, Gretchen Rubin1, and Donald Miller.

I had great times hanging out with many people who I'd met at past World Domination Summits, and many who were making the trek to Portland for their first one. I sampled plenty of espresso with Mike Rohde -- and I also managed to introduce him to poutine in the process. I got to see Schechter again, along with Jared Goralnick, David Sparks (who was accompanied by his lovely wife Daisy), Jean MacDonald, Marc and Angel Chernoff, Brett Kelly, Brooks Duncan, Thanh Pham (and meet his Asian Efficiency cohort Aaron Lynn), and countless others.

And then there were those who I'd never met before -- online or offline -- that further enhances the whole WDS experience.

Which leads me to the photo placed at the beginning of this post. It's been said that a picture says a thousand words. But the photo at the top of this piece doesn't quite do the moments that led up to it being taken justice.

So here come the words that will try to do just that.

The story of the photo begins at a popular Portland brewpub. Several of us were sitting around enjoying each others' company when I noticed one guy was wearing a ring. But it wasn't just any ring -- it was a Blue Lantern ring. I commented on how much I liked it, and showed mine to him. He returned the compliment, and we all went on chatting. Then Schechter chimed in with a line that went something like this:

"Vardy, I can't believe you wrote a book that uses golf as a metaphor for productivity when you've barely played the game."

At that moment, the gentleman with the Blue Lantern ring stopped what he was doing, looked at me and asked the following:

"Are you Mike Vardy?"

I said I was -- all the while stunned by the tone he took when asking me. There was a brief pause, and then this (I believe) is how he explained said tone:

"You're the reason I have this ring. I read your book (on the recommendation of Cal Newport) and the part about visual touchstones and avatars really resonated with me."

He then went on to explain that hope was what he wanted to keep at top of mind, and that blue is the colour of hope in the spectrum of the Lantern Corps. I was floored. I knew people read my stuff and shared it, but this was the first real example of it reaching this kind of level. This guy, named Travis, went out and bought a Blue Lantern ring because my work had inspired him to do so -- or at the very least sealed the deal.

I spent a lot of time hanging out with Travis after that moment. I found out what he did for a living, that he writes a blog -- Bit Thinking -- and it is terrific, and that he is as big a fan of bourbon (and clearly Green Lantern comics) as I am. The WDS experience allowed us to cement a connection that had been done through the pages of my book beforehand, and that was something that wouldn't have been possible had we not simply gone with the flow leading up to -- and during -- the event.

So...am I returning to WDS in 2014?

Yep.

Unlike Nathan Agin, I'm going for my Doctorate in World Domination. WDS gives me a chance to reflect on the months gone by, recharge for the months ahead, and reconnect with myself and others who share so many of the interests that I do.

And to Chris Guillebeau and his simply stellar team who make this event happen year in and year out...thank you so much. Words cannot fully express how tremendous this event is and I am incredibly grateful that you do all that you do to make it happen.

Now that I'm done looking back at this year's WDS, I can start looking forward to next year's. And it will be another awesome experience. A different experience, I'm sure -- but an awesome one all the same.

1 The chance to finally meet Gretchen in person was something I'd really been looking forward to. I'm glad we finally got to connect face-to-face.

             

The Productivityist Workbook: Now on Amazon!

Today I'm pleased to announce that The Productivityist Workbook is now available directly from Amazon.

It's priced a little bit less than the version sold here . It's only $2.99 through Amazon because you'll only be getting the MOBI version. (That said, it does include a download link within its pages so that readers can get printable worksheets for the exercises for free.)

You can buy The Productivityist Workbook directly from Amazon here.

If you've already bought The Productivityist Workbook from this site, then over the next week you'll receive an email allowing you to download both the MOBI and EPUB files for free. (The EPUB version is only available through my site at the moment -- I'm still waiting for approval from Apple to sell The Productivityist Workbook directly through iBooks.) Remember that if you want mutiple formats of the workbook, then buy it directly through this site -- you can't get all the formats buying anywhere else.

Thanks again to the 970(!) people that have picked up The Productivityist Workbook so far. Now that I've added some additional formats to the mix, I'm hoping it'll get into the hands of even more people -- and help them out with their productivity in the process.

To those who have already bought the workbook, I'd love it if you could leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads to help spread the word. You could also write about how it may have helped you out on your blog or share your thoughts on it through Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or any other social networks you see fit. Ultimately I want to get The Productivityist Workbook in the hands of as many people as possible -- but I'll need some help to do that. That's where you come in.

Thanks again to those who have added The Productivityist Workbook to their digital libraries. If you're thinking about doing the same but are still on the fence, you can read more about the workbook here.

           Related StoriesIt's Time to Flip the RSS SwitchGiving Away My BirthdayThursday Triage 

Fifteen Days

It's been fifteen days since I posted something here. Fifteen days have come and gone, with a ton of things coming toward me and needing processing.

I'm at the point now where I can put some of these things into words, but here's what I'm not going to touch on too much this time around with the intent of expanding upon them before the week is out:

The World Domination Summit: 2013 Edition

I've got a lot on my mind about this year's WDS, and I'm going to get it out there soon enough. But it's going to be a big brain dump, so I'm going to let it sit another day or two before unleashing it.

VoxPopCon

VoxPopCon was a great event -- and one where I delivered my most personal talk to date. It warrants more thought as well, so I'll give it the time it needs before writing about it in detail.

Now here's what I am going to touch on a bit more...

The travel that was part of the fifteen days was something I both enjoyed and made some realizations about. I know now that being away from my family for nearly two weeks isn't something I want to do again -- it's just too much time to be apart from those I love the most. If there are any visual touchstones that help me be at my best more than any other, it's my family. I'm not naive enough to know that being apart from them for a lengthy period isn't possible, I just want to find a better way when (or if) that possibility arises.

Being away from things also gave me time to review some things. I spent some time culling OmniFocus (using both of Kourosh Dini's books to help inform my choices and Asian Efficiency's OmniFocus Premium Posts to help fine tune things as well). I spent some time revamping my Evernote setup (with a big assist from Brett Kelly's Evernote Essentials). I started to look at my other tools that I use in my workflow and did some housekeeping, and got rid of those that are no longer part of my productivity toolbox.1

During these past fifteen days I sketchnoted more. I made new friends and I reconnected with old friends. I met some impressive and inspiring people. I had fun. I did some much needed work around the house. I wore my contact lenses more often.

And I made some decisions, some big and some small.

One of the decisions I made -- along with Michael Schechter -- was to leave Workflowing.net as partner. I want to focus more on this site -- and my work surrounding it -- and I felt that by continuing on at Workflowing that something was going to suffer. Workflowing is a passion project for Schechter -- as it turns out it was not for me. I definitely can see its potential, but I can also see the potential in a lot of what I'm pursuing. Ultimately -- once again -- something had to give. I'll still support the site (and may even contribute to it from time to time), but as of today it's all Schechter's. And I'm cool with that because I know he'll make it work -- and work better.

One of the small decisions I made was to make my first post here in fifteen days a bit of a "triage" post. The next post will dive deeper into the subject matter rather than simply scratch the surface. After all, I'm a productivity enthusiast, and I like doing those deep dives.

That said, in the past fifteen days I've found even more things to be enthusiastic about. I look forward to sharing some of those with you as well.

1 I'll be sharing what formerly-used/examined apps got kicked to the curb in an upcoming post.

Photo credit: ortonesque (via SXC.HU)

           Related StoriesHow My Mother Helped Shape My WorkThe ViewThe 2012 Persons of Internet 

In the Moment at the World Domination Summit

I haven't been writing very much lately due to my travelling, and this weekend while at the World Domination Summit has been no exception.

I'm currently sitting in Michael Schechter's hotel room writing this...a room where we have recorded two episodes of Mikes on Mics. We're both sipping some dandy scotch, getting whatever words we can get out of our heads and into our respective MacBook Airs.

I've watched some great talks and met some great people. I'm reconnecting with a slew of other people -- people like Jean MacDonald (founder of AppCamp4Girls), David Sparks, Brett Kelly, Jodi Womack, and more. I'm meeting people in person for the first time that I've connected with online -- people like Todd Henry, Mike Rohde, Jason Womack and more.

I'm not tweeting all that much -- in fact, most of my tweets have been retweets of the experience from the point of view of others in attendance. I'm digesting and then (importantly) decompressing throughout the event.

Despite having a schedule of events, I'm not keeping tabs on time all that much. Instead, I'm focusing on what I do with as many moments possible as opposed to where I am at any given time. I'm being at WDS in my own way, rather than trying to do WDS all the way.

I don't know what I'll do with the next moment yet -- but I know I'll be present for it. And that's what really counts when you're at an event like this.

           Related StoriesMaking DaysThe Hard StuffWriting to Forget 

How I Get Daily Reading Done on My Original iPad

It's official: Google Reader is dead.

That's fine, because I've been using Feed Wrangler for a while now, and really like it. I've been waiting for Reeder support, and that arrived today (at least for the iPhone), but that doesn't really help me on my 1st generation iPad. Since I use my iPad as my primary reading device, I now have a problem I didn't have before: How do I read my daily RSS feeds?

The fact of the matter is that I can't -- at least not as I used to -- because the original iPad won't run iOS 6. Sure, I could use a Fever install and maintain my current version of Reeder. In essence, that would maintain my current reading workflow, but I don't really feel the need to implement that. So instead, I've adapted.

Here's how I'm getting daily reading done on my original iPad.

Zite: I still prefer the original version of Zite. My iPad will only run the original version, so I ensure that all of my favorite topics are lined up within Zite so that I have some great reading material every morning.
Flipboard: Should I decide not to earmark certain sites within Zite, Flipboard comes in handy. I use Flipboard quite regularly as my secondary reading source (it was third in line before Reeder in its current iteration became obsolete to me thanks to Google Reader's shuttering).
Instapaper: The app that will get the most use on my original iPad in terms of reading applications is bound to Instapaper going forward. This is a blessing in disguise, as my Instapaper queue can often get unwieldy when unattended. I'm a big fan of reading on the iPad, and Instapaper is (at this point) the most useful reading app on my device, especially considering where I can send articles from within the app (OmniFocus, etc.).
Newsstand: This is rapidly becoming a more useful option, but since more and more magazines are requiring iOS 6, I don't know how much longer it will be part of my current setup. That said, with excellent magazines like The Magazine and Matthew Guay's Techinch Magazine arriving on the scene, Newsstand is definitely something I look forward to using more often once I finally upgrade.

Many of you have already upgraded to new iPads, and that's fine. I know that I am going to do so shortly as well. In fact, I did have an iPad mini in my possession for a short while and decided that I will make better use of the original format of iPad when I'm ready to level up my iPad device. But for those of you sticking with the original iPad for now, take a look at these options and make the most of your reading experience on the device...while you can.

Photo credit: gerri-jean via SXC.HU

           Related StoriesA Better Journey to Markdown with David Sparks and Eddie SmithProductive Meal Planning with Basil and OmniFocusThe Flow Easter Sale 

Making Better Days

Today is Canada Day. It is also the day that marks the midway point of the year (at least in terms of months).

It's also a chance for all of us to look at the months gone by and figure out what we've done...and we what we haven't. Better still, it gives many a chance to take a look at the rest of the year and decide what they can (and will) do with the rest of it.

I'm back to another month of reflection and recharging, as I did in January because I tend to start my year in February. I'll be taking this month and setting myself up for the months to come, and I'm going to get a nice start doing thta later this week at the World Domination Summit. I encourage you to do the same this month.

Map out what's left of your year using the notion of an Idea Calendar (which is something I discuss in The Productivityist Workbook. Go through your task manager and toss out what you won't do and focus on what you will. Really narrow your scope.

Take this month to prepare for the remainder of 2013 so that you don't simply go about your days, but instead make the most of them.

Photo credit: irenaeus-h via SXC.HU

           Related StoriesThe Hard StuffWriting to ForgetGap Days 

It's Time to Flip the RSS Switch

Over on Workflowing, my partner in podcasting crime Michael Schechter has written a great piece on how to prepare for the impending shuttering of Google Reader -- a shuttering that is set for Monday July 1.

As for keeping up with Productivityist via RSS feed, you can take this link and use it in whatever new feed reading option you're going with. I'm using Feed Wrangler, and am really enjoying it as my new RSS feed reading option.

Remember you only have until tomorrow night to get out of Google Reader, so if you enjoy keeping up with your favourite sites via RSS then take the time to make that happen this weekend.

Photo credit: pcross666 via SXC.H 2.0)

           Related StoriesGiving Away My BirthdayThursday TriageEventfulness 

Giving Away My Birthday

I'm going to stray a bit from my usual stuff to talk about my upcoming birthday. That may seem odd, but I've got a very good reason to do so.

This year I'm celebrating my birthday differently. I don't want presents or anything. I want clean water.

Last year at the World Domination Summit, Scott Harrison (founder of charity:water) gave a stirring talk that told the story of the rise of this worthwhile charity. You can watch the video of that talk below.

What I'm trying to do is raise $3900 for charity:water for my birthday -- and I know it can be done. Being that it's my 39th birthday, $3900 seemed appropriate. Being that many of you have been following my work for some time, I'm hoping that you'll help me make it happen.

100% of the money we raise will directly fund water projects around the world, and when those projects are complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the impact we made. I can't think of a better birthday gift.

If you're ready to help out with the cause, then please donate to my campaign here, and make this the best birthday ever.You'll be able to select what level of donation you can commit to and make a safe and secure donation directly.

Thanks!

Photo credit: charity:water

           Related StoriesThursday TriageEventfulnessIntroducing The Productivityist Workbook 

The Hard Stuff

It’s easy to spend money. It’s hard to save it.

It’s easy to spend time. It’s hard to save it.

It’s easy to say “no” to the right things and say “yes” to the wrong things when the former takes more effort than the latter. That’s why we often spend more time on what isn’t necessarily going to move us forward.

So how do you tackle the hard stuff instead of the easy stuff?

Plan accordingly. Set up a system. Use that system to help you conserve your energy so that you can do the hard stuff more often. Shift between doing some easy stuff and some hard stuff, but make sure you don’t overextend yourself on the easy stuff.

Think about it this way. Doing the easy stuff is like rolling a one through three on a die, but doing the hard stuff is like rolling a four through six.

With that in mind…what would you rather roll more often?

Photo credit: somadjinn via SXC.HU

           Related StoriesWriting to ForgetGap DaysHow to Decide When to Say No