We're Getting Married

Intro

Hello there.

I’m Julian and I'm really pleased that you've chosen to download and listen to this episode.  I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to little 'ol me! 

If you're new here, then welcome to the Productivity Matters podcast.

This is a bit of a special episode as I’m going to talk about planning a wedding.  In fact, planning my wedding.  

So, I’m just going to pop the champagne open and pour myself a glass…. would you like one too?  Alright then.

Enjoy it, as you listen to this weeks episode

Getting Married

Yes.  I’m getting married.  This coming Sunday in fact.  And if you’re listening after the event, then it’s the 17th March.  It’s an amazing feeling; and we’re both very excited.  In fact everyone is very excited.

Karen, my fiancée is a wonderful lady (lady?)

Does the word ‘lady’ make you think of an older person?  At what point does someone go from being a young man/woman, to a man or woman.

Should I say that my fiancée is a wonderful woman?  Wonderful girl?  'Girl’ sounds too patronising?

Whatever - Karen is wonderful.  In every sense.  She’s beautiful, caring, generous, loving and I can’t wait to marry her.

We’ve been together for over 7 years, and the time has flown.  7 years?  Yes - this is the 7 year itch - in reverse… haha!

Between us, we have 5 children; and before you start shouting at me - they don’t all live with us, all the time.

I Do

So, whilst this is all very exciting, it’s a really, lovely, tenuous link to talk about some of the apps we’ve been using to help prepare for the  big day.  

These won’t come as a surprise to regular listeners, but explaining them in a real-world scenario may help you to better understand the benefits they bring.

Karen is not a huge fan of using lots of different technology - a pad and pen are more her style.  Which is absolutely fine, and it works.  It just makes it more difficult if you need to share tasks and information.

So; what have we been using?

ToDoIst

First of all; as with all big events, there are to do lists on top of to do lists!  Whilst I use Todoist (and totally love it) I wasn’t going to ‘force’ it on Karen, so we set up a shared Reminders list on iCloud.  Now I can see all the tasks, when they’re added and, more importantly, when they’re checked off as complete.

I would have liked to have these in Todoist - however, since I use Fantastical 2, I set the specific Reminders list to show in my calendar, so I only needed to see one list; and it’s easy to add to a Reminders list from Fantastical 2 as well.

I did create my own list, in Todoist, for some things that I needed to do - like write my speech, sort out my clothes etc, and in this way could keep my individual tasks separate from the main tasks.

Calendar

Of course, there are many people involved in planning and delivering an event as big as a wedding, those who are providing services; such as the caterer, florist etc etc.  Meetings for all these were all managed using a shared iCloud Calendar.  

Again, as I use Fantastical 2 on my MacBook and iPhone; the calendar is available there, and I could continue to use that without any changes.

So, Fantastical 2 has proved itself very versatile in bringing together two applications together to minimise the number of apps that are needed.

With all the emails flying back and forward, I use Spark email, and the integration with Todoist helped me to save time, by just adding the emails to the relevant service, for following up later.

Evernote

Now, as the groom, I needed to write, and deliver, a speech.  I agonised and spent a rather inordinate amount of time going over it, finessing it.. and I needed a tool to keep it with me everywhere, so I could access it whenever I needed to. 

That tool was Evernote.  

I have been an Evernote user for over 8 years now, and whilst I have tried others, such as Bear and OneNote, Notes on Apple devices and Google Keep, regardless of the bad press that Evernote has received over the last few months, it’s still the service that I naturally turn to for taking notes.

A big benefit of Evernote is the Web Clipper. It's a fantastic way to take clips from pages on the internet and save them for later. Maybe you're researching a new car, or holiday or anything you like; you see something on the internet that you want to keep for reference.

The Web Clipper, which is installed as an extension on you browser, will let you either capture the entire screen, just a snippet or a text version and save it straight into your Evernote. You can even set the notebook you want it stored in, along with any notes and tags.

I use Evernote in conjunction with Scannable, so it was useful to capture invoices and important information we received, to store them in a single place.

I also use it for work, to capture notes from meetings, as well as somewhere to brain-storm ideas.

The search functionality within Evernote is second-to-none. If you've scanned in documents, the OCR capability for documents, means that when you search for something, Evernote won't only look at the notes that you've created, but also inside the documents (whether word or pdf). It will also search any text that's part of a photo.

This means, that even without the notebooks, if you're looking for something, then there is a very high probability of finding it just entering a key phrase or word.

This does mean that the number of results returned from this search could be daunting; and another reason why you could use the tagging functionality to help filter and focus on what you're looking for.

Evernote also has Templates; ideal if you’re using the same format for many notes.  When you start a new note, opt to use a template, and the screen will be pre-filled with tables, or format, for you to complete.  Great for agendas, or journal keeping or a telephone message pad etc.

Back to my speech… 

Google Sheets and Docs

Another HUGE part of planning a wedding is managing the finances!  Weddings aren't cheap and keeping tabs on the expenses is a must, to make sure you don’t go mad.  Of course, this is relevant for all things in life, not just weddings!!

I created a Google Sheet into which I added 4 columns.  The reason for the expenditure, the total expected cost, the deposit paid and the final column is a calculated value based on B-C (the expected cost minus the deposit paid).

Because this is a Google Sheet, I could share this with Karen, so she could also update the figures.

We also created the guest list and the table plan in Google Sheets.   We used Google Docs for some Reserved signs we wanted to put on some chairs.

Wrap Up

Planning a wedding is a lot of fun, and we’ve really worked as a team to make sure it’s going to be a day to remember.

Here’s a recap of the productivity tools we’ve used to help us.

Todoist and Reminders

Apple Calendar and Fantastical 2

Google Docs

Google Sheets

Evernote

Wedding Phrases

Whilst I was pulling the details of this episode together, I got to thinking about phrases to do with weddings.  The most common one, that I can tell, is to tie the knot.  

Where does that phrase come from?

There is a suggestion that this expression derives from the nets of knotted string which supported beds prior to the introduction of metal-sprung bedframes. The theory goes that, in order to make a marriage bed, you needed to 'tie the knot'. Like many such folk-etymological explanations, there's not a shred of evidence to support this idea.

It isn't clear whether this expression derives from an actual knot used in marriage ceremonies or whether the knot is merely symbolic of a lasting unity. Knots have a   place in the folklore of many cultures and usually symbolize unbreakable pledges. Actual knots have certainly been used in marriage ceremonies for some time and the tradition of trying the wrists of the bride and groom with twine continues today in marriages in the use of sashes which are placed over the principal's wrists. The word 'knot', although not in the phrase 'tie the knot', has been associated with marriage since at least the 13th century. The Legend of St. Katherine, circa 1225 used the Middle English 'cnotte', that is, 'knot', to mean 'the tie or bond of wedlock; the marriage or wedding knot’.

What about - Plight my troth.  A very old-English saying.

Troth is faithfulness, loyalty, honesty. Troth is not something you just trot out. It is something that is a commitment. It is something you plight. So the magic spell could be I promise you I will be true.

Other, more common, slang terms include Getting hitched and Getting spliced

Podcast of the Week

Before I finish, it’s time for “Podcast of the Week” - my weekly look at another podcast that you might find interesting / enjoyable.

I don’t normally do national radio podcasts; but one I listen to every day is from BBC Radio 2 - it’s the daily pop quiz, called Pop Master.

Hosted by Ken Bruce, this quiz is part of the weekday, mid-morning show, and pits two listeners against each other to get the highest score, to get the chance to win a digital radio.  The podcast splits this segment and presents it in a nice, roughly 15 minutes, episode.

As I said, I would normally promote an independent podcaster, but since this one is a lot of fun to listen to; especially as I try my best to answer as many questions as possible, then I thought I’d include it.

That’s Pop Master, from BBC Radio 2 - it’s available wherever you normally listen to you podcasts.

Thank You

And that’s it for another week.

I’m going to prepare to tie the knot and plight my troth!!  

I hope you’ve found this episode interesting.

If you have any questions about anything I’ve mentioned, or anything else, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

Please don’t forget to press the subscribe button in your podcast app of choice, then you’ll get a notification ding when a new episode has been released, so you won’t miss another episode.

Thank you very much for listening and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

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The End Of The Series

Hi everyone.  Welcome to another episode from Productivity Matters.

In fact, this is the last in the current series; but don’t worry, I’ll be back in the new year. 

I've had a lot of fun making these, so in the great tradition of end of year shows; I thought I'd take look back at what I've talked about over the last 18 weeks.

What is productivity

If we're to understand how the tools and methods can help us, then we need to get to the heart of productivity, and what it actually is?

Productivity means different things to each of us; but one thing I think we can all agree on is that it’s the means to getting things done in the most efficient manner. 

It may be that the easiest way to do this is using good old-fashioned pen and paper.

The tech world has been overtaken with all sorts of apps to help us do something better. 

ToDoIst

Task managers are designed to help you make sure you've done what needs to be done.  Tasks are either one-off single jobs that need completing, or they are a bigger project broken down into more manageable chunks.

The market is a flood with task manager apps; GoodTasks, Things3, Wunderlist, and even Google have one called Keep.

I use ToDoIst for my task management; and the main reason I chose this is ease of use and the integrations into the other tools I already use.

One of the strengths of ToDoIst is the ability to use natural language to set dates and times, for reminders. It's simple to type 'Call Mum every Wednesday at 6pm'

ToDoIst will automatically create a recurring task, that appears each Wednesday. On the paid-for service, you can also set a reminder for 10 mins before (or whatever time you decide), to pop-up on your mobile phone, or desktop, so you'll never forget again.

On the paid for version you get extra functionality, including:

• Task Labels & Reminders - adding more control to the way you can filter and be reminded of tasks
• Add tasks via email - This is a good one. Simply forward emails direct to ToDoIst; either to the default Inbox, or straight into a project. A real time-saver
• Task comments & file uploads - Add extra comments to your tasks, and upload files to support the tasks
• Productivity tracking and charts
• iCal synchronization - Add your tasks into your calendar, so you can see them in one place.

I use the premium version; which at the time of recording is $36 per year (about £28).

www.todoist.com

Evernote

ToDoIst integrates nicely with Evernote, so that any reminders I set are automatically created in ToDoIst.

Evernote is my note-taking app of choice.  I have tried others, such as Bear and OneNote, but I just can't seem to get on with them as well.  Maybe that's because I've been using Evernote for so many years, and it's second nature.  Certainly, Evernote have had some negative press over this last year, with their new brand image; but the product itself is very stable.

I use Evernote for almost everything, from scanning documents to store them, for storing e-receipts that arrive by email, and their webclipper which I use to capture and save information from the web.

Evernote has a basic, free, version which will be just fine for many.  There is also a premium offering which unlocks a boatload of functionality.  

www.evernote.com

Online Security

On the subject of the web - how safe are you?  In one episode I talked about security, not only of your passwords, but also general steps you can take to make sure you don't fall for the scammers that are so prevalent, and increasingly clever, nowadays.

Staying safe online doesn't have to be hard, and must be considered all the time. 

Here are a few simple steps:

• Don't write passwords down where they can be easily found
• Never give out your credit or debit card PIN
• Change passwords frequently and
• Use different passwords everywhere
• Be aware of phishing attacks too - if an offer looks too good to be true; then it probably is.

I also talked about using multi-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication, as an added layer of security.  It sounds more complex than it actually is.  Simply, set up a second device to act as a barrier for the scammer.  When you log in to an online account, then you'll need to use your mobile phone to authorise the login.  Even if the scammer has your login and password, without your second device, they won't get access to your account.

A good password manager will help you to manage all your passwords - I use LastPass; but others are available, such as 1Password and Dashlane.  They're well worth investigating.

www.lastpass.com

Online Photos and Online Storage

When I looked at these, in separate episodes, I claimed that Google was the winner in both cases.  I still maintain that. As a service, Google really is second-to-none and since they are available across all platforms, then you're not constrained by the device you use.

Plus, they're free to use.  Although I did caveat that statement; since Google don't charge you, they do make their money by selling information for advertising purposes.  So, whether you class the services as free is probably semantics.  The majority of us have a Google Gmail account, or use their Photos app, or Drive, for storage. 

Or used one of their other plentiful services; like Maps; Translate and more. 

I did also look at Apples photos and Amazon also have a Photos app; which is free for Prime members.  For online storage, as well as Google Drive there are also offerings from Microsoft OneDrive, Apple (iCloud, for Apple users only), Dropbox and Box.

Fantastical 2

Time management in a busy life is important, and I use Fantastical 2 for my calendar.  

I know that each operating system has their own calendar; like Calendar on iOS, or Google Calendar; but I prefer the way Fantastical 2 can be used to enter information.  It's natural language capability means I just type the entry, without really thinking about the format.

Available on iOS and Mac, with some great Apple Watch integration; Fantastical 2 is also integrated very well with ToDoIst.

On the iOS version you can choose your default maps application, to open directions; from either Apple Maps or Google Maps. You can also choose the default browser, for opening links.

On the MacOS version, I have a work calendar that will automatically be displayed when I arrive in the office. This allows me to concentrate on what's ahead of me for the day, and not be distracted by personal events. When I return home, my personal calendar will be displayed.

Calendars can also be set up in 'sets', which allows me to limit certain calendar views. Calendars I've subscribed to can also be set up within these 'sets', so I can see them too.  The Mac app also offers the choice of light or dark theme.

This isn't a free app; like many others, but you do get a whole lot of bang for your buck.

www.flexbits.com

Notion

Billed as the workspace for all your online 'stuff'.  Lego bricks for software.  Notion can be used for pretty much anything and is possibly this years fastest growing app.  You can capture notes, add tasks, use tables, include a calendar, upload images, link to other sites and much much more.

The note-taking isn't quite as good as Evernote; in my opinion, and the task manager doesn't yet allow for recurring tasks, so is a little limited.

However, it is one app that really does cater for everyone and everything, and is definitely worth a look.

It's free to use (if you don't use up all 1000 blocks) but you can delete blocks and free up space if you need to; so it genuinely is free.

www.notion.so

Feedly, Pocket & Pocket Casts

There are two apps that I use daily, usually multiple times a day, to get my fix of the news and articles I'm interested in reading.

Feedly is a news aggregator and is brilliant at serving up the news I chose to receive.  They've recently been undergoing some enhancements, and the upcoming new version is totally brilliant.

The other app is Pocket, and they have had a makeover this year.  Pocket is where I capture all the articles and news items that I want to read later.  It syncs up to be able to read offline, if necessary, and the update makes this a seamless and smooth experience.  They have also made their read-out-loud functionality more prominent - so you have have the app speak the stories.  It's spookily good! o

Talking of reading out loud - podcasts are a great way to listen to interesting discussions, reviews or entertainment - although I don't need to tell YOU that!

Pocket Casts is a great podcast app, and has also had a new release in the last few weeks.  I use Pocket Casts daily to listen to the podcasts I subscribe too.  There are others on the market, including Castbox, Overcast and more and I will take a look at some of them in the new year.

Feedly, Pocket and Pocket Casts are all free to download and use; but they also have premium versions available.

www.feedly.com

www.getpocket.com

www.pocketcasts.com

IFTTT & Zapier

Automation is probably the biggest part of being as productive as possible.  Using technology to streamline your workflows, means you can spend more time doing what matters most.

I gave some examples of the relatively simple ways I use automation; using IFTTT (If This Then That) to update a shopping list, and using Zapier to update a Google Sheet. 

For Zapier, one of the main uses I have is to add a line to a spreadsheet whenever I buy something from Amazon.  Whenever a confirmation email is received, I have set up a Zap that will look in the email, take the information and add to a line on a Google spreadsheet.  Now, I can see at a glance what I’ve bought!

Again, both of these are free to use.  IFTTT is available via the web and as an app. Zapier is only available via the web; and does have a cost if you need more than the basics on offer. 

www.ifttt.com

www.zapier.com

Drafts 5

Drafts 5 is an app purely for capturing text.  It's brilliant at that; but with some formatting, and integrations, I can update a field on a Draft 5 document, then run an Action which will, bear with me, run a Zap, from Zapier, and add a line to a Google Sheet.  It's really quick to do, and saves having to open the sheet, navigate to the row and type the info.

I also use Drafts to add to my To Do list, in ToDoIst.  Entering the task details, I then run an action to create a task directly.

There are times when I'll receive an email with lots of different dates for various meetings.  In Drafts, I will enter each one on a separate line, along with the date and time.  I then run an action called Fantastically Good Event Parser.  Then it will take each line and create a separate event in Fantastical 2, using the natural language ability of the app.  This has saved tons of time.

Unfortunately, Drafts 5 is only available on iOS; with a Mac version in the works.  It's free to download and use, but the pro version does unlock additional functionality - but this is not necessary to get the main benefits of this great app.

www.draftsapp.com

Thank You

So, that's it.  I've looked at ToDoIst, Evernote, IFTTT, Zapier, Drafts 5, Feedly, Pocket and Pocket Casts, Google Drive,  Fantastical 2 and Notion. 

I hope you’ve found this episode, indeed, this series, interesting. 

Links to all the apps I've mentioned are in the show notes. 

If you have any questions about anything I've talked about, or have any suggestions for future episodes, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

The series will return in the new year, with a fresh look at some of these apps, and a look at more productivity apps and ideas to help you be better at getting things done.  

Of course, all the previous episodes are available to listen to wherever you normally listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, so that you're ready for the new series.

If you've already subscribed, then thank you very much; I really do appreciate it.

Have a great time over the festive period and wishing you all a very productive New Year.

Until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

---

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The Swiss Army Knife for text

Introduction

Hi all and welcome to another episode from Productivity Matters. 

In this series I've been looking at apps that are designed to help you be more productive; to get things done as efficiently as possible.

I'm Julian, and on this episode I'm going to tell you about Drafts 5 - an app that lets you decide what to do with your text AFTER you've written it down..

Drafts 5

So, what is Drafts 5 and where can you use it?  Well, firstly, it's only available on iOS (via iPhone and iPad).  There is a Mac version coming, but it's not here yet.  It's not available on Android, Windows or the web.  It's a shame it's not everywhere, because, when you get under the bonnet (hood) and take a look, this is a very clever piece of software.

Imagine you are needing to take some notes.  They're not tasks, and they're not something you're going to do anything with immediately.  What do you do?  Fire up ToDoIst?  Open Evernote? Get a notepad?

Drafts 5 is an app that lets you type what you want, and just holds on to it, until you decide what you want to do with it.

Functionality

The application for Drafts 5 is immense.  In fact, at first look, it can do so much, it's scary.   In fact, on their website, they state that Drafts 5 is like the Swiss Army knife of text.

It's possible to create entire fully formatted, documents

When you launch the app, you are presented with an empty page, along with some navigation icons.

• Show existing documents
• Open a new document
• Get the information for the current documents
• Tags
• A character and word count
• Action button

At the bottom of the screen:

• Focus mode
• Navigation between documents
• Arrangement button
• Link
• Appearance
• General settings

Formatting and Dictation

I'll begin with the built in functionality.

• Text formatting
• Bullet points
• Bold/Italics
• Task lists
• Add web links
• Dictation - without the normal Siri limit

This last one is amazing.  You can quite literally speak, and Drafts 5 will capture it all.  You need to use grammatical words to punctuate the text, like, period or comma, but, of course, you can always go back over the text when you've finished, to format it and correct any words that were misheard.

There is also support for Apple Watch, Siri integration, iCloud sync, version history, custom app icons, different themes - yes, dark theme is available.  You can use iOS widgets for quick access to documents and more.

You can set up a text editing experience that's just how you want to use it.  There are tons of adjustments, like custom fonts, control ver spacing, line height and margins.

There are also extended options in a row above the keyboard, giving you easy access to the functionality.

If you write long-form articles, Drafts 5 gives you the ability to re-arrange complete blocks or individual lines - just by drag and dropping.  It's a great, simple, way to edit an article.

There are workspaces, which allows you to keep related documents together, and there is also tagging; helping to keep everything organised.

The power of Drafts 5 comes from the Actions catalogue.  There are so many integrations; too many to list here, that you can use to enhance the Drafts 5 capabilities.

Having said all that, let me give you some real-life examples of how I use Drafts 5.  I'm no power-user, but the way it helps me is fantastic.

Drafts 5 is available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

Examples

Basic

First and foremost, I use drafts to capture thoughts.  It's an app in my iPhone dock, and therefore can be reached quickly.  I just type and type and that's it.  Later, I can review and decide what to do.

ToDoIst

I also use Drafts to add to my To Do list, in ToDoIst.  Entering the task details, I then run an action to create a task directly.  I can also enter multiple tasks, one per line, and use a slightly different action to create multiple tasks in ToDoIst - that's a real time-saver.

Fantastical2

There are times when I'll receive and email with lots of different dates for various meetings.  In Drafts, I will enter each one on a separate line, along with the date and time.  I then run an action called Fantastically Good Event Parser. 

This bit is really clever - it will take each line and create a separate event in Fantasical 2, using the natural language ability of the app.  This has saved tons of time.

Automation

Those are a couple of basic applications; but it's possible to take the automation to another level.

I also use Drafts 5 to update a Google Sheet.  When I take a payment from a parent at my Cub group; I have a pre-formatted page, where I enter the date, amount and reason - I then run an action, which in turn calls a Zap from Zapier; and the sheet is updated.

How about creating an invoice?  Again, using a similar page to the one I just mentioned; I enter the date and number of days to be invoiced; and when I run the action, a Zap will enter this onto a new line in Sheets.  Another Zap then picks this up and creates the invoice inside my invoicing software.  Brilliant.

One final example - returning to the Cub pack; if I want to send a group message, I can write it in advance in Drafts, and when it's time, I'll send it directly via WhatsApp, to the group.  It means I can create the message without fear of sending it in error; and if I have a task in ToDoIst to remind me to send it - then, job done!

More

I have only scraped the surface of what Drafts 5 can do once a Draft has been created.  Other functionality includes; saving to online storage services, like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox etc, or saving locally, to Files.

You can even integrate Drafts 5 into a Shortcut workflow, so you can retrieve a Draft document, do something with it and continue.

Cost

Almost every developer offers a free version of the app, that gives you the chance to try it before you buy.  Others have free use forever, but without the full feature set available.  Drafts 5 falls into this second category.  

You get one week of the full application, to try everything, then either pay £1.79 per month, or sign up for the annual subscription for £17.49 to get all the features.

Drafts Pro gives you the ability to edit Actions, different themes, Workspaces and more.  

Do you NEED all this?  

Many users can get by with the basic version, and quite rightly, the developer hasn't held back on the necessities; but if you feel you'll want workspaces to better organise your texts, you want the dark theme, or you'll be making use of Actions and need to edit them, then it's definitely worth the investment.

Thank You

You may have gathered that I enjoy using Drafts and I hope you’ve found this episode interesting.

Find out more about Drafts 5 at their website

If you have any questions about Drafts 5 or anything else, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

Don’t forget to subscribe where you normally listen to your podcasts and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

Equipment I use to make my podcasts:
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If you purchase from these links then I may receive a commission.  This does not affect the price you will pay.  Thank you.

Being Productive

Introduction

Hello and welcome to episode 15 of my Productivity Matters Podcast. 

What does being productive mean to you?  It’s all very well having some great apps to help you organise, but if they don't help you to actually be productive, then what's the point.

I’m Julian and on this episode I'm going to look what it actually means to be productive.

Coming up on Productivity Matters.

What is Productivity?

We need to get to the heart of productivity, if we're to understand how the tools and methods can help.

Productivity means different things to each of us; but one thing I think we can all agree on is that it’s the means to getting things done in the most efficient manner. 

It may be that the easiest way to do this is using good old-fashioned pen and paper.  A chart on the wall to track tasks.

However, as we know, and the main reason for this podcast, the tech world has been overtaken with software and apps to help you do something better.  Throughout business there are tons of methods designed to help navigate the swathes of red tape and challenges of project work. 

Tools

If you've heard previous episodes, then you’ll know that I’m a proponent of using the tools available. 

They’ve helped me to get organised and they should help you too. 

However, using apps is a habit forming process. Sometimes we actually need to remember that we have them; and with all the options available it can sometimes be easier to not bother. 

On the other hand. Do you actually need the app?

Does having an app make you more productive or does it, in reality, slow you down?  Until you have used the app or software for a while, it can seem to take longer to do something.

Consider you have a big task to complete.  Alongside it, there are smaller pieces of work that also need to get finished. 

What do you do first?

Well, and remember this is my opinion, what you should do is focus on that one big task. The one that looks hard. Get it done and out of the way!

You’ll feel a great sense of achievement once it’s complete, knowing that, finally, you’ve got it done. 

Now you can work on all the smaller tasks. 

ToDoIst

Let’s look at the apps that I use that help me. Now, these aren’t in a particular order, because what comes first? Is it the note-taking or the information?

I use ToDoIst for managing individual tasks. Now, admittedly, it took me some time to get into the habit; but now everything I need to do goes in there. 

There are quick entry methods to capture them and it takes little to no time to record what I need to do. I even forward emails to ToDoIst so the info is there.

In my ToDoIst, I have a number of projects; from work to personal and the Cubs group.  I have a project called ‘Routines’, which is broken further to Daily, Weekly and Monthly - this is for all the recurring tasks.  

Now that I’m in the habit, absolutely everything I need to do is entered, and it sits in the default ‘Inbox’ until I review them.  I have recurring task to review everything at the end of each day.  Whether that’s to prioritise them, categorise them or simply delete them, because they’re no longer relevant.

I use dates and reminders, so that I can stay on top of what needs to be done.

Evernote

Next, there’s Evernote. I’ve recorded a couple of podcasts about Evernote and it’s my number one choice for taking notes and capturing info for later use. I scan pretty much every official letter or document that comes through the post and I collate clippings from the web; using their Web Clipper; which is just brilliant.

It’s a terrific app for storing notes and thoughts and important information - instantly available. 

I can set reminders for notes, to pop-up at a certain time; and I have also created a Zap (through Zapier) that has that reminder appear in ToDoIst!

Email

Using a good email client will help manage the mail; I use Spark at the moment; on my phone and MacBook.  The Smart Inbox means I always have a Zero inbox - since I clear messages almost immediately.  

Then I use Fantastical 2 as my calendar; also on my phone and MacBook. I like the natural way that events can be created. 

Feedly and Pocket

For news I use Feedly and I use a recipe on IFTTT to add items to Pocket for reading later. 

Does that class as being productive? Well, it may not help to get things done, but it streamlines some of my workflow. 

Thank You

And there you have it.  A quick look at some of the apps I use.  

Being productive to me means getting the best result in the most efficient way. The tools I’ve mentioned help me to do that. 

What does being productive mean to you? What motivates you to get things done? Get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

I hope you’ve found this episode interesting.

Don’t forget to subscribe where you normally listen to your podcasts and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

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If you purchase from these links then I may receive a commission.  This does not affect the price you will pay.  Thank you.

Fantastical 2

Intro

Do you use a calendar app on your phone? I'm going to take a look at Fantastical 2, a calendar app for iOS and Mac.

Welcome

Calendars are one of the most useful and used apps on a device, simply because they help us keep track of what we’re doing; and because we use it so often, it helps to have an app that you enjoy using.

I use Fantastical 2 on my iPhone and Mac, and it’s also available on the iPad.

I know what you're going to say - "I already have a calendar app, that’s pre-installed". Absolutely; but I find the native Apple app very flat, and since I have multiple calendars, not easy to manage. Not only that, but adding events to the calendar is really rather clunky.

Fantastical 2

With Fantastical 2, one of the major benefits is the ability to use natural language to enter events. Just type "Lunch with Jack tomorrow at 1pm" and the event will be created.

Maybe you have a recurring appointment; just add "Tennis every wednesday at 7pm" and the event will be created on a repeating schedule.

With the app open, just click the '+' and start typing. You'll see the details populate as you type - it's quite clever. If you have multiple calendars, you can select which one you'd like to use.

Of course, you can also invite others to the same event, by entering their email address. When they reply, the event will be updated automatically.

iPhone

Looking at the iPhone version; Since it works with existing accounts, as created in my iPhone settings, then it's easy to see each calendar. The number of settings is quite ridiculous, giving granular control of how you are alerted to events; whether you want to see the number of remaining events, or tasks or both. You can set the view to monthly or weekly, just by turning the phone on it's side (or a quick swipe down).




If you have reminders set, which, let's face it, most of us will have a notification of an event, then you can set Fantastical 2 to remind you when you reach a specific location. Handy if you don't want to be disturbed.

You can choose your default maps application, to open directions; from either Apple Maps or Google Maps. You can also choose the default browser, for opening links.

If you prefer your app theme to be dark, then Fantastical 2 offers this option too.

Mac

On the Mac, things work slightly differently. You can still use natural language to create your events, and the breadth of customisations is remarkable.

On the one hand, you can set the badge app icon to display remaining events, or reminders, but you can also have multiple calendars that will show up depending on your location.


For example, I have a work calendar, that will automatically be displayed when I arrive in the office. This allows me to concentrate on what's ahead of me for the day, and not be distracted by personal events. When I return home, my personal calendar will be displayed.

Calendars can also be set up in 'sets', which allows me to limit certain calendar views. Calendars I've subscribed to can also be set up within these 'sets', so I can see them too.

The Mac app also offers the choice of light or dark theme.

Then there's the quick-access mini window, which is accessed via the menu bar - this icon also displays todays date. Within this mini window, there's a text bar at the top, so you can quickly enter an event without going to the full calendar.

You can also view maps of the locations for your events.

You can set your notifications to remind you when it's time to leave; which can be a great help when you need to be somewhere.

iPad and Watch

Fantastical 2 is also available on the iPad - using the iOS version of the software, but the formatting is specific to the iPad, and looks terrific.
If you use Apple Watch, then there’s also an app for that. You can use force-touch on the screen to add events via speech; and you'll receive notifications directly on your wrist too.

Cost

OK. So I've talked through some of the functionality, but what does this cost. This is one of those apps that, on the Mac at least, has quite a high initial cost - at £39. However, before you all start shouting at me, bear in mind that this is a one-off cost. If you consider this against subscription models for other productivity apps, which charge annually, then this works out quite reasonably. The iOS and iPad cost are between £3 and £4.

We shouldn't baulk at these costs. Developers spend a lot of time and effort creating these apps, so why should we get them for free. In fact, the people that make Fantastical 2, flexibits, regularly release updates, which is always nice to see.

Alternatives

Now, of course, there are plenty of alternatives which offer similar functionality.

Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, there's the built in calendar apps. They're quite plain, and I don't get on with them very well. But, they are free to download and use and functional.

Google Calendar is also free to use (as is all of Googles suite of software). It's a very capable calendar, but isn't quite as polished as Fantastical 2, and there is no natural language capability. It does offer integration with Apple Health to track your workouts. You can also use Google Calendar via the browser on your PC or laptop.

Calendars by Readdle is available for iPhone and iPad (but not the Mac) and costs £6.99. It's a suitable calendar, but I find it's not as good an experience as Fantastical 2, and again, there is no natural calendar entry.

Conclusion

As you might have guessed; I like Fantastical 2. The one huge benefit is the ability to capture events using natural language. Typing in the way that you speak makes it easier and quicker to enter the details. I also appreciate the high cost of entry could be a turn off for many.

Thank You

I hope you’ve found this post interesting.
Do you use Fantastical 2, or can you recommend a calendar app that you use. If you have any questions about Fantastical 2 or any other calendar app, then please get in touch via the comments below.

Equipment I use to make my podcasts:
Blue Yeti Microphone - https://amzn.to/2R2am1N
Pop Filter - https://amzn.to/2OVMbQP
Professional Microphone Boom Arm - https://amzn.to/2P4EIio

If you purchase from these links then I may receive a commission.  This does not affect the price you will pay.  Thank you.