Alright, let’s face it. Not everyone has time to use every feature in those GTD applications you see everywhere. Some people don’t even have time to use the basic features! And that’s where Evernote comes in.

So What Exactly is Evernote?

Evernote is a note-taking application that organizes and syncs your notes between numerous devices including your PC, Mac and Mobile Phone. Your notes are not only stored on your devices, but also up in the Evernote server ‘cloud’ for safe keeping.

Multi-platform Support

Evernote has native applications for Mac OS X, Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Windows Mobile 5/6 and the iPhone. For those using other platforms like Linux or Solaris, the web version will do just fine as it has just about all the features of the native applications, and you don’t have to store anything on your computer!

Capture, Sync, Find…

Evernote’s motto is Capture, Sync, Find, and it’s right on the ball. In other words, it does exactly what it says. Your Evernote account allows you to have multiple notebooks, so you can sort your notes into categories. Once you start adding and tagging notes, you can use the great built-in search function to search for keywords, images, and other things stored in your notes. This includes the text inside your images.

The Web Clipper

To clip text, images, and entire websites into Evernote is easy with the web clipper. Evernote provide native plugins for Firefox and Flock, but for other browsers like Internet Explorer or Opera, you can easily use the Web Clipper bookmarklet.

So How Much Does It Cost?

Evernote is free, but they do provide ‘Premium’ accounts that provide extra storage. With a free account, they provide you with 40MB per month whilst if you sign up to a Premium account, you’ll receive 500MB per month which can store around 250,000 notes. More than enough. Premium accounts cost $5.00USD per month or $45.00USD per year.

Conclusion

Personally, I use both Evernote and the basic note-taking functions in Apple Mail to organize myself. Evernote is great for clipping text, images and entire websites from the Internet using the web clipper bookmark, and is great for syncing information between devices.

For more information on Evernote, or to sign up for an account, visit http://www.evernote.com/.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have added a new tool to my writing arsenal. Google Docs. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s Google’s latest attempt to gain space in the Office market. It’s a free web based Office suite entailing a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation app. It is currently still in BETA (would you expect anything else from Google?) and it originally was formed from the purchase and collaboration of the web app Writely.

Since then Google has added both spreadsheet and presentation functionality.

But what makes it so great?  Why should you uninstall Microsoft Office from your Mac or PC and embrace Google Docs? - here are five reasons.

Collaboration

One of the most interesting features of Google Docs is the ability to collaborate on documents and share them with ease. So, say you were working on a report and needed to share a few points or even do a communal edit. With Google Docs it is as simple as clicking a button to make someone a collaborator, which then gives the new user the ability to edit and add new collaborators. Therefore, you no longer make the mistake of having the old version of that document.

Very simply, you can use Google Docs as a simple Wiki - something a lot of companies are starting to embrace.

Easy Access

Google Docs is obviously web based.  This means that you can access a lot of your documents online wherever you are. This can be incredibly important if you’re jumping between multiple machines, or don’t have your personal computer with you. Now some may say that with something like Sky Drive you are able to upload the documents and then download them when you want to. But with that there are two extra steps that really aren’t needed - the downloading and uploading.

The whole point to this state of mind is that if you want it, it’s there.  If someone else wants it…it’s there.

Simplicity

It’s ridiculous how many features a program such as Microsoft Word actually has, especially when most average users probably use what? 5% of the power that Word has. Whose fault is this? No one’s.  People expect new features with a new release, so it is expected that over time applications are going to become more “busy”. Of course there will be those that complain that this is a bad thing and detracts from how simple writing a document should be.

Google Docs has a very clean and intuitive interface which makes it easy and simple for even the novice user. That’s what I like about it. My grandparents get lost in Word, but in Google Docs, it is much simpler for them to get things done.  Sometimes less is better.

The user-interface is also reminiscent of the Office apps, just with less items on the menus - you won’t find yourself digging through every single feature looking for the blockquote option.

Security

You can’t afford to loose your data and neither can Google. By having your data off site, things are less likely to go wrong.  If your laptop is stolen, no problem because all your documents are on Google Docs.  Some might say (just to be the Devil’s Advocate) that there could a problem, like a fire at a Data Center.  Though this is possible, Google probably has far more protective measures then your office does.

So basically, thanks to storing all your data with Google, you’re protecting yourself from any unforeseen problems.

Integration

When using Google Docs you are able to integrate everything that Google offers around the internet into your word processing. So you could have your iGoogle showing all of your newest documents, then you could send a file from Google Docs with your Gmail account. The possibilities are endless.

Also on the point of integration, for all you yet to be converted Word users, Google Docs also allows documents to be saved in the .doc format.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, five good (in my opinion) reasons why you should at least consider giving Google Docs a try. There may be a couple of things that Google still have left to incorporate (like page formatting), but all these things are easily remediable.

Do you use Google Docs?  If so, why?

Back in 2004, Realmac software released the first version of its popular RapidWeaver web development software.  Since its initial release, it has won many awards from Mac publications all around the globe, and still continues onward with that trend.  Just a couple months ago RapidWeaver 4 hit the streets, and is already changing the way consumers create websites.  From its more professional iWeb-like templates to its ease of creating pages, RapidWeaver 4 is sure to be an instant hit for people who want a simple way to create professional looking websites.

Make a Site.

It couldn’t be any easier. You simply click file > new project, and a new project will form. Once you complete that, whenever you want to add another page, you simply click the button in the top left hand corner.  It will ask you what kind of page you want - From Blog and Photo pages, to Blank and Contact pages as well. Simple as that. You can now choose from the abundance of themes that RapidWeaver has to offer, or you can download more themes form the Realmac website. Editing your site is also very easy and straightforward. You simply hit the edit button to edit the photos and text on the current page, and if you want to see a preview of your site, just click preview to see a version of your site as it were already online.

Publish a site.

To publish your website you created with RapidWeaver, you press the publish button.  From there you are presented with two methods of publishing. You can ether publish using your own domain name, or using your MobileMe account (previously dot Mac). You then fill out the form, and click publish.  Within a few minutes you have a professional looking website.

Features.

You can adjust almost anything you want about your website, whether it be the font, or coloring a section of a theme.  It’s all at your fingertips. Navigating through RapidWeaver is a breeze. It’s so simple, straightforward, and professional. The buttons are laid out perfectly, and the menus are super easy to use and customize.

Overall.

I love RapidWeaver 4. It’s so simple to use, and it gives me better results than iWeb ever will. With RapidWeaver 4, you can finally make sites with ease, and have them looking as if they were designed by a professional graphic artist. I would definitely recommend giving RapidWeaver a try, and seeing just how well your website comes out. You can try RapidWeaver for free for up to 30 days. My only gripe is that RapidWeaver 4 can only be used on a Mac running OSX 10.5 Leopard. RapidWeaver 4 retails for $79, but can be found on Realmac’s website for $59 for a limited time.

Happy Weaving!

Ever wanted to know which applications or websites you spend the most time on? Well, look no further. This handy service can help solve your problems.

Rescue Time (for Windows and Mac), is one of the simplest, easy to use, online services, helping you see what your biggest time suckers are on your computer. You first have to download the free software, which runs as an application; basically monitoring your every click.

Analyze.

Once you have logged onto their site, you can then get access too all the data it has collected, laying it out in simple to read bar graphs.  This allows you to see the apps/sites you are using the most and also, how much time you’re actually spending on your computer.

Process.

You then have the ability to go back throughout the day and see exactly when you were on your computer and what you were doing. There are also charts for the day, week, month and year to help you look back at those productive and unproductive days, weeks and months. Tying into that, there is a tab labeled goals and alerts where you can set up reminders to yourself for general things in life, or to remind yourself of the apps or sites you are using a little too much.

One feature which I find extremely useful is that you have the ability to tag multiple apps or sites. So let’s say, you tag Textmate and Mars Edit (two wonderful text editors) with the tag “Blogging.” And then you put Safari and Mail under a tag called “Personal.” This is a great way to see how much time during the day which you spend on work versus play.

Implement.

Personally, I check Rescue Time once every 2 days, taking points of the things that consume the most time for me. I then gradually try and cut back at least 20 minutes a week, on these time consuming apps/sites. While this service might not be for everyone, I do encourage heavy computer users to take a look at it. Productivity and simplicity are two key traits in living a happy life.

Best of all, this is available as a free service for individual use.  Signup can be found here

Computing has come a long way since it really kicked off back in the ’70s. We’ve come from giant, ugly boxes of circuitry that could do very little, to slim, elegant machines of style that can do a whole lot more. And in all that time, the mouse has pretty much been the standard method of user interface navigation. But now - as with most things technological, things are starting to change.

Little things called Graphics tablets are starting to creep their way in to day-to-day use. The first home computer tablet was introduced in 1984 - called the KoalaPad, it was originally designed for the Apple II but later spread to other compatible machines. Even then, the main idea behind it was all to do with drawing. In today’s world, that original idea remains, with a few added extras.

But which is better for day-to-day use?

Being a hopelessly addicted tech addict, I love new things. I decided that, after receiving some money for my birthday, I’d buy something. After I eventually narrowed it down, the choice was between and external hard drive and a graphics tablet. The sensible option, of course, would be the hard drive. I never back up, and I should. But where’s the fun in the hard drive? I went for the tablet - it looked ‘cool’ and I was sure that I’d find some use for it. The tablet I chose was the highly popular Wacom Bamboo - not only is Wacom a brilliant make (the industry leader, I think we can safely say) but it was the cheapest one that I could find that looked decent. At £45 (or $57 in the US) there really was nothing (much) to lose.

Getting used to the tablet is hard. The Bamboo uses absolute positioning (any point on the tablet surface relates to that same point on the screen). Once you’ve mastered that, you’re all set to go. General navigation is in my opinion is slightly sped up, as you can go directly where you want to go in one tap, although I do find myself dragging my hand all the way, like you would with a mouse. You also don’t get the surface problems like you would with a mouse, as, rather obviously, the tablet is its own surface. The field where the advantages of the tablet shine most is image editing. In Photoshop, using the extract tool and lasso tool (to take two examples) is much easier as you’re drawing in a much more natural style. Skitch also becomes twice as fun when you add a tablet into the equation. If you’re the adventurous type, you could even give handwriting recognition a go, but for the 10 minutes I played around with it, the keyboard wins hands down.

A problem that I have had frequently with my graphics tablet is the pen. Misplacing it is so easy. I do honestly think that Wacom, or any tablet manufacturer, should make the pens a bright yellow so they never get lost. Places my pen have ended up include on the floor, in the bathroom, under the bed, in the wardrobe and even in my bowl of cereal. And it’s still going strong.

And if you’re a “I’m-not-clicking-anything” kinda guy, most tablets come with buttons on them for functions that you can set, although I hardly ever use mine.

So where am I trying to get with all this? Well, if you are the casual internet surfing, iTunes listening computer user, you will probably be fine with a good mouse. For those of you with Photoshop on your computer (or indeed Pixelmator) a cheap tablet such as the Wacom Bamboo is something that it’s probably worth investing in. And even me, the casual use, have never plugged my mouse back in in the whole time I’ve had this (except from when people use my computer and don’t know how to use the tablet) and I feel it does help reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury and helps with your hand-eye coordination.

Since Leopard’s launch last October, one new feature that I’ve found myself using on a regular basis is Spaces. Spaces, otherwise known as virtual desktops among other platforms allows you to group your applications and be rid of annoying desktop clutter. In addition, Spaces can prove immensely useful in providing priceless screen space. While Spaces is a great resource on its own, I’ve found that the methods in which it is used (especially on a laptop) can occasionally slow down my workflow.

Kent Sutherland (ksuther.com developer) has recently released his latest version of an add-on for leopard called Warp. Warp is aimed at eliminating that slow down and making Spaces all the more productive and efficient. When installed, Warp adds a preference pane to the system preferences menu which allows you to navigate through Spaces using your mouse.

So, how does Warp work?  Warp is activated by simply moving your cursor to the edge of the screen.  In doing so, you will move to the space adjacent to that edge. To avoid accidentally changing spaces, there are optional modifiers and the ability to change the activation delay.  I find this much easier than reaching for that key combination.

Kent has incorporated many options into Warp’s preference pane, allowing you to customize it in a way that suits you best. This is where the added functionality comes into play. He has left no base uncovered, providing options such as warping the mouse when switching spaces, and warping on edges with the menu bar/dock. However, the features that I feel really make this add-on shine are clicking the screen edge to warp (providing a preview of what is in the adjacent space), and Wrap around spaces, which allows you to move to the opposite side of the spaces grid in the same row or column (very useful for grids larger than 2×2).

To put it simply, Warp adds a new level of functionality to Spaces. While Spaces was a big change to get used to and incorporate into daily tasks, Warp adds a new sense of usability and makes it even more worthwhile. Don’t let its simplicity fool you, it hasn’t only increased my productivity, but changed the way I work all over again. If you find yourself looking down at the keyboard every time you want to change spaces, give Warp a try. Changing spaces can be as easy as a flick of the wrist.

This is a problem that many Mac users have debated over for years. It’s not exactly a problem more as a personal preference, but where you do keep your dock?

Like most, I started with my dock on the bottom. In fact nearly the entire time I used Tiger I left the dock untouched, just sitting at the bottom of my screen. It didn’t exactly bother me until I really thought about the dock and its relation to UI and productivity.

With the update of Leopard though, I moved my dock to the left of my screen and it’s amazing how such a simple move can make such a difference, especially for those with limited screen real estate. The decision to give the dock a “stylish” reflective look actually steals precious vertical space that could be used for other purposes. 

Think about it. How often do you need to use horizontal space? When it comes to design and page layout, you don’t usually see horizontal space being abused. Actually, take a look around you. Books, magazines, and paper all have the same concept; they read down in a narrow column. It’s only natural that applications reflect their real-life counter parts.

The trend of technology generally tends to support this also. As widescreen becomes more and more popular, vertical space becomes limited while horizontal expands. 

So, give a try. Most tend to hate it at first, but the benefits are worth it.

OSX Leopard is such a compelling and creative platform that many times I find myself sitting at my laptop for hours on end working on a project for a client without realizing the day has passed and I haven’t even had time to get some fresh air outside. Recently, I found an app that changed all of this. Time Out has one main objective - to get you to take timed breaks away from your Mac.

Time Out has two different kinds of breaks, a micro break and a normal break. A micro break is a very small break which allows your eyes to adjust to something other than your display for a few seconds, while a normal break is slightly longer and often a good time to grab a bottle of water or take a quick walk outside.

In the Time Out preferences you can easily customize the time of breaks. During both micro and normal breaks, Time Out fades over your screen with a selected color and indicates the time left in the break with a progress bar. If you have to finish a very important task and Time Out goes into break mode, you can postpone the break by either 1 or 5 minutes. Time Out also gives you the option to skip a break.

Time Out is very customizable. In the preferences you’re able to set many different properties for the timer and appearance of the application. A preference that is often under looked is the ability to run Apple Scripts or Automator workflows at the end or beginning of each break. For example, you could have Coda automatically save and upload a HTML document to your server each time you go on a break.

Time Out is a very useful app to anyone that needs a helpful little reminder to take a step away from their Mac every so often. I’ve found that after taking a break from my Mac, I can come back to a project with some fresh new ideas. I’ve also noticed that I enjoy the time I spend at my Mac even more, because I’m always taking short breaks away from it. Best of all, Time Out is absolutely free and you can download it from Dejal Software.

Three months ago, I sold a top of the line workhorse machine, the Apple Mac Pro. Six weeks later, I sold the 4.1 million pixel wonder I had connected to it, more commonly known as the 30″ Apple Cinema Display. Why? The move to a complete portable platform had become more and more attractive as weeks past, while all four million pixels of the Apple Cinema Display sat cold and unused.

4.1 Million To 1.3 Million

Pixels, that is. When I sold the 30″ Apple Cinema Display, I sold the large canvas I had become so attached to when the Mac Pro was in my possession.

Have I missed it? Not at all. The MacBook Pro paired with Spaces has been a perfect solution to losing my large display. I feel so much more comfortable knowing everything is in one place, in one machine. I don’t have as much cash tied up in technology that’s sitting unused.

It’s surprising to myself that I haven’t once regretted my decision. This could be reinforced by the 2 week period I had leading up to listing the display for sale. I told myself I’d not touch it for another two weeks, and see if I missed it. I didn’t, so off it went. Out of sight, out of mind.

Adapting With Spaces

Spaces, one of Leopard’s ‘innovative’ features has shaped the way I use my notebook. When playing with a screen measuring 1440 x 900 pixels - things are bound to change compared to a 2560 x 1600 canvas.

I set up three Spaces on the 15″ MacBook Pro to organize various applications. The first Space been the active work area, for Safari, blogging, writing, editing, etc. The second space is set aside for communication (Mail, iChat, Twitterrific), while the third is my reference Space (iTunes, NetNewsWire).

High Resolution Future

The High-Resolution 17″ MacBook Pro currently sports a display measuring 1920 x 1200 pixels (133ppi), equaling that of the current 23″ Apple Cinema Display (98ppi). The iPhone and iPod touch both boast screens with a pixel density around the 160ppi mark - compared to the 15″ MacBook Pro’s 110ppi display. Where does this leave us for the future of Apple notebook displays?

An addition of the high resolution option in 15″ model would be well received in the next revision of the MacBook Pro line. I don’t expect to see 1080p, but 1680 x 1050 (same as the 20″ Apple Cinema Display) would be a significant move in the right direction. Displays with a high pixel-per-inch density are in our not too distant future.

Keep asking yourself, does this “something” add anything to my life? If you have to think about an answer to the question for more than a few seconds, it doesn’t. Remove it from your life. Throw it away. Clear out the space visually and mentally.

There’s no use keeping around a piece of digital material (RSS feed, song, file, bookmark) if it’s not adding anything to your life, or helping you in any-way. Try to simplify things down and keep only the essentials, both in the material world and the evolving digital world.

Moving from a desktop computing setup to a notebook based setup comprising of a MacBook Pro helped my digital cleanliness propagation a few months ago, I migrated over 1TB of data into under 100GB.

Living For Now

Stop living for the day where you will own the faster computer, sexier car, bigger home. Start for living for today where you have the computer you’re reading this text on, the car you have parked in your garage, and the roof you have over your head.

It’s important to have these things in your sight, but don’t let them be the focus of your life. Let this minute, this current day be your task in hand. Enjoy it for what it is and what you have. Stop being materialistic and live for experience.

Goals Are Essential

Where would you like to be in six months, one year, five years away? While focusing on the current day, it’s important to have things to aim for, to have plans of where you’re going in life rather than simply living year in and year out. Set yourself goals on what you’d like to achieve in a certain period of time. Keep these somewhere where they can be openly viewed, and set time to reflect upon them.

Easing Workload

Keeping on a relative point to the first point mentioned, there are dozens, if not hundreds of ways you can make your life more simple. Find workarounds to tasks which you don’t enjoy. Find ways to delegate and remove tasks which you dread thinking about from your daily life. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Hate doing the housework? Hire a cleaner. If it’ll make you happier and improve your life, it’s worth the money - or as it could be otherwise called, it’s worth the investment.

Over the past few months since my last cleanup I’ve accumulated hundreds of new feeds, picking up more and more as each day passes. I’ve finally come to my senses that one can have too much information coming in at once. It really isn’t a good feeling.

How about keeping it simple and just subscribing to fewer feeds? Do we really need to ingest content from 100 sources? And do we really need more software to make managing our addiction easier?

It’s about priority. Come on, these are feeds—they aren’t children. You can toss a lot out without shedding a tear. You won’t miss them once you make the effort to forget them.

JF over at 37 Signals states an inspiring fact as pulled above, do we need content coming in from so many different sources, many just re-stating what others have already said? Probably not. Are we going to miss feeds if we make an effort not to? Surely not. He makes a great point which really inspires me to remove not only unessential RSS feeds, but clean up other aspects of my life.

RSS feeds don’t need to take up hours of your life each day, they can easily be slimmed down without much loss on your part. Do you really need all that extra stress of knowing you have dozens of unread posts to catch on from Engadget when you wake up, after your lunch, and then again before you head to bed? Think about it hard, if something really is important in the news, you’ll hear about it elsewhere.

I’ve been asked time and time again why my desk is so clean when I post a picture to Flickr, people tell me I should leave it the way it is and not ’stage’ the desk shots. Well, uhh, folks - that’s how my desk looks in a normal situation.

How I manage to keep such a tidy desk is something even I don’t know. It would be so easy to let things pile up and be working under a cover of books, paper, and stationary, but I don’t. I manage to keep the workspace clean and tidy and it usually stays that way. I think it could be down to my OCD problem, everything has to look right, be right, and fit in right.

There are a few things I can comprehend which I do to keep the workspace tidy. These include putting things away as soon as I’ve used them. Finished with a book? I put it away right away. When I’m packaging a parcel to send in the post, as soon as it’s done the tape and excess bubble wrap get put away in the cupboard. If my desk is not tidy, I find it difficult to work comfortably. A clean environment is critical for me to be productive and work well.

A reader by the name of Peter asked me this exact question last week, I think a shortened version of the answer to how I keep my workspace so tidy is my problem, that little problem called OCD.

Are you much like me? Is your workspace clean and tidy or messy and cluttered? How do you like to work?

I wrote this post for excellent design and life tips blog LifeClever a few weeks back. Thought I’d spread the ‘wisdom’ and cross post here.

1. Set Times & Plan Your Day

Not many people are going to work well without some structure. Waking up in the morning without any sense of direction for what needs to be done, or what you’re going to do that day is a recipe for disaster.

Start scheduling or setting daily milestones. If you don’t work best on a “hour based plan’�such as writing a guest article from 1PM to 2PM, set milestones for the day—one guest blog post, two blog posts on my personal site, complete client design, etc.

2. Keep An Organized To-Do List

When you’re juggling half a dozen projects at once, you’re just asking for trouble by keeping a to-do list in your head. Don’t you want to be able to sit down in the evening and have a few worry-free hours from your workload? If you’re not keeping a to-do list somewhere other than in your head, you’ll be heading straight for burnout.

The solution is simple. Buy a moleskin notebook or pop open TextEdit on your computer, then spurt out all the tasks and actions you need to achieve. Don’t worry about the order, just pump out everything that needs doing. Once these are on paper, focus on organizing them. It’ll feel much better having a visual action list you can look at to see what needs to be done.

3. Set Goals & Milestones

In addition to your newly developed to-do list, start setting goals and milestones. For instance, if you have a blog, a goal might be publishing 5 entries per week for four weeks straight, while a milestone might be hitting 2,000 readers via your RSS feed.

Goals are very important, not enough people set them. I for one have set goals to keep me focused, to keep me looking straight and ahead, and they are perfect to use as motivation for something to work toward.

4. Disconnect Yourself From The Outside World

This falls under focusing on a single task. When you’re writing, the last thing you need is to be distracted by Twitter messages, or emails. It disrupts your overall flow and makes starting your piece again hard to do. On occasion, one simple email can ruin hours of your work day.

You don’t have to close your email program, practice ignoring notifications. If you hear the new email sound ignore it, keep working, and keep in the flow.

5. Focus On A Single Task

Multi-tasking can be fun, and can be rewarding. You think you’re getting a lot done at once, killing two birds with one stone when all you’re really doing is dragging out both tasks longer. Spend some time on a single task or project and focus. Don’t try to write an article while also dealing with marketing related emails. Keep them separate. When you’re doing one, ignore the other - allowing you to work more quickly and efficiently in the long run.

I’ve sat down with a few other Mac fanatics and recorded the first episode of the MacFocus podcast. The team of Nick Danforth, Alex Killpatrick, Wesley Yendrys and myself produced the first podcast yesterday evening. Oh, and before you mention something - I’ve already told Wesley the show needs an iTunes feed before any further episodes are made.

Chanpory Rith from the popular blog LifeClever which focuses on helping you design, work, and live better, asked me to write a guest post a few weeks back. My article, 5 Simple Steps To Greater Productivity is now live on the site.

Last but not least, up-and-coming Mac blogger Shawn Blanc interviewed me on his personal weblog. The interview was conducted over dozens of emails and more than three days last week, and is now live for viewing on his blog. I was very pleased with how the interview evolved, very detailed and fun to be a part of.

On a final note, writing this post has left me considering integrating a link blog into the blog where I can post little rambling much like this on a daily basis. Kind of like the Daring Fireball Linked List. Any thoughts on this idea?

Along with the Archive, I have three sub-folders.

- @ Reply
- @ Hold
- @ To-Do

When an email arrives in my inbox I file it straight away into one of these three folders. If it needs to be replied to, I file it in the “Reply” folder, if I need it on reference it will be filed in the “Hold” folder, and if it requires action other than replying, it gets filed in the “To-Do” folder.

Once the email is no longer relevant to one of these three folders, it gets dumped into the Archive where it stays permanently. If I need to find an email, I use Spotlight.

I find this setup works the best for me as I can quickly glance at just the messages which need replying to in one click if I have a little free time, while all my reference material is stored in one place until it’s no longer relevant.

In a few months time I’m likely to drop a lot of these projects and focus solely on this blog, though at the moment I’ve felt the need to get into a slightly better shape before I make any changes down the line.

Last weekend I sorted through my entire machine, applications, and web services in order to try and cut down on “digital noise & clutter.”

Friend Updates and Communication

I’ve sifted through my Twitter friends and deleted some who I don’t know, and others who haven’t updated in months and months. I also changed my update frequency to show me new tweets every 60 minutes, rather than every 5. This will help me keep on task, without the distracting “Tweet” noise every few minutes.

Inside Mail, I finished cleaning up my 3 actionable folders. To-Do, Reply, and Hold. With these folders empty I have a clean base to start from.

To-Do’s and Tasks

I’m currently using GoPlan for project related tasks, and iCal for personal tasks. Previously my personal tasks have been scattered all over, on various pieces of paper, and TextEdit documents. I’m still waiting for OmniFocus which will replace iCal for my personal task management in the future, but for now iCal seems to be working fine.

GoPlan for projects related tasks. iCal for personal tasks.

RSS & Newsfeeds

RSS is one of the things I’ve decided not to cut down on any more. As long as I’m under the 100 feed mark, I’m relatively happy with everything. When I come to a point where I feel overwhelmed by the amount of data coming in, then I’ll cut down.

Currently I’m happy with what NewsFire brings in for me, I’m always up to date on the latest happenings on dozens and dozens of sites online. The only change I made in NewsFire is setting the update frequency to 60 minutes, rather than 15 in order to cease distractions.

Is anyone else out there feeling overwhelmed with all these web services these days such as RSS, Twitter, Skype, etc?

For me, if something actionable will take less than 5 minutes to do I will do it right away. The task does not get added to my to-do list. Instead, it gets done as soon as it reaches one of my data collection points, and it doesn’t cause me to procrastinate - which means no stress.

However, some tasks are too large to apply the “Do it and it’s done” method to, which is why I enjoy publishing productivity related posts - to help you manage these larger projects and tasks and get them done in an efficient manner.

Do it and it’s done. The phrase to keep in mind - I recommend you print it out and stick it on the wall behind your workstation.

Author of 43Folders, and co-host of MacBreak Weekly, Merlin Mann is finally starting up his own video podcast, on a topic we cant get enough of - productivity.

The show which is titled “The Merlin Show” is set to be launched on Monday, February 26th, at thirty theoretically productive frames per second.

This looks like it could be fun, I don’t know if I can get too much more productive with my time, but this show looks really interesting due to the fact it’s hosted by productivity whiz of the blogosphere, Merlin Mann.

Look out for it Monday morning, I’ve already subscribed in iTunes, awaiting the first episode.

What blogs and podcasts related to productivity or time management do you read/listen to?

8apps is a new startup company which is aimed at productive people, or people trying to become productive via their suite of online applications, which will help you to work better.

Currently three applications out of the planned eight are live. Handshake, Orchestrate, and Blueprint.

Handshake allows you to connect with friends and buddies, to open up a world of collaborative functionality. You can join groups, and discuss topics with people with similar interests, and send private messages to your buddies.

Orchestrate is a full functional to-do list manager. The way Orchestrate is laid out with the use of Ajax is very innovative and clean looking. Create a new to-do list in one click, and add items to it in another. To display a certain to-do list, simply click on it in the sidebar, and it will appear in the main area of the page. You can open as many to-do lists as you want at once, and there’s a nice visual notification when you check off a completed task.

Blueprint is a way to collaborate and brainstorm together with friends, business partners, or clients. It makes it easy for both parties to get ideas of our your heads and onto a white board, where the information is all collected and can easily be browsed.

Overall I’ve found 8apps very useful so far, and I’m busy incorporating it into my daily workflow to further see if it works for me. I cant wait to see what the other apps do, but for now, I give it a strong rating, you should definitely check it out.

I have 15 invites to give away to the exclusive Invite Only 8apps, if you want in, simply leave a comment below.

1. Love What You Do.

No matter what you are doing you need to enjoy it to be any good at it. Start to enjoy what you do, don’t just do it for the sake of it. Immerse yourself in the task in hand and take any opportunity you get.

2. Never Stop Learning.

People learn from their mistakes, and in turn learn from experience. Take note of these things, if you find out a certain type of post is working well on your blog, note it down. If you are at work, or school and are really not enjoying what you are doing, read rule one and start making the most of your time and opportunities.

3. Form Works With Function.

Make sure things in your life and house serve a function, and serve that function well. Don’t furnish your home based on what looks the best, research and furnish it to work well for how you live your life. Keep the two balanced.

4. Simple Is Beautiful.

Things dont need to be over complicated, keep them simple. If you are assigned a task to do, if it takes less than a few minutes do it right away. Keep your life and routine simple, dont take on too much at once, but do your absolute best and put in as much effort to what you have on your plate.

5. Work Hard, Play Hard.

Dont spend all your time focusing on work, mix up work time and play time, and make sure they are defined well. When you are doing one, you are only doing that.

“Zone” out and keep at one task at a time, dont mix homework with TV, complete one, then move into the other once you are completed.

6. You Get What You Pay For.

Dont go buying a cheap DVD player and be overly disappointed when it stops working 3 months later, if you want top quality, you will have to pay top notch for it. Dont go thinking you can skimp short and still receive something top quality.

Pay a reasonable price, and you should receive a good or service of reasonable quality. This goes for buyers and sellers.

7. When You Talk, We Listen.

Talking, writing, or blogging, no matter what it is, do it for a reason, with intent, and with passion. Be confident, people will take notice.

8. Must Constantly Improve.

Keep working and striving for improvement. You might be the best cook in the world, the best tennis player in your city, or the best blogger in your niche, there are always things you can improve on. Dont stop at success, find things you can work on to keep striving for improvement.

9. Respect Your Inspiration.

If you stumble across a cool idea, make it known where it was found. Dont just stop there, improve on that idea to make it your own. Even better than that, set your own trends, and watch others follow.