leo babauta – JAMES MICHIE

Housekeeping: The Value of Less

While my digital-self has been quiet over the last few months, I have not been entirely inactive. Having instigated a cleanup of my web footprint (I shared the initial stages in this post), I have continued this process alongside a number of subtle design/structural changes to jamesmichie.com and jamesmichie.com/blog. Also, I have made some changes to my online workflow – more out of necessity than choice.

Following on from decreasing the number of peripheral accounts that I had. I set about redesigning my second blog. I added a more pleasing theme and retitled it ‘Et cetera’. I felt, that what was my other blog, lacked a clear sense of purpose. As such I’ve added the tag line: ‘…riffs, ramblings, snippets and pics’. These were not extensive changes but add clarity to the role this blog plays in my online presence. I also wanted to draw a bit more attention to ‘Et cetera’, so I added buttons to both jamesmichie.com and jamesmichie.com/blog.

[Update: 27.07.12 Et cetera has been closed and the posts imported to this blog.]

This coincided with the removal of the Facebook page I set up to promote jamesmichie.com/blog. The page added limited value and very few additional readers. This also resulted in the deletion of my Facebook account. The continued uncertainty surrounding Facebook’s inability to take its customers’ privacy seriously, have left me under no illusion that it is better to be out than in.

I have made some minor changes to jamesmichie.com including adding a ‘bookmarks’ feed. Likewise, I have added the same feed in the sidebar of this blog. This change was prompted by Google’s decision to remove the sharing functions within Google Reader. The result? Google Reader continues to be my RSS reader of choice, however I laboriously reviewed the items I had shared (automated to Twitter via ifttt) and added any that I wished to keep to my Delicious bookmarks. I am now using this to both bookmark and share items – again, automated with ifttt. Initially, I was annoyed about Google’s decision but this has actually helped in the slimming down of my web presence – streamlining my sharing/bookmarking workflow.

What’s more, with the reduction of sources from which I am sharing information, I have removed the shared stream that was present on both jamesmichie,com and jamesmichie.com/blog.

Also, I have made some subtle changes to this blog, including the addition of text snippets in the side bar to further encourage people to subscribe to the blog and to also promote conference and events, at which I will be attending/speaking.

As I have taken each step, deleting accounts; cleaning up features; adapting my workflow, I have felt calmer, more in control, more focused. I can see that much of this has come as a result of the reading I have been doing this year – particularly the work of Leo Babauta. His books ‘The Power of Less‘ and ‘Focus‘ have had a profound effect in helping me to channel my energy into projects that matter.

I am not, now, opposed to trying out new tools or apps. However, I think it is important to limit your output – the more outlets that you are having to keep up is a form of distraction in itself.

Here are some of the selections I have made:

Twitter NOT Facebook (sometimes Google+).
Cloud App NOT Posterous, Twitpic, yFrog and Mobypicture.
jamesmichie.com/blog NOT Amplify.

Each of these choices have helped me to streamline my web footprint, reduce friction, and find focus – allowing me to fully appreciate the value of ‘less’.

I leave with this thought:

Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?

~ Marcus Aurelius

Reading Productivity

Having spent more than a year improving my personal productivity, I can sum up what I’ve learned in a single sentence: “Pick one task and do it”. However, that would do a disservice to the journey and to the great people who helped me along the way through their writing on the subject. So, without wishing to encourage you to spend more time reading about productivity than being productive, here are three books that really helped me reach a place where I can stay focused on doing ‘the work’.

Focus – Leo Babauta

If I had to recommend one book this would be it. It has really made a difference in helping me become more productive. The books’ strength lies in its brevity and the fact the Leo doesn’t over do the GTD stuff. Instead, he focuses on the underlying issues that may be stopping you from doing ‘the work’. It reads well. Eloquent prose, set out in well-structured essays that challenge you to reflect deeply on the way that you prioritise and use your time. Particularly, useful was the focus on changing and replacing habits. By replacing bad habits with useful, more productive ones, I have seen a huge difference in my productivity.

Highlights include:

You don’t need to respond
Going with the flow
Single tasking and productivity

Keeping It Straight – Patrick Rhone

Patrick is one of my favourite writers on the web and his work translates really well to the structured, thematic nature of a book. Keeping it Straight is Patrick’s first book – a collected set of essays that deal with personal productivity, minimalism, mindfulness and motivation. Again, this is not a long read; perfect for the daily commute or for dipping into when the moment arises. This book is very personal, much of the content gleaned from Patrick’s journal, it adds a level of authenticity that I find is often missing from books of this ilk.

Highlights include:

Don’t Worry
Doing The Dishes
Email (And Other Things That Go “Ding”)

#uppingyourgame – Doug Belshaw

Doug is a friend who has been fantastically supportive, helping me on my blogging journey. He has also (although he may not have realised it) had a significant impact on my approach to personal productivity. His approach is a pragmatic one and as such he begins by getting to the heart of why we should care about being productive in the first place. This is refreshing, as many productivity related texts assume that the reader already has this figured out. Like the other two books, this is a well structured, well designed text, placing emphasis on the authors voice.

Highlights include:

What does productivity look like?
How to find your personal well of motivation
Productivity killers

———

As I mentioned above, it is easy to spend more time reading about productivity than actually getting on and being productive. However, while I’m on topic, I thought I would share some of the other material that has contributed to my journey. This is not an exclusive list, just a selection of the ones that come to mind as I sit writing this.

Manifesto: Inbox Zero

Idea: five.sentenc.es

Essay: Making the Clackity Noise

Essay: Cranking

Essay: The Noise

Essay: the beauty of the ellipses

Essay: Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task (MIT)

Essay: Do One Thing Well

Essay: How I Became an Early Riser

Essay: How to ‘chapter’ your life to make it more productive

Essay: The hidden power of a gift

Book: Mindfulness in Plain English

Video: Just This

Podcast: Enough: The Minimal Mac Podcast

Podcast: Back to Work

Why I Became an Early Riser

During the past academic year I have become an early riser. No mean feat for someone who loves the warmth and comfort offered by a well-constructed frame, firm mattress, cotton-fresh sheets and a plush duvet.

I have trained my body to rise at 5:30 every morning. What have I gained from this you might ask? In short: Time.

Time is perhaps the most important commodity that exists. I call it a commodity because in 2011 it is just that. Something that we can choose to value and savour or as with many things something we can easily waste and fritter away. The thing is, you can’t replace time like you can replace wasted food or damaged goods. When time has passed it is gone for good. People, say I’ll make time but that’s a fallacy, you can’t make time. The truth? You need to make the most of the time you’ve got.

I try to savour every moment. The time that I get to spend with my wife is precious; the time I have with my students when they enter my classroom is so important – why would I want to waste it? The hour I have gained in the morning is as precious as any other time I can define. It is my time… a time when I find focus.

My routine is simple. I pick one thing to do and use the hour to do only that. I drink a glass of water, make a cup of tea and sit down at my MacBook Air. I then decide what I want to achieve that morning and set to it. It could be to write; it could be to catch up with RSS/Instapaper; it could be to achieve Inbox Zero (or get as close as I can); it could be to read from whichever book I am reading at that moment; it could be to update my Calendar and sort my ToDo List.

It does not matter which activity I choose, as long as I dedicate the time and energy to doing that one thing. I know that I will do the task and do it well because I have the time… free from distractions, free from noise (I love the early morning quiet), free to focus my mind.

Using that hour in the morning has not only improved my productivity but it has made me a happier and healthier person. I start the day with far more oomph; not sluggish from over-sleeping. Having had that quiet time in the morning, I am ready and raring to go… ready to get on with the rest of my day knowing that I have already accomplished something and it’s only 6:30.

What I felt was going to be a tremendous struggle has become the most important feature of my day. Occasionally, I slip… those days where I didn’t manage to get up and out of bed, those are the days where I get little accomplished, where the ills of procrastination take over. I’ve learned to not beat myself up about it though. Those days serve as a reminder of how much I gain from all the other days where I did get up, where I did make the most of my time.

Getting to this point did not happen over night though. It took effort and still does, particularly during the holidays. I found this advice from Leo Babauta helpful as I strove to become an early riser.

Notational Velocity – Freedom To Write!

Very recently, Leo Babauta (he of zenhabits.net and mnmlist.com) published a post about his use of the free Mac application Notational Velocity. In the post he discusses how the app has become his number one writing tool. I also mentioned NV in a recent blog post and even though I have only been using it for a few weeks, I find myself using it far more than I expected to. I began by using the app to make notes and simple lists but have found myself drafting blog posts, letters and recording ideas that I can return to later. Therefore, I felt that I would offer some further refelections and explanation of why I like the application so much.

Notational Velocity is one of the most uncomplicated and yet most powerful tools I have made use of.

Simplicity

First and foremost it was the simplicity of NV’s design that grabbed my attention. The user interface boasts a clean writing space, free of the clutter you find in so many desktop text editors. There are no buttons as the app relies on simple search operators and a series of built in shortcuts (not an extensive list) to operate. At the top of the app is the location bar (which you can return to at any time by clicking cmd-L) – here you add new notes (type a title and hit return) and/or search for and within notes. ‘Search’ functions much like Google instant, sifting through your notes, revealing the results as you type. Below the location bar is your list of notes, sortable by ‘title’ or ‘date added’. And below this is the note body, an open space, ready to be filled with text and nothing else. I, like Leo, have expanded this area to make it more useful for writing.

Beneath the simplicity of the UI are some very straight forward but useful inner workings. By entering your Simplenote username and password, notes are synced to your Simplenote account. It’s free and updates regularly. Also, built into the app is an auto-save function meaning you never have to worry about losing what you have written – I have mine set to sync every minute as I write at quite a rapid pace. Finally, you can (if you wish) tweak features like the typeface and font size. However, I was more than happy to stick with the defaults when after starting up the app for the first time I was overjoyed to be greeted by Helvetica, size 12.

Power

Woven within the simple exterior and inner workings of the app, NV holds immense power: the power to free you from distractions, allowing you to focus on your writing. As I’ve already mentioned my original intentions were to simply use NV to keep lists and notes that I could mail to myself or expand upon in Google docs. However, the app has become far more than a simple note making tool. I am using it to write almost everything – at least in the early draft stages. Why? Becuase the simplicity of the UI allows me to focus on the content of my writing. Having resized the app from its default setting I have created a focussed space for me and my thoughts. It is lovely to get my ideas down, free of the tools and buttons used to tinker with font size or to insert images. My time and attention remain firmly focussed on the task at hand: writing.

After just three weeks I am now using Notational Velocity for the following:

Notes

Mentor meetings – with my line manager and those that I take during meetings with my own mentees
Subject Leader meetings
Department meetings – my prepared notes plus those I add during the meeting
HTML code snippets – that I use in my blog posts

Lists

Work To Do – a constantly updated list of day-to-day tasks
To Read – a list of books I wish to eventually buy/download and read

Thoughts and ideas

Blog ideas – a continually changing list of potential posts that increases and decreases as I have new ideas and publish posts
Educational ideas – possible activities, uses for tech etc, that are not yet fully formed but have potential for development

Blog posts and other writing

Blog posts – currently, I have 4 blog posts (not counting this one) roughly drafted
Letters – I drafted a recent news letter and am currently recording notes for a second installment to be sent out at the end of term
Resources – I am also part way through drafting an exemplar response to an an activity I plan to assign my Year 10 English class

And that’s the thing, I really have started using NV for everything. I feel liberated, free of distraction, free to focus on my writing. Added to which I have become even more productive, writing everything from within one space – no switching between apps for different tasks. I do it all here, only moving to Word or Google docs when there is a need for formatting or the addition of other media. Those (for me at least) are the after thoughts; the window dressing – it’s the words that do the talking!

In a world dominated by tools and products that allow you to do multiple things at once, Notational Velocity is a reminder that sometimes simple is best.