Improving Workflow

In the process of rebuilding my laptop after Apple replaced the hard drive and I upgraded to OS 10.5.2 (apparently 10.5.3 is a bad upgrade right now so I'm holding off) I've had to rebuild alot of my processes, find some slightly out of date documents and reinstall and reset my helper applications like Quicksilver (still the bestest of the best).

But, in the course of this rebuilding process, I'm also examining my workflow and working hard to streamline it. Things like using Geektool to automatically display my task list on my desktop and having it set to automatically update when I change the master text file.

I'm also slowly incorporating Spaces into my workflow to keep my desktops as clean as I can and assign applications to specific desktops instead of one huge jumble of apps and windows on the single desktop. It will take some getting used to but the process is getting better and my ability to keep on top of my task list is improving.

Right now, I can work in FireFox and have what amounts to a Smart Stickie in the bottom corner of my screen that contains my top tasks for the day. I can add to the list without opening the document via Quicksilver's Append To... command.

It is still a work in progress but I'm liking the ease of which I can check my tasks, the cleanliness of my work surface (this pane of Spaces has nothing but FireFox available in it) and the ease with which I can update or change my tasks as the day evolves.

I've been using this post from Zen Habits to help build out my particular workflow. Some excellent information here even if you're still stuck using a PC.

The next major step is, once I've gotten this machine set up all perfectly, is to clone it to my old laptop so that I'll retain all of this improved productivity even after they pry my district laptop from my hands at the end of my contract.

The Best and Most Useful Mac Application I've Ever Used

This'll come as no surprise to the power Mac-heads out there. But I am finding more and better ways to use Quicksilver than ever before.

Sure, its a perfectly kickass application launcher but it does so much more that I've been able to clean out my dock to the barest of bare minimums.

Today I learned how to use the "Append to..." command to easily and quickly add tasks to my many and varied tasklists without even opening the documents. 43 Folders has a good rundown on how this is done and it took a little working but I've got it down now and it kicks ass.

I'm now able to quickly and easily add tasks by invoking Quicksilver, starting with a perid then type by task, tab to the next window and start typing Append to and the next window pops up, tab to that and start typing the text file you want to append to, hit execute and get back to whatever you were doing without any delay.

But, truth be told, I just learned about this neat feature on Zen Habits. Now I'm going to start implementing the other tips to make my workflow even slicker and more seamless.

If you like working efficiently and intuitively (and you're on a Mac) then definitely check out Quicksilver, it'll transform your computing. And I've barely even begun to get into all of what Quicksilver is capable of doing for me.