Mind Listings

Organizer as Blogging Back-End - Part 3: Manage To-Do List

This article continues the series about Golden Rules Organizer as blogging platform back-end.

In the previous article, Organizer as Blogging Back-End - Part 2: Build-Up Values, we talked about defining values and logging daily actions, including blog drafting actions.

Now we expand into these productivity topics:

• Step 3: Create To-Do List
• Step 4: Define Recurring Tasks

Step 3: Create To-Do List

Under relevant Values, open one or more Activities (to-do items), as shown in the following screen-shot:

When an activity includes several consecutive steps, use Next Action field to describe the immediate step to be taken. You may also define due date, color-coded urgency and other parameters.

All activities can be seen in the main Activities tab, as shown here:

Log your actions under Activities-->Logs. The logs will also be visible in Values-->Logs tab, as well as in the main Logs tab.

It will be a good habit to track actual time each action took.

As soon as activity is completed, move or drag it to Completed bucket, or change status directly in the grid.

Step 4: Define Recurring Tasks

You can define recurring tasks for some values, as shown in this example:

Tasks will generate Activities according to specified frequency. As Activity is completed, next Activity will be automatically scheduled.

The series will be continued - stay tuned!

Organizer as Blogging Back-End - Part 2: Build-Up Values

Previous article in this case study, Organizer as Blogging Back-End - Introduction, listed advantages of Golden Rules Organizer as blogger's back-end platform:

• Blogging program independent, offline blog authoring and draft archiving
• Built-in mind map, facilitating back-end and front-end navigation
• Blog management support, inclusive campaigns, recurring tasks, to-do-list, contacts

Case study now proceeds with step-by-step setup of Golden Rules Organizer for blogging.

Step 1: Build-up Blogging Values.

Golden Rules Organizer provides hierarchical value system. Values on the same level of hierarchy may be arranged manually and assigned importance tag - from critical to low.

For some values I add descriptions detailing my actionable intentions:

The values are sufficiently elaborated to guide me in practical steps. As my practice will develop, value system will evolve.

Upon need, I also populate References with links to value-related information:

Step 2: Log The Actions

As soon as my blogging values acquire initial shape, I start logging all my activities under respective values, as shown here:

Note the following features of Golden Rules Organizer:

• you can assign multiple values to logs
• standing on hierarchically higher value, logs of all sub-values are also visible
• you can track actual time spent on each logged activity; upon selecting a value, Organizer shows total time spent for this value and sub-values.

Next article in the series:   Part 3: Manage To-Do List.

Organizer as Blogging Back-End - Introduction

This article starts a series on usage of organizer software as blogging back-end; as case study, Golden Rules Organizer freeware is used.

Back-End Functionality

• Blog authoring until final draft status. Golden Rules Organizer provides HTML editor matching blog drafting needs and lacking frustrating qualities of web HTML editors (slow editing, deficient support of HTML constructs, copy & paste and undo issues).
  
  Upon draft completion, blog draft is copied & pasted into web blog application, ready to final proofing.
  
  Here editor screen-shot with a draft of this article:
  
  
  
  
• Blog drafts archive. Organizer's logging facility allows easy maintenance of blog draft archive, as illustrated by this screenshot:
  
  
  
  
• Blog mind map. Organizer allows to manage mind map (hierarchical tree) of the blog topics and links.
  
  Mind map can be exported as HTML report and uploaded to blog site, allowing visitors to easily scan blog contents and directly access articles and referenced links (see Mind Listings Report sample).
  
  
  
  
• Blog management, featuring many topics like the ones below. Management topics will be covered in next articles - stay tuned.
  • Blog-related campaigns, recurring tasks, and to-do-list management
  • Bloggers contact management
  • Blogging activity logging, inclusive time tracking.

Advantages of Using Organizer as Back-End

• Faster blog editing and better editing experience
• Additional services to blog readers
  • Blog directory (mind map) with direct access to all articles and links (see Mind Listings Report as example)
  • Download-able blog directory and topical sub-directories for users of same organizer
• Blogging-platform independent archive
• Last, but not least - facilitation of blog management.

Next article in the series: Organizer as Blogging Back-End - Part 2: Build-Up Values.

Disclosure: I'm the author of the Golden Rules Organizer.

Productivity With Random Numbers

Sometimes we procrastinate on our routine tasks just because there is no fun in doing them.

You could add some flavor into the routine with help of random numbers - serviced by excellent, and free, Random.org site.

Binary Choice

Do it? Do this or that?

To answer this question, use excellent Coin Flipper - there are plenty of coin choices, including antique coins.

Choose one possibility out of N choices

For example, you have N numbered tasks, and need to choose one.

1. Throw one-to-16 dices and sum up the result - lets you choose one of 96 variations
2. Generate 1 integer by giving range from 1 to N

Order unnumbered tasks / people randomly

Prepare a list of tasks (or people, etc.), each on separate line, and copy into this list. Randomize.

Randomly order numbered tasks for execution

If numbers fully occupy sequential range without gaps (e.g, 1 to 10, 50 to 62), you may use sequence generator while giving range start / end values.

Also useful if you wish to do some tasks (probably more than 1).

Generate random password

Use string generator to generate random password strings; if required, manually add special symbols.

Windows Drive Cleanup

I noticed I have just 5% free space on my laptop's C drive. To clean-up the computer, I followed the following process (my laptop runs under Windows XP):

• Clean-up temporary Internet files using Internet browser(s) (for all accounts / browsers)
• Install recent CCleaner version (here the download link) and run it
  • Cleaner - clean all temporary files
  • Registry - registry cleanup
  • Tools
    • Uninstall - uninstall unneeded programs (similar to Control Panel --> Add / Remove Programs)
    • Startup - cancel automatic launch of unneeded programs upon startup (similar to Run-->msconfig)
• Run Windows Disk Cleanup Utility
  
  • My Computer --> right click on the drive --> Properties
  • Choose Disk Cleanup
  • Press OK to clean-up
• Remove Windows restore points except the last one (this alone saved me above 1 Gb)
  • My Computer --> right click on the drive --> Properties
  • Choose Disk Cleanup --> More Options --> System Restore Clean up
• Run Full Service Scan from Windows Live OneCare
  • It found several registry problems undiscovered by CCleaner
• Look for very large files that are candidates for manual removal, and remove them
  • Go to My Computer --> right click on the drive --> Search
  • Select option What size is it --> Specify Size (in KB) --> at least 5000 Kb
  • Sort results by decreasing file size
  • Remove unneeded files manually
• Install recent Defraggler version (here the download link) and run Defrag (takes several hours)

As a result, I now have 25% free space and, hopefully, better performing applications.