I've written before about the very helpful web app, Dropbox. Today this great software really saved my bacon. Here's what happened.

When I write my weekly bulletin I start with the previous week's, plug in the new article, change the date and volume number, update the announcements and "save as" the new bulletin. Usually, the first thing I do is the "save as" in a new folder and new file name so that I don't save over the older bulletin. Today I forgot the "save as" part of the process and as I worked on the new bulletin I was saving it over the older one. I didn't even realize I had done it until I started to post it online.

"Oh, no," I thought, "I've erased last week's bulletin!" Then I remembered that I save my bulletin in Dropbox. "What a relief!" All I had to do was open up the web interface of my Dropbox and click "restore." Vwala, last week's bulletin back safe and sound in its folder.

Here's how I recovered my file:



Can you believe that something so cool is free!

As you know, I'm a fan of the Getting Things Done productivity system. With the popularity of this system it is no surprise that there are literally hundreds, maybe thousands, of tools designed to work specifically with GTD. I've experimented with many of them and have really enjoyed looking for that "perfect" GTD application.

One of the problems, though, is that I use different computers with different operating systems. Sometimes I'm using a PC and sometimes, most of the time, I'm using a Mac. And what about those times I'm not at a computer at all? The best GTD tools are those that don't tie you down to one point of access to use them. That's where I think Nozbe has the rest beat, hands down.

You can use Nozbe online when you're at your computer, which means it is compatible with any operating system. When you're away from your computer you can use Nozbe on your mobile phone. If you're really "old school" you can even use Nozbe with pen and paper. It is the only GTD application I have found that is truly universal.

While I highly recommend the GTD books, if you want a quick overview of the GTD system, Nozbe has a 10-step Simply Get Things Done Video Course. It covers the core principles of the GTD system and shows you how to implement those principles using Nozbe.

Implementing Nozbe into the way you work is simplicity to the extreme. Within about 10 minutes after signing up for Nozbe I had it on my iGoogle home page, on my iPhone, connected with my Twitter account and set up to take email tasks.



This wide range of connectivity with your Nozbe makes it very easy to use as your catch-all inbox. I've written previously about the GTD principle of ubiquitous capture. That is, get it out of your head and captured into a trusted system. With Nozbe, I can capture ideas and tasks into my inbox from almost anywhere. I can send a direct message to Nozbe in Twitter and it will automatically appear in my inbox (a very fast and easy capture method). If there is an email that needs to be acted on I can just forward it to an email address, provided by my Nozbe account, to have it captured in my inbox for processing. If I'm away from my computer I can use my mobile phone to capture information into my Nozbe inbox.

***Here's a realtime example: While writing this post I received an email with something that I needed to act on. I hit "alt+T" to open Tweetie (my Twitter app), then "shift+comm+N" to start a new direct message. Typed in the necessary next action and sent it off to Nozbe. In a matter of just a few seconds I had captured a task to my inbox that I can act on when I'm done with my current task of writing this post. I also got a text message about someone who needs to be visited. Again, just a few keystrokes and a few seconds and I now have a task, "Visit ***," in my inbox. It couldn't be easier and faster to capture to Nozbe! Now back to the regularly scheduled review.***

I signed up for a free trial of Nozbe but very quickly upgraded to a full account. It didn't take long for me to see that this great web application would quickly become an integral part of my productive GTD workflow. Try it out and let me know what you think.

One of the applications that I use a great deal is DropBox. If you're like me then you work between multiple computers. Most preachers have this challenge to deal with. There is the home computer, the building computer, the notebook. Most congregations have a Windows PC at the building but more and more preachers are switching to Mac. With DropBox you can not only keep your files synced across multiple computers but it syncs between multiple operating systems too. There's also some really nice file sharing and file recovery features. I've clipped the intro from the DropBox website for you (click them to enlarge). I highly recommend this app.

I've been working to implement the GTD principles into my work habits for some time. It is a gradual process of getting rid of old bad habits and replacing them with new "best practices" habits. One of the principles of the GTD system that has had the greatest impact on the way I work is the "ubiquitous capture." It means that you get everything, and that means everything, out of your head and recorded into some kind of capture device. The idea is, if you free up your mental energy from keeping track of all the loose ends in your life then you will have greater mental energy for creativity and productivity. David Allen calls it "mental RAM." If you're using up all your mental "RAM" to remember to do this or that, to keep up with all your random ideas, to keep track of your shopping list, to remember all the errands you need to do, to keep track of your appointments, etc., etc., etc., then you don't have any free RAM to process the important things that you need to be focussing on right now. By capturing all of these "loose ends" somewhere other than in your head, you are "Ready For Anything," that is, at any given time your processor (your brain) has nice clean RAM to utilize on the task at hand when it comes up.

Before I implemented this principle I was characterized by the phrase, "I forgot." However, now that I'm not trying to keep track of everything in my head, when I don't do something it's because I didn't want to do it, not because "I forgot." I've found several tools that help me "capture everything." Here are some of my favorites:

• EVERNOTE!!! - this is by far my favorite capture tool. It is something that I am able to use in several different formats that keeps whatever I capture in one synchronized location. I'll have an example below of how I used this to capture some notes from a conversation at lunch with another preacher. I can capture snapshots for later use, notes of random thoughts, articles, web pages, etc. It really does a great job of being a "ubiquitous" capture device. This is a must get application and it's FREE.
• Next to Evernote, my favorite capture tool is my "Hipster PDA." This is the most functional and versatile PDA I have ever used! What I really love about it is that I built it myself. I found the instructions on 43Folders.com and thought, "hey, I can do that." I capture more information on it than any other capture device I currently use, or have ever used. It even syncs with my Evernote account! I'll show how below. Not only is it great for capturing everything but it also works very well as a means of sharing information with others. It's so cheep and easy to build that you can just give it to whoever you want to share the information with.
• I use mind maps also. When I capture an idea in my Hipster PDA and/or my Evernote account, if it is something that needs to be developed, I will then put it on a mind map and let the creativity flow! The great thing about mind maps is that you're not forced into a linear mindset. You don't get stuck on "what should follow this?" You just have your main idea at the hub and connect any thoughts relating directly to it. If these branches spur more ideas, you add them as branches to that point. It is a very effective way of organizing your ideas that allows you to think in a more natural mindset to creativity. Below is an example of how I incorporated all three of these capture tools on a single idea.

Using the tools above, when I process the information I've captured, I'm not missing anything. I have everything captured and don't have to rely on my memory to act on it. As I process through the information - usually first thing in the morning - I am able to plan my day and do some really productive work.

Here's an example:

While at lunch with another preacher recently I was asked about the word "captivity" in Ephesians 4:8. Our conversation sparked an interest to do some further study on this word. So I immediately took out my Hipster and wrote it down (yes, the Hipster PDA is just a stack of index cards clipped together in my pocket).

Then, after lunch when I had some time to flip though the cards in my pocket (processing), I knew I would not be able to do anything about this card that said "Captivity word study" until I was back at my computer. So I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the card and sent it to Evernote. Then I could throw the card away and get it out of my pocket.

When I was at my computer again and saw the card in Evernote, I wanted to just quickly capture some ideas for developing this later when I had more time. I opened up my MindMeister account and plugged it in.



The card is filed under "Sermon Thoughts" in Evernote with a note to "see MindMeister." When I'm ready to begin development on a new sermon I'll open the "Sermon Thoughts" folder and see the card, it will point me to MindMeister where I've already started developing some ideas on it.


When its fully developed I'll move the card to my "Ready To Preach" folder with links to MindMeister, presentations, notes, etc. Then, once I've preached it, I'll move it to my "Sermons Preached" folder with a note of the place and date it was preached.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know what you think.

I just finished reading a great article on mind mapping over at one of my favorite productivity blogs, GTD Times.

If you're not familiar with GTD, it refers to David Allen's personal productivity system - Getting Things Done (GTD). I would highly recommend his books, "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" and "Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life."

In his books he talks some about mind mapping, but the article linked above will give you a quick overview of its benefits for planning and brain storming. I've found that if I make my sermon presentations more like a mind map, instead of a linear outline, the audience retains it better.

There are several ways to do your mind mapping, either old school or hight tech. For example, I carry a stack of index cards in my pocket. If I'm not at my computer or don't have access to the net when an idea hits me, I can just take out a card and map it out real quick and dirty. Then I can transfer it to a more permanent media when I'm back at my computer.

Let me recommend a free online app that's good to start out with. Here's a simple example I did with Mindomo.

Hope this is helpful information. Let me know what you think.

I just wanted to check my remote blogging settings. I'm sending this
from my phone.

If it works right I might as well give you a software tip. GET
EVERNOTE! www.evernote.com. They have versions for about whatever kind
of phone or computer you use and it is a great program. You'll be
hearing more about in future posts. Right now I'll just say that I use
it for just about everything. Check it out and let me know what you
think.