I'm a total sucker for productivity apps. I am, by nature, a complete sloth, and a poster boy for Attention Deficit Disorder. And yet, I've always had an Inner Neat Freak vying for my affection.
If it wasn't for lists, honestly, I wouldn't get anything done outside
of those activities which literally scream for my attention: eating,
sleeping, masturbating.
There are a bunch of worthwhile productivity systems out there, from the late Stephen Covey's epic 7 Habits to the relatively over-hyped Getting Things Done (GTD), and probably hundreds of desktop and mobile apps to help you implement them. Personally, I'm an evangelist for Gqueues , a Google-centric to-do list that has a shit ton of features and integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar. I could probably write an entire e-book extolling the virtues of Gqueues, I like it that much. Remind me to add that to my to-do list.
But sometimes you need a specific tool for a specific job. When I was in restaurant management, I separated my regular day-to-day goals and tasks from my job-specific duties with different planning systems. I carried a pocket Daytimer to remember sundry personal data, like doctor's appointments, grocery lists, and girlfriend drink preferences (ordering a PBR for a Martini drinker can get you permanently locked out of the pelvic pond). But when I stepped into my workplace I had a desk reminder that had the various tasks, appointments, and duties laid out for me. That list stayed there; I had no need for it at the bar.
When I sit down to write I rely on a project management system to keep me focused. If I don't, I'm liable to spend a majority of my time engaged in useless timewasters like browsing my RSS feeds or checking my email or Twitter or Facebook pages. (I realize I'm the only person on earth with this problem).
However, up to this point, "project management system" was usually a fancy term for assorted sticky notes strewn across various places next to my computer. I tried various approaches to digitalizing it, including utilizing Gqueues, but nothing really clicked until I stumbled across KanBanFlow .
KanBanFlow is a digital project management tool based on the concept of kanban boards, those three-stage visual tools used by project management teams to coordinate and track progress. The kanban board is itself simply one part of the overall kanban system, which was instrumental in helping Toyota perfect its Just In Time production paradigm. I have used whiteboard kanbans for various management projects in the past, but again, never particularly contemplated its usefulness for writing projects.
I first started seeing online kanban systems promoted as task management tools about two years ago. I subscribed to one, played around with it a little, but eventually just dumped it in my YAWN pile (joining Google +, Springboard, Pinterest, and a few dozen others collecting digital dust).
KanBanFlow, however, marries the concept to several other productivity systems. Each post can harbor a to-do list, a description, and unlimited notes and attachments. Furthermore, the app itself has a Pomodoro timer at the bottom, an essential tool for those of us with Social Network ADHD (it doesn't, alas, have a rooster's crow option...that's only on my android...I need to write them about this).
As soon as you decide on a project, you add it to the To-Do panel and assign it a color (I color code based on type of task--writing, outlining, submission, posting, etc--and what genre--blog post or other project). Then I'll choose a project and move it to the Do Today column, where I can start adding attachments or come up with subtasks. I will usually put a couple of tasks in the Do Today column, and then start on the one that has priority. When I do that, I move it to the In Progress column and start my timer.
You can move your task anywhere on the spread you wish, in fact, you can order it around like your naughty little sex slave:
TASK: "Oh noooo, Task Master, not over here"
ME: "Yes, Miss Add-Tags-To-Blog-Post, you bawdy wench, over into the Finished Panel!"
I get chills.
There are a bunch of worthwhile productivity systems out there, from the late Stephen Covey's epic 7 Habits to the relatively over-hyped Getting Things Done (GTD), and probably hundreds of desktop and mobile apps to help you implement them. Personally, I'm an evangelist for Gqueues , a Google-centric to-do list that has a shit ton of features and integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar. I could probably write an entire e-book extolling the virtues of Gqueues, I like it that much. Remind me to add that to my to-do list.
But sometimes you need a specific tool for a specific job. When I was in restaurant management, I separated my regular day-to-day goals and tasks from my job-specific duties with different planning systems. I carried a pocket Daytimer to remember sundry personal data, like doctor's appointments, grocery lists, and girlfriend drink preferences (ordering a PBR for a Martini drinker can get you permanently locked out of the pelvic pond). But when I stepped into my workplace I had a desk reminder that had the various tasks, appointments, and duties laid out for me. That list stayed there; I had no need for it at the bar.
When I sit down to write I rely on a project management system to keep me focused. If I don't, I'm liable to spend a majority of my time engaged in useless timewasters like browsing my RSS feeds or checking my email or Twitter or Facebook pages. (I realize I'm the only person on earth with this problem).
However, up to this point, "project management system" was usually a fancy term for assorted sticky notes strewn across various places next to my computer. I tried various approaches to digitalizing it, including utilizing Gqueues, but nothing really clicked until I stumbled across KanBanFlow .
KanBanFlow is a digital project management tool based on the concept of kanban boards, those three-stage visual tools used by project management teams to coordinate and track progress. The kanban board is itself simply one part of the overall kanban system, which was instrumental in helping Toyota perfect its Just In Time production paradigm. I have used whiteboard kanbans for various management projects in the past, but again, never particularly contemplated its usefulness for writing projects.
I first started seeing online kanban systems promoted as task management tools about two years ago. I subscribed to one, played around with it a little, but eventually just dumped it in my YAWN pile (joining Google +, Springboard, Pinterest, and a few dozen others collecting digital dust).
KanBanFlow, however, marries the concept to several other productivity systems. Each post can harbor a to-do list, a description, and unlimited notes and attachments. Furthermore, the app itself has a Pomodoro timer at the bottom, an essential tool for those of us with Social Network ADHD (it doesn't, alas, have a rooster's crow option...that's only on my android...I need to write them about this).
As soon as you decide on a project, you add it to the To-Do panel and assign it a color (I color code based on type of task--writing, outlining, submission, posting, etc--and what genre--blog post or other project). Then I'll choose a project and move it to the Do Today column, where I can start adding attachments or come up with subtasks. I will usually put a couple of tasks in the Do Today column, and then start on the one that has priority. When I do that, I move it to the In Progress column and start my timer.
You can move your task anywhere on the spread you wish, in fact, you can order it around like your naughty little sex slave:
TASK: "Oh noooo, Task Master, not over here"
ME: "Yes, Miss Add-Tags-To-Blog-Post, you bawdy wench, over into the Finished Panel!"
I get chills.
The KanbanFlow Screen
As I complete each project, I move it into the Done
file, where it sits and broods like a spurned lover, or collects dust
like all those other boring has-been apps mentioned above, while I gloat
over my conquests like a fattened nimrod. I don't think I can pack any more mixed-metaphors into one paragraph, but you get the idea.
I keep KanbanFlow on a pinned tab on my Firefox browser, but it doesn't have a desktop app (yet). That's discouraging, because I like to keep all my writing-related items off-line (Storybox , Evernote ), so that I can access them even when I'm in my favorite writing environment: deep in the woods, far away from any WiFi hotspots. (I prefer the solitude, and I concentrate better without easy access to distracting websites like Facebook or LesbianToesuckingOrgy ).
Luckily, they have a native Android app, so I can just use that when I'm offline, and it will "update" as soon as I get back to civilization.
So there you have it, the "productivity system" I use to keep me focused writing, all thanks to the assembly-line whip-crackers at Toyota. A pretty cool app, really.
Check it out here: KanbanFlow .
I keep KanbanFlow on a pinned tab on my Firefox browser, but it doesn't have a desktop app (yet). That's discouraging, because I like to keep all my writing-related items off-line (Storybox , Evernote ), so that I can access them even when I'm in my favorite writing environment: deep in the woods, far away from any WiFi hotspots. (I prefer the solitude, and I concentrate better without easy access to distracting websites like Facebook or LesbianToesuckingOrgy ).
Luckily, they have a native Android app, so I can just use that when I'm offline, and it will "update" as soon as I get back to civilization.
So there you have it, the "productivity system" I use to keep me focused writing, all thanks to the assembly-line whip-crackers at Toyota. A pretty cool app, really.
Check it out here: KanbanFlow .
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