Becoming A Writer Seriously

In our recent poll of readers about their time management strategies, I was intrigued to discover that most of us rely on simple To Do lists, rather than more elaborate tools. As it happens, Bits du Jour once again has come up with a program, Swift To Do List, that may appeal to our readers. As always, it is offered at a substantial discount for one day only, a marketing ploy by software developers to “create buzz” about their product.

In fact, last week I posted screenshots illustrating my use of the To Do list embedded in Essential PIM Pro. This list pretty much gives me an overview of my writing commitments and projections. I like particularly how the list is bundled with notes about my major projects, my professional contacts and my schedule calendar.

Like most people, I also keep more mundane lists scratched on envelops and waste paper, all stuffed into my bulging [just ask my friends] shirt pocket. As a “to-do-list” person who happens to over-rely on my computer, I’ve examined many To Do list programs, all interesting, but none of them rivetting enough to find a permament place on my computer.

Swift To Do List may change that. I’ve never heard of it before. In fact, it is the ability of Bits du Jour to uncover such gems that makes me a loyal follower, especially since Roger, the site’s manager, seems especially sensitive to programs useful to writers.

What intrigues me about this software, beyond its elegant and esay-to-understand design, is its power to pull various elements together for each task and its ability to handle endless numbers of separate lists. Notice above that the separate To Do Lists can be organized in a collapsible hierarchical tree structure, visible in the left-side pane. individual tasks for a selected To Do list appear in the large pane on the right, with check boxes which will move completed tasks to the bottom of the list. So far, nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Where this software rises above others I’ve examined is in the bottom two panes. Once one highlights a task, one is presented with a mini-word processor, allowing one to make extensive notes about the task. Equally intriguing is the box at the lower right, which pops in whenever one drags related files, photos, email addresses, even program launch shortcuts into the area. As I’ve thought about these features over the past 24 hours, I’ve come to realize the power of these organizational tools.

Not evident on the screenshot above is the underlying reminder facility. One can set separate reminders for each and every task, if one chooses. My aging brain likes that. Maybe now I’ll forget fewer tasks that sit on my lists undone. And there are other program elements I’ve not yet had time to explore

If To Do lists appeal to you, I recommend that you first visit the developer’s website, which, like the software, is concisely written and well-organized. Especially take a look at the Flash Demo, which quickly walks you through the software’s main features. There’s a good chance you too might be hooked.

With the generous 46 percent discount, I’ve decided to buy it. At full cost, I’d have to think about it. You can examine the Bits du Jour discount offer to learn more. Just do it on Wednesday to avail of the discount.

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Following up to yesterday’s post about the one-day discount on EssentialPIM PRO on Wednesday only, here are some screenshots of my own EssentialPIM PRO files.

First, in the To Do Section, one can create hierarchical trees in which you keep track of your lists in a manner that goes beyond simple lists.  In the example below, you will see that I’ve set up some categories which follow David Allen’s Getting Things Done strategies, as well as categories that fit my own needs.

Second, the Notes Section allows me to keep track of writing projects, both those in progress and those only in mind as potential articles.  At a glance, I can see what’s on my plate.

Third, I categorize my contacts.  Here is a list of the writers that I’ve added into my contact database.  Here one can construct a page that includes contacts with work pending, etc.  The beauty of this section is that contacts can be assigned to multiple groups.

All of this power comes in the PRO version.  The FREE version does not allow as much control.  Of course, in addition to all this comes the calendar and schedule capabilities.

Many users will be happy simply with the free version.  I was content with that until the recent PRO version that fully allows task and contact management.  For link to the discounted version, available via Bits du Jour on Wednesday only, check yesterday’s post.

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Bits du Jour has done it again — they’ve snagged one of the best software programs out there — EssentialPIM PRO — for a special one-day-only discount of 40 percent.  As early readers of this blog know, I’ve been recommending the free version of EssentialPIM as a program especially useful for writers.  It was featured in one of my first reviews.

For months, I refrained from recommending the PRO version, waiting for some refinements.  These refinements were put into place with its updated release last December.  I decided at that point to launch a series of posts about time management, culminating with an updated review of EssentialPIM, recommending its PRO version.  Bits du Jour has caught me ahead of time, as my planned post wasn’t to come for some time yet.

Well, let me now declare:  EssentialPIM PRO is a magnificant software for writers who want to manage time, projects and contacts in one simple-to-use program.  The PRO version adds in well-designed elements that allow one to maintain a To Do List that follows the dictates of the Getting Things Done strategy of time management, a Notes section where one can keep an outline of current and upcoming projects, and a Contact List with a powerful “groups” feature that can really help with contact management.  The program is not as powerful at contact management as ACT, nor as powerful at time management as Achieve Planner.  I own both of those programs and do use them — BUT EssentialPIM PRO is usually the first program I open every day.  For me, it is truly ESSENTIAL.

I’m still relying on internet cafes and wi-fi spots to maintain this blog [hopefully, I’ll have my own broadband connection within a couple weeks], so my battery-deficient laptop limits my ability to post full reviews.  If I can manage it, I’ll upload another post tomorrow with screenshots to illustrate these features.

In the meantime, check out the links above for this software.  It’s definitely worth considering, especially at the discount price of $23.97 [it usually sells for $39.95].  Please excuse my enthusiasm for this product, but it’s genuine.  By the way, I have no affiliation with EssentialPIM or Bits du Jour — I’m just passing on information that I think is worth consideration by writers seeking to become more productive.

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In my last post in this series, I pointed out that Slim Timer works only when one is online. It cannot monitor time spent offline. In my own case, that makes that facility, as well-designed as it is, irrelevant.

This is an issue much under discussion regarding many of the new online applications. There must be some seamless, more-or-less invisible bridge between online and offline use.

As it happens, in the time tracking arena, there’s a brand new entry that is working to solve that problem.

RescueTime is still in its early days of development. It aims to bridge the online-offline gap. The application is now in open beta, meaning anyone can sign up for service — currently free, by the way — even though the application is still under development.  Many important features are not yet implemented.  The facility is still virtually unknown, though PC World has just mentioned it in its current issue.

I’ve been testing out RescueTime for over a month now. Frankly, I’ve been excited about its prospects.  The user initially downloads a program kernel that resides inside one’s computer.  It invisibly monitors computer activity — both programs used and internet sites visited.  Time spent is reported back to Rescue Time, which accumulates all of the data and provides a variety of graphic-intensive reports at one’s personal online “dashboard.”  Essential to the final report is the process of ‘tagging each software program and each website visited, indicating the project or task with which each is associated.  The report gives two charts, the one on the left presenting time associated with project/task tags, the other indicating time spent with each software program and website.

To cap it off, every Sunday one receives a summary report in one’s email inbox.  The application allows the user to set daily goals, and it tells one just how well one did in reaching the goals.  The overview of one’s week, of course, encourages the user to log-on to one’s online dashboard for more detail.

Now that I’ve been testing this application for six weeks, my enthusiasm has been dampened.  On the surface, the application appears so simple to use:  just download the kernel and tag the various logged activities, and RescueTime takes care of everything else, pulling together both online and offline activity into well-designed graphical reports.  “Ridiculously easy time management,” the RescueTime website declares.

What I have discovered is that RescueTime counts time only when one is actually working on the computer, pushing keys at least once every two minutes.  Thinking time or very close reading doesn’t count.  Often I felt that the charts short-changed me, under-reporting my activity.  Time spend reading resource books off my well-stocked bookshelf, for example, wasn’t counted at all, nor was the time spent writing blog posts where I going through stacks of print-outs to gather just the right data to include.

Also, I soon became disenchanted with the tagging procedure.  There is yet no way for RescueTime to distinguish which project should be credited when one uses Microsoft Word, for example.  I use it for several very different writing projects, as well as for general office chores.  And I was amazed at how the list of websites visited multiplied when doing online research — and each should be tagged to a project.  At first, I developed too many tags, for example breaking my blog work into blog research, blog writing and blog maintenance.   I’ve learned to keep the tags to a minimum:  now I simply tag these various activities simply as “blog.”

Still, I will follow this application as it develops.  A couple weeks ago I received a survey from the developers that listed 10 areas for future development.  All of them will contribute to the effectiveness of RescueTime.  It may yet mature into an effective tool.

SUMMARY:  This exercise of testing various task-tracking tools is turning out to be much more interesting than I had at first imagined.  I’m becoming much more conscious of how my minutes are spent and how they should be counted.  I’m also identifying with disturbing clarity just how much time is devoted to non-productive activity.

In my next post in this series. I’ll report on the time-tracker that is emerging as the one that I’m finding most helpful.  I’ll write about that toward the end of the month.  In the meantime, I’ll turn to topics of more direct interest to writers.

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The very first time tracker I used was Slim Timer, following the lead of Monika Mundell at Blogging Web 2.0.  This free online timer is really neat.

The first step is to sign up for a free account, a simple process.  You will have an opportunity to set up various projects which you wish to track, a list that can be easily maintained as projects start up and are completed.

The website suggests several ways to start timing a project.  I found this slightly confusing — the process is one of my few complaints.  The site directs your attention to a box on the right labelled “Open Timer.”  The best way to start timing, I’ve found, is to click the inconspicuous link ABOVE the box.   Bingo!  You’ve got a timer pop up right in front of you.  Just click on the project from the list you created, and timing begins.

One of the useful features of Slim Timer is that you can open multiple timers, one for each project you are working on at the time.  This makes it easy to stop timing on one project and then start timing another project, keeping the total time worked on each in front of you all the while.  For me, this was useful, as I wanted to work toward spending equal time on the blog and on my book project as well.  Having both timers in front of me helped.

In each pop up window, one finds the stopwatch-like timer on the right, adding the minutes as they roll by.  When you stop working, the timer reverts to zero, but the cumulative time is given on the left side of the popup.  This is a handy arrangement.

One can also tag your project time, useful in categorizing your work.  And you can even add a written comment about the segment of work you are doing.

As you work, say using Microsoft Word, the timers can reside under the Word window.  A click will bring the timer on top.  Or you can resize the Word window so that the timer is constantly in view.

All the while, your activity is recorded within your online account, somewhere out there in cyberspace, available to you in a variety of forms when you need it.  For example, you can view your day’s activity and even edit the details.  Perhaps you forgot to turn off a timer [a very easy thing to do], and your record shows too much time.  This can be corrected.  In fact, it’s a good idea at the end of each day to look at your daily report, just to make sure it’s as accurate as can be.

One can run a variety of reports.  A simple, straight-forward time sheet, which you can order up for any span of time, displays a summary of your work on all tracked projects.

One can also request a timesheet reporting on a single project, handy for billing purposes.

And, finally, there is also a summary list of Active Tasks, which provides an excellent overview of everything you are working on.  This report allows editing of details.  One can mark projects as completed — or one can simply delete them from the database, assuming you’ve already exported the data into a spreadsheet on your computer and have printed it out for your files.

Slim Timer is obviously a very powerful program with a simple, clean interface.  It may be all that a writer may need.  And it’s free.  The program is particularly handy for writers who move from one wireless hotspot to another. Personally, I’m very impressed with Slim Timer.

For some writers, however, it will not fit the bill.  First, one must be vigilant about starting and stopping timers.  This takes a lot of discipline — and the program does not prompt you to take necessary actions.  Moreover, one must be online for the timers to work.  Many writers go online only periodically, preferring to stay away from the temptations an online connection puts before them.  Writers who prefer graphic representation in charts and graphs will be disappointed.

Ultimately, Slim Timer does not meet all of my needs.  Hopefully, during the year, I will be increasingly working offline on my book, work that Slim Timer will not be able to track.

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For the past couple of months, I’ve been looking at various time tracking options.  I was initially kicked into action by a post about online time tracking at Monika Mundell’s Blogging Web 2.0.  I started playing with one of the four options mentioned there.  Then I started looking farther afield.  It was fun.  It was also frustrating too, as nothing seemed to do all that I wanted and needed.  So I started looking more broadly.

I’ve found that time trackers fall into several categories.

First, some offer rough gauges of time-allocation that require a lot of discipline to start and stop the timing devices.  Often they do not provide very much detail about the exact work that is underway, certainly not enough detail to document billing to clients.  These programs, however, do provide a useful measurement that may provide all that a writer needs.  And some of them are free.

Other tracking software can be very detailed indeed, with very thorough reports that will be especially useful to free-lancers who bill by the hour.

Aside from level of detail, time-tracking software can be categorized by whether they are desktop or internet based.  There are some even that maintain the cumulative database online, while working from a kernel on the desktop that tracks activity even when the computer is offline.

I will be presenting individual posts about some of the best options I’ve found.  All will present a fairly detailed review, along with screenshots showing me at work.  [Guess I’ll have no more secrets about how I spend my time!]  Hopefully, this series will save you a lot of time searching through the options yourself.

Combe back next week for the first review — about the online service SlimTimer.

[I’ll be travelling over the next two weeks, but will continue to make ocasional posts while on the road.]

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I’ll be honest with you: I’ve got a problem. Several major writing projects are contending for attention, and I’m not pleased with my allocation of time.

One project is, of course, this blog. I spent three months gathering information and organizing the blog before making it public almost exactly one year ago. I decided to make the blog my top priority for 2007 in order to get it firmly established. I’m pleased with the results and gratified by the response from other writers. However, I found myself spending much more time on the blog than I had anticipated.

The other big project is a major non-fiction book requiring substantial historical research. I’ve been working on it since May 2003, delving into archives in Spain, Canary Islands, Mexico, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau and England. I managed to get a lot of research done in 2007. With research perhaps 95 percent complete, I’m now beginning to write.

In addition, I occasionally find myself writing articles for magazines. And, of course, there is always the routine monitoring of email and other office tasks.

Sound familiar?

I first wrote about my conflicting projects six months ago in an article titled, “Sprints & Marathons: The Writer’s Dilemma.” You can read it in the current issue of the British magazine Writer’s Forum, which hit US newsstands yesterday. Basically, I’m finding sprints easier to run than marathons. The blog almost always trumps the book.

Now that we are at that crucial turn-of-the-year moment, I’m determined to get more control of my activities and my time.

You can see quite dramatically my dilemma in the screenshot below, charting my time allocations just last week. [This chart comes from a very recently harnessed time-tracking facility I’ll soon review in detail.] The blog, including maintenance and research, dominates, while my book project receives much less attention.

I intend to agressively use time-tracking software to help me recalibrate my time allocations. I’ll be seeking parity between the blog and the book.

Over the next few weeks, expect reviews of the various time-tracking software that I’m trying out. Maybe you’ll discover one that suits your requirements as well.

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Loyal readers of this blog deserve a Christmas present, and I have one for you.  I’ve bundled up a couple of E-Books that may help you kick off 2008 better organized and better focussed.  Both are free downloads, courtesy of their authors.

Time Management for Creative People is a short collection of recommendations by Mark McGuinness, culled from his series of posts at Business of Design Online [BoDo].  Mark has some very useful insights to pass along, especially at the turn of the year, when we evaluate our accomplishments of the past 12 months and look forward to our goals for the coming year.

If you are struggling with a book project, you will certainly find Through the Labyrinth of Writing Your Book by Anne Wayman to be helpful.  I myself am stuck with a book project that isn’t moving forward as well as I would wish.  Anne’s words are encouraging to me.  To get this free E-Book, you’ll be requested to sign up for Anne’s email newsletter.  Don’t worry about a barrage of email — Anne sends it out only occasionally.  Essentially, the email invites you to visit Anne’s website Writing With Vision: Turning Your Dreams Into Words, which offers advice and even hands-on assistance to get your book project moving.  This website is worth knowing about, if you are in the midst of a stalled book project — and the E-Book will be re-assuring.

Merry Christmas — with best wishes for a productive 2008 as a writer.

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If you rush to the website Giveaway of the Day today, you can download the interesting though unknown project management software Leader Task. Details of the software are described at the developer’s website, though the giveaway deal is available only at the giveaway site. NOTE: as I write this, traffic is so heavy at the site that it was temporarily unavailable. Keep trying. I got through on my second try.

Full details of the Leader Task Giveaway are available HERE. I suggest that you scroll down the page to read the comments, which are quite mixed.

I haven’t had time to install and review the software, but from what I see at the software homepage, it does look interesting — especially for free. Normally, it costs $34.95, but the giveaway is a device to increase the software’s visibility. I’m rushing out this post so that regular readers of this blog might be able to get in on the deal — this Saturday only. By the way, I’ve downloaded other software from this site successfully.

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Where does all the time go?

I certainly sometimes wonder.  Especially at the end of a day full of working at my computer, when I’m not quite sure what all I accomplished.  In fact, at day’s end, I often fidget, because I know I’ve frittered away lots to time that might have been better used on my major research and book project.

Monika Mundell at Blogging Web 2.0 recently addressed this very issue with a very timely post about free online time/expense tracking facilities.  These facilities will be useful if you bill clients by time and effort, or even if you just want to gain better control of your own use of time.  I’m certainly going to try them out.  Please cross your fingers that one of them helps me devote more time to be BIG project.

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