Read/WriteWeb has a post regarding the twenty best extensions or add-ons as they are called now. You can find the post here. I’ll try to post more about the add-ons I use and my experience with them in a later post.
I’m in Chennai, India aka Madras for a week on business, and would you believe I’m having great problems finding coca cola? It’s like living a nightmare… I now have 4 days without a decent can of coke , and I’m getting desperate. I think I’ll have to take this up with the Ministry of Tourism….. 
I’m kind of into effectiveness so I constantly have problems with the way Microsoft forces me to work. Things have gotten better as time has progressed, for example the start menu in Windows xp is a lot more intuitive now than it was in windows 95.
But it is still a cumbersome task to open a new program. You can press The windows button and the use the arrow or the menu name to start the app, or you can use the mouse to select the program via the start menu or you can minimize the active window to show the desktop or you can use the quick launch buttons or you can use the the run box available by pressing WINDOWS-R. If you need notepad you can press ctrl-r and type in notepad and press enter, or if you need the command line screen do the same except type cmd and then press enter. This is the method I prefer, so i used to create bat files in notepad to create short cuts, and then run the bat file from the run menu. This way my hands never leave the keyboard.
I did it this way until I found Slick Run created by Bayden Systems. It’s an excellent launcher based on the principle from the run menu, it’s just better.
It is a small application which only shows itself as a mini window always on top displaying the date and time (formats can be changed by the user). The user has to activate the slick run input box by typing WINDOWS-Q (can be changed by users –> I recommend alt-space for fresh users since it’s a faster combination of keys.)
By default it has some features, by activating the window (WINDOWS-Q) and typing cmd the command line box pops up. By typing jot (also accessible by pressing WINDOWS-J) you get a mini editor which remembers text. By typing in c:\ it opens up windows explorer in that directory. This can be used on all directories that you have access to.
But the power lies in the auto complete and the fact that you can save commands by names (you can call the autotask whatever you want) and not keyboard codes. For example i can create an auto task that i call google, that will when i type Google, it will prompt me for what I want to search for on Google, and then when pressing enter, it will fire up windows explorer and show the results from google. Now i have saved some time and some keyboard presses. Then you add the auto complete function, meaning taht next tiume ( if you don’t have any other auto tasks starting with goo.. it will immediately show google just by typing g or go. you can also type in google ari oskarsson, and then google will search for Ari Oskarsson. If you combine this with IE 7 or Firefox, it will open up in a new tab.
You can download additional word packs from Bayden Systems, for word and windows and so on.
Compared to other app launchers slick run is non obtrusive. comparing it with Active words, i quickly became fed up with all the pop ups and the need to type the whole name of the active word. In slick run the auto complete is a time saver, and since you add a task with a name and not a keyboard code it is easier to remember. I’ll try to post my favorite auto tasks, but here is just an excerpt.
RDP = the remote desktop program.
Home = the remote desktop program with setting for connecting home.
Phonebook = connects to the norwegian telephone list on the net after I type in a name or no.
SMS- Opens up the sms proram on the web after i have typed in the recipients name.
mm = opens up mind manager
ff = opens up firefox
mp3 = opens up my mp3 player
copernic –> opens up copernic !
And so on. The flexibility is endless, you can even connect auto tasks into one. The UI is not as good and has ample room for improvement, but not something that I let bother me! Slick Run is the application I recommend the most, and the application that I get the most feedback on.
I’m one of the many that just upgraded to version 2.0 release of Firefox , and instead of giving just another list of great new functions and fixes, I’m simply going to point out a couple of time savers, and the first one is Shift+Ctrl+T. Behind this complicated keyboard “code” is the availability to restore a tab that yo accidentally deleted. I’ve done this any times, and I’ve wished for this function and now it is here and it works!!!
The other one is the spell checker, and this one also works great. This is one of the functions I didn’t know I could live without!
I create mind maps using Mind Manager from Mindjet or by drawing them on A4 or A3 paper.
Actually I would assume that 80 % of my maps created for the brainstorming purpose are made on paper. The problem is that my maps look like crap. But that’s the point ! When I brainstorm, I turn of my internal spell checker and I turn of my inborn wish of formatting. I’m simply throwing ideas out and expanding my maps. I often run out of space and my lines zig zag the paper when I create the links, making my map look like huge criss cross useless to anybody but me.
But the map serves it’s purpose. I get all my ideas out and I instantly see the links.
The best thing of course would be to to do this on the computer, and many times I transfer the paper edition to Mind Manager, but I found that there are many many situations where using paper is quicker, more accessible and better. If I’m working on my laptop the choice is always Mind Manager, but if I’m on the train traveling home from work and I get inspired, I’m not firing up the computer , I’m immediately mapping my thoughts on a newspaper, or napkin or in my notebook, –> whatever is available.If I find that the map is useful I’ll save it and create a task to convert and review in Mind Manager, and then always my maps expand and become even better.
This is the main advantage. If I created it in Mind Manager to start with, my map would look so clean and and nice that I wouldn’t feel the need to review and refine, and I wouldn’t get the new ideas that I get when I create the map in Mind Manager based on my hand drawn map. I know that I could get the same benefit by reviewing my Mind Manager files , but it just doesn’t feel worth it when the map looks so nice !!! When I have a hand drawn map I’m forced to review it before I pass it on !
Da har jeg lagt ut bildene fra diskoteket! Du finner dem ved å klikke på bilder i menyen, eller ved å klikke her !
Jeg har lagt ut bildene fra skogsturen i sommer også !
If you are new to the term GTD (Getting Things Done), it is bascically a time and commitment management system, and here is a an excerpt from Wikipedia which really captures what GTD is all about:
“GTD rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of their mind and get them recorded somewhere. That way, the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate fully on actually performing those tasks. “
I got started with GTD through using Mind Jet Mind Manager, and then finding the add-inn Result Manager. I have since then read 3 books on GTD, and I have now implemented in my way of working. I’ve tried the new tool GyroQ from Gyronix, makers of ResultManager, and that applications makes it even easier to GTD with mind maps. I’ll post more on my experiences with GyroQ soon.
Chuck frey has on his blog “Mind Mapping Software Weblog” published a link to a review of the open source Mind Mapping utility Freemind he has done and posted on his innovation tools website.
To keep the post short I’ll just give you an excerpt from his conclusion : “FreeMind 0.8.0 is an impressive mind mapping program that has improved significantly in just a few years. Despite a few quirky behaviors, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to businesspeople who want to learn what all the excitement surrounding mind mapping software is all about. It’s also well-suited to people with fairly basic visual diagramming needs, or if you simply cannot afford one of the commercially available programs. If you need the ability to integrate your maps with Microsoft Office or other business applications, I wouldn’t recommend FreeMind.”
It’s the same feeling I have after using Mind Jet Mind Manager for a while. I’m using the links to Microsoft Office all the time, and the first thing I missed in freemind was the export to word, and the second thing was the edit in outline view. But I still use freemind at home, and for brainstorming and making maps it’s great !
You can find Chuck’s post here.
Nick Dulfill who works at the firm Gyronix, creator of the add-in for Mind Jet Mind Manager has a written a post on his blog “Beyond Crayons” which I found very interesting simply because it explained so easily my view of GTD.
One of the problems I have when I try to explain colleagues and friends why I use GTD as a method is that they do not understand the power of the decission i have made not to prioritize certain items. My productivity has increased, but not as much as I had antipated, but slowly I’ve realized that when I’m not in the work zone I am a lot more relaxed.
Here is an excerpt from Nicks post:
Since adopting GTD, I have learned to live with a to-do list that could keep me occupied for the next two to five years. I luxuriate in thinking that this is a bad thing and that I am failing to make significant progress each week, but in reality it’s not like that. By taking action, I am taking decisions - deciding to do one task in a hundred and leave the other 99 unattended. Instead of beating myself up for failing to also complete the other 99 actions, I can tell myself that I chose not to do them. If they were truly important, I would have done them. Actions speak louder than words.
The existence of the list gives you a baseline to evaluate whether it was better to do that one thing than to not do 99 others. Without the list as an anchor, you will just go wherever the wind takes you.
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Be sure to subscribe to his feed if your into GTD and mind mapping, he has some really interesting posts!
I use Mindjet’s Mind Manager for mind mapping. It’s kind of pricey, but the program is excellent and highly recomendable. I’ll post more about Mind Manager in the future. This post is about an add in to Mind Manager, called ResultManager. RM runs through every map I have (based on a map centrals or multimap) and shows outstanding tasks based on the GTD principle. GTD is simply put a set of rules that you have to apply every time you create a task. By using these rules ResultManager helps you to see which tasks i have to perform now, today and so on.
There are many reasons why I mind map!
I could say that it is because it boosts my creativity –> It does.
I could say that it is because it looks nice–> It does!
I could say that it is because it’s a fast method (i use fewer words!) –> It is!
I could say that it is because it makes me use both the left and the right side of the brain –> I have no idea…!
I use it because my boss likes it! And because my boss likes it , I don’t have to write a full A4 page containg the Minutes of the Meeting. I just draw a mind map , throw in the main points, illustrrate with colours, indicate who has nect action and by when (GTD) and he is happy ! Had he not liked Mind Maps i would still be doing it (!) But right now it’s a good reason !
If your a fan of e-books, you have to check out Project Gutenberg. They even provide a top 100 list of all downloads here, in case need ideas for books to read.
Just to entice you, here is a excerpt of the top 5…
Jeg har nå endelig fått lagt ut bildene fra dåpen til Minna! Du finner bildene ved å følge linken “bilder” som ligger i høyre kolonne, eller så kan du klikke her. Har du flere bra bilder fra dåpen eller andre bilder du ønsker at jeg skal legge ut, send meg en mail!Adressen er aoskarsson alfakrøll gmail.com. Lurer du på hvorfor jeg ikke skriver @ men istedet skriver “alfakrøll” så er det for å unngå SPAM (dvs søppelpost).