SimonWaldman.net

A few days ago, an unbearably exciting e-mail arrived. I was being asked if I would like to download the sneaky peek alpha preview of Omnifocus.

If that sentence means absolutely nothing to you, then it’s very likely that what follows is going to read like the gibberish ramblings of a man for whom the phrase ‘get a life’ was first invented.

However, if you are thinking ‘you lucky bastard’ or ‘only a few days ago…you’re obviously not that special’, then I hope you will be able to relate to this. You will know where I’m coming from. You will feel my pain.

Omnifocus is a new bit of software from the Omni Group - a software company that makes some very lovely bits of software for the Mac. Omnifocus is a to-do list manager that is modelled around David Allen’s Getting Things Done.

Actually, it is not just a to-do list manager - it is the David Beckham (in his peak) and Cristiano Ronaldo combined of to-do list managers, it is the Rolling Stones c. 1972 of to-do list managers; it is the…oh, you get the idea…

The problem is - Ominifocus is just the latest for me in a long line of gadgets, bits of software or failsafe systems that I willingly believe are going to make me super organised. I never learn. I simply can’t stop myself from trying the latest sites and bits of software to keep me organised.

In the old analogue days, a filofax was fine for me. Then a few things happened. I went freelance and bought a laptop (one of the early powerbooks). I started to find myself doing dipshit things like writting ‘1pm lunch’ in my diary but not bothering with the detail of who and where (my mind had already wandered by the time that pen hit paper).

So - I went through various bits of software that no-longer existed. Then I bought a PC and sort of survived with Outlook.

For a while it was all about gadgets. There were various Psions and Palms (wasn’t the Psion 5 a god among machines?). All good, but never quite good enough . In those days, the big thing was synching. Oh the delights of finding every diary and address entry appearing five times on your pda, or being wiped all together. Innocent happy days.

[Incidentally, I believe some of this is genetic. My dad bought both the very first Psion Organiser and an Apple Newton - and I honestly don’t think he even got them out of the box.]

I read a few books on getting organised, but one day, I can’t quite remember when, I bought a copy of David Allen’s Getting Things Done - and that was it. I was hooked. .

Initially it was just a Palm thing (just like Dave!) so obviously I downloaded and installed every single Palm OS to-do list program and subscribed to the various GTD groups..just to keep up.

Then a few years ago, I switched to a Mac. Now, the combination of Mac and GettingThingsDone is the speedball of organisation fixes.

To make it worse, there are not a whole raft of Web 2.0 solutions [yes, that’s you Nozbe and Vitalist] and the number of blogs on productivity and in particular GTD stuff and it’s a dangerous world out there.

I don’t quite know where to start on my most recent trials and tribulations - what follows is more of a stream of GTD conscious than a chronological account.

I loved Actiontastic, but got rather annoyed when I just couldn’t get it to print out properly. I purchased OmniOutliner Pro just so I could try KGtd - but found it just that teeny bit too fiddly having to run all those apple scripts to get it working.

For nearly three days, I loved iGTD - which is divine, but again, the lack of a proper print function was a bit of a bummer, and for some reason, I just never quite used it.

I found a workround on the printing thing, though - syncing with iCal and then using the DoBeDo widget which lets you get .pdf . Although, I realised that using three bits of software just to manage one to do list was a bit too much - even for me.

I have dabbled with Easy Task Manager (can’t remember why I didn’t like it); GhostAction didn’t do it for me, and nor did WhatToDo.

The one that I found genuinely neat and useful was by far the simplest - ToDo Stickies, which is exactly what you think it is…and, I have to say, well worth a try.

Oh, and I’ve tried all the online versions. Let’s see.

Tracks is brilliant - I installed a version on this server, which was great, but I couldn’t use it on the train, so I then went for a different option when you put Ruby on your hard drive, using a bit of software called Locomotive (ironic given where I needed to use it), but it was then just a bit too clunky. And, anyway, by then I’d sort of gone off Tracks because you had to use the text feeds to get simple, printable lists out.

I keep coming back to Remember the Milk, but in truth - despite the fact i really, really want to use it, I can never quite find a reason . Similarly Backpack never quite fits into my life - which I know lots of people use for GTD, but it’s a little too free form for me (although now I have found the genius offline tool, Packrat, I’m sure I’ll have a dabble with it for some reason or other in the not too distant future).

I mentioned Nozbe (to expensive, not portable) and Vitalist (too windows), didn’t I? Oh, and I had a bit of fun with Schtuff although again, it’s a little too freeform. [Talking of wiki style treatments I also had a brief flirtation with Voodoo Pad - which lets you do some wizard things with AppleScript..perhaps a little too wizard for me.

I loved Todoist (it rocks!) and TadaLists - but I keep coming back to the fact that an offline solution is really what I need.
I’ve even tried installing the Python ToDo.txt except I don’t actually know how to run a python script so that never quite works out.

Plain text files? Of course..and yes, naturally, everything was input by Quicksilver…but it was just a little too crude.

Oh, and of course, I’ve tried the Gtd/ GMail plug in. That entertained me for less than an hour and just added 50 categories to my gmail that I’ve never got rid of.

What about going analogue?

Well, obviously, I have a pile of discarded pocket Moleskines. They’re great, but I keep losing them or failing to put them into my pocket.

I have done just about everything possible with 5 x 3 index cards. Including at one stage buying them plain and print out little lines and headings on them [’@Work’ etc]. And whatever the online equivalent of window shopping is…I do it all the time at Levenger as I think of all the wizard 3 x 5 organising systems I can cook up (none of them, I should add as sophisticated as this).

A Hipster PDA? Of course, but the bulldog clip was too bulky, so I was skimming through a craft book and it showed how you can make one with a screw poll and then by applying sticky back plastic.

And sure enough, one sleepless morning about about 4.30 when the boys finally slept and I couldn’t; I managed to find a place in Germany that sold mock-croc sticky back plastic to make myself that mother of all Hipster PDAs…and it remains my notebook of choice, even though I tend not to chose to use a notebook that often.

I’ve printed out a few neat templates in my time, but never really got round to using them

And then, there are the blogs.

I used to read Merlin Mann’s completely and utterly excellent 43 folders - except I just found it too addictive, and in one of his lists he said you should prune your RSS feeds, so his went. But I think it’s time to bring it back again.

My latest favourite read is the fantastically earnest Zen Habits, written by a Leo Babauta - a guy with six children who gets up every morning at 4.30 (to ensure he doesn’t have a seventh?). He even has the balls to tell the great David Allen where he is going wrong. Which is rather like going to church and giving God a good talking to.

All in all - I’m sure that if I added up all the time over the last decade or so that I’ve spent tinkering with various organisation solutions, I probably would have had enough time to write a novel or two. Hell, I’d probably have had time to bring about world peace and end global warming if I’d stopped blogging as well.

Of course, all of this effort in getting organised is completely counter productive. I would be much better sticking with something completely basic and getting on with stuff rather getting organised.

The whole point with GTD is that the system is meant to just slip into the background. But, I think that’s a bit disigenuous. The reason it has such a following among Geeks is because it is like a platform that endless solutions can be built on. It suits the incessent tinkerers among us: those who feel that nothing is ever quite finished and there is always a better way. Tweaking, trying new bits out - that is where the real fun. Actually being organised and getting on with stuff - where is the fun in that?

Here, as just one example of a like minded soul is Jason Alan Moore’s GTD implementation and his comment

You’ll notice that I am the quintessential Lifehacker. I am constantly tweaking my “system” to improve its effectiveness and hence, my effectiveness. (In fact, I plan on writing on that exact subject in a future entry as it impedes on me getting things done.) So I devoured the book – read it cover to cover twice and was excited about implementing this new methodology into my life. It was ripe with possibilities and I knew that it was extremely customizable to match how I wanted to get things done. …So of course I have gone through several iterations of how I utilize the methodology.

.
The very fact that someone can put down a list of 50 essential GTD resources proves this. How can 50 of them be essential? The point is..if you’re a hopeless addict like myself, it is indeed essential that you at least try all of them. Life is not complete otherwise.

One of the first comments that followed this list is:

‘Hey Kim, great list! This will take me a while to get through…’.

Of course it will take you a while to get through!!!! Shouldn’t you be getting on with actually doing stuff instead? Oh - but if you’re looking for lists of GTD stuff that will suck days and weeks out of your existence, can I recommend.The listible GTD resources; or (even better) Zen Habit’s list (now you can see why he has to get up at 4.30am).

Which brings me back to Omnifocus. It’s great. Does everything I need without trying to do too much. Really intuitive. I love it to bits. For this week, at least.

Oh, and I promise..I do actually get quite a lot of work done as well…

Somehow this contextual ad appeared at the bottom of a MetaFilter page when I was looking up something about Adam Curtis. Not quite sure what ‘context’ that appeared in..but turns out the Sun and News of the World are busy competing with each other (and a load of agencies) on a search for ’sell your story’

The Electoral Commission released their annual audit of political engagement earlier this week. Some interesting snippets.

The power of petitions This might come as no surprise but ’signing a petition’ was the form of political engagement that most people either had done, or were willing to do. 47% of people said they had signed a petition in the last two or three years, vs the next form of activism - boycotting a certain product (20%). In fact petition signing also showed the biggest increase (8%) since 2003. Incidentally 45% said they hadn’t done any of the forms of political activism mentioned. To put this in context - only 55% said they would definitely vote if an immediate general election was called.

Issues not politics People were asked - how interested are you in a)Politics b)Local Issues c)National Issues d)International Issues. The highest vote in all cases was for ‘fairly interested’ - but the ‘very interesteds’ were all clustered around Local and National issues. 46% of people were either not very interested or not at all interested in politics.

Most people don’t talk about politics or political news Only 40% of people say they have ‘discussed politics or political news with someone else’ in the last two to three years. Something I find both incredible and depressing. This drops to 27% for 18-24 year olds.

18 - 24 year olds not bovvered In all the stats, this lot are generally not bothered. Least likely to vote. Least likely to talk about politics. Etc etc. Twas ever thus, I suspect.

TV and National newspapers most important Asked to name the two or three sources that people obtained most information about news and politics from, people responded

1. TV (inc satellite) - 76%
2. National newspapers - 56%
3. Radio - 34%
4. Local newspapers - 33%
5. The internet - 14%

The one difference here is that the internet is much higher among 18 - 24 year olds - but it still only gets 25% (it’s down to 5% for the 55s and over).

Now, if someone was really smart and wanted to increase the level of poltical engagement online..they should really launch an e-petitions system…shouldn’t they?

Today the IAB released the final figures for digital advertising. This is now a £2bn market and digital’s total share of total (ie including classified) revenue was 12% in the final half of the year, 11.4% for the whole year.

The headline story is that digital has now overtaken national newspapers (shucks..I can remember when we were pretty chuffed to overtake outdoor!).

Although, before I start going nah nah at my print colleagues, the counter point to this is - err not in most national newspaper companies it hasn’t. The lion’s share of this revenue is still split between Google (which dominates the largest sector, Search), Yahoo, MSN and AOL (who dominate display). But, I’ll grumble about that another time.

The point is that digital takes a higher share of advertising in the UK than any other country. That 11.4% compares to a global average is 5.8%.

It’s funny because you still here grumbles from (some) clients about their agencies not ‘getting it’, likewise you hear grumbles the other way. Digital agencies and their traditional counterparts love to grumble about how the other one doesn’t get it. And media owners aren’t above the odd grumble about everyone and anything. Yet, somehow, in the midst of everyone grumbling and absolutely no-one getting it whatsoever, a bigger proportion of advertising budgets are being shoved onto the net than anywhere else.

How did that happen?

Is it Guy and Richard’s excellent work at the IAB? Well I think you have to give them some credit, but I think even they would take sole credit.

Is it simply an outbreak of neophilia on behalf of irrationally exuberant marketing execs? I suspect there’s a bit of that…but the degree of difference is quite significant.

In no particular order, some of my thoughts.

Broadcast market leaders had a bad year. It’s not enough for you to win - someone else has to fall. And broadcast didn’t have a great year - in particular the market leaders. CRR has hampered ITV and TV revenues have dropped by 4.7% . GCap hasn’t had a great year - with revenues down by 9% in the year to March. for March [thank you to my colleague Iain for pointing this out]

Google on the rampage: perhaps the result of a very strong, consolidated media buying sector that loves ROI and believes they have found a copper bottom way of measuring it through AdWords (a short term view, IMHO..but we’ll save that rant for another time) and, apparently, it’s becoming quite profitable for them (agencies) as well. Hence Google is now the UK’s second largest recipient of ad revnenue and has increased it’s share of the digital revenue to 43%. Not bad given they’re a ‘technology company not a media company’.

Broadband and wifi growth: 10m broadband households and growing. Fastest rate of growth of connections among the major economies according to the OECD. And unless they live in my village, you can bet that pretty much every media buyer, brand manager etc etc will now be connected, probably with Wi-fi and will see just how much media consumption of their children and partners changes once that happens.

A love of new ideas: Yes, there are some for whom ROI = some headlines in the trade press. But our agency sector loves doing new stuff. And new stuff = digital.

Good start ups: I think the ongoing strength and success of some of the original start ups such as iLevel and AKQA and their very creditable, calm leadership has prodded the rest of the agency world into action.

And have you, or anyone you know, ever taken part in one?

I just read John Williams piece on Comment is Free having a not-so-gentle pop at the whole e-petitions thing, and he ends with this.

We do need a national debate on how we maintain the contradictory things we like to have in a crowded island - the freedom of the road, nice countryside, a thriving economy, low taxes, and everybody else off the road except ourselves.

Aaargh - the number of times I hear people saying ‘we need to have a national debate’ on this; or a ‘national debate’ on that, and yet I have honestly never

It is normally a spectacular delaying tactic from someone who wants to oppose something, but can’t find a suitable alternative.

Interviewer: ‘So what do you propose…’

Interviewee: ‘I think we should have a national debate about….x x x’

And for some reason, they are nearly always allowed to get away with that as a justified response. When if they’d said what they really mean -

Obviously you can welcome opinions - as the Arts Council has done here in their national debate but please, with less than 100 comments on each debate it’s hardly national or representative.

The point of all this - is that we might not like the way the e-petitions thing has worked out. We might not like the fact that people who don’t want to pay road tax, or inheritance tax, or who want to have the hunting act scrapped get so much of a say. But I suspect this ‘push-button democracy’ (I forget whose quote that was) is as effective a form of national debate as we’re likely to see anytime soon.

So, I’m starting it now - the campaign against calling for national debates. Oh hell, let’s have a national debate about national debates.

Headlines on the front page of this week’s Surrey Advertiser (Guildford Edition, prop. Guardian Media Group)

> Dad found guilty of brutal murder
> Woman’s body discovered
> Road rage driver attacks car with baseball bat
> Inquiry to get bigger picture on pole dancing video

Oh my god! It’s carnage out here…

So how is number 10 going to respond to its e-petitions? And did a minister really say: “Whoever came up with this idea might be a prat”. Read more…

At the time of typing, around 1.1m people have signed the petition on the number 10 site to scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy. Now is this

a) A huge embarrassment for the government
or
b) A fantastic example of digital democracy in action?

Most media coverage so far is voting heavily for a) - or as the Indy says: ‘what began as a worthy exercise in openness has become something with the ability to cause embarrassment’.

Hardly a surprise. The whole structure of a petition system is going to result in ‘embarrassment’ - given that every petition is likely to be a protest about something the government has done or is about to do. Petitions saying: ‘we think everything you’re doing is top notch so just go right on ahead’ tend to be quite thin on the ground. Digitally or otherwise.

What this system does give, though - or at least appears to give - is give a pretty strong sense of the proportionality of issues; as you can see if you take the top five issues today and see the number of signatures (in brackets)

> Road tax (1.1m)
> Scrap inheritance tax (46,000)
> Repeal the hunting act (24,000)
> Scrap the introduction of ID cards (20,780)
> Reduce the classified period for census data to 70 years (19,000)

As you might imagine, it pretty quickly starts to fall away after that. By the time you’re down to the petition to : Instruct the Civil Aviation Authority to permit Single Pilot Public Transport Operation up to age 65 subject to a valid medical as lobbied for by no lesser authority than Rotorhub - the hub of the helicopter industry. there are only 80 names.

But here’s some questions and observations..

* Now that the road tax issue has made it to 1.1m does it mean that nothing with less than, say 750K is really going to register as a major issue. In fact on a broader note - does this all just boil political debate down to numbers…perhaps with weighting depending on the amount of the country that is affected and the previous history of co-ordinated lobbying on a subject.

* Any major public revolt against ID cards seems pretty unlikely. If this audience can’t get excited about it…then who will?

* Ditto hunters - come on chaps..you’ve been completely outflanked - not only by the urban drivers, by the anti-inheritance gang.

* Given the furore up and down the country about hospital closures, it’s remarkable/regrettable that there has been no co-ordinated campaign, similar to the roads one. The most prominent is about the closure of the Royal Surrey Hospital (a complete outrage, by the way - latest signatory: S. Waldman).

The BBC asks today, ‘Will e-petitions change anything?’. The honest answer is we just can’t tell yet (fine, but that doesn’t fill 800 words). I hope that an academic somewhere is going to track all of these petitions over a period of 12 - 18 months and then assess the impact they have. Both in terms of affecting media coverage (the roads story lead the Today programme today) and ultimately in terms of policy.

In the meantime, I think this is working out quite nicely. As experiments in digital democracy go (and I’m still not quite sure what that means - but it’s all moved on from MPs having websites) it’s pretty remarkable. It also allows for a much more open flow of criticism on the government’s own site, than, say, many media owners allow about themselves on their own sites.

I think the next step is for them to have an online template for ‘a national debate’, so the next time some waffling commentator or politician says ‘we need to have a national debate’ about this…someone can just press a button, and off we go.

Anyway, (thank God) it’s not all entirely serious. My favourite one is to replace the national anthem with Gold by Spandau Ballet. Vote now, people. If we all pull together, it could be in place by the 2012 Olympics.

That David Cameron has never done any drugs at all - and all of this hysteria is a cunning ploy to make him more attractive to voters under-25 and chemically-inclined soft-left liberals.
In fact, I can see Gordon Brown announcing very soon that he was once partial to the odd toke himself…but has now seen the error of his ways etc etc.