5 Steps Toward Digital Efficiency

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5 Steps TowardDigital Efficiency

by @jeremycaplan

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Links, Notes + Slides: bit.ly/ninjasteps

by @jeremycaplan

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Please Contact [email protected] Me on Twitter: @jeremycaplan

bit.ly/ninjasteps = All links, notes and slides

Pulse Check

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Do you expect to have the same phone in two years?

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Do you receive more than 120 email messages a day?

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!6About Me

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Why Bother with Digital Efficiency?

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We Are Flooded

with Information

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INBOX = SWAMP

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Weekly Emails 500+

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Daily Bits of Info Notes, Phone Numbers, Tasks, Sites, Tweets...

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We Have More Stuff to Keep Track Of, But Less Time

Year2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of Daily Info BitsAmount of Spare Time

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We Haven’t Even Mentioned...

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Manage this FLOOD = Make Time to: !

CREATE LEARN ENJOY

Einstein’s Desk !22

Two Key Elements in Getting Things Done

Systems and Tools

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Systems Tools

Techniques, Practices, Behaviors and Frameworks

Sites, Software, Plug-Ins and Apps

Quick Summary Agenda5 Steps Toward Digital Efficiency

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Create an Extra Hour

Save your brain for what matters

Draw a Life Map

Turbocharge Your Email

Make the Most of Mobile

Sharpen Your Toolkit

Put the big stuff in perspective

Search, batch, filter, and act

Pick 10 apps & master them

Stay ahead with useful resources

What’s a Digital Ninja?

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Someone who gets things done

Image By Justin Leibow

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… Who has time to be creative


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… and time to savor life


Digital Ninja = !

Gets Things Done Savors Life

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Digital Ninja = !

Manages inflow and outflow of digital info

efficiently

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What Do Ninjas Need? Systems and Tools


Two Key Elements in Getting Things Done

Systems and Tools

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Systems Tools

Techniques, Practices, Behaviors and Frameworks

Sites, Software, Plug-Ins and Apps

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1. CREATE AN EXTRA HOUR


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SIMPLIFY


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When it comes to tools, Pick. Stick. Dig.


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A powerful, flexible, easy-to-use digital file cabinetEvernote

Desktop: Store and Find Notes Web: Clip and Save Anything Email: Forward Key Messages Mobile: Collect on the Go

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Evernote

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The best way to create, edit and share documents Google Drive

Access Anywhere on Any Device Collaborate and Publish Efficiently Full Suite Integrates Well Reliable and Consistent

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Why Evernote AND

GDrive?

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Evernote = File Cabinet Google Drive = Docs

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Social Dashboard Master List‣ 3 Primary Streams: Home, Direct Messages & Mentions ‣ 3 Search Terms (i.e. Hashtags, Topic, Person) ‣ 3 Lists (i.e. Experts, Colleagues, Quality Topic Curators) ‣ 3 Key Accounts (i.e. Job, Mentor, Key Source, Competitor) ‣ 3 Other Networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) ‣ 3 Aids: Scheduled Messages, Sent Messages, Drafts

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A good toolkit has more than a single hammer


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Make Micro-Changes

Image By Luke Chesser

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Digital Assistants

Automate Repetitive TasksSpend your time, energy and brainpower where it’s needed or enjoyed

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Bill Payment Auto-Deposits Budget Tracking !

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Automate

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The best way to create triggers to automate common tasks IFTTT (IF This, Then That)

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Automate Typing

Automate TypingType something once, fine.

Type it twice, fine.

Type the same thing 50 times?

You’re wasting time.!58

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TextExpander

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Agileroute.com/clipboardhistory

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Focus on what works for you and stick with itPick and Stick To 10 Tools

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Primary ToolsExperiments

Source: Name of Data Provider

The 80/20 RuleWe do 80% of your work with our primary tools

The services I rely on mostKey Tools

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‣ Dropbox ‣ Evernote ‣ Toodledo ‣ Hootsuite ‣ TextExpander

‣ Gmail ‣ GDrive ‣ GCal/Contacts ‣ GVoice ‣ ClipboardHistory

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Streamline


Keep it StreamlinedChoose tools that work well together

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Toolbox Tips

Keep it ConsistentPick & stick to tools

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Toolbox Tips

Keep it SimpleChoose tools that suit your workflow

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Toolbox Tips

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2. Draw a Life Map

Image By Alejandro Escamilla

Simple life map

areas of focus (Family, job, Charity, Hobby)

Projects (Multi-Step work on the horizon)

Tasks (Individual To-Do Items)

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Draft your areas of focus, your projects and tasks

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Manage the Big Picture

‣ 4 Areas of Focus ‣ 10 Projects for Each Area ‣ 20 Tasks for Each Project

An example

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Manage the Big Picture

‣ My Areas of Focus: LEARN | CREATE | TEACH | LIVE ‣ 10 Key Projects in each Area: e.g. Learn Motion 5 ‣ 20 Tasks Per Project: e.g. 15 minutes Read Chap. 1

Tools for Projects/Tasks

Trello and Toodledo

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Trello

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Toodledo

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Keep Task Lists Simple

Imminent vs. Someday

A Smarter CalendarMeetings + Events + Tasks

Email Integration Mobile-Friendly

What About Willpower?

It’s Overrated

“...We each have one reservoir of will and discipline, and it gets progressively depleted by any act of conscious self-regulation...” !- Tony Schwartz !!

Harvard Business Review!

http://bit.ly/rituals101

Establish Rituals

Just Do. Don’t Overthink.

“It is a profoundly erroneous truism that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of

what we are doing” !!

“The precise opposite is the case. Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform

without thinking about them.”!!

- A.N. Whitehead, Philosopher, 1911!

RitualsFirst Things First

Mini Triggers Tech Sabbath

First Things FirstStart the day with the most important project

“Launching my work day by focusing first on whatever I've decided the night before is the most important activity I can do that day. Then taking a break after 90 minutes to refuel...”!!

- Tony Schwartz, !Harvard Business Review

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Tech Sabbath

No-Tech Saturday Morning No Tech 1 Hour Before Bed No Tech Before Breakfast

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Up to a two line subtitle, generally used to describe the takeaway for the slide

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3. Turbocharge Your Email

Image By Vadim Sherbakov

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Search, Don’t File Finding a message by hunting through folders takes 3.4 times as long as searching for it.

Source: IBM Research

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FOLDERS

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Find Web Info = Google Search

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Find Email Info = EMail Search

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Use Email Tags: #ej14

#projectx @pat

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Send @ 6am Not 4pm A message sent at 6am is three times as likely to have a link clicked on than one sent at 4pm

Source: ReviveYourInbox.com

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73 Seconds Email replies take an average of 73 secs to compose

Be Super Brief


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See five.sentenc.es = a plea for short email

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Sunday = Good day to reach people by email

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27% of Sunday emails are read

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Source: Yesware Study

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4 Useful Searches: has:attachment

from:caren subject:budget newer_than:2d

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Or use a combo: has:attachment budget

4 Gmail ShortcutsC"="Compose"R"="Reply"A"="Reply"All"F"="Forward

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Or use a combo: has:attachment budget

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Batch, Don’t SquirrelFocus on 1 thing at a time. Your attention is valuable.

Don’t squander it.

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Don’t Be a Squirrel

Check email every hour, not every minute

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Schedule Email Time 12 messages per day on average require substantial effort. That takes an average of 90 minutes


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#Chronoplan =

When’s your emailing sharpest?

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Act, Don’t Postpone

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37% % of emails on which recipients defer action

Source: Carnegie Mellon Research

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Do = <2 Min Reply Defer = Sked/Delegate Dump = Archive/Delete

Do, Defer or Dump

Fool me once, shame on you...

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Fool me twice, I need a filter

Filter By:

Sender’s Name or Address Subject Line Recipients Keywords

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Unroll.me

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Use Email to Send to: Evernote

Instapaper Pocket

Dropbox Toodledo

super.cc = Add to calendar by email

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The hottest thing in email keeps evolving...Email Adoption Curve

!121Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards

The C

hasm

AOL The first email account many of us had: not fancy, but eye-opening

Hotmail The first mass-email product that got the attention of the masses

Gmail Revolutionary. Rethought everything - from account size to conversations.

Sparrow, Mailbox, Boxer New email tools are recognizing how email has changed

Boomerang

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Boomerang

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Nudgemail

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Nudgemail

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Rapportive

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Rapportive

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WiseStamp

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WiseStamp email signature

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Contactually.com

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Contactually.com

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4. Make the Most of Mobile

Image By Sebastian Müller

Digital Efficiency on the Go

Mastering Mobile

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Mobile Gear Key Apps More Tips & Tools

A look at mobile tools of use for digital efficiency

A quick tour through handy apps for

getting things done

Some additional resources for

mobile reporting

Up to a two line subtitle, generally used to describe the takeaway for the slide

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Additional Notes: bit.ly/ninjamobile8 Handy Mobile Apps for Efficiency

TASKS CALENDAREMAIL READING

NOTES CAMERAPODCASTS PHOTO EDITING

TOODLEDO BOXER SUNRISE INSTAPAPER

EVERNOTE DOWNCAST CAMERA+ SNAPSEED

A Google Doc with Mobile App Tips and Recommendations21 Tips for Mobile Ninjas

‣bit.ly/ninjamobile

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Quick Tips

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Stay Home.

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Airplane Mode.

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Go Wide.

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Pick. Stick. Dig.

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Camera+

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Camera+ Useful Features Easy to Master Efficient Workflow

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Fix Lighting... After Snapping Pix

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Snapseed.

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Snapseed Simple Interface Fast Edits Finger Gestures

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Instapaper

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Instapaper

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Olioclip

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Find Top Apps

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Netted.net

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Quora.com

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App apps.

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Hashtags.

#BestApps etc

ProductHunt.Co

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BetaLi.st

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pinterest.com/journalismtools

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5. Sharpen Your Toolkit

Image By Sebastian Müller

otranscribe.com

picmonkey.com

bufferapp.com

quickcast.io

cropp.me

tagcrowd.com

typeform.com

smore.com

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Lostphotosapp.com

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otixo.com

Useful resources for staying up to dateNew Sites and Startups

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BetaLi.st ProductHunt.co JournalismTools

New Sites and Resources New Startups Ranked pinterest.com/JournalismTools

Useful resources for staying up to dateTech Updates

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Netted Lynda.com MakeUseOf

A daily tech tools newsletter Top-notch online learning Free guides and tip sheets

Top news sources for new sites, apps, and toolsUseful Tech Resources

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ReadWriteWeb The Next Web Alltop

Smart tech industry news Rising star in tech coverage Aggregator of top blogs

Help for queriesFiguring Stuff Out

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Quora Lifehacker Mashable

Expert questions and answers Great tech pointers Social media news

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Use EMailFuture.com to send yourself an email in 30 days w/ 3 objectives

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Contact [email protected] Me on Twitter: @jeremycaplan

bit.ly/ninjasteps = All links, notes and slides

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Links, Notes + Slides: bit.ly/ninjasteps

by @jeremycaplan

5 Steps Toward Digital Efficiency

Technology

Transcript of 5 Steps Toward Digital Efficiency