I Broke My Moleskine

When first buying a Moleskine, I got the impression that being covered in oilcloth would make it a bit more durable. I recently started using a Moleskine to keep up with all the details that go on at work and at home. I have to say that I am happy to have done so. I am able to dump so much information in it that I find myself able to follow the GTD way much better than with electronic dumping grounds; at least, this is true in my current job.

I work for a radio company, which is a mix of technology and physical labor. Lately, I’ve been on a project that requires daily use of power tools and a lot of rooftop activities. This means that there is a lot of movement and sweat. Keeping the Moleskine in my back pocket turns out to be a bad idea. I know we don’t like to think of it, yet the fact is that your butt sweats as much as any other part of you. In addition, with all the sitting and walking, a back pocket is probably a high-friction environment for a Moleskine. The end result is that the spine broke along the first segment and I am hoping to get to the end before the middle section breaks off the final segment. These things are held together with glue. If fact, Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Work Week, wrote about how his soft cover Moleskines like mine get ripped to shreds too.

I really do like the Moleskine and will continue using it. However, I may just be too much blue collar and not enough geek to keep the notebook in one piece. Another thought I have is that I probably should not hold back on writing things down so that I can go through them much faster. This way, I can ensure that I get through them faster than I can kill them.

Talk to your Virtual Assistant

You really should have conversations with your Virtual Assistant. If you have gone through the expense of hiring a VA, you probably want to make the most of your experience. Thus far in my experience of working with a VA from GetFriday.com, an outsourcing company in India, I have learned quite a bit about being a “boss”. One important lesson is that it really helps to talk to my assistant.

Currently, I am assigned to Kavitha R. I have had multiple Virtual Assistants from GetFriday in the two years I have subscribed to their service. Some have moved on to supervisory positions; others have left the company. I have learned that communication with your VA is much better through direct conversation than by electronic messaging. Prior to Kavitha, I mostly communicated via e-mail. I rarely had telephone conversations with them. This has changed.

I have asked Kavitha to call me every day so that we can keep my Highrise account up to date. She reads my task list to me and makes changes according to what I’ve accomplished. I still email her quite a bit. However, the daily phone call has helped us communicate better. I think many people who have trouble with virtual assistants have communication problems. Having done most of my communication via email in the past, I find that the phone call is more effective.

Let me give you my theory as to why frequent conversations with your VA helps. First, when your VA is involved in your life every day, it is easier for him or her to stay current with your needs. With daily conversations, there is a connection between each task that your VA is able to follow, mentally. Thus far, I find that I need to clarify things less and less. Kavitha has more context with which she can understand my ultimate goals. Prior to the daily phone call, I would have to provide much detail to ensure that the task would be completed as desired. Not anymore.

Second, multiple things happen during a phone conversation. For example, Kavitha and I don’t just go through my tasks and mark them complete or leave them pending. We also talk about stuff I emailed to her. She can ask for details or give me an update. I can give her more assignments on the spot. In short, we use that time to make decisions and agree on needed actions together. As we become more familiar with each other, it gets easier to anticipate each others needs.

Finally, it makes me real. When you just email back and forth with people, you tend to be terse and stick to the subject. The email sticks to the subject and usually doesn’t veer off. On a phone call, it is so much different. Suddenly, there is a personality on the other end. The person on the other end of the line is much more real than the person at the other end of the email. For this reason, each assignment to your VA has more meaning, when they know you and your voice. Therefore, each assignment carries more weight than if it were some anonymous person making the same request.

My communication with my Virtual Assistant is not just either/or. I talk to Kavitha; and, I email her almost daily. I email that which she can copy and paste. I talk to her about everything else. What it boils down to, I talk to her about the general direction; and I email her the details. It is working great. If you have a virtual assistant, you should try talking to him or her; it will improve your experience. At least, that is the theory about my own experience.

New SmartSheet Beta Features and a Great Deal

I recently got a tip that Smartsheet Beta has some new features and has a real bargain for people who are using the new version of their service.

The new features include the ability to view cell history, live web links, and multi-column sort. The first 2 features have real practical applications for me. The ability to view a cell history means that it is possible to audit your smartsheet changes. This is important in preserving accountability. Knowing who changed what and when can help ensure that your team can avoid mistakes and ensure that things don’t slip through the cracks. The other feature, live web links, is also a great improvement. Previously in the Beta version, your links would simply be text entries in each field. Now, whenever you enter a URL, it changes to a hyperlink. I rarely have applications where I have to sort data, let alone multi-column sorting. I am sure, however, that somewhere out there somebody does need this feature. Well, now Smartsheet has it. Knock yourself out!

Finally, you should know that you can save a great deal of money by subscribing to the annual Smartsheet Beta in the next 12 days. They have lowered the annual cost of their Premium subscription for Beta testers to only $99.00! Normally, their Premium subscription is available for $59.95/month. That is an incredible savings if you are a Smartsheet fan. Take advantage of this deal while it lasts.

Aiming Microwave Radios

Today we’ll be out aiming microwave dishes. This involves a little bit of standing on a ladder with tools and a little bit of work with a laptop. The goal is, in case you haven’t guessed it, to get two microwave radios that are miles apart to face each other directly and have a polite conversation.

There a few things that can interfere with this. One is the natural curvature of the Earth. This means that the ground naturally curves upward the further two points on it are separated. Dirt does interfere with radio signals. But before you even get that low, there are trees, buildings, and ridges that could get in the way.

There is also a small issue of vertical and horizontal adjustments. If you’ve ever played with polarized lenses, you know that you can see through two of them when they are turned a certain way, and they are opaque when turned another way. This works the same way with microwave communications.

Other factors include distance, weather, surrounding radio noise, and dufus things like bad connections and settings. Most of this has to be worked out before you even begin to mount your equipment. Otherwise, you are in for a major headache in figuring out what is wrong. This is what I’m told anyway.

After a week with my Moleskine

A week ago, I jumped on the Moleskine bandwagon. I’ve read about other people who use the notebook to keep track of things to do, jot down ideas, draw, write, and so many other things. I’ve tried using little memo pads; you know, the little spiral ones? Somehow, my experiences with them and the Moleskine are not the same. With the little memo pads, I mostly wrote lists and information. Somehow, they never inspired creativity. Not so with the Moleskine.

To be honest, I don’t know if I am feeling more creative because the notebook lends itself to such things, or if it is merely a suggestion from having read of so many uses for it. Quite possibly, I may be using my Moleskine more than a standard memo pad to make up for the higher price I paid. Whatever the case may be, I find myself writing little narrative paragraphs every once in a while. These little snippets come out when my mind wanders. I think I am warming up to developing the writer within me.

Of course, not all is fun and games. I have a bunch of to-do items listed and notes that relate to various projects. Insofar as the GTD Inbox, the Moleskine has been a great place to dump all kinds of information for later sorting. In keeping with the GTD model, I find that I do not have to think about things twice. I think once and write down the thoughts. When it comes to exploring my creative side, this is awesome. If an idea for a paragraph, a blog post, or anything comes to mind, it gets written down rather than relying on being remembered later. This type of instant recording is not as fluid with a PDA, which has to be started and the right application launched before being written down. You lose precious inspiration in those few seconds extra a PDA requires.

I think I definitely found the right tool to help me stay on top of things. Just like the cursor on this computer screen, urging me to type something, the blank pages of my Moleskine urge me to write things down on them. Unlike a memo notepad, which is merely a bunch of papers held together with a wire, a Moleskine is a book. It is a book about my life that is written every day. It contains my tasks, my goals, my thoughts, my ideas, my notes, my doodles; it contains me on every page. I want my story to be about all I have dreamed and achieved. What story does your Moleskine tell about you?

Moleskine Is Killing the Evernote

For a while, I was really getting into the use of Evernote to keep track of all of my little details throughout the day. I downloaded and installed the client on my Windows Mobile phone. I’d take notes, upload photos, and even played around with audio. In addition, I’d go around synchronizing all of this information on my different computers. It got to the point that I even decided to pay for the service in order to increase the number of MB I could upload.

The other day, I bought a Moleskine to help me keep myself sorted out, as if I really needed it with Evernote. I must say that the Moleskine has been very helpful, although in a different way. Still, my Evernote use has been curtailed quite a bit. Enough that I may have to unsubscribe and go with the free service.

One main difference between my Moleskine and Evernote use is that the latter does not lend itself to making to-do lists on a Windows Mobile device. The client requires keeping all your files on the web, which makes searching and retrieval slow. If you have no web connection, then it becomes impossible. If you have a laptop, then you could view most of your files; but, I’m talking about being more mobile than that. In any case, it’s much more immediate to jot down to-do lists on paper.

As far as writing notes, the Moleskine also has advantages over Evernote in that it’s a batteries not required method. There is no booting up, launching, or saving. Everything is just there for me to see all the time.

This is not all to say that using a Moleskine is all great. There are distinct disadvantages. For example, I cannot synchronize my Moleskine notes with various devices. That is, unless I photograph the pages and upload them to Evernote. Another disadvantage to using a Moleskine is that there is no Firefox plugin for it. If I want to save a web page or some highlighted text, it’s a pain. Evernote clearly wins on this one. I can not email my Moleskine notes either. Another clear advantage that Evernote has over the Moleskine is in searching for information. Evernote is really fast, especially when you have tons of information. I don’t imagine that going through Moleskine archives will be so easy in the coming years.

All said, I probably will not be dumping my Evernote in favor of the Moleskine. Yes, my use of Evernote has gone down. I think, however, that it will probably become a place to deposit important handwritten notes so that I can search them. In this sense, I will probably dump less stuff in Evernote; but it will be more useful and meaningful stuff.

Moleskine: Day 1

I used seven pages of the Moleskine, today. There are some notes on the book I’m reading, What Color Is Your Parachute 2009. I wrote down some tasks for my Virtual Assistant. There are some notes from the job site. I have some mathematical formulas relating to electronics and radio on a couple pages, written by a co-worker.

I must say that I did enjoy the ease of access and use of my Moleskine. It was immediately available in my back pocket. I could have a phone conversation while reviewing my notes at the same time. I also was able to use the pocket for receipts. Overall, not a bad day.

I would like to hear how you use your Moleskine. Please comment.

Jumping on the Moleskine Bandwagon

Today I stopped by Barnes & Noble to meet a client who wants to learn about Microsoft Access. While waiting for our appointment, I came across the display of Moleskine products. You can learn more about them at Putting Things Off. I’ve heard about them from other bloggers who have a working concept of GTD.

OK, so this is my first Moleskine. I don’t know if it will be all that great or not. To help keep it with me, I chose one that will fit in my back pocket. This way I can whip it out at the first hint of an inspiration. Actually, I have a much more specific use for it. I have asked my GetFriday Virtual Assistant to call me daily so that we can go over my Highrise HQ entries. I am often traveling and doing physical labor, which does not lend itself to having my laptop out all the time. It would be much easier to write things down in my new Moleskine that I would like for my VA to put into Highrise. This way I can maintain the CRM without having to sit at a desk all the time.

Of course, there are other benefits to having a notebook handy all the time. For example, I can make drawings, which is impossible on my smartphone. Another benefit of having a notebook handy is that I can work on other things like blog entries or ideas. I have found that having written records of such things is quite useful. Once it is written, it’s a simple matter of taking pictures and putting the content into Evernote or something like that. The biggest pain in the ass with electronics is starting up the device and launching something. A notebook has more immediate access and better ease of use.

All of the above is just a theory. I don’t know if a Moleskine notebook will be all that life-altering. As always, I’ll keep you posted.

Must Haves for the Home Computer Shop

If you are thinking about setting up a computer shop in your home, here are some things that will make your life easier without having to upgrade your home to one with more rooms.

• Work bench: It doesn’t necessarily have to be a work bench, it can be your desk. You just need a place where you can work without anybody touching your stuff. Tell the Mrs. to keep her hands off your stuff.
• Power strip: you’ll need this to plug in your client computers and peripherals as you are working with them.
• KVM switch: Having to unplug your monitor every time you want to test a computer can be a bit of a pain. Especially if you are looking for information while you are troubleshooting. A KVM switch will let you go back and forth between computers without having to unplug and plug things. All you need is one set of Keyboard, Video, and Mouse to do the job.
• Ethernet switch: Some of the problems you’ll have to fix require you to be able to download stuff. Again, you don’t want to be unplugging and plugging stuff in all the time. If you can split your internet connection, it will make your job easier.
• PE disks: You can get the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows or even MiniPE. Some people swear by another variant called BartPE. Whatever flavor you choose, these CDs will be very handy when it comes to getting a PC running when Windows has finally fallen apart. You’ll be able to get it booted and running enough to fix the computer.
• Extra parts: you’ll need a power supply, extra memory, an extra video card, a network card, and even a hard drive. If you can swing it, an external drive would be really handy.
• Broadband: I hate to say it; but you really need broadband to be useful to your clients these days. You can download all sorts of patches, upgrades, and drivers much faster with broadband. Spend the extra money for a decent Internet connection.

This is just a short list of the more useful stuff I have found for the home computer shop. Rather than make it the definitive list, I’d like some more suggestions, if you have any. Did I miss anything?