Visual Productivity

When you look at it, it just makes sense!

Productivity

Interview: Doing a Content Audit – Kevin on Toastcaster Podcast

content audit interview

I had the chance to talk about my recent content audit on my good friend Greg Gazin's Toastcaster podcast.

I go over why I chose to do my content audit and what I got out of it. I had a great experience doing the audit. I had a chance to see what worked and what didn't. I also took the opportunity to look for ways that some of the content I've already produced could be better used by connecting it with other material.

In addition to the content audit, we talk a little about Abu Dhabi, and some of the fun we had.

To finish things off we go over the fitness and Spanish goals that I'm currently working on.

Here's the embedded player:

Link to the post on Greg's site

Download Link: In case you want to listen later.

The Toastcaster podcast provides information about communication and public speaking. It's main focus is on topics of interest to toastmasters. Toastmasters is an organization that helps people practice the skills they need to be successful communicators and leaders.

I was a toastmaster for 12 years and loved my experience. I'll throw a link up to the Toastmasters International site in case you're interested. Just click on Find a club.

Visual Productivity Content Audit

 

content audit

I performed a content audit on Visual Productivity because I wanted to make sure that every post and page on my site will provide you with exceptional content. I've gone through each post and left some alone, queued up some for re-writing, and marked several others for deletion.

If you find yourself being redirected to this page, there's a good chance it was from a page that no longer exists.

Why would I delete anything?

I'm deleting a lot of posts, because I've made a lot of changes to this blog since I started it in 2007. The name has changed, from YoureMakingMe to Visual Productivity, and the topics I write on have changed a few times.

When I first contemplated deleting posts I dismissed the idea – telling myself it was crazy.

I figured that more content was better than less content. That argument seems logical, but it's actually wrong. It's much better to have fewer posts, but make sure they're higher quality. I've grown a lot as a writer over the past several years too. I'm not perfect by any means, but as I look back on some of the content I've produced, I know I can do it better now. That's why some post will be deleted, but others will be rewritten to improve upon ideas that I still think are great. My goal is to make my older posts as enjoyable to read as my newer content.

When will the rewrites be done?

There are several dozen posts that I've marked for rewrite, so the process will take a while. I'll check in from time to time to let you know how things are going. I still plan on posting new content regularly and upping my video production significantly going forward, so I'll be clear that the rewrites will be done, but everything will happen in the order that it's prioritized.

New topic breakdown

All posts will be gradually transferred over into one of four different categories:

  • Visual Mapping – All things visual. Mostly visual mapping and definitely including more software brands than I have in the past.
  • Learning – I'll set out a series of learning challenges. You can follow along as I challenge myself to learn new skills and information. I'll be sharing the tools I use and the results I achieve.
  • Creativity – This is all about coming up with great ideas and innovative solutions.
  • Productivity – I'll still be sharing a lot of ideas and tips about being productive.
  • Reviews (maybe)– I may add a section to showcase the most current reviews. I'm not completely sure, but we'll see what happens once I've finished my updates.

The content on the site will be similar in some cases, and completely different for other categories. I'm very excited about what's in store going forward.

The Stats

Visual Productivity Posts

Starting # of Posts: 267

Ending # of Posts: 185

Posts deleted: 82

Posts rewritten: ???

YouTube Videos

Starting # of videos# 157

Ending # of videos: 110

Videos Deleted: 47

 

 

 

I’m Updating to yWriter 6 for My Book Writing

ywriter 6

For some reason I felt like checking to see if there were any updates to one of my favourite pieces of software. I was happily surprised to find out that Simon Haynes, over at Spacejock Software has released yWriter 6. yWriter is the software I've used to write all of my books.

This is breaking news for me, but it turns out that the newest software was released in July 2015. I'm a few months behind the curve. Luckily, I finally figured things out. Yay!

My Story

I started using yWriter when I was writing my motivational fable, Diamonds and Silver back in 2008. Up until I found yWriter, I felt like I kept running up against a wall every time I sat down to write.

The book started out as ideas in a Word document.

As the file got longer, I found it hard to find my place whenever I wanted to add to my draft. I tried splitting up my book by chapters. That helped a bit, but I found I would sometimes get into that old Word Doc issue of having to open up five documents in order to find the place where I wanted to write. Writing was going slow, and so I started searching for a different solution.

At first, yWriter seemed like overkill. It has areas where you can describe your locations and characters. I've never used those tools, but instead focus on the things that work well for me.

I stopped using Word Documents for writing that very day

The first day I started using yWriter, I could see an instant transformation.

My book was finished in no-time.

Here's why. It was now incredibly easy to open the file, and be at the exact spot in the exact scene I wanted to write on in only a few seconds. Now, instead of trying to write the book from the beginning to the end, I was able to race to the computer when inspiration struck, and write scenes from different parts of the novel out of sequence.

It felt amazing.

On that first day, I also went through most of the Word Documents I was using to store information from the web and other sources. I organized it into several yWriter books, with chapters and scenes.

My two favourite yWriter 6 features

I know the software isn't focused on being a personal database, but that's exactly what it is for me. The organizational structure lets you prepare information for courses, research, news, and makes it remarkably easy to find what you've stored.

One of the biggest features for me how everything is stored. yWriter uses RTF files to store all the information you put in. It works as a database, but the RTF files can be opened by any modern word processing program. If you ever choose to move to a different platform, your files will still all be usable.

The other powerful feature I love is the backup system. The software automatically creates a backup file each time you open a “Book” in yWriter. This means you're always able to go back and see exactly where something was on a particular date. It's also nice to be able to see how many days you actually worked on a file by going into the backup folder and looking at the individual backup points (stored in individual folders).

Like I said before, I don't even use 80% of the novel writing features in the software. It's the 20% of the functions though that are what makes me rave about yWriter.

Should I upgrade?

As of right now there aren't may changes from yWriter 5. If you're currently using yWriter, you can probably hold off for a bit. If you haven't tried yWriter, then this is probably a good chance. It's completely free to use and won't take much time to check out.

Here's a video review I did of yWriter way back in 2011. It'll have to keep you going until I find the time to get an update video out.

YouTube Link

I'll keep you updated on this one, and we'll see about getting a few tutorials out when version 6 gets the next update.

New Stormboard Features

new stormboard featuesStormboard is an online collaboration tool that has a Kanban feel to it. You can write out sticky notes, collaborate with others around the world, and vote (and chat) on the ideas. It's very streamlined and easy to pick up.

According to the Stormboard site you can:

Brainstorm, organize, prioritize and act on the best ideas, in the same room or around the world, on a realtime sticky note whiteboard.

See the top new Stormboard features in action

YouTube Link

Want to see the review from last year?

I did a review of Stormboard last year as part of the Visual Mapping Review Series 2014. You can check it out to see more about the voting, commenting, and other aspects of Stormboard.

List of new Stormboard features

(Descriptions taken from Stormboard's press release)

Removed the sidebars – Getting rid of the sidebar gives you more room on your screen to work with your ideas.

Double Click to add ideas – To add ideas, all you need to do is double click (or double tap on a tablet or touchscreen) and a new dialog will pop up for you to create your sticky. If you want to quickly create multiple ideas, click the rapid fire button and after you add an idea the dialog will pop back up and you can create another one.

“Rapid fire is awesome”

– Kevin

One drive and Box Integration – Add ideas from your One Drive or Box accounts and have them embedded straight into your storm.

Align to grid – You could always align stickies to a grid by holding down the shift-key and dragging across the wall. Now it’s even better to give you more flexibility on how you line up your ideas. “This is like a new toy for me” – Kevin

Document Viewer – Now when you upload a PDF, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or Microsoft PowerPoint document into Stormboard (via drag and drop or from Box or One Drive) you’ll be able to preview those documents right inside Stormboard.

Sketching on top of images – Draw on top of images that you’ve uploaded! This is great for working together on screen mockups or photo edits or logo designs.

Insert videos – Search Youtube from right inside Stormboard and with one click, add that video to your storm. You can still paste a private video link in the search box and it will add it too!

Template picker – This template picker makes it easy to search for a template and preview it. Additionally all templates are now resizable! And with an awesome bit of magic, your ideas will stay in the same sections when you change the size of your template!

Storm switcher – The new storm switcher makes it super easy to switch between storms. the list is sorted by the last active storm so it’s easy to flip between projects you’re working on.

What's your favourite new Stormboard feature?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.

My Office Setup – YMM #51

My Office Setup

Preparing for my move to Abu Dhabi meant that I had to look at my entire office setup and figure out what was important enough to take, and what could be left behind.

In reality, I could have shipped anything I needed over, but my goal was to have everything we were bringing fit into the the luggage our family of four would take on the plane.

In a perfect world, there are a few more things I could have brought. On the other hand, there are also several other things I could have left.

This episode of the You're Making Me Podcast covers what I chose to bring and what got left behind. I'm hoping my experiences will help you out the next time you're deciding what's mission critical on your next trip or move around the world.

Right click to download podcast

In this episode you'll learn:

  • If I could only bring two things for my office setup, it would be these two.
  • What I regret not bringing the most.
  • Why I'm considering purchasing a portable hard drive
  • Why I still have a 3 year old iPhone. What???

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

Selfie stick doubles as tripod

Here's the selfie stick I mentioned that turns into a tripod. It's the IK Multimedia IP-IKLIP-GRIP-IN Grip 5-In-1 Photo/Video Stand Accessory for Smartphones. Seriously, that's the name. Here's my link on Amazon if you're interested.
The Blue Yeti and my office setup – See how I have my audio system setup. I cover the microphone, the boom tripod, pop filter, and ear buds for monitoring the sound.

I use the Edutidge lavalier microphone (EIS-003). Here's my video review

Any feedback about my office setup?

If you have a tip you'd like to share about travelling or moving in regards to equipment, technology, or your office setup in general, please feel free to join the conversation below.

Listening Options

 

Image Credit:

This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

Visual Mapping Review Series Wrapup – YMM #46

Visual Mapping Review Series

Right click to download podcast

Just as all good things must come to an end, so must the Visual Mapping Review series (VMRS) – at least for 2014.

In this episode, we'll go over some of the things I learned from doing the VMRS, and I'll share the good and the bad from this year.

I have some good things lined up for the next few episodes, so make sure you stay tuned. We'll be diving into brainstorming, email, voice recognition, goals, and other fun topics.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • How my pronunciation of Java got me in trouble with the “Language Police.”
  • My thoughts on the iOS 8 Upgrade from Apple.
  • Visual Mapping Review Series Recap
  • Why the number of views is down from last year
  • What I liked about some specific mapping programs
  • My key frustration points

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

Listening Options

 

This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

Visual Mapping Review Series 2014 – Intro

Here’s a look a what to expect from the 2014 version of the Visual Mapping Review Series. I’m looking forward to seeing the improvements in products from last year, and also at seeing what else it out there.

YouTube Link (Length: 2:34)

Video Highlights:

00:35 – At least one day with each

00:55 – One size does not fit all

01:06 – Last years reviews

01:32 – How you can get involved

Transcript of Video:

Would you like to have an over-the-shoulder look at how to get real work done using visual maps? That's the whole point of the visual mapping review series.

[Read more…] about Visual Mapping Review Series 2014 – Intro

The Visual Mapping Review Series 2014 – YMM #44

Right click to download podcast

We're starting this year's set of reviews

In Episode 44 of the You're Making Me podcast, I'm going to look ahead to this year's visual mapping review series. I've given it a new name, and I'm adding the year because I plan on keeping this going as long as it provides value to people.

The official name is The Visual Mapping Review Series 2014. I'll probably also use the abbreviation VMRS too, so keep an eye out for that.

Over the next few weeks I'll be looking into several visual mapping programs for your PC, mobile devices, as well as Internet solutions.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • What I've heard that makes me think visual mapping is the coolest part of my business
  • Which review from last year upset the most people.
  • Why one size doesn't fit all with visual mapping tools
  • How I plan on doing each review
  • The 4 main categories for this years reviews (Including 2 new ones)
  • The first two videos I'll be recording

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

Do you have a favourite program?

If you have a specific visual mapping tool that you absolutely love, feel free to live and leave me a comment and I'll do my best to have a look at it. Unfortunately, I can't promise that I'll do a video review since there's so much out there, but I'll do my best to look at as many visual mapping solutions as I can.

Listening Options

 

This podcast episode was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

Image Credit:

Do you need to switch to a tablet? – YMM #43


laptop-vs-tablet
Right click to download podcast

Note: This episode was recorded before the Surface Pro 3 announcement, so I won't be mentioning it during this episode. I'm still happy with my observations, so I haven't added anything to what I've said.

In this episode I'll go over my thoughts on laptops versus tablets.

I've had the opportunity to play around with a lot of the newer tablets and I've made a decision as to whether it's time for me to leave my laptop and go with a tablet for my main machine.

My current laptop works fine, but it doesn't have enough horsepower to edit 1080p videos effectively. That means I'm stuck producing 7 20p content for my YouTube channel.

Part of my decision for a new device is based on portability, but my goal is to choose the most effective machine, that will meet all my needs.

What went into my decision?

I go over a lot of the deciding factors that I believe are important, and I talk candidly about what I like and what I don't like about the Surface Pro, iPad, Ultra Books, Net Books, and Laptops.

I'll also explain why I'd rather have one main device than several that I switch back and forth on. [Read more…] about Do you need to switch to a tablet? – YMM #43

What Happened On The Way To My Flu Sniff – YMM #39

flu-shot-lineupSo, I took my family to get the flu shot a few weeks ago.

You may be wondering what that has to do with you?

Maybe nothing, but if you're interested in learning how to improve your results, why not stay for a while and give the podcast a listen.

In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast, I'll tell you a pretty good story (if I do say so myself), and go over some ways that my less than stellar experience, can help you to avoid the pain of being unprepared for a spike in demand.

Right click to download podcast

In this episode you'll learn: