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Using Scrivener for simple project management
March 30th, 2008 | 1 Comment
I am a bit of a “productivity application” junkie. I haven’t read David Allen’s book but I have read enough about GTD other places to know that I need to be better organized. My addiction is especially bad because I end up wasting more time searching for and trying new apps than I would ever save by actually picking one and using it.
One specific area that I have spent quite a bit of time trying to streamline is project management. My needs in this area are pretty simple since I work by myself and my projects aren’t generally complex. However, I still want to use a robust, flexible application that retains a simple, streamlined interface. While the perfect solution for me may not exist, I have finally found a great solution for now.
My project management needs
I need to be able to organize information (mostly text and lists) about web design and other miscellaneous projects. I would like each project to be able to have multiple “pages” or “files” if needed. I also want to be able to classify projects as “open” or “closed” (and possibly even “on hold” or “needs attention” as well). I really like being able to visualize my current projects so I can quickly see where I need to focus my attention (I mean simple lists are nice but they don’t quite communicate the way I want).
Super notepads
I have a friend who organizes his projects into separate TextEdit files in folders on his Mac. It works for him. Since my needs are pretty simple I thought something similar might work for me, but I knew that I could find an application that would allow me to keep these “separate” files inside the application itself so I really only had one file with all of my projects inside. I was right.
I started off with Mark/Space Notebook application which comes along with The Missing Sync (which I had purchased to sync my phone with my Mac). This app looks a lot like TextEdit with the addition of a sidebar that organizes your separate “files” into folders. Its interface was definitely clean, but it’s lack of features left me wanting more. (There is a very similar free app called xPad for those wanting multiple “notepad-like” documents in a single app.)
Information organizers
From there I moved on to Together and Yojimbo which are both excellent applications for organizing files, information, serial numbers, and everything else in one’s life. For me, however, these apps were both a little more involved than I wanted. Their rich feature sets left me with too many unused buttons and features that just seemed to clutter my screen. Plus, neither of these amazing apps had the ability to visualize my projects in a way that quickly shows me what projects need attention.
Online project managers
From here I looked at the online options that everyone raves about: Basecamp, Backpack, activeCollab and GoPlan. These online applications are all amazing. I love them and I hope to use one of them sometime in the future… when I make a big-boy salary. They are all expensive. I am sure they are all very worthwhile if I needed to collaborate with others (where these apps really shine), but right now I don’t. Plus, I really want to have my information on my Mac instead of out in the ether since I travel and am not constantly connected to the web.
Next I looked into setting up my own wiki locally on my Mac. Seems to make sense, each project gets a page. It’s easy to edit. I can use Fluid to make it feel like a real application. This solution actually came pretty close, but the feel of a website still isn’t quite as nice as a real standalone app. Plus, my limited experience with wikis means that there was a learning curve just to create pages, links, formatting, etc.
Journals and writing
Next I tried Journler and Circus Ponies’ Notebook. They both had a lot of the functionality that I wanted but didn’t look and feel like I wanted them to. They were too cluttered and text-list-based when it came to easily viewing my projects.
Finally a solution
Finally, after reading a post by D. Keith Robinson I downloaded Scrivener. It is an application built for writers/screenwriters. It allows a person to write in small sections called “texts” and then arrange those texts later. While this is not my purpose at all, the flexibility of the application allowed it to fit my needs perfectly.
Basically I started one main Scrivener “project” (I’ll call this a Scrivener “file” from here out to avoid confusion with my projects). Any Scrivener “file” can contain both “folders” and “texts.” Remember, texts are just like separate documents which can be organized into folders.
I setup one folder called Open Projects and one called Closed Projects. Each one of my projects gets its own text within the Open Projects folder. Generally one text per project is enough, but if I need more hierarchy for a particular project Scrivener lets me do that because each text can contain other texts (like sub-pages within a project’s main page).
The best part about Scrivener for me is the “Corkboard” view. I can click on any folder (or text that contains other texts) and I get a visual representation of its contents. So, by clicking on my Open Projects folder I can see all of my open projects quickly and easily. Each project has its own “index card” that is color-coded by “label” and marked by “status.” Each card shows the project’s title and has a place for a description (where I put due dates). I can also write notes for each document but I haven’t found a use for this in my current workflow.
I have created labels for these cards for “needs attention” and “waiting on response.” Applying a label colors the entire card, so any of my projects that need attention are bright yellow. I have also created custom statuses to mark projects as either open, closed, holding, to do, etc. Right now this is a little redundant based on my label/folder system, but it’s there and it makes me happy.
Conclusion
Scrivener is by no means an all-in-one project management solution. For example, it does not give me any kind of task-management (to do’s). For that I go between Anxiety and Things. (I’m really just waiting for Things to integrate into iCal’s to do system.) Scrivener does not allow for collaboration with others. I don’t mind that right now because I generally work on projects alone. I’m sure there are other things that I will want later that Scrivener will not do as well, but for now it does exactly what I need.
What do you use for project management?
PRK Recovery Update
March 30th, 2008 | No Comments
Well, it’s been three days since Rebekah had PRK surgery. Since the surgery she hasn’t been able to open her eyes for more than about 2 seconds. It’s not that they hurt too bad, she said that is was more like she had something in her eye and so it just forced her to keep it closed. I’ve been leading her around our apartment and trying to keep her from bumping into things (though she did happen to find the bathroom door with her forehead yesterday… I wasn’t leading that time so I take no blame).
This morning she woke up and opened her eyes without that sensation. She still can’t focus on anything when she opens them so she is keeping them shut most of the time. I’m sure the protective contact lenses in her eyes are to blame for the blurry vision (at least somewhat), so hopefully on Tuesday when those come out things will change dramatically.
She has been pretty light-sensative so we covered the windows with sheets, she has been covering her face with a washcloth any time the TV is on, and she hasn’t even seriously thought about going outside yet. Plus she gets to wear these hott shades.
The hardest part of this recovery so far has been the timeframe. We did not go into this thinking we were giving up our lives for the next four days (and counting), but that is exactly what has happened. She cannot work at all. I can work some, but honestly she is my priority and so I am limited in what I can really do. (I’m glad we both have jobs that can allow for this somewhat abrupt absence.) After the first couple of days being stuck in the house I think she is going a little stir crazy. She has been able to knit, amazingly. I mean, I can’t even knit with my eyes open and she made this wash cloth with her eyes shut. Amazing.
Anyway, I will keep everyone posted. Hopefully the recovery will move quicker from here. We are both definitely ready to get back to our normal life together.
Week of procedures
March 27th, 2008 | 3 Comments
This morning Rebekah had LASIK.
Actually she had PRK. It apparently hurts really bad… at least that’s what she tells me. I hope it’s all worth it.
EDIT: Why “Week of procedures?” Well, I had dental work done earlier this week. I know that two things probably doesn’t sound like much but it is for us.
Mac apps for Shaun
March 25th, 2008 | 3 Comments
One of the things that I have loved the most about switching to the world of Mac is the endless supply of cool little applications that people develop to make your computing life better. Every time Shaun and I meet I end up telling him about some cool little Mac application that he just has to download. The last one was 1Password which I absolutely love, but I won’t go into all of that now. That’s in the past.
Yesterday Shaun spoke at a local university’s chapel service on behalf of Compassion and then we went out for a quick lunch/meeting at one of my favorite coffeshops.
As is our custom, at some point I found some hole in Shaun’s life that could only be filled by a free Mac application… actually I found two.
First of all, Shaun used his (old and beat-up) Macbook Pro during his talk to show a few pictures of children who have had an impact on his life. Very cool. But, as is the case with most anyone who uses a notebook in a production environment, he had to fight with his screensaver/sleep settings to keep it awake and ready. Enter Caffeine. It’s a great little app that puts a coffee cup icon in your menubar. Just click the icon and your computer will not go to sleep, dim the screen, or start the screensaver. Then, click it again and it’s back to normal. Simple but effective.
With his computer now sufficiently hopped-up on coffee, now it was time to address his hard drive issues. Shaun is very grateful for his computer. When his old iBook was practically dead, someone lovingly offered him a used MBP at an unbelievable price. However, the more Shaun used this computer to create short movies, graphics, and other media for his blog the more his small hard drive filled up. Now, his hard drive is pretty much full and he doesn’t really know where all of the space went. If only he had a way to visually see what files (and file types) were eating up his precious space.
Well, now he can. Disk Inventory X is a free app that scans your computer’s hard drive and then displays its contents visually so you can easily see what files and file types are taking up all of your space.
Each color represents a type of file so you can quickly tell whether your music collection is the culprit or it’s your library of ripped (public domain) DVDs. Each block represents a specific file so you can tell what specific files are taking up chunks of space as well.
Both of these apps are free and they both get the Ben Stewart seal of “coolness.” Got any free apps that you just can’t live without? Let me know in the comments.
Speaking of churches…
March 24th, 2008 | No Comments
This weekend I attended one of the coolest churches ever. Ever.
First of all, the back-story.
Rebekah comes from a family that puts a lot of emphasis on family traditions. Basically this translates into “every holiday we are getting together with someone to eat a meal.” This is definitely a good thing and something that Rebekah and I fully intend to carry on in our family. Easter meals generally happen on Sunday afternoon after the entire family has gone to church together, however this year the family meal was on Saturday night because Rebekah’s brother just joined the staff of a church (and apparently Easter Sunday is kind of a big deal so they wanted him there). Since he was in Louisville and the rest of the family had no place better to go, we drove up to his church on Sunday morning.
And now for the good stuff.
Sojourn is a community of people in Louisville that gather together for Sunday worship and for weekly community groups. I know this sounds cliche because a church is a church and every church these days tries to call itself a “community of people” when really it’s just a building full on Sundays and empty the rest of the week. However, I really feel that Sojourn’s mentality is different. While I would still say that no church is perfect since people aren’t perfect and we are the ones in charge, this church has a lot of great things going on.
The people of Sojourn hold creativity and the arts very highly and they are a highly creative bunch. In fact, the old school building that they meet in doubles as an art gallery and music venue. They have people in the community that create beautiful pieces of art for use within the church and for special occasions.
A lot of the music that they use for their worship gatherings is original music which definitely helps them define their own collective voice. The general feel of the music at the service I attended was a modern, electric-guitar driven, bluegrass singing. The emphasis was not on playing a great show for the audience like it is at a lot of churches these days, it was very much on getting the audience involved in participating in every aspect of what was happening on stage. They definitely tried to unify the crowd instead of separating the audience and the stage. Their worship band even regularly records and releases CDs of their original music.
The leadership of the church encourages members to live in the community around their building so that they are all active members of their neighborhood (which is by no means the rich side of town). The teaching was simple but true and I never felt like the speaker was trying to (1) merely evoke an emotional response from the audience or (2) water his message down so far that everybody would leave feeling happy. These two traits are probably the most common issues that I have with Easter sermons (generally speaking). So it was a breath of fresh air to hear something different.
It is rare that I attend a church that makes me want to move to their city just to be a part, and that is pretty much what happened this past Sunday. If you are in the Louisville area over a Sunday (morning or evening) I would encourage you to check out Sojourn. Hopefully you will find it as refreshing as I did.
What qualities do you like/dislike in the American church? (Please, keep it constructive.)
Too many churches?
March 22nd, 2008 | No Comments
Rebekah and I have been married for about a year and a half and still haven’t really felt connected in a local church. We met some wonderful people at the church we joined when we got married and we love a lot of things about that church. It is a great church. However, there has still always been some kind of disconnect. I’m sure part of it is because it is a little far away. Plus, a lot of the people we know who attend there live in other parts of the city (most 30 minutes to 1 hour away from us). And, of course, my travel schedule has kept us from really doing a lot of activities together (it’s always the guy’s fault).
Well, recently Rebekah has been attending a new church plant in Nashville called Green Hills Church. I still haven’t been to a service because I haven’t been in Nashville on a Sunday morning since January, but Rebekah has really gotten involved and likes it a lot.
My first reaction to the idea of a new church plant in a city so saturated with churches is, “Really?! Seriously?!” I would immediately jump to the idea that more churches only divides the Church further instead of fostering community among believers in the same area. BUT, in the same breath, I would have to say that it seems this church plant is exactly what Rebekah and I needed. Despite the thousands of churches around town, we had yet to find one that fit like GHC seems to have done.
So, at least for now I have put my cynicism aside about “another church in Nashville” and I am excited about the opportunity to take part in a new group of believers at a church finding its identity in the community.
What are your thoughts on church plants in America (especially in the Bible belt)?
We need your help
March 12th, 2008 | No Comments
Want to help save kids from poverty (and the modern American church from over-wealth)? Find out how.
It only takes one
March 12th, 2008 | 1 Comment
I travel with a youth ministry team that visits a broad range of churches. One week we can be in a 1000+ seat venue with standing room only and the next week we could be in a backwoods church of 100 people with 20 youth staring at us. I don’t say that to complain at all–I like variety. I only bring it up to say that we meet a lot of different types of youth ministers and “church folk.”
One seemingly common phrase among event-based ministries keeps popping up and I’m just not sure exactly how I feel about it. It’s a phrase that I remember hearing (and probably saying) back in my youth days. The words may not always be the same, but is always goes something like this:
If just one person gets saved tonight then all of our work was worth it.
Now, definitely don’t hear this as an attack on the church or on church people. It’s just that this particular phrase has raised so many questions for me that I refuse to use it until someone can help answer them.
- First off, would someone ever say that they worked “too hard” for only one salvation? What if we could have done something differently that would have resulted in more salvation decisions? Does our amount of work really directly correlate to the number of decisions made at events? How much of that is really in our hands?
- If an event coordinator’s goal is “at least one salvation” could that ever keep him from working harder and doing something to facilitate more decisions? Can this mentality be a crutch? Can it be justification?
- Is salvation always the goal of church events? Or, at least, is it the only goal? Let’s assume that sometimes God has plans for an event that do not involve someone “getting saved.” Let’s say that sometimes he is merely challenging the Church to grow in their faith. Can we ever really know God’s plans for an event or see all of the results? If not, then can we fairly judge the success or failure of an event on whether or not someone is saved?
Compassion Bloggers
March 11th, 2008 | No Comments
I am currently working with Shaun and Compassion International on a new website. Right now we have a single page online where you can enter your e-mail address and request more information. Here’s a little bit about what the site will be…
Compassion recently took a bunch of bloggers to Uganda to allow them to see first-hand the results of CI’s programs in that area. The bloggers were simply asked to use their medium to share their experience with the world. Apparently everyone really liked the results of this trip and have decided to plan more trips like this one.
CompassionBloggers.com will be the online home for these future trips. From here you will be able to learn about current and past trips, see pictures, watch videos, read blog posts, and get to know the people involved in each trip. It will also contain information for those interested in participating in future trips.
Sound good? I think so. So, while you wait for the finished product to go live, go ahead and sign-up to receive more information at CompassionBloggers.com.
Server Problems
March 7th, 2008 | No Comments
WARNING: Geeky content ahead.
I’m really just writing this in case anyone else ever has this same problem and is searching for a result.
I don’t know if anyone noticed, but apparently my hosting company had some server issues yesterday resulting in my site (along with some others, I’m sure) being down most of the day. When they resolved got everything back up and running the text on my site was strangely larger than normal (causing some layout weirdness).
Of course, all of this happened while I was on the road without any internet access. So, when I finally got to our hotel for more than 5 minutes I investigated. It was as if one of my stylesheets was not loading at all, but the file existed on the server. I finally figured out that the file’s permissions had somehow been changed which caused it to not load properly.
Geeky, I know. I promise the next post will be something interesting.
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