Working Smart

Mac Vs. WinTel: Total Cost of Ownership

Winn Schwartau is a computer security expert. Several months ago, he switched from Windows to a Mac. He documented his experience in a series of 16 articles entitled Mad As Hell. You may not agree with all his conclusions, but it is definitely worth reading.

Today he posted his final conclusions, along with a spreadsheet showing the total cost of ownership for each platform. I think you will be surprised at his results. I was.

Technorati Tags: apple, mac, switchers, windows, wintel

Look Ma, No VPN

I have only used a VPN (virtual private network client) for one reason: to connect to my company’s Exchange Server. This was the only way to download my e-mail other than via Web access. However, it was a big hassle. I essentially had to make two connections—one to the Internet and one to my server. It also dramatically slowed down my Internet connection, both on Windows and the Mac.

I have waited in vain for Cisco to update their VPN client to work with OS X Tiger. Although Tiger was released in April, Cisco has still not released a VPN that works with it. As a workaround, I have used the built-in Internet Connect program that is built into OS X. It works, but it is very fragile. It doesn’t take much to disrupt my connection and boot me off the VPN altogether.

As it turns out, it doesn’t matter. Thanks to a tip on the Entourage Blog, I don’t need a VPN client at all. I connect directly to my Exchange Server by inserting the address for my Outlook Web Access Web site into the server field of my Account settings. The only change I had to make was to change the “https:\\” reference to “http:\\” (note deleted “s”). This is way cool. No disruptions. No connection slow-downs. Good riddance VPN!

Technorati Tags: entourage, vpn

Google’s New Blog Search Engine

Google has just launched a very cool new blog search engine. It is called—appropriately—Google Blog Search. It being unveiled as a “beta” version.

I did a few test searches and was very impressed. As we have come to expect from Google, it is fast and thorough. Give it a try! (via The Unofficial Apple Weblog)

Technorati Tags: blogs, google, search

Automated Email Follow-up

In my experience as a manager, delegation is the easy part. Follow-up is the hard part. This is particularly true when it comes to e-mail.

I’m afraid that in the race to get through the scores of messages that daily hit our inbox, we hit the proverbial ball over the net, but never really follow-up to see what happened when the ball arrives in the other person’s court. Was it hit back? Was it tossed to someone else? Or, did it just hit the court and lay there with a hundred other balls. If it was the latter, then you really didn’t accomplish anything.

Delegation is a method for managers to get more work done. But if we don’t follow-up, we’ve only deceived ourselves, thinking that more work is getting done. The only way to really change this is to create a culture of follow-up (more about that in a future post) and be relentless with it.

One of the basic questions you have to ask as you go through your e-mail is whether or not this item requires an action. Sometimes, you will determine that you are the right person to take the next action. Often, you will determine that someone else is.

Technorati Tags: davidallen, gtd, productivity, workflow

Let’s assume it’s the latter. You forward the e-mail to the appropriate person and ask them to follow-up. But here’s where the system breaks down. We all know that some people are better at follow-up than others. With a few people, I can check it off my list (and dump it from my mind) when I make the assignment. But for all others, I either have to write the assignment down somewhere and then review this list regularly or I have to just trust that they will follow-up and hope for the best. As someone once told me, “hope is not a strategy.”

I have to admit, I am not too good at writing down every assignment. More often than I would like to admit, I hope people will follow-through, but I don’t loop back around to ensure that they did. Shame on me. Customers, fellow-employees, vendors don’t like to hear, “Well, I passed the buck to Fred. You'll have to check with him.” Instead, they are dying for someone to take full responsibility and follow through to the end. They want to hear your version of the Harry Truman quote, “The buck stops here.”

So how can we make it easier to follow-up on assignment that we delegate via e-mail? One option is to buy David Allen's Getting Things Done Outlook Add-In. If you use Outlook, this is worth taking a look at. It places a follow-up button onto every e-mail message. It’s very cool. When I was a Windows user, I found it indispensable. But it also does a lot of things that may make it difficult to justify the $69.95 cost. And, of course, if you are a Mac user, you are completely out of luck.

I would like to outline a solution that is very simple—and, best of all, free. Here’s how it works:

1. Create a free e-mail account at any one of the free services. I use Google's GMail. But there are many others available, including Yahoo, Mail.com, and Excite.
   
   
2. Set up an email address like “waitingfor.abc@gmail.com,” where the “abc” portion is your initials or some other identifier. If you have read David Allen’s book, you know that he recommends “Waiting For” as a category of items you use to list the projects that are in someone else’s court. You are “waiting for” them to do something, before you can proceed.
   
   
3. Set up your new account in your e-mail client. This will be different for each e-mail client, but most of these free e-mail services will walk you through the process.
   
   
4. Now create a folder under your inbox called “Waiting For.” For example, here’s how my inbox folder structure currently looks:
   
   



5. Now create a simple email rule that redirects all the e-mail coming from your “waitingfor” account to to the “Waiting For” folder. This process will be different, depending on the e-mail client you are using.

Okay, you’re ready to go. Now, whenever you want to track an assignment that you are delegating via e-mail, just enter your “waitingfor” e-mail address in the BCC field. (Since most e-mail software packages sport an auto-fill feature, you can generally do this with a few keystrokes.) Now, send your e-mail. If everything is set up correctly, your e-mail will go out from your main account and you will receive back an e-mail from your new “waitingfor” account. Your email rule will automatically file it in your “Waiting For” folder.

Now, during your weekly review (you are doing a “weekly review” aren't you?), you simply go to the Waiting For folder and review the assignments you have made. When the item has been completed to your satisfaction, you can drag the message to your e-mail archive. That’s all there is to it. Simple, elegant, and free.

iTunes 5.0: A Fix ... Sort Of

Apple just updated their Knowledge Base in response to the problems many users were experiencing with iTunes 5.0. They have posted (or updated) two articles:

• iPod does not appear in iPod Updater or iTunes in Mac OS X
• iPod doesn’t appear in iTunes or on the Mac desktop (if you are using Windows, they have posted a separate article)

I reported on my problems over the weekend. However, I was able to fix the problem using a variation of the fix outlined in the first article. I am hoping that Apple issues iTunes 5.1 quickly. I don’t think most users will have the patience or the expertise to go through these steps.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPod, iTunes

A Better To-Do List

I don’t often devote an entire blog post to someone else’s blog, but this is an exception. One of my favorite bloggers is Merlin Mann at 43Folders. He’s the one that got me into using a Moleskine notebook. He’s also a Mac user and an expert at applying the workflow management principles articulated by David Allen in Getting Things Done.

Today, he wrote the first article in a two-part series, entitled Building a Smarter To-Do List. This should be required reading for everyone in the workplace. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who don’t know how to intelligently manage their workflow. But, then again, where is this kind of thing taught?

The article is very, very basic, but invaluable. I strongly urge you to stop what you are doing now (you’re just surfing, right?) and go read the article. Even as a seasoned GTD practitioner, I learned a number of things. I am eagerly awaiting the second installment tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: davidallen, gtd, planning, workflow, productivity, todo, todolists

iTunes 5.0: Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

This past week, Apple released iTunes 5.0. It boasts a streamlined look, the ability find stuff faster with the new search bar, and compatibility with the cool new iPod nano and the Motorola ROKR E1 cell phone.

Despite the hype from Apple, I strongly urge you not to upgrade to this new version. Wait for iTunes 5.1. This version of iTunes is slick, and the new search bar is way cool. But—and this is a BIG but—it has compatibility problems with standard iPods.

Technorati Tags: iPod, Apple, iTunes

I installed the upgrade on Thursday evening. When I connected my iPod, I got a message that iTunes could not transfer my purchased music to the iPod. It claimed that my iPod software was out of date, and I needed to update it, too. No problem, I thought. I then downloaded the latest iPod Software Updater, dated 2005-09-06.

First, the program did not launch an installer. I assumed this would happen once I downloaded the software. Instead, thanks to the Apple Discussions group (and about 20 minutes of wasted time), I discovered that I had to launch the software manually from my applications\utilities folder. Who knew?

Unfortunately, this didn’t solve the problem. The iPod Software Updater wouldn’t recognize my iPod was connected. I tried rebooting, using a different port—everything I could think of. Nothing worked. I could see the iPod connected in Finder and in iTunes, but the Updater couldn’t see it.

So, I spent another hour or so browsing the Apple Discussions groups. (See Connecting to a Mac.) I was somewhat comforted by the fact that I wasn’t the only one having problems. Scores of users reported similar problems. Several suggested deleting a driver called iPodDriver.kext from the System/Library/Extensions folder and then rebooting the computer. That didn’t work either. (This kind of rigamarole kind of reminded me of my old Windows days!)

I have two words for Apple: “more testing.” Clearly, this version of iTunes was rushed to market, probably to support the new iPod nano and the new Motorola cell phone. Evidently, the hardware guys got ahead of the software guys. This is not what I have come to expect from Apple!

My advice: unless you have bought one of these new pieces of hardware, don't upgrade. Wait for Apple to acknowledge the problem and fix it. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can find a copy of iTunes 4.9 and downgrade to it. (If you know where I can download this older version, please let me know in the comments section below.)

Update: The PC Doctor has found sites where you can download a copy of iTunes 4.9, both Windows and Mac versions. However, do it quickly. These copies are being rapidly replaced by 5.0.

Thomas Nelson’s Disaster Relief Efforts

As I am writing this, I am watching Fox News. The images of refugees trying to flee New Orleans are gut-wrenching. I can’t remember witnessing anything in our country as disastrous as what I have seen in the last three days.

This morning, I started getting e-mails from our employees with ideas for how our Company could help. Everyone feels the need to do something. I know I do. You can only watch the images for so long before you feel compelled to take action.

Realizing we need to act quickly, I asked Jim Thomason, our HR Director, to form a “Disaster Relief Committee” and make a recommendation to me by the end of the day. He and his team met and then made two proposals. (For Jim’s account, please click here.) I immediately approved both.

First, we will donate 100,000 Bibles to the relief efforts. Why Bibles? This afternoon, an official in Baton Rouge said on Fox News, “We need water, food, ... and Bibles.” This is something I knew we could help with. Samaritan's Purse, an organization headed by Franklin Graham, one of our authors, has agreed to distribute these for us. We will begin shipping them to Louisiana as soon as we get instructions from Samaritan’s Purse.

Second, I have approved a matching contribution program for our employees. We will match dollar for dollar any contribution our employees make to Samaritan’s Purse up to $50,000. Hopefully, this will result in a $100,000 donation to the relief efforts. I know that not everyone can give the same amount, but if each of our employees would give $83.00, we will hit this goal.

If you want to participate in this program, make your check payable to “Samaritan's Purse” and send it to Jim Thomason. He will batch the checks together every few days and send them to Samaritan’s Purse with a matching check from Thomas Nelson.

Let me encourage you to dig deeply and give sacrificially to this cause. Please don’t procrastinate. The need is great. People are desperate, and they need our help. And, while you’re at it, thank God you have a roof over your head and something to eat. Then pray for those who don’t.