Another OneNote trick

I’ve found the OneNote Daily Journal PowerToy to be a great tool for taking notes on the fly.  It creates a daily notes page in OneNote  that you can reach through a mouse click or CTL-J from any program in Windows.

I use it as a catch-all for notes, web clippings, planning, reference info, and photos.  I even draft short projects on the daily notes page.  It’s especially convenient for those of us who shift among several computers all day, since everything is always in the same place (and synced).

Unfortunately, the CTL-J command works only on the computer that generated the page originally.  If I invoke CTL-J on one of my other systems, it creates its own page with the same date.

Since my main desktop system isn’t normally the first computer I use in the morning, this can be frustrating. If I create a daily page on one of my other computers, it renders the CTL-J command useless on the system where I use it most.

So, I came up with a workaround. Since I leave my main desktop running 24/7, I created a scheduled task that runs the powertoy at midnight every night and creates a daily page automatically.  My other systems sync automatically when I turn them on, so regardless of which system I use first, the daily page already exists. Then, when I go back to my main desktop, I can still use CTL-J all day.

Anyway, this isn’t exactly a huge technical breakthrough, but a small hassle avoided always counts.

Back again…and catching up

After a bit of a hiatus over the last few months, I’m back.  Thanks to who have checked in and asked me to restart the blog…your wish is my command.

Since digital tech is changing all the time, I’ll relaunch with a quick rundown of the equipment/approaches I’m using these days.

Computing:

I’m using four different computers daily – main desktop, kitchen desktop, tablet/laptop, and netbook.

I added the netbook (8.5-inch ASUS) over the summer, and I’ve come to love it. Long battery life (5-6 hours) and small size means it goes everywhere with me.

On the main computer, I’ve added a fourth monitor. I’m thinking about adding a fifth next year, if I can find an external video device at a reasonable price.

Mobile computing:

Late last year, I switched to an HTC Verizon Touch Pro as my PDA phone.  It does most of the things I want, but none of them well. (Not enough RAM or a fast enough processor.) 

After toying with the idea of getting a Mi-Fi last summer, I decided to stick with using my Touch Pro as a wireless hotspot instead. Not as convenient, since I can’t talk and be online simultaneously, but much cheaper. (Free versus $60/month contract.)

Software:

Firefox, Outlook, and OneNote account for probably 99% of my activity these days. Functions associated with all three sync automatically, which makes working on multiple systems seamless.

Over the summer, I made the big shift from MS Money to Quicken.  Switching was brutal – tough to transfer 10 years of data and thousands of transactions, but it had to happen. I’m still not a fan of Quicken, though.

I also upgraded to PaperPort Pro 12 recently.  Not worth the money – stick with 11.

Home video/entertainment:

Replaced all four TVs with HDs this year, which prompted a switch from my beloved Tivos to Comcast’s DVR boxes. The Comcast DVR service can’t hold a candle to Tivo, but it wins on economics: While Comcast’s $9.95/month per box is $3 more than Tivo, I don’t have to spend $2,400 to buy four HD Tivos.

I’m still toying with switching to Verizon FIOS, although Verizon’s failure to be able to answer some of my basic questions about installation have made me wary.  Given Comcast’s continued bad and expensive service, though, it’s tempting.

I also traded my Slingbox Pro for a Slingbox Pro HD.  Streaming in HD is great – an excellent device.

So, that catches me up on tech.  What’s everyone else using these days?

Adding OneNote pages to OneNote Mobile

As much as I like OneNote, I'm not a big fan of OneNote Mobile.  In fact, I'd put it into the "it's better than nothing" category.  The program itself is too limited in that it has no handwriting options, offers limited syncing with desktop OneNote, doesn't handle many images well, and divides pages created on the desktop by "container," rather than by page.  In short, it's not a great app.

But, for those of us who use desktop OneNote extensively, having OneNote data on our handhelds is a big issue.  Right now, the mobile program syncs only with a single dedicated folder, so getting information onto a handheld device often means copying a file from a desktop file into the OneNote sync file.  (Anyone who uses ActiveSync will notice that this is almost the same as the way ActiveSync syncs files.)  Recopying this data every time you make a change on the desktop can get frustrating.

Fortunately, the OneNote development team offers an add-in that helps a bit.  Using the "Copy to OneNote Mobile" add-in, you can click on any page in any OneNote notebook and send a copy of it to the sync file automatically.  If you want to update the information on the handheld, click on the "copy to device" command, and the add-in will compare the new page against the one on your handheld and update accordingly.

This still isn't a great solution, but it moves the ball forward.  Many reports say that Windows Mobile 6.5 includes more extensive "cloud" syncing services, so perhaps Microsoft will offer a better way to push OneNote data from device to device soon.  I'm hoping for something that works a lot like an Exchange server.

OneNote Multimedia Meeting

I took my Tablet PC along with me to a client meeting today to take some notes and provide ready access to the hundreds of pages of reference documents associated with the project we're working on.  As the meeting progressed, we started scribbling ideas on the white board in the room.  Although this particular white board is interactive with capture/printing capability, it wasn't hooked up, so we couldn't "replay" the ideas we put on the board.

Instead, I grabbed my HTC Touch Pro Windows Mobile phone and snapped pictures every few minutes to capture the thoughts.  As I did this, I put "tags" in my notes in OneNote to mark where I was in the discussion when I took a picture.  Later, I emailed myself the photos and dropped them into OneNote adjacent to the section of the notes they relate to.

Both my handwritten notes and the pictures are text "searchable" by OneNote.  It does a pretty good job with my writing (about 95% correct), but it had a tough time with the scribbles in the pictures.

Here's screenshot of part of my notes page from today.  (If parts look blurry or unreadable, that's because they are.  I've masked any identifying info from the picture.)

OneNote and OneNote Journal Power Toy

I’m grateful to the Yahoo GTD group for turning me on last fall to OneNote Journal Power Toy, a OneNote add-in from TabletDev.  Through a single click or by pressing Windows-J, you can create or access a OneNote page with today’s date on it, organized in a notebook by month.

I’ve never been one to keep daily journal-style notes, but the convenience of this power toy has made me rethink how I approach note-taking and using Outlook.  Every day, I launch a daily notes page using the power toy.  As I take notes all day -- from calls and meetings, from stuff I’ve read, or as thoughts occur to me --I jot them down on the daily notes page.  This turns my daily notes page into a “virtual” inbox, where I can capture everything from that day. 

Here's a sample of notes from this morning (changed to protect identities, of course):

Combining OneNote and Outlook makes it easy to process and track my notes.    When I complete the note, I also "tag" it with an icon that associates it with a  specific client.  Later, by going into "Show tagged notes," I can pull up all references to any specific client or category, regardless of date, creating a handy way to revisit notes during a weekly review or flag stuff as reference.

If I have time after I make the note, I process it immediately.  Depending on what it is, I can create a "project page" in OneNote (which links to my projects list in Outlook) or I can create new entries on my next actions lists in Outlook.  (Pressing CTL-Shift-K in OneNote creates a linked task in Outlook.) 

If I don't have time to process the notes immediately, I flag the entry with a custom check box I've created with the name, "Process."  Just as I can sort by category or client tag, I can also pull up all items marked, "Process," which gives me a way to pull up all things I still need to process on one screen.  It also helps me ensure that I don't forget to process something as I move from day to day.

By turning on the Tags Summary, I can get a quick view of all the items I've tagged:

If I want, I can even toggle a few options and collapse some categories to show only incomplete items on my "To Process" list and/or incomplete items I've sent to my next action lists in Outlook:

All of the items in the Tags Summary box are clickable, so I can jump directly to the original note where I created them.  By clicking on the red flags in the tasks, I can open the item in Outlook or mark it complete via OneNote.  The "Process" check boxes are interactive, so I check/uncheck them, as I complete processing.

(BTW, the list of tasks above does not reflect the wording of the next actions as they appear on my NA lists.  I usually tweak those to make them true next physical actions when I put them on my NA lists, but OneNote and Outlook don't sync that change.)

One thing I'm still trying to adapt in a more seamless way is integrating daily notes with Windows Mobile.   I found a Power Toy on the OneNote Power Toys blog that lets me send any OneNote page to OneNote Mobile, which is a handy way to keep daily notes current on my Windows Mobile phone.  But, I haven't found a great way to get note FROM my phone back to the daily notes page.  I can type notes in OneNote Mobile and sync them through ActiveSync, but I typically take handwritten notes in the WinMob Notes app.  Right now, I'm emailing myself the notes I take, pulling them up on the desktop, and pasting them into my daily page.  It's more than a little clunky, especially since OneNote 2007 doesn't read handwriting from WinMob.  (Stupid move, Microsoft...)

OneNote and PowerPoint

Just wanted to pass on a quick tip I found for streamlining the process of collecting notes related to PowerPoint presentations. Rather than going into PowerPoint and trying to edit a slide, trying to make notes about particular slide numbers and jotting down comments, or marking up a paper printout of the presentation, I realized the other day that I could print a "handouts" version of the presentation to OneNote.

Here's a sample what it looks like, using a Microsoft presentation I downloaded and scribbled on:

I've found several benefits to doing this:

• Quicker than opening PowerPoint and trying to insert comments or edit slides, especially on the fly in meetings or on a phone call
• Faster opening -- I generally keep OneNote open on my desk on tablet PC in meetings, so I don't have to wait for PowerPoint to fire up
• Easier to edit slides later -- I can open my notes in OneNote on one screen, open PowerPoint in another screen, and edit a presentation without having to flip between presentations in PowerPoint

P.S. -- Apologies to the people to wrote the MS presentation -- comments made as a "simulation," not an actual recommendation on your presentation!

Using OneNote for GTD Project Tracking

In working with OneNote, I realized that it offers a great solution for people using GTD with Outlook who want to see the status of all their next actions on a specific project, regardless of context.  In fact, it makes a great Project Notes (and project inventory list) resource for anyone.

I created a sample project to show how it could work.  (FYI, I've collapsed a lot of menus, notebooks, and lists I normally keep expanded for privacy's sake.)

First, say I've just been on a call with Bob.  With his permission, I've recorded it in OneNote, which can search audio files for key words.  I've also typed a few notes.  If I click on these notes, it will play the audio that was being recorded when I wrote down any specific word.

My OneNote page might look something like this:

 

So, I process the call.  First, I highlight the due date and add it automatically to the "hard landscape" of my calendar in Outlook as an all-day event.  (In OneNote:  Tools>Create Outlook Item>Create Outlook Appointment).  An Outlook appointment window will open automatically that I can add more info to:

 

 

Then, I go through the rest of the notes in OneNote and process them.  By tabbing as I type, I can automatically create a table of next actions and due dates, if any:

 

 

I can do the first four steps immediately, so I turn them into Outlook Tasks, adding them to my Next Actions lists.  By inserting a cursor just before the text on each item and pressing Control-Shift-K, OneNote will open up an Outlook task that I can customize, adding whatever category/context or additional info I need.

Here's the task I created for Research Acme Industries.  I've added the @computer category, but OneNote and Outlook created the rest automatically.  Clicking on the link in the notes section of the task will automatically open my Johnson briefing page in OneNote.

 

 

As I create the tasks from OneNote, the program flags each item that has a task associated with it.  If I left-click the flag, it will mark the task as complete in both OneNote and Outlook.  If I right-click the flag, I can review the status, delete the task, or open it it Outlook.  If I hover over the flag, it will show the date started/date due info. 

Here's what the list looks like once I've added tasks to all the actions I can take right now:

 

 

Meanwhile, my Next Actions list in Outlook looks like this.  (I've filtered out all my other NAs for these screenshots.  Normally, all my NAs from all projects would appear in their contexts. ) 

 

 

So, I get to work doing these next actions, checking them off in Outlook like any other tasks as I finish them.  The next time I do a project review, I go back to my project page in OneNote, and I can see at a glance that I've completed two of the actions, but I still have two on my next actions list.  If I want to change the status of any of these -- converting something from complete to incomplete, for example -- I just have to right-click on the icon next to the task.  That will also update my Outlook Task list automatically.

 

 

If I want to add more tasks to the project, I can go back into my table in OneNote and add rows or columns, just as in Word or Excel.  Or, I can simply click in the last box of the table and press Enter to add a new line at the bottom. 

I could also create a subproject within a task by indenting within the same box, or move existing tasks into other boxes to create hierarchies.  (Unfortunately, there's no way I know of to link these hierarchies within Outlook's tasks automatically.) 

Within the list, I can create check lists of things that don't need to go on my Next Actions list.  For example, in the list below, I've put check boxes next to the things I want to take with me on the trip.

Once I get into the project and get more of a sense of the steps and dependencies, my list in OneNote might evolve to look something like this:

 

 

Meanwhile, my next actions list in Outlook still reflects the context view of things that I actually work from:

 

That should provide an idea of the extent to which OneNote and Outlook can integrate to support GTD.  Using notebooks, lists, and sections, as well as multiple lists on the same page, those who need a little more project planning and review than a straight list option offers may find what they're looking for.

Micro Place-shifting

I've been home with a cold, and it's had me shifting around the house all day: I've been too tired and achy to sit at my desk for long, and too restless to stay glued to the bed or couch. But, thanks to the beauties of "place-shifting," I've been able to keep working (and enjoying the other benefits of digital access) wherever I plop down.

The Set-Up: I keep the desktops in my office (at home) and kitchen running 24/7, plus I have a Tablet PC and an old laptop. First thing this morning, I grabbed the old laptop to use in bed, then later I fired up the Tablet PC when I was hanging out on the couch. That gave me four live, networked "stations," wherever I went -- five, if you count my PDA phone.

The Apps and Uses:

• Virtual computing -- My old laptop is getting REALLY old and slow -- it's a 2001 Toshiba with just 256MB of RAM. Although I have Outlook 2007 on it, most of the other apps are a couple of versions behind. So, rather than trying to update it or deal with slow programs, I "went virtual" -- I shut off everything except Firefox and connected to my desktop through LogMeIn. That let me take advantage of the speed and updated programs on my desktop, and, in full screen, it looks and acts exactly as if I'm working on the desktop. In essence, LogMeIn lets me turn my old laptop into a "slim client" -- and that extends its useful life.

 

• Newsreading -- I can't function without checking out the news on my various feeds through Google Reader first thing in the morning. Everything stays synced through Google -- stories I scanned and "starred" first thing this morning on my laptop show up on the other systems when I'm ready to read later.

 

• Email and PIM data -- I use hosted Exchange, so all the data stays synced automatically and instantly available on every computer. Aside from email, this also keeps my action lists, calendar, and contacts updated and synced.

 

• Active documents -- I've been working on several projects throughout the day , but rather than using Word, I've been using OneNote to create, draft, and edit them. Because OneNote synchronizes (and saves) data in real time, the latest version of every document I'm working on is always available on every computer. I can type half a sentence on the tablet pc on the couch, walk into the kitchen and finish my thought on the desktop there, then wander into my office to edit it, all without saving or syncing manually.

 

• Reference documents -- Thanks to Foldershare, all the other documents I've saved are also synced to all my computers. It's not quite as automatic as OneNote -- I actually have to save them to trigger a sync through Foldershare -- but it's great for keep resources accessible everywhere.

 

• Entertainment -- For much of the day, I didn't even feel like working -- I just wanted to watch TV and rest. Thanks to Tivo and Slingbox, I've even been able to move my entertainment around with me. This morning when I was still in bed, I started watching a movie I'd Tivo'ed there. When I went to the kitchen to eat breakfast, I kept watching it via Slingbox, which sent the signal to my desktop computer. After breakfast, I streamed the movie from the Tivo in the bedroom to the Tivo in the den, where I watched the rest of it from the couch. This afternoon, I even streamed a movie to my PDA phone, while I took a long bath.

 

The Outcome:

This certainly hasn't been my most productive day ever, but thanks to my "micro place-shifting," I've been able to take advantage of every second I've felt like working, without having to save, recopy, or search for data. I've also enjoyed entertainment wherever I've lighted.

Almost every day, I find another benefit and advantage to automatically synced and "cloud-based" computing. When I got hosted exchange service two years ago, it was a revelation to watch data synchronize automatically across machines -- now, I want EVERYTHING to work that way.

Blogging from OneNote

I'm really on a OneNote jag this week...

One of the cool features I discovered in OneNote recently is the ability to collect ideas, compose blog entries, and publish them directly to a blog.

So, here's a test post, directly from OneNote.

This could be a very handy feature, especially since I have OneNote on my PDA phone and all my computers. Being able to collect, process, and act on information all from the same synchronized platform makes a lot of sense to me.

OneNote is starting to blow me away

Although I've had Microsoft OneNote on my computers and my PDA phone for years, I've been slow to the party getting into this program. Every time I opened it I thought, right, it's blank paper that I can organize with tabs. Great. Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

The fact that I came upon OneNote, which syncs to PDAs only manually through ActiveSync, just as I had moved to hosted exchange service to sync all Outlook info wirelessly, didn't increase it's appeal.

The lack of handwriting recognition or even writing -- features that had been in earlier Windows Mobile versions, but are fading fast -- was another strike against.

Now, though, I think I'm finally starting to get it. Here's what's making the difference:

1. Audio/notetaking synchronization -- OneNote automatically syncs audio recordings with the notes you're taking, whether by typing or in writing on a tablet PC. As someone who does endless interviews and has spent hours transcribing and re-listening to tapes, this is useful beyond belief.

2. Audio search -- Similarly, OneNote will index audio recordings so that you can search for phrases or words you SPOKE, as well as wrote. No speech training required.

3. Integration with Outlook Tasks -- Outlook Tasks is my life -- My whole GTD system resides there. OneNote gives me a way to create tasks in Outlook directly from notes I take in a single click. Processing could not be easier.

4. Wireless synching -- It's not quite the same as hosted exchange, but by creating a peer-to-peer network through LogMeIn's free Hamachi service (more on this in the future), I've been able to take advantage of OneNote's PC synchronization features through the Internet. I can write on my tablet PC's screen and what it appear almost in real time on my desktop PC's copy of OneNote.

5. Handwriting recognition -- I miss the excellent handwriting recognition and "Transcriber" functions in the old Pocket PC platforms. (Why are they gone? Dumb, MS, dumb...) But, OneNote's ability to transcribe handwriting is pretty stunning.

I'm still figuring out uses for OneNote, so I'm eager to hear how others are using it. Please send ideas my way!