The Weekly Review

So we lasted a whole five weeks since our Emailiversary show (Ep. 52) before we took up the topic of email processing again, probably because it has been a hard week and we are behind on email. Luckily we both have a sense of humor about it.

We also discuss listener follow-up to last week’s episode Whelmed, with a pledge to try a new suggestion as soon as we get unwhelmed after LIVE near WWDC.

Links:
Get $5 off Mailstrom and Chuck (referral link)
Get $5 off Sanebox (referral link)

As the annual James Dempsey and the Breakpoints LIVE near WWDC benefit concert for App Camp For Girls approaches, James reports he has spent the past few days being ‘whelmed’ with show preparations.

Jean and James talk about these sort of times when you are so focused on a set of urgent tasks at hand that you might not look to your trusted system for guidance for a day or two. James wonders if it is okay to operate keeping a finite number of pressing tasks in mind for a short period of time.

Have you been ‘whelmed’ before? If you have tips, tricks, suggestions, or life hacks of how you deal with similar situations, we would love to hear from you on Micro.blog, Twitter or email us!

On June 5th, Jean and James will be performing nerdy music:
LIVE near WWDC

Jean returns from a week in Florida with her dad and siblings, where they took on the task of clearing out the home that the family has occupied since 1963. She shares her fresh insights into how to deal with stuff that has sentimental value, how to organize a family photo swap, and the joys of hiring a junk pickup service. Jean also describes the benefits of doing hard work on a project that has an immediate payoff.

Photo: Jean and brother Bob, circa 50 years ago, uncovered in the decluttering.

Jean and James talk with Ish ShaBazz, an app developer whose company Illuminated Bits recently released Capsicum, a new approach to the task management notebook. We learn what led Ish to the idea of building a notebook app, the power of round-trip translation with Boomerang, and how it felt for Ish be featured in the documentary App: The Human Story.

We also find out what the weather was on our birthdays in our respective hometowns in Florida and New Jersey, a nifty little feature of Capsicum’s integration with historical weather information.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Capsicum

Boomerang

App: The Human Story

In this episode Jean and James discuss how finding the right tool or appliance can change your daily routine for the better as well as have a significant effect on your day to day life. Jean tells the story of a hair dryer so good that it has put a bit of a strain on her relationship with her longtime hairdresser. James talks about switching to an electric razer that keeps him from letting his beard grow - eliminating the need for a periodic unpleasant whisker ‘hackathon’. Both describe the tradeoff between the expense of a really nice applicance or tool and how its affects can make your life better over time.

It’s been a whole year since Jean and James started their quest to get their email inboxes under control. Find out how they did over the past twelve months. Jean talks about the satisfaction of banishing marketing emails from her inbox. James reveals the secret little cheat that has kept his inbox from overflowing and steps he is taking to eliminate it. Plus, a bonus Emailiversary greeting card to download.

From all of us, to all of you, a very merry emailiversary!
Emailiversary Greeting Card

Links:
Get $5 off Mailstrom and Chuck (referral link)
Get $5 off Sanebox (referral link)

Jean and James continue to ferret out overlooked inboxes and lists as part of our efforts to make sure that obligations and projects are correctly categorized. This week we look at a common spot where Someday/Maybe dreams hang out: the domain names that we own. We look at a few of the domains for which we have had ambitious if not actionable plans for, and talk about how to make the tough triage decisions.

One of those domains that we are definitely using is livenearwwdc.com, the information central for all things about LIVE Near WWDC 2019, the annual James Dempsey and the Breakpoints benefit show for App Camp For Girls, June 5th in San Jose! Tickets will go on sale soon, and you can be notified first by signing up for our mailing list.

Jean and James celebrate their 50th episode by actually doing full weekly reviews.

The discussion includes recommiting to doing full weekly reviews and techniques to help get back on track. In a celebratory mood, the conversation ranges from including a review of your lofty goals in a weekly review, to some behind-the-scenes podcast production revelations, to dealing with pet poop.

Events during WWDC week (June 3-7) in San Jose, CA:
LIVE near WWDC (Jean and James)
AltConf (James)

Links:
Jaimee Newberry
Picture This Clothing

As James continues to identify the points of friction that have hindered regular weekly review completion, Jean looks at doing daily reviews to process all the inboxes that silently accumulate obligations as a way of minimizing the weekly procrastination.

Links:
Get $5 off Mailstrom and Chuck (referral link)
Get $5 off Sanebox (referral link)

Tally, a quick counter app by Agile Tortoise (@agiletortoise on Micro.blog)

Note: Our Twitter handle has changed!
Now you can find us on Micro.blog and Twitter at the same handle: @theweeklyreview.

The weekly review is a key piece of keeping your trusted system humming along, but it can also feel like a daunting, onerous task to be avoided. This week James talks with Jean about his diagnosis as to why he has not performed a full weekly review in a while. Topics include the crucial step of clarifying, the difference between unprocessed and work-in-progress items, some thoughts on inbox zero, and rethinking when a project should be actively tracked as opposed to living in the someday / maybe list.

Note: Our Twitter handle has changed!
Now you can find us on Micro.blog and Twitter at the same handle: @theweeklyreview.

This week, Jean tells James about her latest productivity strategy, the micro project, and how she used a repeating 30-minute timer to get ready for the trip and actually leave the house early with all her pre-flight actions checked off. It is amazing how much you can get done in a short amount of time if you prevent yourself from dawdling.

Please take a moment to rate The Weekly Review in the iTunes Store. We really appreciate it!

This week Jean and James discuss collections and the seemingly conflicting goals of accumulating collectables and reducing clutter. Jean describes the few things she collects and how she resists the temptation to begin new collections. James talks about his treasure trove of Disneyland Guidemaps and reveals why it is a practically perfect collection for him in every way. Conversation turns to digital collections and James’ fascination with hotel carpet designs.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Author Jean Stafford

Ann’s Restaurant

Reno Air

James’ visual history of Disney California Adventure:

By definition, curveballs are not anticipated and they don’t fit neatly into your time management system. Last week was not the best week, and we have been working through some unanticpated disruptions to our plans to be productive since then. Turns out, the universe is still not done throwing us curveballs, but we do find a couple of silver linings.

Get $5 off Mailstrom and Chuck (referral link)
Get $5 off Sanebox (referral link)

This week Jean and James discuss those unexpected things in life that can mentally and emotionally knock the wind out of you. James shares the sad news of the sudden passing of his cat Dinah. Jean talks about a long-planned trip being disrupted by a combination of feeling under the weather and temporary dental work.

This week’s episode is in memory of Dinah.
She was such a sweet and beautiful cat and companion.

This week, we look at some principles of budgeting your money and whether these principles can also apply to budgeting your time.

You Need A Budget aka YNAB

YNAB Podcast: Rule One

In this episode, our interpid organizers delve into that alternate dimension that seems to defy organization: the junk drawer. Join Jean and James for suggestions, tips, and laughter as they discuss items ordinary and extraordinary (but mostly ordinary) that they have found in those ever-present drawers that sometimes seem might contain life, the universe and everything.

Have you found something interesting, amusing or astounding in your junk drawer? Do you have a tip for keeping your junk drawer organized?
We’d love to hear from you on Micro.blog, Twitter or email us!

James and Jean are back from PodCon 2 in Seattle, a gathering of podcasters and podcast fans of all stripes. They share some of the fun moments as well as their tips for getting the most out of a conference.

TripIt

Mac OS Calendar Suggestions

Photo: Rosemary Orchard, David Sparks, James Dempsey, Jean MacDonald, Brent Simmons at the Automators Podcast meetup hosted by the Omni Group.

In this episode, Jean and James talk about those times when organizational fun turns into organizational fatigue. James describes his experience going off the rails of his trusted system while traveling over the holidays. Jean recounts her difficulty establishing daily habits. Jean seeks grace in the new year while James managed to successfully transport a fragile, vintage ukulele cross-country.

We have a special guest this week, Rosemary Orchard, co-author of Build Your OmniFocus Workflow. Rosemary was inspired to create a task management system that worked the way she wanted it to, thanks to by her school experience with planners and a little website called 43 Folders.

Special event! Rosemary and her Automators co-host David Sparks will be attending PodCon in Seattle January 19-20, and they are organizing an Automators meetup. James and Jean will be attending too!

As the new year begins, Jean and James review the model of natural planning described in our favorite personal productivity book. Jean talks about her plan for leaving corporate social media platforms in 2019 and how that will affect how she connects with the people in her life. James talks about a few spots he can get stuck in the planning process and how that affects his ability to get things done. And both Jean and James take a moment acknowledge the magic of the postal system.

As the year 2018 draws to a close, Jean and James decide to take a week off from worrying about the state of their inboxes as they look ahead to plans for the New Year. We look at the efficacy of resolutions and when is really the best time to resolve to do better. (Spoiler alert: January 1st isn’t the best date.) On both of our calendars: to continue doing The Weekly Review Podcast. See you in 2019!

On our 2019 Calendars:

PodCon, January 19-20

dotSwift, January 28

Gallifrey One, February 15-17

LIVE near WWDC, TBD but likely June 2019

In this episode Jean and James reach into the holiday grab bag to see what they will find. Topics include gift wrapping, making your own personal ‘Best of 2018’ list, thoughts on gift exchanges and sharing experiences as opposed to giving things. Plus, Jean closes out 2018 by closing a lingering open loop.

The gift wrapping tutorial mentioned in this episode can be found at:
Gift Wrap Field Guide

Jean and James do a trusted system status review. Are we still keeping in our heads? (Spoiler alert: a few things.) Are we still using our email inboxes as to-do lists? (Spoiler alert: sometimes.) Nevertheless, a weekly podcast is a clear sign that we have built trusted systems that are effective at meeting goals.

Get $5 off Sanebox (referral link)
Get $5 off Mailstrom (referral link)

Jean and James talk about making bigger plans that go beyond keeping on top of the day to day routine. Jean challenges James to a game of twenty questions about a big plan for the coming year. James talks a bit about an upcoming trip to Europe. The conversation ranges from pursuits like learning languages to necessary todo items like renewing a passport.

Do you have any big plans in mind?
Share them with us on Micro.blog, Twitter or email us.