Contact Management

Some months ago, I decided to organize my contact list. I should confess that when I set up my new smartphone last summer, the contacts were one of the most problematic transfers. My contacts were all stored in Google contacts, attached to one account or another. Even though I had been using Google contacts for a couple of years, I had never bothered to configure the settings, or utilize any of the app’s features to keep my contacts organized. I relied on search, or auto-fill, to get what I needed.

One of the consequences from the transfer, was that hundreds of duplicate and random contacts got imported. I learned later there is an option in Gmail Settings (under the General tab) where you can choose to add contacts yourself, or have Google add them automatically. The default is the latter.

Setting in Gmail to add contacts yourself instead of having an “Other Contact” created automatically

After that experience, I resolved to improve upon my existing system. It’s been a slow process mostly because it seemed like a big project, especially for a small business owner who needs to keep distinct separations between personal, professional, and client contacts.

The first step was identifying my requirements and then selecting the most critical ones to focus on.

  • One master list of contacts accessible from any email account or messaging apps
  • One master record for each contact (i.e., contacts with whom I have a personal and professional relationship)
    • De-duplicating and merging contacts
  • Way to change contact’s default email address based on which email account I was using
  • Importing and exporting capabilities (e.g., scanning business cards)
  • Integration with calendars and task lists
  • Security
  • Organizing, searching, and filtering (e.g., tags or labels)
  • Seeing the same information across all devices

Armed with my requirements, I did some light research to see what was available.  After reading about contact management systems and what they could do, I decided to investigate Google contacts to see if I could utilize what was available more effectively. Plus, this would eliminate the pain of doing a migration later.

I started by reading about Google Contacts on the G Suite Learning Center. Once I had an idea of how it worked, I formed a strategy for how I would organize my contacts, and then implement the new system. Stay tuned for next week’s post on the strategy and implementation.

The Dying Art of Navigation

A few months ago I watched the 4th season of the “The Amazing Race Canada.” This was my first time watching any of the Amazing Race series from the US or Canada. I watched in fascination as teams raced around the globe, using a combination of intellect, physical fitness, teamwork, and endurance to get through the challenges.

What makes Amazing Race interesting to me is the surprise element of the challenges (called “Roadblocks” and “Detours”).  Challenges range from learning a folklore dance routine to assembling a scooter from scratch. But the one challenge that remains consistent throughout the show, and in every leg of the race, are the navigational skills required to move from point A to point B, often in foreign cities and countries. Some of the challenges require teams to make deliveries in one of the cities, as if to further test their map-reading capabilities.

At least once in every show I was stunned to watch teams lose the lead, or fall behind, sometimes to the point of elimination, simply because they got lost. They couldn’t read maps or follow directions. Often they weren’t looking for landmarks and signs.

It’s great that technology like Google Maps is around to help us out, but without learning navigation skills or how to read maps, the technology won’t be enough. There can be real danger in blindly following the GPS. Occasionally I use Google Maps to get around on my bike, but Google isn’t always right. Sometimes Google indicates I should take roads that are terrible for cyclists (i.e., no designated lanes, full of potholes, fast drivers, etc.). I read a number of articles about people dying because they were too reliant on GPS and got lost when the technology failed.

Navigating without a map requires me to utilize and strengthen different parts of my brain. I have to pay attention to my surroundings, remember landmarks and street names, and learn how to orient myself.

I love using Google Maps, or Waze, especially when I’m driving in an unfamiliar area. And also because I’m directionally-challenged. Even so, I still learned how to read (and fold!) maps and navigate. Sometimes it takes me a bit of time to figure out the directions, but I can do it. And this isn’t because a smartphone is telling me what to do. It’s because I learned the seemingly essential survival skill of navigation, without technology.

Time Saving Prep Kits

Over the years I’ve discovered the magic of making and maintaining prep kits. I define “prep kit” as a collection of things assembled for a specific purpose.  A first-aid kit is probably one of the most common examples.

Having a prep kit assembled and ready to go is a huge time saver, not to mention stress relief because you know you will have what you need. Essentials are located in one place so you don’t have to spend time and energy searching for them. And it makes those key items easy to find.

During the spring and summer, I ride my bike everywhere. After having forgotten my night gear a few times, I put everything together in a pouch.

Reflective pouch fits under the bike seat, front and rear lights, safety sashes, two pant cuff clips, a seat protector, and an emergency lip balm.

Now I can grab all my gear in one movement and find it easily in my new large and cavernous pannier. I also included a seat cover for those times when it rains. Riding on a wet bike seat is a distinctly unpleasant experience. I have a separate prep kit for repairs with a pump, a patch kit, and something to clean my hands.

Easy to see and find the pouch in the depths of my filled pannier.

One of my other commonly used prep kits is for the gym. I assembled this one at least 10 years ago because I kept forgetting key things when I went to workout, such as a lock, shampoo, gym fob, comb, etc. Now I just take my gym pouch and I’ve got everything I need. Occasionally I have to refill or replace something, but the maintenance is minimal.

Prep kits also make it easy to change bags and feel confident your essentials made it. My aunt was fond of packing smaller themed pouches for her day-to-day items. This made it easy for her to switch purses and know that everything was coming with her. Or to pick and choose which pouches to take on each occasion.

I worked with a woman once who liked to use a different purse almost every day of the week. Instead of prep kits, she purchased a purse insert. The purse insert is an internal organizer that can easily be moved from one bag to another. See examples here.

Do you have any prep kits? For what? Write your response in the comment section below.

Read it Later Apps

Before trying the new “read it later” app, here are some options I’ve already tried.  Using the Apple “Save for Later” button, a built-in read it later app.  Sending things to my ebook, when I had one.  Bookmarks.  Syncing bookmarks (and open browsers) across devices with an account, which I found too annoying and disabled quickly.  Finally, saving links and articles in a variety of cloud-based apps (Evernote, Google Drive, Google Keep, and Dropbox).

I decided to try Pocket, a “read it later” app that ranked highly amongst several reviews I read.  I installed Pocket on my devices, including a browser extension. After one week, I’m enjoying Pocket on the smartphone.  The integration is seamless, neatly collecting my “read laters” in one place.  I can tag articles with key terms to sort, or find, them more easily later.  On the computer, I’m required to sign into Pocket to add something.  But once signed in, it’s easy to add and tag articles for later.

A couple of readers commented on last week’s post with their solutions to the “read laters”.  One suggestion is to download articles with long-term value, or to read later, to a cloud-based application (e.g. Google Drive or Evernote, a content management system) to ensure syncing across devices.  Downloading articles means content will always be available and likely you will also have options to add tags, descriptive terms, or put things into folders to help you find them later.  This also eliminates the need to maintain links.

I have tried some of these options already, but I’m selective when it comes to saving something. One of my biggest challenges is having a place to store articles until I can read them.  Quite honestly, most articles aren’t worth saving after I read through them. I’m not inclined to spend the time and effort, as minimal as that may be, to download and organize articles that will be deleted right after reading.  For this purpose, Pocket works well as a temporary “processing” area for articles to see if the make the cut.

Sometimes I need to save actual links for reference, for example, websites I refer to often that have dynamic content.  Pocket will not be a good solution for this, but I can continue to use bookmarks, or a different cloud-based application.

Now to find the time to read everything and avoid a backlog!

Saving Links to Read Later

One of the best parts of the internet is the access to, and supply of, an abundance of information.  I continually find great, but distracting articles, “to read later.”

The “read laters” end up as browser tabs, which remain open for days, or even weeks, until I get a chance to read them. When the tabs are for research, I’m torn between investing time to organize them, or leaving them open until I can finish.

Here are five distinct challenges with “read laters”.

Challenge #1

Out of sight, out of mind.  I’m so busy handling the daily onslaught of things to read, that putting them aside for later means they get forgotten.  Or move to the bottom of the pile.  I never have enough time to read everything.  And finding that one special link later can be difficult.

Challenge #2

Links come at me from everywhere – emails, social media, notifications, surfing, recommendations, etc. Aggregating is difficult.

Challenge #3

Three distinct deletion requirements.

  1. Links that will have no value after I’ve read them and can be deleted immediately.  Of course, assuming I have the time to read them!
  2. Links with short-term value that I’m saving for research or a particular project (e.g. travel, purchase).
  3. Links with long-term value, like recipes and commonly accessed reference materials.

Challenge #4

Sometimes links lead to downloads, which must be managed in their own way.

Challenge #5

Syncing saved links across 3 devices: smartphone, laptop, and tablet.

 

I use a 3-part solution, but it doesn’t address all my challenges, like a continually open browser window and a hefty reserve of cool things to “read later”.

  1. I set time aside to read some articles.  Then I delete, or bookmark, them.
  2. Anything with retaining value gets bookmarked and tagged.
  3. For everything else I give myself a deadline, then I delete it and move on.

Occasionally I review my bookmarks and clean them up.  This is a great Friday afternoon project.  And offers a good chance to catch up on some reading, or rediscover something.

I searched for some new options and discovered a family of “Read it Later” apps.  After some research, I learned that bookmarks are the best way to save long-term links, which I’m already doing.  However, I can be doing better with my continuously open browser windows.

 

Stay tuned for next week’s posting on my trial run with a Read it Later app.

Grocery List App

I started using Out of Milk a couple of months ago. I needed a better app to manage my shopping lists.  Read here.

Here are a few of the things I enjoy about the app so far.  It’s easy to use at a basic level. I can maintain a list of staple food items so I don’t have to rewrite them on the list each time.  Once on a list, items are assigned a category (e.g. Meat, Dairy, Produce), all of which can be customized and color coded.  Within each list, the order of items can be rearranged.

The assigned categories (e.g. Produce, Herbs & Spices, Baking & Cooking, Meats, Dairy) closely mimic where you would find something in a grocery store.  Typically the app will assign a default category to any new items added.  It’s usually pretty accurate. Or I can adjust the category to suit my needs. For example, I created a category called “Breakfast” for my morning staples, even though each item can “fit” somewhere else.

The app is useful for numerous functions, but I only use it to manage my weekly shopping list, “Groceries” and my pantry list.  The pantry list is used to track items used routinely in the kitchen.  Once on the pantry list, the quantity can be monitored either by indicating if something is low/full or using a number and unit measurement instead (e.g. 1 jar, 1 bottle, 1 carton, etc.).

If I select an item from the pantry list, I can then choose which list to put it on.  My big frustration with this feature is that the app allows me to add the same pantry item multiple times to the same grocery list.  It should be able to detect duplicates (or even triplicates!).

I use the grocery list when I shop.  Finding things is easy in their categories.  Once placed in the shopping cart, checked items disappear from the list and go in my “virtual” cart (bottom of the list).  There are other features I could be using, such as scanning bar codes and price tracking, but this is overkill for my purposes.

 

When I finish shopping, I can either “delete” the grocery items or “uncheck all” to repopulate next week’s list.  Pantry items deleted from the grocery list remain on the pantry list for reuse.

Another feature is that the list can be shared with other people.  Overall I’m satisfied with the app.