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Naomi’s Playlist: Milanote

My playlist is an eclectic collection of tools that help me approach my work as play. I love them so much, I want to share them with you!
 
 
 
Object: Seeing my work, staying on track, and setting realistic expectations.
 
What Didn’t Work: Trying to piece together to-do apps with Evernote, Google Docs, and other reference material, losing track of past thinking and having to start over again and again, digging through Google Drive or Dropbox to find that standard language that I used nearly every week, feeling absolutely frustrated because I couldn’t see my work or build connections between research, my drafts, my ideas, and other material.
 
My Aha! Moment: In my dream world, my office has a digital wall that resembles a crime board. On it, I have ideas, questions, reference materials, clues, developing theories and writing projects, all connected together with string. Since the board is digital, I can swipe between projects, link one project to another and use all kinds of reference material, including online articles and material. I can also stand back and see my developing body of work, find new connections, and build on my thinking.
Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn’t it? Except it’s not. When I stumbled across Milanote, I knew I’d found a piece of technology that would supercharge my creative process. Thoughts come and go, and our brains simply can’t keep them all in view. Milanote makes it possible to build a body of thought, and multiply our thinking. It’s honestly that good. 
 
How I Play:
  • Milanote does come in a free version, but when I decided to make the tool my window into all of my projects, I chose to go with the paid subscription. I haven’t regretting it for one moment.
  • Like a crime board, Milanote is a wide-open tool. I had to think through the organizational structure that would most help me. On my home page, I’ve included categories of my work and play, and I’ve linked boards from there.
  • I think of Milanote boards as file folders. I have some for projects, some for clients, and others to help me track my schedule. By using board links, I can create shortcuts so the link to a board can show up in multiple places.
 
Player’s Notes:
  • Since Milanote links to webpages, you can make a live link to a Google Doc. This means you can work on a doc while you’re inside Milanote. On that same board, you can see supporting material, plus instructions to yourself (think: a don’t forget checklist).
  • The column tool helps to organize related material, and the arrows and other mind-mapping tools make it possible to brainstorm, connect ideas, or define work flows.
  • Do you have a task that requires you to visit three websites to complete your work? Place links to each of those pages in a sequence on a Milanote board, along with instructions. Speed up processes by using a templated flow.
  • Milanote has a feature called “power-up,” and in this way you can transform a note into long form text. The rest of the screen dims, and you can focus on a draft of an idea, which then collapses when you are finished writing. In this way, you can quickly draft and develop ideas as you work toward placing them wherever else they belong in your workflow: InDesign, WordPress, Scrivener, or otherwise.
 
Take it to the Next Level:
  • It took me a bit of time to figure out how best to use Milanote. You have to do some structural and organizational thinking. If you’d like a shortcut, I’ve created a short video that walks through some of my boards to cast a quick vision for what’s possible. Here’s that link:

Naomi’s Playlist: Station

My playlist is an eclectic collection of tools that help me approach my work as play. I love them so much, I want to share them with you!

Object: Accessing my online tools on my desktop computer more easily.

What Didn’t Work: Trying to remember the apps I needed to open and keep tabs on, logging in and out, having tons of tabs open at the same time, taking tons of time to find my way from one tool to the one I needed next.

My Aha! Moment: I stumbled across Station accidentally, and nearly danced for joy. Imagine you could have a dashboard with all of your online tools collected in one streamlined toolbar. Then, add to that the ability to save specific windows within each of those tools. So, say on Google Drive you’re always visiting a couple pages. What if you had a tool that made saving those windows simple, and you could easily toggle between the windows you needed with no lost time navigating? Amazing, right?

Usually, I hang out with a tool for a while before I add it to my playlist, but this one is so good, I wanted to share it with you right away. If you use online apps such as Google drive, Buffer, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook Business Manager, Airtable, Slack, Evernote, (or any number of others) this app is going to rock your world.

How I Play:

  • I went through the tool list and added the tools I use often.
  • I sorted the tools on the scroll bar so that the similar ones are together, and the most used ones are at the top.
  • As I work, I’m adding pages to each tool to make navigation easier and easier as I go.

Player’s Notes:

  • The set-up process is simple, but it does require logging into everything to get started. You’ll want to make sure you’re feeling patient.
  • It’s tempting to set up everything perfectly right away. However, adding pages as you go is very easy, so I’d recommend setting your dashboard up on a basic level and then fine-tuning as you go.
  • Right now, Station is free, but I can’t imagine that it will be forever. Be an early adopter!

Take it to the Next Level:

  • Station has some tools to help you quiet notifications and can help you truly get into the zone. Play around with how you might use the tool to deepen your concentration and get deep work done. 

Naomi’s Playlist: Unstuck

My playlist is an eclectic collection of tools that help me approach my work as play. My hope is that they’ll do the same for you.
 

 
Object: Working through a stuck moment.
 
What Didn’t Work: Expecting myself to be optimistic and energetic in the midst of a stuck place. Sometimes outside perspective is needed.
 
My Aha! Moment: I discovered Unstuck when I wasn’t stuck, but I was immediately enchanted with the tool. The app takes a playful approach to diagnosing the kind of stuck moment one is in, and then provides an interactive tool to work through the challenge. What impressed me most, even more than the suggestions made, were the questions. Through engaging with the app, I made all kinds of discoveries about how I might move forward.
 
How I Play:
  1. First, I choose an area where I feel stuck.
  2. I work through the diagnostic tool to see what kind of stuck moment I’m in.
  3. Then, I use the Unstuck tool to play around with solutions.
 
Player’s Notes:
  • You’ll find that the Unstuck website has all kinds of enticing tools and ideas in addition to the app. Be careful not to get lost in all the goodness!
  • Allow your exploration to be play. The more you let go, the more you’ll gain through this process.
 
Take it to the Next Level:
 
As I’ve been reflecting on failure in the past couple weeks, I am aware that sometimes it’s difficult to admit that one is “stuck.” Keep in mind that stuck doesn’t mean you are incapable of solving your problem. The tool is helpful even if you do have additional ideas of what might be done. The more loosely you define the word “stuck” for yourself, the more benefits you’ll gain from the tool.
 

Naomi’s Playlist: Thoughtbox

 Naomi’s Playlist is an eclectic collection of tools that help me approach my work as play. My hope is that they’ll do the same for you.

thoughtbox

Object: Collecting the ideas and thoughts that pop into my mind all day.

What Didn’t Work: Remember to always have a certain notebook in hand, having ideas while driving and trying to remember them until I parked, wanting to reference links on the web or use photos or audio files to help myself remember why I had the thought in the first place.

My Aha! Moment: While on my sabbatical, I was in a rich landscape of thoughts all the time. However, I also wanted to be as physically and mentally free as possible. I didn’t want to drag a notebook around with me all the time. Evernote was another challenge, because opening it up meant looking at work and bills and real life. As a storage tool Evernote is fabulous, but as a collection tool it hindered me.

That’s when I came up with the concept of the Thoughtbox. Imagine you could carry an invisible box, or a magical, expandable bag like the one Hermione Granger carried, where you could store ideas, images, audio files, documents, and research. Even handwritten notes and drawings could be collected in this box. In order for it to work, the box would have to be flexible and ever-present.

I asked myself: What do I always have? The answer? My Apple Watch and my phone. Now, even if you don’t have a smart watch, you likely have a phone, so you can adapt this tool to fit your style and toolkit. The point is to choose a collection entry point—or, as in my case a couple entry points—with an air-tight container to catch everything you toss into your Thoughtbox.

How I Play:

  • Because I collect thoughts in so many different mediums, I use Evernote as the holding zone for my Thoughtbox. I use the tag #Thoughtbox, so all thoughts of this type end up together.
  • I’ve chosen a few appealing apps that live on my watch, phone, and iPad. These apps make collecting ideas easy and integrate well with Evernote.
  • I use Day One on my watch and phone and Noteshelf on my iPad, but there are many other apps that will work. The point is to choose apps that appeal to you, which you already use or are easy to add to your system, and which will seamlessly send material to Evernote.
  • Once a week or so, I review my Thoughtbox and pull out any ideas that need further attention right away. In general, the collection becomes an expanding record of my thinking. I access it during brainstorming sessions or when I enter my Attic looking for raw material to take into the creative process. (The Attic is one of the Writerly Play rooms, more on that here.)

Player’s Notes:

  • One reason my Thoughtbox works so well is because Day One has a recording function from the Apple Watch app. Any time I have a thought, I can tap a button, speak a thought, and the words are instantly transcribed.
  • I can also take a photo with Day One, or easily add any photo that I’ve taken on my phone to the app. When I’m out on a hike or in a museum, this allows me to take a picture and make a few quick notes.
  • I use Noteshelf on my iPad because handwritten notes and drawings are an important part of my thinking process. However, it is nearly as easy to draw or write on paper, snap a photo, and add the thought that way. Scannable is a great app for taking clean pictures with your phone for Evernote.
  • I use Evernote’s simple web clipper and app extensions to send other material into my Thoughtbox. Since Evernote is such a well-connected tool, it allows my system to grow as technology changes.

Take it to the Next Level:

  • Since I collect most of my thoughts in Day One, I can review my thoughts periodically in the app’s well-built interface. Looking over my words and images will often spark additional ideas, which I then add to the feed.
  • Day One doesn’t instantly export material to Evernote, so I do this once a week or so. The exporting session provides another chance to review my collected ideas and think them over. I take the opportunity to also look at my complete Thoughtbox in Evernote to see what I’ve collected recently from the web and from Noteshelf.
  • Since Evernote can be overwhelming to my visual-thinker’s mind, I use the presentation mode to scroll through the Thoughtbox. This way, the noise is cut out and I can see the ideas in a more compelling format.

Naomi’s Playlist: Curiosity

My playlist is an eclectic collection of tools that help me approach my work as play. Here’s another of my favorites, the Curiosity app, which sparks new ideas and connections.

Object: Making learning a regular habit with the Curiosity app.

What Didn’t Work: Trying to remember to take time daily to learn something, spending the time I might have spent learning searching for quality material, learning only about topics I sought out rather than material that might stretch beyond my comfort zone

My Aha! Moment: When I visit classrooms, I love to read the list on the board of all that’s in store for the day. As students arrive in the morning, they stop, read the list, smile over the parts of the day that appeal to them, make a face over the parts that will be a challenge, and after they’re done, they nod. The day’s work is accepted.

Honestly, I miss having a teacher lay out a learning plan for my day. Don’t get me wrong, I love the post-school freedom choose my areas of passion and focus. But I miss the richness of being introduced to ideas and topics I wouldn’t naturally seek out. Divergent thinking is an essential part of creativity. When my exploration narrows to the areas of my current expertise, I can find myself also feeling stuck.

The Curiosity app provides a few articles each day to stretch your thinking in new ways.

How I Play:

  • I have a collection of reading material apps, all organized in one folder on my phone. When I need a brain break, I open the one that appeals most at the moment. Often, I choose Curiosity because I know I’ll learn about something unexpected.
  • When I find an article I love, I pass it to Milanote, my new favorite creative thinking and note organization app. Then, I can add the information to a visual idea board that can spark future ideas or connections.

Player’s Notes:

  • I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I find an engaging (and helpful) tool like this one, I set a bunch of expectations for myself. Oooh! I think. I’ll add a reminder to my to do list and make sure to check this tool once a week. Then, I’ll truly take advantage of all of this amazing material. I went down that path at first, but when I lightened up and just let this be a fun app to check in with every once in a while, I enjoyed it a whole lot more.

Take it to the Next Level:

  • Information can easily go in one ear and out the other. If you find something that catches your attention, find ways to engage with the material. Research a little deeper, or share what you learn with someone else.

What other apps and websites stretch your thinking and spark new ideas for you? I’m always looking for excellent new tools! Share below, or tag me on Facebook or Twitter.