Good tips on going paperless

Reader Story: Connected And Synchronized

by on July 26, 2011 in Reader Stories

This post is part of the paperless stories feature at DocumentSnap. Some stories are from readers that have successfully gone paperless, some are still going through it. Would you like to share your story too?

Today’s featured DocumentSnap reader is John Kendrick.

Synchronize Everything

One of my long-time goals was to become paperless in my business and personal life. I spent a lot of time traveling and got tired of lugging papers and a laptop back and forth across the country. The purpose of having a PIM on my laptop and my mobile devices is to remain connected and synched 24/7. I never want to be without my personal or client information and my GTD task lists.

While my digital set-up is explained below, the real defining moment came last year when I purchased a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner and its related software, which is a wonderful capture device, and much better than my HP 3 in 1 printer/scanner/fax machine. The ScanSnap is the final link in my paperless chain. I scan all paper documents (invoices, checks, contracts, etc. for all my clients) to either Evernote, to my task list, or to a subdirectory on my laptop.

The ScanSnap scanner itself and the included software tools couldn’t be easier to use. I did purchase The Unofficial ScanSnap Guide and found the information contained in the book made my workflow even more efficient.

The following set up keeps me all synched up and ready to address practically anything anytime, and answer any question anytime. Further, these devices allow me to have a method to record (either typing or voice recording) tasks close at hand all the time (phone and/or iPad). As a result I have no need for paper and I only need a pen to sign the occasional check that I don’t send through electronic banking.

The table below shows what software I use on which device. The footnotes below the table explain a bit more about the software and synching.

ScanSnap Capture Workflow

  1. I use Toodledo to synch tasks and notes between the laptop, iPad and iPhone. I’ve used the Getting Things Done methodology for about 10 years now.
  2. Calendar and contacts are synched between the laptop, iPad and iPhone using the Apple tether/powercord using iTunes. iTunes does not synch tasks, so I must use Toodledo.
  3. Note Taker HD on the iPad/iPhone allows me to annotate PDF documents, which comes very handy in my line of work. This app also lets me take a quick note using my finger as a pen.
  4. I use SugarSync because once I upload a file (or a directory with files in it) to SugarSync, updates from any device are automatically saved to SugarSync and no further synching action is required on my part.
  5. I also back up locally using a portable hard drive.

The synching of Outlook to the mobile devices is not the handiest, although I’m sure someone will come up with a method to synch all of Outlook’s various functions in the cloud. The two step synching process aside, I have more trouble via iTunes synching than with Toodledo. But I never have to re-record anything from one device to another.

I purchased annual subscriptions to Toodledo and Evernote. SugarSync is free for now as I have not exceeded their 5 GB’s of free storage. The annual subscriptions were purchased as I want to be able to fully synchronize all data, and don’t want to be constrained by the limited features of free software.

I’ve been a long-time user of Adobe Acrobat and scan /assemble many documents using this software tool. Anything I get in paper, gets scanned almost immediately using my ScanSnap.

I have no selling or ownership interest in any of the hardware or software companies named above. My goal is to throw away paper, pens, and pencils. For the first time ever, these devices and the related software finally get me virtually there.

Thanks John, I love how you have all the pieces of the puzzle working together. Very cool.

If you have questions for John, leave a comment and I will try to get them answered.

 

via documentsnap.com

 

Google+ iPhone App: 5 Things You Need to Know (very good article)

Almost a month after Google announced its new social network, the Google+ iPhone app is finally available in the iTunes App Store. Those who downloaded the app Tuesday when it first went live complained of a litany of bugs. Google has since released an update, fixing many of the errors.

The Google+ iPhone app is impressive--it has a fairly intuitive interface, a clean design and a few cool features unique to the mobile version. And while any iPhone user can download it now, only users with Google+ invitations can currently use it.

Here's a look at five things you should know about the Google+ iPhone app, from changing your location settings to uploading photos, and a few tips to help you along the way.

1. View Your Google+ Stream Three Ways

When you open the Google+ iPhone app, the home screen displays five features: your stream of updates; Huddle, the feature that lets you chat among your circles; photos; your profile; and your circles. Tap "Stream" to access three views of updates.

The first view of your stream includes updates only from Google+ users in your circles. Visually, it looks a lot like Facebook's iPhone app with the user's photo next to their update, an excerpt from a link they attached and comments from other Google+ users.

[10 Google+ Tips for Beginners]

Swiping your finger across the screen from right to left will change the view of your stream to something unique to the Google+ iPhone app: incoming messages from people near your current location.

Swiping your finger once more from right to left will change the stream view to "Incoming," which includes posts from everyone who has put you in a circle.

2. Google+ Check-Ins

At the top right of the app you'll see two icons: a checkmark and a pencil. Tap the checkmark to load a list of locations near you and check in.

By default, check-in privacy is set so only those in your circles can view it. You can change this by tapping the "Your circles" bar. You can also attach a photo from your camera or take a picture.

[Google+ Privacy: 5 Settings You Need to Know]

Unlike Foursquare or Facebook check-ins, there are no deals attached to checking in, though it's likely that feature will come soon. Clicking on a location from the mobile app will load the corresponding Google Places page.

3. Remove Your Location from Google+ Updates

While the Google+ iPhone app may limit your location to only your circles, by default, all your mobile updates will include roughly where you are. Here's how to remove your location: Click the pencil icon in the top right to create a new post. Your location is listed just above the camera icon on the bottom. Click the X next to it. This bar will now read "No location attached."

There does not seem to be individual settings for the Google+ iPhone app, which means if you never want your location attached to an update, you will need to turn it off every time.

4. Comment On, +1 and Mute Google+ Posts

One part of the Google+ iPhone app that needs tweaking is the interaction with posts in your streams. Unlike Facebook's iPhone app, there are no buttons within your streams that let you comment on, +1 or mute someone's post. Instead, you need to tap the individual's post, which will take to you a new page, in order to comment.

[5 Google+ Tips for Advanced Users]

This new page includes a +1 button at the top, as well as a drop-down menu at the bottom with options to mute or report the post. One big feature that is missing: the ability to share posts from within the app.

5. Uploading Photos to Google+

While you can attach photos to any update, you can also upload ones individually or in bulk via the Photos button on your Google+ home screen. One cool feature: Your photos homepage displays four albums ("From your circles," "Photos of you," "Your albums," and "From your phone) and flashes the images in a slideshow you can view from this screen.

The Google+ iPhone app makes uploading pictures from your phone particularly easy. Tap the album "From your phone." This will load all the photos you have stored on your iPhone. Then tap the individual pictures to select them and click Share.

[Google+ Tip: How to Cross-Post Updates to Facebook, Twitter]

For a first release, the Google+ iPhone app is pretty solid. It's still early to see how the group chat feature, Huddle, will take off, but as Google+ opens the flood gates to more users, this is likely to become a popular element.

Very good article on the newest Google+ app for iPhone, tips on using it, links *from* this site to more help with learning how to use Google+, including what privacy settings to use.