Hello Everyone,
Since lots of new members looking for how to utilize OF and how to implement it in ones life. Also you guys sometime have great ideas in having more efficient life and more productivity. Beside using context and perspectives in a creative way. Lets all share a screen of how we use omnifocus, what contexts we use or how we divide our project/folders and prespectives. Although it’s going to be different for each person, it could give all new members or even experienced ones a great deal of new ideas. Me too.
Another resource that showcases different workflows. Their eBook also highlights the two main authors’ OmniFocus setup and workflow.
Both ebooks are being updated and probably will be released within the next couple of months. The basic concepts remain the same. The screenshots will probably need updating but the core ideas will work in OF2.
I did get an e-mail from Asian Efficiency that says they will release incremental updates instead of waiting several months for one big update. We’ll probably see updates screenshots and contributions from other people about how they use OmniFocus.
Dr. Dini’s book, Creating Flow with OmniFocus, did get this blog post about updating his book to OF2.
Also, the same @timstringer mentioned above by @wilsonng, has more recently launched an awesome new website, perfectly named after this exact purpose: www.LearnOmnifocus.com
Also don’t be afraid to try a setup and change it over time. I’ve incorported lots of good tips from the forums but discarded ones that I wasn’t using. The key is to do the Review step which gives you a chance to see how you may have missed something and how a particular organization is not that helpful.
Asian Efficiency has been releasing updates on their web site for folks who bought their OmniFocus Premium Posts. I just got an e-mail that linked me to the customer section of the Asian Efficiency web site. I logged in and I was happy to see a lot of updated sections available to folks who bought OmniFocus Premium Posts. It has a sample workflow with a series showing how to create a workflow. They called it FPE (Forecast, Planning, Execution.) This chain-links your calendar (forecast), project and folder planning/reviewing, and then finally execution.
From what I’ve seen, you’ll get to see and early look at the OmniFocus Premium Posts version 2. After all the sections and chapters are done, a proper ePub and PDF should be released thereafter.
I gotta say… It’s looking good. I’m curious to see what Dr. Dini will come up with if he is going to update his book. But a lot of stuff in his book in its current form still translates well into an OF2 workflow.
Asian Efficiency. This is a website I can’t like. Way too much forcing me to buy their products and share their profits. Are their (so-called) premium posts really worth?
Sometimes, you have to invest in yourself to get the benefits. You have to buy a car or get a transit pass to get to where you’re going if you commute a lot. If you need a skill, you have to invest in yourself by taking classes online or at a college. A chef’s journey gets easier when he takes culinary classes.
I used to think the same way with Lynda.com. Why should I buy a monthly membership when I can figure things out on my own by burning up a lot nights hunting for all those blog posts about OmniFocus, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Photoshop, or whatever software I’m curious about? Lynda.com made it easier for me to learn new skills. I think the same applies with “OmniFocus Premium Posts” and “Creating Flow with OmniFocus.”
I think it was an investment worth paying for. The OmniFocus Premium Posts and Creating Flow with OmniFocus were definitely worthwhile investments that gave me a poser boost to OmniFocus mastery.
Asian Efficiency also had a lot of free blog posts for you to rummage through. So, they weren’t always “forcing” anything.
If there is a skill worth acquiring, you need to find the resources to develop that skill. It could be a book you found at the bookstore or Amazon, a video training series on Lynda.com or taking a class at the community college. Sure, you can find things free with Google. But it takes time to gather it all up. You’re trading your time away to acquire new skills going through “free” route. It makes life easier when a resource is presented to you as a product.
I know this thread was started with the idea of trying to get ideas from various users about their workflow. It’s been a few weeks since it started and we’re getting small dribbles of links. going the free route is like squeezing water out of a rock. Save yourself the time because someone else put a lot of work into these resources and wanted to present these books as a viable product.
So far, Dr. Dini’s book and Asian Efficiency’s book seems like the two most highlighted products to help improve OmniFocus mastery. Read these third party reviews:
And it is nice to know it worked for you. I’ve read Creating Flow and like the approaches of both Using OF (Kourosh Dini’s) and the new Learn OF (Tim Stringer’s).
AE, on the other hand goes beyond my limits of forcing things. And I really dislike their pyramid-like schema of trying to me to convince others** even before I have the chance to taste their product. But that’s just me, and probably too off-topic for this thread. Happy to continue on other section, or privately.
In any case, thank you very much for sharing your experience ;-)
** if they offer me 30% of their price tag to refer other people, that alone means their price tag is high.
A pyramid scheme would imply that I’m also sharing in the profits and getting a cut. I have no affiliation with Asian Efficiency except for buying a few of their products and enjoying them. I don’t get a cut of anything.
The free OmniFocus blog posts at Asian Efficiency is the chance to taste their product. If the quality of the free posts are to your liking, then the final product would be worth the price.
The free blog posts on Dr. Dini’s web site also gives us a small taste and just a teaser for what is really in Creating Flow. And this book is also excellent.
You asked what some folks thought of OmniFocus Premium Posts. Read the reviews of some well respected bloggers that was linked in prior thread.
I did read the post from Mike Vardy and had a similar chat with him when he wrote that post. Did not know Schechter had written about it, even though it’s not a review. And now, went through your link at Linkedin. Thanks for sharing ;-)
I did not want to imply you had a cut of anything. But you can have if you want, by sharing an affiliate link. And that’s what I meant.
Nothing wrong with affiliate links. What I don’t like is their approach and the fact that they offer a big chunk of their margin, meaning the product really has a steep price — not only because of its value but also to accommodate this sharing schema.
I understand the annoyance of affiliate links. But that’s just a part of life. Despite the high price of the OmniFocus Premium Posts, I thought it was worth the amount I paid for it.
Some folks still argue the high price of OmniFocus 2. But the return on investment depends on how much you want to put into it.
When I bought both ebooks, I thought of it as paying for an appointment with a consultant/expert in the field and walking away with a notebook full of information to take home. I know I (and my insurance company) pays dearly for a every doctor’s appointment I have for my family.
Rather disingenuous to sneak one in while purporting to be an unbiased observer.
As an aside: I’ve read quite a few posts that you wrote on this forum and I tend to agree with most of them (or, alternatively, they have been argued in a convincing way). However, this, I have to disagree with.
Certainly off-topic. Probably better to take this to the Meta section of the forums. Advertising is just a part of life. We are all constantly bombarded with advertising. Whether it’s in gMail, Google search, listening to ads on podcasts (this podcast brought to you by OmniGroup featuring OmniFocus and OmniOutliner), ads in free iOS apps (which can be removed with an in-app purchase), Facebook advertisement, etc.
Another example of affiliate marketing is in podcasts. You’ll hear the host say “support the podcast by clicking on the Amazon banner link.” You’ll also hear “go to our home page and click on the link. This will take you to our link. You can type in the coupon code mypodcastaugust and save 10% off your purchases. You’ll be helping by supporting our podcast.”
We do have the choice to not click on the link.
I can understand the perception that the product may be expensive. But a lot of people complain that OF2 Standard and OF2 Pro is expensive. Value is so personal that it’s hard to say what is expensive to one person may be totally worth it to another.
As a business, how would one spread the word about a product? Advertising is just a part of every day life. It’s on television, on DVDs, in our newspapers, and web sites. Sorry, not trying to be “disingenuous.”
