Yesterday was IndieRelief day – a collective of software and iPhone app developers banded together to offer the proceeds of any sales of their products to Haitian relief efforts. It was super cool, and because I use a Mac, I was interested to see what was out there. Turns out I own most of the things offered, but I did pick up a cool program called Concentrate for the Mac.
Concentrate essentially asks you to list your tasks, then list the tools required for the tasks, and (perhaps) what you shouldn’t be doing with those tools during the time that you’re working on those tasks. This takes a while to get set up but it’s pretty easy. Later, you tell Concentrate “okay, I’d like to work on [insert task here].” Concentrate nods quietly, closes any open applications that are not part of the task, opens (or leaves open) all the applications you’ve said are required for the task, and then gently pokes you in the arm (via Growl notifications) if you seem to be getting off track.
I know it seems stupid, but we’re an ADHD nation, and the prospect of something that will prevent me from spinning my wheels on the web when I’m supposed to be writing was incredibly tantalizing. So far, indications are good. I dug around for a Windows version, but I really couldn’t find a suitable alternative. And, after 10 minutes, Concentrate asked me if I’d like to return to the task at hand.
Anyway, all the thinking about efficiency reminded me that I hadn’t yet suggested that people take the one step that is critical to their blogging productivity. There is a tool that will keep you writing more efficiently and consistently across all your blogs and mini-sites: a blog editor. I have always used MarsEdit, a Mac application that as far as I’m concerned has this category locked down. It’s just so easy to get rolling. It shows you a little preview as you type, lets you import and embed media (even searching Flickr for photos for you), and lots more. You’re not on the web as you’re writing, so you can close your browser (well, okay, minimize your browser) and just focus on spitting out words. Best of all, you can post to multiple blogs from one place.
Luckily, there are Windows-flavored blog editors that are quite good. The MarsEdit author recommends Windows Live Writer, which may already be on your machine as part of some sort of Windows Live Essentials doohickey. Alternatively, he has high praise for BlogJet, which is a mere $40.
Consider converting your next ten coffee drinks into a piece of software that will make you write more (and more efficiently) than all the caffeine in the world.
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