If you are a frequent reader of this site you will know that I have questioned at length the unproductive practices and habits that have arisen around smartphones.
With that in mind, I have decided to start a quest to discover whether or not I can boost my productivity with a Blackberry, iPhone, Android or one of the newer devices. I am going to share the process with readers, and I kicked this off with a new article over at the Stepcase Lifehack website, entitled: How I’m Getting a Smartphone, While Avoiding Crazy Habits.
I may choose not to make a purchase, by the way… find out more by reading the article.
P.S. I just made a video to help describe what I’m doing by trying to make a “smartphone decision.”
Wish me luck!
Ask the Right Question – This is not a “Choice of Smartphone” debate
In the interest of effective Time Management, lets not squander much more time here: you clearly know it is inefficient to carry around PDA, cell phone and note book and still be a slave to physically syncing with your desk/lap top, limiting your access when on the move with business, friends and family. In other words, most likely you are not in step with most around you.
All smart phones by design are small and light (though combining many devices), have basic, plus enhanced cell phone features (speakerphone, voice dialing, 3 way calling etc). Have amazing memory, storage and battery life which lasts beyond a day and include multimedia features; play and record audio/video and at least a 2 megapixel camera. However, with all those features as basic, the most important purpose of a Smartphone is instant access to the internet. With that said, you must understand that the usefulness of a smartphone is directly proportionate to your ability to effectively use the internet.
Access info from you desktop from anywhere, create and send documents and email anytime, search for anything and receive any info the web can offer (practically limitless).
With the prolific development of third party applications for these devices, with one hand you can access tools to augment organizing, planning and executing tasks. The variety of applications is vast allowing you to customize the right support for your lifestyle.
Claims of use of such a device, turning one into a tech slave or zombie are comical, that topic is one on ignorance (in the use of technology), manners & etiquette and how uncommon common sense is (driving while texting). Available now are remarkable time management applications and the best of these provide smartphone interfaces. So instead of asking what phone to buy, invest your time productively in selecting and optimizing the best applications to suit your lifestyle and mission then, based on your budget purchase one of the top 5 tried and tested picks: HTC Droid Incredible or Evo 4G black, Apple iPhone4, RIM Blackberry Bold or Nexus One using Android 2.1.
So the right question is “What apps are you using?”
Melissa — thanks for your lengthy post — it’s great to get such a well-reasoned response.
First off, I am in the envious position of not knowing what I’m missing! Carrying around my PDA/ pad and cellphone combo comes from the following habits that I’m not going to break easily:
– A paper pad is the best manual capture point I have ever used, and I would not replace it readily. It is fast, requires no batteries and can survive getting wet. Also, no-one wants to steal it! I have tried capturing to a device, and found it wanting – something the smartphone manufacturers have not yet improved, to my knowledge.
Current Habit: capture by writing to a paper pad
Possible New Habit: capture by writing to a paper pad, and getting a smartphone to merge PDA/cellphone functions.
That’s doable.
Score one for the paper + smartphone combo. (But I still think the manufacturers need to invent something better to capture with in the near future.)
As for internet access on the fly… it’s not a part of my current habit pattern. I tried an enhanced cellphone with internet access for a few weeks earlier this year and used it only twice. It’s not in my habit pattern to check email away from my computer, and I have a serious question about developing the habit.
I had a client employee who once “escalated” the fact that I hadn’t responded to her email — complaining that I was unresponsive. She didn’t know that I was on a flight, and had no smartphone.
Having no access via cell phone allows me to keep the discipline of checking email on a schedule in which I control what comes into my Inbox and at what rate. If they want to get me in a hurry, they need to call me, or text me.
I don’t know if I could maintain the same level of discipline with a smartphone — can I turn off automatic email download with a BB, or iPhone?
If I had the kind of job which forced me to be away from my desk and laptop, then I could see the need to access the internet more frequently, but at the moment I don’t have that challenge.
I think you are right about the apps. I have benefited greatly from Palm apps over time, and they have greatly helped me. What I don’t know is what apps I’d use — and I guess what you are saying is that the choice of apps would help determine the smartphone. I can think of a few that I hope they have… is there one to turn off email downloads until I ask for them?
What I don’t see yet is a clear benefit to my time management skills. Efficiency and convenience are nice, but so far there’s no big jump in bread and butter productivity for me yet, when I define it in terms of executing the 11 fundamentals of time management.
I think I’ll start to make a list of features/new habits and whether or not I classify the feature/habit as a matter of convenience, efficiency, sex-appeal or real productivity. I’ll keep it here on the blog — maybe as a separate page.
Thanks Melissa!
I really like how you are taking the time to think about why you might want a smart phone and how you want to use.
I used to always carry a paper planner. I like being able to write. What I didn’t like was trying to coordinate calendars, and I found that I my mind was so busy that I would forget about appointments even though I had them on my calendar (I’m a big ADHD).
When I went searching for the best tool for me, this is what I thought about.
1) Calendar. I wanted something to remind me of appointments. I want something I can access from anywhere. And I didn’t want duplicates.
2) Email. I worked virtually, and found that I needed to be able to access my email while on the go to ensure that I didn’t miss some important communications. I didn’t want to be tied all the time to a desktop or laptop computer.
3) Contact info. I wanted to be able to access my contact information the same as the other information mentioned.
4) I use both mac and PC, so I wanted something that would work for me.
Although not all my circumstances are the same as when I found my solution, I still want what I listed above.
My solution:
Smartphone: Palm Centro
Calendar: Google Apps Calendar, which I sync to my phone using GooSync. The phone reminds me of my appointments so I rarely miss any.
Contacts: Google Apps Contacts (synced to phone)
Email: I use the Google Apps email as my main email client (synced to phone), and I use Apple Mail to download and have a backup.
I still like to make notes, and I don’t like using my phone for that, so I have the tendency to carry an “everything book,” which is a small notebook that I use to jot down anything I need to write. If it has to be moved later, I can still do that.
What I am still missing is a good task manager. Not impressed with Google tasks at all. They are making small improvements, but I need a task manager that is more project oriented.
Regardless of what you choose, its got to fit your needs. Taking a look at how you operate, and naturally do things is important.
There is a lot of technology out there and it can be fun, but it should be value-added.
In addition, it is important to remember that the tools are for us to use. So, being aware of some of the crazy habits is another good thing.
AJ
Thanks so much for your comment — I get so much spam it’s great to get something substantial!
Is the Palm Centro still being made? I took a look at the Palm Pre some time ago, but I haven’t been able to tell whether or not it has an external keyboard available.
One of the requirements I have of a smartphone is that it allows me to type normally if I want, because I do a lot of writing and sometimes a laptop is too bulky to use.
I can’t find anyone who has analyzed the different smartphone in terms of their productive value, so this search is not an easy one. There are so many “blingy” features that are about entertainment, or the sake of killing boredom that I find myself having to get past the fluff to find what the real value-added is.
Does the Centro synch with Outlook Calendar? I use that extensively on Palm and laptop, and having them both say the same thing is critical to me. That’s a habit that I would not give up for the sake of having a smartphone, and I have some more that I am figuring out.
Let me know, if you can!
I stumbled upon your Smartphone post in Lifehacker today and was impressed with your thought process and share your concerns relative to the productivity.
I am also a hold out on purchasing an iPhone for personal use; however, I do have an employer provided Blackberry. I, too, was an avid Palm Pilot user – only giving up my m515 in favor of the Blackberry since it had phone and email access. As I cannot access personal email or websites, I quickly adjusted to using the Blackberry as my productivity tool. I use it only for managing business email on the go, business cell phone, all calendar, contacts and notes/journal entries (for reference). I try not to be rude and check emails during meetings unless I’m looking for information pertinent to the meeting. I rarely use the internet access, as I prefer to search and view web pages from my desktop which is faster and easier to read/print, etc.
The Blackberry syncs automatically/wirelessly with my business Lotus Notes. I have never used Outlook, but always liked the functionality of Palm Desktop better than Lotus Notes. Hand-written notes are a huge part of my process and success in managing my responsibilities/deliverables. I cannot imagine any Smartphone improvements that would be an adequate replacement to my notebook. While I’ve used many paper-based planners, I find a plain notebook more useful because of the volume of notes that I take.
My personal cell phone is the most basic/free version that was offered when I changed cell phone plans 3 years ago. I rarely use my personal cell now that I have the business Blackberry, so it is difficult for me to justify the added expense of an iPhone. All of my friends/colleagues who have an iPhone recommend them highly, but, as you mentioned, seem to tout the entertainment benefits rather than any productivity aspects. I agree that it would be nice to have one tool that did everything, but given that I must always carry my business Blackberry, I’ll always still have 2 phones. I should also mention that my business Blackberry also restricts the use of mms texts, downloading apps, external instant messaging, etc.
While a variety of the iPhone apps sound interesting/useful to me, I fear that they would be a novelty, and I would fail to successfully incorporate them into my regular process. I’m afraid it might all be a little overwhelming and actually reduce productivity as I try to determine which apps best suit my needs. As you perform your research in making a decision to move to a Smartphone, I would also be interested in seeing which apps you believe would offer the greatest benefits in terms of productivity.
Although I’ve been more successful than most at incorporating my PDA/Smartphone into a workable organizational/productivity system, I have always struggled with deciding the best way to manage action lists. I am a fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology, but have never been able to keep up the process (zero in-box, processing notes and managing Next Action, Projects lists, etc.) when work gets hectic and long hours are required – I don’t take the extra time necessary to perform the daily processing and Weekly Reviews. I find all the Action list categories a little overwhelming and tend to revert back to keeping hand-written to-do lists. My tendencies are consistent with those you posted on Microsoft’s Research.
I apologize for the exceedingly long post. Your blogs really “spoke to me”, and I’m anxious to see the results of your research. I welcome any advice you have regarding the unique (& not-so-unique) problems that I detailed above. You’ve done some great work, and I appreciate you making it available on the web.
Larayej, thanks for the thoughtful comments. I have been getting some intriguing feedback on this topic, and it does appear that you and I aren’t alone in trying to answer the question — how should a smartphone add to our productivity? (vs. our entertainment, distractions, convenience, etc.)
I hate to say that there are very few people asking these questions, so I really appreciate your feedback.
It sounds like your Blackberry is blocked from personal email and websites? I guess that’s one way to cut out certain habits that might not add value — simply ban them from the device. The problem is that the company has to be perfect in it’s banning skill in order to not make the mistake of banning something like YouTube, which is carrying more and more business content.
Interesting that you rarely use the BB to search the internet. I think that my laptop would suffice in most situations also.
Do you use the BB with Palm Desktop?
Quick question about your notes — what happens after you take them? Do they make their way from paper into your computer via a scanner? Would you ever be able to use something like a tablet?
Re: Apps — I’m wondering if I can even make a decent decision about apps before buying the smartphone. At the moment, the iPhone apps seem to be more creative, while those on BB seem to be more business-oriented. Certainly, there’s not a single site that I can find that makes recommendations about productivity apps for different smartphones. Actually, I can’t find a site on which anyone is even addressing the topic, other than mine — kinda lonely out here.
I think there are very few people who implement all of GTD or any other static system in their entirety. The vast majority pick and choose — I have tried to craft 2Time into a place that supports the silent majority in picking and choosing from all the great stuff out there in a way that makes sense. That’s why, if I end up buying Blackberry Bold, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the device, but I would suggest that they follow whatever steps I come up with.
It’s tricky to research these device from the point of view of a non-user, but in the future there will be more and more smartphones on the market and lots more people will be looking for some help to make a good decision.
Your post wasn’t long at ALL! I hope you have time to answer the questions I asked.
Hi Francis,
Thank you for the quick, thoughtful response. You are correct that very few people are asking these questions, but it has been my observation that most people are not concerned about the productivity aspect. Over 10 years ago, my company issued Palm Pilots (Palm V) to key managers, and I would say that 98% of the devices ended up in desk drawers after a few months when the novelty wore off (Franklin Planners had a similar fate in the years prior). It takes a lot of discipline, as well as trial and error, to incorporate a PDA into your process (I mastered the stylus/graffiti and believe that was faster than a BB keypad). More managers are using their company issued Blackberries, but most use them primarily for checking email. Because these managers never relied on a PDA prior to receiving their Blackberries, they didn’t really have the same requirements/expectations that we have relative to productivity.
In response to your questions:
• Yes, my company blocks personal email and websites from desktops and Blackberries. YouTube is most definitely one of the blocked sites.
• No, I do not use my BB with Palm Desktop. I use it in conjunction with Lotus Notes.
• In terms of the notes that I take, I keep them in spiral notebooks by date in a desk drawer. I do not scan or maintain any of these notes electronically, other than reference data that I’ve culled out and compiled in various places. I have wondered about using a tablet for taking notes, and would like to try an iPad for that purpose, but am not sure I could switch to it full-time. Even if I can master note taking on a tablet, I have concerns about it being charged, etc.
I agree with your assessment of apps. In an effort to make my Smartphone decision, I have also performed extensive searches for information on apps to enhance productivity and found very little useful information. As you mentioned, being a non-user complicates the matter especially since apps sound great in theory, but don’t always perform as expected or don’t make into my regular process.
Your approach to picking and choosing what makes sense is great. This is actually how I’ve come up with most of my system, but as I stated, in years of trial and error, I have yet to come up with a consistently successful method for the action items. Trying to do too much and desire for perfection play heavily into my failure in this aspect, but I haven’t given up yet!
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts . . .I’ll be looking for your updates!