Creating, ideas, getting and things done need to have structure. It can be simple or it can be very complex. It works best on your own terms. But most times it centers around to-do lists. To-do lists range from the simple lined sheet of paper to some complex web app that shares tasks with a whole team. Today I thought I’d share with you some to-do list options that have lots of potential depending on your work environment and your personal way of doing things.

1) Paper – One of the oldest ways of doing to-do lists is writing it down on paper. This has morphed over the years to more trendy forms of to-do lists like using a Moleskine, but all the same. Depending on your style paper can be a great way to dive into To-Do lists. If it’s something you keep with you all the time (like a moleskine) then even better.

2) Action Method – Action Method is a method (obviously) of managing a to-do list. Created by the genius’s behind the Behance network it’s designed to be used in a way that suits you best. It’s flexible and has “rules”. You can use Action method via paper products the company sells, Action Method Online, or by using one of their Action Method Apps. Either way I find this to be one of the most helpful tools out there when it comes to getting things done. This method along with their book has helped me immensely.

3) Evernote – I’ve blogged about Evernote before but another great use for it is to use it as a to-do list. If you have a smartphone, and a computer or access to the internet you can always have access to Evernote (and your to-do list). Evernote actually has great check-box lists you can make to help it feel even more like a list. Again, Evernote can do much more then this, but it’s a good option if you already spend a lot of time in it.

4) Clear – Clear is one of the most simple to-do apps that I have ever come across. I’m more of a paper person when it comes to to-do lists but I use Clear often. Because of it’s simplicity I use it for quick lists. Grocery store lists or maybe a list of errands I have to run on a Saturday. I don’t usually recommend breaking up lists between mediums but Clear is perfect for it. You can also use it for more complex lists as well. You can have categories, sublists, etc. Check it out here.

5) Orchestra T0-Do – One of the last apps that I’ve been wowed by is Orchestra. This is another app that can be used personally or with a team or really any individual for that matter. It’s got a great user interface and has some great features like “speak your to-do” and chats with other people centered around items on your list. Again, if I was going to use an app I would strongly consider this one. They also have a great web app companion to use on your computer. Check out the App and Online versions here.

There are five options for you. (In case you were looking for something like this) I’d love to hear what you use. I know there are so many options out there. What kind of struggles have you had with to-do lists? 

(Photo Props)

I normally don’t like posting videos two weeks in a row, but this video came out last week and I thought it could be a great thought or conversation starter. This is part 4 of a video series called “Everything is a Remix”. It’s a short video series on creativity and where great ideas come from. If you haven’t seen any of the earlier videos, I’d encourage you to check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

The video is a little on the longer side but it is very interesting and will go by quickly. Take a few minutes to watch this then I’ll have a couple comments on the flip side.

Ok, I’ll start off by saying the flow of logic at the beginning from Evolution to Social Evolution isn’t necessarily something I believe it, but I understand the point he is making. And I really think he is making a great point. The point isn’t that the system has failed us…(which we could have an argument on all day) the point is that it’s OUR responsibility. If the system has failed us, it’s our fault. We created and contribute to the systems.

So, my question is simple. What are you doing to take responsibility of with what you create, and with moving our culture forward? 

My favorite example of how people have been trying to help change this is in the music industry. Some of the best music (and most original) that I’ve been hearing is being made by friends and acquaintances. And guess what…most of the time they give it away for free. This is because they understand that the influence is worth more then the immediate gain.

Don’t get me wrong, money isn’t wrong and we need to learn how to make a living. Just make sure that what you are offering is greater then what you are expecting. Give more then what you take. Be responsible with your ideas, your creations, your songs, your art.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Are you giving more than what you are taking? Are we beings of “taking” or “creating”?

When engaging in the creative process and implementing ideas tools can go a long way. We all have tools at our disposal. Computers, cameras, instruments, paint, our ideas, how we teach, books, the list can go on and on.

A lot of times when we have ideas we try to spice them up with tools. What can often happen though is we lean on them to heavily to make our idea better. That’s usually not best, and others notice when you do that. Check out the video below to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

Now, obviously these guys go over the top with how to use all these tools wrong, the main focus being on the PowerPoint slide show. But, we’ve all been in that presentation, or church sermon, or concert where the person using the tools was doing it all wrong. So, here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding on that “creative element” to help your ideas sink in.

1) How does this tool help punctuate the point? – This is a serious question to ask. So often people (me included) use a tool because we think it will be cool and add a “wow” factor to what we are doing. Most times it does add that “wow” factor. But, do you want people to remember the wow or the what? Make sure you use tools that help punctuate your point.

2) What’s it going to cost you? – A second question you should ask is what’s it going to cost you? Sometimes we can come up with this crazy, out of this world idea to help support another idea. The problem is, the cost to execute that supporting idea won’t pay off. Cost can be anything from money, time, energy, anything that could take away from developing the main idea first. Again, it’s not bad to use something that will cost you, just make sure it will be worth the cost.

Just to make sure I’m clear. Using tools aren’t bad. They are actually great! The problem that we usually run into is that we use great tools to help support a not so great idea. In effect, killing the greatness of the creative tool we are using.

So, the next time you are doing that guitar solo and you add all the delay to make it sound better, work on nailing the guitar part first. Add the delay to sweeten it. Or, maybe you build a 50 slide presentation so that the crowd doesn’t look at your nervous teaching style. Slides aren’t bad, but working on the way you present will have the best results. Make sure your idea gets the attention it deserves and that your tools aren’t getting in the way.

What tools do you struggle to use well?

Welcome to my first Full Disclosure post. I gotta be honest, I got this great idea from Kevin Mahan. He did a series of posts called Full Disclosure last year that were filled with great information. I’ve been wanting to write a few posts on how I use some different tools (separate from the Best Practices posts) and thought this would be a great way to make it happen. To start, I thought I’d hit up Evernote. Evernote is an app that I’ve been learning about and implementing into my workflow more and more each day. Recently, I’ve been getting a number of questions from friends on how I use it. So, let’s jump right in!

If you don’t yet know what Evernote is, check out this quick video.

How I Use It

I really use Evernote for a quite a few things. First, I rely on it for the storage and retrieval of creative ideas. I tend to find myself in a lot of meetings where I’m trying to come up with ideas. Most of the time, meetings don’t lend themselves to creativity. On top of that, creativity can be totally random and happen whenever. What I try to do when I come across ideas I find online or ideas that pop in my head is to clip them into a creativity notebook in Evernote. I do my best to tag the note with a few words that tie into the theme of the idea. That way when I’m looking for ideas for “teaching about money”, I can just type that in and see if I have anything saved yet.

The second thing I use Evernote for is ideas and content for my blog. When I’m disciplined I take some time to schedule ahead on what I’ll be writing about. (see image below) I’ll type that up in Evernote so it’s there ready to go. Also, if I come across content or ideas that inspire a post I’ll clip them in Evernote and again tag them so they are easy to find.

A third way I use it is to take all my notes from conferences or things that have made an impact on me and scan them into Evernote. Typically, I write everything into a Moleskine, even notes when I’m at a conference or meeting with a mentor. These notes are things I want to remember. So I’ll scan them into Evernote. The cool thing about Evernote is that it searches text in images as well! So, if there is a quote from a conference I can remember but not who said it, I can type it in search and it will bring up the notes I scanned in from that person.

Those are just three quick ways I use Evernote. For the sake of keeping this short I’ll stop there for now. The key to using it well is creating a system to organize it in a way that will work for you. Use folders, tags, sub-folders, etc.

How about you? Have you ever tried Evernote? If so how do you use it? If not, what questions do you have? Let me know below!