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Version 1.01
For more seasoned Nozbe users, the second excerpt from Chapter 4 -
Introduction Workflows that Work, will show you how I use Nozbe effectively
and efficiently.
The lite book of Nozbe Of course, there is a lot more to the full book!
Chapter 2 - External Apps. How to use Nozbe with apps like Email,
Evernote, Google Calendar and Cloud Storage Providers like Dropbox /
Google Drive / Box.
The obvious goal of an e-book excerpt is to give you, the reader, a Chapter 4 - Workflows That Work. Now you have the Nozbe ba-
taste of what the full book holds. This usually equates to the first few sics under control and all of your external apps integrated, its time to
pages of content, as an author hopes it’s enough to impress you to push on! This chapter will help you enhance your Nozbe setup with
buy the full version. clever workflows, tips and setups.
However, for me, that offers no real value for the reader. I’d like to of- Chapter 5 - Final Words, recaps on the important points of the book
fer a little more. So, this is a larger than usual excerpt to give you a and offers you some more valuable Nozbe resources.
real taste of the full version.
Head over to ProductiveWizard.com to read more, purchase the full
If you are a new Nozbe user, the first excerpt from Chapter 1 - The version and ultimately, learn to use Nozbe like a Pro!
Nozbe Basics, contains three key sections to help you on your Nozbe
journey.
i
Next came the Web and mobile devices. The number of solutions
Foreword grew again, many apps appeared offering task management from any
internet connected device. Your tasks are now stored in the cloud, us-
ing 4G connected smartphones and tablets, syncing to the same data
held on our desktops and laptops.
Eventually, everyone needs to place their flag in the sand and commit
to one of the many productivity products available. I chose Nozbe as
my productivity tool as it’s available on numerous devices with features
rich enough to cope with whatever I throw at it.
Nozbe, for me, is the most universal productivity tool of the last few
GTD (Getting Things Done), TRO (Total Relaxed Organization), ZTD years.
(Zen To Done) and MYN (Master Your Now) are just a few of the pro-
There are no right or wrong ways to use Nozbe. The only measure of
ductivity systems that have appeared over the last few years. Each
your Nozbe system is how it helps you achieve the results you want.
one teaches you workflows and strategies to help you keep on top of
With that in mind I present my own take on achieving ‘Nozbe’
your tasks. The one thing they all have in common is that they require
a trusted system to keep track of all of your tasks and Projects. “to BE Naturally OrganiZed” – N-OZ-BE
It all started with humble pen and paper, the original ubiquitous pro-
ductivity tool. As technology moved forward software was developed
to replace analog tools. Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook were two of
“If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has
the first mass market corporate applications that included task manage-
ment. your attention, it will take more of your attention than
it deserves.” - David Allen, Getting Things Done
Then came the rise of portable devices - the Pocket PC and Palm pilots
of this world that allowed you to plug your device into your PC and
sync your tasks when you reached home or office.
ii
If you do find any problems, please let me know at
Notes to the reader marcus@productivewizard.com so I can make changes for future read-
ers or anyone that downloads an updated copy.
I will endeavor to update this guide with any major Nozbe changes as
Both books are software application agnostic, and the principles they
they happen, but there may be a period where the Nozbe applications
teach can easily be applied within Nozbe.
outpace my ability to update the guide.
iii
Copyright
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorised re-
print or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechani-
cal, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / pub-
lisher.
iv
New to Nozbe?
Nozbe is a way for you to store and organize everything you have to
do, and want to do, in your life. By following the steps in this book,
you can have greater peace of mind.
The main principle is Nozbe will remember all of your tasks for you so
you don't have to. Think about everything you have to do in your life
right now. Work things, Family things, things to do at Home, booking
that vacation: Everything you need to do that’s in your head right
now can be stored in Nozbe.
Still confused? Don’t worry, the first chapter covers the Nozbe basics.
C HAPTER 1
The Nozbe
basics
This first chapter will show you the key areas within Nozbe that will
keep you on top of your tasks. The objective is to describe and setup a
simple Nozbe task management system that will help you get things
done.
We will cover the Inbox, Projects, Categories and how to process your
tasks. Lastly we will cover some slightly more advanced features under
the title of 'Extra bits' where we cover Comments, Attachments and a
few other parts of Nozbe.
This chapter is all you need to setup a very robust and simple produc-
tivity system. However, this is only scratching the surface of the power
of Nozbe.
The Nozbe Screen Layout
By design, all of the Nozbe apps including mobile, ‘feel’ the same. Each format is responsive, showing you details only when you need them and
adapting to your window size. The screen can be divided into five main sections, which is how I will refer to them in this book.
All of your Projects or Categories Your main task list Task detail Filter/Sort
Project attachments
7
S ECTION 1 Periodically you process (empty) your Nozbe Inbox of tasks, either
completing them, or if you can’t complete them right away, moving
Inbox
them into Project lists or converting them into Projects themselves.
You will find that it is easy and fast to enter tasks into the Nozbe In-
All good task management systems use an Inbox: a place where you box. But consider this advance tip. If you already have a Project list
log any tasks or project ideas that you have as soon as they come to (see the next chapter), you can actually bypass the Nozbe Inbox and
mind. enter tasks directly into your Project.
8
Creating a new task Quick add (Web and Desktop)
Getting a task or future project idea It’s also possible to enter a Nozbe task using the keyboard shortcut
into your Nozbe Inbox is very straight- SPACE. Wherever you are within the Nozbe Desktop (Windows or
forward. Linux) or Web app you can press SPACE and the quick add window will
appear. Just type the task and press Enter.
Within the Nozbe application first select
your Nozbe Inbox. This view will show
you any existing tasks already in your
Inbox.
The task entry box will appear at top of the Nozbe window. You can
now enter your task name and press Enter.
Any tasks you enter here will be stored in your Inbox until you move
them to a Project list or complete them.
9
Quick add task (Mac)
If you use the Nozbe Mac application there is a special global hotkey
combo that will bring up a quick entry box to allow you to enter a task.
Even if you are not in the Nozbe application, you only need to have
the Nozbe application running in the dock for this to work.
First, make sure the desktop Nozbe application has been started. It
can be minimized to the dock, but needs to be running.
Whenever you need to add a task to Nozbe use ‘Ctrl + ⌘ (Cmd) + t’.
A task entry box will appear on your screen where you can enter the
task.
10
With each letter you type the auto complete list of your choices ap-
The power of the # pears and decreases in size, narrowing down its search of your exist-
ing Projects, Categories and other available parameters.
So far, all of your tasks entered using any of the above methods will
appear in your Inbox for you to process into Project lists and assign
Categories later. It is possible to process any task as you enter it using
the # to assign Projects, Categories or other Nozbe parameters.
Having an understanding of this from the start will help you master
Nozbe much quicker.
Once you have setup some Projects (next section) and Categories (Sec-
tion 3) you can use the # when entering tasks using any of the meth-
ods covered earlier.
11
Remember that it’s possible to chain more than one of these # actions
to fully populate your tasks details. Just type another # and add the More Nozbe # Parameters
next detail if needed.
Once you have added as many # parameters as needed, press enter Your Projects and Categories are not the only thing you can add using
to create the task. If you specified a Nozbe Project using a # your this # method when entering your tasks.
Task will be created directly in the Project, bypassing the Inbox. One
less task to process later! It is also possible to add a number of Nozbe parameters to your tasks
including Due Dates, time to complete and even if the task should re-
peat.
Time to Complete #1 h
With a small amount of practice it becomes a very efficient way to as- Due day #Sunday
sign your tasks Projects, Categories, Comments and Nozbe parameters
Due Month (defaults first day of Month) #October
right from the task creation box, removing the need to process your
Inbox at all. (Section 4 covers processing of tasks) Recurrence #every week
Later sections will cover all of these parameters in detail. For now the
objective is to bring the # to your awareness. Using it just to assign
Projects, Categories and comments alone can be a huge time saver.
12
B ONUS MATERIAL !
13
S ECTION 2 Projects can be given the Nozbe Label ‘Personal’. They are just an ex-
tra layer of organization you can apply to your Nozbe Project structure.
Projects and
Labels
A project in its most simplistic terms
within GTD principles is ‘an outcome
that needs two or more actions to Project Tips
complete’
14
Give your Project a
Creating a new Project meaningful name, keep-
ing the name short but
using something you will
For every task that you create, you need a be able to associate with
place to store it. Project Lists are a way to in the future.
store related tasks so they stay together.
You may ask why keep the Project names short? The main reason is
that makes things easier once we start emailing tasks directly into a
2) Using Project lists as a way Nozbe Project in Chapter 2.
of grouping related tasks together into a
more basic list. For example, Project If you want to elaborate on the project and what you hope to accom-
Lists called ‘Music to listen to’ , ‘Bills to plish by completing it, use project descriptions.
pay’ or ‘Household tasks’ can also be
used.
15
Add a Project Description Project Labels
Adding a description to a Project is a great way to add extra detail de- You can add one or more Labels to each of your Nozbe Projects. This
scribing the purpose of the Project list. This should allow you to keep Label can be used in a number of ways. The most basic place to start
the Project name shorter. is to Label Projects based on your 'life areas', or your personal and
professional/work life. Just using these two Labels can help you shift
Describe the intended outcome of the project or what purpose the list your mind between your life areas when reviewing your Projects.
serves. It could help in the future to remind you why you created the
project if you end up with many Projects. Let’s imagine you have 20 Project lists,
some work based and some personal. If
It’s not mandatory to use project descriptions, but they can be useful you Label each Project appropriately,
when you want to come back to a given project after a while of inactiv- you can filter your Project lists by Label
ity. very easily to only display your work
Projects when at work.
16
To add a Label to a Project, click on the Project information icon and
select Labels. Color Code your Projects
From here you can assign
your Project list to an existing A useful feature within Nozbe is the ability to color code your Project
Label or click the NEW but- lists to help organize them.
ton and create a new one.
You can set and change the color of your
Are you just starting out with Project folders by selecting the Project
Nozbe? You might want to folder from the project list and pressing
start with only a few Labels. the Info icon to open the Project info
You can always add more La- tab.
b e l s w h e n yo u r P r o j e c t
grows. A selection of project colors is then acces-
sible.
I strive for a simple life and
my Nozbe setup echoes this. It’s 100% up to
I currently only use a small you how to
number of Labels, but I add color code your
and remove more depending on what’s happening in my life. Projects. You
could color
• Work code a group
of related Pro-
• Personal
jects together
• Client names my work revolves around. by using the
same color or
• Vacations (3 next year, I hope!) perhaps by importance (Red = Impor-
tant, Green = No rush)
• Web_Projects
17
Sort Projects - Desktop Sort Projects - Mobile
You can sort your list of Projects by simply dragging and dropping With mobile devices, you are not
them in the Project list on the desktop or Web app. Arrange them in able to drag Projects into a new sort
an order that makes sense to you. For example: put the most impor- order directly from the Project list.
tant or most used projects at the top. First you need to be in Edit mode.
18
The task capture window will stay open, allowing you to quickly type
Add a task to a Project the next task if you want to add more than one task to this Project
This can be really useful if you have a number of tasks you want to en-
Now that you have some Project lists, you can start storing any rele- ter that all belong in the same Project - rapid entry as you get every-
vant tasks within them. In ‘Section 4 - Processing’ we will process any thing relating to that Project list out of your head!
tasks in your Nozbe Inbox into Project lists. However you may find
yourself in a Project list and want to add a task directly to this list.
If you select an existing Project from your Project list and then use the
task add + button in the lower right part of the screen, a task capture
window inside that Project list will appear and you can type your task,
then press enter.
19
Top or Bottom of your List? Complete a Project
Some project tasks may need to be completed in a specific order or Some of your Nozbe Projects will have a defined end point. The Birth-
you may prefer newer Tasks to appear at the bottom of your Project day party has been thrown, the end-of-year reviews have been com-
list. Nozbe allows you to choose where your task is created - at the top pleted or the garage has been cleaned! You will have completed each
or bottom of your list. individual task in your Project list and you now need to remove it from
your Nozbe Project list and bask in your glory!
You may have noticed a green arrow on the task entry bar when enter-
ing tasks, this shows you where the new task will be entered on the Click the Project info button and look towards the bottom of the Pro-
list. ject info bar for the Complete Project button.
The top -
Or the bottom -
Type the task name, then click the Arrow in the task entry window to
toggle between the top or bottom of your list. Your choice is remem-
bered for the next task entry.
You can still drag tasks into a different order on the desktop/web ver-
sions if you think a task should be between existing tasks.
20
Clicking this will launch a popup window asking if you want to move
this Project to completed Projects? Restore Projects
Once you have completed a pro-
ject successfully, you might be
asked to complete a similar pro-
ject again - a victim of your
Clicking YES will mark your Project complete and move the whole Pro-
own success! Rather than build
ject, all of its completed and uncompleted tasks and Project attach-
a new project with all the same
ments to a hidden part of Nozbe where your completed Projects are
tasks you could use a Project
stored. NOTE: They are not deleted!
Template. (Section 5)
21
To restore that Project, just press the Restore Project button and the
Project. Its tasks and attachments will be moved from ‘completed Pro-
jects’ to your ‘active Projects’ list.
In a similar fashion to the ‘Show Completed’ Projects, you can click the
‘Show Completed’ tasks box in the task list window to reveal all of the
tasks in that Project. You can then un-tick the tasks to make them in-
complete again and they will show up on your restored Project list
ready to be worked on again.
The individual state of each task at the time you completed the Project
will also be restored. Any completed tasks will still be completed and
not visible at first.
22
Project Search Delete a Project
After using Nozbe for some time you will probably end up with a lot of If you really have no more use for
completed and active Projects. Finding a specific Project can be a little one of your Projects, you can perma-
painful if you have to scroll through a long long list of Projects. nently delete it from the Project info
bar by clicking the the Trash Can
At the top of your Pro- icon.
ject list there is a search
box. This search will Select yes if you are sure you want
only search your Project to PERMANENTLY delete that Project
list names not your and all the tasks contained within it.
tasks. As you type, the
search will reduce the
list to only Projects with
the search value.
C AUTION
It is also possible to
search completed Pro- Deleting a Nozbe Project is irreversi-
jects. ble. Your Project cannot be recov-
ered. All tasks, comments and attach-
Click the ‘Show Com-
ments stored in Nozbe are gone.
pleted’ Projects button
Scary stuff!
before you begin your
search to list all of your The old version of Nozbe gave you a
Projects. Then type your search query into the search box to find your fairly good warning of the severity of
results. your actions....
23
S ECTION 3
Have you ever wondered why some old school GTD’ers
24
Each Nozbe task you create can be assigned a Category/Context. It It’s perfectly feasible to use Nozbe without using Categories, but you
could describe what tool, place or person you need access to in order miss a lot of extra functionality.
to complete that task, or help group tasks together that share some-
thing in common.
Examples;
Example Categories
Home School
Work Church
Computer Agenda (A specific person)
Supermarket Waiting For
Phone Read/Review
Errands Team
Email Garage
25
Creating a New Category Category, Icons and Color
Adding a new Category is very simi- Once your Category has a name,
lar to adding a new Project. Select you can assign it an individual icon
the Category view in the left panel and a color, which is a useful visual
and then select the + icon. prompt.
A new text entry box appears at the In the Category list, select the Cate-
top of the existing list of Categories. gory you want to change, click the
Type the name of your new Cate- information icon and a new panel
gory. will open.
It will appear towards the bottom of Click the gear icon and
your list and may be slightly greyed you can edit the name
out to indicate there are no tasks of your Category by
assigned within this Category. pressing the Edit button.
26
Delete a Category Rename a Category
There are two ways to delete a Category. Using the edit command in You may wish to rename an existing Category, to correct an error. Se-
the Category list view, select one or more Categories and press delete. lect the Category you want to change in the left panel, click the info
Alternatively, the Remove Category button in the information view will icon then press the Edit button to rename.
remove the Category you are currently viewing.
27
S ECTION 4
Inbox Processing
We are now at stage where all of the ground work is done. We have
an Inbox with some tasks, some Projects lists and some Categories. Inbox Processing Tips
The next step is to process each task into a relevant Project and assign
a Category if needed. 1. Process your Inbox to zero everyday. Your
The important takeaway from this section is very simple. You should
tasks should not live in your Inbox.
not leave all of your tasks in one long list in your Inbox. The idea is to
2. If the task takes 2 minutes or less, DO IT
move (process) all of your tasks from the Inbox to somewhere more
logical (a Project list). You will enter some extra details for each task, NOW rather than log it into Nozbe if possible.
and it is these details that elevate your basic task list into a full produc-
3. Assign Contexts to each task from your Inbox.
tivity system.
4. Estimate the amount of time a task will take if
Each task will have some or all of the following information assigned to
it: Project, Category, Time needed, Due Date, if the task repeats and applicable.
who should complete it for shared Projects. Not every task will have a
Due Date and you may find it impractical to assign Time needed to
5. Assign a Due Date if needed.
every task. You may not even use a Category on every task but at a
6. Mark any Priority tasks with a star.
minimum to be effective you must move a task to a Project list.
7. Assign the task to a Project last.
28
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
29
S ECTION 5
These are the basic cornerstones of many productivity based systems 1. Converting a recurring Project into a
but there are a number of other options and features within Nozbe we Template is a great timesaver for any Projects that
can utilize to make Nozbe even more powerful. reoccur.
30
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
31
C HAPTER 2
External Apps
One of Nozbe’s stand out features has always been its ability to inter-
act with a number of external applications: Evernote, Google Calendar,
Email, Dropbox and others.
Guidelines
Email. Love it or hate it there’s no escaping from it. For many people
email seems to be the number one way they receive requests (tasks 1. If an email is actionable and will take more
and Projects) from colleagues and customers. Thankfully Nozbe makes
than 2 minutes to complete, forward it to your
it really easy to ensure none of these tasks slip through any gaps.
Nozbe Inbox to complete at a later date.
A simple setup needs to be completed to create a unique Nozbe email
address that you can email your tasks to. 2. Do not use your email system to track what
needs to be done. Forward things to Nozbe to
Once completed, you can work through your email Inbox and forward
any emails that could be task based directly into Nozbe. Things like a
track them better.
single task, a project idea or a document you must read are good can-
3. Some emails just need to be read later. Setup
didates for this.
a Read/Review Category to email these types
With Nozbe email setup, you can quickly and easily work through all of of email into and batch them together to read
your emails and achieve the mastery of Inbox zero with all actionable
emails in Nozbe.
when it’s an appropriate time for you.
33
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
34
S ECTION 2
Cloud based file storage is a way to host any of your documents in the
‘cloud’ that are accessible using many devices where you have a con-
nection to the internet. They also allow you to sync copies of your files Note
between your devices.
All three of these services work very similarly. To
When used with Nozbe, these services (Dropbox, Box and Google
avoid repetition, I will us Dropbox in my examples.
Drive) can act as your reference file repository for your tasks and Pro-
jects. However the process applies to all three services.
You will of course need an account with one or more of these provid- There’s nothing to stop you from setting up all
ers. They all offer free tiered accounts with generous storage amounts. three services within Nozbe as they will all work
If you haven’t already decided on a cloud storage provider I would sug- together, but for simplicity I would advise you use
gest Dropbox. It has the easiest learning curve and comes with a gen- one cloud storage provider.
erous 2GB of free space to get you started.
35
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
36
S ECTION 3
Evernote
The new version of Nozbe has changed how it interacts with Evernote
in a number of ways. It’s now very much in line with other cloud stor-
age providers that Nozbe supports.
37
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
38
S ECTION 4
Google Calendar
Google calendar has become the default calendaring app for many peo-
ple. Wether you use it natively or through a third party app like Sun-
rise or Apple Calendar, it is a great productivity tool for managing your
appointments.
Best of all, Nozbe and Google Calendar work really well together!
When you link Nozbe to GCal (Google Calendar) a new separate calen-
dar is created in your GCal account that only displays Nozbe tasks that
have a Due Date. When you review your Google Calendar, you will also
see any ‘must do’ tasks for that day without having to jump into the
Nozbe application.
39
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
40
C HAPTER 3
Working With
Others
You have the ability to share Projects with other people, delegate tasks
to individuals, comments to tasks or files to Projects, reducing the
need for email.
42
C HAPTER 4
Workflows that
Work
This chapter will detail some extra tips and workflows as to how I and
others use Nozbe. All the ideas have been part of Nozbe users work-
flows and one or two may fit your own needs.
Remember there is no right or wrong way to use Nozbe. Just find ways
that work for you.
I am sure you will develop or already have your own Nozbe workflows.
Please drop me an email with any interesting ways you use Nozbe as I
would love to incorporate them into future versions of the book for
other users to adopt for their own use.
marcus@ProductiveWizard.com
S ECTION 1
I Did It My Way.....
I always try to make excuses and advise that there is no ‘right’ way to
use Nozbe. Yet there is always an unhealthy interest in other peoples
productivity setups. Yes, I’m just as guilty!
This section describes how I effectively use Nozbe for my own unique
set of circumstances. It’s here as an example, not as a rule for using
Nozbe. Adopt any ideas that resonate with you into your own Nozbe
workflow and explore section 2 for more ideas.
44
Tech – All of my personal PC devices. Including Mac’s and mobile de-
My Categories vices. I don’t differentiate between mobile and PC devices anymore as
they are all fully computing devices. Any can accomplish most of my
computing needs.
Building your Nozbe setup for the first time can seem a little daunting
with Categories seemingly giving new users the largest headache. Locations.
Don’t worry, setting up your first list of useful Categories can be
straight forward. The main idea to remember is adding and removing Just the three locations. I guess there is one
Categories as needed is the way Nozbe is designed to work. other location I could use: Commute
So, as an example, I will walk you through my own real life day-to-day I could use it as a Category for my daily com-
Categories. mute, however, any Tasks I could complete on
my commute are usually covered under the
I like to keep things simple in my life and that includes Nozbe. Some Tech Category.
may like to micro-manage their Categories/contexts, having many, but
I prefer a simpler approach.
Office – My daily office location, used for office tasks that don’t in-
Computers
volve an Office_PC.
I did say I like to keep things simple, yet my
Home – Guess where this is? Here you may find chores around the
first three Categories are separate PC de-
house like the weekly garbage routine and odd jobs.
vices! In my defense, all three Categories are
very different - each with limiting factors due Errands – Reserved for things I need to do when out and about.
to my job roles. I would imagine the majority Things like posting letters or things I need to buy. When planning a
of users would need only one or maybe two trip to a store or when I arrive, I will spend a few seconds to glance at
computer Categories. this Category to see what else I might need to do while out for Er-
rands.
Office PC – The only way I communicate with many of my office col-
leagues is via this PC. The same goes for accessing files and doing
work!
45
The Remainder Temporary Categories
Agenda – For things I need to discuss As I neared the end of this book I cre-
face-to-face with people. This is a general ated a Nozbe Project that was shared
thing which I do change from time to with a number of (amazing!) Nozbe
time to have multiple Agendas to read: users. They kindly helped review the
Agenda-Tom for things I need to discuss contents before release. For this pur-
with Tom. pose I introduced two temporary Cate-
gories specifically for use with this
Phone – Any phone calls I need to make. project.
Rather than being location based, my
phone calls are usually time based. I’m Idea - New ideas for the book that were gathered during feedback.
not going to call my work colleague at
9pm, but I might call my parents. This is usually reflected with a Due Fix this - Any errors found were highlighted as a task and assigned
Date and Time. this Category.
This Week - As covered early in this chapter, my special Category I was then able to filter the shared Nozbe Project by Idea or Fix this
that I use in my Weekly and Daily Reviews. to see what needed to be done.
Read/Review – Anything I plan to read or review gets assigned Once the book is completed I can consider removing them. This is the
here. Usually it’s an Evernote note document with a Reminder added. flexibility of Nozbe Categories.
When in Nozbe, I can actually complete my Read-Review task within
Evernote Reminders - This Category is reserved for Evernote notes
the Nozbe application. Once I’ve reviewed the document, I remove the
with a reminder. It’s a good reminder to clear out outdated reminder
Reminder in Evernote if I want to file it, or I just delete it.
alarms in Evernote.
W/F (Waiting For) – I use this Category if I'm waiting on an action
from other people who I can't share/assign the Nozbe Task. Nozbe ad-
verse users! For reference I add their name to the task’s title and as-
sign the task a W/F Category. During my Daily or Weekly Review I will
have a quick look at this Category and give a gentle reminder to the
person as needed!
46
My Final Category list
My final list is placed into a useful order to my own liking. This just
makes things easier when I assign a Task a Categories from the Inbox
using drag and drop on Web/Desktop.
Computers
Locations
Misc
Red - Professional
Blue - Personal
47
Nozbe Labels as ‘Life Areas’ Color code Projects/Labels
This is one idea I have used from day one and recommend new When I create a Project with
Nozbe users also adopt this. a ‘Life Area’ Label, I also set
the color of the Project to re-
At the most basic level, I use three simple Labels/Areas: Work, Per- flect this Label.
sonal and Website.
Work - Red
Any Nozbe Project I create will be assigned one of these Labels / Ar-
eas. Perhaps for you there could be more. A social club you help man-
Personal - Blue
age. A Church group or club. Perhaps you manage a number of blogs.
48
This ‘Week Category’ Setting task Priorities
I have a special Category called This Week and its use is primarily I love to keep things simple. Adding priorities to Projects or tasks feels
during my Weekly Review. This helps keep my Priority List to a sharp like over-complicating a system. I prefer just to re-organize Projects
focus. with drag-and-drop in Nozbe.
I always have tasks that are on the horizon that don’t have a fixed Due Nozbe allows you to sort
Date. They don’t need my immediate attention like a Priority Starred your Projects by hand. Sim-
task does. ply drag and drop each task
into an order that reflects
As I review my Projects and tasks, one by one, as part of the Weekly either the priority of a task
Review, I add an extra Category This Week to any tasks that I need (more urgent at the top) or
or want to be complete in the next seven days. This Category does not put the next action at the
replace any Categories that you have already assigned to your task, it top. When I perform my
sits alongside them. Weekly Review I can quickly
scan the top few tasks of a
Project, decide if they need
to be completed soon, add
the ‘Next Week’ Category, or
add a star if it needs my im-
mediate focus.
My simple rule is: Tasks on the top of a list have a higher priority. Keep-
ing things organized this way helps me keep on top of my Projects.
49
The reasons I do this:
Priority List = Focus List • I find looking at a long, long list of all the things I have to do can be
overwhelming.
• Completing all tasks in your Priority list on daily basis, is a great way
I aim to keep my Priority List as small as possible. This is not always
to build momentum.
possible when tasks with Due Dates arrive or team members assign
you tasks that appear in your Priority list, but I try to keep it manage- • Due Dated tasks are by their nature important; so important that
able. they appear on your Priority list to get your attention each morning.
If your Priority list is already 30+ tasks long it’s far too easy to miss
My Priority list is reserved for the tasks I am working on that day or
them!
tasks that need to be completed that day only.
• Adding a Priority Star to a task from a shared Project generates a
nice update for other team members, telling them you are working
on the task, if they are subscribed to email updates for shared Pro-
jects.
My Priority list contains only tasks that ‘I want to’ or ‘have to’ work on
that day. I aim for around 3 - 5 tasks at the start of the day.
If I complete these tasks during the day, I can add new tasks to the
Priority list, usually from my This Week Category. If something urgent
comes up I can also add it directly to the priority list if it needs to be
completed today. Otherwise, it goes into the Nozbe Inbox for process-
ing later.
50
My Daily Review
Review the context - This Week.
If my Priority list is looking in good shape, with a minimal number of
tasks, I then head to the Category ‘This Week’. This list contains any
My Daily Review is the way I start each day. It’s a way to check what’s soon to be ‘hot’ / Priority items I selected in my Weekly Review. I then
ahead and to ensure I am prepared. add a Priority star to any task that I want / need to work on today.
1. Check my calendar I try to be realistic and don’t select them all, as I can always come
back to this list if I do complete my priority Actions list during the day.
I check my standard appointment calendar (Google Calendar) to re-
view any appointments or meetings that day, as these can seriously That’s it.
affect the type of tasks I can tackle. I can also review any Nozbe tasks
with Due Dates of today as they will appear here.
Combined with the Weekly Review, a Daily Review should only take me
2. Review Nozbe on any device a few minutes each morning. A quick browse through my Priority List
Review Nozbe Priority list. and one other context This Week should be all I need to stay on top
of my tasks.
What do I need to complete today? Things left over from yesterday
will still be here along with any tasks with a Due Date of today or ear-
lier. Do they demand my focus again today? If not, I remove the Prior-
ity star.
Consider what implications these tasks already pose on my time as I Sometimes during busy weeks, I find it useful to
move on to the next step. perform a mini Weekly Review at a random time.
In this way, I make sure no tasks have slipped
through my system.
51
My Weekly Review
Assign each task a Category.
The context should reflect what or where you need to be to complete
the task.
The Weekly Review is my opportunity to keep my productivity system
Do I need / want to do this task in the next 7 days?
in tip-top shape and make sure nothing has slipped through the
cracks. I try to keep it as simple as possible to keep the time it takes This is the important step for my setup. If you answer YES to this, add
minimal. A small amount of time on Sunday evening or Monday morn- the extra context to the task called ‘This Week’ as we covered earlier.
ing is all that’s needed.
Does it need a Due Date?
3. Empty my paper Inbox tray into Evernote.
Add a Due Date to the task if it needs to be completed on a specific
Throughout the week, I place anything that I want to scan or keep date or I think a reminder would be good.
into a old fashioned Inbox tray at home. Bills, applications, takeaway
menus, receipts, etc. These are then scanned into Evernote for safe Do I need to do this Task today?
keeping. STAR / Priority any tasks I need to do today. Occasionally we all find a
task in our Weekly Review that has slipped through the net and should
If anything is going to need an action and scanned into Evernote, I get
have been completed already. Marking it with a star will allow me to
it into Nozbe using the reminder function of Evernote.
focus on the task.
52
whole. I use this opportunity to manually sort more important Tasks to
to the top of each Project list as I go.
Note
53
S ECTION 2
The previous section showed you how I use Nozbe myself. This section
gives more examples of how you can use Nozbe to solve specific sce- “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see
narios to stay organized. every problem as a nail.” - Paul J. Meyer
Studying how other Nozbe users create their own workflows can be
really useful, even if the subject matter is not 100% aligned to your
own needs.
For example: When you see how someone handles lots of clients using
Nozbe Labels, it could trigger an idea as you look at ways to manage
multiple blogs.
This section is designed to grow with each release of the book. Nozbe
users around the globe have there own workflows and tips.
I call upon you all to share them for inclusion in future updates.
54
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
55
S ECTION 3
This section will detail new Nozbe application features as they are re-
leased, some clever workarounds to features not yet developed, and
extra tips to help you get the most out of third party service integra-
tions.
56
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
57
C HAPTER 5
Final Words
and Recap
Over the previous pages we have covered a lot of ground. From the
very basics, to more advanced integrations with 3rd party products.
I am sure Nozbe will continue to change and grow in the future and I
look forward to updating this book as it does.
But before we sign off, let’s recap on some important things and point
you in the direction of other resources of interest.
Want to read more?
To gain access to the remainder of this section and the entire book,
please purchase the full version of The little book of Nozbe.
59
My Final Thanks
A simple request for some assistance with this book resulted in more offers of help than I could imagine.
My humble thanks to following Nozbe users: Lori Anderson, Vivian Myers, Bryan Shannon, Andrew Yee, Michael
Koehler, Chris Hunt, Peter M. Beaumont, Michael Grainger, Abby Leonard, Don Allen, Fernando, Kelly, Konrad.
Not forgetting my wonderful wife Louise, who gets everything done without Nozbe. ‘The productivity force is
strong with this one.....’
lx
If this is the end of our brief relationship, don’t worry. I’m sure it was
End of the Lite version my fault not yours!
Marcus - @Marcus_Platt
The aim of the Lite book of Nozbe was to give you a feel for the full
version. I also hope Nozbe users new and old may have found some
value in these pages.
Don’t forget, if you do buy the full version, all updated versions of the
e-book will be free. You will automatically be informed when new ver- BUY NOW WITH A 30% DISCOUNT
sions are available to download.
This is the beauty of an e-book. Just as well really, as the Nozbe devel-
opment team never sleeps it seems!
lxi