Find calm focus in a busy world

Be Productive

Accomplish more. Stress Less.

Guide a Powerful Mind

Find flow from chaos

Discover

Create and build ideas. Organize your digital life.

Create Flow

 

Empower your days with OmniFocus 3.

Workflow Mastery - Building from the Basics

Master Workflow

Work and play with a clear mind.

On Creating Flow ...

“… by far the greatest tutorial on a piece of productivity software that I have ever laid eyes on.”

On Creating Flow ...

” … The Book Every OF User Should Read”

Workflowing logo

On Workflow ...

“… a master class in workflow …” “… one of those rare works that will truly help you in the quest to stop doing things and start doing the right things.”

Exploring the Black Box Logo

On Workflow ...

“If you are even slightly interested in the dynamics of process and workflow, this is a great place to start.”

Calm Focus

(Application Independent)

Watch the Introduction on Youtube.

Note: Being Productive – Simple Steps to Calm Focus was previously known as Zen & The Art of Work. All previous customers receive the Being Productive upgrade free of charge.

Being Productive gives you the exercises to find calm focus at work and at home. You’ll get a set of videos, each with a simple, but powerful, new exercise to build into your day. No task system knowledge or computer applications are necessary.

  • Learn exercises for finding relaxed, heightened attention.
  • Form useful habits gradually.
  • Learn ways to dive deep into work.
  • Build a simple trusted system.
  • Find calm even with due dates.
  • Take large projects along a path of mastery.
  • Integrates easily with most any productivity method or task system, though neither are required.

Includes:

  • Course: 16 Being Productive video modules
  • BonusZen and the Piano Soundtrack album
  • Bonus: Audiobook companion
  • Sample chapter: Creating Flow with OmniFocus: Mastering Productivity
  • Sample chapter: Workflow Mastery: Building from the Basics

 

 

Powerful Task Management

Creating Flow with OmniFocus 3

Winner of 2015 Gold eLiterature Award for the category of Education/Academic/Teaching. (previous edition)

Creating Flow with OmniFocus helps you to easily guide your work, play, and productivity throughout the days, weeks, and years using the strength of the task and project manager, OmniFocus. Creating Flow with OmniFocus guides you from the basics to the most advanced uses one step at a time.

  • Learn from the most basic to the most advanced concepts.
  • Take advantage of OmniFocus 3’s powerful new tag, perspective, and forecast features.
  • Build a trusted system and get things off your mind.
  • Create a streamlined singular workflow.
  • Take control of OmniFocus at a much deeper level by mastering perspectives.
  • Build a today list to manage responsibilities and tasks easily.
  • Take on the projects you want to, knowing you have a way to do the day to day.
  • Grasp basic and advanced concepts of OmniFocus through real examples.
  • Gain mastery and blend routines, new tasks, small and large projects, all while keeping space in the day.
  • Have daily tasks and year-long projects rest easily side by side.

Includes:

  • 110,000+ words
  • Numerous screenshots and images
  • DRM-free ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats
  • Many examples and tutorials

 

Powerful Idea Management

Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink

Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink gives you the foundation build your ideas and store your digital stuff with the powerful data manager, DEVONthink. Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink takes you from the basics to advanced uses one step at a time.

  • Build an idea system so you can get to them when and where you want.
  • Use DEVONthink’s powerful AI to discover connections between ideas, references, and more.
  • Learn how DEVONthink can manage a wide array of file types, including texts, emails, videos, PDFs, RSS feeds, and more.
  • Build smart groups to hone in on what you want.
  • Create a foundation of notes and their connections.
  • Learn from the most basic to the most advanced concepts.
  • Learn how to write a paper, post, or otherwise using your own ideas, rather than a blank page.
  • Take advantage of DEVONthink’s filing and workspace features.
  • Grasp basic and advanced concepts of DEVONthink through real examples.

Includes:

  • 500 pages
  • Numerous screenshots and images
  • DRM-free ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats
  • AppleScripts and Keyboard Maestro macros
  • Many examples and tutorials

 

A Guided Mind

(Application Independent)

Waves of Focus – Guiding the Wandering Mind is a live and online cohort-based course dedicated to helping those with “wandering minds”. When you’ve tried a number of systems, but can’t seem to break away from deadlines, can’t get started with things that feel important, feel scattered, and overwhelmed, it can be tough to get moving. Meanwhile, those moments of brilliance, where you’re doing more in a few hours than most do all day show up, but a bit too magically – you just don’t know the formula to make it happen.

  • Practice skills in a live setting to guide scatter into creativity
  • Face and maybe even start the things that just don’t seem to happen
  • Manage reminders to more reliably prevent The Dark Side of Flow
  • Begin crafting tasks with Future You in mind
  • Build the skills to make an Inbox actually reliable, rather than something you work out of
  • Integrates easily with most any productivity method or task system, though neither are required.

Includes:

  • Course: 1 Intro, 7 Sessions of Content, 4 Sessions of Q&A/Implementation
  • Private Forum: to discuss with peers in your cohort

 

Powerful Workflows

(Application Independent)

Winner of 2014 Bronze eLiterature Award for the category of Education/Academic/Teaching. While Creating Flow with OmniFocus provides a very detailed approach to task management, Workflow Mastery takes a step back to present the workflow’s entirety. Workflow Mastery is a deep dive into what it takes to develop mastery and meaningful work. It describes, at both practical and psychological depth, how vision develops, how we can organize meaningfully, and ultimately how we can create the conditions for our work and play. The material is structured so you can decide where and how to improve your individual workflow to whatever degree you may wish. It, too, builds from the very basics up through the advanced. Learn how to:

  • Find a deep focus.
  • Make clear decisions with calm.
  • Organize meaningfully.
  • Guide technology, rather than be controlled by it.
  • Understand motivation.
  • Do what you feel is important without procrastination.
  • Master the universals of workflows to build your own unique system.
  • Avoid bouncing from one task to the next without getting anything done.
  • Build the foundations to develop mastery and meaningful work.

Includes:

  • 550+ pages
  • DRM-free ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats
  • Many examples and exercises

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Purchase & Guarantee

What is your refund policy?

Except for the Waves of Focus course, there is a 30-day money back guarantee. Simply use the contact form to receive a refund.

While you do not need a reason, I do appreciate any thoughts so I can consider how to improve these works.

Are there discount educational/upgrade versions?

Yes, there are.  If you have purchased the first edition of Creating Flow with OmniFocus or are involved with an educational setting, please use this link to purchase the book at a discount. There is no difference in product.

There is also now an educational discount available for Workflow Mastery: Building from the BasicsUse this link to purchase the book at a discount.

There are currently no discount options for Being Productive or Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink.

Can I buy the books elsewhere?

Presently, the books are not listed in iTunes, Amazon, or otherwise. This may change, though I have preferred the direct artist-audience connection the present method provides. If you would prefer them sold by some other method, please drop me a line and send your vote.

Purchasing the ebooks here at BeingProductive.org provides you with multiple formats so you can read or listen where you like and how you like without restriction.

Can I share the books or course?
I suggest using them as you would a physical book or DVD within the home. As long as you are not reading or storing them at the same time, then please feel free to share within the household.

Products

Can I have a Table of Contents for any of these books or the course?

Sure!  In fact, you can get samples as well as the table of contents for each book by signing up to the mailing list:

 

Or you can download just the Table of Contents for each here:

What is the difference between the products?
Creating Flow with OmniFocus is about developing a specific daily workflow while also teaching the ins and outs of the task manager OmniFocus.  If you're looking to stay on top of many different things at once, this can be very useful.

Workflow Mastery is about how to consider and create work that feels meaningful. There is no required program.

Being Productive is the only video course of the bunch. It is about learning how to focus on a particular project while building a system around it. It can also be a more head-on approach to dealing with procrastination.

Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink is about staying on top of your digital stuff, keeping it organized and the like.  It teaches you how using DEVONthink while walking you through building a set of interlinking notes.

Does Creating Flow focus on the iPad, iPhone, or Desktop client?
Creating Flow with OmniFocus includes all clients, but mainly focuses on the Desktop version. Most ideas can easily be adapted to the iOS version.
Does Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink focus on the iPad, iPhone, or Desktop client?

Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink focuses heavily on the desktop client. DEVONthink to Go is mentioned and discussed, however, it is mainly done so in support of the MacOS version.

Coaching

Could you tell me about my own specific workflow?

Requests for coaching and evaluating individual workflows are welcome. However, to do so adequately would take me some time. If you would like to hire me, please use the contact form to send me an inquiry and discuss rates.

OmniFocus & DEVONthink

What is OmniFocus?
In short, Omnifocus is a powerful task management system that can be used to organize anything from routine activities up through major goals in life. It is a tool that helps break down your goals into real world tasks that allow you to work and play in a way that you want to.

Check out the Omni Group’s main OmniFocus site for more information.

What is DEVONthink?
In short, DEVONthink is a powerful data management system. It can be used to organize a wide variety of file types including notes, PDFs, emails, news feeds, videos, audio files, and more.

Check out DEVONtechnologies' main site for more information.

Files & Devices

Can I buy the books or course on my mobile device?
You can purchase them, but you cannot download them directly to a mobile device. Instead, if you plan on reading on your iPad, iPhone, or Kindle, download them to your laptop or desktop and follow the included instructions to transfer them to your mobile device.
How can I read the eBooks on my iPad/iPhone?
To read the ePub or pdf files on an iPad:

  1. Open iBooks.
  2. Drag either file into iBooks.
  3. Connect your mobile device to your computer by the Apple provided USB cable.
  4. Open iTunes.
  5. Wait for iTunes to recognize the device (it will appear in the top right of the iTunes application).
  6. Select the device.
  7. Select “Books” in the menu bar.
  8. Make sure that “Sync Books” is checked. If you prefer to have only particular books synced, choose “Selected books”.
  9. Make sure that “Creating Flow with OmniFocus” is checked.
  10. Sync your device.

The book should now be available in the iBooks application.

How can I read the eBooks on my Kindle device?
1) Turn on the Kindle.
2) Connect the Kindle via the accompanying USB cable to your computer.
3) Drag the .mobi file into the documents folder on your device.
4) Wait until the USB activity indicator on your Kindle stops flashing.
5) Depending upon your operating system, remove the device by either:
⁃ (Windows) choosing “Safely Remove Mass Storage Device” or
⁃ (Mac) selecting “Eject”.

The book should now be available to read on your Kindle device.

What is the difference between the file types?
The PDF file is an electronic file which most accurately represents the presentation of the book’s contents. However, these pages are static in nature and will not adjust to the page for the latest eReaders.

An ePub file is also included for compatible readers such as the iBooks or Stanza apps on the iPad. ePub files are adaptable and allow changes of font, zooming of images (on iBooks), among other adjustments.

Also included is the .mobi version which is compatible with Kindle device readers. Note, this file is intended for the actual Kindle device and not the iPad application.

Affiliate Questions

Do you have an affiliate program?
Are you affiliated with The Omni Group or DEVONtechnologies?
I have been compensated by the Omni Group for giving a talk and may in the future, too. However, I’ve enjoyed their products long before any such arrangements.  I also paid a visit to their home base in Seattle and they seem like a swell bunch.

I have no affiliation with DEVONtechnologies. I've had a series of email exchanges and periodic visits to their forums and they, too, seem like a swell bunch.

Are you affiliated with Davidco or Getting Things Done?
Nope. I just really like the methodology.

Throughout Creating Flow, Workflow Mastery, and Being Productive I try to describe what I understand to be GTD concepts and what I believe to be my own deviations from them. But, Davidco does not endorse me, and I may not interpret everything they have to say perfectly.

Do check out the book Getting Things Done. There are many task management methodologies out there. I find the best are those you can adapt to your own workflow. I’ve found the GTD method to be useful for myself.

Build Calm & Powerful Workflows

Learn solid task and project management with Creating Flow with OmniFocus.
Find an elegant strength of confidence with Workflow Mastery.