9.18.14 - On Git 'Er Done!*

Productivity is sometimes my strong suit. I love making lists and checking things off. It gives me a perverse kind of pleasure, a little internal nanny-nanny-boo-boo to the forces of resistance that seem to hover around the edges of my world. I've even been known to add something to my To Do list that's already complete simply for the pleasure of marking it off the list.

Today was banner day for getting things done. I finished a minor technical revision on WHAT LIES BEHIND - changes based on an experts input on the science of the book, and sent it to my editor. I started the research for the new Nicholas Drummond novel. I also started the synopsis/narrative/outline of the story, but there's a bit more research to do for it to make much sense. 

And I achieved the gold standard of productivity - Inbox Zero. [direct link]

I'm beside myself with excitement. I've had 50 or so emails tagging around with me for the past month, and another 50 starred, which is my way of saying they're too important to be out of my line of sight for one reason or another, and I haven't had the time to sit down, go through them systematically, answering or archiving or deleting. But it's all clean now.

I'm going to give credit where credit is due - I use Gmail, and have for years. For a very long time I've been looking for a way to seamlessly incorporate my Gmail into my Mac. I've used Sparrow for years, but it's getting long in the tooth. Apple mail is hideous, and doesn't work at all with my archival system, which, I will admit, is rather extensive. (I blame it on all those years interning - they LOVED to have me file things. OCD much?) I tried a couple of ways to get directly into my Gmail from my dock, to limited success.

Then today, in a fit of despair, I hit the right terms on google and up popped Mailplane [direct link].

It's expensive. And I balk at the idea of paying for what's essentially a webmail link. But I downloaded the free trial, and oh, my. It's perfect. Immediate access, and I don't have to go online to get into my mail, which lets me focus on what I'm doing instead of trolling around.

I know this is going to help me rock my new productivity plans. And I proved myself right by getting to Inbox Zero.

Got some more good news today on the Nicholas Drummond front - THE LOST KEY got a brilliant starred review from Library Journal, and THE FINAL CUT paperback will be #7 on this week's New York Times and #30 on USA Today. It's also #9 on the iBooks list.  

 Now I'm going to go make chicken soup and bask in the glory of emptiness. I have a lovely weekend of research ahead, plus more cleaning of the house, hanging pictures and gardening and mulching. (I'll be watching Randy do that, probably.)

I hope you have something fun planned too!

*Also knows as GTD - Get Things Done - the brilliant task management system I try to employ.