Under-appreciated skill: setting up contexts in our computers to help us focus. (E.g., via mindful app curation, filtering notifications, eliminating distractions, etc.)
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iOS/iPadOS's Focus feature helps. But iPads and iPhones are constrained in other ways. The Mac (where I work the most) can also create Focus modes, but it's more limited.
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So I'm experimenting with three apps to set up contexts on the Mac:
• Moom
• Bunch
• Focus
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Bunch opens (and closes) sets of applications and URLs on-demand. I started using this recently and have only scratched the surface, but the possibilities are exciting.
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Moom saves window locations and sizes to quickly reset the screen to predefined configurations. Very powerful - especially when using a large display.
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Focus is an OS-level feature that filters notifications in various ways. Again, more powerful on the iPad and iPhone; I hope Apple is improving this for the next macOS release.
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Before these tools, I moved windows around the display with the mouse or Keyboard Maestro. Distracting! (Again, it's less of a hassle on a small display.) I hope that standardizing app/window location combos will free up time and cognitive resources. It's promising so far.
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Sample contexts I'm using when plugged into the large display in my home office:
• Zoom call
• Grading
• Dashboard
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Zoom call: Zoom in the middle, surrounded by Obsidian, OmniFocus, Fantastical, Slack, Finder, and Terminal; notifications turned off.
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Grading: Chrome center stage with three tabs open (web locations where I review and grade student work), Obsidian and Terminal on the side; notifications on. (I usually do this over the weekend when I get fewer notifications anyway.)
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Dashboard: Similar to the Zoom call context, but with DEVONthink in the middle and no Slack window. I'm still experimenting with this. But DEVONthink is the core application in my knowledge garden; the idea here is to (literally) place it center stage.
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Some other possible contexts:
• Planning
• Thinking
• Writing
• Producing (too broad?)
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I'll write more about this in the next issue of my newsletter, and would love to hear from you. What contexts make sense for your work? Are there any not covered by the lists above? Thanks!
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