#ProdChat – 10-05-16 – Automating Desktop and Mobile Productivity
On October 5, 2016, #ProdChat discussed the topic, Automating Desktop and Mobile Productivity. Watch the slideshow to see what the productivity enthusiasts on #ProdChat had to say about “Automating Desktop and Mobile Productivity.” Enjoy!
Questions:
- Do you believe automation helps your current desktop and mobile productivity?
- What broad areas/categories of your life do you currently have automated?
- What kinds of desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) automation can you do? What tools do you use? (Be sure to identify operating system compatibility.)
- What kinds of Web- and browser-based automations can you do? What tools do you use? (Please note browser, where appropriate.)
- What kinds of mobile (iOS, Android, etc.) automation can you do? What tools do you use? (Please note mobile OS compatibility.)
- What are some good principles to keep in mind when choosing whether to automate or not?
- What will you try to automate in your desktop or mobile productivity system after today’s #ProdChat?
Raw transcript:
| User | Tweet | Time |
| rsidneysmith | Welcome to #ProdChat, the weekly chat for productivity enthusiasts! https://t.co/C40vBaCeQb https://t.co/YDa40p4BBk | Wed Oct 05 23:59:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck Good evening, Frank! How’re you today? #prodchat | Wed Oct 05 23:59:16 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP @halduauthor @tomgrissom Sure thing! Happy to do so! #prodchat | Wed Oct 05 23:59:34 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | Let the #prodchat begin! | Wed Oct 05 23:59:41 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @ArtGelwicks Hey there, Art! How’re you today? #prodchat | Wed Oct 05 23:59:52 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Today on #ProdChat we’re discussing “Automating Desktop and Mobile #Productivity.” Join us! https://t.co/f3h64UtSeL | Thu Oct 06 00:00:02 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | @rsidneysmith Doing well. You? #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:00:24 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @ArtGelwicks Glad to hear! I’m well…just said goodbye to visiting family…glad they visited, sad to see them go! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:00:57 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | So, let’s start! In a tweet, introduce yourself. #prodchat https://t.co/61Fr8zNxkU | Thu Oct 06 00:01:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck Glad to hear, good sir! I’m excited about this #ProdChat on automation! 🙂 | Thu Oct 06 00:01:39 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | Founder of @theideapump, productivity strategist, and technology geek #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:01:53 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | This should be a good one. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:02:11 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | Itzhak Perlman just played the National Anthem, so it must be time for #ProdChat. | Thu Oct 06 00:02:13 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Intro: I’m Ray Sidney-Smith, @Evernote Certified Consultant. Productivity/Technology/Management Trainer/Speaker. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:02:37 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | Frank Buck. I write and speak on organization and time management. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:03:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @JKatzaman Good day, Jim! I certainly can’t complain with that being the #prodchat theme song! 🙂 | Thu Oct 06 00:03:16 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Please add #prodchat to tweets. Questions will come as Q1, Q2, Q3. Answer A1, A2, A3, for readability! https://t.co/OMo0uSHwuf | Thu Oct 06 00:04:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | What’s a #productivity success you’ve had this or last week? #prodchat https://t.co/JveOySOzqc | Thu Oct 06 00:05:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | My #productivity success is that I’ve started my end of year reflection (2 weeks) here in October and it’s going really well! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:05:47 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | Finished a rapid productivity tool build today and now moving into more strategy work. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:06:50 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | Just found out I will have an article published nationally in the Association for Middle Level Education journal. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:07:29 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @ArtGelwicks Sounds pretty exciting, Art! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:07:35 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q1: Do you believe automation helps your current desktop and mobile productivity? #prodchat https://t.co/SM4gyBhY8W | Thu Oct 06 00:08:01 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck Congratulations, Frank! That’s awesome! Feel free to share it in the #prodchat stream when it comes out! | Thu Oct 06 00:08:14 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | A1: Automation applied correctly can be a huge benefit to my processes. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:08:31 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A1 I think automation is one if they more advantages of a different digital productivity system. @IFTTT makes a huge difference. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:10:01 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A1: Absolutely. I depend on a variety of automation. As long as I have a way to monitor them, they are a great advantage. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:10:07 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A1a: I know they can hurt my #productivity if the automation fails, and it takes me more time to correct the consequences. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:11:25 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | A1 I use calendar automation to beat me over the head about appointments. Not too much beyond that. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:11:26 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A1 Automation is a huge time saver for me. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:11:43 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A1b: However, because I’ve been careful about what I’ve automated, that’s rarely happened to me. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:11:44 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | A1: Most of my automation is related to social media and publishing #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:11:50 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | A1: Technology or automation implemented & applied correctly is wonderful to improve productivity & processes…when it works #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:12:51 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | A1b) …but, also, so long as the users buy in, to its utilization. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:13:54 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A1b: I’m really all about automations where the user has to do little input to make the workflow. Less moving parts to go awry. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:14:56 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A1 Automation requires more thought on the fact that no end, but saves time thereafter. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:15:24 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q2: What broad areas/categories of your life do you currently have automated? #prodchat https://t.co/ZfF5vhngE2 | Thu Oct 06 00:16:00 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @rsidneysmith IHMO, you’ve still got to get the users to adopt its use, & then use it properly with proper training. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:16:22 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | A2: Social media publishing and content distribution. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:16:29 +0000 2016 |
| wcmckeedotcom | A1: I believe it helps as it means less to do. #ProdChat https://t.co/EeNqH6sf3t | Thu Oct 06 00:17:35 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP True. I agree. But for vast majority of clients, more they interact with the automation in progress, more failures. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:17:45 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP So, you need buy-in and then train them to create good automations with little in-process inputs. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:18:26 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 The most common evidence of automation in my workflow is repeating tasks/appointments. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:18:29 +0000 2016 |
| wcmckeedotcom | A2: social media, blog post generated. #prodchat https://t.co/5bTO78RZOe | Thu Oct 06 00:19:06 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @rsidneysmith In my experience, human interference can increase issues with automation, but it can also fail all on its own. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:19:07 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A2: Work calendaring/scheduling, automating Social Media syndication, creating templates, notifying people about project progress. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:19:43 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP Yes, good monitoring/tracking skills (or having the technology notify you) is imperative. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:20:22 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 Missed calls being sent to my tasks list is a little automation that helps every day. #prodchat @IFTTT | Thu Oct 06 00:20:51 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP When I’m coding/running any software, I want it to report all failure logs to me. Same goes for automation. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:21:03 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck Nice! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:21:17 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @rsidneysmith Depends on if ur talking about automating manufacturing product lines or things like controling household utilities #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:21:46 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP I’m talking about individual productivity, no industrial equipment. 😉 #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:22:13 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 Scheduling blog posts is a great automation. Write the post when it’s convenient and have it post when I want it. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:22:44 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 Scheduling blog posts is a great automation. Write the post when it’s convenient and have it post when I want it. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:22:44 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP Today’s #prodchat is covering desktop and mobile #productivity, not business/industrial productivity technologies. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:22:46 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q3: What kinds of desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) automation can you do? What tools do you use? #prodchat https://t.co/wFOgkL8T6n | Thu Oct 06 00:24:00 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @rsidneysmith Sorry…got side-tracked. Same comment that automation or technology is great…until it fails. #prodchat 🙂 | Thu Oct 06 00:24:06 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck That’s a great example of an automation anyone can try! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:24:30 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | A2 I’ve started to use TweetDeck to schedule tweets when I’m not online. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:24:41 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 I consistently use @Hootsuite to schedule tweets and Instagram posts for the future. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:24:42 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @mark_BCP Not a problem! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:25:12 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | A2: Buffer and IFTTT are my primary tools. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:25:57 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A3 Looking back at my examples so far, all of them apply to desktop automation. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:26:18 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | A3 I can’t think of any desktop automation, so I guess I don’t use it. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:26:19 +0000 2016 |
| wcmckeedotcom | A3: I only use linux. Tools are Python scripts #prodchat https://t.co/YakrWlFhYA | Thu Oct 06 00:26:49 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A3: I use WinAutomation on WinOS and Alfred 2 / Hazel on Mac. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:29:12 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @wcmckeedotcom Linux has been a g8 product since inception. In 2000, after Pentium processorss available, used 80386 for firewall #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:29:26 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Join us for the next #productivity book club’s live discussion! https://t.co/wQRfxI2YHl #prodchat https://t.co/n6W3rvTdb2 | Thu Oct 06 00:30:01 +0000 2016 |
| prodbookgrp | Join us for the next #productivity book club’s live discussion! https://t.co/n14akGjZH4 #prodchat https://t.co/H9gV1dYiF7 | Thu Oct 06 00:30:01 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck As a @hootsuite Brand Ambassador, that makes me quite happy! 😉 #HootAMB #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:30:14 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | @rsidneysmith Actually following this chat in @hootsuite #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:31:43 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q4: What kinds of Web- and browser-based automations can you do? What tools do you use? (Please note browser.)… https://t.co/Q4qeJsqJM8 | Thu Oct 06 00:32:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A3: I also use quite a lot of templates on my desktop…especially those built into MS Word. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:32:30 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | A4: Using IFTTT I route posts and research from Feedly to OneNote for tracking #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:32:38 +0000 2016 |
| CurationSuite | RT @rsidneysmith: Join us for the next #productivity book club’s live discussion! https://t.co/wQRfxI2YHl #prodchat https://t.co/n6W3rvTdb2 | Thu Oct 06 00:33:27 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A4 I use Chrome, and like the way extensions installed on one computer follow that browser everywhere. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:34:20 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | Is Hootsuite being used for blog sharing on schedule? I know Buffer does that well, but how about the owl? #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:35:51 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | RT @rsidneysmith: Join us for the next #productivity book club’s live discussion! https://t.co/wQRfxI2YHl #prodchat https://t.co/n6W3rvTdb2 | Thu Oct 06 00:36:23 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A4: My go-to Web automation software are @IFTTT and @Zapier. I also use iMacros when those two can’t do what I want! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:37:34 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A4a: I’ve just learned of a few more browser automation software and I’m looking into those soon. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:38:00 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | @ArtGelwicks I use @hootsuite to send tweets with links to my blog posts. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:38:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @ArtGelwicks Absolutely. I use it for most of my post scheduling. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:38:35 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck I use AutoTextExpander, TabSnooze, OneTab Chrome extensions. Love that they sync! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:39:41 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | Does Hootsuite support Facebook Groups? #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:39:56 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q5: What kinds of mobile (iOS, Android, etc.) automation can you do? What tools do you use? (Please note mobile OS… https://t.co/z1SxZ0TVXg | Thu Oct 06 00:40:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A4b: I have so many @IFTTT recipes, I can’t list them here; there is so much possibility! Can’t wait for Google Home to arrive! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:41:01 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @ArtGelwicks Yup, @hootsuite supports Facebook Groups! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:41:53 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | @rsidneysmith Yes, Auto Text Expander Anderson for Chrome. Can’t forget @evernote web clipper. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:42:19 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | A5 I’ll bet I have Android automation and don’t know it, just like I didn’t know I had Notebook. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:42:22 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A5: I am using @WorkflowHQ on iOS and Tasker on @Android. @IFTTT is also super useful on mobile with the DO buttons! Great stuff! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:45:54 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A5: I really like all the geofenced options, so that things are logged or triggered upon leaving or entering an area. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:47:19 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q6: What are some good principles to keep in mind when choosing whether to automate or not? #prodchat https://t.co/seJIvm7mm8 | Thu Oct 06 00:48:00 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck I have counseled friends on how to create automated phone calls so they can get out of bad dates! 😛 #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:49:16 +0000 2016 |
| ArtGelwicks | Have to peel off and be productive folks…have a good night! Great chat as usual! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:49:18 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @ArtGelwicks Thanks for stopping by, Art! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:49:29 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A6 The biggest temptation to avoid is spending more time in the maintenance of an automation than it saves. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:50:03 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A6: I think you should think through the entire automation before investing in it. What is the 360 degree automation lifecycle? #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:50:06 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | A6 Don’t go overboard with automation. You want to retain your personality and engagement, not become just another bot. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:50:09 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A6: Make sure the automation will work properly. Some automation will only work 1/2 the time. Not good enough to trust it. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:50:53 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | @rsidneysmith True! 99% makes me nervous. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:52:09 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck Depending on the need of that automation, it can make me nervous too! Which means I need to always monitor it. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:52:46 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | Speaking of automation, what tool is everyone using to follow this chat? #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:53:31 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck I use @TweetDeck @hootsuite and @TweetChat (but that’s because I’m hosting!). #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:54:17 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | Tweetchat on my tablet has only been showing me my own tweets. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:54:29 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | @rsidneysmith @DrFrankBuck That’s interesting automation when you have to automatically check it. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:54:38 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @DrFrankBuck Using tchat.io …it’s the only one that has worked consistently. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:54:57 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @JKatzaman @DrFrankBuck Automation isn’t about set-it-and-forget-it. So monitoring tempers the desire to think of it as a panacea. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:55:39 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Q7: What will you try to automate in your desktop or mobile productivity system after today’s #ProdChat? https://t.co/3Rzszyyimo | Thu Oct 06 00:56:00 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | @mark_BCP Thanks! Will check it out. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:56:04 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | @DrFrankBuck You’re welcome. I tried several others until someone told me of this one & it has been pretty consistent, since. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:57:07 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | @DrFrankBuck That’s odd. Tweet at the developer…he’s pretty responsive. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:57:15 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | A7 Certainly going to try the suggestion I just got for a Tweetchat substitute! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:57:52 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | A7: I’m going to look into more ways to automate @hootsuite, @evernote and Tasker on @Android. Plus Web browser automations! #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:57:52 +0000 2016 |
| JKatzaman | A7 I’d have to sit down with someone in the know to see what I do that could be more automated. #ProdChat | Thu Oct 06 00:58:10 +0000 2016 |
| mark_BCP | A7: If I ever get my blog going, automating tweets to point to it, sounds like a very good idea to me! 🙂 #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 00:58:20 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Next #ProdChat: October 12 – “Evernote Tips and Tricks.” Have a great week, all! https://t.co/nNtwm9Lr5I | Thu Oct 06 00:59:00 +0000 2016 |
| prodchat | Next #ProdChat: October 12 – “Evernote Tips and Tricks.” Have a great week, all! https://t.co/4fUcs558Oj | Thu Oct 06 00:59:01 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | @mark_BCP When you get the blog going, be sure toilet us know the URL. #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 01:00:22 +0000 2016 |
| rsidneysmith | Thanks, #productivity enthusiasts! #prodchat Join us next week! https://t.co/YjuF3QQuQ6 | Thu Oct 06 01:01:01 +0000 2016 |
| DrFrankBuck | Can’t wait! @evernote #prodchat | Thu Oct 06 01:01:12 +0000 2016 |