This tip was originally posted in the eProductivity Weekly Tip newsletter. Sign up to get more tips like it delivered straight to your email inbox.
Did you know you can link contacts to your eProductivity projects and actions? If not, this tip is for you.
You might use this feature to keep track of which key people relate to the project you're working on. Or maybe you have an important call this afternoon and you need easy access to the relevant contact information.
Whatever your need may be, here's how to setup and use contact linking. Enable the Contacts view to appear on the eProductivity Navigator By default, the Contacts view will not appear on your eProductivity Navigator. So first, if you don't have the Contacts view enabled, you'll need to do so from the eProductivity Preferences.
Go to the Preferences (click on the big eProductivity button on the top action bar), and then locate the Navigation > Main Navigator tab. Click the checkbox next to 'Contacts'.
Save and close the Preferences, and then close and re-open eProductivity for the changes to take effect.
I normally use email folders for storing emails that I need to reference later. Should I be using the eProductivity Reference Database instead? What's the advantage?
The Reference Database is a separate - and free! - eProductivity application designed to store non-actionable reference materials.
While you can also use email folders for storing non-actionable materials, the Reference Database offers a number of advantages.
First, getting items out of your Lotus Notes mail file will speed it up and also help you to avoid mail file size quotas. For performance reasons, you don't want to store large file attachments (pictures, etc) in your mail file unless you have to. The Reference Database gives a great storage ground for these files.
Secondly, the Reference Database offers far more capabilities than email folders. You can categorize and tag your entries more effectively. You can create checklists and daily log files with datestamps. And, you can utilize the Quick Capture/Quick Paste functionality which helps if you find yourself typing the same things over and over again.
I personally use email folders to just store copies of emails that I might need someday in the future, but don't actively intend to come back to. I use the Reference Database to store all the items that I need to access regularly e.g. ideas for future blog posts, travel packing lists, monthly calls lists, etc.
Depending on which license version you purchased, eProductivity will allow you to define up to three external reference databases and 10 external mail databases. Almost always, at least one of the external mail databases is the user's mail archive.
The ability to file an email into an external database can be used in many ways. In my configuration of eProductivity, I have defined my ten external databases so that I can quickly file something from my inbox into the destination database with a simple drag and drop gesture or by clicking on the File action button as shown here.
This week's tip shows shows how to customize your eProductivity project types and action contexts to suit the way you work.
Project Types and Action Contexts are the eProductivity "buckets" into which you classify your work. One such bucket might be "Calls", which lists the phone calls you need to make.This follows the GTD principle of defining your work into the context in which it can actually be done. If you have a phone handy and a "Calls" list to plow through, defining your work this way is very productive.
This is Part 1 in a mini-series, so subscribe to Weekly Tips to ensure you don't miss the other parts.
Are you using eProductivity Sidebar Widgets in Lotus Notes 8? Then you'll probably enjoy the new "Mark Complete" feature that was included in the latest eProductivity 1.84 version. Version 1.84 was just released this week.
In version 1.84, you can mark projects and actions as "Complete" from the sidebar widget. It's a nifty timesaver. Now you can work from anywhere inside of Lotus Notes and still march through your task list, checking off things as you go.
In fact, you can even make your widgets appear in a New Window outside of Lotus Notes, and then you can use your task list when you're browsing the web or whatnot.
People frequently ask me how eProductivity handles email attachments. When people try to drag-and-drop emails into an eProductivity project/action/calendar entry, the attachment seems to disappear.
While the attachment is still there - it's located inside the linked email if you open the email up - the attachment is more hidden than some might like. You might want the attachment to be immediately available once you open up the project/action/calendar entry.
Well, as with many things in eProductivity, "there's a preference option for that". We like customizable software, and from the feedback we get, so do you.
So to control this email attachment option, go inside the eProductivity preferences and look for the following section:
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Oh, and if you're wondering how to get into the eProductivity preferences, click on the big eProductivity button inside the software and locate the "Preferences..." menu item.
This week's eProductivity Tips newsletter featured a much closer look at the powerful Categorized Views and Advanced Views options inside of eProductivity. These views allow you to create highly effective lists inside of eProductivity, and customize everything according to your desired work style.
Because this was a close look at vital eProductivity features, I thought it was well worthwhile to repost here. Enjoy!
And go sign up for the Tips newsletter while you're at it!
If you're new to eProductivity, the eProductivity tutorial is the single best learning tool that we offer.
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The tutorial lets you play with eProductivity's features, and gives you guidance and tips along the way. There is nothing to install, you just open up the tutorial file and away you go. It's that simple.
If you want to get started quickly with eProductivity, I recommed using the tutorial as your first step.
Learn how to customize your eProductivity Navigator by adding predefined and custom contexts.
eProductivity is highly customizable, and it can be setup for the way you work best. Stay tuned, more videos that teach you how to do this are on the way.
Our popular webinar series is continuing thisThursday, December 10th at 10:00am PST. This will be one of the last webinars for the 2009 year, since we'll be stopping presentations for the Christmas holiday season.
Again, webinars are completely free and open to anyone. If you'd like to know more about eProductivity and what it can do for you, we'd love to have you attend. Even better, bring your eProductivity questions and ask them live. You'll get answers straight from eProductivity experts and you'll benefit the other attendees as well. To learn more and register, go here: www.eProductivity.com/webinars.
Thanks again to everyone who has attended a previous webinar! Your active participation has helped to make them successful.
To everyone who hasn't yet attended...we hope to see you soon. :)
Need some guidance on using eProductivity more effectively?
I recommend subscribing to the eProductivity Weekly Tips newsletter. This free email newsletter offers easily digestible tips & tricks on using the various eProductivity features. It's a pretty convenient way to learn more about the software.
Paul updated his Reference Tutorial video with this additional clip. It shows how to use the Reference Database's Quick Paste feature. Very handy when you're dealing with repetitious information!
We've been offering free public webinars for a few weeks now. They've definitely been a success and we've received great feedback from attendees. Thanks everyone! However, if you didn't live in the Americas, our session times may have been a little inconvenient.
That is no longer the case. We're now offering webinars at more international-friendly times.
Anyone located overseas should appreciate the changes. Although we think an Australian getting up for a 3:00am Saturday morning webinar shows great dedication - and we really appreciate it! - we want to help you get your beauty sleep too.
How can I create a linked Waiting For action item after sending an email? I'm about to send off an email to a colleague that requires them to respond and I don't want to forget.
Geat question. The answer is, eProductivity has many powerful linking options.
Go through the screenshots below to learn how to create a linked Waiting For action item after sending off an email.
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Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 2.5:
Send the email. :)
Step 3:
Step 4:
There you go! Hope it helps to save you time and eliminates the unproductive extra clicks required to manually link the email to a new Waiting For.
Sidebar: As I've been mentioning, we're creating more training resources for our customers, including our free public webinars that are now available. If you have webinar topics that you want covered, or if you have a time slot (e.g. Tuesdays at 1:00pm) that you would really like to see webinars held at, please let us know. We value your feedback and suggestions.
The eProductivity Today view. Your dashboard for getting a handle on your day's priorities. But how does the Today view actually work?
I think we get this question frequently for two reasons. One, because people want to use the Today view to track all their due dates so that nothing urgent slips through the cracks. Two, because the process by which items appear on the Today view can seem a little magical at first.
Do you want to end the work day with your inbox at zero? Do you want to feel a greater degree of clarity about where you need to spend your time? Do you want a better sense of which projects are the most effective for you to work on at any given moment? You need to attend an eProductivity webinar.
We're developing a series of free, publically-available webinars designed to give you a jumpstart on eProductivity. Ample time for Q&A will be included, so you'll have an opportunity to ask your burning questions. Check back here on the blog as we release more details and give you a special opportunity to sign up for the limited amount of spaces.
In the meantime, I have a question for you: Are there any topics that you really want to to learn about? Any particular features you want a better handle on, such as the power of the Reference Journal or using Categorized Views to group related projects together?
Either Contact Us or leave a comment on this post. We want to target our webinars at whatever needs you have, so this is your chance to help us give you the best value. We appreciate it!
A blog by and for productive people who get things done with IBM Lotus Notes
Depending on which license version you purchased, eProductivity will allow you to define up to three external reference databases and 10 external mail databases. Almost always, at least one of the external mail databases is the user's mail archive. 
How can I create a linked Waiting For action item after sending an email? I'm about to send off an email to a colleague that requires them to respond and I don't want to forget.
The eProductivity Today view. Your dashboard for getting a handle on your day's priorities. But how does the Today view actually work? 
Do you want to end the work day with your inbox at zero? Do you want to feel a greater degree of clarity about where you need to spend your time? Do you want a better sense of which projects are the most effective for you to work on at any given moment? You need to attend an eProductivity webinar. 
