My Old E-mail Setup

My old e-mail and calendar system was based around Outlook and I’ve always found it met my requirements very well but it had started to become slow and cumbersome and was using a large chunk of system memory.

Over the years I had created an elaborate system of folders and sub folders for my e-mails which was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. I ended up  just using the search function to find old e-mails but Outlook was taking several minutes to search the thousands of e-mails on my system to find the one I was looking for.

After recently reading Getting Things Done by David Allen it became obvious a much simpler method of sorting and processing my e-mails was long overdue.

I wanted something that would let me send and receive e-mails from multiple accounts, let me organise things intuitively and find what I need quickly.

I’ve had a Gmail account since 2004 but it has only ever been used as a backup system for my e-mails (I’ve set a copy of every e-mail to forward to my Gmail address) and as an emergency e-mail solution when I’m out of the office. To say I hadn’t explored all the features and settings would be an understatement! It seemed the obvious choice…

Making the Transition

My first step was to explore the features Gmail offered. My existing Gmail account proved the perfect testing ground because five years worth of e-mails that were already on the system. A quick glance at the intuitive search method gave a very favourable first impression letting me find a specific e-mail from back in 2004 in just a few seconds.

I’ve got several e-mail accounts that I wanted to filter in to my Gmail inbox (web design, hosting, blog etc…) and this was easy to setup. I could choose to either have a copy of all my e-mails from my other POP3 accounts sent to my Gmail address (which I’ve had for the last five years) or I could setup the incoming server to receive all my e-mails directly in to my Gmail account.

Gmail also lets you send e-mails from “non-Gmail” e-mail addresses via your own SMTP server (for instance, with my phil@thewebdesignblog.co.uk e-mail address) and the recipient will see the e-mail as being sent from my address rather than the Gmail address associated with the account.

And, just like Outlook, if I reply to an e-mail sent to a particular address the recipient will see a reply from that e-amil address as long as I have set up the reply-to address in the Gmail settings. Very handy.

During my first week using Gmail I watched this great video from Ryan Carson explaining the benefit of using keyboard shortcuts. The basics were easy to learn and I found myself using them automatically without thinking. When viewing e-mails I quickly got used to using J and K while reading messages to move between older and newer e-mails but then I discovered using [ and ] would do the same thing but automatically archive the message without going back to your inbox each time. This has proven to be a really big time saver for me! You can literally skim through your e-mails and either archive messages with [ or ] or leave them in the inbox with J or K so they can be processed later.

If I see something is urgent when checking my messages I add it to the starred label (keyboard shortcut s) which lets me quickly view my priority e-mails. I’ve also setup custom labels for Next Actions, Someday and Projects which I can assign to each e-mail to help me sort through them at an appropriate time.

My Favourite Keybaord Shorcuts

Gmail provide an overlay of their main keyboard shortcuts which helped me learn them quickly. Simply press ? when using Gmail to quickly bring up the list.

Here are some of my favourites:

• c - Compose a new e-mail
• c + Shift – Compose a new e-mail in a new window
• k - Move the cursor to a newer conversation (or move to a next message if you are viewing the conversation)
• j – Move the cursor to an older conversation (or move to an older message if you are viewing the conversation)
• [ - Archive and go to previous message
• ] - Archive and go to next message
• x – Check or uncheck the selected conversation
• o / Enter - Open or expand the selected conversation
• n – Go to the next message in a conversation
• p – Go to the previous message in a conversation
• e – Archive the selected conversation
• s – Star a message or conversation
• r – Reply to message sender (from the conversation view)
• a - Reply to all recipients (from the conversation view)
• f – Forward a message
• l – View the labels menu
• v – Move the conversation to another section
• Shift + i - Mark as read (and skip message in conversation view)
• Shift + u – Mark as unread (and skip message in conversation view)
• z - Undo

Please click here to view the full list of shortcuts.

Combination Keys

You can also use a series of combination keys to quickly move around the different sections of Gmail:

• Tab then Enter - A really useful one! Once you’ve finished writing an e-mail just press tab followed by the enter key to send the message
• g then a - Go to all items
• g then s – View your starred itmes
• g then c – Open your list of contacts
• g then i – Go to your inbox
• g then t – Go to your sent items
• * then a – Select all mail
• * then n – Deselect all mail

Please click here to view the full list of combinations.

Using Labels and Filters

When it came to deciding if I’d start using Gmail permanently it was the labels and filters that were the clincher for me.

I am so used to using folders in an attempt to organise my e-mails and I wasn’t sure if I’d get on with Gmail’s labelling and filter system but it turned out to be a piece of cake.

All you have to do is assign a few basic rules to create a filter. For example who it is from, what the subject of the e-mail is, what keywords it contains etc… and then you can decide what Gmail does with these e-mails. For instance, you could set these e-mails to skip the inbox, apply a label, delete them, star them or even send an automatic canned response.

I’ve setup several filters which apply custom labels to both incoming mail and all archived mail.

There are so many ways you could take advantage of this to organise your inbox but I’ve listed a small selection below:

• Any e-mail that contains the word “urgent” goes gets a Urgent label
• Missed calls and answerphone message notifications have a Telephone label
• Client project questionnaires have a Worksheets label
• All online payments I’ve received have a Payments label
• Receipts (and shipping notifications) from online purchases have a Shopping label
• Twitter and Facebook messages and friend notifcations have a Twitter or Facebook label
• Hosting and domain renewal notifications have a Hosting label

What I Love About Gmail

• I can sync my e-mails and contact list with my phone (more info at http://www.google.com/mobile/sync/)
• The “Send and Archive” button (labs feature) – When you send your e-mail reply this button will send and archive the e-mail automatically which is a big time saver.
• You get over 7GB free storage space but you can upgrade your storage space if required.
• If you use Google Calendar you can set it up to send you an e-mail every morning with your daily agenda.
• If your e-mail contains the words “I’ve attached” and you try to send the message without an attachment Gmail asks if you want to send anyway or cancel and add the attachment. (via Grace Smith)

What I Think Could Be Improved

• You can already setup an automatic signature but it would great to be able to have different signatures for each e-mail address you send from.
• Some times Gmail can pause when sending emails or other actions requiring a refresh to fix (but this could be a browser or computer issue)

So, after a month of using Gmail I am hooked. I’ve now started using it permanently for all my e-mails in conjunction with Google Calendar. I’ve tried to move over to Gmail several times before without really embracing the system but this time, for whatever reason, it all seems to have clicked in to place.

Over to you!

If you are a Gmail user I’d love to hear your own tips and tricks. How have you got your labels setup? What lab features do you find useful? If you’d like to share your favourite Gmail tips please leave a comment at the end of this post!

The main Gmail icon used for this article was designed by Sergio Sanchez Lopez

iTunes Links: Minibooks | Minibooks Lite

Overview

Minibooks is a third party iPhone App developed by Groovy Squared that integrates with the online invoicing tool Freshbooks.

As a Freshbooks user myself I was extremely keen to try Minibooks as soon as it was released earlier this year. I had previously tried the official Freshbooks iPhone app but this only allowed for basic timer features and didn’t offer any integration with actual invoicing.

The first time I loaded Minibooks I realised it would be an application I’d be using regularly. The gorgeous interface allows you to view your invoices, create new ones, add clients, send estimates and track time all from your iPhone.

Everything seamlessly syncs with Freshbooks (both ways) and is a real pleasure to use.

Features

• Create and edit clients
• Search clients
• Contact clients through the application
• Create, edit and send invoices
• Preview your invoice in an iPhone optimised template
• Search by invoice number or invoice status
• Create and edit payments
• Create, edit and send estimates to clients
• Convert estimates to invoices
• Start a timer with a single tap
• Run multiple timers together
• Timers continue run even if you exit the application

Interface

Some iPhone apps have such intuitive interfaces you really do look forward to using them. I’m please to report that Minibooks is one of these. As soon as you load it up the sleek, dark background gives a classy feel before you a presented with a list of your clients. From here you can add new clients or view your client’s contact details. The layout is logical and works very well.

The next button across the bottom is for invoices. Not surprisingly you will be spending quite a bit of time in this section! You are presented with a list of all your invoices with the most recent at the top. The status of the invoice (eg. sent, viewed or paid) is also displayed next to the invoice amount. You can click each invoice to view the full details, send a copy to the client or make changes to the invoice.

Creating a brand new invoice is simple. Simply click the “plus” button at the top right, select the client from your client list (which is loaded directly from your Freshbooks account) then add items to the invoice. Any Freshbook invoice items that you’ve previously created are also loaded in automatically so you don’t have to type everything in by hand.

You can even adjust the terms and conditions and add notes directly from the invoice creation page. In fact, nearly everything you can do on the Freshbooks website can be achieved in the palm of your hand.

Once you’ve created your invoice you can send it to the client. It will also be synced to your Freshbooks account and will show up when you next log in to Freshbooks. Seamless!

Adding a timer is ridiculously easy to do. Simply click the “plus” item and hit “start timer”. You don’t have to enter a name or client for the timer (you can do that later) and the timer will keep counting even if you exit the app. You can pause the timer, connect it to a client or project before finally submitting them to Freshbooks. Multiple timers is also supported and work like a charm.

A recent update saw estimates added to the feature list and these are created in a similar fashion to invoices. The app supports several different currency codes and symbols and allows you to create default terms and conditions that will be sent along with your invoice.

Summary

If you have an iPhone and a Freshbooks account then I can’t recommend Minibooks highly enough. The app lets you manage your invoicing from anywhere in the world. Whether you are just checking your invoice status on the train or creating new invoices in a coffee shop you’ll find Freshbooks a really pleasure to use. Some apps are so intuitive and damn useful that you can’t help but recommend them and Minibooks is definitely one of those. If you aren’t convinced you can download a “lite” version which will let you try out the app before buying.

If you’ve already tried Minibooks I’d love to hear what you think. Feel free to leave a comment below with any suggestions on improvements or future features you’d like to see!

Links: Freshbooks | Minibooks | Minibooks Lite

Buy at Sitepoint.com | Buy at Amazon UK | Buy at Amazon USA

This review is based on the 2nd edition of the book.

A Confession

I used to be a table based designer and only recently managed to escape this prehistoric way of building websites for the wonderful world of CSS. It had become so quick and easy working with table layouts that I clung to this method for as long as possible. Stupid, eh?

The fact was, I was good at using tables to build websites and had learned all the tips and tricks. Sticking with tables was the easy option. I always knew this was wrong but could never fully grasp the seemingly complex world of CSS enough to build websites the correct way.

I’m pleased to say these days are now long behind me and I am a fully converted CSS designer and it is all thanks to this book. The CSS Anthology was the one book that finally helped me “get” CSS and see the light. Better late than never!

Book Content

The CSS Anthology was written by Rachel Andrew and is published by Sitepoint. The book aims to be both a good introduction to CSS and a reference point for 101 common CSS tips, tricks and hacks. The book is split in to the following chapters:

1. Making a Start with CSS
   
2. Text Styling and Other Basics
   
3. CSS and Images
   
4. Navigation
   
5. Tabular Data
   
6. Form and User Interfaces
   
7. Cross Browser Techniques
   
8. Accessibility and Alternative Devices
   
9. CSS Positioning and Layout

As you can see from the list of chapters the book covers pretty much all basic areas of CSS that would be used on a standard website. The tips, tricks and hacks are all organised into the above categories and the book acts as a great reference aid for specific CSS tasks.

The book is packed with full-colour screenshots to display the result of the CSS or HTML code snippets giving you a visual representation of what the code does which really aid the learning process.

Early Chapters

The first couple of chapters are especially well suited as a starting point to learning CSS. Rachel’s writing is clear and concise while providing details as to why you would use specific selectors for certain tasks. I can still remember back to early 2008 when I read the first chapter and feeling like a light bulb had been switched on, it all started to make sense.

Once you’ve learned the basics of how CSS selectors work Rachel teaches you practical implementations like basic text and link styling with several examples to try yourself. When I was learning CSS I found the book made me want to try the code for myself and, as a result, the previously daunting world of CSS became much clearer in a short space of time.

Whatever method you are using to learn CSS I really do recommend taking time out to try what you’ve learned in a practical environment. Actually typing up the code you are reading up on will help you remember it so much more. Jump in and give it a go!

The book, like many other Sitepoint publications, features lots of little notes scattered around the pages to point out important or useful information. Code snippets are also very clear and explained fully which compliments the practical nature of the book.

Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks

Once you’ve learned the basics of how CSS works you’ll want to learn more. The book naturally progresses in to the 101 essential tips, tricks and hacks section which are all grouped together in relevant categories. These can either be read through in order to help novices learn about each category or you can dip in to certain sections that you want to brush up on.

I found the chapter on ‘CSS Positioning and Layout’ to be particularly useful to me because this was the area I’d always struggled to understand. Simple explanations of the box model, positioning images and using columns are all covered and provide a great foundation for learning how CSS website layouts work.

In addition to teaching CSS techniques the book covers lots of common tricks and hacks to help you fix specific browser problems. The pragmatic style means you can be confident the things you learn should be future proof and the third edition of the book has been updated to cover IE8 and Chrome and Firefox 3.

At nearly 400 pages The CSS Anthology is bursting with information yet never feels overwhelming. The logical and well thought out organisation of topics and tips means you can come back to this book at any time to revise a particular section or to solve a specific problem you are having.

Summary

I can highly recommend this book for people wanting to learn CSS. It will teach you the right way to build websites and set you on the road to embracing CSS rather than fearing it.

If you’ve already got a good working knowledge of CSS this book can act as a useful reference guide to help solve specific problems time after time.

I fear that without this book I might still be using tables to design websites and that is a scary thought. This book set me on the road to learning and loving CSS and for that reason I will always be very fond of it!

Buy at Sitepoint.com | Buy at Amazon UK | Buy at Amazon USA

Further Reading

Once you’ve learned the basics of CSS I think you’ll find the following books a natural progression towards developing your CSS skills:

CSS Mastery by Andy Budd

The Internet abounds with information on CSS based design. However it’s spread across a large and disparate group of sites and can be very difficult to find. The purpose of this book is to pull all this information together in one place, thus creating a definitive guide to modern CSS based techniques. The book can be read cover to cover, with each chapter building on the previous one. However it can equally be used as a reference book, dipping into each chapter or technique to help solve specific problems.

Pre order 2nd edition: Amazon UK | Amazon USA

Handcrafted CSS by Dan Cederholm

Whether you’re a Web designer, project manager, or a graphic designer wanting to learn more about the fluidity that’s required when designing for the Web, you’ll discover the tools to create the most flexible, reliable, and bulletproof Web designs. This book explores CSS3 that works in today’s browsers, and you’ll be convinced that now’s the time to start experimenting with it.

Buy at Amazon UK | Buy at Amazon USA