# 2022-08-22 Podcast - OmniGroup > [!overview] > url:: [The Omni Show: How Leah Ferguson Uses OmniFocus](https://www.omnigroup.com/blog/the-omni-show-how-leah-ferguson-uses-omnifocus) [[The Omni Show]] - Planning - Drag and drop onto calendar - Review - Defer - Being able to put projects on hold - Having a system you can trust - Knowing you can put a passport renewal a decade out, and it'll be there for you ## Outline ### Tell us about yourself! - Experiential graphic designer - User experience in the built environment - I design how you navigate and interact with the world around you. - Specialized in wayfinding in airports - Harvey Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport - Calgary International Airport - Jewel at Changi Airport in Singapore ### How did you find out about The Omni Group and OmniFocus? - Utlimately, I blame (and thank!) [[David Sparks|MacSparky]]. - Undergrad 2010 » design apprenticeship in package design - Already exploring [[allen2015GettingThingsDone|Getting Things Done]] - Testing out different approaches (hipster PDA!) and applications; heard about it on [[Mac Power Users]] - Started with iOS first before macOS ### What are some of the areas of your life that you find yourself managing with Omnifocus? - Everything except grocery lists - Undergrad, certifications, masters - Professional use: design, opening airports, designing books on the side - Volunteer work: community design, professional organizations - Dungeons and Dragons! ### What advice or great tips do you have for beginners? - Start slow, and start with intention. - It's easy to get overwhelmed. - Put the personal in personal task management » find what works for you. - Look at other's systems. - Understand the why and how. - Take what works for you and then leave the rest. - Think of it like a buffet ### (Your Question) Now, how does your overall workflow look? (Chance to riff on Obsidian / Fantastical / etc) - Connecting OF with other applications to power workflows - Example: how OF powers my daily note in Obsidian - Example: managing my masters with OF and Obsidian project notes & kanban - Example: OF and Calendar/Fantastical for drag & drop time blocking - Example: Bunch making OF Perspectives even more awesome - Why it matters using the right tool for you for the job ### (Your question) Any custom perspectives? - Perspectives help to avoid overwhelm - Perspectives help to keep separation between different areas of life - I want to be able to brain dump anything at any time into my inbox, but when I'm working, I only want to see what I'm focused on. - Perspectives allow for a bit of play ### Do you do any automation? - (Your automate parts of your life question - automation is a “loose” term here.) - How OF allows you to basically automate parts of your life (with or without automations!), so you can have more time doing the things you love (in my case, designing experiences) - **Set and forget**\* it *(until it comes up for review, of course)* - In 2016, I set a deferred task for 9 years to renew my passport. - Picking up a design project that was deferred for a year, and amazing (scaring?) co-workers by being able to pick up right where we left off - Shortcuts integrations - Constantly dabbling and seeing what others do; continuous improvement. ### What makes you passionate about productivity? - I've been passionate about productivity because I've had to be. I like being active! - Took a weekend off between university and my first job. Long weekend. - Moved to San Francisco on a Thursday, and started work the next Tuesday. - There are too many fun bits of life you can miss if you're spending too much time missing deadlines or doing repetative actions that you can automate. ### Are there any mistakes, or “#1 Pitfalls” you see folks fall into, and how would you suggest they avoid them? - We tend to look for a magical solution, instead of putting in the work. - This isn't the Mandalorean. "This is the way." - There's no *one way* of doing thing. - There's *your way* of doing things. - Just make sure that way works with other people. - Put the personal in personal task management: find what works for **you**. ### How can folks connect with your team and what you’re up to? - Twitter @leahthedesigner - leahferguson.com