I enjoyed every minute of John Siracusa’s Mac Power Users appearance. I was also really interested in how he builds his epic OS X reviews using TextEdit.

The running file approach is a fantastic way to collect random bits of information. I think it’s also a great way to tackle nagging recurring writing projects like newsletters, memorandums, and meeting agendas.

I find that if I casually collect links, block quotes, and miscellaneous thoughts as they arrive, it doesn’t take much to glue it into something shippable. I’m not even talking about outlining: just dumping stuff into a purpose-oriented text file in no particular order.

If, on the other hand, I wait to do all my research, thought collecting, and writing at the same time, I wait more. You know, I do that p word.