Ministry Bits

052: Plain Text Productivity for the Preacher

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In a long-awaited episode 52, we explore the various options and advantages to becoming a plain text preacher. 

  • This episode was posted on October 17, 2016.

  • Show notes for this episode can be found at chadl.co/mbits/052.

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    • Links for this episode:
    • iText Editors
    • Dropbox
    • Typora
    • Byword
    • Taskpaper
    • Markdown
    • Markdown Cheat Sheet
    • Editorial for iOS
    • Comparison of display features on Byword vs. Typora for Mac
    Notes from this episode:

    ##Why Plain-Text? (Advantages)

    • Original - Because it's been around for a loooong time, and it will continue to be around for a long time
    • Portable - will work and can be read by any app, word processor, code editor, or even web browser
    • Small - takes up a tiny tiny amount of space (1GB = 1000 MB = 1,000,000+ text files) [54 files = 127 kb]
    • Future-Proof - will work on anything in the future, almost certainly
    • Robust App Ecosystem - tons of apps for iOS, a few for Android (iText Editors)
    • Editable - edit on the go, no need to PDF anything, make last-minute changes to lessons, sync through Dropbox/GDrive
    • Flexible - can import plain text into anything (Word, Pages, code editors, web forms, Taskpaper)

      • ##Disadvantages

      • Limited Styling - some styling through use of Markdown (but can paste easily to other apps)
      • So nerdy and simple some people don't (or won't) understand it
      • Need for nested file structures in a sync system (such as Dropbox)
      • Sync may or may not be instant through various services (looking at you, iCloud)
      • Setup and customization can be time-consuming and difficult

        • Plain text is perfect for preachers because we so often live in text - not so much a need for spreadsheets and formatted materials, but most of our stuff is for internal use and mostly only seen by us.

        ##Getting Started

        • No matter what platform you're on, there's plain text support there
        • Mac: Typora, Taskpaper, Byword, TextEdit
        • PC: Notepad, Filenotes
        • iOS: Drafts, Editorial, Byword, 1Writer
        • Android: Draft, MarkdownX
        • Sync with Dropbox is probably your best option - fast and reliable
        • iCloud also an option to sync on iOS/Mac

          • ##My Workflow

          • Dropbox + Typora + Editorial + Taskpaper
          • Everything starts with Dropbox - nested files live here, and everything syncs here (saving files)
          • Typora (beta) on the Mac is where everything usually starts
          • Editorial ($9.99, Universal) is where I manage/view text files on iOS devices (search built in!)
          • Taskpaper ($24.99) is where I manage my to-do lists (iOS = Editorial)

            • ##Markdown

            • Markdown is where everything ties together
            • It's a way of writing styled plain text (if that makes sense)
            • It lets you style text but still maintains the integrity of a plain text file
            • Created in 2004 by John Gruber (open standard)
            • Pages/Word/Excel/Publisher/Scrivener have their own metadata formats
            • Markdown includes no metadata whatsoever, just like plain text
            • You won't have any problems opening an .md or .txt file, because they're the same

              • ##Conclusion

              I love plain text. I know plain text. I have been working for the last four years in plain text, and every time I abandon it for some other note-syncing service, I always end up coming back. It's just better, and I know that I won't have to jump ship when it comes to using different apps and services. I love it, and I know if you give it a chance, you'll love it too.

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              Ministry BitsBy Chad Landman
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