No More Sticky Notes -task management software, anyone?

fortunate123

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 12:28 am

I like to keep track of all my to-dos on a blackberry which I have in a holster on my waist at all times. I know not many women would be comfortable with that, but it solves my problem of remembering things on the fly and not having anywhere to jot them down. My life used to be a complete nightmare of chaos because I just couldn't keep track of anything. Lists and paper agendas were useless because they were so time consuming, bulky, and too short-lived. I rarely forget anything anymore (unless I remember a to-do in the shower or on shabbos!) because it's all programmed, with reminder alarms for the important ones, on my phone. The nice thing is you can get great apps for a blackberry which work seamlessly with the built-in BB Tasks, so that you can see your To Dos by "project" - or category. I use Role Call tasks, which is great for that, and when I need to brainstorm to see what I need to do, I just look through my categories list and it's easy to plan. Also, an amazing feature is the way it integrates with the calendar so that when I look at my day, I see the to-do's right in the calendar by the day and time I set as the due date, with a checkbox next to it. I can really explain more in depth if you are interested - you can pm me if you are.

DrMom

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 1:52 am

If you use the standard MS Office applications suite, there are simple reminders you can set in Outlook.

For something more sophisticated than simple reminders, there is also MSProject which is a project management software (Gantt charts, time and resource allocations, critical paths, etc.).

Britmummy

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 3:58 am

I use Google. I have igoogle as my homepage on my PC and the tasks, contacts and calendar synchronise with both my e-mail programme (I use thunderbird) AND my Blackberry.

This way I can access my schedule from absolutely anywhere and see deadlines, appointments etc - all at once. And if I update it in one place, it automatically synchronises with all the others!

I also tend to block timeslots for project directly into my calendar, so I don't accidentally make appointments then - or so I can rejig my schedule if I do need to make an appointment.

Honestly, I'm not naturally an organised person, but this system has made such a big difference to me :-)

Mkay

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 10:12 am

fortunate123 wrote:

Thanks. The problem with this is that I really need something that dh can have equal access too at all times. Using it for business on a network. I also need to be able to sort by client / by project / highest priority...

Mkay

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 10:13 am

DrMom wrote:

This looks good. Will download for a spin. Thanks a lot.

shosh

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 10:21 am

I have virtual sticky notes on my screen - full of notes to myself that I always forget to read. Every so often I delete the old ones. And if I want to be mega organized, I put things on the calendar on my iPhone. For some reason, I seem to work better making mental notes of everything even though I know I have too many details to remember sometimes!

Mrs Bissli

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 5:02 pm

I also use task in the Outlook. My trick is to put the number first by priority so that the tasks show in that order instead of alphabetic order. You can set the due date, put the progress %, put a reminder on Outlook calendar.

For something less time-sensitive I also use Notes, which is like a virtual stick-it pad. I have a few notes that I constantly update, the one including Grocery Shoppping, and another titled Things to Cook.

bluebird

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 10:44 pm

Mkay wrote:

DrMom wrote:

This looks good. Will download for a spin. Thanks a lot.

MS Project is not at all cheap; it's $1000. It's a hassle if you don't have Project server, and if you have Project server it's much, much more expensive (and requires purchase of a different OS and also SharePoint) and someone has to administer it.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/.....68600

I totally wouldn't go for Project. It's built for big companies and even a lot of them avoid it because of prohibitive licensing costs.

Have you looked at any online tools? I've heard a lot of good things about Basecamp. The promoted $49/month plan isn't cheap BUT they also have a $24/month and a free plan listed in teeny tiny text here: http://basecamphq.com/signup

Toodledo is not exactly intuitive, but it's really powerful for task sharing and project management and is free: http://www.toodledo.com/

If you just want a shared to-do list and nothing else Remember the Milk might work: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/tour/

There are free and paid apps and mobile websites for all of the above.

Mkay

Wed, Jun 15 2011, 11:54 pm

Thanks all for the help. Actually, I'm a bit uncomfortable with a web-based program, since if I ever stop the subscription, I lose the info. What's if I don't like it, all past client and project info entered goes down the drain.

I'm actually looking at VIP Organizer. Not too expensive. So far looks very neat. It lets me put in clients, subcategorize projects under each one. Sort in a couple of ways. Can set up repeating projects easily. And creates reports in different ways. Looks really good I have to say!