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As promised earlier, DeJe has generously donated 10 free licenses of PI Today to Pocket PC Addict readers. And now is time to give them away!
For this contest, since this is a Day Planning type of application we will focus on the Day Planning side of it.... To win you need to respond to this thread with your secret formula for getting things done! How do you plan/prioritize/filter/schedule or journal your day that is unique or motivating? Just give us some insight into how you get some leverage on yourself! Maybe you've figured out a great way to color code your tasks so they jump out at you and make you want to get started. Or perhaps you schedule your meetings 1 hour in advance so you are never late. Rules:
* Entry is open to all registered Pocket PC Addict members
* Post your best strategy for day planning or motivating yourself to get things done!
* We have 10 copies of PI Today to give away!
* We will select the 10 most helpful or unique entries as winners
* Winners will be notified via Private Message
* Winners will receive one copy of PI Today by email or download
* All decisions will be final
* Contest Ends Next Thursday September 2, 2004 at 6PM Eastern Standard Time
If you haven't done so, read our review of the soon to be released PI Today 2.0
I try to look at tasks as a game. As I knock out appointments / unread email / flagged for follow-up emails, I mentally give myself a point (or 5 points if it was a large accomplishment, etc.).
If I clear my Inbox, I'm in the "bonus round". If I have no follow-ups for that day, I'm on "time extended". Whatever.
It helps add a touch of fun to a hectic day, and makes me feel like a winner when co-workers complain about how much they have to do / how far they are behind.
I find the best way is to hide the things I don't need to accomplish today. I use categories and only show things on my must do category and don't worry about the others. When I knock of those tasks, I move the next batch in. That way I don't get overwhelmed with a huge list.
What I do that I find quite helpful is first of all, plan everything I need to do tomorrow in my Calendar. When I'm done with that, I'll sometimes put someone fun to look foward to... like : "Take kids to see a movie" or "Go out to dinner" or something fun so that I will work faster and have something to look foward to at the end of the day!
In addition to hundreds of calendar reminders and Outlook tasks, I find that on a daily basis it helps to take a few minutes and plan and replan my open projects and tasks. Usually I'll just start jotting down a quick list of all the things that I need to get done and identify and mark which ones are critical & urgent. This helps me keep track of & prioritize everything outstanding. A few dyas later I'll take a look at the old list and cross of what has been done and add the new tasks and start over again. Constant planning & replanning of my workload seems to be the only way to stay on top of it.
Organization of the "to do" pile, be it tons of e-mails or physical work on my desk, is also key. Making sure that only that which I'm actually working on is taking up my active workspace helps me from getting to overwhelmed and distracted by everything else.
I set alarms for a significant enough lead period before an event - BDays get 1 week, appointments, I set for the drive time to get there, i.e. appt is at 1pm, and it takes 30 mins, I set the alarm for the meeting to be at 12:30.
My most significant organizing tool is my wife. She tells me what to do, and I do it ...pretty simple, but effective. She has override over almost anything in the PDA
You mean I'm supposed to use this contraption for something usefull like time management? Huh - here I though it was a pocket golf game!!
Seriously though, all good ideas so far. I particularily like to re-visit tasks each morning, re-prioritze as necessary. Sorting into specific categories is also key. Having the ability to 'check items off' the list might be my favorite function - it gives a certain feeling of accomplishment that just isn't there if you aren't using SOME kind of PIM (whether it's paper or electronic).
And there's that golf game too... I'd be so much more productive if that wasn't on my X3i
I'm all about the Franklin Covey method. I prioritize by A1, A2, A3 and then B1, etc. all the way through C3.
If its a huge task that I've completed, I'll treat myself to a special beer. C3 might get Buttwiper (er, Budwieser) if you know what I mean. A1 gets a Kriek or Peche Lambic. MMMMM.
__________________ A good way to threaten somebody is to light a stick of dynamite. Then you call the guy and hold the burning fuse up to the phone. \"Hear that?\" you say. \"That\'s dynamite, baby.\"
I use the calender to schedule everything.... I use tasks to accumulate to do items but I always schedule them. Most of my tasks are created from Achieve It and brought over to PI.
The biggest item is my Monday AM quarterbacking done of Fridays to review the work week and goal tracking.
I use a mixed method including Covey, Allen and mindmaps. Each weekend, I write a mindmap with important things I will have to do for next week (Covey's method would call this 'roles'). I use Pocket Mindmap for this, it allows to export each branch of a mindmap into Outlook. Then, within Pocket Informant, I categorize all tasks, prioritize them. I use context-category (Allen's method) along with standard categories, and PI's task priority manager.
It may seem a little complex, but not actually really.
One thing I struggle with, I don't know how to include Achieve It :?
Mixed bag of tips, approaches that I have found useful over the years.
- Decide on 1 or 2 must do items each day and then do it!
- Weekly planning sessions informed by key goals, priorities, life values, principles etc.
- Break out sessions, short breaks - invaluable for recharging batteries and reviewing/reaffirmings goals, objectives etc.
- Books - D. Allen's GTD very practical. Also refer to Edwin Bliss Time Management & S. Covey's 7 effective habits
- My PDA - Can't do with it. My life revolves around PI!
- External prompters, motivators - range from wife, close friends, mentors. Useful to making sure I have courage to move beyond comfort zones.
I currently use PocketBreeze as a plug-in inside Dashboard.
I am an early riser (although it hasn't made me healthy wealth or wise) and get to work quite a bit before actual start work time.
I sit at my desk, open email, and turn on my PDA. I read email, add to calendar and sync my PDA. Then, I spend some qaulity time with my PocketPC looking at each appt and task. I use PocketInformant task categorizing and review the task priorities daily.
To keep work and personal life separate, I also filter on work categories and personal categories. SO between all these actions, I usually get things done...
Well, I have never been a "scheduled" kind of guy. But with my X3i, I use Pocket Informant. I actually love this program. I use the calendar on Outlook most of the time, and just let it synch up.
I actually use the Task Manager more than anything else.
I am getting there. Still not on the same level of organization as all you guys. .
When you have a hectic schedule and a random firing brain cells, you got to come up with an alternative. If not, you get a lot of dirty looks and nasty messages because your late again or you forgot to do something. The most important thing for me is to put an alarm on everything. My meetings, to do items or task, reminders or recordings. I use the agenda view each morning to look at the day and the next couple of days. When in meetings or just spacing out in my office, when something pops into my head, I immediately pull out my device and put it in with an alarm and date/time. Becuase of my changing schedule I might have to snooze it for a period of time or even change it to the next day but I try to keep it on my calender until its taken care of. I guess the real thing is to take some type of action on it right then. If I don't, its gone and later I am going "@#$%#!, I forgot to pick up the kids". I also might have forgotten the most improtant thing, have my device with me at all times with PI running. Once the habit was formed, I'm lost without it.
To be honest one of the most useful features of PI Today is using PI as an alarm clock instead of my H5550s built in alarm. Its brilliant to be able to check your alarm status on the Today screen without having to tap through a couple of menu items to check if my 6:30am wakeup call is set.
I set the alarms as recurring appointments with a generous lie on at weekends. Then when it comes to a day off I can edit a single occurance without having to worry about setting it back for tomorrow.
Another feature I find useful is having tasks showing on all days up till the due date. This helps prevent last minute panic when a previously forgotten task shows up two days before it is due.
I use PI Today along side SPB Pocket Plus eliminating the need for the date plugin (PI Today has a much cleaner date format: but it would be good if the day was also included ). So without touching the screening I can view my H5550 vitals as well as all those appointments and tasks.
I make extensive use of the combination of categories, templates, icons and colors:
1) for each project, client, frequent "to do" I have individual categories with individual icons (e.g. client A, client B, Buy, Read, Call, E-mail, Internet)
2) for each of these items I also have templates (for tasks and if it makes sense like for client names also for appointments)
3) for the most important categories I have distinguishable colors
This helps in two ways:
a) fast inputing of tasks: I always use the same order, e.g. I type "Mr. Smith" and use my template "Call:" and "Client A: ". The item then looks like "Client A: Call: Mr. Smith" or "Internet: Buy: DVD Spiderman2"
b) clearly arranged task list: I sort for priority and subject, so that I have all tasks for client x, all things I have to email or to do in the internet in a structured way.
Hope this is new and helpful to some of you.
Regards,
fjp
I'm a true nerd & enjoy this program tremendously. time management has turned into a game using this & Pocket Informant.
I bought it back in March after fiddling with it for a few weeks. Usually, once you buy a program that's it. But Deje has been constantly updating this program. It truly amazes me at the amount of improvements that keep being added. I can't wait until version 2 is out. I love that header time line you've added. Thank you very much.
I coordinate medical screening events, and have at least 2 or 3 live events per day, 20 to 30 events in active planning, and 50 in the marketing stages. I also have a boss who absolutely refuses to plan large projects more than 3 days in advance, and loves to spring "911" things on me 5 or 6 times per day. I, of course, am an anal retentive freak about time managment and organization. I decided to spend 500 of my own hard earned dollars to buy my beloved iPaq 4355,(plus memory cards, cases and other "necessities") so when she calls me at 9pm freaking out about some event which she has lost the notes for, because she cannot use a computer, I can give her the latest info. I haven't figured out yet how to keep my personal contacts separate from the work contacts, so now, I can tell her about events we did 5 years ago, but have to count on my fingers how old my nephew will be on his next birthday. (Not that she cares much about that, but still...)
My biggest daily organizational challenge is remembering NOT to choke my boss as she dumps her "911" pile onto my desk at 4:30pm, and then calls me at 6:30pm to ask why I am still at my desk, when I should have gone home an hour and a half before.
I don't think ANY software would help prevent the desire to shake her until her little blond head just falls off, but I would love something that could help keep me on track with all my details, so I can clear my desk before she makes the "daily drop" of emergency items!
My PDA is very useful, whether I'm in the school or not - and the most important part in my Pocket PC is PIM functions. I usually have 2-3 appointments and 4-5 tasks to every day. I have some categories, for example for my job (I'M partly a journalist), and for other event, such as series in TV, etc. I'm trying first to complete the tasks in the work, then others. I'm using icons too - those are very useful.
It's a bit simple, but that's the way@me
The strategy to accomplish the most each day is the one that simplifies the "to-do" list and tracking process steps best, so that a person will actually DO all of the things they need to do.
As someone who works out of a home office, I HAVE TO rely on my "to-do list" daily, and must also track those events religiously. My PocketPC (Ipaq) is a critical integrated part of this process, particularly for changed events and new additions. Activsync updates are performed numerous times in a painless manner, and assure that my "to-do's and reminders are always current. I actually sync up with 2 differnt PC's daily with nominal effort.
Simple is usually the best (and the most liekly to be actually used regularly). I get things done!
One of the biggest headache is how to manage merchant rebate process. This is the strategy of how I track my rebates by using calendar of Pocket Informant.
Day 1 Buy an electronics product. Enter the store location, price and its warranty information.
Day 2. Send all the document to rebate department. Link Day 1 to the current day. I will also link the image files that contain scanned rebate form, receipt and warranty information stored in my iPaq. In the mean time, create a new appointment with a alarm setup that a rebate is expected to be received (usually 4 weeks from Day2) and, of course, link to Day1 and Day2.
Day24: If receive rebate, create an appointment and link to Day1, Day2, and Day28. Also, dis-alarm Day28.
Day28: Remind me at 11:00 am if I haven't received the rebate. Call or send email to rebate department and request the current status. Link to Day1 and Day2. Create another appointment that is 28 days from now.
Day56: .....
You can see how I manage it. It actually works very well and I never lose track in any one of rebates. If you ever use your VISA to purchase the electronics, your electronics is automatically extended 1 more year on top of manufacture warranty. Because of this, I was able to pull all the information out easily and file a warranty claim to VISA when my iPaq need a new battery in the age of 20 months.
istart my day by going through the tasks i have set for the day and the ones i didnt clear yesterday.
next i update my tasks and goals for today i.e letters phone calls
i send a lot of enquiries out that have a set reply date i give them a code of A, once i have the price but need further information i give that the code B, once i am happy with the price and can place the order it gets the code C, so at any one time i can see where i am up to.
at the end of the day the circle begins again i set tasks for the following day etc
Someone has already pointed out my number one tip: Alarms on everything. I work in system administration and it's far too easy to be pulled into an emergency completely absorbing my attention. I need the Pocket PC to actively jump up and demand notice.
Something specific to Pocket Informant that I've decided I like and is useful to me is hierarchical tasks .. I tend to define my tasks a little over-broadly and the ability to break things down into sub-components, each with its own categories and notes and due dates, without having to move to a seperate application like Project or even ListPro is a real benefit. In one view I can get the outline of the whole task, in Priority view I can see which sub-task I can work on in my currect location. (I use the alphabetical priority headings as location codes as per someone else's suggestion.)
I'm not an organized person by nature, but I'm struggling to get there somehow!
What I'm actively looking for now, is some way to be able to jot down a quick note (in Ink, preferably) and be able to turn it into a categorized, alarmed Task with the original note linked .. I haven't quite got there yet, but having just started a Calligrapher trial, I'm thinking there may be some new macro actions coming up that'll help me out!
How do I first get started? (I am using PI also)
1. First I have laid out a Personal Category, Work Category and Business Category. I have certain colors associated with each category.
2. When I have a new task I automatically start by asking is it A, B, or C; I usually assume initially everything is a C and then I ask how important it is, if it is very important it would move up to "B" or "A".
3. Then I ask is it Priority 1,2,3... ; high, normal or low
4. I also set up filters for certain specific recurring deliverables in each category. I tend to use numerous icons; they represent every and any function or action that I tend to engage in
5. I tend to use the recurring functionality alot, because many tasks and appointments tend to repeat.
6. The ability to set up appointments and tasks from the PIToday interface saves me from having to go into PI
7. Getting telephone numbers is great too.... can go into PI from PIToday and cut and paste any necessary info right into a PIToday Note...
8. I nolonger forget birthdays because an alarm goes off and they show up in the PIToday screen
9. My windows tend to get busy so filters are a life saver because I just then go in and filter by category and then glance down and then the icons usually tell me what the event is, so I can then read it real quick or just skip it and go to the next event.
10. Realize that all of this on the PI screen is great because I didn't have to go into the PIM.... But PIToday and PI are so intimately tied together that their symbiotic relationship is just.... GREAT!!!
11. (Rushing here to finish before 6:00PM; just got my activation code a few minutes ago)
12. Sometimes I use PIToday to shoot me into PI when I need to be a poweruser.
Well this gives you a quick overview....... Hope it helps somebody......
Gregg
...pretty simple, but effective. She has override over almost anything in the PDA 
I'm a true nerd & enjoy this program tremendously. time management has turned into a game using this & Pocket Informant.
Linear Mode
