Time Management software Recommendations

patwa_2

Hello.

This is a bit of an odd request but hopefully someone can advise on a solution.

Simply put, I need to get my life organised, both in terms of getting things done on time (bills, coursework, appointments) but also allocating time for tasks that I undertake or have to complete every day so that I can actually make use of the free time I have every day to get those tasks done. I find myself most days with a plan in my mind when I wake up of what I want to do, only to find that evening rolls around and I havent got even half of the things done, simply because there was no time allocation for each job.

I use Outlook to remind me of appointments and key dates on a daily level, but its not the best thing for splitting the day up on an hourly basis. I'd like to be able to say, allocate one hour for each subject I do, another hour for fictional writing, time for e-mail and postal admin, etc. And I'd like to be able to see at a glance which blocks of the day I have free from Uni and social events.

I was wondering if anyone knew of software that incorporated all of these functions? It's not enough to just have a popup every time I open Outlook telling me what's on, I need to be able to have a task in mind, and be able to see when I can do it, to be able to see a 'map' of my days, to be able to see if I will have time for a particular activity. And outlook is just not geared towards personal time management.

If anyone could help i'd be most grateful.

Thanks.

ShirleyPark_2

I use Mozilla's calendar, as it allows you to have lots of different "calendars", so I have one for Birthdays, one for things to do etc. Might be worth a look, and it's open source so it's free

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird/

lee634

thismay be of use its still in the beta stages but i thought the video had it all

http://iscrybe.com/main/index.php

dudleyboy

I agree, Sunbird is very versatile

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/

also, if you're working at your computer a lot, but don't want to always have Sunbird open, then you may find this extension for Firefox useful:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1191/

as it provides reminders and access to your calendar file through your web browser. I find it particularly handy for when my mind wanders while working/studying, and I decide to surf the web "for a bit". Seeing your tasks listed in the status bar does help divert your attention back to what you should be doing.

Lovin_It

I use google calendar https://www.google.com/calendar

It can link in with others too (shared calendars).

Absolutely rely on it!

patwa_2

Hi, I really do appreciate your suggestions, but sadly none of these apps are accessible. Mozilla has never been compatible with screen reader software, and scrybe, probably because of the flash-like technology follows suit.

Any other recs? I'm willing to pay for something truly decent - reasonably priced of course.

krishna

lee634 wrote:

thismay be of use its still in the beta stages but i thought the video had it all

http://iscrybe.com/main/index.php

Wow! It looks phenomenal.

Alexander_2

Hi,

Seems DevPlanner is what you need.

Simply put, I need to get my life organised, both in terms of getting things done on time (bills, coursework, appointments)

With DevPlanner you can add all these tasks to specific category, estimate them, set deadline and priority, set reminders if needed.

but also allocating time for tasks that I undertake or have to complete every day so that I can actually make use of the free time I have every day to get those tasks done. I find myself most days with a plan in my mind when I wake up of what I want to do, only to find that evening rolls around and I havent got even half of the things done, simply because there was no time allocation for each job.

Watch me:
You can drag-and-drop your tasks from the task list to the specific day in DevPlanner. You know your available hours, so you just fill time gaps with your estimated tasks defined above.

I use Outlook to remind me of appointments and key dates on a daily level, but its not the best thing for splitting the day up on an hourly basis. I'd like to be able to say, allocate one hour for each subject I do, another hour for fictional writing, time for e-mail and postal admin, etc.

Yes, Outlook is a program what many people use for time managent. Some tasks you are talking here can fit to a recurring pattern, isn't it? With DevPlanner you can specify recurrence pattern and they will appear in matching day with one click.

And I'd like to be able to see at a glance which blocks of the day I have free from Uni and social events.

With Outlook calendar you can do this. Why it's not working for you?

I was wondering if anyone knew of software that incorporated all of these functions? It's not enough to just have a popup every time I open Outlook telling me what's on, I need to be able to have a task in mind, and be able to see when I can do it, to be able to see a 'map' of my days, to be able to see if I will have time for a particular activity.

It's very good what you know exactly what you need and defined it clearly. I think it's primary time management technique and management in general. Ok, try DevPlanner (www.devplanner.com) and let us know if it's what you are looking for.

I'm new to this forum. But I'm so far enjoing reading it. Hope I can learn a lot of interesting things here and meet some good people.

Alexander.

jfdi

I've liked the GoalPro software, but have never been in a position to fork out for the full version!

I've used the 28 day test one a couple of times, on different PCs, but it's run out!

With Goal Pro you can look to the long-term on stuff etc.

Give the trial version a go?

http://www.goalpro.com/

A

patwa_2

Thanks Alex and Judy. That devplanner sounds like exactly what I need. Now just to see if it's accessible for me to use. I'll look at GoalPro too, might help plan things for later in the year. Thanks, I wanted to be as specific as possible. I'm tired of always rushing, my terrible time management has cost me literally hundreds of pounds over the last year (I messed up my mobile phone cashback deal because I was late with the bills) and my Uni work has undoubtedly suffered because of it. I hate having to burrow away from the world in the few days before a deadline because I didn't use the weeks beforehand to work on the project bit by bit, like I had planned to at the beginning. And most of all i hate feeling like I'm just a pawn in the general scheme of things, that life's ruling me rather than the other way around.

espresso

patwa. Are you going to post your superfast speed in this thread?