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My name is Steven. I'm an independent iOS developer at slidetorock.com.

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todo

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The to-do list planner

I recently came across a post titled getting things done like a Zen master.  One of the techniques discussed is that of the to-do planner, a planner that integrates a to-do list with a calendar.  It's exciting to me because it captures some of the motivations I had when building Planner for iPad.  If something has a specific due date, it's a calendar event.  If it's indeterminate, it's just a to-do.  It's important to see both at all times.

The reason I suggest using a weekly to-do planner is because daily planners have too much room. Focus not on how many things you can get done in a day; instead, focus on one critical task that will actually have an impact on your life.

Filed under  //  ipad   planner   productivity   todo  
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Posted by Steven Romej 
 

Planner for iPad - Calendar and tasks on the same page

(download)

Michelle is somewhat particular about her planner format. During the great planner shortage of 2008 we spent a couple weeks fishing around Barnes and Noble for a red Moleskine like this.

Things tied to a specific date fit nicely on the calendar. The right side works perfectly for to-dos that you might do in a few minutes, hours, or even weeks. The problem with the paper planner is that if you don't accomplish everything on the right side during a given week, you end up turning the page and having to rewrite your tasks. Michelle solved this with a paper clip and a post-it note that she floated from week to week, with occasional replacement.

If you have an iPad and can sympathize with the above scenario, you might like Planner for iPad. It's a weekly calendar and todo list on a single page.

Events and reminders you create in the app get published to the system calender so that you get the alerts and reminders you need.

Events are color-coded and you can pick from several color themes.  One of the themes matches the paper color if you don't like the highlighted blocks of text.  

I really enjoy how easy it is to enter a calendar event with Google Calendar and tried to replicate some of that with Planner. Just tap the empty space on one of the days of the week and type a few words and a new event is created.

There's a someday category for the todos you want to keep in mind but don't need to focus on just yet.

Filed under  //  calendar   ipad   ipad apps   planner   todo  
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Posted by Steven Romej 
 

Daily to do list - YouDo for iPhone

Youdo-1-1

I've tried a lot of handheld devices, task management programs, and calendar applications over the years in my quest to stay organized.  The one I always come back to: pencil and paper (with Ta-da lists coming in a close second).  If you've got a lot to do, the last thing you need is a task list application that adds to your workload by throwing menus, checkboxes, categories, and all kinds of metadata fields on top of each to-do.

If you like paper and simple lists, try my new daily to-do list app, YouDo.

Each day gets its own sheet.  You can scroll through the week to take a peek at what's coming.  Small vertical bars flank each day to give you an idea of how many previous and upcoming tasks you have.

Add new tasks inline: tap, type, reorder, delete from the same screen.  No submenus to wander through, no extra seconds shaved off your day.

Bonus feature: Set the background to white and use the app as a flashlight in times of darkness.

Learn more at the product page.

If it's Jan 23rd, 2010, you may not see the app in the iTunes store.  Tomorrow and onward, yes!

 

Filed under  //  app   postit   productivity   task   todo   youdo  
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Posted by Steven Romej