Windows Mobile devices only: Free application TaskPlus is a Today screen plug-in that reorders the standard task list interface on Windows Mobile devices into a compartmentalised and more manageable one. TaskPlus divides to-do’s into into personal and business categories, and automatically prunes completed tasks. TaskPlus will also display birthday and appointment reminders in the same simplified and streamlined way it displays tasks. TaskPlus is a free download for Windows Mobile devices. TaskPlus [Forest59]
Email-based digital personal assistant Sandy can be a really helpful manager for to-do lists and calendar appointments, but only if you don’t mind composing new messages for every change. Reader Wyatt writes in with a quicker way to get Sandy’s attention, using Outlook, Windows keystroke launcher Launchy, and a custom line for its built-in Runner plugin. Create a new Runner command named “Sandy” or something similar and point it to the location of Outlook’s executable file, but add the following switches at the end (substituting your Sandy username): /c ipm.note /m sandybox@yourname.iwantsandy.com
Want to customise the resulting instant email further? Here’s a guide to more Outlook switches. Gmail fans can also piece together a similar quick-launch Sandy through a Gmail script for Launchy. (Original Sandy post).
For the next week and a half, readers are submitting their best life hack for a chance to win an autographed copy of our new book, Upgrade Your Life. Reader Denis wanted to embed a to-do list on his Windows desktop, and came up with a no-install solution:
Windows and Mac OS X: Task manager Sciral Consistency tracks to-do’s that don’t have hard and fast deadlines, but need to be done on a regular basis. Keep on top of when it’s time to clean out the fish tank, balance your checkbook, get a haircut, an oil change, a teeth cleaning, or simply when too much time has passed since you called Mom with Consistency, which creates a time-based horizontal grid of days. You enter a task and the minimum and maximum amount of time that should pass between each time you do it, and Consistency marks which tasks need doing and which you’ve still got time on for a given day. Sciral Consistency is a free download (with limited use) for Windows and Mac OS; a licence will set you back $25.
Sciral Consistency [Sciral via 43F]If you live out of your inbox and don’t have the luxury of a human assistant, check out newly launched webapp Sandy, an information tracker you interact with via email. Register for a free account and you’ll get an email address you can send your to-do’s, contacts, bookmarks, notes, and appointments to in keyworded messages. Sandy receives the email, parses, stores, and organises the information, and emails you back reminders and agendas only when you need ‘em. More »
Tech site the How-To Geek puts Microsoft Outlook 2007′s To-Do Bar through the paces, demonstrating how to create, categorise, complete, organise, and flag tasks using it. I haven’t used Outlook on a daily basis since my escape to the freelance life, but most people with office jobs live in it. Are you using Outlook’s To-Do manager to GTD? What do you love or hate about it? Let us know in the comments.
Using the Outlook 2007 To-Do Bar [the How-To Geek]Ever since Apple released the iPod Touch, they’ve removed essential features, rendering it less versatile than the famous iPhone. Creative thinker Travis shows that you can still manage appointments and assignments using your nifty little MP3 player, as long as you’re not using your Contacts application. In this video, Travis walks us through assigning each field in the Contacts utility to make a functional to-do list. It certainly isn’t as good as the event manager in the iPhone’s Calendar app, but it comes pretty close. More »
