Michael Featured on Cover of new iPad-based Time Management Magazine
Oct 5, 2012
There’s a brand new iPad-based magazine out from the Canadian publisher Glenn Watt, and I have been featured on its cover this month. It’s called Time Management, and it offers a cross-section of various time management systems out there. It’s a good magazine! There’s an overview my system, and a video interview with me. But more important, you’ll see lots of other systems profiled as well.
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If you’d like free access to this first issue and the next two, you can use a code to get that; here’s how:
- From the App Store on your iPad search for “Time Management Magazine” (or just click the image above from your iPad) and download the free app.
- Open the magazine in Newsstand, and the magazine home page is displayed.
- The code can be entered by pressing the “Subscribe” button and then selecting “Current Subscriber” then entering the code: “ThreeMonthsFree“
Once the code is used, the user will be able to access the full magazine for three months, and will be sent an email at the end of the three months asking if they would like to subscribe. If the above steps get confusing, here is a link to a video that shows how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqVp0jp_y9E
Michael
What if you do not have an i-pad?
Ivan, well, I think it works on an iPhone too. But it’s definitely only on iOS platforms. Sorry, magazines on iOS are actually Apps, and we still live in a world where apps are OS specific.
Michael
Congratulations, Michael.
Although that’s not why I’m commenting.
You HAVE to check out this iPhone/Android app and associated web-based task server:
astrid
It’s simpler than Toodledo and the web interface is beautiful, as is the iPhone app. I assume the Android app is even better since it was made on it originally. It even turns voice memos into tasks on the fly.
With the Today view selected, and using their “Due Date” field as if it was a start date, the majority of MYN principles can be easily implemented.
There are only 4 rather than 5 priorities, that much is true. But the priorities are easily distinguished with colours and I prefer it.
It is possible on both the web app and the mobile apps to set task defaults including start date = today. Adding tasks via email is possible.
File attachments are possible too for the pro version. I’m not yet sure about all the ins and outs, but this is so much simpler than Toodledo that I love it because of less fussing around.
Repeating tasks function wonderfully.
“Auto” sort or “Priority” sort tasks logically, although not with fresh tasks first. In fact, Due/Start date oldest get sorted first, which is how I prefer it. It’s also possible to create special lists, and then the order for Auto or Priority sort appears to be:
Start Date
Priority
List Order
A-Z within List Order
This works for me.
The web app comes with two themes for the free version, and two more for the pro version (14-day free trial so check that out), of which I LOVE the dark theme.
It was so much quicker, too, setting up my list here than in Toodledo.
Lots of neat little features like when you type a new task on the web app and click enter, the place to enter all the details automatically pops up on the right if you want it, but because it’s on the right, out of the way if you don’t.
Further, the mobile app allows you to create checklists if you like.
Really, it’s only slightly less powerful than Toodledo, but much much easier and prettier.
Over and above the previous, Windows users can install BlueStacks, a program that lets you run Android apps on a PC. (Google it to find it; my link isn’t allowing my comment to go through the spam filter.)
From there, one goes to the Android store within Bluestacks on one’s PC, and downloads the astrid app.
This give you offline PC access to your tasks — following the most important MYN principles — as well as mobile Android and iOS access, and the web app.
Try doing all this with Toodledo! Good luck.
Similarly, Mac users can also run astrid and other Android apps on a Mac.
On the specific subject of this post.
Unfortunately, the Time Management Magazine app doesn’t appear in the Canadian iTunes store. I suppose it’s only available to an American audience.
A better way of organizing it, I discovered, is to select “My Tasks”.
In the web app, you choose the “Auto” view, and it sorts due (i.e., “start”) date first, then priorities, etc. That way you get a nice list of stuff to start now, but without even going to another page, you can see upcoming tasks before the current tasks, which are properly sorted via priority.
It may be necessary to update the due (“start”) date of old tasks to equal today, to keep the sorting working properly. This is a tiny bit of overhead, and the pro account lets you multi-edit tasks from the web app.
Anyway, I’m already finding it much smoother than Toodledo, quicker and more practical.
What astrid really needs to do is implement a “Today + Past Do” view in not only the web app, but iPhone and Andriod apps — that way resetting start dates at the beginning of the day, though easy enough, wouldn’t be necessary. Plus, it just makes sense. Today view SHOULD include past, but still active, tasks.
I meant to add that choosing “My Tasks” sorted by “Start Date” organizes them the exact same way that “My Tasks” sorted by “Auto” does in the web app, for some reason.
So it’s convenient, but a bit odd nomenclature.
My apology for deluging your blog with comments today, but I think this solution is great for MYN and I thought I’d outline how I’m implementing it to save you or your readers time if you try it out.