apps for add

[Anonymous]

any advice about apps for organzing? calendars (coordinating home and work), etc. preparing for i-phone, convinced it’s the key to organizing my (disorganized) life. thanks!!! (what works, what hasn’t worked, etc.)

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[Anonymous]

@smftwo

I’ll let you know as soon as they invent an app for paying my cell bill, and then not losing the damn thing in the first place

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[nellie]

smftwo,

I used to use my iphone and mac to coordinate everything and swore by it. My psychologist took about a year to convince me to try a paper based system. My resistance finally wore down and I decided to use an old fashioned planner for a week.Its been 4 months and I’m convinced there’s something about the connection between the brain and hand that makes things stick. Also it connects the visual and tactile ( at least for me). The key of course is using it. But still I think I visualize my time better because I draw in the time – that is block off a square of time graphicly, as opposed to just noting an event next to the time. Anyway, works for me. I love my technology but still have to acknowledge there’s something about writing that anchors things.

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[Carrie]

On my Android I can set multiple alarms which I find very useful… Mind you.. instead of procrastinating 80% now due to my laptop (other 20% im not home)… I can procrastinate 100% anywhere I go! Bed, bathroom, work… Maybe its not so helpful after all hahahaha

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[nellie]

yeah I used my iphone and computer alarm until I bought a digital watch with alarms,chrono and timer. USe it all the time now. My psychologist also recommended it and told me there are ADD watches out there. I never got around to googling it so bought a TImex instead!

Ironic in the sense that I love technology and will go to extremes to buy any software that’s out there!

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[Anonymous]

hmmm. interesting. of course in my ideal world, i have this i-phone (which i don’t have yet) that is going to change my life. but i actually don’t even text now. (regular cell phone, can’t figure out which buttons to push, the very few text messages i responded to took my about an hour to send one short sentence.) (and it was entirely stressful). i appreciate that feedback. because writing (pen to paper) actually grounds me. if i write it, i often times remember it. (although my FEAR is that there are those random, occasional times that i DON’t REMEMBER- ie FORGET- which gets me into a bit of trouble.) all i need (like a hole in the head) is another system that will allow me to procranate!! nellie- if you don’t mind- do you just have ONE planner? and do you carry it with you everywhere? i have calendars for my calendars- and it gets very confusing (and exhausting) to keep these up (because, frankly, i don’t keep them all up-to-date so obssessively check all the calendars in a very disorganized compulsive -non-productive- inefficient manner. i’m probably more of a pen-to-paper kinda girl- its been a very chaotic practice for me. do you have a “planner” recommendation? THANKS SO MUCH!!

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[nellie]

The planner I use is the one http://quovadisplanners.com/catalog/prenote

It has time in 15 minute intervals and provides a week at a glance. Admittidly its size is a tad cumbersome in terms of taking it with you but in my case I use a tote style purse so so far it has been ok. I plan out appointments in blocks – ie make a square from the start to end time. This week there;s a visualization of your time. SInce there’s a week at a glance it has really helped me vuisualize time better. Since I started using it I haven’t forgotten any appointments or double booked myself. There are smaller versions available but I like the additional space to write.

When I used the computer based system with the iphone everything synced but I would forget to look at my calendar. I still use the iphone for alarms but surprisingly haven’t missed the gadgety nature -which says a lot for me

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[Anonymous]

thanks, nellie (and THANKS for the link!!) i got a little lost, but the prenote, trinote and visual seem worthy of further attention to me. i appreciate the info (and the link!!)- it’s probably wisest for me to think more (before acting impulsively- and acquiring another organizational tool). but that’s super helpful for me to think about . . . the i-phone may not be the answer to the calendar thing . . . food for thought . . .

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[Anonymous]

I was a bit in your position when I got my Droid (I named it Droidy lol) a few weeks ago. I brought it on the pretense of using it to change my life (in the organizational stand point). I was also worried that I would have trouble using it.

I was always a write down my schedule in paper person too. However, my problem was that I do not always have my planner with me. and I only wrote down important due dates and deadline for school or doc appts (could never remember to write down anything more). Sometimes, I would forget to write things down and had to scramble last minute. This method was ok when I just did full time school. My life is more complicated now. Also, when I remember something, my paper planner is not near my hand.

I have been using the droid planner for everything. dates, obligations, grocery list, to-do list. I absolutely must only have one planner (except for stuff at work which includes confidential client names). I figured out how to sync it with the google online calendar (mostly in fear if anything happened to my phone!). Like any new habit, it is taking some mental endurance to continue to do this.

so far it is working for me. although 2 weeks is not much of a trial. I had a bunch of time wasting problems with playing with droidy at first, but that is beginning to wear off.

question for you:

why is your current organizational method not working? What is the best and worst thing about it for you? This is important to figure out the best way to change. Do you need a drastic change or just modification in what you are already doing?

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[Anonymous]

hmmm. good questions. my current organizational method is not working because it is fairly chaotic. i have a calendar in the kitchen (actually 2 or 3), a kinda calendar at my home desk (which is the kitchen table, living room table, bedroom night stand, car, you know, wherever), my online calendar (synced to nothing), my outlook calendar (that is only for work- and i’m less concerned about that one because it shoots me reminders when i need to do something and it’s only used for my work hours), my post-it notes (believe me- POST.IT.NOTES) everywhere (EVERYWHERE) to remind me to add this to a calendar or not to forget to cancel this, or to remember to look at the calendar, or to do this or to do that (and i keep them at my home desk- see above for description). i’m definitely a pen-to-paper kinda gal (the act of writing seems to impress it into my mind) but is NOT fail-safe. i sometimes have a feeling i wrote something down- that was important- and can’t retrieve it from my memory. or can’t find the post-it-note. (sometimes i try to visualize where i was when i may or may not have been thinking of something important and may or may not have written it down- but that is the TOTAL DOWNSIDE of living with someone else.) (i don’t clean for that reason. but my husband does. i know it drives him crazy that i don’t, but it drives me crazy that he does . . . ) (smile). SO- YES i need a drastic change. i was thinking the i-phone was going to SAVE my life (and sanity)- because i would ALWAYS HAVE IT WITH ME. so that would be the UPSIDE of the i-phone. one place. plus the benefit of built-in “post-it” space (all in one place). (i constantly am writing myself post-it notes with thoughts, ideas, to-do lists, appts, etc . . .) i’ve got a few weeks until i can get the iphone – so i’ll continue to ponder the i-phone or a planner, an iphone, or a desk planner . . . but THANKS so much for getting me to think about this better!! and for the ideas of what has worked for you guys.

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[nellie]

Well the key in the end is to pick one, whether paper or computer and sticking with it. In the end it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you remember to use it LOL.

I have a feeling it’s got something to do with how you remember and visualize things. Like for example, do you need to write to remember with note taking?

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[Anonymous]

that’s precisely right. i need just ONE system. and you’re right, it totally has to do with how i remember- and visualize- things. i do have to write to remember- but i can’t rule out typing it into a cell phone as a method because i haven’t done it. i think i’ll give the iphone a few months, to see if it works. if it doesn’t, i’ll go to a dayplanner. thanks so much, this has been extremely helpful.

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[Anonymous]

there’s one app called Errands that I use. It has multiple categories, and each errands can have sub tasks (like Groceries, and then a check off list of each thing you need to buy). I agree on the paper/pen issue, but I can’t keep with it long enough. Computers are always around for me, and they provide active reminders.

The errands app for iphone is at http://itunes.apple.com/app/id318095638

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[Anonymous]

oh i’d almost forgot my original question!!! although i’m grateful for the comments that made me think more, THIS is actually what i was looking for!!! thanks, pete-puma!! i am totally iphone/app naiive- so had NO idea what was available. (and didn’t know where to start . . . ) this looks PERFECT!! i can’t wait to give it a try . . . i just know it’s going to change my life . . . (smile)

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[Anonymous]

More important then any app is a methodology. Productivity apps are often a subtle way to procrastinate. I could start the project if only I had ….

I know this from experience. Probably the most respected man when it comes to a productivity methodology is David Allen, founder of the GTD (Getting Things Done) system. I highly recommend is books, and searching for him on youtube or google.

Many unofficial “gtd apps” have sprung up to handle task lists but no magic bullet yet.

Paper is a great way to start. I spend a lot of time working at computers so I appreciate the change of using analog “life hacks” There has yet to be a screen to match the resolution of a piece of paper.

I use a paper notebook for journaling, and a clipboard to walk around making mind maps on scrap paper. I then store the mind maps either on on my corkboard or in a simple A-Z filing system or the “tickler file system. A tickler system is 43 folders, one for each month and day. If you stay current and open the day or month when it comes up, it’s like mailing yourself something in the future

For what to do today I use a whiteboard, and only put things that must be done today on a calendar because I feel guilty having not done things on the calendar. David Allen calls the calendar the “hard landscape” and many tasks don’t really HAVE to be done that day.

The GTD system lists all tasks by context so for example, if I have to water the plants at the office I would have it under @office and not worry about it while somewhere else. There is a great freedom in a trusted system more dependable then your own memory.

I do use a app for handling tasks lists to slice and dice them.

For incoming tasks and whatever I use an inbox. Clear plastic for physical and Evernote apps for digital. Evernote is great. It works well with paper because it has OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and as long as I print I can take a picture of English or Japanese text and later search it along with everything else.

Besides pictures, Evernote captures audio, drag and drops files into it and write text. It runs on Mac, Windows, a web app, and many smartphones and tables like those powered by Apple, Google and Blackberry

I live in Japan and can’t read many signs so I particularly like that the pictures I take can be displayed on a Google Map.

Anyway, Evernote is a great way to capture, sync and organize all sorts of stuff and there is a free account but the premium is cheap and worth it.

Here’s the website

http://goo.gl/WTP9G

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[Author]

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