Michael Linenberger's Blog

Jan 6, 2013 (updated Jan 13, 2013)

If you use Outlook tasks with Exchange, you may recall TaskTask is the App I’ve been recommending you use to manage those tasks on your iPhone or iPad. The TaskTask iOS apps work well and can be easily configured for 1MTD and MYN per the instructions here.

Windows 8 Versions Just Out

Well, that app is now available as a Windows 8 app that looks great and also works well for 1MTD and MYN. This means that Windows tablet users now have a direct way to access their Exchange tasks without using Outlook, even when disconnected from the Internet. It’s the only Windows 8 app so far that does all this.

And if you do not use a Windows tablet, but you have a Windows 8 computer, you may prefer the app’s interface over working in Outlook’s task pane. The TaskTask app has a clean and simple look, with the list of tasks on the left and the details for a selected task shown on the right (see below). You’ll also find that the controls are very easy to understand.

The app actually came out about a month ago, but there were some connectivity issues for many users with the first release. Those have all been fixed I hear, and as of the January 6 release, all is well. So if you tried it before and had issues, download the update and try it again now.

Here’s how to get it going and how to configure it for MYN

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Dec 28, 2012                                                    

In an earlier post I described how I liked the Type keyboard cover for the Surface. I feel like it’s nearly a game changer since the keyboard can be flipped forward or back in less than a second, so you can alternate between true tablet touch work or laptop typing, right in the middle of your work-stream.

By the way, notice I am favoring the Type version over the Touch version of the Surface keyboard cover—I couldn’t really get the speed I wanted on the Touch version and they both weigh essentially the same (very little). The Type version costs you in extra thickness though.

iPad Keyboard Cover

Well, I’ve finally tested a similar keyboard cover for the iPad and I like it a lot. It’s the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad (iPad 2, 3, or 4). It’s definitely a winner.

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Dec 24, 2012

If you’ve followed my writings or posts on ToodleDo, or taken my Video Course on using ToodleDo with MYN, then you know the way you create ToodleDo tasks from e-mail (from any e-mail system) is to forward the e-mail to your special ToodleDo e-mail address—and the task magically appears in ToodleDo.

Well, if you use a web-based e-mail system (like Gmail, Yahoo mail, or say Outlook.com), there’s another, quicker, way to create tasks from e-mails. It’s to use ToodleDo’s Bookmarklet.

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Dec 20, 2012

Tablets are great because they are easy to carry; they are quick to start up and jump right into action on. They are also easy to hold in one hand while reading. They are especially easy to navigate around with one hand by swiping. All those advantages lend themselves to doing quick tasks—work tasks. Tasks such as writing a quick email, entering or reviewing recent to-dos, or editing documents.

       VS.     

I use a Surface RT and I use an iPad. So you may wonder which I feel is the best Productivity Tablet. I have been using both for a while, and my answer is “it depends.” Whether the iPad wins or Surface wins depends on which “productivity functions” you intend to use your tablet for.

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Dec 17, 2012

Just a quick reminder, for those of you already migrating to the trial versions of Outlook 2013 (full versions do not come out till February probably), you can use all my Outlook 2010 instructions for setting up and managing MYN/1MTD tasks in Outlook 2013. That’s because there are virtually no differences in the Outlook task features between Outlook 2010 and 2013.

The only substantial difference is in how you display the To-Do Bar with tasks, and that is written up at this link:

http://www.oneminutetodolist.com/blog/outlook-2013-fixing-the-harder-to-open-to-do-bar/

And don’t forget that I wrote an overview of Outlook 2013 here:

http://www.oneminutetodolist.com/blog/new-version-of-windows-outlook-coming-outlook-2013/

And I talked about where to get a trial version of Outlook 2013 here:

http://www.oneminutetodolist.com/blog/office-2013-trials-its-time-to-switch-from-preview-to-evaluation/

Good luck!

Michael

Dec 14, 2012

A CBS news technology writer, Dave Johnson, just confirmed what I have been teaching for six years. It’s better to not waste time filing into multiple topic name folders. He recommends using your mail system’s instant search tool instead. Here’s that article:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57558144/for-better-productivity-stop-organizing-email/

Thanks Dave, good to see that trend is catching on!

However, I vehemently disagree with the second part of Dave’s recommendation where he says to just leave the e-mail in the inbox and search it from there. Please, don’t do that!

Why? Because it leads to big problems.

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Dec 12, 2012

As you probably know, in the MYN/1MTD task systems I recommend using either of two Task Servers: Outlook/Exchange and ToodleDo. Each has its own advantages; and now you can access all the advantages by using both and keeping them synced using the software gSyncit.

A while back I wrote that I’d heard good things about gSyncit, but in that article I mentioned that I had not tried it yet, and so could not endorse it or explain how to use it.

Well, recently I started using gSyncit and I find it works great—it has greatly expanded my mobile task management options. So it’s time to write this up so you can try it too.

Article in Two Parts

I am going to present this article in two separate parts, otherwise it will get too long. In this first part I’ll talk about why you might want to sync tasks between ToodleDo and Outlook in the first place, and how it works at a high level. I’ll also mention some harsh realities to keep in mind when doing this.

Then in Part 2 I’ll follow with detailed gSyncit setup and use instructions.

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Dec 12, 2012

In the previous article, Part 1, I described the reasons and realities of using gSyncit to sync tasks between ToodleDo and Outlook. In this article, Part 2, I tell you how to set it up. Make sure you read that previous article before proceeding with this one.

Not for faint at heart

One thing to keep in mind is that any time you sync data between two systems, things can go haywire; if you don’t set it up right, you may end up messing up your existing task data. And even if it works right, due to variations between the systems, the lists are probably going to look different. So don’t even consider this exercise unless you are ready to deal with all that. And don’t flame the gSyncit folks or me when that happens. This is moderately advanced stuff—don’t play unless you have thought through and understand what’s going on.

Also, make sure both your Outlook and ToodleDo have matching MYN or 1MTD settings installed. Otherwise the lists will definitely look like they did not sync correctly, even if they did.

Install gSyncit

Okay, with those warnings in place, first, get a copy of gSyncit here and install it in Outlook (installation is pretty straight forward).

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Dec 8, 2012

If you downloaded the Office 13 Preview that came out in July, it’s now time to switch to the 60-day Eval version. Apparently Microsoft has stopped updating the Preview and all the new fixes are in the Eval. A ton of bugs have been cleared, so it’s worth switching over.

For example Word in the Preview was very slow once a doc got past a few pages, and it had a bad habit of scrolling every time you clicked to edit a word. That’s all fixed in the Eval. 60-days should get you to the when the final version comes out.

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Dec 7, 2012                                                                               

Listing Too Many Tasks Leads to Failure

Probably the number one problem with any computerized task list is that the list gets too big too fast, and then we just give up and stop using the list. That’s because we feel dispirited by the huge number of to-dos, and don’t know where to start. Or the things at the top of the list don’t ring true as being our most important tasks.

Part of this problem is having too many high priority tasks. Most to-do list systems have a three level rating approach, and nearly everyone I know who uses these puts way too many items in the top level. So you can use something called The Going Home Test in to solve this problem. Let me explain how.

Three Ways to Control High Priority Tasks

Here are three ways we keep your high priority list under control in the MYN/1MTD systems.

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