I repeat my opinion that Microsoft Outlook is designed by “feature addition”, rather than driven by a useful philosophy of time management. Programmers with weak time management skills themselves will look for tips that they can hard-wire into the code, thus making it easier to do trivial things, but perhaps harder to do some of the essentials.I did some research into Outlook 2007, hoping that it would have some of the capabilities I wanted, but instead I ran into the following “new” features: Continue reading “Outlook 2007 Comments”
Outlook Community
Just curious, but does anyone know of a place online where people discuss how Microsoft Outlook can be used, and improved?
Let me know!
A New Version of Outlook
One of the major challenges for a 2Time user at any belt level is to find a system that fits the way in which they process their information.
Unfortunately, Microsoft Outlook, the industry leader in this sphere, does not seem to have been designed by a time management user, and instead seems to have been put together by programmers who made their decisions on what to add based on how long it would take to add a new feature.
The problem with taking this approach is that Outlook has lots of features, but no overall “philosophy”. Continue reading “A New Version of Outlook”
Looking for Good Outlook Software
I have been looking for a while for some kind of add-on for Microsoft Outlook that will pull together different pieces of information into one single project.
I am trying to create something like a “workspace” that brings all the phone numbers, appointments, lists, files etc. into a single place where they can be viewed all at once. I have been trying to get a copy of OneNote to review, without luck, thinking that it might give me what I want.
If anyone knows of any other suitable applications, or Outlook add-ons, do let me know.
When I decide to upgrade to Windows Vista, I’ll be sure to include a copy of OneNote, but that’s at least a year away.
Time Tracking
I have been testing a new software programme that I discovered a few weeks ago that tracks time management use by taking and storing snapshots of the screen at different intervals.
I have been tracking my time for several years, and due to my habit of filling out my time sheet only twice (or less) per week, I have been less than happy. At the end of some weeks, I would stare at the time sheet with disbelief, because I could not recall what I did just the day before.
Uconomix Snaplogger takes care of faulty memories. You can tune it to take a shot every few minutes, if desired (I have mine set to every 5 minutes). Then, it shows what happened during the day in enough detail to fill out a time card with much more accuracy.
It is a very handy tool.
Did I mention that the free version does everything that I need?
Habit Tracker — Joes Goals
I have been using a very simple and very useful habit tracker called Joe’s Goals. It is a very powerful tool that gives a visual display of how well one is doing in learning new habits.
I think there is further scope for applications like this, particularly in Outlook – but I am unable to find any that really work.
In any time management system, it is critically important to find effective ways to unlearn and learn new habits, and having an effective display of progress is only a part of the battle, but an important one.