Alternatives to time apps (mobile applications)?

G

Goward Toliyaty

It turned out that I do not like to use mobile applications, but sometimes I need to paint my day point by point because I have a very tight schedule at work. Advise a worthy replacement for mobile applications.
 

Marc

Fully vaccinated are you?
Leader
It turned out that I do not like to use mobile applications, but sometimes I need to paint my day point by point because I have a very tight schedule at work. Advise a worthy replacement for mobile applications.
Are you referring to scheduling software? Before "smart phones", there were several Day Planner type devices that I felt did a good job. At one time (still in garage, actually) I had an Apple Newton that I used extensively. It was expensive, I remember that. I do not remember the other, more mainstream devices - All are extinct, as far as I know, because smart phones these days have so many apps that perform the same functions.

Other than that, I remember in the days of paper I used a Day Planner which was like a smallish notebook one would often take with them, especially to meetings and such. Personal organizer - Wikipedia
 
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Watchcat

Trusted Information Resource
When you say you don't like to use mobile applications, do you mean you don't like to use applications on a stupidphone? There are applications that run on a tablet, and of course on a laptop, but both of those are "mobile." Or that you don't want something that is mobile, i.e., you don't take it with you? If you aren't that mobile yourself, a whiteboard might suit you just fine.

It's hard to know what is worthy for someone else, because needs vary. When I used a paper planner always ended up designing my own planner, because I didn't just want appointments, I wanted to-do's on the same page, a long with reminders of anything I needed to read in advance of an appointment, or take to a meeting. And I always had tons more information to enter for day and tomorrow than for three weeks from now. However, for those not blessed with OCD, Day-Timer still has a lot of layouts to choose from, along with some decent advice:

https://www.daytimer.com/daytimer/home
 

Marc

Fully vaccinated are you?
Leader
Old Man Memories ahead - CAUTION!

I think it was a contract with GM on an air restraint project some years back. One of the first things they did was to give me a paper Day Planner "notebook". Because the project was air restraints, their expectations were in part because of the subject. GM wasn't fully onboard, so to speak, with air restraint systems at the time, and in retrospect I do think part of their thinking was with respect to liability. It was made clear that each person was to keep their Day Planner "up-to-date" daily. People were required to, for example, record notes about/in every meeting they attended, and entire daily schedules were required to be entered including lunches and "breaks". It reminded me of chemistry in college where they were seriously big on having a notebook for any/every individual project including data from experiments on. In biology it was pretty much the same. That said, I understood the concept. I do remember a lot of the people did not like the Day Planner requirements, and their complaints were mainly that it took time to keep everything up to date. Many simply saw it as extra work. I will say, it was, but I understood the reasoning behind it. Some described it as "cover your ass", and to me that was a valid reason.

I don't remember the year, and Microsoft Project was never ported to the Mac, but that experience led me into project planning using software as computers were starting be become "common", if you will. As I remember I started with spreadsheets in Excel for Mac prior to that, and it was as a "cover my ass" perspective. I logged every thing I did and my schedule, projected project schedules including various notes (much like a diary). This was before the GM project - It was at my first DoD position in the early 1980's. And it did "save my ass" a number of times.

There are applications that run on a tablet
For many people, especially younger people, can do a lot on a smart phone. I started losing my eyesight when I was in my mid-40's. Reading glasses were mandatory. I strapped a pair on when I got up and didn't take them off until I got in bed. I kept at least 10 pair, 5 each of a different magnification (got a very good deal from a Walmart manager - 1/2 off the $20 (or so) a pair price). I have an iPhone 6S Plus, and -Well, the screen is just too small for most things.

In todays world, I totally agree. A tablet (which is thinner than the old paper Day Timers) would be with me at all times. I am totally "anti-paper" these days for such use.
 
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