Yes, my very sophisticated software is to tear off old desk calendar pages. But I have a sick mind, because if I do something not on the list I will write it in, just for the satisfaction of crossing it off.
So who needs computers anyway? Can you take you computer grocery shopping? Sorry, I forgot this is 2005.
IMHO, no to do list (electronic or paper) will work if you don't carry it with you all the time and if you do not take time each day to diligently keep it up to date.
If you do, though, any system will work so the simplest tool will be sufficient.
I have an Access database of to do items and delete any item I completed. It's already close to being overcomplicated.
It isn't perfect, but it was $20 and does what I think I want it to do. I would like an engineering consortium to come up with the "ultimate" to-do list software.
I use the task list in outlook to keep track of all the things I'm asked to do so that when the next guy comes and asks me to do something, I can show him how long the list already is to try and dissuade him from adding to it. I'm pretty good at filtering this list and transferring genuine tasks to my real to do list. Its amazing how many tasks have been overdue for weeks without any kind of follow up - I guess it didn't really need doing in the first place then did it?!
My real to do list moves from my head (when there are only a few things and they are easy to keep track of) to a list in excel (for work), to my pocket diary (if its personal tasks I need to do on the move e.g. buy stamps, visit bank) or to a piece of paper taped to the fridge (for tasks at home).
Unfortunately a worrying number of tasks on the fridge are also overdue and they really did need doing!
I used to just maintain a word-processed list of Stuff To Do. Then I found I wasn't looking at it any more, so I abandoned it.
If there's a task I'm afraid will slip from my mind (or I've already caught slipping from my mind), I put it on the task list of my email program. At least then I have to look at it on a daily basis, since I have occasion to check my calendar at least once a day.
Access is just a standard microsoft office program, all you need to do is create a very simple database in there with name of to do item, completion date, priority, status and anything else you're interested in. Consult Access help for assistance.
A piece of paper would do exactly the same for you, but I write like a pig, I hate wasting paper, having it lying around where everyone can see it, losing it... reasons enough to go digital.
I use to have a cube mate that would put his "to do" on post it and then place them around his monitor. If the adhisive dry out and the post it fell off, that ment that so much time has gone by and the task was not worth doing any more.
I my self use outlook that syncs with my IPAQ that I carry on my hip.
Rhodia makes a variety of highly visible, spiral notepads. Lovely orange cover with black logo/cover art and 5mm x 5mm engineering grid paper inside. In my inspection bag I keep a 21cmx21cm pad for field drawings. Currently there are NO field drawings in it. There are 7 song 'maps' and a recipe for Armenian date cookies.
For to do lists I have a very small (72mm x 72mm) pad that fits in a bag or pants pocket. It contains everything from "load plaintiff case photos to server" to my grocery list (dates, powdered sugar).
I used to keep this stuff electronically until I lost my Blackberry. I found that there is something very satifying about scratching through an item on my TO DO list. And my cell phone has taken over the other tasks I used to assign to the Blackberry.
"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"
I use Agendus Pro from iambic.com on my PDA, which is usually- mostly with me at all times.
[green]"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."[/green]
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
Reading the above posts people seem to be split between the old school and new school.
I use a combination of both.
'New School' - For the 'standard' things that occur in every project I have an excel spreadsheet that lists every project and the things to do in a project - then dates are added when a new project is added to the sheet.
'Old School’ - For the little jobs & things to do, I have a list in the back of my A4 ring bound note book. When something new comes up that has to be actioned I will add it to the back of the book, and when an item has been actioned a tick will be added next to it.
I have found this is perfectly adequate for most eventualities.
I carry a PDA, but I mostly use it for phone numbers and appointments that need an alarm; take your medication, eat your lunch, lunch is over, time to go home, etc.
My real to-do is a couple sheets of paper folded up and tucked in next to the PDA.
I have news about Outlook. I tried the Archive function but stopped using it because finding and retrieving stuff from the archives is a pain. So I just let everything accumulate in the inbox, where it remained searchable and accessible, etc. There is just one small problem: Outlook keeps _everything_ that's not archived in one file. Okay, that's not the problem. The problem is that the file has a 2Gbyte limit. Okay, that's not the problem. The problem is that Outlook gives you no warning that you are approaching the limit, until it is too late. One day, Outlook says your file is too big, and you had better delete some things, but when you try to delete anything, you get a dialog box that your file is too big, etc. Microsoft allows you to download a tool that truncates the file, but that effectively empties the file, despite its new size of 1.8Gb. So, the end result is that one fine day, Outlook loses _everything_, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Well, there's one thing you can do; find the file and delete it and start over with an empty one. The file is hidden in some way so that Windows Explorer can't see it. ZtreeWin can see it.
Aside from that, Outlook is a halfway decent program...
