planning and time management software

[gusl]

Does anyone know of software to keep me focused on my goals, preventing me from wasting time?

This software would make my current goal (or goal-stack) *always* visible, so that it's hard for me to get distracted from my goal. It would keep track of my time spent on each goal (I could type in a sentence every half hour for annotation); to take a break from working towards a goal, I would tell the software that now I'm spending a few minutes "off-task".

The planning part would consist of a set of projects (set of goal trees), with daily and weekly reporting on the goals: whether they were reached, and if not why.
I think such a self-feedback system would make the whole thing more fun, like a videogame: you have a clear challenge.

Ideally, everything I do, every program I open, every browser window and email, would fall under a goal. Each project would be like a Unix Workspace, so when you're working in a certain project, you will *NOT* see any distracting information unrelated to the current project.

I could probably be at least 3 times as productive if I had such a system.

Comments

[combinator.livejournal.com]

I think you should generalize to goal DAGs.

Spending time justifying every window you open sounds byzantine. On the other hand, if you allow something innocent like following a link to be OK, it's easy enough to wander off.

I think allowing my mind to wander a little increases my productivity as it gives me the illusion of freedom.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Spending time justifying every window you open sounds byzantine.

This is optional, of course... and it would happen the other way around: you call the window from within each goal. If you open the window from the context of the project, it's automatically classified as a subgoal of the project (although it is possibly a sub...subgoal). Windows in "off time" (i.e. outside of any project) are not classified.


On the other hand, if you allow something innocent like following a link to be OK, it's easy enough to wander off.

There are ways to tell you've wandered off, and the machine can warn you if you've spent too much time in "off time".

[fub.livejournal.com]

No piece of software can be a substitute for a focussed mind and a clear purpose.

Start by turning off anything that can be a distraction. Turn off email notification. Turn off IM programs. Clear your desktop of clutter. Instead of having technology dictate what you must do, take charge and impose your will onto the technology. Interact with it on your terms.

Adding another layer of technology will only increase your dependence on it.

Also, Getting Things Done has helped me to get rid of the mental clutter and just do stuff.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

No piece of software can be a substitute for a focussed mind and a clear purpose.

True. But I find keeping track of subgoals an essential task. Especially when I'm debugging.


Start by turning off anything that can be a distraction. Turn off email notification. Turn off IM programs.

A workspace seems like a better way to accomplish this. It automatically insulates you from images. It could be an option to insulate you from sound as well.


Adding another layer of technology will only increase your dependence on it.

If the technology is under my control, that's not a bad thing.

I seriously think that making lists and checkboxes dramatically improves my productivity. And during this focused work, I should have the option of writing down interesting ideas to maybe pursue later, instead of giving myself instant gratification while escaping from the task.

[cbird.livejournal.com]

Maybe simonfunk might be interested in talking to you about this ...

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he still reads this journal...

[peamasii.livejournal.com]

Microsoft Project (costs about 100 EUR).

Also, closer to what you are asking, a free desktop-based system called Open Workbench

And there is also a web-based system which is easy to use for project management, phpCollab but it's best for teams rather than just an individual.

None of them will monitor/interfere with regular PC usage but the Open Workbench takes over your desktop the most.

[troyworks.livejournal.com]

I have nothing so sophisticated.

I use a outliner tool (www.codejedi.com) which runs on my desktop and my palm in conjunction with a palm based stopwatch/alarm system. I've tried integrating them into one app, but haven't finished it yet.

All new ideas/thoughts get put into the outliner, where they are prioritized, given an time estimate and scheduled.

I try to review frequently, and prioritize accordingly. Works well when I follow the system.

[troyworks.livejournal.com]

also there are a few applications I think one is called lifebalance (do a search on google). which lets you balance progress in contextualized goals. e.g. you finish work project 1, something pops up from homegoals 1.