10.06.08
Hiveminder, my one true (task-managing) love
I know that the first rule of getting organized is to find a system that works for you and use it. I know this. But I am also a complete sucker for shiny new organization tools. As a child, one of my favorite places to go was the school supplies section of UW’s University Bookstore. I would examine all the Trapper Keepers and backpacks, imagining the system each might create.
Of course, every time I used one of these items, whatever system I had designed would inevitably break down into appalling messiness: while I really, really liked organization systems, I was really, really bad at sticking to them.
This trend followed me into the digital realm, and online - I make systems and then I cut corners, and then everything goes to shit. Over and over again.
Until I found my soulmate.
Hiveminder has three key features that run my life:
- Braindump. Hit enter between tasks and just keep typing until you don’t have anything else in your head. Great way to relieve that “omg so much to do I’m screwed” feeling - I may be screwed, but at least it’s all in the system.
- Task Review. Takes you through all your tasks one at a time, giving you limited options: mark as done, say you’ll do it today, say you don’t want to see it until Saturday, until Monday, or for a month. Then it congratulates you on making it through the review (”That wasn’t so bad, was it?”) and shows you the tasks that you said you’d do today.
- Ability to hide tasks until some date. This “safe procrastination” feature is crucial for me, because otherwise I practice unsafe procrastination (and forget things I’m avoiding).
Now, while Hiveminder and I have a solid relationship, I have strayed occasionally. Never for longer than 3 months. But about once a year I’m drawn in by some other, shiny new organizational toy. But Remember The Milk had too many options to fiddle with and I found myself fiddling instead of actually doing tasks. In Nozbe, processing tasks was too time-intensive, plus they hit me with an upsell. I tried a series of text files syncing across my devices, but I was much less effective when I had to manually move things around. And none of them had any safe procrastination support, so they ultimately failed me.
In the end, I always come back. I wonder if I’ll ever learn? Probably not. As long as there’s a new shiny, I can’t help but check it out. But I do so knowing that Hiveminder is waiting for me with open arms, ready to get my life back in order and let me get back to getting stuff done.
Check it out: Hiveminder
Chris said,
October 7, 2008 at 9:19 am
Remind me to show you my post-it note system sometime.
Although honestly the only form of digital task management I gave a decent go at was Outlook and that didn’t go so well…
Ed said,
October 7, 2008 at 11:10 am
I’m going to check out Hiveminder now! I’m always looking for a solid To Do app that doesn’t give so many options because I get overwhelmed. The desire to look at office supplies and want all of them because I will someday be organized did not leave me. I love going to to office supply stores. Fortunately my friends do too, so we usually make a field trip out of it, even if we just need more post-it flag!
–Ed
Tom Faber said,
October 19, 2008 at 1:50 am
Is there an iPhone app that goes with this? I don’t have an iPhone yet or I’d look in the app store myself, but am going to get one in a few days.
rachel said,
October 19, 2008 at 10:51 pm
@Tom Well, there’s a mobile website, but no native app. The Hiveminder team does have a history of implementing feature requests, though, so if you ask them about it it might happen.