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Organisation

This category is for all things relating to Organisation, Planning, and Action Managment.

The Death of Outlook & Exchange for Task Management

Posted on January 3, 2013 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

Windows Mobile

Rewind to around 2005 – 2006, I had recently discovered the works of David Allen’s Getting Things Done, and I had started looking for more resources and found the likes of Merlin Mann and others. These people were telling me that it was possible to do all the things you want to do by keeping track of all the tasks and commitments in a simple, trusted system.

Just like now, I was living mostly in a Microsoft ecosystem – I had a Windows Mobile Smartphone, I used Outlook & Exchange for my email and all my computers ran Windows.

I read a book called ‘Take Back Your Life! Using Outlook to Get Organized & Stay Organized‘ which took many of the principles behind Getting Things Done and implemented them in Microsoft Outlook to help keep track of what’s important.

  • Outlook Tasks – universal capture for all ideas as well as a single place for next actions
  • Outlook Calendar – the ultimate way to track professional and personal commitments
  • Outlook Email – a large amount of incoming tasks would come through email and processed directly from the inbox
  • Outlook Notes – sticky notes that could be used to make lists and capture ideas to be processed later, this was later superseded by OneNote for Windows Mobile – a separate download.

Outlook was ideal for this, because it also synchronised using both Microsoft Exchange and ActiveSync – software that ran on your computer and would sync your Windows Mobile device when attached. As Windows Mobile was my mobile operating system of choice it included Tasks, Calendar, Email and Notes without any extra software. It was Outlook, in my pocket.

Windows Phone

Fast-forward to 20012 – 20013, and the importance of Outlook has diminished significantly. Not by my choice.

The support for Outlook or Exchange Tasks in Windows Phone is very low. In Windows RT the situation is even worse, there is no way of getting access to Exchange tasks without third party software, and no way to flag emails to follow up. If I can’t use it on all my computers, it’s not worth using the feature at all.

These days I use a combination of other apps to follow up on actions – the Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging applications allow me access to Exchange Mail and Calendar – but I manage notes and tasks through OneNote – which is fantastic for capturing but not so hot for reviewing, processing or planning.

Over the years I have actually moved away from using purely digital capturing and planning tools, favouring paper notebooks in some cases. However, I feel that Microsoft has not done enough to keep the functionality that they used to have for task management, and that they’re missing a trick by letting the functionality fall behind.

By focussing their smartphone and tablet efforts on consumer tasks and social networking, I believe they have lost a lot of the value they had by giving users ‘Outlook in their pocket’ – I hope they bring it back.

All-Ett Wallets

Posted on July 12, 2012 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

Around 2005 I got myself an original All-Ett canvas ‘sports’ wallet. Since it was designed for American notes, I had to be a little creative on how I stored money in it, but it was so much smaller than anything else I’d ever used and I was hooked.

When my canvas wallet started to get worn down, I decided to replace it with the leather version which looked to be even stronger. I was right, and it lasted many years! While I’ve been very happy with the performance over the years, recently the canvas part of the wallet had become unstitched – allowing cards to leak*.

As the quality and size was just perfect for me, I decided to get the same design as a replacement…

My new replacement arrived a couple of weeks ago, and again the quality of the workmanship has gone up. The stitching is now far better, making it less likely to happen again. Hopefully this new wallet will last me just as many years! I can highly recommend All-Ett if you’re looking for a thin and modern wallet design.

* Resulting in a rather lolworthy incident where I thought I’d lost my drivers license while out with friends in York.

Digital Junk

Posted on July 10, 2012 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

I know a lot of people who are file collectors, ranging from keeping every possible bit of information which has a memory attached to it, to keeping all their emails even though they’ve dealt with them.

I personally feel that a lot of this stuff can weigh us down, so I try to keep it all to a minimum. But there is always going to be a lot of ‘digital junk’ that has to be dealt with – even if you are careful about what you keep.

The ‘Spam’ folder

One of the biggest sources for digital junk is obviously spam, by letting email into your life you’re opening yourself up to all kinds of rubbish. Because email was essentially invented by hippies, there’s no system in place to force users to prove who they are – this means you can send an email from Bill Gates without any email servers batting an eyelid.

Yea sure things are better these days, but I still tend to get quite a lot of spam. I also have a policy where any email address that isn’t trusted is automatically put into my spam folder. Because of this I tend to check my junk email at least a few times a day. Oh the joy.

The ‘Junk’ folder

I tend to make a folder called Junk inside my profile (C:\Users\Julian\Junk) where I stick any files that I haven’t yet decided where they should be (or if I need them at all!) Usually I just chuck everything from my Desktop into this folder when I’m done with it.

Saying that, I don’t usually keep anything on my Desktop at all. I only tend to use it for creation of content that is about to be uploaded or put into another project folder that I’m working on.

The ‘Downloads’ folder

Downloads probably the ‘buit in’ Windows folder that gets the most junk I have to sort out. Downloads tend to be a mixure of stuff you want to keep, stuff you wanted to just open to view, and (in my case as a developer) millions of documents that I’ve downloaded from one of Branded3′s internal tools.

Ahhh first world problems.

What’s your every day carry?

Posted on February 22, 2012 at 09:02 by Julian Kay

Yesterday I posted my what’s in your bag post, and today it’s time for the every day carry post. These EDC posts have become a bit of an internet trend, with loads of people posting the contents of their pockets for everyone to see.

Windows Phone

So Windows Phone is pretty cool right? I’m using a Samsung Omnia 7, though I would love one of those Nokia Lumia phones – I’m quite happy to use this one until it breaks. (it already has a couple of chips out of it – woops)

Earphones

My current earphones live in the case that came with my Zune earphones way back. I find it extremely handy and they have a cute Zune branded cable tidy.

As for the earphones themselves, I’m currently using some Nokia ones provided to me by Douglas Radburn because my Samsung ones broke. I’m actually on the hunt for some new ones… so I’ll be sure to post my findings.

Wallet

I got my wallet from All-Ett a few years ago and I absolutely love it. I try to keep the amount of stuff I carry down to a minimum and this wallet suits me just fine. In the picture above it carries a couple of receipts, two £10 notes, and seven plastic cards, yet it is still extremely thin and easy to carry.

Keys

My keys are also on the minimal side, carrying only what I need, but I also have a Swiss Tech Utili-Key for opening boxes and fixing glasses.

Again, as usual I try to keep things as simple as possible. I don’t usually carry anything else around with me, apart from the obvious stuff like my watch, my glasses. Oh and clothes…

What’s in your bag?

Posted on February 21, 2012 at 09:02 by Julian Kay

I’m a big fan of the what’s in your bag and what’s your every day carry style posts that have become an internet trend. People uniquely try to get just the right combination of things they need for their own personal tasks, and it’s super interesting to get an inside look into what they they find important.

I have a few bags, but the bag I carry around most of the time is actually my Tumi work backpack, which goes to and from Branded3 every day.

HP Laptop

My HP laptop for work. I just recently got this one to replace an HP G62 and it is a million times nicer to use. My biggest complaints about the G62 were related to screen resolution, stupid extra keys, and a funny touchpad. All of which are fixed.

I also have a SanDisk SD card plugged in all the time which I use for Windows Ready Boost. I’ve used this in desktop computers before, but this is the first time I’ve done it with a laptop.

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse

I only just got this mouse, so I’ll be writing a review about it in the coming weeks. I tend to use mice in a bit of a strange way (at -90 degree angle to most people) and it works just fine for my needs.

When I’m in the office I pair this with my Natural Keyboard for epic coding.

Zune HD

I usually have my Zune with me at work for listening to music in the office through our speakers or using my earphones. As most people know, the Zune HD isn’t actually manufactured any more, but it still works with Zune Pass just as well as the day I got it.

Oh yea, and I keep it in an Apple iPod sock. Kinky right? The earphones I use are not pictured here, but I’ve included them in my every day carry post.

SanDisk 16GB USB Stick

This rather beat up looking USB stick where I keep a backup copy of all the scripts and tools I use, as well as installers for all the software I use.

I’ve always had a USB stick specifically for work stuff since I was at Sumo, and it’s a good habit to have as it ensures you’ve always got the stuff you need when something bad happens.

MUJI Document Folder and Notebooks

I’m always carrying some kind of documentation around, and it’s usually A4. Currently I’m using this folder from MUJI for these kinds of documents, and my two Moleskine notebooks for everything else.

Charging Cables, Keys and Pens

I always have charging cables for the laptop, the Zune and a Micro USB which I use for my phone and Kindle. Also keys are pretty important, and so are pens. Currently I’m carrying a Sharpie and a Style Fit Meister 3.

So yea, that’s everything. As usual I try to keep things as simple as possible, and this meets my needs completely.

Still Missing in Task Managment for Windows Phone Mango

Posted on February 14, 2012 at 09:03 by Julian Kay

So a while ago I wrote about some exciting additions to task management in Windows Phone Mango, and I thought I’d touch on what I still think is missing.

OneNote

OneNote for Windows Phone is pretty good and I use it all the time, I especially like the fact that To Do tags can be shown in notes.

But unfortunately other types of tags that you can add in OneNote for the PC still don’t turn up. They do turn up on the web client though. The same happens with tables and ink and other formatting.

Also you still can’t pin a section to the home screen, but you can pin a notebook or a shortcut to creating a new note.

Tasks

Tasks in Windows Phone Mango are great, and even support different exchange accounts with highlight colours that match the calendar…

But tasks are hidden away inside the Calendar app. I’d much prefer to be able to pin the tasks directly to the home screen, with a count of tasks due. I’d also like to see a way of pinning ‘new task’ much like you can pin a ‘new note’ in OneNote – unfortunately this hasn’t been implemented in the current release of Windows Phone.

What else is missing

On the topic of being unable to pin things – here’s a selection of things that I’d like to see pinnable in future versions:

  • Wireless Settings (on and off)
  • Flightmode Settings (on and off)
  • Blueooth Settings (on and off)
  • Task List
  • Individual Tasks
  • New Outlook Task
  • A OneNote Notebook Section
  • Individual Pictures (you can pin an album though)
  • Individual Calendars

While this is not a list of everything anyone could possibly want to pin (I’m sure there are lots) these are just the things I’d like to be able to pin today.

Task Management in Windows Phone Mango

Posted on July 5, 2011 at 09:03 by Julian Kay

At least one* of the 500 new features in Windows Phone Mango is the addition of the to-do items in the Calendar app.

The fact Exchange Tasks was not supported in Windows Phone 7 was a very sore point for a lot of users. Some even going as far as to say that the platform was not suitable for business at all until this was rectified.

It’s understandable for users to be upset. Task support has been in the Windows Mobile platform since forever, and users have come to expect it to be there. Currently the best solution is to buy a task application like the one by APPA Mundi which I use (and seems to be the best of the bunch) – but paying for something that many feel should be baked into the operating system leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

The to-do list is included as part of the Calendar application in Windows Phone Mango – not a separate application. There is no support for folders or categories – which is somewhat annoying – and all tasks from each account is just shown in one list. But the synchronisation of the tasks is much more robust than is available in third party applications, and includes the handy features of being able to see tasks with a due date on the calendar (though  this doesn’t seem to show up on the tile) and the ability to have reminders pop up just like an alarm or calendar appointment.

As a ‘power user’ of tasks in Outlook, I’d much rather the this as a separate application in future versions of Windows Phone. I’d also like to see the ability to use organise tasks with folders and categories, and to be able to pin each of these to the start screen in a similar way to OneNote’s impressive implementation of tiles.

Until then, I’m probably going to end up using some combination of APPA Mundi tasks and the built in support.

* I’m unsure how they count a ‘feature’

Note Taking in Windows Phone Mango

Posted on July 4, 2011 at 09:05 by Julian Kay

One of the nice new features in OneNote for Windows Phone Mango is the ability to pin a ‘new note’ tile to the start screen. I absolutely love this feature, and I don’t remember reading about this anywhere else – so it was a bit of a surprise. When you tap on this tile you are taken to a brand new note inside your default OneNote location. For me this is synchronised with SkyDrive and is accessible from my any of my other computers. Very handy for capturing information when on the move.

Another new addition when it comes to pinning, is the ability to pin a whole OneNote notebook. Currently missing (in this build) is the ability to pin a OneNote section.

When you tap on the notebook tile you’re taken directly into the list of sections just as expected. Here you can make sure you have the latest changes from SkyDrive or pick your default location for new notes.

Once you are inside a section you can see the pages. Above you can see a few of my pages are actually nested. I don’t recall seeing the nesting like this on the previous version of Windows Phone – but it might have been there!

Once you’re actually editing a page you can now create to-do items which can be ticked off. This mirrors the functionality on the desktop version of OneNote. I’m pretty sure this feature was actually available in OneNote for the older Windows Mobile 6 operating system, so I don’t know why it wasn’t in the initial release of Windows Phone 7. I actually use these to-do widgets for simple project management, so I’m very pleased to have the feature back.

Finally, as in the previous version of Windows Phone, you can also pin a note itself directly on the start screen. All of the OneNote tiles now match the colour of the icon on the desktop version of the product, unlike the ‘Office orange’ that was used last time.

Using Hair Bands to Keep Things Tidy

Posted on July 3, 2011 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

Some of the more observant may have noticed that the cables in my last post were fairly tidy - and kept together by a black band.

The thing I use to keep stuff like this together is hair bands… bit of a strange thing to use – you may think – but I’ve tried using elastic bands (look horrid, feel horrid) and plastic tie wraps (permanent, big) and a few other potential solutions, but one day I decided to try using simple black hair bands from Superdrug and it worked really well.

I keep them tucked away inside a small mesh case by MUJI which is much more convenient than just wrapping them around each other like I used to do. By having a supply of them I always know that I can quickly tidy things away without having to think about it.

Thanks to the stretchy nature of hair bands, they can be used to keep all kinds of things organised such as cables, belts and accessories, small notebooks, and much more. Always keep in mind that they are not the strongest thing in the world, so do not try to stretch them out too much!

Keeping Mobile Charging Cables Organised

Posted on July 2, 2011 at 15:05 by Julian Kay

I love keeping things organised. In my opinion, the first things to focus on are those that you tend to use every day. Here’s one of my simple ‘life hacks’ for staying up and running while on the go.

As a user of technology (who isn’t?) I have a few mobile devices that tend to need charging fairly regularly and over the last couple of years I’ve managed to reduce the number of cables down to a minimum. Here’s how I’ve organised them into one container for easy use.

Shown above is the container for all my charging cables. It’s simply a mesh cube-shaped zip up bag which originally started its life as a toiletry gift set with a slightly adapted zipper.

Inside I have the following cables:

  • USB -> Mini USB
  • USB -> Micro USB
  • USB -> Nintendo DSi
  • USB -> Zune HD

In addition to this, I have an Amazon USB charging adapter which fits into UK power sockets, and an X-Mini portable speaker.

The benefits of having everything charge via USB are pretty obvious – the amount of space saved is huge and I don’t even need to plug anything into a wall socket if I’m close to a PC. The addition of the X-Mini speaker is simply because it’s awesome and it usually need power cables and the speaker at the same time.

This combination of cables brings simple charging and computer connectivity to most of the mobile devices I use, including my Kindle, Nintendo DSi, Zune, my telephone and pretty much everything except my MacBook and my Canon 7D.

It’s super handy to pick up when you’re about to be on the move, and I can definitely recommend setting yourself up with a simple charging kit like this if you use any more than one mobile device.