So yesterday has been a promising start to the ‘new me’ campaign. Some walking & hooping for exercise, followed by working on my personal web app project after work till DH returned from work (he usually returns latish). That resulted in me dreaming vaguely and unsettling about python, bootstrap template themes and creeping around sleeping dragons (I’m currently reading one of Robin Hobb’s Rain Wild Chronicles). Though it made for a strange night, I’d heartily recommend Robin Hobb’s novels for readers interested in the fantasy genre.
I’m toying vaguely with writing intermittently about the web app development process as well. Aargh, this whole ‘personal web app project’ description could get old very fast… So let me give you some context and then label it. I’m one of those people who love making lists, schedules & plans (please note that I haven’t made any claims on being able to follow said schedules & plans 😛 ). I’m not anal about it but if there’s a lot of stuff going on, I have trouble picking what to do next. This becomes a deadly combination when you take procrastination and boring tasks into account. So having a list in front of me and a visual calendar helps me think. Plus there’s less chance of ‘forgetting’ something, though not picking something ‘coz it’d be tedious still happens more that I’d like it to.
Anyway, long story short, I’ve tried out lots of software and apps aiming to make managing that part of my life easier. (I’m currently trying out todoist) I keep running into the same old issue each time. I try to fit the solutions available to my style of working; I use projects, subtasks, labels, categories, folders and the like; but somehow after a week or so it ends up being more work entering tasks and calendar entries than it feels worth to me. So after lots of cribbing sessions and figurative throwing up of hands I got the bright (and ambitious) idea of rolling my own personal todo+calendar app. I’ve been learning some back-end web app development at work anyway and this project should allow me to add some basic front-end skills as well. Thus I started ‘Secretaire’ (I know it is not the greatest name but it serves my purpose for the time being 🙂 ). I can no longer whine about the features available or the workflow restrictions. The plan is to precisely tailor it to my purpose (and have fun with it in the meantime).
That reminds me, I asked a few people I know which todo/calendar apps they used and all of them said NONE!!! They all said they preferred keeping everything in their minds and in extreme cases they use plain old pen and paper. I didn’t expect that!. And these were all seriously busy people, juggling multiple complex projects at work as well as families and daily chores.. Amazing people to be sure. I guess I am the one lacking in the appropriate brain capacity around here 😛 How about you people? Do you take the help of any particular app or somehow manage with your brain alone? 😛
Anyway, I suppose I’ll give fair warning here. There might be some (or many) posts about Secretaire here as well. I’m not sure of my ability to write consistently to consider having a separate blog for those worth it for now.
Coffee, Spice & Ink 