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Sometimes, the simplest tools are the most powerful. Among the arsenal of techniques at our disposal for managing day-to-day life, the humble to-do list is perhaps the unsung hero. Thought to be just a means of organization, it actually holds benefits that extend well beyond keeping your tasks in order. Let's dive deep into understanding why maintaining a to-do list can transform not just the way you work, but how you feel, manage your time, and achieve your goals. Introduction Imagine starting your day with clarity, knowing precisely what you want to tackle and having a clear direction. That's the power of a to-do list. Far from being a mere checklist, it's a tool that brings structure to the chaos of everyday life. However, to truly harness its benefits, we need to look beyond its surface. 1. Enhances Focus Never forget a task We've all had those "Oh, I forgot to do that!" moments. A to-do list acts as your external memory bank, ensuring important tasks don't slip through the cracks. Prioritize your daily goals By allowing you to arrange tasks in order of importance, a to-do list ensures that you focus on what truly matters. It's about working smarter, not harder. 2. Boosts Productivity Encourages task completion There's a sense of achievement in ticking off tasks. This small act can motivate you to keep going, turning productivity into a satisfying game. Reduces time spent planning Time spent pondering your next move is time wasted. A to-do list gives you a game plan, freeing up mental space for actual work rather than planning. 3. Reduces Stress Clears the mind Carrying tasks in your head is overwhelming. Listing them out can feel like a weight lifted off your shoulders, providing a surprising sense of relief. Provides a sense of control In a world full of uncertainties, a to-do list is something you can control. This small measure of power can be incredibly reassuring. 4. Improves Time Management Allocates time effectively Understanding the tasks at hand allows you to allocate your time more effectively, ensuring you're not overbooked or idle. Avoids overcommitment Seeing your tasks laid out helps gauge your capacity, preventing you from biting off more than you can chew. 5. Boosts Motivation Tracks progress Every tick on your list is a visual representation of your progress, encouraging you to push forward. Celebrates small wins In our chase for big victories, we often overlook small successes. A to-do list allows you to acknowledge and celebrate these milestones, however minor they may seem. 6. Supports Goal Setting Breaks down big goals Large objectives can be daunting. A to-do list helps break them into smaller, manageable tasks, making your goals appear less intimidating. Makes objectives manageable This process of breaking down also makes it easier to tackle each component, turning lofty goals into realistic projects. 7. Improves Sleep Quality Nightly planning reduces worries Jotting down tomorrow's tasks can ease your mind and reduce bedtime worries, setting the stage for a peaceful night's sleep. Clears mind before bedtime With your tasks laid out for the next day, your mind is free to relax, making it easier to fall asleep. Conclusion The benefits of keeping a to-do list stretch far beyond mere organization. They touch upon crucial aspects of our lives, such as focus, productivity, stress management, time management, motivation, goal setting, and even our sleep quality. Adopting this simple yet powerful tool can bring about noticeable improvements in both personal and professional realms. So, why not give it a try? Start small, prioritize your tasks, and watch as this humble list transforms your day, one tick at a time. TaskAngel is a beautiful To-Do List. It has everything you need to get started. Click here to give it a try. Your experiences and experiments with to-do lists can inspire and help others! Share your stories in the comments below and explore different formats to find what works best for you. Let's harness the power of to-do lists together!

This article introduces the MYN time management system, invented by the famous Time Management expert, Michael Linenberger. It shows how to use MYN to build a perfect to-do list. Try it, to give your productivity a real boost, and reduce your stress. Now is all we have We are all time travellers, on the same journey. Like strangers on a train. Behind us is our shared history. If we are old enough, we remember Kennedy and the moon landings. We don't remember Ancient Rome, but the history books tell us all about it. Ahead of us is the future. Unknown and unknowable. Will Covid get us? Will my team win on Saturday? We’ll just have to wait and see. Clap your hands once, now, as you are reading this. Oh sorry, I meant to ask you to clap twice. Too late, it’s in the past. You can clap again, but you can’t change the first clap. The only time you can do anything at all, is right now. It’s the only thing we have. Photo of President Kennedy by History in HD on Unsplash Master Your Now A couple of years back I read a fascinating little book called The One Minute To-Do List, by the time management expert Michael Linenberger. I loved it. It told me how to manage time more successfully, to get things done. I love this book so much that I want you to read it now. You can download it here, for free. Do it now. You won’t have to pay for it or register for anything. Michael calls his method ‘Master Your Workday Now’, or MYN for short. That makes sense, as now is all we have. Give the book a read over a cup of coffee, then come back to me here. Writing stuff down When I was a successful project manager, I learnt quickly that if you want something to happen, you have to write it down. It’s a chore, but it’s worth the pain. If you read The One Minute To-Do List, you’ll know it only takes one minute to get started. Just do a brain dump of all the things that are in your head begging to get done. Later in this article, I’m going to show you how to use a To-Do List app to capture your brain dump. But for now, just do it on paper. It will only take a minute. Your future self will look back at this moment and thank you. List all the to-do’s in your head. We’ll call them ‘tasks’. As you are following Michael’s MYN method, you will put each task into one of three ‘Urgency Zones’. They specify the relationship your tasks have with Now. Here they are: Critical Now Opportunity Now Over-the-Horizon It’s as easy as that. When you have finished your one minute brain dump, you should have around five tasks that are ‘Critical Now’. That means you must do them today, before you go to bed. The ‘Opportunity Now’ tasks are ones that you can do another day, if you run out of time today. But if you can find time to fit them in today, that will start to get you ahead of the game. Allow yourself up to twenty of these ‘Opportunity Now’ tasks. Keep an eye on them during the day. Everything else goes into ‘Over-the-Horizon’. You will do them when you can. Exactly when that is, is lost in the mists of the unknowable future. Using a to-do list app There are many to-do list apps out there. I’m going to show you how to use TaskAngel to look after your one-minute to-do list. Getting started with TaskAngel is really quick. Just follow this link and you’re in. This time, you will have to register with your email address and a password, but you won’t have to pay anything until your free trial is over. Registration allows TaskAngel to keep your tasks in a protected, secure database. After you have registered, TaskAngel will show you an empty task list. It's empty because you haven’t typed anything in yet. Before typing your tasks in, go to Settings and switch on a setting called ‘Set Up for MYN’. This tells TaskAngel you are following the MYN method, and you want to use urgency zones. The TaskAngel Settings Page Go back to the task list in TaskAngel by tapping on the Tasks button at the foot of the Settings page. Now start typing in the tasks from your paper one-minute to-do list. You do each one by using the blue ‘+’ button on the task list. This pops up the Task Editor. Give your new task a title. One of mine is “Buy Ann a present”. We are having a Christmas shopping trip on 11 December, and I know what she wants, so I set the Due Date to 11 December. If I want the task to be hidden until then, I set the Start Date to 11 December as well. TaskAngel can hide tasks that are scheduled to start in the future, unless I turn on the setting 'Show Future tasks'. The task is more than 10 days away, so I set its urgency to ‘Over-the-Horizon’. A new task in TaskAngel Online The Task Editor lets you give your tasks lots of other properties, like goals, folders, contexts and notes. But you’re just getting started, so you can leave them for now. Tap the Save button to add the new task to your list. Earlier I turned on the setting 'Show Future Tasks', so I can see my new task. The Task List in TaskAngel Online, showing Urgency Zones Because TaskAngel is online, you can access it from whatever device you want, using the same link. I like to use my iPhone, so I can put it in my pocket or bag and keep an eye on my to-do list when I am out and about. When I’m in my office, I like to look at TaskAngel on my MacBook, to give me a bigger screen. “Very nice job! Very simple, direct, and it supports MYN well! I especially love the Urgency Zone titles. I like how modern the interface is.” - Michael Linenberger, author of MYN Do it now Now you know how to get back in control of time. It's only going to take one minute to get started. Have a look back at The One Minute To-Do List, and do it. Right now. Read more: Get Started With TaskAngel To Do List MYN and 1MTD by Michael Linenberger Author Andrew Boswell is the author of TaskAngel To-Do List. He spent many years as a project manager in high-tech programmes in the UK, rolling out Internet technology and new customer service systems. Andrew also works as IT Director of Iconic Project Management Limited, which delivers outstanding construction projects across the commercial sector.

Hey TaskAngels! Get ready to supercharge your productivity with the latest addition to TaskAngel: Power Filters! We know staying organized can be challenging, especially when your to-do list seems endless. That's why we've introduced this powerful new feature to help you cut through the clutter and focus on what truly matters. What are Power Filters? Imagine having the ability to apply multiple filters simultaneously to your task list. With Power Filters, you can now: Filter by priority: Prioritize urgent tasks by combining "High Priority" with "Due Today" filters. Filter by category and due date: Need to see all your "Work" tasks due this week? Simply select both filters! Combine any filter: The possibilities are endless! Create custom views of your tasks to suit your specific needs and workflow. Power Filters are like your very own noise-cancellation headphones, filtering out distractions and letting you concentrate on what you must do right now. Power Filters empower you to: Focus on specific projects or work areas. See only the tasks that are due soon and need immediate attention. Track your progress by filtering for completed tasks within a specific category. Customize your to-do list in ways you never thought possible! Ready to unlock the power of organization? Open your TaskAngel app. Tap on the "Filters" icon (three horizontal lines). This takes you to the Filter Panel. On tablets and destops it might be already visible to the left of your task list. On smart phones, it pops up when you tap the Filters icon. Now you see a list of filter groups, each of which is for a task property. Here's how to use multiple filters. The first filter group is 'Status". Tap on that, and a list of status filters appears: 'Active', 'Completed' and 'Any'. Tap on 'Active' and your task list changes so that it shows all tasks that have not yet been completed. Tap on another filter group, like 'Star'. Your task list changes so that it shows all tasks that have been starred and not yet been completed. In the Star group, tap on 'Any'. Then the task list shows all active tasks, whether or not they have been starred. You can have as many filter groups active as you like. Here are the filter groups you can use: Status - Completed or Active Priority, or Urgency if you are using MYN Star - Starred or Unstarred. Due - Date ranges, including Overdue and Due Today Start - Date ranges, including Start By Today Added - Date ranges, including tasks Added Today Folder - Any of your folders, or None for tasks without a folder Goal - Any of your goals, or None for tasks without a goal Context - Any of your contexts, or None for tasks without a context If you get carried away with your filters, you might end up hiding all your tasks. Get back to your full task list by tapping on 'Clear Filters' at the top of the FilterPanel. If you use Michael Linenberger's MYN Time Management Method, you might want to hide tasks that are are set to start at a future date. You can do that with the Start: By Today filter. Your focused task list Witness your task list transform into a streamlined and focused view! We believe Power Filters will be a game-changer for your productivity journey. Now you can easily conquer your to-do list, stay organized, and achieve more in less time. Start exploring Power Filters today and experience the difference! Happy organizing! The TaskAngel Team P.S. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback on Power Filters in the comments below. We're always looking for ways to improve TaskAngel and make it the ultimate productivity tool for you.

Automating my rapid response to customers As the author of TaskAngel To-Do List, I want to give my customers the fastest possible response to any requests they might have for help or advice, or if they want to report a problem. In this article, I am going to tell you how I created a new rapid response process, integrating Gmail and TaskAngel. You can do similar things to automate your workload too, all without writing any code. The key to this is Zapier, the famous process automation system. There are more than 4,000 apps to choose from, all of which integrate with Zapier. You build a little machine to look after the important tasks in your life. How it works Customers have two ways to asking for advice. They can fill in my contact form, or they can send me an email at support@mypocketsoft.com. In fact, the contact form creates an email behind the scenes, so all I need to do is monitor my inbox on Gmail. To make sure I notice these customer messages, I use Zapier to run a continuous monitoring process, which does this: "Create a task in TaskAngel when a support request arrives in Gmail" I give the new task a high priority and a due date, and put it in my Support folder. So I can be sure it will get my attention right away. The task keeps a copy of the email message, so I can get on with my response right away. How to automate your workload Step 1: Sign into Zapier Go to zapier.com and set up your account. Zapier is a subscription service. To work through the steps in this article, you just need a free account. So it won't cost you anything. Having signed up or signed in, Zapier takes you to a dashboard page. Locate the 'Create a Zap' button, and click it to get started with your new zap. Step 2: The Zap In Zapier, the processes you define are called 'zaps'. Each of them is triggered by an event in an app. My zap is "Create a task in TaskAngel when a support request arrives in Gmail". The zap creation wizard lets you define a Trigger and an Action. Zapier is introducing an AI method for generating zaps, but for now I'm going to show you the classic method. You might have to look for the Trigger and Action below the AI wizard if it appears. Step 3: The Trigger Click on 'Trigger'. A search form pops up, where you can find the app you want. Type Gmail into the search field, and click on the Continue button. The trigger needs some setup details, so I add them now. I give it my Gmail account details, and choose the trigger event, which is New Email. This is what starts the zap. My support inbox is in Gmail, but I can also monitor emails coming into other inboxes, such as Outlook, in the same way. You can explore all the apps that integrate with Zapier, and their triggers, from your free account at Zapier.com Meanwhile, back with the 'New Email in Gmail' trigger, I choose Label/Mailbox and select Inbox. Now the trigger is defined, and Zapier invites me to test the trigger. I tap on the 'Test trigger' button. Zapier looks into my gmail inbox and finds some recent emails to test my zap. Step 4: The action Now it is time to tell my new zap to create a new task in TaskAngel. I do that by creating an 'action' for the zap. The search box pops up again, and I search for TaskAngel. It finds TaskAngel but flags it as 'By Invite' because it's only for beta testers at present. If you want to join in, please send me a request by using the TaskAngel contact form. The actions are built in to TaskAngel, and I pull up a list of them by clicking on 'Choose an event'. The one I want is 'Create Task', so I click on that. Zapier now shows me a form to let me define the new task to be added to TaskAngel. The first field required is Title. I start typing 'Support request from ' . To get the name of the person who sent me the email, I select 'From Name' from the dropdown list. Then, still in the Title field, I select the Subject of the original email. I want to give my customers a same-day response, so in the Due field, I click on 'Enter text or insert data', and select Date. That is the date the email arrived. In the Priority field in my new task, I select 'High', and in the Folder field I type Support. In the Note field of my new task, I select 'Body Plain'. This is just the content of the original email, with any fancy formatting or attachments removed. This is where my customers tell me what help they want. (The attachments are still in Gmail unchanged, so I can always go back to them later if I need to.) Step 5: Test After defining my task, Zapier shows a 'Test Step' button. I click on that, and Zapier sends my new task to TaskAngel. You can expect to make mistakes the first time you attempt to make a zap. Zapier does extensive error checks and tells you if anything has gone wrong. Errors are usually easy to fix. Look at the error message, then go through your zap definition and find the mistake. When you have done so, click on 'Retest step' to try again. When the test runs without errors, you will see a message in Zapier saying 'A Task was sent to TaskAngel about 1 second ago'. Have a look in TaskAngel and try to find it there. Use the search bar at the top of TaskAngel's task list. Step 6: Put your zap to work When your tests are passing with out error, you have finished developing your zap. Well done! 👏 To run the automation, you need to publish and run your zap. In the Zap Editor, click on Publish. This compiles your zap and copies it to the Zapier servers, ready to run. Finally, switch your zap on. Use the switch at the top right of the Zap Editor. For my support zap, I send test emails to support@mypocketsoft.com, and see if they appear in my TaskAngel to-do list. Zapier looks at its triggers every 15 minutes or so, to see if they have fired. So we have to wait a few minutes to give it a chance to start our zaps. If you have a problem with TaskAngel, or if you want advice on other aspects of Time Management, please send an email to support@mypocketsoft.com. Then your email will appear in my TaskAngel to-do list, courtesy of Zapier, and I will come back to you. How much will it cost? To connect TaskAngel to Zapier, you will need a subscription to TaskAngel Online, which costs $2 per month. Then you can use Zapier connection at no extra charge. You will need membership of Zapier. They have a free plan, so simple zaps such as the one I am using here will not cost you anything. If your emails come to you through Gmail or Outlook, they will not charge you any more to connect to Zapier. Next step: Join the beta test The Zapier integration for TaskAngel is in beta test, and we are looking for testers. If you are interested, please apply using the TaskAngel contact form. Only beta testers can connect TaskAngel to Zapier for now. Conclusion Zapier has proven to be an invaluable tool in automating my support workload. With Zapier's user-friendly interface and extensive app integrations, automating support processes has never been easier. Explore the possibilities, save time, and enhance your support operations with Zapier and TaskAngel! Author Andrew Boswell, CEO of MyPocketSoft Andrew is the author of TaskAngel, and IT Director of Iconic Project Management Limited, specialising in construction project management in the UK

Photo by Bich Tran In this article, our guest writer Eddie Harmon provides some great advice on how to keep your home and family organized. We can all benefit from these ideas, but some of us need more help. Up to six percent of us suffer from Hoarding Disorder. If you think you or someone you love might be affected by this, there are resources that can help, like The Comprehensive Cleanup Guide for People with Hoarding Disorder. Update: You might also want to read this guide to downsizing for aging in place, which is helpful to anyone considering a more minimalist approach for their long-term goals. It goes over: Choosing the right layout and floor plan for a downsized home Tips for navigating the process of sifting through belongings and choosing what to keep Resources to help people clear out their homes Now here's Eddie's article: As a parent, keeping your family organised isn't always easy. On top of your own obligations, like work, you have to juggle all kinds of activities for the kids, from school assignments to extracurricular activities. Doing it all while keeping your home organised (and staying sane) isn't always easy. Luckily, there are some tricks that can help. Today, TaskAngel shares some information and provides plenty of affordable hacks to help busy parents stay on top of it all. Establish one central scheduling tool Pick one tool to track all of your family's important events and appointments, from dentist check-ups to school plays. Making this a shared document that everybody can add to is usually the easiest and fastest way to keep everyone up to date. There are many collaborative calendar tools you can use that don't cost you a thing, like Google Calendar. Other options include Microsoft Outlook, Apple Calendar, and UpTo. Get your documents organised Organising your family's diverse documents, from health records to report cards, is another challenge. Save space and make it easier to organise your documents by digitising them. Instead of keeping track of lots of individual files, combine your documents into single files using a PDF online tool. You can reorder, delete, and rotate pages. Also, if the file is too large, this tool may help by allowing you to compress the file in seconds for free. Declutter your home Once you've gotten rid of the paper clutter, take the next step and get rid of other clutter in the home. Becoming Minimalist provides a guide to paring down your possessions. For example, you can try using the 12-12-12 challenge. Locate 12 items you can throw away, 12 you can donate, and 12 that need to be organised better. It also helps to view your home as if you were a first-time visitor. Get the whole family involved in the process. Decluttering a home is the perfect time for people to evaluate what furniture is really bringing value to their space, and what is no longer needed. While most people prefer to donate or sell their unwanted furniture rather than throwing it away, the logistics of transporting heavy furniture can be a huge hassle. This Old House Reviews team gathered a list of charities that offer free furniture pickup services to help ensure homeowner’s furniture find new homes, benefiting families in need and preventing landfill waste. 8 Charities That Will Pick Up Furniture for Free (2023 Guide) Create a chore sheet Help keep your home organised by creating a chore sheet. Research suggests that adding chores to a child's routine is beneficial in many ways, from teaching them responsibility to helping them balance work and play. Add the entire family to the chore sheet, assigning parents and kids alike their respective duties. For example, maybe mom cooks dinner while dad cleans up. You can find free printable chore sheets from A Cultivated Nest online. Plan your family meals in advance Planning your family meals in advance is another trick you can use to keep kids and adults organised. This also makes it easier to get the whole family to sit down together at the table, which is a great way to get some quality time. To simplify meal planning, look for easy recipes that don't take long to make. Dishes that are easy to reheat are also a great idea. This can save you time and stress when cooking. Plus, dinner can double as lunch later. Of course, this is also an excellent way to get your kids involved in cooking. And by teaching them to cook for themselves, you’re laying the foundation for a healthy future. Create a family chat Keeping up with the family when you're all on the go isn't easy. With kids at school and parents at work, you might not get as much contact as you want. Establishing a family group chat using a tool like Whatsapp or Signal is a great way to stay in regular communication. This also makes it easier to stay organised. For example, if one of the kids is going to be late coming home from school, they can let you all know in the family group chat at once. As a parent, staying organised and keeping track of your family's many activities and obligations isn't always easy. However, there are plenty of cost-efficient tips and tools that can help you, from PDF converters to chore charts. Implement the tips above and prepare for a more organised and relaxed family life. TaskAngel is here to help people face the challenges that life throws at them by providing advanced software technologies that are easy to use. Author Eddie Harmon is our guest writer for this article. Eddie is a serial entrepreneur. He started his first business in college and has been starting, growing, and then selling his businesses ever since. He created Better Biz Tips to share some of his expertise along with what he considers the best business growth resources on the internet.

Here at TaskAngel we are always working to make our software more supportive of your time management needs. Our latest version is 2.0.145, published on May 8th 2023. This provides two new settings to help you. Filter Preset - Filter Search Results TaskAngel filters your task list so you can hide things you don't need to see right now. The main tools for this are the Filter Panel right next to the Task List, and the Search Bar at the top. These are both governed by your Filter Presets, on the Settings Page. Use these to hide tasks that have start dates in the future, or tasks that you have already completed, or tasks with negative priorities. The filter presets are so convenient, it's easy to forget they are there. Imagine you have a task that is going to be important in the holidays, which are a long way off. You give them a start date way into the future. You are thinking about this task, and you search for it in the search bar. Where is it? It doesn't appear because 'show future starts' is turned off. Now we have a new setting: Filter Search Results. When it is switched on, your filter presets are applied to the results of your search. When it is off, your search results will contain everything, even when they are completed and when they start in the future. Not everyone will want this. It can make your search results a bit cluttered. That's why we have made it a setting. You decide 😀. Sort Notes By... Power users will know that TaskAngel is all about notes. Notes can be embedded in your tasks, in your folders, and in your goals. They remind you what your tasks, folders and goals are for. We aren't trying to compete with Evernote and Bear, but it can be convenient to keep all your information together. Our notes even let you write them in Markdown, if you want them to look great. You can keep stand-alone notes, and access them through your note list. Up to now, that list has always sorted them in alphabetical order. But with the latest update you have the option to keep the most recent notes at the top of the list. Go back to the Settings Page, and scroll down to Sort Presets. There's a new setting there: Sort Notes By Title or Modified, and a little arrow that switches from ascending to descending. To see the most recent notes, set this to 'Sort Notes By Modified' and tap the arrow so that it points down. By the way, if you do have a note in Bear or Evernote or whatever, just copy a link to the note and paste the link into a TaskAngel note or task. Then you can get straight to it, whenever you need it. Tell us what you want next Our new features are always chosen by our customers. If there is something you would like to see in TaskAngel, please tell us on our contact page. Author Andrew Boswell Andrew is a Programme Director with more than 40 years experience in IT and Telecoms. In his blog he writes about how to improve productivity. Andrew is the author of TaskAngel To-Do List.

Today I’m going to show you how I finally beat procrastination. I stopped putting off those important tasks, the ones I delayed even when I knew bad things would happen if I didn’t do them. Before, I shied away from the most important tasks. To be honest, I was a bit of a ditherer. How did I do it? The Staircase Technique. And in this case study I’m going to show exactly how I did it, step by step. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr. How the Staircase Technique Kick-Started My Career I was a programme manager in an international company. One of their key software developments was in deep trouble. All the releases were hopelessly late, and reliability was appalling. Things came to a head, and I was asked to take over. Everyone I spoke to had their own opinions about what I should do. I could see what needed to be done, but it was overwhelming. So I shut myself away for 24 hours and figured it out. I set a course that rescued the development and turned it from a basket case to a winner of international awards. Since then I’ve used the Staircase Technique over and over again. Beating procrastination. Tackling other big projects, like rescuing a customer service project that affected 22 million customers. And at the other end of the scale, doing nasty little chores like my tax returns. You can use the Staircase Technique too. Maybe you are in trouble revising for an exam. Or maybe you keep putting off redecorating the living room, and it’s getting more and more embarrassing. Perhaps you can’t get started with painting that masterpiece you’ve dreamed about. Leonardo Da Vinci – procrastination genius One of the greatest procrastination sufferers in history was Leonardo Da Vinci. Possibly the most brilliant painter of all time, he lived to the ripe old age of 67 and only ever finished 15 paintings. One of them was the Mona Lisa, now the star exhibit in the Louvre Art Gallery in Paris. Pope Leo X ordered it in March 1515, as a small welcoming gift for Isabella d’Este, who would be visiting seven months later. So Leonardo had plenty of notice. When the exasperated Pope Leo was told it would not be completed in time for Isabella’s visit, he exclaimed “This man will never accomplish anything! He thinks of the end before the beginning!” Leonardo finished the Mona Lisa 15 years later. So we are not alone. Procrastination is nothing to be ashamed of. But it does cause us a lot of grief, and it limits our progress. The good news is that we can fix it. Now it’s time to show you the Staircase Technique, step by step. #1 Write down your big task You are suffering from procrastination if you are putting off a big task. What is it? See if you can write it down in one sentence. What must you do? When must you do it? Think about why it’s important. Who cares if you do it, and if you don’t? Of course you have lots of tasks. Choose the one that you are most worried about. When I took over that software development, I decided quality was the biggest problem. And my big task was “From worst to best”. I had no idea how long it was going to take, and I didn’t have a plan, but I knew everyone would pull together to achieve it. You’ve probably been worrying about your big task for a while. It’s taunting you, shimmering in the distance, at the top of a mountain of pain, unreachable. It’s time to build your staircase to the mountain top. #2 Prepare the ground You need a bit of space to build your staircase. Remove the things that distract you from starting. Is the TV on all the time? Do you keep looking at your emails? Are you obsessed with social media? If family, friends, or colleagues are constantly interrupting you, go somewhere else. If you’re studying in your bedroom, leave your phone downstairs. Are you surrounded by clutter? Clear any papers – or other stray objects like sweet wrappers and old coffee cups – off your desk and put them somewhere else. Gather together everything you will need to start your task. But don’t make a meal of it, or it will become just another reason for a delay. If you’re supposed to be painting a picture, building an artists’s studio is not preparing the ground, it’s a diversion. Can you do it on your own, or do you need help? Sometimes it’s enough to get a supporter – someone you can talk to about your task, and who can support you to keep to your commitment when the going gets tough. But not someone who is going to push you and criticise you and add to your pain. Just a friend to help you through when procrastination beckons. #3 Build your first step Don’t try to make a complicated plan to achieve your task. Just think about the things you need to do, to get started. They are going to be the first steps in your staircase. Perhaps you are already obsessing about one of the steps you are going to have to take. Maybe that’s the reason you kept putting the whole thing off. Now it’s time to grasp that nettle. Make it your first step. If it’s daunting or complicated, break it down into smaller steps, until each one looks like it will take no more than an hour to complete. Now you’re ready to get started. For my software rescue, my predecessor’s strategy had been “pretend things aren’t as bad as everyone is saying”. I knew that wouldn’t work, and we had to admit the truth. This was going to cause a lot of upset. I might be fired. I needed to warn my team and my customers about it, and get them on side. So my first step was “Send invitations for initial discussions”. #4 Take the first step Get to work. You can do it! The first step is going to take you less than an hour. You have everything you need. There are no distractions, no excuses. Now it’s time. Just jump to it, and do it. You’ll feel much better when you have finished. There’s someone else traveling with you on your climb up the mountain. We call it your Inner Child. It wants to have fun. It wants a drink. It wants your attention. It doesn’t think you can make it to the top of the mountain, and it doesn’t want to go there anyway. If you’re a procrastinator you have a particular noisy inner child. Try to keep it quiet for an hour - there’s a reward coming. #5 Give yourself a reward Take a break. You deserve it. Have a coffee or a snack. Go for a walk, read a chapter of a book, watch a video, play a game. Reward your inner child. But avoid alcohol, because you are going to get back to work soon. And beware – it’s just a short break. You aren’t packing up for the day! This is a dangerous time – procrastination is just a heartbeat away. Don’t let your inner child get the upper hand, or you’ll be away with the fairies again. Tell it another reward will be coming along soon, and get back in control. #6 Take the next step When you’re ready to start work again, have another look up the mountain towards your goal. What will your next step be? Maybe you’ve learned something from doing the previous step, that inspires you and propels you forward. Or perhaps you have your next step already worked out, and you just need to get on with it. For my software project, I’d just sent out invitations for my initial discussions, so my next step was “Get my story straight”. Again, break down your next step into smaller ones that will take no more than an hour each. Then jump up to the first of them and do it. Time for another reward! Maybe this procrastination thing can be beaten after all. So keep climbing, step by step. Reward by reward. Now you’re starting to gain some height. You are starting to achieve something at last. Every now and then, stop and enjoy the view. Look at what you have achieved so far. Isn’t it good? Don’t you feel better about yourself? And your inner child likes that feeling too. As a result, it will start to calm down, and have more faith in you. It will even start to give you a helping hand up the mountain if it knows the good feelings are going to get stronger. Each step only takes an hour at most, so you can climb between 4 and 8 steps every day. Every one takes you closer to your objective. Keep going until you reach the top of the mountain, and your task is done. You’ve done it! That’s how to use the Staircase Technique to overcome procrastination. You didn’t have to ‘pull yourself together’, or draw up a plan. And you didn’t have to set deadlines and miss them. Furthermore, nobody tried to make you feel guilty. Did you get some value from this post? If so, please share it with your friends. There's a brilliant new app that will help you on your journey up the mountain. It's called TaskAngel To-Do List. Click on the button below to get started right away! #blog #TimeManagement

There's a massive change brewing in the world of smartphone apps. It's called PWA. In this article, I'm going to tell you what PWA's are, and why they matter, using TaskAngel To Do List as a working example. If you're an App developer, PWA's are going to change your life forever. For the rest of us, it means we are going to get the apps we always dreamed of. Reliable apps that run on all our devices, and keep themselves up to date. We are going to break free from the restrictions of the tech platforms and the app stores. What's a PWA? PWA stands for Progressive Web Application. Here's what that means. It's a kind of web app. A very smart web page. And it's 'progressive'. That just means it looks and feels like a standalone app on your smartphone. It's the best of both worlds - it feels like your favourite app, and it's connected to everything. I want to get started. What do I need? If you have a smartphone, or a desktop computer, and an internet connection, you have everything you need. It's a very smart web app, so you need a good browser. The best ones to use are Safari, Chrome, and Edge. (But keep clear of Microsoft Internet Explorer. It hasn't kept up with the latest web standards that PWA's need.) We recommend these browsers: How to install a PWA Let's take TaskAngel To-do List as a working example. Install one of the recommended browsers, then follow this web link to get started: app.taskangel.com TaskAngel pops up right away. No waiting. You start by looking at a login screen. Identify yourself with an email address, and give a password, so TaskAngel can keep your information safe and secure. (There's a free trial, so trying it out won't cost you anything.) But it still looks just like a web page! It's framed by the browser stuff - address bar, bookmarks and so on. There's another step to take, to install it as a PWA and get rid of all that browser clutter. Install PWA on iPhone or iPad with Safari On your iPhone or iPad, open Safari and browse to the app link (e.g. app.taskangel.com) Tap on the share button and then choose 'Add to Home Screen'. The next popup lets you change the name of the icon if you want, then you tap Add to put it on your home screen. Close the page on Safari, then open the PWA by tapping its icon on your home page. Install PWA on Android using Chrome On your Android device, open Chrome and browse to the app link. Tap Install Follow the on-screen instructions. After installation, a shortcut appears on the home of your device. Install PWA on Mac or Windows using Chrome On your Android device, open Chrome and browse to the app link. At the top right of the address bar, click Install Follow the on-screen instructions. After installation, a shortcut appears on the dock, just like any other app. Install PWA on Windows using Edge On your Windows PC, open Edge and browse to the app link. Click on the three-dot menu button at the top right corner. Select Apps, then click Install this site as an app. Follow the on-screen instructions. After installing the PWA, a shortcut appears on the app list in your Windows Start menu. You can pin it to your Start menu and your Taskbar, just like any other app. What if I don't have a good Internet connection? PWA's like TaskAngel are designed to work when you are disconnected. So you can switch your smartphone to Airplane Mode, or just go anywhere without mobile data coverage, and the PWA will still work. When you next get an internet connection, the PWA syncs with its data hub. Then it carries on as if the connection had always been there. What if I make changes on other devices? A good PWA keeps all its copies in step with each other, using an online data hub. When one of your devices changes something, all your other connected devices update themselves. With TaskAngel, it works just like magic. Add, change or complete a task on your iPhone, and the task lists on your tablets or desktop computers are updated immediately. What about security? A PWA must protect any information it has access to. This means guarding it against attacks on your smartphone or computer, and on its online hub, and on the messages that pass between them. Your PWA prevents unauthorised access, using a username and password. This is your first line of defence. But it's going to be the first line of weakness if your password is easy to guess. You might want to try a password manager like Dashlane to generate strong passwords and remember them for you. TaskAngel keeps your tasks and notes in a secure online hub that automatically scrambles all data before it is written to disk. It is automatically and transparently unscrambled when you read it. PWA's communicate using the https protocol. This encrypts all communication, so your information is protected against eavesdropping and tampering. It keeps the hackers away. Are they reliable? PWA's work by running scripts in the browser you choose. So they are as reliable as the PWA script and the browser. PWA technology is now sufficiently well developed to build highly reliable apps. All new software has errors, but software writers can minimise them by conforming to standards, by building on robust and reliable frameworks, and by thorough testing. PWA's improve their reliability by continuously tracking down errors and eliminating them. The update process is much quicker than for traditional apps. A bug can be reported, analysed, and fixed in the space of an hour or two, depending on its complexity. Fixes are deployed into the released product in just a matter of minutes. How will I get updates? PWA's can update themselves automatically. A signal goes out from the host site and the PWA knows to load the new code. When this happens, TaskAngel pops up a question to you, asking if you want to do the update now or later. If you are in the middle of making changes that you haven't saved yet, just say 'Later'. When you say yes, the update happens immediately in a few seconds. The way forward PWA's are powerful, and lightning fast, and you can run them on any smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. They have the look and feel of a traditional app, always connected. The best of both worlds. To learn more about TaskAngel To-Do List, and its new PWA version, please have a look at The Guide. Author Andrew Boswell is the author of TaskAngel To-Do List. He spent many years as a project manager in high-tech programmes in the UK, rolling out Internet technology and new customer service systems. Andrew is also the IT Director of Iconic Project Management Limited, which delivers outstanding construction projects across the commercial sector.

We are delighted to announce that a new version of TaskAngel is now available. This is a massive update, version 2.0, aimed at making TaskAngel even easier to use. Just browse to app.taskangel.com as usual. Read more in our new Guide. Here are the main changes. 1. New home page is your hub and dashboard In this version, TaskAngel has a new home page with an dashboard of all your tasks, notes, folders, goals and contexts. Use the home page overview to jump right to your lists of tasks and notes, and your lists of folders, goals and contexts. And you can go to a list of your most recently added or changed notes. If you have selected Set Up for MYN on the Settings page, the home page shows how many Critical Now tasks you have. If you aren’t using MYN, it shows how many tasks are due today. If you want, personalise TaskAngel with your name and photo, using the Profile button at the top right corner. 2. New Note Editor provides rich formatting We have redesigned the Note Editor for ease of use. There is a new menu and toolbar, to control formatting and make it easy to copy and paste. It's great for copying emails into tasks. When you type a web address and then tap Save, it is converted to a link for you to browse to. Every Task, Folder, Context or Goal has an embedded note for you to record a description or other details. Even more, you can have stand-alone notes, and put them into folders or give them hashtags. Power users can still format notes using Markdown codes, just use the Code switch in the note editor. The note editor is powered by Tiny, an awesome technology for editing rich text. It even has a word count to help you with your blog posts or whatever. Create headers to make it easy to see everything at a glance, and use emoticons to highlight information or add status. Use horizontal rules to break your note into sections. Here's a note from my Christmas Planning. 3. Copy Tasks and Notes to the Clipboard The task and note pages now have a Copy button that lets you copy to the clipboard in a choice of formats: Rich Text (HTML) Markdown Plain Text Link Choose the most appropriate format for what you are going to paste into. For example, I have a note describing how to publish a blog post, and I paste a link to it into a task: 'Publish blog post announcing latest release'. Then one click takes me from the task to the 'how to' instructions. 4. Other improvements We have made lots of minor improvements, and fixed bugs. For example, the date picker wasn’t working reliably in the Task Editor, so we have redesigned it. The Settings Page has also been redesigned, to make it more reliable. Please check it still has the settings you want. 5. Your feedback drives us We hope you like TaskAngel 2.0. Please let us know what you think of it.

Better with keyboard If you use your keyboard in preference to a mouse or touch screen, the latest version of TaskAngel Online has some awesome things for you. The hot key Ctrl+T creates a new task and pops up a redesigned task editor. The Task Editor has an improved layout, and its fields have a more consistent tab order. Tab once to move the cursor to the title field, then tab again to move down the Task Editor fields. Within the Task Editor, hot key to Ctrl+Enter save your changes or Ctrl+Esc to cancel them. On Windows and Linux, Chrome uses some of these keys for its own purposes, so you can also use the following: Alt+Shift+T – create a new task Alt+Shift+S – save from Task Editor Alt+Shift+C – cancel from Task Editor Better with smartphone TaskAngel is great whether or not you use a keyboard. It's perfect on smartphones and tablets. You will love these improvements! Notes now have a preview mode to view the results of your markdown codes. Adding to our MYN support, when you are using Auto Urgency, the task editor warns you if you pick an urgency that will be overridden. When you change a task on another device, the change is shown immediately without you having to refresh your task list. If you have a lot of tasks or notes, you should see a big improvement in speed when displaying the task and note lists. See for yourself I hope you like the new version. Try it at app.taskangel.com. If you are already using TaskAngel online, it should update itself automatically. Please let me have your comments here, or go to www.taskangel.com/contact.

The latest version of TaskAngel has new PWA features that make it the best of both worlds - it looks and feels like a native app that runs in your pocket, and it's always connected when your smartphone is connected to the Internet. You can read a lot more about PWA's and the features that they deliver in my article Jump into the PWA Revolution. Now TaskAngel can run reliably on all your devices, and keep itself up to date. I'll tell you a lot more about all that later in this article. But first, I'm excited to tell you about some unique new features to help you use Michael Linenberger's brilliant MYN time management system. MYN Support in TaskAngel Online I introduced the MYN time management system in my recent article The Power Of Now - How to make the perfect to do list in one minute. This defines a set of Urgency Zones which define how urgent your tasks are right now. Tasks that you must do today, go into Critical Now. If they are less urgent, they go into Opportunity Now. Tasks that are a long way off go into Over-the-Horizon. Auto Urgency There's an old saying 'Tomorrow Never Comes'. But for most of us, tomorrow comes all too quickly! Tasks that you felt easy about yesterday are suddenly going nuclear ☢️. TaskAngel Online looks after that for you. If you have a task in the Opportunity Now zone which is due today, TaskAngel automatically promotes it to be Critical Now. So when you wake up in the morning, you have a new task list with the Critical Now list showing your must-do tasks for the day. To make all this happen, go to the Settings Page and switch on two new settings: Set Up for MYN and Auto Urgency. New PWA features for TaskAngel Online If you have a smartphone, or a desktop computer, and an Internet connection, you have everything you need to get TaskAngel Online. It's a very smart web app, so you need a good browser. The best ones to use are as follows: Safari on iPhone and iPad Chrome on everything else Edge on Windows. Keep clear of Microsoft Internet Explorer. It hasn't kept up with the latest web standards that PWA's need. How to install TaskAngel Online Install one of the recommended browsers, then follow this web link to get started: app.taskangel.com TaskAngel pops up right away. No waiting. You start by looking at a login screen. Identify yourself with an email address, and give a password, so TaskAngel can keep your information safe and secure. (There's a free trial, so trying it out won't cost you anything.) But it is still framed by the browser stuff - address bar, bookmarks and so on. There's another step to take, to install it as a PWA and get rid of all that browser clutter. Install TaskAngel on iPhone or iPad with Safari On your iPhone or iPad, open Safari and browse to the app link (e.g. app.taskangel.com) Tap on the share button and then choose 'Add to Home Screen'. The next popup lets you change the name of the icon if you want, then you tap Add to put it on your home screen. Close the page on Safari, then open the PWA by tapping its icon on your home page. Install TaskAngel on Android using Chrome On your Android device, open Chrome and browse to the app link. Tap Install Follow the on-screen instructions. After installation, a shortcut appears on the home of your device. Install TaskAngel on Mac or Windows using Chrome On your Android device, open Chrome and browse to the app link. At the top right of the address bar, click Install Follow the on-screen instructions. After installation, a shortcut appears on the dock, just like any other app. Install TaskAngel on Windows using Edge On your Windows PC, open Edge and browse to the app link. Click on the three-dot menu button at the top right corner. Select Apps, then click Install this site as an app. Follow the on-screen instructions. After installing the PWA, a shortcut appears on the app list in your Windows Start menu. You can pin it to your Start menu and your Taskbar, just like any other app. TaskAngel Online... Offline! TaskAngel is designed to work when you are disconnected. So you can switch your smartphone to Airplane Mode, or just go anywhere without mobile data coverage, and TaskAngel will still work. When you next get an internet connection, the PWA syncs with its data hub. Then it carries on as if the connection had always been there. Automatic syncing across devices When one of your devices changes something, all your other connected devices update themselves, just like magic! Add, change or complete a task on your iPhone, and the task lists on your tablets or desktop computers are updated immediately. Automatic updates TaskAngel Online can update itself automatically. A signal goes out from the host site and TaskAngel knows to load the new code. Author Andrew Boswell is the author of TaskAngel To-Do List. He spent many years as a project manager in high-tech programmes in the UK, rolling out Internet technology and new customer service systems. Andrew also works as IT Director of Iconic Project Management Limited, which delivers outstanding construction projects across the commercial sector.

Every hardworking freelancer can appreciate those old fairy tales about finding a goose that lays golden eggs or a purse that never runs out of money. When you’re constantly hustling to secure your next contract, the idea of money that just magically appears can certainly seem attractive. Of course, we all know there’s no such thing as a magical, unending stream of cash — but there is a way you can create an income source that will pay off exponentially without ongoing effort on your part. This is called a passive income stream, and figuring out how to set up one can be a boon for the overworked freelancer — and some of the ways to do it may already be within your reach. TaskAngel lists a few here. In need of a bit more organization and productivity in your life and in your business? Let TaskAngel handle the heavy lifting! Take it out for a test drive today. Rent out property. One popular source of passive income is rental earnings. You could rent out residential property, such as an apartment or house or even space in your own home. Or, you could rent out office space. If you own land, you could even rent it out to be farmed. One thing to be aware of before you pursue rentals as a potential passive income source, though: It is often a lot more work than you would anticipate, especially when it comes to residential properties, where it’s essential that you keep your tenants happy and treat them fairly, while also protecting your own interests. This calls for efficient time management, as you’re on call 24/7 and can’t afford to get bogged down in unnecessary and unexpected tasks. Consider utilizing an online time management app like TaskAngel that can be accessed anytime day or night using your computer or smartphone. Using such a tool, you can customize your settings and inputs like priority tasks, reminders, scheduled items, due dates, and subtasks, saving you time and money by taking much of the guesswork out of managing your rental property. Make investments. If you’re not one for closely following the market, the prospect of investing may seem daunting. You don’t want to make a mistake and end up losing your hard-earned money, after all. Luckily, there are options for first-time investors that are neither exceedingly complicated nor dangerously risky. You probably hear the word “investment” and automatically think “stocks” but safer options, such as treasury bonds and CDs (certificates of deposit) are out there, as well. They may not promise as much yield, but these safer alternatives in investing can provide you with slow and steady passive income. Outsource your work. If you are inundated with work and feel you can’t keep up, HostPapa suggests outsourcing some of your projects to other freelancers. This is a great way to set up a passive income stream while protecting the integrity of your business. It can also be a way to assist other freelancers in getting their foot through the door and possibly laying the foundation for future partnerships and collaborations. If you do opt to hire freelancers, make sure you have a reliable system for managing payroll, both to maintain a good work relationship and to avoid getting into trouble with taxes. A solid software platform like QuickBooks Enterprise — an alternative to ERP software compared to traditional ERP programs — integrates with payroll to help you manage schedules and provide payroll direct deposit on the same day, making compensating your workers a lot easier. This robust software also plays a big role in making inventory management and advanced reporting much more streamlined and accessible. Sell digital products. Even if you don’t work with digital products or services, this doesn’t mean that what you do can’t be translated into a digital medium. If you work as a tutor or consultant, for instance, consider crafting tutorials or online classes and setting up an ongoing enrollment option. Or, if you are a visual artist, see if you can turn some of your creations into digital images that can be downloaded and used for a fee. Other popular digital products include ebooks, software, plugins, and videos. Engage in affiliate marketing. You can make your store, website, or blog a source of passive income by breaking into affiliate marketing, notes sixads.net. This is a method of marketing for other companies or sellers by promoting their products on your site in return for a commission. One common way this works is by including affiliate links in your digital content. In order for affiliate marketing to work as a sustainable income source, you need to be able to trust the advertiser enough to promote their products without reservation, and the consumer needs to view you as a trusted source or reliable influencer, too. It might not be magic, but getting once you have your passive revenue stream up and running, it can make a world of difference for your overall well-being and for the sustainability of your company. Author Stephanie Haywood, Guest Author Stephanie Haywood is happy to be living her best life. Personal development and self-care gave her a boost when she needed it most, and now she works to share the gift of self-knowledge, self-care, and self-actualization with everyone who visits MyLifeBoost.com.