Buzz
An iPhone user is seen holding his phone in Palo Alto, Calif. See more images of the iPhone.
AP Photo/Paul SakumaThe advent of the cell phone gave rise to a question that rarely had to be asked before mobile devices existed: "Where are you?" As this technology became woven into our daily routines, the question shifted to, "What are you doing?"
Today, a new generation of smartphones and apps can help you answer that very question. iPhone apps dedicated to time management allow users to effortlessly push a button or glance at a screen, helping them organize life's chaotic moments into a manageable list.
While no app can guarantee a perfect way to structure your day, these tools could give you a strategic advantage. Time management blends both science and creativity, and these innovative apps combine technology with the art of organization. Whether that's beneficial or not really depends on the individual – as the old military saying goes, "Plans rarely survive contact with the enemy."
Join us as we take a quick look at some iPhone apps designed to help you improve your time management skills.
5: Checklist Wrangler
In American culture, checklists are indispensable—some people even create checklists of their checklists. The Checklist Wrangler iPhone app is designed to help you create and manage digital checklists.
With Wrangler, you can make lists for any occasion, from daily tasks to long-term goals. You can even create a lifetime list, although it's possible some items will be left behind when technology evolves, leaving the iPhone as a nostalgic relic.
The key feature of this app is its flexibility. Need a checklist for daily supply checks? Wrangler can handle it. Traveling often and need a packing list? Wrangler’s got it covered. Whether it's household chores or monitoring the status of a nuclear reactor, you can create a list for almost anything. It can even generate a list of all the lists you've made.
Wrangler also lets you organize related lists into groups, choose from a variety of templates, and easily share your lists via email. While checklists may not be the most exciting thing, they are undeniably essential.
In the 1980s, the height of portable organization and time management was the Filofax. This portable filing system, created in England, was inspired by an American organizing system for engineers and scientists.
In 1921, a London company was founded to promote this system. By 1930, they trademarked "Filofax," a variation of "file of facts," a binder with a devoted following for both personal and professional use.
During WWII, a temporary secretary named Grace Scurr used her Filofax to document essential supplier and customer information, saving the company during a raid. Scurr retired as chairman shortly before Filofax was bought by two enthusiastic users. By 1987, retailers worldwide were selling various versions of Filofax to those who sought organization, or simply wanted to appear organized.
Today, Filofax still has a nostalgic allure. An ostrich-leather version can cost up to $400. It never crashes and doesn't require charging, making it a timeless (if somewhat outdated) status symbol.
4: Shopper
Grocery lists may soon be a thing of the past — at least the paper versions. The iPhone app "Shopper" lets users easily create and edit grocery lists, and the latest 3G version introduces list sharing, eliminating the need for messages like, "Honey, can you pick up X and Y?" It even incorporates bar codes and integrates with other apps to help save enough money to make the app pay for itself. The basic version costs just 99 cents, while the 3G version, with added features, is priced a bit higher.
The basic Shopper app comes with a set of commonly found grocery items, but the list is by no means exhaustive. It allows for the flexibility to add new categories and items, which can then be added to a virtual shopping cart as you check them off while shopping. The app can also categorize items based on the aisles and shelves of the store you’re in, making your shopping experience more efficient.
Later versions enable users to scan an item's bar code using the camera feature. The item is then automatically added to the list, and additional subscriptions can link users to coupons and food recall alerts.
The app's success has encouraged its developers to form partnerships with various retailers, offering Black Friday deals and possibly Shopper-exclusive promotions in the future.
When personal digital assistants (PDAs) began to gain traction in the workforce as time management tools, an analog counterpart gained popularity online.
The Hipster PDA consisted of a stack of 3-by-5-inch (7.6-by-12.7-centimeter) index cards, held together by a simple binder clip. The meaning of PDA in this case was never clearly defined. Users would jot down notes on the cards, arranging them by priority or according to their own organizational preferences. The compact size made it easy to slip into a hip pocket.
Within a year, this low-tech, DIY organizer led to a surge in variations, with users able to download customizable templates and even purchase fully assembled versions online, complete with pen holders.
3: RemindYou
Benjamin Shell, the CEO of Make Your Day Media, decided to switch from his Palm Treo to an iPhone. However, he soon realized that the default iPhone time management system was inadequate for his demanding lifestyle.
When Shell's company was born from a program later acquired by Apple, he took matters into his own hands and created a task manager app for his new iPhone, which led to the birth of RemindYou. The app offered flexible input options and displayed up to 20 upcoming events. What set it apart was its integration with the iPhone's lock screen and auto-refresh feature, displaying and updating the list without needing to open the phone. It synced seamlessly with iCal and other time-management apps. Instead of searching for a specific date, users could instantly see their future appointments.
However, Apple refused to approve the app for sale in the App Store. Undeterred, Shell made the app available independently for around $9. Users simply needed to "jailbreak" their phones as part of the download process, allowing them to access RemindYou and other non-App Store apps.
"We’ve sold about 140,000 copies since June 2008," Shell proudly shared. "And for a jailbreak app, that’s impressive. RemindYou is perfect for anyone who needs to manage a calendar. I built it for myself, and I know it works."
Apple’s systems currently only support approved code, offering little room for users to freely write or hack software compared to PCs and non-Apple devices.
Yet, when Apple first introduced the iPhone, a group of hackers discovered a way to bypass Apple’s proprietary chip systems, allowing unauthorized programs to run. This "freedom" led to the phenomenon of "jailbreaking" iPhones, with free software available from various online sources.
Every time Apple launches a new product, hackers break its code again, leading to a continuous cycle of competition and innovation between the two groups, both frustrating and inspiring in equal measure.
2: Things
"Things" elevates the classic to-do list experience. Marketed as an iPhone "productivity" app, it claims to strike the perfect balance between simplicity and robust functionality, all for just $9.99.
At its core, Things resembles a traditional to-do list. Tasks can be created and added, with the option to set due dates, assign categories, and organize them into projects. This app is designed to help you manage both your daily tasks and long-term goals. Once a task is completed, you can easily check it off your list.
Reviewers consistently highlight a few standout features of Things. The "DontShowInToday" function lets you temporarily move tasks off the immediate list and onto the next day's, giving you a clearer focus on the present. You can also link tasks to specific projects to keep your work organized. And then there's the Someday list, a catch-all for tasks that may require management at a later time.
1: OmniFocus
While basic time management tools work well for some, others may crave a more powerful, cross-platform solution. OmniFocus is just that, delivering a comprehensive tool for managing tasks across devices.
OmniFocus provides users with the flexibility to track tasks by various criteria such as date, person, location, or project. Additional features include customizable lists like shopping tasks, meeting agendas, and household chores. Users can create and modify new lists as needed, and the app also supports voice notes, photos, as well as map and GPS integration.
While the app comes at a higher price of $19.99, one of its most impressive features is its ability to sync wirelessly with OmniFocus for Mac, either locally or remotely via MobileMe or WebDAV servers. Currently, there is no OmniFocus version for Windows. Despite its complexity, users find the app intuitive and easy to navigate, both on the iPhone and while syncing across multiple devices. Overall, OmniFocus offers a powerful, feature-rich system that still retains an approachable feel.
"Time is money." -- Benjamin Franklin
"One cannot manage too many affairs: like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other." -- Chinese Proverb
"You will never "find" time for anything. If you want time, you must make it." -- Charles Bruxton
"Time and the hour run through the roughest day." -- William Shakespeare
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." -- Albert Einstein
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." -- Bertrand Russell
