Revisiting DOIT.IM .. Getting Things Done has a Champion!

I made a post some time ago on the task management software DOIT.IM. The software is great and has made changes recently that makes it essential to my daily workflow. This program is the first app I open while brushing my teeth and second to only my alarm app when I am going to bed.

Some of the features that make this a must to anyone that wants to get things done are:

Sub-tasks, which are essential for doing projects.


Many task management software packages are horrible at this (i'm talking to you Astrid!).  DoIt.IM does it the right way by actually allowing you to create a project.  Within those projects you can have all the tasks that pertain to that project.

Goals, "Where there is no vision, the people perish " Prov 29:18

This is the heart of the program for me, and where I start my day.  Above projects is the Goal section , within these goals can be many projects.  This allows you to get an overall view of the things that are important to you.  Approaching tasks this way ensures that you never feel unaccomplished at the end of the day.

Review, check how productive you were ..or were not...

There is a benefit in giving yourself a grade.  DoIt.IM has a beta feature where you can grade you performance on a daily and weekly basis. This feature gives you a way to make sure you are improving as the days go buy.

This program is what thehustlerstech.com is all about. The android counterpart works exactly the same; and at $20 a year the increase in productivity you will enjoy is well worth the price. 

Resources: 

DoIT.IM web site

DoIT.IM Android Application

Finance Management , the Mobile Way

To properly manage your business and take your hustle to next  level, aggressive money management has to be a priority. Money management is not sexy but can be made bearable by using the right tool to fit your needs.

The best place to start , is your financial institutions. All the big banks have a website and most have a Android app that you can do the main functions from the site.  I use Chase, here are some examples of options I have found useful from their mobile solutions.

1. Text notifications can be set for many thing that happen on your account .  Set it for daily balance updates and a text for each transaction.
2. The Android and iPhone app both allow you to scan checks and deposit them on the go.

Money Management Apps 

Mint.com is a feature rich program for managing personal finances.  It also has a Android app that syncs the information from the website to your device. This program can give you an overview of financial situation and provides graphs to

PageOnce is also a money management system with both a web an Android app.  The strength of the application is it's notification system that will let you know when bill due dates are coming up.   This application also allows you to pay bills within the app, making it a must have money management app.

Plot out Your Empire with Mindmeister

People process information in many different ways.  For those that process information easiest by creating diagrams, Mindmeister can help you visualize your empire.  Mindmeister is a web application that has an Android component which allows you to do tree-like diagrams where one item braces to the next.  This is great for me when planning businesses, as it gives me a visual representations of how the business needs to be set up and the and the details that relate to it .

The service is free for a limited amount of diagrams.  The Android application is also free, and stays consistent with the look and feel of the web application.

Resources:

MindMeister Web App
MindMeister Android Application

Your Next Million Dollar Idea is in Jeopardy

Ideas are the fuel for the hustler. The bad thing about some ideas, is that they don't usually come when you're sitting at your desk, ready to jot them down in Microsoft Word.  They often come while you're on the toilet , in the shower, in bed or driving.

Capturing your next million dollar idea is important , so here are some ways for you to get those ideas saved FAST :

1. Hovernote -Hovernote is a note taking program like many others , but what sets it apart is that it (as its name implies) hovers over your screen when using it.  This comes in handy because you can open Hovernote and  leave it open in your notification bar until you need it.  When you want to jot something down , you simply pull down the notification bar and start typing.

2. Google Search "Note to Self" feature - Native in the Google search utility is a little known feature that allows you to take quick notes.  To activate it you simply have to hold down the search button on your Android device.  The voice prompt will come up and you will dictate your note by starting with the words "note to self".  After your note is taken, you will be placed in an interface allowing you to send the text of the note that you just too plus the audio to your email.  Make sure you create a filter and note label to organize these messages and you are good to go.

Using the Asus Transformer as a "Dumb Terminal"

For years, a great way that IT professionals have saved money was to purchase a very powerful server computer and very low end client computers.  They would then set up the client computers to use a virtual environment that was powered by the server.  This allows for a company to only have to focus on investing in a high-end server and the clients can be relatively cheap.

This same idea can be applied to using a Asus Transformer tablet while connected remotely (using Teamviewer) to your high-end desktop computer. This way you can leverage the speed and storage of your desktop with the functionality  and portability of your Asus prime.

This is one of the many areas that a tablet is useful as we find a place for it in our productive lifestyles.

The Tablet You Know - The New Microsoft Surface Tablet

There is a lot going on in the world of tablets.  I posted previously on how Google wants to gain your business by giving you an affordable option for tablet computing.  Windows is what you more than likely are using for your business or at work.  This makes Windows more accessible to most people as it comes to business.  This is the tablet that is going to allow you access to all the programs that you use at work and  will allow for the intuitive functionality of a touch screen.

The combination of the "cool factor" and the familiarity that people have with the Operating system, offers an opportunity for a big seller for Microsoft.

The winner with all these moves in the tablet world, are the consumer, as they will have a choice of a quality tablet on every income level and all use cases.


Resources:

Surface Tablet

Hustle Tip:Using a Navigation Shortcut

If you have an Android device , you also have the most advanced navigation technology on the market. There are a number of reasons why there will be NO navigation system that will beat the one that is in your pocket a few are:

1. The sync between the Internet and GPS allows for a number of online service to be available.
2. Google Maps includes street view that will allow you to see destinations up close.
3. The integration with Google services like Latitude makes it easy to find friends.
4. Google continues to make it better with over-the-air updates.

So since you have this great technology, a great way to utilize it is by using navigation shortcuts.  From your device's main screen, hold and select "shortcut".  You will then select "Directions and Navigation".  

Once you have your directions shortcut box up you can place any address in with a relevant name and icon. 

Situations that a navigation shortcut comes in handy for the hustler:

1.If there are a number of stops that you need to make in a day.  Prior to the going out on your mission plot out all of the stops and make a shortcut for each.   Place each stop from the first to the last in top to bottom order so you can get to each destination in a timely fashion.

2. Quickly gaining traffic reports for places you go frequently.  It is a benefit to know how fast you will be able to get back to your office from where ever you are.  This will allow you more clarity to on how far you can stretch your most valuable resource .. time.

Do It Well with Doit.im - Sub-tasks Done the Right Way

Your son's football practice, getting ready for the big meeting, getting ready for the real estate exam.  All of these tasks can have multiple tasks within .  There are a great deal of tasks management programs that will help you organize your life , but they all had one big flaw, and that is the way that they handled sub-tasks. 

The advantage of the managing tasks using sub-tasks, is that you will separate your tasks into projects.  This , for me , has been very powerful because I can easily group my tasks and focus on details that I may miss otherwise.  There is only one system that that I have found available that is both an Android application and a web application.  The application is called Doit.im.  

This powerful application gives you the ability to create tasks just as your simple tasks managers like Tasks (yes the application is called tasks) , but it goes much further with powerful subtasks options. The subtasks are used through projects.  Each project can have several subtasks.

Doit.im also has a powerful online application that is very consistent and works very well.  This application are for those that are highly productive and need to manage their lives like a business.  Doit.im is the perfect companion for the hustler in you!

Doit.im android application

Doit.im web application

Previous blog on Astrid with Producteev 

Verizon's Robbery vs. GhettroPCS

If you have not been paying attention lately, your cellular provider is robbing you!  I have been with Verizon going on 4 years now and have paid them more than I'd like to admit.  Just the thought of all the fee hikes, changes to data, and changes to policy , just gets me mad thinking about it! The last nail in the coffin was this new policy called "share everything plan". Check out the blog at droid-life.com for the details, the bottom line is higher prices.

There is a trend brewing that most who aren't nerds like me wont catch.  The pre-paid companies have been uping their game. The big problem that people have when it comes to the pre-paid route for cell phones are three things:

1. Pre-paid service is not as good.
2. Pre-paid phones are not as good 
3. Pre-paid plans are for poor/ghetto people.

Service can vary depending on where you live.  If you are in a city like Sacramento, Oakland , Atlanta etc. you will have great service with a pre-paid carrier.  I had MetroPCS before I got locked into this Verizon contract, and my service was 100% better!

The phones in the early years of pre-paid were junk.  This has ALL changed:

Phone:  HTC Evo V 4g  &  iPhone 4s

Carrier: Virgin Mobile

Phone: HTC Evo Design

Carrier : Boostmobile

Phone: LG Connect 

Carrier: MetroPCS

The stigma that  pre-paid companies have will change soon.  I know this because as the phones get better, people will be more accepting to go the less expensive route.

Bottom line

The freedom that not having a cell phone contract, is similar to not having to pay a car note or not having credit card debt. Without these weights you can hustle more effectively and take advantage of opportunities more frequently. Break the shackles and get yourself a Ghettro!

Dropbox , Never Lose a Document Again

If you use a computer you will get into a situation that you will need Dropbox. There is nothing more stressful than having a presentation that you worked on all night, to wake up and your computer wont boot up!  Or what about the scenario when the print out of your term paper has gotten damaged by rain, and you are miles away from where your files are on your computer?  The less effective way had been to email things to yourself, which would make that document available for you anywhere.  The more clean and effective way to get this done is to use Dropbox.

Dropbox has gotten me out of way too many sticky situations for me to list.  The way that it works is it creates a folder on your computer that is synced with your Dropbox Internet account.  What ever you place in the folder is then accessible not only on your Internet Dropbox web account, but on any computer that you are using the Dropbox folder in.  To make this clearer:  Say you have a term paper that you save on your computer as termpaper.doc in your Dropbox folder on your computer.  That same document will be saved on your dropbox.com web site and on your second computer that also has the Dropbox program on it.  Also any changes made to the termpaper.doc will reflect on the web and the other computer instantly.

This is one of those must have apps for any busy person!

Resources:

Dropbox Website   
Dropbox Android App 

Evernote, Not Just for Recipes

I think if you have any experience with the Internet at all, then you have some familiarity with Evernote.  Evernote is the do it all program that is available for any platform you can think of Web, Android, iOS, Honey Comb, etc. The great thing about Evernote is that there is a lot for the busy man or woman in you.

Some of the uses are :

For students:

• If you are a student on campus use the HP View tablet has a pen enabled Evernote that will allow you to take a digital note writing on the tablet like a notepad.
• If you are an online student, use Evernote to start your discussion topics. 

For Business Owners 

• Use your mobile Evernote program to take pictures of business cards , which are then searchable in Evernote.
• Keep notes of things done for a client , this is a great way to keep time stamped notes for future reference. 

For the Home Administrative Engineer (House Wife/Husband)

• Using the mobile app , scan receipts to keep up with expenses and stay organized.
• Create a recipe book with pics and organize them with tasks for easy the reference. 

This is truly just a few things that can be done with Evernote, spend some time playing with it on all your devices so you have access to your notes everywhere.  

Resources:

Evernote Website

Evernote Android App