June 25, 2008

Keeping track of tasks and projects has been my bane for many years. The first system I purchased used 3" x 3" cards, stored in individual pockets, with notes written on the cards. From there I moved to hardcopy planners to software planners and back and forth as new versions became available. The problem with each was the effort required to move items forward when they were undone or partially completed. Also, there was the challenge of balancing large projects as well as daily workload and priorities.

Last year I found a new software product that is capable of handling unfinished tasks, tracking time spent on projects, balancing workloads, scheduling meetings and handling interruptions. At the end of the day if something isn't finished it will be carried forward or you can drag it to another day. Have an item that you want do get done in the near future but not necessarily today? Make it a 'Floating' item; assign a priority and select a not-later-than-date to be completed. The software will put it in your daily schedule as work load allows. Do you have a large project that covers many hours or days? Select the 'Split' feature; the software will then schedule blocks of time as they become available. Have a phone call or other interruption? You can 'Pause' the current task or put an item from your 'Surprise' list into your calendar to track the time spent.

The key to the usefulness of the software lies in its ability to use internal algorithms to balance and manage your schedule -- the software is not perfect but it has worked well for me. In addition, you can take your schedule with you and load it on a handheld device or your computer at home. The software can also be used on a LAN with multiple other users, although I have not used this feature.

The software package is called Above & Beyond and is produced by 1Soft Corporation. There are two versions the Lite and the Pro. You need the Pro version to take advantage of the Dynamic Scheduling feature. You can download the Pro version software here:

You can use it free for thirty days then you decide if you want to purchase the Lite version or the Pro version.