PlanMyDay

Get your things done - today!


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Step 1: Starting the application

PlanMyDay in the Launcher
PlanMyDay - In the launcher

After the application was started by the launcher it first syncs its own database with the todo database and the calendar database. This means, that all records, that are marked as done in the calendar or todo application are purged away. The records, that are already changed by PlanMyDay (i.E. the description, the progress and the duration) which are still undone are loaded and the new records from Todo and Datebk are added.

When this is done, you will see the Main screen.

Main-screen
PlanMyDay - Main-screen

On the top right is a date selector, which allows, to plan the next seven days.

On the left, a progress bar appears, which shows how many percent of an entry are done. The next column shows the calculated start time for each entry. Then comes the duration, which is your estimation, how much time this action will take. The third column shows the description (imported from the applications), that may be edited by the user.

On the bottom of the form is a main progress bar, which shows, how many percent of all the time, the different actions take, is done. The next field shows the remaining time, until all tasks are finished.
The following buttons:

Up-arrow
Moves the current record up one line and recalculates the table
Down-arrow
Moves the current record down one line and recalculates the table

Also some keys are defined, to do some actions faster:

Space
Increase progress by 10%
Backspace
Decrease progress by 10%
d
Mark entry as done
u
Mark entry as undone
Enter
Edit details for entries
a
Move current entry up
v
Move current entry down

When an entry is tapped twice, the entry menu pops up. It allows you direct access to the functions that can be applied to the current record.

Main-screen: Entry menu
PlanMyDay - Main-screen: Entry menu

On the bottom of the page there is a push button, which shows some summary statistics.

Main-screen: Summary information
PlanMyDay - Main-screen: Summary information
This information helps you to stay always informed about one of the following things: The summary information and the time calculations for every single event are recalculated periodically every minute.

Step 2: Estimating the duration time, and reorder events

The next thing, you have to do is, to estimate how long every action lasts. You can store your estimation by tapping on the estimation column in the desired line. A list pops up, which shows you different lengths from 0 hours 0 minutes (00:00) to sixteen hours (16:00). Together with every setting, the sum-field on the bottom of the form gets recalculated.

Main-screen (Setting the duration)
PlanMyDay - Setting the duration

Then you have to decide, which action has to be done first, second, .... and so on. You can do this by selecting a line and pressing the Up and Down triangles, or entering 'a' or 'v' which move the entries around. There is also another way for long distance moves. Simply select the entry menu for the entry you want to move. Select the "Move" menu entry. The selected line is now bordered with two gray lines. Select the entry, where you want get the moving entry inserted before. Tap it, and the entry is moved. (Because insertion is before another record, you can't move to the very last entry. Yes, it's not a bug, it's a feature.)

Main-screen (Moving a record)
PlanMyDay - Move: The selected record ... PlanMyDay - Move: ... is moved

Step 3: Add, change or delete additional tasks

When you want to change your tasks, the Edit menu gives you the following possibilities:
New ...
Adds a new record of type User before the current line.
Details ...
Allows the user, to change a existing record (See below)
Delete
Like the name says, removes the currently selected record

Main-screen (Record-menu)
PlanMyDay - The menu

Step 4: Get your work done

After or during the completion of your work you can select the progress of your activity. When you tap the progress bar of a entry a list with different percentages pops up, allowing you to select a value between 0% (nothing happened) and 100% (task finished). Doing so will also recalculate your complete time plan. You can also change the Progress by entering a Space or a Backspace, which increases / decreases the progress by 10%.

In the progress pop-up, directly after the 100% line is an entry called "Done". It marks the entry as done in the datebook or todo list. When an entry is marked as done in one oft that applications, marking it to less than 100% make it appear again as undone.

Main-screen (Setting the progress)
PlanMyDay - Setting the progress

When you want to change the details of one of the tasks, you can get opened a details form. This is done by selecting the Details ... menu entry in the record or entry menu.

Then a form pops up, which enables you to enter the description and / or the progress and the duration. It also allows you to delete the selected entry too. This screen looks like the following screen-shot:

Details-screen
PlanMyDay - Details

Another step: Set some preferences

First, have a look at the Preferences menu:

Main-screen (Options-menu)
PlanMyDay - Options-menu

The first menu entry, you will see allows you, to set the start time for todays calculation (When the user taps on the start field on the first record in the table [Yes I mean the first record in the data set, maybe you have to scroll up] you will get the same dialog). You see this in the following screen-shot. This is the time, for which the calculations for today will start from now on. By default, the actual time is taken, so that you can plan your day dynamically.

Main-screen (Setting the start-time)
PlanMyDay - Setting the Starttime

This start time is taken the whole day along, or until you call the menu entry:
Unset Start time
This makes your planning for today again dynamically.

Another thing, you may want to do, is setting some preferences. The preferences screen consists of two parts

  1. View
  2. Calculate

View

Here you can select which records should be imported from the datebook and todo application. Please not that, when you unselect one type, restart PlanMyDay and reselect this type, all your settings for this entries are lost. You will have to set them again.

View-preferences
PlanMyDay - Viewing preferences

Planning

When you have some more things do do on a day, you normally can't finish one thing, and continue the next thing in the very next second. You may want to clean up your desk, take a coffee or whatever you want during two events.

This is handled by buffer times in PlanMyDay. You can set relative buffers, which take 0 to hundred percent of the time, the last action took. The other way is, to set a fix amount between 0 and fifteen minutes as a fixed Buffer. These buffers will get automatically included in the recalculation from now on.

Move done to end: helps you, keeping the overview. When activated, all completed entries are moved to the end automatically, when they are marked as done.

Planning preferences
PlanMyDay - Planning preferences

Planning other days

Some people like to plan the next days before they arise. PlanMyDay allows to do this in a easy way. Simply press the date selector on the upper right corner. Then you can select the date, you want to plan.

The date selector shows you if you are in planning range:
< DATE  
This date could not be planned, because it is in the past
  DATE  
Today
[ DATE ]
This day is one of the next planable days
  DATE >
This date could not be planned, because it is too far in the future

Please note the following restrictions: Planning is currently limited to the next seven days. Although it is possible to arrange the different entries, most times it does not make much sense, because, when the new day appears, the entries get merged with that from the last day, and it is impossible for PlanMyDay to detect, which merge-sort-order is wished. Entries can not marked as done, because this would lead to problems with the built-in calendar and todo application.

Of course, the duration can be set for the entries.

... and the rest

Purging PlanMyDay data

Sometimes (for example when problems appear, or a new version with an incompatible data structure appears) it is useful to clean up PlanMyDay's internal Data. Note, that all your planning data gets lost, when you start this action!

Reset planning data
PlanMyDay - Reset planning

OK, that was it. It's all you should need to play your day successfully! Enjoy it!


Last change: $Date: 2003/12/17 20:23:06 $