Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Advance notice of upcoming tasks with Smart Lists and tagging
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 by Emily Boyd
With the power of Smart Lists and tagging combined, there's pretty much an infinite number of ways to view your tasks (okay, I haven't personally counted, but I have it on good authority from Bob T. Monkey that it's limitless). This week's handy tip, shared by dumas, uses this magic combination to see particular tasks in advance:
I like to see what's coming up – some tasks with more notice than others. So I give them tags, like "oneweeknotice" and "twoweeksnotice", then use a Smart List:
(tag:oneweeknotice AND dueBefore:"1 week of today") OR (tag:twoweeksnotice AND dueBefore:"2 weeks of today")
Thanks for sharing this tip, dumas! You're our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week.
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum, add a new topic, and let us know how you use Remember The Milk. Each week we'll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Posted in: Tips & Tricks
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Wall of widgets
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by Andrew Conkling
Remember The Milk for Android features home screen widgets for you to see what's going on at a glance. This week's tip, shared by joooc, shows how to see what's going on at a glance… four ways over.
I use RTM widgets on my Android phone to split the wall to four different areas:
top-left: Today Smart List
top-right: "To-Do" – my primary tasks list
bottom-right: Inbox
bottom-left: "Buy" list for items like hangers, toothpaste, present for someone … and milk of course ;-)Together, they occupy exactly one of 7 walls available, creating an RTM wall with all the info and controls I need. It's the first wall on the left so basically once I unlock my phone on the go, I only need to swipe once and voila – all the tasks are instantly visible to me at one glance.
It's very practical and fast to see what's there for the day while still having access to all task just a tap away. The "Buy" list is great for checking what I need to buy on my way home or actually when I'm shopping, not to forget anything. Even more, Inbox serves as a perfect Notepad tool for ideas and tasks gathering that I can't process right now but neither I want them to fly away.
Thanks for sharing this tip, joooc! You're our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week.
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum, add a new topic, and let us know how you use Remember The Milk. Each week we'll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Posted in: Tips & Tricks
Squishing bugs in MilkSync for Microsoft Outlook
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Emily Boyd
If there's one thing that Bob T. Monkey hates, it's bugs (all bugs, but particularly the software kind). That's why he's excited that the latest update to MilkSync for Microsoft Outlook, version 1.0.22, squishes even more of the tricky creatures.
We don't usually post about small updates to MilkSync, but Bob wanted us to remind everyone to make sure their MilkSync is up-to-date (many bugs have been squished in the twelve releases since launch). Also, if you tried MilkSync early on, you're more than welcome to give the app another try.
How do I get this update?
MilkSync will automatically check for and install this update. If you'd like to manually check for this update, just:
- Right-click the Remember The Milk icon in your Windows System Tray.
- Select About and check the status at the bottom of the dialog.
I'm new to MilkSync, and I want some syncing goodness!
Head on over to the MilkSync for Microsoft Outlook page, where you'll find more info about the app as well as the all-important download link. If you don't have a Pro account yet, you'll be able to try the app free for 15 days (just download it and start syncing to begin your trial).
I've tried MilkSync before, can I try it again?
Yes! With this update, we've reset everyone's trials in our system… so everyone who's tried the app previously can now start a new 15 day trial. Why not give it another go today? :)
If you have any questions or problems with the app, Bob would be more than happy to help. Happy syncing!
Posted in: New Features & Updates
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Breaking down tasks in your job search
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Andrew Conkling
Unemployment can be overwhelming, but this week's tip, shared by skylar.curtis, discusses a way to help break down things that you can do to help find a job.
I graduated law school and took the bar exams about a month ago. This means that I've been unemployed for about 4 months, and I've never been unemployed before. It can be very difficult, stressful, and depressing.
So I turned to RTM. I have a lot of free time, so why not use it to finally implement GTD properly instead of the halfway approach I've used for years?
I'm discovering that RTM helps me structure my job search into small, meaningful, and DO-ABLE steps. It helps break down that overwhelming feeling in the job hunt.
If you aren't sure what kinds of actions you should be scheduling, contact your state employment office, career offices at post-high school education (even if you didn't go there, they might talk to you!), guidance counselors at your high school, or even the internet! There are virtually limitless ways to enhance your job hunt. The trick is mixing the traditional with the bold and not taking on more than you can chew. Make it manageable, measurable, and not time-consuming. By keeping action items short in time (I recommend 20 minutes or less), you can avoid that overwhelmed, I'll-never-get-this-done feeling.
Be sure to read the forum post for a detailed list of examples.
Thanks for sharing this tip, skylar.curtis! You're our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week.
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum, add a new topic, and let us know how you use Remember The Milk. Each week we'll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Posted in: Tips & Tricks
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Dude, where's my car?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 by Andrew Conkling
Frequent travelers among us will surely be familiar with this scenario: you've just returned from a long and/or great trip and are walking out of the airport when you realize you don't quite remember where your car is; you've either misplaced the card or note or you just can't picture it. This week's tip, shared by david.chapman, offers a quick way to remember where your car is.
When traveling, my off site airport parking has numbered spots, and they do provide a card with the number of the parking spot. But after a few days of traveling, that card seems to disappear and it seems I was always guessing at the number.
So I've created a Parking tag, and simply just enter the parking spot number and the due date is the day I'm coming back.
Thanks for sharing this tip, david.chapman! You're our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week.
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum, add a new topic, and let us know how you use Remember The Milk. Each week we'll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Posted in: Tips & Tricks
