Notetaking! (Thing #5)

Oh my gosh, is anyone else getting sick of creating new accounts? It would be nice once in a while if you could explore and experiment with apps, see their capabilities, before creating an account.  Having unused accounts "out there" bothers me, so if I decide to delete the apps, I will also delete my accounts.

I love organization.  I am constantly making myself lists, setting reminders in my Outlook calendar, and more. These apps should be so made for me.

Springpad
Some of Springpad's quick-add (or built in suggestions for) notebooks include Books and Movies, of which I already have preferred methods of tracking my to-dos and reviews. Goodreads and IMDB.  If I didn't already use those apps and have a built-in collection, Springpad would be a great place to start, but I do, so...

What I essentially see myself using Springpad as is a Bookmark manager.  Rather than having things I'm interested in bookmarked to a specific device, if I share the content to my Springpad account via the Clipper, I can access the info across any device.  Like Delicious of the old days, except much much better.

Springpad would also be an awesome tool for project management among colleagues, especially those in different locations.  Create a project notebook.  Share it with your collaborators.  Implement checklists, share documents, leave notes, use tags.  I will definitely be suggesting Springpad for future work projects.

Whereas Springpad seemed like a cool app for storing a broader range of information (pics, recordings, URLs, etc), to me, it seemed like maybe it was a bit clunky for a time-management/to-do list tool.  And it was missing some crucial elements, like prioritizing tasks, setting due time instead of just day, etc. So I moved on to...

Remember the Milk
Who doesn't want to try out a cute app with a title (and cow) like that?

Remember the Milk is exactly the opposite of Springboard's clunky.  It is a simple way to organize & prioritize your to-do list and create reminders for yourself via email, text, or web-browser.  As someone who is almost always multi-tasking, both personally and professionally, this is a great way to ensure nothing gets missed!

I was all excited about RTM.  I started loading tasks for both work and home, things I need to do tomorrow and long-range projects.  And then, came the reality check.

To me, the biggest benefit of a service like this is the ability to sync between web and mobile app interfaces. To be able to add info wherever I am.  Most likely adding work tasks on my desktop all day long, and adding personal tasks wherever and whenever on my mobile app.  Well, Remember the Milk only allows one sync/24 hours for the free account.  For $25 dollars a year you can update to a pro account with unlimited syncs.  Not going there.

Ultimately, I'll keep Springpad for bookmarking and project management, and keep searching for a task-management app.