Web 2.0 Changes My Life

For 10 years I've organized my life using Microsoft Outlook. I remember those first few fateful days when I summoned the courage to abandon my tried-and-proven DayRunner paper-based planner for the speed and convenience of PC-based personal information management. Surrendering use of that portable black notebook, which proved critical in maintaining my schedule, contacts, appointments and important tasks, required great faith.

The decision proved fruitful. Soon I added a Philips Nino to the mix. The little handheld computer synched with my desktop PC and enabled me to not only take, but adjust, my schedule on the go. Could organization get any better, I wondered?

Soon Microsoft introduced new features, functionality and performance to its flagship PIM product. Quickly I became dependent upon Outlook. In concert, the Nino was soon eclipsed and replaced by faster models boasting better resolution, color screens and, ultimately, cell phone-based PDAs.

Then I began using multiple PCs on a daily basis. I have a Windows Vista system in my office, but I carry a Macintosh PowerBook in the field. Occasionally I'd find myself in a client's office needing to update an account's electronic records or add a new appointment to my calendar. But my Treo PDA's telephone quality was poor and, worse, actually dialing numbers on a teeny-tiny dial pad was next to impossible on the go.

What do to? I'd already chosen to purchase mobile broadband service. But how could I keep my schedule current but available to multiple systems simultaneously without the expense of a 24x7x365 Windows Small Business Server and SSL Web certificate to boot?

Dedicated and determined, I found the solution.

First I purchased AT&T's Laptop Connect service. The mobile broadband subscription enables my Macintosh to reach the Web independently of WiFi networks whether I'm sitting in a client's office or parking lot, re-energizing at a local coffee shop or catching up at a road side rest area.

Second, I abandoned Microsoft Outlook. I'm no longer bound and tied by the constraints of PST files and archive responsibilities. The feeling is liberating. I'm free. Instead of expensive licenses, software bloat and synchronization issues galore, I simply created a few Web 2.0 accounts.

That's step three. Todoist is charged with the responsibility of managing my extensive To Do (or Tasks) list. The free Web 2.0 site provides an outstanding interface for quickly and easily maintaining project lists complete with deadlines and multiple sort features. Plus, synchronization is a dream; that's the strength of Web 2.0. It doesn't matter whether I arrive using Safari on my Mac or Internet Explorer on an XP or Vista system; it just works.

Next, I migrated my schedule from Outlook to Google Calendar. Exporting my existing Outlook calendar to Google's free online tool was simple and required but a few clicks. Boasting reminders, multiple views and multiplatform and multiple browser compatibility, the Google Calendar enables me to maintain my schedule and track appointments whether I'm on the road, sitting in my office or completing tasks in the field.

For email I still use Outlook on Windows clients, but I've found Mac Mail much simpler (and it requires vastly fewer resources to run). I was never much of a Notes user, but the Mac's Stickies feature all but eliminates the need to navigate multiple menus within Outlook to jot down telephone numbers or create a quick note. With Stickies (or the Post-It Note feature in Vista's new Sidebar), Outlook's Notes feature is no longer needed.

Last, Google Documents enables me to keep client notes secure on the Web. Instead of having to re-enter paper-based notes from a legal pad into Word docs at day's end, I simply create a new documentt within Google Documents, record my notes there instead of writing them on a legal pad, and I'm done.

The result? I'm saving an hour-and-a-half to two hours a day. A day. That's a lot. When the old work day completed, my notes still required entry. I usually recorded notes and tasks and updated my schedule every evening, thereby consuming precious quality time. But now I need not review a long list of paper-based notes and re-enter them into a desktop system. Instead, everything's already updated and complete on the Web.

I feel like shouting my joy from rooftops. I want everyone to know and experience this freedom and efficiency.

The improvement is amazing. While it took faith to abandon Outlook after 10 years, I'm glad I found the courage to do so. I'm more organized. Clients say I'm more responsive. I feel less stressed.

Despite having only been using the new method for two weeks, I already find myself wondering how I ever kept up before.