Mindware Forum

PlanPlus in New Version 7 Offers a Robust Planning System That Plays Well as Software Plug Enhance Your Current Use of Microsoft Outook

Full Version Download - PlanPlus V.7

Upgrade Version Download - PlanPlus V.7

Full Version Box - PlanPlus V.7

If you use Microsoft Outlook to do most of your planning and scheduling, then you need FranklinCovey PlanPlus for Outlook.

Outlook by itself does not offer enough features by itself for many of our most important needs. However adding another software program for planning, scheduling, project management, task-prioritization, delegation and long term goal setting often makes life more complicated rather than simpler. 

PlanPlus does not replace Outlook, but rather allows you to seamlessly integrate FranklinCovey planning methods directly into Outlook. And in the its new Version 7, PlanPlus is more robust than ever.

Longtime readers of this blog know the story of how I started using personal information managers with the very first version of the program that has morphed into PlanPlus.

I found the first version  -- a program called Ascend -- while attending the huge Comdex  convention way back in 1993. Ascend was one of the first planning programs and ran in Windows 3.1.

I got into the habit of using Ascend regularly and eventually featured the software in the Mindware Catalog, a personal development catalog which I published at that time.

Jump 16 years into the present day and you find that the seventh generation of PlanPlus is lightyears ahead of its venerable ancestor. Here are some of the new features of this highly worthy upgrade to PlanPlus:

• Expanded Home Page Customization - customize your Home View to fit your personal planning style
• Franklin-Covey Planning Themes - add color and style to your planning screen
• Task Productivity Report - stay on track with a report showing progress on specific tasks
• Handheld Updates - new apps for BlackBerry phones

Here is a screenshot of the advanced Task Management Features in PlanPlus Version 7

For complete information about PlanPlus, please visit FranklinCovey here.

ClearContext Professional Now in Its New Version 5 Windows Software for Getting Things Done! FREE 15 Day Full-Featured Trial -- YouTube Video

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ClearContext Professional Windows Software -- Download a FREE Trial!

Find out More About ClearContext Professional

Before I begin this review, here is a video about ClearContext Professional on YouTube

Like many of you who use your computer for a living, I have a few favorite software tools that I use regularly.  For each of us, the list is different although I imagine that our lists would have some overlap and perhaps a few program would be on nearly everyone's list -- Microsoft Outlook for example.

Update: The following review is about Version 4.0 of ClearContext Professional. The company has just released an upgrade, Version 5 which adds additional functionality to the software.

Review Begins: I have a few regulars that work along with Outlook to keep me on top of the daily torrent of email, tasks and appointment. Some of those like Nelson's Email Organizer and Cloudmark Desktop I've written about previously.

I've just added a new program to my list of regulars. The program is ClearContext Professional. When you try this  tool that works along with Outlook, it may end up on your software short list too!

I'm a big fan of David Allen's Getting Things Done.

For a great introduction to this system, check out this Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity audio.

The diagram to the left is from D*I*Y Planner Hipster PDA Edition. Click on the picture to blow it up to its full size for better viewing.

I also am a fan of the Jason Clarke who writes on the blog, Download Squad and discovered ClearContext when reading an article Getting Things Done Software Systems.

Here is an excerpt from the Download Squad comparative review:

While it holds the status of most-used email and productivity application on the Windows platform, it's arguable whether this is because users love using it, or that they're simply required to use it by their company. In fact, there are probably thousands of users in both camps. Either way, if you're an Outlook user, it's worth learning Outlook's quirks and capabilities as completely as possible to put yourself in a position to get as much as you can from the application.

[an] Outlook add-in option, and the one that I'm  currently using, is called the ClearContext Information Management System. ClearContext's latest version . . .  contains similar GTD functionality to the official [GTD] add-in, however this functionality only scratches the surface in terms of the power that ClearContext wields. Although it's outside the scope of this article, let me say that if you ever struggle with keeping up with your email and you are an Outlook user, it is definitely worth your while to investigate ClearContext further. The prioritize engine and inbox views are pure gold.

Back to the Getting Things Done functionality, you'll note that ClearContext uses slightly different terminology, calling projects "topics", but the end effect of this is that it makes determining the project that a given email belongs to exceedingly simple.

Like the official add-in, ClearContext adds toolbars to both the main Outlook window and message windows to make it easier and more intuitive to act upon your messages. Functions like turning an email into a task are the bread and butter of ClearContext's GTD functionality, but it shines in that it can accurately track all emails that relate to a specific task, and present them to you in a list at any time. Even better, this even works with emails that have not yet or never will be assigned to a task

My Experience and Conclusions

I downloaded a 15 day free evaluation copy of ClearContext Professional which becomes ClearContext Personal at the end of the trial and began using it. I did not spend a lot  of time watching the abundant video tutorials but just started working with it in Outlook.

There are a lot of times that the program prompts you for actions and you have to wing it. I started understanding what was happening when I assigned topics. I found out where the emails went when I deferred them.

After awhile, the program had customized itself to my work situation and I was learning to use the program effectively without having to read the manual.

As the days went along, I realized that this program is a keeper. I purchased and I continue to use the Pro version. The folks at ClearContext just released Version 4.5 and provided it to me and other registered users at no cost..

The best way to find out if its right for you is to  download a trail and start working with it.

New 3.2 Version of Nelson Email Organizer Released

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Update: Nelson Email Organizer Version 3.2 Released Visit the Neo Website Here

For a special deal on upgrading from Neo 3.1 Free or any previous version of Nelson Email Organizer  to Neo 3.2 Pro use this coupon code; 3048V

Download Neo 3.1 Free from Mind Media's Server by Clicking Here (when download starts on XP SP2, you need to authorize  the download and either save it or let it install)

Cloudmark Desktop Spamfighter -- try it FREE for 15 Days.

Those of you who read Mindware Forum regularly know that I personally use Nelson Email Organizer. I try a lot of programs and a few of them stick with me. Neo is one of those that I use every day along with Microsoft Outlook, the mail program that Neo works so well in combo with.

Introducing TasksPlus for Outlook New from Franklin-Covey -- Updated

Link for this Post TasksPlus for Outlook Software from Franklin-Covey .

Franklin-Covey's PlanPlus v6 has been one the most popular planning software program of any I have reviewed on the Mindware Forum and use the PlanPlus solution personally.

In this review, we will be looking at TaskPlus, a new Windows software offering from FranklinCovey.

Many people not involved in complete business processes have told me that they through that the rich feature set of PlanPlus is more than they need but they sure could use some of the features to manage tasks.

The ability to create a non-scheduled Master Task list and another scheduled daily task list was the most sought after feature.

The folks at Franklin-Covey have answered this request and by creating two new products TasksPlus and ProjectsPlus, both for outlook and both offering a subset of the features of PlanPlus.

In this post, I'm looking at TasksPlus and I will post soon about ProjectsPlus. Below is a screenshot of the new TasksPlus software, task priority screen.

TasksPlus for Microsoft Outlook is new Windows software from Fraknlin-Covey designed for people who want an easier, more effective way to organize and manage their tasks. FranklinCovey's proven method of prioritizing and ranking tasks by ABC-123 helps users stay focused and accomplish crucial tasks. With its easy drag-and-drop functionality, TasksPlus for Microsoft Outlook allows users to organize Outlook tasks daily by priority and rank, creating a list of things they must accomplish each day.

In just 10-15 minutes with TasksPlus for Microsoft Outlook at the beginning of each day, users can prioritize tasks into groups that are vital and important. The intuitive interface makes it incredibly fast and easy to prioritize tasks once and spend less time during the day deciding what to do next. The pricinces of the program are based on Stephen Coveys' 7 Habits of Highly Effecive People.

Here are some of the best features of TasksPlus

• You can organize  your tasks by day so you are focused on what you will complete today—not on an overwhelming  list of tasks
• You can also  rank your your tasks with an additional level of prioritization using FranklinCovey's time-tested ABC-123 system for focusing on the most important tasks
• You get Franklin-Covey's Quick Prioritize, a daily task-management tool that helps you choose how to spend your time each day in 10 minutes or less, increasing your productivity
• Use the Convenient Home View lets you see both your calendar and tasks on the same page so you can use the drag-and-drop interface to quickly create appointments
• Master Task List helps you track long-term tasks and unscheduled projects.
• Task delegation features allow you to assign tasks to team members that appear on their task list and then view their progress toward completion (Microsoft Exchange Server required)
• Task lists can be printed in sizes that fit Franklin-Covey binders so you can take your task list with you
• Task list Gadget for for Vista desktop lets you quickly check off tasks without opening Outlook

The Vista Gadget is not so important for me (I'm one of those Windows XP holdouts) but the other features are are extremely useful  tools for any planning system.

By considering many Master Tasks as "projects", you eliminate the need for the projects category and can still use the system under either the Franklin-Covey or David Allen Getting Things Done system. Many people that do not to manage projects involved other people or who do not have a huge amount of products would benefit by the simplicity of this system.

Franklin-Covey allows you to add ProjectsPlus at reduced cost later or upgrade to the PlanPlus for Outlook v5.1 also at lowered cost so there is no risk trying this one out first..