The bookkeeper at my company used to (she is now retired) have this routine — it was something like this:
– Sit down at her desk with coffee in hand.
– Grab a stack of recycled paper bits that are about 2/3 the size of a full page of paper — all unlined — held together with a binder clip.
– With her half-chewed Bic in hand she would then proceed to write down her todos for the day.
As the day progressed, anything that came up would be added below a horizontal line she would draw at the bottom of the page. As the week progressed she would repeat this routine every morning and would trash the list from yesterday.
As a devoted and devout OmniFocus user this has always amused and baffled me.
The thing is, my *new* bookkeeper does this too. In fact, most people in my office do something very similar to this. My wife uses the Apple ruled Notes app for crying out loud.
***
So when Kyle Rosenbluth contacted me a few short months ago to see if I wanted to help him out with a new app he was making — he got my attention.
Kyle’s idea was a todo list app that we would soon come to know as Begin.
Begin is made with everyone else in my office in mind.
*(Disclaimer: I consulted with Kyle on the app — that’s a fancy way of saying I helped where and when I could, but don’t have ownership in the app. Yes to compensation though.)*
Through the entire process of making Begin, I have been trying to guide an app that my wife and coworkers would love to use, and that I would be proud to encourage them to use (but that I wouldn’t have to teach them how to actually use).
Something simple. Something with almost zero learning curve. Something that worked the way their brains work.
And then, perhaps because I needed to constantly test the app, something else happened: I started using the app regularly.
That’s not to say I am done with OmniFocus, but I fell in love with Begin. (I am too biased so I will stop here…)
[Begin is $0.99 and iOS 7 only][1]. You don’t have to take my word for it, here is some of the press:
– [Christine Chan at AppAdvice][2].
– [Sid O’Neill at Crate of Penguins][3].
– [A Very Nice Looking John Moltz][4].
– [Patrick “Minimal Mac” Rhone][5].
If you do nothing else, do me a favor and [check out the site for Begin][6] before you move on to the millions of other new apps launched today.
[1]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/begin-your-daily-todo-list/id687455038?ls=1&mt=8
[2]: http://appadvice.com/review/quickadvice-begin
[3]: http://crateofpenguins.com/blog/2013-9-begin
[4]: http://verynicewebsite.net/2013/09/begin/
[5]: http://minimalmac.com/post/61636304916/begin-app
[6]: http://beginapp.co
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