a million monkeys typing

The Road to DIY Planner 2.0

Posted March 20th, 2005 at 09:26am

Sorry for the dearth of postings here recently, but any free time I have (and there isn’t much of it) is being devoted to pushing the new version of the DIY Planner out through the door. I’m aiming at releasing 2.0 within the next two weeks, and while most of it is complete, I still have a few forms to do, some touch-ups and inconsistencies to take care of, and some documentation to write.

Herewith, some random notes about where I am and where I’m heading on this project. Forgive me if they’re a bit disjointed: they were written piece-meal over a week.

So what’s new? Well, here are a few highlights:

• Plenty of new forms. I haven’t done an exact count yet (there are a few left to go), but I’d estimate that there are about three times as many templates in this package. Some are requests, some are new takes on old ones, and some are forms for which I had a use.
• Every existing form has had some type of make-over. I’ve kept the same basic (i.e., “non-offensive”) style for all templates, but added a few subtle look-and-feel elements to tighten up the design and help with the consistency. Speaking of consistency, there is now far more of it: I deviate only occasionally where I think it would allow for more efficiency or legibility.
• There are some “alternatives” for V1 forms. For example, some people have no use for two full lines for items like Next Actions, and so I’ve made slimmer versions which only have one line per item. The V1 templates are also included, so you can choose whichever one best suits your style and methods. (Myself, I generally use two lines.)
• Per request, I’ve toned down the use of grey in certain forms. Some pages, like the Notes templates, have both light and dark versions.
• Some previous forms have been broken apart into different ones, where it made sense. For example, the former Project Outline is now the revised Project Outline (with step-by-step planning) and Project Details (for listing objectives, resources, personnel, budget, etc.).
• There are a few flexible generic templates, like Checklist and Shopping, that can be used for different purposes.
• There are a few very specific templates, like Web Design I and Web Design II, which can help those working in certain industries. (Many more are planned for the future.) Obviously, you don’t have to print them if you don’t use them.
• The PDF file is no longer 8.5″x11″ with the need to print two per page, then cut. As stated in an earlier entry, I’ve switched the PDF to 5.5×8.5. This way, you can use pre-cut paper if you have it, or just guillotine letter-size paper before printing. It also has the added benefit of making it very easy to produce an A5 version (which I’ll be working on just as soon as the North American version is out through the door).
• Starting with V2, the files will be split into different “packs,” either for topic-related, formatting or logistical issues. For example, the Receipts template is in a file by itself, since it’s a cut-out form based on larger paper, and the GTD diagrams are also in a separate file, since they weren’t created by me (only resized to fit the planner).
• Yes, I’ve succumbed to your requests: there are undated daily and weekly planning pages. Don’t ever say I don’t care about you folks.
• More testing for the differences between laser printers and inkjet printers; there will still be many variations in tonal qualities, but all text and backgrounds should allow enough contrast for legibility. However, I use an inkjet most of the time, and thus the forms probably look slightly better on that style of printer.
• Since my philosophy is to provide templates that cater to a highly-configurable (i.e., “tweakable”) planning system, malleable to the different needs and situations of many types of users, I’ve adopted two important goals when producing V2:
  • Make allowances for alternative planning systems: besides GTD (which is still a primary design objective, since I use it daily), I’ve also provided many generic forms and a few Covey-inspired templates ;
  • Mix and match: I’ve attempted to ensure that many forms can be printed on two sides of the paper, which means –for example– you can face a Weekly Planning page with a Covey-esque Weekly Goals (sharpen your saw!), another Weekly Planning page (for a two-week spread), a Next Actions page, or a To Do list.

I had been planning on including a few generic OpenOffice.org Draw templates with this release so you can produce your own. However, I’m going to await the release of OOo 2.0 (within the month?), because it’s supposed to have many improvements in its drawing application. Once I get up to speed with it and manage to produce something I’m happy with, I’ll release these templates in another package, along with fonts, logos and other design material. These will also be produced under a Creative Commons license. In case you’re wondering, I’m choosing OpenOffice.org because:

1. It’s cross-platform, for Windows, Mac and Linux;
2. It’s free and Open Source, so anybody can download it and use the templates without worrying about their budget;
3. It contains a decent vector-based drawing application (I’ve used it many times in the past for posters, etc.);
4. It produces excellent PDF files, natively and free of charge; and
5. The format is open, not restricted in any way: this means that you aren’t “locked in” to a proprietary format in the future (thus needing to keep buying a certain type of commercial application).

I’m thinking about creating a wiki for users of this planner, so that people can contribute advice, new templates, their “configurations”, how they use it in conjunction with PDAs or other organisational tools, etc.. Anyone interested?

That’s it for now. Back to work I go.