I’ve been forced to work with the new Microsoft Outlook 365 web app for the past few weeks. Why “forced” you say? I’ll get to that in just a minute…But as an avid user of PlanPlus Online, I think I have been spoiled. I have gotten used to certain things. Managing my work and my life is just better with PlanPlusOnline.com.
Here’s why:
- Who doesn’t need a Master Task List? If you are like me, you have plenty of things that you want to capture on your task list but you may not be ready to do them today. That is exactly what the Master Task List is for: to-do’s that you move into your Daily Task List as you plan your week but stay out of the way when you don’t need to focus on them. Oh Outlook Master Task List, where art thou?
- Creating a Prioritized List. Not all tasks are created equal. I like to quickly enter tasks to keep track of everything that I need to do. Once I capture them, I like to sort them by priority: A1, A2, A3, B1, etc. When I start working on my day I want to be able to easily focus on the most important task.
- Switching between Calendar & Task list is a pain. I find that what I have to do (my “tasks”) is all too often connected to when I am available (my “calendar”). In Microsoft Outlook 365, this is just harder to do than it is in PlanPlus Online.
- Editing task details is too many clicks. The user interface for tasks has a “show more details/show fewer details” button but results in too many clicks to drill down to what you need to see.
What PlanPlusOnline does that you just can’t do in Microsoft Outlook 365
- Drag Task List Items to Your Calendar. As I review my prioritized task list, I can block out time for getting things done.
- Drag Task List items to a Different day. Similarly, if I see that a task is not a priority today, I can drag-and-drop it to a day I know I’ll get to it and forget about it until then.
- View Tasks Due by Date. I really only care to look at tasks due on a certain day–it is usually the current day. If I have tasks due on a different day, then I want to move them to that day and get them out of the way.
- Goal Planning Wizard. I really like being able to see my goals listed with my goal steps. There is something empowering and motivating to be able to see my goals listed next to my calendar. it makes me feel like my time is a blank slate and it is up to me to fill it with stuff that matters.
- Personal Mission Statement Builder. Our customers really tell us that this is a benefit they can’t find in any other planning software: Guided steps that help you define who you are and what you value. If you plan your day by what you value in life, you’ll achieve more. And this is available right in PlanPlus Online.
There’s a whole lot more functionality within PlanPlus Online. If you upgrade from the Planner edition to the Professional or Business editions, you get deep contacts integration. (I’m not talking about simple contacts lists; this is real CRM-grade functionality here. Remember Microsoft’s Business Contact Manager for Outlook add-in, anyone? This is the whole next level from that.)
If you want the best of both worlds, however, you can sync Outlook with PlanPlus Online. If you’re not already on PlanPlus Online, sign up for a free, 7-day trial today and let us know what you think.
