How to Build Decent Productivity Software

If you actually are interested in building productivity software maybe you'd be interested in this user's anecdote.

I use a wiki to stay organized at work. Basically I use Textile as a substitute for neato Ajax todo lists:

h4. Stuff I gotta do today

# Item 1 # Item 2 ...

I don't think productivity software is for people who can't stay organized. A wiki or some other simple, flexible tool like that (Backpack from 37Signals seems good) has a lot of advantages over typing in Notepad: accessibility from mobile devices, version control, and all the goodness that comes with a simple data-driven web application.

I don't need the software trying to be a clever bugger telling me what to do and when, that's for me to decide. It's mainly just I don't forget little things and always have an extremely clear picture of what I've done and what I'll be doing in the near future for my boss and for myself. (Yes, my boss, I realize that's a quaint notion on this site.) Sticky notes, I've found, just don't scale.

I think simple wiki-like apps like Backpack are good enough that it would be hard to displace them as the best general solution for most people.

I think the idea about the assistant telling you what you should be doing if you're not currently working on the top priority item is a great idea. We're going to add that to StreamFocus.com :)

[shrug] I keep a list of things to do in version control. I think the real attraction of "productivity software" is that it's easy to make with a potentially large user base.