The main project that I am working on is the next version of Life Manager Pro. This is a major update. Work is well on its way to make this the best version of Life Manager Pro yet. Previous versions of Life Manager Pro were written using the Filemaker database system. Filemaker is great for a lot of things, but does have its restrictions and limitations. The decision has been taken to abandon Filemaker for the new version. Instead, Life Manager Pro is been completely re-coded using LiveCode, a cross platform development tool. Initially Life Manager Pro will be available for the PC and the Mac with iPad and Android tablet versions released shortly afterwards.

Work is already fairly advanced, so the release date is expected in the first quarter of 2012.  This version of Life Manager Pro is a self development system that does much more than track actions and goals. It enables you to analyse your life, discover areas that are out of balance, then takes you through a process of creating solutions that can bring about massive changes in your life.

The interface has also been overhauled to make Life manager Pro easy and fun to work with. Enhancements in the graphics make it aesthetically appealing.

More news will follow shortly…

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve started my next project. I’m writing a program  that is  focussed on strategies for setting and achieving goals.

It it being written using the LiveCode development system. The advantage of this system is that it can create Windows, Mac and iPad apps. It is a rapid development environment which means that applications are much faster to develop than using  other programming languages such as C or Visual basic. Having said that, no programming project is that quick, so the completion of the project is some way off yet. I’ll also be using LiveCode to create the next version of Life Manager Pro.

The program uses a goal strategy method that utilises four processes:

1. Goals
2. Objectives
3. Strategies
4. Tactics

The book was written in response to requests for an outline of how the Getting Things Done system works. Though I still recommend that you read David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done for the complete picture, my book, at 27 pages long, is easily digested and will get you up and running on implementing a Getting Things Done type of approach top organising your life.

You do not need to have a copy of Life Manager Pro to benefit from reading The Productive Life.

The book, in the downloadable PDF format is only $7. If you have not upgraded your copy of Life Manager Pro to take advantage of all the extra features and sections in the standard version, then you will find a $7 voucher inside the book to use when you do upgrade. This  means that you will get back the money you spent on the book.

Find Out More

In the finance section you add accounts. An account can be your bank account, credit card, savings, PayPal or others. Transactions are then made in these accounts. Transactions can be income or credits or they can be expenses or debits.

The finance section is a good way to track just where your money is going to.

This is the last section currently being developed. Life Manager Pro is now a comprehensive system for managing important aspects of your life – Actions, Goals, Projects, Finance and Resources.

Life Manager Pro Finance Section

The finance section of Life Manager Pro is undergoing final testing and should be released at the end of July.

This section lets you add accounts such as your bank account, Pay Pal and cash in hand. You can then enter details of transactions under various categories. In this section you will be able to see just where your money goes.

The Productive Life Book

I often get asked to explain more about the system of productivity that Life Manager Pro is based on, so I decided to write a short book about it called The Productive Life and subtitled, The Stress Free Way toGet More Things Done in Less Time.

The book is finished and is going through final checks before publishing as an ebook. This will be available to download in a few days time.

Mac Lion

The updated OS X operating system on the Mac, called Lion is released this week. Initial impressions are that Life Manager Pro will run fine on the new operating system. I’ll be doing some final checks over the next few days to make sure that everything works as it should.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I am currently working on the next section of Life Manager Pro – Finance. This module will help see where all your money is going to.

You can set up accounts such as your bank or Pay Pal then enter transactions in these accounts. You will then be able to see where all your money goes.

If you are self employed or work freelance you could also use this module as a simple book keeping system.

The good news is that the finance module will be a free add on for all registered users of Life manager Pro standard.

Image via Wikipedia

Most self development experts I know recommend that you make goals. The peak time for doing this is at the new year.

Research has shown that 40 to 45% of American adult make one or more New Year resolutions each year.

• A week later 75% of the resolutions are maintained.
• Two weeks later 71% are maintained.
• One month later 64% are maintained
• 6 Months later 46% are maintained

How do you make sure that your goals are not amongst the over 50% that will not be achieved?

The reason that many goals fail is that they appear too big, ambitious or long term. For example, you may want to lose weight and decide that you need to lost 14 pounds. In the first week after much effort and will power you find that you have lost 2 pounds. At this point your goal of losing another 12 pounds seems to be a long way off. Faced with the size of the goal, you may feel unmotivated to carry on.

This is where milestones come in. Using milestones is a strategy that breaks down large goals into smaller and more manageable chunks. If your goal is to lose weight then you set milestones at say, every 2 pounds. You then focus more on the milestones rather than the overall goal. Your aim is to lose  an achievable 2 pounds this week. When this is completed, you then move to the next 2 pound milestone. After 7 weeks of this, you will reach your target of 14 pounds.

Most large goals, including those concerned with money, exercise or relationships, can be broken down into milestone chunks. Celebrate each milestone that you pass and you will find that you will continue to be motivated towards achieving  your goals

New to the latest version of Life Manager Pro, is the ability to set milestones. The Goals section of Life Manager Pro is a great way to set then track your goals.

The new interface

Life Manager Pro 5 has now been released. This a major update.

Life Manager Pro has had a loyal following but users have commented that it can seem over complicated with the screen somewhat cluttered.  I have taken note of these comments and the result is the new version that is easier and more intuitive to use.

The other thing that has changed is the pricing structure. Life Manager Pro now comes in two flavours, lite and standard.

The lite version is freeware which means that it is free to download and use for as long as you like. This edition features actions and groups (or projects). It is based on the Getting Things Done method of productivity which allows you to focus on just the actions that you need to deal with at any one time.

The standard edition adds extra features :

• Goals – sett, track and achieve goals.
• Resources – Record all your valuable resources such as passwords, financial info, reference documents, images and equipment.
• iCal – Add actions to iCal for syncing across devices (Mac only)
• Evernote – Create Evernotes with actions ( Mac only)