Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit | jirinovotny's comments login

My own method is a bit unusual - it's a hybrid method.

As a Windows user, I use our own software, Swift To-Do List, that we've been developing for over 9 years - http://www.dextronet.com/swift-to-do-list-software

First of all, I use it as a task and notes database, where I store all my tasks and ideas.

Second, every evening, I print a fresh to-do list with tasks for the next day. I just pick the tasks I want to do today, right-click them and print them.

This combination of software and paper gives me the best of the both worlds - the paper on my desk helps me stay focused, and I can scribble on it, etc.

This feels very empowering, because every day, my to-do list is short, up-to-date and I can actually finish it. If you work from your "task database" with all your tasks, it can be a bit depressing to see all the unfinished stuff on a daily basis, and the progress you make doesn't seem that significant.

If you've never tried software as a task database + fresh daily to-do list printed from it, give it a go! It's awesome.


Whoa the price is... interesting, may I ask what has been your experience with pricing over 9 years and how you decided to set it at $45?


You are spot on. If you are well organized, you will have no problem sleeping, because your stuff is in your trusted system/inbox and not your head.

But if you are not well organized, then this 1 simple technique comes in handy.


What you describe is not a to-do list. It's a list of ideas. And if you start putting urgent stuff into your list of ideas, you are in trouble.

Have two lists. It's that simple, really.


If you have two lists, why not three? Maybe you should just have a list of lists.


After trying a lot of approaches, I found that the two lists approach is what works best. One list has the general overview of what I need to do, the second list is what I need to do right now.

List one is edited only when a change in schedule is required, or a new project is added. The second list is edited and revised daily.

More importantly, those two lists are done using pen and paper, which I found to be the best tool for the job.


I actually do maintain a list of lists and find it extremely useful-the software I use is www.checkvist.com , and I use it for short term to-do lists, long term goals, brainstorming, project planning and status updates, notes on books, notes on people, etc.


You just described Trello


Hi Berislav,

This is what I would do -

1. Get your basic needs covered by freelancing, but don't do more than you need.

2. Schedule time for your friends and sons. Think quality, regular time. It's not about quantity.

3. Build your business/project as much as possible in the time left. It should be a lot of time.

The logic is simple - 1 is a must, 2 is something that you really want, and when you do 3, you won't feel guilty, because you know that 1 and 2 is taken care of. This is inspired by "Unschedule".


You are welcome Max! I'm really happy that it has helped you.


Yes, that's a good list as well. I actually went through that whole SO thread and bought many of the books, but the SO thread is just for programmers. This list is for people in software business in general, especially people in small companies.


Thanks Akash. I've added it to the list.


Thanks! I've added it to the list. Looks like a hot candidate for a book that I am going to read next.


Wow, thanks a bunch! We will certainly improve the CSS as you suggested..


Any ideas how to promote .NET WinForms control?

Our Better ListView is designed to replace the inbuilt crappy regular ListView control, and it rocks - we just don't know how to promote it.

Check it out: http://www.componentowl.com


- I would start out grassroots-style. Attend .NET meetups to talk about your work and your project while you network. Offer promotions to these groups if they'll have them.

- Sponsor .NET Hack-a-thons?

- Help feverishly in .NET forums and community sites like Stackoverflow. (Put the service in your profile...people really look!)

- Create programs that provide incentive for your customers to spread the word about a product they already love. Word of mouth is the best/cheapest/most-effective variety of advertising that I know of.

I'm not much of a marketing guy, but this is where I would start at first thought. :) BTW, the control really does look quite nice. If I were a .NET developer I'd be interested in using it.

Note: Tag line states "No Learning Needed", then in your advantages section you state "Minimum learning needed." Strive to be consistent.


Thanks for your advice Mike! We can't attend .NET meetings that much, because we are based in Czech Republic.

Hack-a-thon sponsorship is an excellent idea. Any idea how to find these?

Thanks for spotting the inconsistency, too!


You might not be able to find them, but you can always organize one yourself. It doesn't have to be huge, either. 20-30 people can be a lot of fun. I'd also check out Meetup. They offer ways for sponsorships. See if you can find any .NET groups on there and offer them sponsorships (as in free/discounted licenses). Even if you give away a few licenses, you'd likely get a lot of great word-of-mouth marketing.

And consider also sponsoring and attending conferences. Especially Microsoft/.NET related ones. The travel will obviously be expensive, but it could be a viable way to spend your marketing budget.


I was pretty excited about checking this out, then was disappointed there is no live demo. Screenshots are good, but nothing beats a live demo of your product on your website.


Hi, by live demo, do you mean video?


I meant live running code of the component you are selling. For example, here is a live demo of the jQuery Accordion UI plugin http://jqueryui.com/demos/accordion/. Hope this help.s


Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: