[HN Gopher] Show HN: I built a goal-oriented task manager
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Show HN: I built a goal-oriented task manager
Hello HN! I've been working on a task manager (https://plocs.com)
that combines a todo list with project management. Unlike most
task managers, Plocs supports task dependencies and makes working
with them easy. Thanks to dependencies Plocs is better in two
important ways: 1.) You can plan in a goal-oriented way. Start
with your goal and then plan the steps you need to get there. 2.)
You can tell very easily which tasks you can work on: the ones that
don't depend on other tasks are shown in a list to the left of the
screen. Would love to get your feedback! PS: If you click on
"Start demo" you can try it in the browser without registering.
Thanks, Christian Staudenmeyer
Author : cstaudenmeyer
Score : 82 points
Date : 2022-11-17 14:22 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (plocs.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (plocs.com)
| jasonjmcghee wrote:
| Friendly note: the landing page, looks like you intended it to be
| mobile-friendly, but the images don't properly scale to the
| screen size, screwing up the layout a bit.
| [deleted]
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks for the hint! Will try to fix it.
| Ladyady wrote:
| Not working for me in Duck Duck Go or Chrome:
|
| net::ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
| lkbm wrote:
| I think this hits on one key thing that's missing from many TODO
| lists I've tried: dependencies are important.
|
| But the UI feels big and slow and cumbersome. Entering all my
| sub-tasks is tedious in a way that a simple bullet list is not.
|
| I just want to type in "Reproduce bug => Fix bug => Post PR =>
| Deploy fix". The big main goal might have a deadline and title
| and description, but the level of granularity I want means that I
| don't have time/need to do that for each item. I don't need these
| animations and full-screen data entry pages. Even the fact that I
| have to use the mouse with each item is too much friction for me.
|
| I also think the overall TODO list view is missing the key
| purpose: at a glance, I want to see the specific "what should I
| do _right now_ " item(s). The big flowchart distracts me from the
| immediate focus.
|
| Obviously, you probably don't want to fully rewrite the UI for my
| idiosyncrasies, but I would recommend making adding small, simple
| tasks very quick and easy. Maybe just tab/shift-tab to add a
| "next" and "before" tasks without jerking me into a separate view
| or forcing me to switch from keyboard to mouse.
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Being able to quickly add a series of tasks would be great, I
| agree. Adding keyboard shortcuts + an inline editor could work,
| I think.
|
| I agree that the flowchart view can be distracting when you
| just want to look at the next actions. Would a view/option that
| hides all successors be a solution for this?
| codazoda wrote:
| The page is impossible to read on iPhone for me. Text is white
| and page is wider than the screen with a white background (making
| 1/2 the text unreadable).
|
| I scrolled about then bailed.
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks for letting me know, that seems to be a problem with
| some screen sizes. Currently trying to figure it out.
| sc__ wrote:
| I use Todoist heavily, but I wish it was more focused on long-
| term goals. E.g., it doesn't support visualizations or a task
| having multiple dependencies. These are nice features of Plocs -
| I wish you success with this!
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks a lot!
| themoonisachees wrote:
| Very nice. A phone app would be ideal but other than that
| fantastic
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| We have an app, too. Search for "Plocs" on the app store or
| click the link on the website if you scroll down a bit.
| falcolas wrote:
| Not thrilled at how hidden the business model is. There's no paid
| option, just targeted ads (as noted in the privacy policy about
| how your information is used).
|
| Unfortunately, this means that it's not for me. For whatever
| that's worth. :)
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks for the feedback. We are planning to add a paid version
| for business customers in the long term.
|
| Not planning to have ads targeted or otherwise. I will remove
| this from the privacy policy.
| v3d2 wrote:
| I like it and will try organizing next week in it.
|
| Feature request during 1st 2 mins of use :): option to change
| date layout to European (DD/MM/YY).
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks a ton for trying it out. Feel feel to contact me at
| chris (at) plocs.com if you run into any issues.
|
| I'll add a separate setting for the date format.
| cassianoleal wrote:
| The world is bigger than US and Europe.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_format_by_country
| rish1_2 wrote:
| The concept of sub-tasks makes sense as it breaks down bigger
| tasks into small. I actually made my own app based on goals
| oriented habits, tasks and sub-tasks until I pivoted. I also
| added async social accountability by sharing snaps of whatever
| you're doing. I still have the code in the current version but
| I'm no longer targeting that audience anymore. It's part of
| something bigger. Shameless plug -> https://atomiclife.app. Still
| working on version 2 (technically version 4 as I pivoted 2x) and
| I build in public, you can follow me on twitter:
| https://twitter.com/rish1_2
| AN0708 wrote:
| Hey, looks pretty great I think it can come in handy!
|
| One thing I'd change is maybe add an option to disable/speed up
| animations.
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Good idea, I think I'll add a setting for speeding them up.
| nikkey80 wrote:
| Interesting, today in Show HN: hit two task managers yours and
| https://tweek.so :-)
| Minor49er wrote:
| I noticed a couple of oddities:
|
| I managed to connect a successor to itself. Then I deleted the
| child which animated the parent, but both are still around and I
| can't interact with them.
|
| I also completed a task but it disappeared into the archive. When
| I tried to mark it as not complete, it marked a child as
| complete. A second attempt worked as intended though
|
| I kind of wish this was more like Linear or Trello where, when
| adding a new card, I could just make changes inline without
| having to have the card go fullscreen. Working inline is helpful
| for jotting down some high-level ideas quickly without having to
| provide formal details right then and there
|
| It would be nice to be able to drag and drop the cards around to
| reorder and organize them too, if possible
|
| I think the last piece of feedback is that, while the animations
| are nice, they could probably benefit from being faster. It can
| make the interactions feel more immediate without sacrificing the
| style and user feedback that they provide
|
| That said, I like the various features that are here and the
| overall structure. I might have to give this a try for a project
| at some point
| bachmeier wrote:
| Looks nice, but wouldn't it be more accurate to call it a
| project-oriented task manager - at least based on the landing
| page. You'd need an extra step for it to be goal-oriented, where
| projects point to goals. (It is entirely possible that I don't
| understand your product, in which case ignore this comment.)
| bobleeswagger wrote:
| I need a tool that helps me deal with the overwhelming nature of
| task management. I _feel_ like I have the energy but it all melts
| away as soon as things get detailed.
| eddieroger wrote:
| Same here for the longest time. It seems so easy - maybe
| because it's every new framework's tutorial - but the reality
| is it's much harder if you want anything more than a simple
| list. I want one I can share with my wife and attach comments
| to for tracking, but then also with due dates, and also
| recursion for some tasks and sometimes regardless of if the
| original one was finished... It gets big fast.
| tabtab wrote:
| Looks like an "Expert System" builder.
| e40 wrote:
| I won't use a walled garden for task management again.
|
| I use org-mode in Emacs, which syncs to an iCloud folder, which
| the beorg app on my iPhone reads. It's 2-way read-write, but I
| mostly read on the iPhone.
|
| I used to use RTM, web and Android, but it had bugs on Android
| they could not reproduce, so they couldn't fix them (making a new
| task had a 66% chance of disappearing).
| DataGata wrote:
| Some of the controls are a bit disorienting. All observations
| below are from the demo:
|
| 1) When I create a goal, theres no obvious way that the goal is
| "created". I just press the back button? The send-comment button
| was where I initially tried to confirm that a goal had been
| created.
|
| 2) When I create a subtask, and then exit the subtask menu to get
| to the first task, it gives me a blank page.
|
| I really really like the idea, but the demo is a bit too buggy
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks, great observations.
|
| 1) Right now the back button saves the Ploc. You're completely
| right that the comment button looks like it might do that. We
| did not consider that this when we moved the comment button
| there...
|
| 2) This is a bug in the demo, unfortunately. I'm working on it!
|
| I had not tested the demo extensively yet so this obvious bug
| slipped through unfortunately. It should work in the actual
| application / app in case you want to try it.
| RussianCow wrote:
| > I had not tested the demo extensively yet
|
| A bit of unsolicited advice: Your demo is a potential user's
| first impression of the app, which means that you should give
| it just as much care as you do the full application. If the
| demo is buggy, people will assume the real app will be just
| as buggy because there is no reason to assume otherwise,
| which can ruin any chance of converting them.
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| The bug when exiting the subtask menu in the demo should be
| fixed now.
| thecatspaw wrote:
| for me the blog throws a german error page about having no
| content, and the Legal notice in the footer leads me to another
| error page with a Runtime Error.
| xavdid wrote:
| Oooh, this could be neat! It hits at least a few of the features
| I touch on in my perfect task app wishlist:
| https://xavd.id/blog/post/my-perfect-task-app/
|
| Some feedback: - on the web, the slow animations
| make every action feel clunky. I'm not sure you need animations
| at all, honestly - similarly, growing elements on the page
| as I click on them makes me feel like I'm chasing my tasks around
| the screen. Would be nice if they stayed put (/under my pointer)
| - showing a task in 2 places is interesting. I feel like I'd
| rather see a more complex graph than have nodes duplicated, but I
| realize that can be a big technical lift - lastly,
| information on your current (or future) monetization plans would
| be great.
|
| Good luck!
| pessimizer wrote:
| This is exactly something that I have been trying to design in my
| spare time recently, and I want to suggest a feature. Building
| off the "Postpone Tasks" ability: postponing tasks is a bit of a
| reverse spaced repetition, isn't it? A task comes up that you
| asked to be reminded of, and you can dismiss it by asking to be
| reminded again later. That's a lot like being shown a flashcard
| in spaced repetition software, and after review deciding whether
| you want to be shown it again quickly, in the near future, or in
| the distant future.
|
| An element in spaced repetition that usually isn't treated well
| in software UI is how you deal with a card _other_ than by
| setting a new time on it. When you 're reviewing the card, you
| might decide that card is bad, and you need to delete it; you
| might decide that the card is badly worded, and you might want to
| correct it; or you might decide that the card is too complex, and
| you want to break it down into multiple, simpler cards.
|
| Imagine that in a task manager. You just type a stray goal to
| yourself, and throw it into a short-term, medium-term, or long-
| term bucket. Maybe into a priority bucket, that starts off in the
| medium-term and with every dismissal gets a shorter and shorter
| reminder period; and a ideas bucket, that starts off the same as
| a priority, but backs off instead of becoming more urgent over
| time. Imagine easy controls to turn these stray ideas and
| priorities into tasks, and to further divide those tasks into
| subtasks.
|
| Eventually you'd have so much stuff floating around in there that
| you might be able to ask the task manager what _you could be
| doing_ when you have downtime, and it will start bringing up
| things that you are interested in, and that fit into the time you
| have and your location. In the morning, when you first open it
| up, you 'd have your scheduled appointments, but you'd also have
| a bunch of (your own, previously deferred) suggestions for things
| you could add.
|
| In that way, you can help people create tasks and goals by
| encouraging them to type stray thoughts and ideas in, to be
| reminded about them later for expansion into tasks or for
| scheduling.
| ausudhz wrote:
| The website is not responsive (seems to be just the homepage that
| is broken)
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| It seems to work for me right now.
| petemir wrote:
| Hey, I love the idea! I actually wanted to make something like
| this myself, to try to keep tasks meaningful for me and to
| remember why I want/need/should do them.
|
| That said, I suggest you fix the legal notice! I wanted to check
| how my data would be used, and couldn't :).
| cstaudenmeyer wrote:
| Thanks! I just fixed the error on the legal notice. If you want
| to check the privacy policy, you can view it on the register
| page https://plocs.com/register
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(page generated 2022-11-17 23:01 UTC)