In a previous post (Chasing mice and eating elephants) I mentioned that ThinkingRock is great for running up and down the ladder from tasks to goals and mission. I thought it was time that I showed how, especially for those who haven’t used the program yet (I did mention that it is free at the moment, didn’t I? – you can get it right here).

ThinkingRock lets you create projects and tasks, a la Getting Things Done. These can then be grouped into folders or have sub-folders underneath them. This makes it great for keeping track of objectives and building goals or projects underneath, that work towards them. If you are an emergent planner, like me, you can easily drag projects around and combine goals or regroup projects as the plan crystalizes in your mind. Perhaps a screenshot is worth 100 words:

It has a familiar tree structure, like a filesystem, but underneath it is tracking tasks and can create to do lists. Another great thing about ThinkingRock (just about visible here on the right) is that it has the ability to capture a statement of purpose and vision for each project, as well as noting related ideas (brainstorming) and adding other organizational notes. If only the top level projects folder had a space to write in your personal vision mission!

The same could be achieved on paper, but where’s the technology in that? Actually, ThinkingRock does have some great printing capabilities. However, I find that shuffling things around and combining or splitting goals as they become clearer is more easily achieved electronically. That said, I have printed everything out, then scribbled and then entered the changes into ThinkingRock, when I have been doing ‘off-line’ thinking. Task lists can also be printed in PocketMod format, which means everything is then to hand on paper, no batteries required. With the printing capabilities, you have the power to print out your goals and put them somewhere you can see (and connected with) them everyday. For some inspiration and insight into how powerful that can be, read the stories of people who put their goals up on the mirror and then read them everyday.

As you can tell, I very much appreciate ThinkingRock. I now use it both at home and at work and it has given me a big productivity boost and keeps me on mission. Highly recommended.

See Also: ThinkingRock is 2 Good, a Good Tool is Hard to Find