I need good productivity programs. Any suggestions

[polkunus]

First time poster, switched over to mac for iOS devving and opportunities.

Currently, I'm a college student with a lot on my hands:

I am a; iOS dev, Graphic Designer, 3d artist, photographer, and work in some music production.

I'm totally set with all those subjects/hobbies however. Unfortunately I haven't found a neat program that would fit my needs for school D:

So far schoolhouse seems stupid simple. It feels dumbed down and extremely unorganized. Grading solutions are bland and you can't add anything but "tasks" in the calendar. This is what I use iCal for. I thought this would have a complex layout to organize test dates, grading points, scheduling, diagrams for homework due dates, etc.

iHomwork is even worse, it just feels like a snazzy ical.

Two things, Is there a "note" taking or "journal" program that would neatly, almost in a 'OCD' fashion take notes? I want everything organized, with folders and charts with customization. Annotation etc. Professionally organized is a plus

I also want a class organizer, which would be able to add classes, set grading, set notes for profs., Show due dates, tests, group activities and everything I can possibly write down on a organizer in the program. Is there such program available?




Help is appreciated Thanks in advance.

 

[Tyler23]

An app I love and recommend is iProcrastinate. It's a great productivity app. It allows you to set different categories (exercise, to-do, different classes, work, etc), and allows you to add steps/files to each task. Very nice UI and great development.

I know it's not exactly what you're looking for (not ideal for college classes, no functions for grades or anything like that), but just to organize things you have to do and such it's a great tool.

It's a free download in the mac app store and syncs with iphone.

 

[exegete77]

A very powerful program that can be adapted to your use is Tinderbox. The learning curve is steep, but the power is tremendous and the program is very flexible. And it can grow to any additional use. I recommend reading the book The Tinderbox Way.

 

[polkunus]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help.

I'll definitely check those too programs out.

 

[polkunus]

wow, That tinderbox program is amazing! It fits my OCD note taking habit!

I'm definitely buying the thing, haven't tried iprocrastinate.

Anyone have any thoughts on omnifocus?

 

[TreoRenegade]

Re OmniFocus .. while excellent, it can be a bear to wrap your head around during the early days. You might want to get a good peek, the easy way. The site, lynda.com, has a great series of tutorial videos, all running a total of about 3 hours. Typically, the cost of admission runs about $25/month. But you can get a stone cold free 7-day trial, giving you access to those videos, and ALL other videos at the site. No credit card needed, but the form does request a snail-mail and email address. Use a spare but valid email addy, as it's used to send you the password, which arrives within 15 or so minutes. I just did this earlier today, so the offer is still live. Cleanest/quickest way I can think of for you to dip your toes in the water, so to speak, without actually getting wet. Linkie:
http://www.freemania.net/blog/lyndacom-digital-training-courses-free-7-day-subscription/

Once you get to the lynda.com site, enter OmniFocus Essential Training in the searchbox. That should take you directly to the relevant page.

Best wishes for all that is good in your studies, and beyond!

P.S. OmniFocus is heaven when it comes to syncing between Mac and mobile devices. Just works, every time, transparently.

 

[polkunus]

Re OmniFocus .. while excellent, it can be a bear to wrap your head around during the early days. You might want to get a good peek, the easy way. The site, lynda.com, has a great series of tutorial videos, all running a total of about 3 hours. Typically, the cost of admission runs about $25/month. But you can get a stone cold free 7-day trial, giving you access to those videos, and ALL other videos at the site. No credit card needed, but the form does request a snail-mail and email address. Use a spare but valid email addy, as it's used to send you the password, which arrives within 15 or so minutes. I just did this earlier today, so the offer is still live. Cleanest/quickest way I can think of for you to dip your toes in the water, so to speak, without actually getting wet. Linkie:
http://www.freemania.net/blog/lyndacom-digital-training-courses-free-7-day-subscription/

Once you get to the lynda.com site, enter OmniFocus Essential Training in the searchbox. That should take you directly to the relevant page.

Best wishes for all that is good in your studies, and beyond!

P.S. OmniFocus is heaven when it comes to syncing between Mac and mobile devices. Just works, every time, transparently.

I'm going to try out omnifocus as well, thanks for the lynda advice, but I've had an account there ever since my css newbie days.

I'm using evernote right now, it works, but I think something can work better. I'm going to see if omnifocus fits my needs