Alas, such a task is outside the reach of our engineers (for now!), but Engines are still very cool …

This short video explains the concept.  If you don’t have the patience for video, read on …

(total viewing time: 9 minutes 10 seconds)

The big idea:  create an unlimited number of automation tasks based on an increasing number of possible conditions.

In English …

1.  You can now create Engines based on the following three parameters:

When this happens …

Do this …

To this …

For example, maybe you’d like to create a little robot servant engine that will do this for you automatically:

“When I add an item to the Dream Catcher that starts with “BTR” move the entry to my Mental Lock Box under the category books to read.”

Engines can do that, and a lot more.

2.  Over time we’ll add new “conditions” for you to program, making it increasingly powerful as the weeks pass.

3.  To start, we’ve included the ability to “do things” when you enter stuff into your Dream Catcher.  For example, sometimes you may want to add stuff to a list quickly (like a “books I want to read” list).  Or maybe you want something to go straight to your Mental Lock Box.  Or, maybe … (let your imagination run wild)

Example of an engine in action …

Because I programmed the shortcut phrase “BTR” in Engines to mean “move the entry to the Mental Lock Box under category books to read,” any time I enter something into the Dream Catcher that starts with BTR it bypasses the Dream Catcher so I don’t have to process it when I do Start My Day.

Here’s how I programmed it …

Does that make sense?

Probably not … So scroll up and watch the video!

Tweet

Alright, that was bad even by my nerdy standards of humor.  There are, however, 5 super cool new time-saving productivity-blasting new things you can do with the Daily Targets tab.  Check it out … (and let me know what you think, of course)

(viewing time: 2 minutes 21 seconds)

Tweet

Technical explanation: the human brain can only store so many bits of data in conscious memory at any moment. This appears to be a hard-wired design limit. If you attempt to load too much into conscious memory at once, your brain behaves the way your computer does when you have too many windows open: it grinds to a halt. If you deliberately manage what you’re consciously focusing on in the moment, you can optimize brain function.

Non-technical explanation: too much stuff on your mind makes you lazy and dysfunctional. Move it to the Mental Lock Box – take it off your mind – be less lazy, less dysfunctional, and thus get more done.
Wait a minute … What is this Mental Lock Box thing, anyway?

Here’s a quick refresher.

As you go through your day, you jot thoughts, ideas, and to-do’s down in the Dream Catcher. This gets them temporarily out of your mind so you can get back to the important work of the moment, rather than veer off on a tangent.

When you do Start My Day the next day, you’ll be prompted to make fast decisions about these items. One of the things you can do with them is mark them as “deliberate.” That means you’re not sure what to do about it yet. Maybe you’ll do it. Maybe you won’t. In the meantime, you are smart enough not to let this get in the way of getting done what needs to get done.

The items you mark as “deliberate” are moved to the Mental Lock Box for safe keeping. They’re always there for you to review any time.

So far so good …

But what if you don’t want to forget about them forever? Wouldn’t it be great if you could be reminded about particular items at a date of your choosing? That’s what Simpleology user “Crystal” thought.

We agreed.

This feature is now available and it’s mostly as she requested, with one difference: rather than setting the reminder date during Start My Day, you’ll set them inside the Mental Lock Box itself.

Why?

We felt that asking you to set a reminder date during the Start My Day process interrupted the flow too much. The spirit of Start My Day is to make quick decisions, get stuff off your mind, and get down to what’s important:
real work.

Now, what if you forget to go into your MLB and set these dates? Stay tuned … (lots more on the way)

Tweet