The best event planner for IOS you might already own

As a youth pastor I wanted a app where I could have my total budget, projects, fundraisers, attendance, messages all in one and if needed be able to easily send it to someone if needed. I couldn’t find a app that did all of these things until my job (www.pcnanswers.com) made me think about how much I accomplish with spreadsheets. Numbers had just came out so I downloaded it and checked it out and that is what I use for my one stop shop here is how.

Templates is one of the biggest things numbers brings to the table aside from its incredible mobile interface. For our purposes we are going to use the team organization template.

Label Your Tabs. This will help guide you in your customization, you are going to have to make a lot of adjustments depending on what you want to do. I copied other pieces from other templates and pasted them in, there are even a number of templates apps to choose from now. I would suggest the most commonly used tabs to the left adjust this anytime by holding the tab until it lifts then drag left and right accordingly.

Keep It Simple. I have learned this hand in hand with both my job and my ministry. My boss always reminds this and as a result I am a more efficient Manager. I then took that concept and applied it to my ministry it lets me get out of the way and have God do His thing. Where this is most evident is how I do my budget. Numbers has a unique feature in it where you can create formulas by category. Simply type in categories whatever you want and then create another table and it will combine all the like categories. I found it easiest to make a simply transaction log alot like a check book then a totals table and made a pie chart to the right to easily show people up to the minute finances you can include all the categories or just what you want with simply touch the chart click edit references and drag and drop what you want to include or exclude. I have a trip tab and a service tab I copy those and simply rename it for whatever we are doing saves me a lot of time and work.

iCloud Benefits. The obvious is that it sync’s my iPhone and iPad which is great because I don’t always have my iPad on me. Another added benefit is that it handles the conversion from numbers format to pdf, excel or numbers right on your device or from any web surfing device via iCloud webpage. This has been especially useful when needing to upload files while on my work PC or when visiting someone where I have spotty coverage.

There are a lot of other things you can do with this setup customize then shoot me a email or comment with a link of what you have done. If you want this template just let me know and donations are welcomed. If there is enough of a demand I might just set up an automated link.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Mailbox app review so far

I have always used email here and there but my work (www.pcnanswers.com) is where I really learned how useful it could be. I could track daily activities keep everyone in the loop get info, partner with people etc. I started to use email more with my family and friends and church activities as well. Now technology is marching on but email seems to still be a very universal medium even with Facebook messaging getting more popular. I was looking for something for work to help me make todo lists that I could message coworkers on with that in mind I found a social to-do app called Orchestra but found everyone still preferred email so I ended up deleting the app. The makers of Orchestra had a webpage up at the time that said something similar to what I was feeling that the mailbox is what needed to change so I signed up to be notified for their upcoming product http://www.Mailboxapp.com.

I have had the app for a couple of weeks and now use it as my go to productivity app I love the interface and agree with most of the current reviews out there about the app but here is a summarized review in bullet points.

Pros:

• Amazing looking UI also very useful
• Snoozing emails is the best thing ever but remember to not over use this feature or you will never get anything done
• Love the ability to drag and drop emails up and down to prioritize them, why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?
• No one you are interacting with has to do anything different it is just normal email as far as they are concerned
• Awesome searching it searches everything everywhere and fast
• Threaded sent messages one of the big reasons I liked sparrow I don’t have to constantly go into my sent folder anymore
• Break down of “snoozed” emails from the most recent to the furthest out great layout to see what is coming up next
• Gestures are awesome click an email to read it then slide back to the main screen

Cons:

• Only uses Gmail this may be a deal breaker for some but I use a Gmail specifically for this app to keep things separate
• Some Html emails seem to be mis-formated and overall I like the built-in IOS email app display for html emails better
• I don’t like that the subject line is not on by default when you forward an email, you have to click the little arrow to bring it down but its a small issue that may not bug others.

Conclusion:

The app is not perfect but it is game changing for email it tells me that we don’t have to move to the next thing like the defunct Google wave tried to do we just need to make email better and I am all for that. I am done investing in technology that makes me do more and all about technology that helps me do what I do better and or faster.

 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Back to the Writing board

Everyone blogs for different reasons, I didn’t want to write unless I knew it would benefit others. I am a husband an father of two, my oldest being autistic, I am a full time IT Manager at http://www.pcnanswers.com a half time youth pastor at http://www.hopecrcriverside.com/ and a hobby cyclist with http://www.riversidebicycleclub.com. This blog will touch on those 3 area’s tech, church and cycling mostly with family life and products I find useful thrown in. I know a lot of people are not going to read this and that is ok with me as long as I help a couple of people along the way.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

30 min or less

There are so many ways to contact people now we have gotten used to instant responses we even expect it sometimes. My co-worker didn’t have her phone for a day and I had forgotten but when she didn’t respond in 30 minutes I was wondering why. If someone doesn’t respond in the amount of time it takes for a pizza to get to your house we freak out. I went on a bike ride and was only gone for an hour and a half.

But when I checked my phone.

I had gotten a bunch of calls emails and Facebook messages I am just as guilty of course. It is amazing how easy we get into bad habits and then one day say hey why am I doing this. Which is why this Chevy commercial struck a cord with me.

I hope this helps everyone who reads it to pause for a moment and realize its ok for us to not be in constant contact with each other.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fried grits with a spin

Follow cheese grits recipe on back I tend to use shredded mozzarella instead of what they suggest and alot more garlic salt by lawrey’s. Pour into silicone cupcake molds put in fridge overnight. Wake up in morning put a little olive oil on skillet heat it up good then throw them on.

Day 15 Rest

I have a very hard time doing this but we have to devote time to it no matter how restless we feel. During this time we are better able to think up ideas. Having just 15 min of downtime a day can do wonders.

Day 14 Enjoy

You hear people say I am getting old almost as if they haven’t appreciated the time they have had this far. In everyday language we sometimes shift our thinking from silly to serious that we repeatedly say. I struggle with this I have a hard time staying in any one place. I get antsy if I am not busy and I have found myself saying I am old when I am not. Pocket watches were a way of keeping things in perspective, with a picture of a loved one in it. This watch was given to me by my buddy as a groomsmen present. Especially since he is leaving for boot camp tomorrow. I will try to have it on me at all times reminding me to enjoy the time I have instead of complain about what I do with it.

Day 11 Schedule

As is evident in my own life time is a hard thing to wrangle and as it marches on it seems to only get tougher. At first schedule everything it’s easier to do with a smart phone but doable with a cheap paper planner and they sometimes carry those at the 99 cent store. When you see the things you want to accomplish written down you are more likely to follow through. This app is called diacarta and is pretty cool.

Day 10 Reflection

We rarely are who we think we are. Our view of ourselves and how others see us is very different and what ever side of the perspective you are. Only one verse in the NIV has the word reflection in it 1st Cor 13:12 which is fascinating. Reflecting on this whole experience makes me realize I may not be able to do all and record it everyday I have done pretty well faltering on some. As a youth pastor kids help me to reflect every week wether I want to or not.

Day 13 Respect

When dealing with other peoples time be careful with it as it reflects how you feel about that person. Being on time, calling too much or overstaying your welcome can all begin a broken relationship with friends family or a significant other. I know I will have problems with these time disciplines.