Staying productive isn’t easy. It needs a routine, discipline and a willpower to say no to distractions. Trust me when I say this, those are really annoying traits to attain. In my experience, I have found that a good productivity app is a godsend and helps you stick to a routine so you can attain some sort of discipline over time.
A few days ago, Sooner caught my attention with its gorgeous interface. To know if the fancy interface is capable enough to make you stay productive, follow me after the fold.
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Eye Candy
It’s absolutely an insult on the ecosystem if you don’t sport a fancypants UI and design elements. The Sooner team is apparently well aware of this fact and have delivered a cool and fancy (yes, I’m using the word again) interface. The dials, gestures and the workflow are all part of the app’s charm. We won’t know how helpful how helpful they are when it comes to helping you stay productive, but, if you are looking for an app to impress folks around you, Sooner is the best bet.
Color coded projects on the dial.
The Workflow
To get started, you’ll have to create a project. That part of the workflow is easy and quick. Just tap and drag the + button to create a new project. Multiple projects can be created and managed with ease. To differentiate between one from the other, there are a handful of colors available. Projects can have deadlines and if you have one, multiple reminders can be set to ensure that you get it done without fail.
Creating a Project and Adding Tasks
When there are multiple projects on your plate, the experience of using the app is simply fabulous. It’s very smooth to move between projects by moving the wheel in a circular motion. Try using your thumb and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Adding Tasks to Projects
Each project can accommodate multiple tasks, and steps to create them are similar to those that you did when creating a project. This time though, drag the + button into the respective projects where you want new tasks to be created. It’s a good thing that Sooner allows you to create tasks both with and without deadlines.
Projects and Associated Tasks
I just love the multiple reminders feature. It’s an amazingly handy system for the forgetful lot among us. After setting the due date, reminders and priority, it would have been great if Sooner straight away created the task and took me to the task list screen. Instead, it just takes you back to the original task creation screen and you’ll have to use the return key to get out of the screen.
Creating Tasks and Setting Reminders
Managing the Calendar
So, you’ve created projects and tasks, but, that’s not all that Sooner does. The calendar adds another layer of awesomeness to the app. Drag and drop tasks to bring to the calendar. It wasn’t as breezy as it was with the earlier gestures and I don’t get why tasks with deadlines aren’t automatically added to that particular day in the calendar.
Calendar View and Adding Tasks to it
The time and duration of a task can be changed by adjusting the margins, which I should mention was great to handle. Move between days by using the wheel, and the color codes actually help you see tasks from the various projects you have created. Use the icons at the top right corner to toggle between the task list and calendar views.
The calendar icon at the lower right corner is a quick way to check on what days you have tasks scheduled. Tapping on a day with a dot (indicating that you have something to do) tilts the calendar wheel instantly to that day. This makes for a lightning-fast scheduling if you don’t have the time to keep moving the wheel around.
Final Thoughts
Sooner is a brilliant app, there is no doubt about that. It has a peculiar interface, but that’s what helps the app to hide the complexity of the workflow. I’m not sure if the gestures and jumping between the wheel, clock and calendar is actually accomplishing anything. This is particularly felt when trying to drag tasks from a list to the wheel to set it on the calendar.
There are easier ways to add tasks to a calendar, and apps such as Fantastical are nailing it left, right and center. Like Daily Routine, another one of the productivity apps I’ve previously reviewed, Sooner is a productivity solution for power users and people with a pretty packed schedule. If they could cut out some workflow bottlenecks, there is a great chance of Sonner becoming a crowd favorite.