Author Topic: InstantBoss - For those of us which require motivation to work (Read 107,984 times)

doublewitt · « **Reply #25 on:** February 06, 2007, 02:17 AM »

InstantBoss: there's no better boss in town...!

Thank you so much for this wonderful app.

app103 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 06, 2007, 04:54 AM »

Quote from: doublewitt on February 06, 2007, 02:17 AM

InstantBoss: there's no better boss in town...!
Thank you so much for this wonderful app.

and thank you for the compliments!

tomos · « **Reply #27 on:** July 11, 2007, 09:25 AM »

Hi App,
After a short relapse I've gone back to using Instant Boss
I still like it a lot

(but)
there's a couple of things that tend to make it less efficient for me
-
While drawing I'm constantly using Ctrl/Alt/Spacebar/etc shortcuts
When IB's window pops up, I often get rid of the window with unpredictable results.
I also find I often press return coincidentally when the window pops up & I'm not sure whether I then officially working or not -
another problem can be: if I click in a window just as IB's window pops up - it goes to the back & I either dont see it or I forget about it.

Could this be a possible solution (?):
-
make the popup window only respond to mouse clicks
-
make it stay on top if not clicked on -
but maybe in such a way that you can still finish whatever you were working on - i.e. that it doesnt take focus -
that would give a bit of leeway as well as ensuring that you dont forget it!

app103 · « **Reply #28 on:** July 11, 2007, 10:07 PM »

I'll be working on it again very soon and i'll see what I can do about all that. (and add some cool new features too

)

tomos · « **Reply #29 on:** February 21, 2008, 03:24 PM »

Quote from: tomos on July 11, 2007, 09:25 AM

.....
Could [you] make the popup window only respond to mouse clicks
-
make it stay on top if not clicked on -
but maybe in such a way that you can still finish whatever you were working on - i.e. that it doesnt take focus -
that would give a bit of leeway as well as ensuring that you dont forget it!

hi App - a friendly bump to this request

I dunno if it's just me,
but I just keep loosing that pop-up-window -Time to Work/Break- and then after an hour surfing I think OMG

I'm supposed to be doing XYZ, not checking out Nessie on dc

tomos · « **Reply #30 on:** February 21, 2008, 05:47 PM »

actually I think I may have found a way of reducing the problem a bit - when typing at any rate -

the problem being...
lets say youre typing (I have to look at the keyboard

)
and without my noticing, the pop-up-window has popped up
I hit return or spacebar and it disappears without me even having seen it

The popup telling me to go "Back to Work" has the cancel button selected -
so if I hit spacebar or return when it has focus, it goes away and doesnt come back again to remind me..

Another programme I use a lot, I need to press return to get from the toolbar panels back to the main window,
again I often seem to press return just as the instant boss window pops - I dont see it sometimes or forget to check it after finishing what I doing

But I've just noticed if I leave the InstantBoss window open - without minimising it
and if I'm typing when the window pops, it stays in front, doesnt take focus and therefore return etc doesnt effect it

app103 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 25, 2008, 03:38 AM »

This isn't going to be easy for me to fix.

I can fix the part about the enter key dismissing the alerts, but there is issues about the reliability of the alert windows, in regards to them staying on top.

I am trying to think of other options for alerts so you will have more choices in how you are alerted. I figure giving you a combination of options might be the best way.

I am thinking of flashing tray icons (suggested by another user), tray balloons, taskbar button flashing...all that stuff I personally hate.

If I allow you to choose the ones you want, then I am sure this could work out a lot better, allowing you to set it up with something that works best for you..

tomos · « **Reply #32 on:** February 25, 2008, 03:47 PM »

Quote from: app103 on February 25, 2008, 03:38 AM

I can fix the part about the enter key dismissing the alerts

that would help a lot already -
can you get the window to popup without anything (OK, etc) selected, dont know if that's possible at all..then you'd have to TAB or click

Quote from: app103 on February 25, 2008, 03:38 AM

I am thinking of flashing tray icons (suggested by another user), tray balloons, taskbar button flashing...all that stuff I personally hate.

I hate it too - might be a good reason to use it then

e.g. for those times when the window is ignored for longer than a certain time?

JaneDC · « **Reply #33 on:** February 25, 2008, 05:54 PM »

Can you let it save the settings on an ini file and not in the registry please? if it isn't too much work.. thanks.

app103 · « **Reply #34 on:** February 26, 2008, 10:45 PM »

I'll try. That was one of the things I wanted to do.

Toptiger5 · « **Reply #35 on:** March 08, 2008, 11:43 AM »

I just love this app. I have made it a permanent part of my computer, as I practise simplified GTD but that is pretty hard for procrastinators like me. The "time to work" makes me feel bored but by the last 3 minutes of working I truly enjoy it. Enjoying work for 3 minutes is waay better than not working at all! Thanks.

Josh · « **Reply #36 on:** September 27, 2008, 08:16 PM »

App, I would like to inquire something to you. Would you be willing to add a few things to this for me? As you know, I am deployed with the US Army and my current job has me working on projects which make me forget about time altogether. I often skip meals, forget to take breaks to go exercise for a minute or two to get the blood flowing, and just remain focused to an insane degree.

There are two things, right now, which I can think of for this application which would make it the PENTULTIMATE solution for me, even better than having a pan-galactic gargle blaster three times a day.

A. I would like to see some sort of option to playback a sound file (mp3, wave, ogg, etc) when its time to break or when the break is over. This would help me keep alerted more so with the program.

B. I would like to see an option to have a floating countdown window (Which removes all unneeded window real estate) with just the timer and the status bar containing its usual info. This, combined with an "Always on top" feature would allow me to stick this in the upper right corner of my window and leave it there so I can track my progress.

What do you think? Would this be possible? This is like the perfect application for my needs and those options would be something I would sit through volgon poetry for!

Thoughts? Also, thanks for this great application!

app103 · « **Reply #37 on:** September 28, 2008, 01:56 PM »

It does play a sound file when it's time to break (sound of coffee being poured) and when to return to work (a chipmunk-like "oh man"). There is also a 3rd wav of cheering that plays when all work/break cycles are complete.

work.wav
break.wav
done.wav

These wav files can be replaced with any wavs of your choice. Just name them the same as the ones in the folder.

You have the countdown on the taskbar button, as well as in a tooltip on the tray icon, already. This takes up no screen real estate at all. Are you sure you really need an additional window?

I could add one, similar to the DClock window, if you still feel it's necessary.

Josh · « **Reply #38 on:** September 28, 2008, 08:16 PM »

Does it only play wav? I really dont want to put a nice long 5 minute 80MB wav file inside my portable folder :-/

But yes, if you could add the dclock style window with just a counter and a status bar, that would be great. If you saw how I am working over here, you would understand

app103 · « **Reply #39 on:** September 28, 2008, 10:26 PM »

I don't suggest you use long wav files. It really wasn't meant as a media player. It could have bad results.

Paul Keith · « **Reply #40 on:** September 29, 2008, 12:49 PM »

(Trying not to sound like an idiot)

err...where's the download url?

tomos · « **Reply #41 on:** September 29, 2008, 12:53 PM »

App's site:
http://www.appsapps.info/instantboss.php
there you go

jgpaiva · « **Reply #42 on:** September 29, 2008, 12:55 PM »

Paul: It's on the first post of this topic, it links to: http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=4430.msg32502#msg32502

You can also find it on app's site, on http://appsapps.info/instantboss.php

[edit] bah, Tom beat me to it.. But I'll leave this here anyways

[/edit]

Paul Keith · « **Reply #43 on:** September 29, 2008, 01:15 PM »

Thanks guys. I did went to the DC link but couldn't skim the download url from the text. Sorry.

Paul Keith · « **Reply #44 on:** September 29, 2008, 01:40 PM »

Ok...couple of suggestions.

-Profiles User Interface ala Activity Tracker

-Hours box (Polyphasic Sleep Attempter here so I usually take breaks between hours)

-Double Click Systray Icon to Hide Window

app103 · « **Reply #45 on:** October 01, 2008, 06:51 AM »

Quote from: Paul Keith on September 29, 2008, 01:40 PM

Ok...couple of suggestions.

-Profiles User Interface ala Activity Tracker

-Hours box (Polyphasic Sleep Attempter here so I usually take breaks between hours)

-Double Click Systray Icon to Hide Window

Except for hiding the window when you double click the tray icon, I am not sure what you are asking for. Could you explain in more detail about what you mean?

Paul Keith · « **Reply #46 on:** October 01, 2008, 07:17 AM »

Oh, well for the Hours box, I only saw work minutes so it will be great to have an entry for hours as polyphasic sleepers usually sleep less but are awake less. A good example are uberman polyphasic sleepers who try to stick to the 20 minute sleep, 4 hours awake, repeat routine.

For the profiles, it's for storing multiple combinations. Say, some days you want to take breaks for another set amount of time, you can just switch to that setting.

app103 · « **Reply #47 on:** October 09, 2008, 11:31 AM »

Quote from: Paul Keith on October 01, 2008, 07:17 AM

For the profiles, it's for storing multiple combinations. Say, some days you want to take breaks for another set amount of time, you can just switch to that setting.

That's why I gave it command line options. So you can create shortcuts to launch it with different configurations. The info on how to do that is on the application's page and in the readme file included with it.

Quote from: Paul Keith on October 01, 2008, 07:17 AM

I only saw work minutes so it will be great to have an entry for hours as polyphasic sleepers usually sleep less but are awake less. A good example are uberman polyphasic sleepers who try to stick to the 20 minute sleep, 4 hours awake, repeat routine.

I'll keep that in mind.

For now, you could use 240 work/20 sleep for a routine like that. It would be the same thing.

Paul Keith · « **Reply #48 on:** October 13, 2008, 07:55 PM »

Oh thanks for the commandline options. I didn't know how to use the commandline so it didn't make sense to me to do it that way.

app103 · « **Reply #49 on:** October 14, 2008, 10:48 AM »

It's pretty easy to do it. Just make a new shortcut to the application, rename it to reflect what configuration it is for, that way each has a unique name and it is easier to tell them apart if you have more than 1.

Then right click the shortcut and select properties. In the target box, add the 3 numbers to the end of what is already there, so it resembles the example I gave in the readme file.