Feature suggestions

[Damian Gostomski]

First, let me say what a great little app (found it via te comments on
the Freelance Folder)

Got a couple of feature suggestions (and being a web developer myself,
I know that even if something sounds simple, it rarely is!)

- The ability to not have the timer disappear as soon as it loses
focus. Although some might argue that being able to see the timer at
all times might be a distracting, I would find it useful. It could
either be as a seperate window, or integrated into the sstem tray like
the system clock (I assume the second option is much more work)

- In my opinion, interrupt should behave more as a pause, and there
could be another option, stop/rest to start at 25 again

Thanks again, keep up the great work

[Célio Cidral Junior]

Hello Damian,

Thanks for the kind words, I'm happy you liked it and hope it is useful for you. By the way, I have just uploaded a installer for Tomighty (made with NSIS) that creates start menu shortcuts.

Let's elaborate on your suggestions:

- About the window visibility, I think it would be very useful to make it configurable. So, in addition to make it disappear immediately after losing focus, the user should also be able to configure it to be always visible. Then the user could hide/show the window by clicking on the tray icon.

- My goal is to keep the user interface as simple as possible, so I started Tomighty with an inflexible workflow that I thought could cover the most common case. By definition, when you interrupt a pomodoro, you should consider it void and start a new one. But I don't want to keep that way because it's impossible to always scrictly follow this workflow. That's why I plan to provide alternative actions on each step of the workflow so the user might choose to take a break in the middle of a pomodoro, for instance. Take a look at issue #12, I think that would solve this problem while keeping the UI clean/easy to use:

   http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=12

Thanks for your suggestions, let's continue elaborating on your ideas.  Please let me know if I misunderstood something.  And also thanks for using Tomighty.

Cheers!

Célio

2010/10/2 Damian Gostomski <damian.g...@googlemail.com>

--
Célio Cidral Junior

[Célio]

I just created an issue for the window visibility option:

http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=14

> 2010/10/2 Damian Gostomski <damian.gostom...@googlemail.com>

[Damian Gostomski]

Thanks for the quick response. Sounds like your ideas for further
development solve my (immediate) problems in a nice way =)

> 2010/10/2 Damian Gostomski <damian.gostom...@googlemail.com>

[Célio]

Damian,

I just uploaded version 0.2 that includes an option to disable the
window's auto-hide feature (issue #14). Please take a look and tell me
what you think. To change the option, right-click the tray icon and
select the "Options" item.

Cheers!

On 2 out, 14:43, Damian Gostomski <damian.gostom...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

[Célio]

Hey Damian, check out version 0.3 of Tomighty. I added a tiny arrow
button at the top-right corner of the window that pops up a menu
containing alternative actions for the current screen. Please take a
look and tell me if that is what you were talking about in your first
post.

My best regards,

Célio

On 2 out, 14:43, Damian Gostomski <damian.gostom...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

[Célio]

Hello Kristen, sorry for the late response.

Now I see the point.  I could replace the Interrupt button by a Pause
button.  Pausing the pomodoro would (obviously pause the timer and)
hide the Pause button and show two other buttons: Resume and Abort.
What do you think about that? We might deal with the
internal/external distinction issue later, when I start to implement
the activity history feature
<http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=8>.

Célio

P.s.: I'm forwarding the message to the discussion group.

2010/12/30 Kristen Tavelli <ktav...@gmail.com>
>
> I really like Damian's suggestion to make the interrupt function more
> like a "pause" than killing your Pomodoro.  My reasoning for this is
> for the purpose of tracking your interruptions.  Straight from
> Francesco's official "cheat sheet" (http://www.scribd.com/doc/36672130/
> Pomodoro-Cheat-Sheet):
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>    Interruptions
>
>    Once you’ve started using the Pomodoro Technique, interruptions
> can become a real problem.
>    Internal interruptions are distractions that come from you: stand
> up and get something to eat or drink or to look up something on the
> Internet this minute.
>
>    Make these interruptions clearly visible. Every time you feel a
> potential interruption coming on, put an apostrophe (’) on the sheet
> where you record your Pomodoros.
>    Then do one of the following:
>
>    --Write down the new activity on the To Do Sheet under Unplanned &
> Urgent if you think it’s imminent and can’t be put off.
>
>    --Write it down in the Activity Inventory Sheet, marking it with a
> “U” (unplanned); add a deadline if need be.
>
>    --Intensify your determination to finish the current Pomodoro. Once
> you’ve marked down the apostrophe, continue working on the given task
> till the Pomodoro rings.
>
>    People who work in social environments have to deal with external
> interruptions: a colleague asks you how to compile a report; an email
> program constantly beeps every time a new message comes in.
>
>    A 25-minute or 2-hour delay (four Pomodoros) is almost always
> possible for activities that are commonly considered urgent.
>
>    Make these interruptions clearly visible. Every time someone or
> something tries to interrupt a Pomodoro, put a dash (-) on the sheet
> where you record your Pomodoros, apply the Inform, Negotiate, and Call
> Strategy.
>    Then apply one of the rules exposed above for internal
> interruptions.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> So I guess, either what I'm asking for is some form of easy, one-click
> internal/apostrophe(') or external/dash(-) interruption tracking.
> That would be very helpful to me, but I guess I could see the "pause"
> feature being useful too.  What do you think?
>
> Thanks!
> -Kristen

--
Célio Cidral Junior
http://www.kidux.com.br

[Thiago Moreira Talma]

"If you have to interrupt a Pomodoro, either because you give in to temptation or something really urgent comes up, there’s only one thing to do: void the current Pomodoro, even if it’s about to ring. (Rule: A Pomodoro Is Indivisible.)"

In the technique, there is no pause pomodoro.

2011/1/11 Célio <cci...@gmail.com>

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[Kristen Tavelli]

Célio,

Thanks for your response!  I am very much enjoying using Tomighty, I must say :)  In regards to my feature suggestion, I do understand Thiago's point that Pomodoros are indivisible.  To me, I think of an interruption (internal or external) as a brief pause.  I would say that the tracking of interruptions (in the history feature you mentioned) would be the more important, albeit most likely more difficult, feature to implement.

Thank you for your time & consideration!
Kristen

[Célio]

Hi Kristen,

Sorry for the late response. I created issue #42 <http://
code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=42> for this enhancement.
I will make it configurable, allowing users to choose how the
interrupt button should behave, either:

1. Aborting the pomodoro, or
2. Pausing the pomodoro

When pausing the pomodoro, the user will be able to either resume or
abort it. I think it's a good solution, as the user interface will be
kept clean.

Célio

On 11 jan, 10:57, Kristen Tavelli <ktave...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Célio,
>
> Thanks for your response!  I am very much enjoying using Tomighty, I must
> say :)  In regards to my feature suggestion, I do understand Thiago's point
> that Pomodoros are indivisible.  To me, I think of an interruption (internal
> or external) as a brief pause.  I would say that the tracking of
> interruptions (in the history feature you mentioned) would be the more
> important, albeit most likely more difficult, feature to implement.
>
> Thank you for your time & consideration!

> *Kristen*
>
> On Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 7:39 AM, Thiago Moreira Talma <thiagota...@gmail.com

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > wrote:
> > "If you have to interrupt a Pomodoro, either because you give in to
> > temptation or something really urgent comes up, there’s only one thing to
> > do: void the current Pomodoro, even if it’s about to ring. (Rule: A Pomodoro
> > Is Indivisible.)"
>
> > In the technique, there is no pause pomodoro.
>

> > 2011/1/11 Célio <ccid...@gmail.com>

>
> >> Hello Kristen, sorry for the late response.
>
> >> Now I see the point.  I could replace the Interrupt button by a Pause
> >> button.  Pausing the pomodoro would (obviously pause the timer and)
> >> hide the Pause button and show two other buttons: Resume and Abort.
> >> What do you think about that?  We might deal with the
> >> internal/external distinction issue later, when I start to implement
> >> the activity history feature
> >> <http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=8>.
>
> >> Célio
>
> >> P.s.: I'm forwarding the message to the discussion group.
>

> >> 2010/12/30 Kristen Tavelli <ktave...@gmail.com>

> >> tomighty+u...@googlegroups.com<tomighty%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.c om>
> >> .

> >> For more options, visit this group at
> >>http://groups.google.com/group/tomighty?hl=en.
>
> >  --
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> > .

[multipole]

Hi all

Thanks for such a eye-catching and usable piece of software.

I have a lot of suggestions, but for now I will put here only two of
them:

1. Option to switch off ticking sound during pause.
I am not sure about it in pomodoro "theory", but I think ticking sound
should encourage us and help concetrate for work. If timer ticks
during pause, that "crucial" feature of thicking is failed, in my
opinio of course.

2. After each pomodoro program asks "Take a break" and offers
possibility to take a short or long break. It is nice option, but I
think there should be another option (to choose in settings) which
force automaticaly flow full pomodoro sequence which consist of four
pomodoro-shortpause intervals and long break without interaction with
user. Of course, nicer option will be to choose howmany such series
user plan to fulfill, so user only have to switch timer on, and
program "force" him to follow sequence chosen.
I am not sure if I am clear with this, so I will give example:

Suppose this scenario in which I plan to fulfill 8 pomodoros for
today:
1st pomodoro - 1st shortbreak - 2nd pom - 2nd shortbreak - 3rd pom -
3rd shortbreak - 4th pom - 4th shortbreak - 1st LONGBREAK - 5th pom -
5th shortbreak - ... - 8th pomodoro.
For now, application after each pomodoro STOPS, and offer to choose
how to go on. That PAUSE which is not counted as part of a break and
is totaly voluntary how long it can take, is not something which force
"weak" person to sticks with her plan. In that moment user can think:
"oh I can look for a email quickly and back to work" but weak as her
is, email occupied her for a longer time, moreover she probably open
some webpage and starts waste her time.
My suggestion is, to allow user to choose in settings to not let him
to control flow of pomodoro-break sequence, but to FORCE him to follow
seqence chosen before he starts. In that case, he has no time to look
at email or a web page, or, if he looks during a regular short break,
timer goes on automaticaly and force him to get back to work!

Huh, i hope it is clear now :)


Chears and again thanks for nice application

[Célio]

Hello multipole,

Thanks, I'm really glad you like Tomighty. My apologies for the late
response. I read your message a few moments after you sent it but was
unable to take a quality time to reply due to lots of unusual things
that have happened these days. Well, let's get right to the point.

1. About the ticking sound, you got a good point. I totally agree
with you, so I will not even get into details as I have nothing to add
to it. It's an easy change to do, so I will place this task in
milestone 0.7.

2. Let's see if I got it right. The idea is to add an option to
automatically start pauses and pomodoros without asking the user for
it. In other words, when a pomodoro ends, the pause should start
immediately (the program should determine how long the next pause will
take based on the number of pomodoros completed). And when the pause
ends, a new pomodoro starts immediately. That's also very easy to
implement. But for a matter of prioritization of tasks, I need to ask
this: will that be useful for you? Or for anyone else in this list.
Because if it's easy to do and useful for someone, then it's worth
being included in the next release. Otherwise I will push it to some
further milestone.

I'm asking that because I took some time thinking about it and I
personally would not turn that option on as I normally get up from the
chair and walk away from the computer. When the pause ends, I hear
the bell sound and get back to the computer and start a new pomodoro.
I hardly in my pauses read emails, twitter, etc. to avoid getting
tired of sitting in front of the computer. But that is my personal
experience, not everyone is like me. What matter is that the feature
is actually useful for someone. If you (or someone else) say it is
useful (and I believe it is), then I will release it in the next
version. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not refuting your suggestion.
It's just a matter of prioritizing tasks for future releases, as
there are lots of features to implement.

Well that's it. I'm looking forward to hear your next suggestions. :-)

Cheers,

Célio

2011/2/22 multipole <gethi...@gmail.com>:

[Helvalius]

Hi,

I personally would prefer a default, for example for users new to the
pomodoro technique, to automatically choose the correct break. This
would improve the usability for a new user working with the technique.
Those breaks are after all clearly defined in the pomodoro
description.
I also encounter myself to directly click the break button, and then
sometimes I also wander away to get a new tea and then get back to my
computer after I hear the end sound.
My preference would at be to suggest or start the corresponding break,
and wait for the user afterwards to start the next pomodoro.


have fun

Jan

[Thiago Moreira Talma]

Hi!

This "suggestion" is already done by counting the Pomodoros displayed on the gauge.

In my understanding, the Tomighty is not a stand-alone software that a persondownloads and starts to wear. It is based on a technique that must be understoodbefore they are implemented using software, whatever it is.

Thiago

2011/2/28 Helvalius <jan.n...@gmx.net>

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[Célio]

2011/2/28 Helvalius <jan.n...@gmx.net>:

> My preference would at be to suggest or start the corresponding break,
> and wait for the user afterwards to start the next pomodoro.

You mean, to display only one break button, either short or long
break, instead of the two? That makes sense. I created an issue for
it: http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=45

Regarding the automatic start of pomodoros and breaks, I'm creating
another issue.

Célio

[Célio]

2011/2/22 multipole <gethi...@gmail.com>:

> 1. Option to switch off ticking sound during pause.
> I am not sure about it in pomodoro "theory", but I think ticking sound
> should encourage us and help concetrate for work. If timer ticks
> during pause, that "crucial" feature of thicking is failed, in my
> opinio of course.

Issue #46: http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=46

> 2. After each pomodoro program asks "Take a break" and offers
> possibility to take a short or long break. It is nice option, but I
> think there should be another option (to choose in settings) which
> force automaticaly flow full pomodoro sequence which consist of four
> pomodoro-shortpause intervals and long break without interaction with
> user. Of course, nicer option will be to choose howmany such series
> user plan to fulfill, so user only have to switch timer on, and
> program "force" him to follow sequence chosen.

Issue #47: http://code.google.com/p/tomighty/issues/detail?id=47

Célio

[Mario Amatucci]

hi,

it would be possible to add a new couple of option:

1 [] take a pause after a pomodoro

// it will kick a pause after a pomodoro was completed

2 [] start a new pomodoro automatically after a pause

// to kick the peace up and running

3 [] take a long pause after N pomodoro

// it kick a long pause instead of a short one after N pomodoros completed in a row

Cheers Mario

[Szymek Drobniak]

Hi, I hope this a a correct thread for my suggestion ;)

First of all - great app, I love it and it made my life so much better. On feature suggestion that I think many users might be interested in is a continuous pomodoros count in the app. Currently after 4 pomodoros the app starts counting from 1. It'd be great to add option of turning on a continuous counter so that one could monitor the total number of pomodoros completed within one day/Tomighty session.

Cheers,

Szymek

[Aubrey Walker]

Would it be possible to add a feature for the following: I think people would pay for the following:

Auto-start work mode, between break and work, and vice versa:

Be able to count number of Pomos done per day, or look at that data

Auto-start application on Computer Start-up.