The idea behind Freewaregenius came to me when I was clean-installing Windows on my wife’s laptop. I made a list of all the software categories that I had to install … viruskiller, antispyware, firewall, cd-ripper, dvd player, etc., and realized that for most of these I knew of a competent 100% free option that was often my top pick even when compared with commercial/shareware software. The vision behind Freewaregenius.com is therefore to replace as many retail/shareware programs that I ever need to use with a first rate freeware alternative, such that one day every installed program that I use will be FREE (hence the freewaregenius slogan: one day all software will be free).

Click here to learn more about Freewaregenius, or here to go the Freewaregenius main page.

MP: What is Joe’s Goals?
Ian: Joe’s Goals is a simple online goal tracking application. Basically it lets you define a list of goals on the left hand column while the days of the week are shown across the top. Click the corresponding box to mark what you’ve completed each day. You can even record multiple check marks where needed. For example, I could have a goal called Practice Guitar and with just two clicks I can record that I practiced Monday and Thursday.

MP: What does Ben Franklin have to do with your Web 2.0 application?
Ian: A while back I saw a blog post talking about how Ben Franklin developed and tracked a list of 13 Virtues in his effort to improve himself. He used a pen to track his daily progress on a pad of paper he had printed up for himself. I thought the grid format was innovative and I soon figured out a way to incorporate it into my idea for a goal tracking application. A number of people even use Joe’s Goals to track Ben Franklin’s original 13 Virtues.
http://www.emaginacion.com.ar/cym/gain-more-virtues-by-benjamin-franklin/
MP: How does Joe’s Goals help me meet my goals?
Ian: The application came about because I wanted a way to track my daily habits (both good and bad). The idea was to give visibility into the way you are spending your time so that you could easily tell if you spent the last week progressing toward your goals or if you spent your time sitting in front of the TV drinking Dr. Pepper and eating potato chips. The tracker will hold as many goals and vices as you want and tracking them just takes a click of your mouse once you are logged in.
MP: How has Joe’s Goals been received by the Internet at large?
Ian: I’ve been very surprised by the warm reception. It has, naturally, been on digg and reddit along with a half dozen other popular blogs including LifeHacker and the Yahoo 9. Overall people have been very enthusiastic about Joe’s Goals, and I now have over 100 links from personal blogs praising the application. I’ve also been featured on TV, on radio, and in newspapers. I never expected this little application to go so far so quickly.
http://www.joesgoals.com/index.cfm?openaction=press
MP: What has surprised you most about the way people use Joe’s Goals?
Ian: The overwhelming enthusiasm has certainly surprised me. People all over the globe have tested the beta version and the wide variety of goals they’ve tracked has been astonishing. People have used Joe’s Goals to help them exercise, eat healthier, quit smoking, control spending, etc. The goals that really get me excited are the ones related to other people. I love it when someone uses Joe’s Goals to make sure they compliment people, kiss their spouse each day, spend time with their kids, or pray for someone. I found this data so exciting I created a public area of the site called Get Inspired in the hopes that others will also be so impressed.
http://www.joesgoals.com/get_inspired/index.cfm
MP: Where is the application headed?
Ian: Like any Web 2.0 application: if you aren’t building new features you are disappearing. I have a number of big things planned for the application. There are also a lot of user requested updates and changes that are in the queue. One of the big features I’m getting ready to roll out is a “notes” feature that will let you add notes to your tracker in addition to checks. The basic idea being that if you skip a workout or get in late to work one day you can simply add a note to explain why it happened. I’ve been using this feature for a couple of weeks to track my blessings and journal about my writing activities. 

Keeping track of the babies “In’s and Out’s” (feeding and pooping for the uninitiated) was my first challenge. I created a simple spreadsheet for each baby. I suggest keeping them on clipboards with a pen in the baby’s room. The information was helpful for our pediatrician to review with us in the early weeks and months. Especially with twins, it was hard to keep track. (“How often does she eat? Did he really go three days without pooping?”) It also helped my husband and I coordinate any medications so we didn’t double-dose. When relatives wanted to help out, they could also check and see when a baby last ate or pooped. 

Click here to see my charts:  Baby’s In’s and Out’s Chart

Get the idea? You can be very utilitarian and create a plain typewritten chart or list. Or, you can have some fun and use colors and fun fonts to get creative. I used some basic Excel skills and some free fonts from the internet to create my charts. A terrific source for (free!) fonts you can install on your computer is http://www.momscorner4kids.com/fonts.

More lists!

Then it was time to get out of the house. The idea of leaving the house with two little ones in tow took some real guts. Keeping bags at the ready was helpful. For example, I try to keep a pool bag packed and ready so we can head out quickly. But a packing list tucked in the bag helps with restocking and remembering perishables.

A diaper bag list near the door was a great way to avoid that “what am I forgetting” feeling as I left the house with two little ones, especially at first. I liked being to update and reprint them as their needs changed, too. We extended the idea to overnight trips, too. Packing is a snap and makes it easier for my husband to pitch in and grab things, too. So, save your mind. Download some fonts and create some easy lists and charts to get organized.