You can skip this essay if you just want to get started, or read it for some insights into why the previous maintainer is crazy about it.
Why I Use Planner, by Sacha Chua
I thought about why I liked Planner. Planner as a TODO manager isn't particularly special. Although I can assign tasks to categories and see a breakdown of what projects are taking up my time, Evolution and Microsoft Outlook provide more powerful task support. In other task managers, you can e-mail tasks, assign multiple categories and fill in all sorts of metadata. You can even synchronize your tasks with devices like a phone or PDA. So why use Planner?
I realized that integration into my way of life and automatic context clues are what really make planner tasks worth it for me. I don't have to switch to another application to create a task. I can just hit a keyboard shortcut. Planner uses a minibuffer to get the task description. My windows are not rearranged in any way, and I can look at the data that's relevant to a task. Not only that, tasks automatically pick up context clues, like whom I'm talking to on IRC or the file I'm editing at the moment. This cuts down on the explicit context I need to include and makes it easier for me to bring up the task again.
As a scheduler, Planner is also not particularly distinguished. Sure, it can display my ~/diary, but for that matter so can M-x diary. Evolution and Outlook can give me a more graphical view of my time, sync with my PDA, and coordinate my schedule with other people. Those applications support detailed schedule entries with powerful cyclic options. On the other hand, Planner gives me a personal, plain text view and (at least the way I use it) requires me to edit a separate file to add new appointments. (I've defined a few shortcut keys to deal with this.) However, it does have one advantage—my schedule is always loaded. I used to use Outlook on Windows, but having my schedule in a separate application meant that I actually looked at it very rarely, as I had turned off reminders because they got annoying.
Planner's notes, however, are what really convinced me. I can hit a keyboard shortcut from anywhere and type my notes into a buffer which automatically keeps context information. After typing the note, I can then categorize it. I think that the critical thing here is that interruptions—fleeting thoughts—don't break my flow. I can just pop up a remember buffer, stow that thought away somewhere, and go back to it whenever I want. In contrast, creating a note in Outlook means switching out of my application, making a couple of keystrokes, typing the note in, and then switching back. The context switches make it hard to keep track of where I am and what I'm supposed to remember. Not only that, I need to enter context by hand. Even though I can color my notes and reorganize them in Outlook, I find the context switch too expensive. I used to keep notes in other knowledge management tools as well. Some applications allowed me to drag-and-drop links into the current note, and that was cool. But that required a manual action, and those applications didn't feel integrated into my way of working. (Note: You'll need remember.el for this.)
I guess that's why I like Planner. Unlike other organizers which don't know anything about the applications I use, Planner tries its best to integrate into the way I work, and it's easy to extend. Fortunately I do almost all my work in Emacs, so I can think of my organizer as integrated into my e-mail client, Internet Relay Chat client, web browser, file editor and even games. It automatically picks up context clues from these applications and allows me to easily jump back to relevant files. It doesn't distract me. It allows me to key in data and then it gets out of my way.
(That said, it's perfectly okay to use Planner even if you don't live in Emacs.)
The processing that happens in the background is a bonus, and publishing my task list and notes online has greatly helped me. It gives other people a way to see what I'm working on and what I've planned for the future. Occasionally people write in with additional resources and helpful tips. (Again, this is purely optional. Many people don't publish their planner pages. Other people use really fine-grained access control.)
I think the greatest feature of Planner, though, is its user community. Because Planner can be easily modified, we can experiment with a lot of new ideas quickly, and we can tailor Planner to fit our needs. I love checking my ‘planner-el-discuss’ mail and finding out how people have tweaked Planner or would like to tweak Planner, and I've learned a lot by exchanging reflections on organizing one's life.
I really wasn't an organization freak before I started using Planner. I often forgot to do my homework or answer important mail. I still procrastinate now, but at least it's all being kept track of somewhere! I also really like how Planner lets me to gradually improve how I'm doing things, and I feel I've come a long way.
Please try it out! We'd love to hear how Planner can become your personal information manager.