PROACTIME PRO 9.2.6

Overview

Time is a valuable thing, and new tasks appear daily that need your attention. So if you have a busy schedule you must organize all your duties to increase efficiency and complete them faster, but how can you do that? With PROACTIME Pro. This software is a PIM (Personal Information Manager) and GTD (Getting Things Done) tool with features that will help you get the most out of your schedule.

Installation

The first window that will pop-up when you run the installer will ask you to choose installation language. Afterwards you can proceed to the rest of the steps, in one of which you’ll have to select whether you want to update existing data files or not. It’s not clear as to what kind of files the installer wants to update, so it’s up to you to decide (in our tests nothing bad came out when this option was checked). Oh, and if you see a program from PC SOFT Tools called WDOptimiseur, then you should know that it’s an additional software installed along with PROACTIME Pro. You can uninstall it if you wish.

Supported operating systems are Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

Interface

First time you run the program you’ll see an introductive message with a few tips on using the program. You’ll probably get confused when see the main window, which has many tabs, functions, options, buttons and panes in it. There are 11 tabs in the top row (ORG, ACT, RES, PLAN, STAT, DATA, SETTINGS, TOOLS, QUIT, TUTORIAL and “?”) and the contents of the window change according to the selected tab. The last 5 tabs are drop-down menus.

Pros

This program combines the features of a PIM software with the features of a GTD software. It has a dashboard where you can enter all your scheduled tasks, panes to add projects, notes, files, documents, partners, as well as a calendar to help you out with future plans. There are tabs for virtually anything; from providing space to divide your tasks into steps to writing notes in your diary.

To get started though, it’s wise that you check out the quick-start tutorial. It will show you how to organize your day, manage your contacts, prepare your tasks, manage your data and do other stuff.

The program’s main language is French, so French-speaking users can use this language over English.

Cons

It’s really hard to get used to this program. It is certainly filled with features that you won’t find elsewhere, but it is essential that you spend a lot of time with it in order to feel confident and use it with ease. In addition, it installs without your consent other software as well (check out the Installation paragraph).

Alternatives

EssentialPIM (free) is a software you can take a look at if PROACTIME Pro isn't to your taste, which has all the features a PIM tool should have and even more. Gtdagenda (paid) is an online solution to consider if you’re looking for a GTD tool.

Conclusion

Need to get your schedule in order? Then look no more. This is definitely what you need. Not recommended for inexperienced users though due to its complex interface, but advanced users will love it.