What is Nozbe... how it all started

My small "getting things done via the web" application called Nozbe just entered an official beta stage. I’m so excited!

OK, but firstly let me introduce myself and explain a little more about this new project…

My name is Michael Sliwinski and I’m the owner of apivision.com, a small internet-based e-markting company of three. We are a small, but a very busy company, constantly working on many projects and managing several marketing campaigns of various web sites… so high productivity is the key in our business.

And it’s not only about productivity.

It’s about stress-free proudctivity, it’s about clearing our heads and focusing on one thing only at a given time… to accomplish the "next action" and move on… with a "mind like water"

Unfortunately I’m not a well-organized person.

This is true. I used to have tens of things on my mind at any given time and this caused several serious problems for me: forgetting things, not meeting deadlines, being late… you name it. And these are not the qualities you would expect from an owner of a company (especially a small one like mine!).

So I started to search for solutions to help me organize my tasks and get them done.

...and I stumbled upon a book by David Allen:

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

This book changed my life! I was impressed by David Allen’s method of Getting Things Done, which is actually no rocket science… only a handful of tricks that change the way you work and "process" all your everyday tasks. David Allen really gets it right. Grab your copy of the book if you haven’t read it yet.

And everyone can "get things done" in their own way!

The fantastic thing is that there is no "one-and-only getting things done system" but everyone can adjust David Allen’s preachings to their own needs and applying them the way they like it.

I started searching for my system.

As I spend at my computer 10-12 hours a day, I started searching for a computer- or Internet-based solution that would help me create my productive getting-things-done-system. I tried many applications, I’ve used most of the Personal Information Managers, checked out many web-based to-do lists… and while many of these solutions had nice ideas… none of them worked as good for me as I wanted it to.

Not being happy with the results, I created my own system!

I’m an Internet marketer and a web-developer, so back in the beginning of 2005, right after we have launched our first version of HitRSS I started developing my very own Getting Things Done system which I could use the way I wanted. I would simply try to take some of the ideas from the applications I had seen and used to combine them into a new system… my system.

It was a long journey, but it was worth it.

As I had to focus on running my company and serving my clients, I would develop my application in my spare time, but I devoted all my heart to it as it was meant to change my life. Well… after three major rewrites and thousands of hours of re-thinking and re-coding… I had the fist part of my system ready by August 2006 – this year’s summer.

I named it Nozbe and started using it.

My good old friend Victor invented the name. I liked it, it’s short, sounds intriguing and it’s unique. If you put Nozbe in google, only my web site will pop up.

So I had my own productivity-system and I started using it on a daily basis. Since I was the only user, I could tweak it, change it and update it every time I wanted without caring what others might think.

And then my employees and clients saw it

Since I travel with my Tablet PC everywhere, people noticed this small personal productivity system called Nozbe on my computer and started asking me about it and started to show interest… so I decided it would be quite selfish of me if I just keep it all to myself.

My decision is to share Nozbe with you!

Yes, I decided to share Nozbe with others and see if people like it as much as I do. You are all welcome to try it and see if it makes you more productive and less stressed… it worked for me, maybe it will work for you.

You can find Nozbe here: www.Nozbe.com

When will Nozbe be available to everybody?

Very soon, actually I’m thinking right after New Year’s Eve, starting January 1st, 2007. Before that, I will launch the "private beta" program and only let a limited number of people in order to get first feedback and fine-tune the application before the start.

I will update this blog frequently so just keep on visiting the Nozbe web site, this Nozbe Blog or subscribe to my RSS feed in your News Reader.

I’ll keep you posted.

- Michael

P.S. If you want to contact me, share your thoughts, provide feedback, you’re welcome! Just go ahead and write to michael [at] nozbe [dot] com