Motivator Pro
Most intelligent: This program, from Calgary-based Success Software, introduced the world to goal setting software. Since it has the longest track record, it's hardly surprising that it's exceptionally advanced. Although other goal setting programs allow you to view your plans and progress, only Motivator Pro turns the table around and monitors you. This feature, more than any other, is what separates it from the others and makes it so effective.
When you begin using the program, it scans your goals and tasks, and if it finds anything overdue, it demands to know what you are going to do about it. That is, are you going to extend the deadline (if so, to what date); are you going to delete the goal; or did you complete the goal but forget to check it off as done? When asked to do so, Motivator Pro will display your progress in the form of graphs, alerting you to problem areas. If you keep extending or deleting goals and tasks, don't expect a favorable review from the program, which watches your every move and remembers everything you do.
When working on my career goals, it suddenly occurred to me that I should do more networking by joining additional associations and attending more business meetings. So, before forgetting, I quickly added a new goal called "networking." Not yet sure which associations I would be joining or meetings I would be attending, I did not attach any tasks to the "networking" goal. After all, I could always do that later. While working in the program a couple of days later, I asked the built-in "Goal Coach" to check my goals. It immediately reported that I had not added any tasks to my "networking" goal and suggested that I do so. In other words, Motivator Pro won't allow you to forget anything. It's always on your back, nagging you, prodding you forward. It's a stern taskmaster determined to make you succeed, but if you can't take the heat, you better look elsewhere!
Among the eight programs, only three have a tree view. Motivator Pro's is the best by far. On a single screen you can view all your goals, deadlines, and their relationships. You can right click on a goal and instantly edit it. And it is just as easy to add new goals or delete deadweight. The program also comes with both a scratch pad and daily journal. The daily journal has a powerful search tool, which will find what you're looking for in a flash. The scratch pad is just for jotting down notes on the fly, which at a later date can be converted to goals, tasks, or other elements with a single mouse click.
Packed with other features as well, Motivator Pro is easy to use, powerful and effective. In a word, it is a goal setting program that is impossible to ignore.
Our rating: Highly Recommended