Recommendations for a Mac using GTD noob

[seaweasel]

I've read some of David Allen's book and have been meaning to get into GTD for a while, however I could do with some recommendations from people on a good solution for the Mac. I've had a look at both iGTD and OmniFocus (started using the latter although it's been a little unstable so I've just been checking out OmniFocus).

To give you a bit of background, I have a day job but I also do freelance web and music industry work which has taken a bit of a backseat since I moved country recently. I'd like to get it off the ground again and also get a lot of other stuff organised (my upcoming wedding in two weeks is probably past any attempts to use GTD!) so I thought I should give GTD a proper go.

I'm also planning on getting an iPhone later this year (probably around November) but my current phone is a bit fiddly for any organisational stuff other than a short todo list on the desktop (it's a SE k810). I use gMail and gCal via the web, I switched from Apple Mail and iCal a couple of years ago.

If anyone can give me their experiences of iGTD, OmniFocus, or any other apps or solutions, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[Todd V]

Recommendations

Two I would recommend for mac-users:

Ready-Set-Do! - a file-system approach to getting things done on the mac. (A GTD approach I designed).

ThinkingRock - a Java-based GTD program.

In addition to helping you organize things by contexts they also help coach you through some of the other elements of learning GTD - especially Projects.

 

[Jim]

For me, the two best GTD options on the Mac are:

OmniFocus

Things

Right now, I am waiting on them to get their iPhone components, and to add syncing (in the meantime, I am using printouts, which work fine when I am away from my Mac).

Both have iPhone components in active preparation.

OmniFocus' iPhone version is detailed here.

Things' iPhone version details are here.

We'll have to wait until the above are released, but the OmniFocus iPhone app has some GPS location based features that will make it my GTD app of choice (Using your location, OmniFocus can create a custom list of actions to complete nearby. Buying groceries? OmniFocus can show you the closest grocery store and create an instant shopping list.) Things does have a smoother/cleaner/more-Mac-like interface interface, so I am keeping it as a viable option until I can compare the iPhone apps side-by-side (since Things may add the GPS location features to its app).

The AppleScript and Java apps don't support my needs. iGTD looked very promising, but it seems to have slowed momentum. Version 2 of Midnight Inbox may be great if you want a application to guide you through the GTD process.

There are others as well (the Mac platform seems to breed them: Ghost Action; Anxiety; Actiontastic; Action Tracker; EasyTask Manager; Taskpaper; Frictionless), but I haven't found them to be contenders.

I hope the above helps in your search!

Jim

 

[lastgasp]

Second the rec for OmniFocus

I second Jim's suggestion for OmniFocus. I was an alpha and beta tester, and it's by far the cleanest, easiest, most reliable of the GTD-centric apps out there for the Mac. (Believe me, I tested quite a lot of them...)

I don't try to manage lists on a phone, though I do have a BlackBerry 8120 (new Pearl on T-Mobile) that makes e-mail a breeze. The OF upgrade for the iPhone might persuade me to shift to the iPhone, but for now I'm very pleased with the OmniFocus and BlackBerry combo.

Best wishes for the upcoming wedding!

Tim

 

[thr61]

x2 for OmniFocus. I have used a large number of GTD programs and have found it to be head and shoulders above the rest. It has a native iPhone application coming out next month (with an especially cool location aware feature -- the iPhone will know you are near a hardware store, for example, and remind you to pick up a box of nails). OF works well with native Mac apps and there is a large user community writing custom scripts that integrate it with your working style.

Good luck with it.

 

[iannarino]

Omnifocus with new iPhone, Vitalist now.

I like Omnifocus, but the inability to carry and edit my lists mean that it is not the single capture device I need. I am using the iPhone, and this will change when Omni releases their iPhone version and I can add and edit my lists from wherever I happen to be, and whenever something crosses my mind.

In the meantime, I am using Vitalist, which works quite well from the iPhone, as a substitute. They have a nice clean interface for the iPhone, and it is web-based so I can access it from any of my computers.

 

[mcogilvie]

I would like to like Omnifocus, but I have found that I just won't use it. It seems to me to have a lot of infelicities: Navigation is painful.
Keyboard shortcuts seem terrible: control-command-right arrow to indent? It's hard to get data into it (but somewhat easier to get it out). It's not any one thing I can point to, but it seems unpleasant, almost un-Mac-like to use. Just not simple and fast for me. I love Omnigraffle, and like Omnioutliner, but I would recommend giving Omnifocus a full trial before buying.

I am using Toodledo, a web app, and can recommend the Remember the Milk, another web app, as well. They are fast and simple to use, but both have considerable customizability. Both are cheaper than Vitalist. Because I have an iPhone, what I do may change in July when the iPhone app store opens for business, but may not.