Any Mac users out there?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jane M.
  • Start date Start date
Mac users

I went to the seminar in Boston. for the second time. Even though I had taken the seminar before I got more out of it this time, probably because I was aware of what I was not doing when David described it. It was a good group of people with some good questions. An ongoing family medical emergency has made the last month, very spotty for work and not having done a full review the week before the emergency has really shown up the value of doing the weekly review and the price you pay when you don't .
Next week we are closed Friday and with what I hope will be a medical issue that's well on its way to being controlled, I hope to have a full weekly review and to be caught up by the time the following Monday roles by.

I am still using entourage, and I am still very happy with it. There is a book out by the publisher Peach- something that has a new book out just on the project center. I will post the name when I get the book. I haven't found it in the book stores. They are not great about carrying Mac software books.

Have a happy thanksgiving everyone.

Mardo
 
GTD and me

Hi Mardo and others,

I was at the Boston event to and really had a great time - though it was my first!

I discovered GTD a few months ago and its been a great help. Since I am also a mac enthusiast, I thought I'd share what I'm doing and why.

For me, it is critical that I be able to share contacts and calendar info with my secretary. Neither one of us is in the office enough, so we have to share info as much as possible via means other than face-to-face meetings.

So, I use Now Up to Date and Contact. These programs have their frustrations to be sure, but they also have their perks - sharing is included, so that's a plus for me. I think the Now products, because of their age, are now over-developed. Some work should go in to simplifying them, updating the interface, and removing legacy features that no longer make sense. I could probably write an essay on that alone.

For email, I use Thunderbird. I have spent a LOT of time looking for a suitable email client. I've literally tried them all - and I would pay a small fortune for one that does all that I want. Thunderbird comes closest, and it is free! I find that Thunderbird allows for the fastest and easiest processing of email - that's the real key for me. Like most, I have about 100 - 200 emails a day - and most are crap. So I've got 15 - 20 essential emails, another 20 non-essential but worth reading and keeping emails, and the other 100 or so are crap. With Thunderbird, i can churn through them, delete or file them as appropriate, very quickly and easily.

I also have a very old CLIE T615. I plan to update this early next year. I was a bit disappointed in the Palm T5, but it will be a huge upgrade for me from the old CLIE. If nothing new from Palm comes out between now and January, I plan to get a T5.

I find the Palm very useful. While reading emails, I'll input follow-ups and to dos right into my palm - I find this faster and easier than switching to NUTD. I also use the Plam as a rolodex- so the truth is I don't actually *use* NUTD all that much - it's basically a synching system between me and my secretary.

My favorite feature of the Palm is the fact that you can click repeatedly on the "To Do" button and it will cycle through your different categories of to dos. I find this a wonder. I used to use Datebook 5+, but now I find it too cumbersome. I am currently experimenting with Agendus - I like it for the most part, and it maintains the todo cylcing feature that I like, but it runs slow on my old CLIE. I assume it will run fast on a T5.

I looked into Office 2004 and the Project Center when it came out. I liked it, but I also found it cumbersome. Plus, it's real value comes when you use all the other components of Office. Since sharing isn't included, and since the email client is not nearly as good as Thunderbird in my opinion, it's just not a good option for me.

I also use Omni products. The outliner they have is great for basic outlines and thinking through a project. OmniWeb is a great web browser, though I'm also found of Safari and Firebird. OmniWeb allows you to really focus on the task at hand - which keeps me from pointless web surfing.

ok....enough rambling....great to be here!
 
Macs and GTD

I'm a Mac user (in a three-PowerBook household) and a relative newcomer to GTD. Perhaps my life just isn't very complicated, but I've found so far that I can manage the GTD just fine with the basics: Palm Desktop and my Palm and a few index cards strewn around the house. I've set up action lists pretty much as set out in the book, and so far I'm remembering to review them and crossing lots of things off.

I use StickyBrain for collecting miscellaneous snippets of stuff for reference, and I've just realised that I use my mail client, Eudora, for a whole bunch of things not related to e-mail: drafting text, filing information, etc.

My work (editorial, self-employed) is pretty straightforward, so I don't need complex project-management tools. However, like a lot of people here, it seems, I'm fond of organising toys and always on the lookout for the magic wand that will instantly tidy up my life and unleash all that energy pent-up creativity (yeah, right). Among the things I'm demo-ing are

LifeBalance (probably won't bother)
NoteBook
NoteTaker
Ulysses

iCal looks OK, but I do a lot of my work on an OS 9 system, and I want to be able to switch instantly to my organiser when an idea strikes. Palm Desktop is basic but functional.

I'm getting the sense that if you just review and think about your stuff, doing so will dictate the methods for keeping track of it.
 
DevonThink

Is anyone using the new version of DevonTHINK as a GTD tool?

I love a lot about it and think it is really cool, but I'm still trying to figure out if it's really useful. For some applications, I'm sure it is amazing - for instance, I know a lawyer who this would be a great tool for - put in all the materials for a case in all the various formats - PDFs, Word, Text, etc. - and then search like crazy. It's critical in his work to find connections to events, people, places that are revealing and unique....

But I'm not sure I have a use for it....as a pastor of a church, I thought it might be useful to store all my material for worship in there, and then find everything I've ever done for a certain Sunday of the year with a simple search..that kind of thing - but I'm not sure if the work to get there is overkill. I also wonder how it could be used effectively for GTD. Someone on 43folders posted something about this..but I just don't see it being any better than the todo app on my palm....

any thoughts?
 
Re: Shadow OSX Desktop Beta

what do people think of th Shadow OSX, incorporated with GTD?

THANKS,
a newbie.....
david
 
DevonThink

Someone on 43folders posted something about this..but I just don't see it being any better than the todo app on my palm....
Click to expand...

The tools are the means, not the end. If you don't think you need it, well, maybe you really don't need it. You only need new software when your computer can't do the things your brain wants it to do.

I've been tempted by lots of magic-bullet applications and come to the conclusion expressed by (I think) Robin Williams, and I am probably not quoting exactly: "The Mac will help you organize and create, but it will not make you organized and creative."

That said, what the hell? Download a demo and see whether the latest magic-bullet app actually changes your life.
[/quote]
 
Re: Mac users

Mardo said:
I am still using entourage, and I am still very happy with it.
Click to expand...

Mardo, I just upgraded to Office 2004 and am loving Entourage's project center. Great for my client-centered life and GTD.
 
Re: Any Mac users out there?

Howdy Jane,

You had written:

Jane M. said:
Are there any GTD-ers using this forum who are on Macs? Right now I'm using Entourage (2001, not OS X) for my master task list (moderately useful) and Palm desktop for contacts. Yes, this hybrid system is confusing and somewhat silly, but I like to have my tasks and my email together (often I make tasks out of email), and haven't been able to successfully import Palm info to Entourage.
...
What does anyone else use?
Click to expand...

I am brand new to the GTD world and am still in the process of updating my reference system. But I have played around with the tools a bit and will share with you what I am currently using.

Hardware:
1. Mac laptop
2. Treo 600
3. iPod

Mac Software:

StickyBrain, version 3.2.0
iCal
AddressBook
Mail

My Inboxes:
1. Physical inbox and home and work
2. Inbox in Mail application
3. Small notepad I carry with me everywhere.

If a thought comes to my while I'm out and about, I jot it down in a small memo pad I carry. I find it easier to write things down rather than enter it on the Treo.

My StickyBrain application is setup with the following folders:

Code: 
	completed_actions
	complete_projects
	future_projects
	memo_lists
	projects
	reference
	iPod/actions
	  agendas
	  anywhere
	  call
	  computer
	  errands
	  home
	  mikie (my wife)
	  office
	  online
	  waiting_for

Each project gets its own entry the the projects folder in StickyBrain (SB). The title of the project is as follows:

context/project_name

Examples are:

ags/Student Management Database
home/Garage Repairs
gnm/Sqlite Plugin

In these examples the "context" part of the project name is either the place or the company name (or abbreviation).

The body of the entries in projects contain additional project notes and links to project reference files.

Then, also in SB, I have an entry in the appropriate actions subfolder whose name is the same as the associated project name. The body of the entry has action steps. As they are completed I check them off and also append the date/time that it was completed. The entry will then be moved if necessary to the appropriate action subfolder.

SB allows you to link notes together, so the action steps entry for a project is linked to the project entry.

All of the action step folders are in a subfolder of "iPod". SB will sync anything that is a subfolder of iPod over to the iPod. This lets me have a copy of my Action lists with me when I am on the move even if I don't have my computer with me.

I use the standard iCal application for all of my Calendar type information tracking.

I use the standard AddressBook application for all of that information.

I use the standard Mail application for email.

My Calendar and AddressBook entries all synch to both my iPod and my Treo.

Hmm, I guess that's about it! I am glad I found this forum. It has lots of interesting information!

--gordon

P.S. Here is a link to the StickyBrain folks.
 
Sticky Brain

Thanks, Gordon, for that very in-depth look at Sticky Brain. I was trialing it before Christmas but too busy to really play with it before the trial period expired. Perhaps I will cough up the $40 and noodle around with it some more using your notes as a guide.

Also, since I made that original post (September '02, WOW), I've taken up with LifeBalance, which I do like a lot.

Have been resisting putting anything other than music on my precious ipod, but maybe it's time to get over that.

Thanks again -
Jane
 
Re: Sticky Brain

Hi Jane!

[quote="Jane M."Also, since I made that original post (September '02, WOW), I've taken up with LifeBalance, which I do like a lot.

Have been resisting putting anything other than music on my precious ipod, but maybe it's time to get over that.
[/quote]

I will have to take a look at the LifeBalance software. I'm a sucker for new tools! :-)

As far as putting stuff on the iPod. I say GO FOR IT! There is so much room on these things. I love having all of my contacts and calendars on the iPod.. Makes it easy to look up something or someone in a pinch!

--gordy
 
Re: Any Mac users out there

Gordon's review of Sticky Brain is fabulous.

I've been using MacJournal in much of a similar way. It's worth a try out and version 2.6 is free!
 
Re: Any Mac users out there

Howdy dbenegal,

dbenegal said:
I've been using MacJournal in much of a similar way. It's worth a try out and version 2.6 is free!
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the MacJournal info. That's an interesting piece of software and I have not ever used it. Have to check it out now.

--gordy
 
Re: Any Mac users out there

Gordy while we await your review of Mac Journal, I have a question;

iCal doesn't have categories like Palm Desktop. I guess when you sync to your Treo you don't use one.

I'm using a rather round-about way:

Create a Calendar in iCal called Actions and then Prefix every ToDo with @Calls, @Work, @Online and then the description of the task. The Hotysnc to my Palm handheld.

A bit painful unless you or someone else has a better suggestion.

I switched back to using Palm Desktop though find my I miss sending and receiving Calendar events which iCal has and Palm doesn't.

dev

ps: Notational Velocity is a great app to have around for those random notes and thoughts and has a superfast find feature.
 
re: Palm Desktop problems

Over the past few months, I've noticed something disturbing. I only use Palm Desptop for addresses, not tasks or appts. Sometimes, rarely, changes I make to the addresses disappear the next time I open the file.
I'm a publisher. I recently published an industry directory, and this little glitch got me into hot water with a couple of accounts. It's affected my subscriber database too. At first it only happened enough times that I thought it must be my personal error, but a couple of days ago I found physical proof. Haven't yet contacted the company.
Anyone else?
I'm using OS 10.3.7
Thanks -
Jane
 
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