Closest Thing to an All-In-One Solution/ Zero Inbox / Outlook / Evernote / IQTell

[consultant]

Wondering what people's opinions are on what is currently the closest best-of-breed "all-in-one" GTD solution that can handle both personal and project level task management? I currently use desktop Outlook for email and calendaring like the majority of the business world. I also use Evernote and know it's extremely flexibiity. However I think it's rather clunky to have to forward emails to an evernote email address to get them out of your inbox and into your GTD system. It appears it is fairly rare for a system suitable for GTD to also server as a robust email client. The only one I've found so far is IQTell. But then the question becomes, can I truly get off of Outlook and use only one system (intergrated with Evernote) for all my personal productivity and business project management needs.

Even if I used Asana due to it's popularity in the business world, it seems there really is no 800 lbs Gorilla product that people can use for GTD and is the most widely used project colloboration/management tool for business. (My opinion is Asana or Evernote come closest in that respect but both are lacking in GTD related functionality because unlike IQTell that's not what they were designed for.

What else should I be looking at? I'm still open to say using Asana for business projects and something else for personal GTD but it just seems to make SO much more sense to strive to use just one product if there is one out there that can serve both purposes.

 

[Folke]

I think you can do GTD with virtually any software (even paper). I think Asana is quite OK - not my favorite choice, but usable. The perhaps most important drawback with Asana, IMO, is that it does not have GTD Tickler functionality (often called start date or scheduled date in apps), so you have to find a workaround for that (but surprisingly many apps do not have this obviously useful little feature). I have most recently (4 years) been using Doit (last 2 years) and Nirvana. Both have served me well. Neither is perfect. Before that I used Toodledo - also perfectly OK.

Personally I hardly ever forward emails to my list manager app. I usually see no reason. When I process my emails I read them straight in the email inbox and decide what I need to do with them, and I write that down as actions, projects etc in my app.

Further, I do not even strive to have one and the same tool for my individual use and for collaboration. I prefer to have my individual aspects detached from the shared things (and, if necessary, double-book a few things if I really need to see them in both systems).

 

[Roger]

It appears it is fairly rare for a system suitable for GTD to also serve as a robust email client.

What advantages do you see offered by such a design? It's also pretty rare for a GTD system to serve as a robust fax client, for example.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[skilgour]

Hi,
I've just started implementing GTD and I'm also trying to find an all-in-one solution. The best solution I've found in an app called Viira (http://kartamobile.com/). I'm using it on a Blackberry, but I just checked the website and apparently they have an Android app up and running now... iOS soon to follow, I'm sure. Viira has a very good design that's based on GTD, it also has a desktop program and an Outlook add-in. It all seems to work together pretty well. The user interface is a little cheap looking graphics wise, but it works well. The programs and apps have a free trial and then there is a fee for the sync feature.

 

[mcogilvie]

I think most people will have it easier if they don't look for an all-in-one solution, but find programs that work well for them.

 

[chacha]

What advantages do you see offered by such a design? It's also pretty rare for a GTD system to serve as a robust fax client, for example.

Cheers,
Roger

Most of my tasks come in via email. With 2 clicks I can convert them to tasks or waiting for items. Its definitely worth trying

 

[Folke]

Most of my tasks come in via email. With 2 clicks I can convert them to tasks or waiting for items. Its definitely worth trying

Even for those items you still have to figure out what to do about them and phrase the action properly and extract any vital info such as a phone number to call. You do not want to read the whole email again. Personally I find it to be a waste of time (and space; it clutters up my list manager app) to forward the entire email.

Sometimes an email results in several new actions, sometimes just in amendments or comments to actions already on the list, and sometimes to exactly one new action. Same as for meeting notes, voicemail and other collected input. Would I put voicemail messages on my list? No, I wouldn't (although some apps actually allow that).

 

[TesTeq]

Personally I find it to be a waste of time (and space; it clutters up my list manager app) to forward the entire email.

Forwarding is not processing. You can forward stuff to your inbox but you've got to process it out from your inbox.

New term: to process something out from the inbox. ;-)

 

[Folke]

Forwarding is not processing.

Totally correct and very important to understand and, in essence, also exactly what I said or at least meant in the very first sentence (please read again: "... you still have to figure out what to do about them and phrase the action properly ...").

The sentence you quoted refers back to the second sentence - about not wanting to read it again. But anyway, to avoid any misunderstanding, please let me rephrase it - here it goes:

Personally I find it to be a waste of time (and space; it clutters up my list manager app) to have the entire email in my list manager app.

Cheers

 

[devon.marie]

I also use Evernote and know it's extremely flexibiity. However I think it's rather clunky to have to forward emails to an evernote email address to get them out of your inbox and into your GTD system.

Since you use Outlook, you probably don't use Gmail. I use Google Apps for my email account and Evernote's web clipper clips email straight from the Gmail web interface. I use this ALL THE TIME as I can clip the email, re-title it to my task's name, choose notebook/tags, assign a reminder, etc. all from the clipper. Oftentimes, my email-generated tasks also require me to reply at some point, and the note in Evernote links right back to the email so I can fire off my reply with one click. Personally, I almost always need the entire email in my task manager because they're often requests for press releases, posters, etc. and contain a lot of information. It's just easier for me to keep it all together, if it's easy and still legible.

I currently use Trello as my GTD app because I like the visual interface, but I find I struggle to use it in my personal life. I've had this issue with every app I've tried. I'll use it religiously at work and then get home and never open it. So I'm testing the waters on using Evernote as it's the one app I use religiously at both work and home.

 

[TesTeq]

I currently use Trello as my GTD app because I like the visual interface, but I find I struggle to use it in my personal life. I've had this issue with every app I've tried. I'll use it religiously at work and then get home and never open it. So I'm testing the waters on using Evernote as it's the one app I use religiously at both work and home.

Trello seems to be a very elegant piece of software but I am wholeheartedly against using it!

Why? Because of their terms of service where you can read (did you?) such unlawful statement:

Trello reserves the right to update and change the Agreement from time to time without notice or acceptance by You.

Can you call it "the Agreement"?

 

[devon.marie]

Trello seems to be a very elegant piece of software but I am wholeheartedly against using it!

Why? Because of their terms of service where you can read (did you?) such unlawful statement:

Can you call it "the Agreement"?

I did read it. It's not unlawful, because it's legal ToS. Perhaps you meant "not preferred" or "not to my personal taste"?

Companies that use Trello include: The New York Times, Fresh Direct, 53, The Verge, Adobe, Tumblr, Google, Paypal, Kickstarter, and Spotify. I'm not going to pretend I know more than their legal teams, so if they're fine with it, so am I. Trello's been nothing but a positive experience, both in the application and my interactions with staff. I would suggest you try it before you knock it.

To get the thread back on track...

 

[Bluesalt]

Like Chirmer said, you should try it before you knock it. I think that is a good suggestion.

 

[TesTeq]

I did read it. It's not unlawful, because it's legal ToS. Perhaps you meant "not preferred" or "not to my personal taste"?

Could you please tell me what does it mean "It's not unlawful, because it's legal ToS." How do you verify the legality of any text posted on the website? Is it legal because it is posted? Is it legal because its title is "Terms of Service"?

Check the meaning of the word "agreement". You can of course agree to give your rights and everything you own to the other party - in this context Trello's proposal is not unlawful. But don't you think that there's something wrong if one party has the right to change ALL the rules without even sending a notice? If not unlawful it is at least unfair.

Companies that use Trello include: The New York Times, Fresh Direct, 53, The Verge, Adobe, Tumblr, Google, Paypal, Kickstarter, and Spotify. I'm not going to pretend I know more than their legal teams, so if they're fine with it, so am I.

Good for you!

Trello's been nothing but a positive experience, both in the application and my interactions with staff. I would suggest you try it before you knock it.

I am afraid some parts of my previous post is not visible so I repeat in bold: Trello seems to be a very elegant piece of software.

What's not elegant is their unfair right to change the rules without sending an e-mail. Do I demand too much?

 

[devon.marie]

TesTeq, this has nothing to do with this thread. Personally, I really don't care about other people's opinions on Trello's legal agreement. I like Trello and will continue to use it. I trust them - not that it matters, because that's not the point of this thread. I don't understand why you derailed the OP's question to call me out on the software I use and give me a legal lecture. I didn't ask for it nor do I want it. I doubt others do, either. Can we please get back on track?

 

[NeilH]

I've tried iqtell but find that I love Outlook too much to give up all the features that Microsoft has spent millions of dollars developing. The IQTell email features are pretty limited.

I've also tried Evernote, but find that the lack of a real todo "overlay" makes it too difficult to use for serious GTD work.

So, I don't really think an "all in one" system is really out there. At least not yet. Today you need to cobble a few systems together to give you a great capture system plus a todo system. At least that's how I see it - and I've looked around a lot!

 

[chacha]

Even for those items you still have to figure out what to do about them and phrase the action properly and extract any vital info such as a phone number to call. You do not want to read the whole email again. Personally I find it to be a waste of time (and space; it clutters up my list manager app) to forward the entire email.

.

I don't forward emails .I use 1 click macros that adds context ,due date, reminder and archives the email in 1 click

 

[NeilH]

I don't forward emails .I use 1 click macros that adds context ,due date, reminder and archives the email in 1 click

I do quite a bit of this as well. It is super fast and I still get to keep using my favorite email client.

 

[TesTeq]

TesTeq, this has nothing to do with this thread.

That's your opinion. This thread is about GTD software solutions. I don't see anything wrong in pointing out my negative opinion about legal aspects of using one of the products mentioned by others. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Personally, I really don't care about other people's opinions on Trello's legal agreement. I like Trello and will continue to use it. I trust them - not that it matters, because that's not the point of this thread.

That's your opinion and I fully respect it.

I don't understand why you derailed the OP's question to call me out on the software I use and give me a legal lecture. I didn't ask for it nor do I want it. I doubt others do, either.

If you have any doubts you can report my posts to the forum administrators - use "Flag" feature and describe what's inappropriate. You don't have to read my posts if they are not interesting for you. I hope I encourage other forum users to read Terms of Service of the software. Protecting their rights and their personal data may be important for them. It is important for me.

 

[Instigase]

Well, that killed the conversation. Sigh.

"What would happen if we all concentrated on doing what is right instead of concentrating on being right?" - Anonymous