Inbox Zero on Android

bcharbit

Registered
Hello GTD community,



I recently switched to Android with a Galaxy z fold 4 which I really love but my only issue is that I can't replicate my software saith that I had on iOS ( Superhuman and Things 3).

What combination of email client and task app can you recommend.

I am looking in particular about the connection between them and the ability to turn an email into a task (as part of the "defer" step).

Thanks a lot for the help!
 

mcogilvie

Registered
I am unlikely to switch from iOS (and Things) to Android myself, but I’d say Todoist is likely to be a decent choice for you.
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
I use the Gmail app for email, Asana for lists and Notion for notes, checklists and reference. Works well on Android!
 

Murray

Registered
I use an android phone. My emails are in Outlook and tasks are in Microsoft To Do. Creating a task from an email works very well in Outlook on my laptop using keyboard shortcuts and I can send the task either to the inbox in To Do or directly into the correct list.

If you wanted to send an email into To Do using the phone apps I believe this would involve 'flagging' the email in Outlook which then makes it appear in a smart list in To Do. But this is not a feature I use personally as everything works so well through Outlook on my laptop.
 

bcharbit

Registered
I use an android phone. My emails are in Outlook and tasks are in Microsoft To Do. Creating a task from an email works very well in Outlook on my laptop using keyboard shortcuts and I can send the task either to the inbox in To Do or directly into the correct list.

If you wanted to send an email into To Do using the phone apps I believe this would involve 'flagging' the email in Outlook which then makes it appear in a smart list in To Do. But this is not a feature I use personally as everything works so well through Outlook on my laptop.
Unfortunately this feature only works if you're using an email hosted by Microsoft:(
 

TheSnowman

Registered
I am a long time Andriod user and I utilize Microsoft Outlook and OneNote for my task manager is use TickTick as it allows you to customize your lists (someday/maybe, reference, waiting for, etc.) and your contexts into different "Lists." TickTick also allows you to assign tags. The free version of TickTick is very robust with a pomodoro timer and other functionality.Paid version provides core customization and integration.
 

Murray

Registered
Unfortunately this feature only works if you're using an email hosted by Microsoft:(
Are you sure about that? In the past I have set up Outlook desktop as the client for my gmail, as well as my work Microsoft-based email. At the time I wasn't using the tasks feature in Outlook. But I would have assumed that once you have a gmail message in Outlook you can create a task from it. But I haven't tried that myself.

Or perhaps you were referring to the method of flagging an email in Outlook so it shows up in the "flagged" list in To Do. I could easily see how that might only work with a Microsoft email address since you need to be logged into To Do with a Microsoft account.

Someone else here suggested Todoist, and I agree that it looks great from what I have seen.
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
Are you sure about that? In the past I have set up Outlook desktop as the client for my gmail, as well as my work Microsoft-based email. At the time I wasn't using the tasks feature in Outlook. But I would have assumed that once you have a gmail message in Outlook you can create a task from it. But I haven't tried that myself.

Or perhaps you were referring to the method of flagging an email in Outlook so it shows up in the "flagged" list in To Do. I could easily see how that might only work with a Microsoft email address since you need to be logged into To Do with a Microsoft account.

Someone else here suggested Todoist, and I agree that it looks great from what I have seen.
I just opened Outlook on my Android phone, and I instantly was given the choice of connecting a Google account. Also, my Gmail works fine with the desktop app!
 

Jeremy Jones

Registered
Yes, Todoist has a Chrome extension to allow adding tasks from websites, a Gmail add-in, as well as an Outlook add-in. These enable you to add next actions to Todoist from those apps.

Additionally, you can create an forwarding email address for each folder (this might require the Pro version, which is USD $29/yr.). This allows forwarding emails from any client or address directly to Todoist.

If you use folders and tags (for projects/contexts) you can also add them to the email subject and organize your next actions properly when you send, so you find them where they should be rather than having to do the Organize step later.

Despite all those features, I personally find it easier to manually add my actions to Todoist, as that feels faster to me. So if I have an email to respond to in my Inbox, I'll quick-add an action to Todoist, clarifying and organizing at the same time, and then click either an Outlook Quick Step or a Gmail Label to move the email to @Action Sppt or @Wtng For Sppt.

For anyone curious about what I type in Todoist to add a task, here's an example:
- 'q' button
- type: "@calls Megan to get archive information on service decision re: X #energetiq"
- The '@' above adds my context tag, and the '#' places it in the right area of focus
- If I want it on a particular day, I can also add the precise date, 'Today', 'Tomorrow', 'Next Monday', 'two weeks from Thursday,' etc., and it will remind me on the selected day
 

boomer70

Registered
I am on ios but have a similar issue as I use Outlook for email and tasks. I do not like the Outlook app so I have my mail in the native ios mail app. If I see an item that I want to add to my tasks, I simply move it to my @Action Required folder which I think process into my Task list when I am back on a PC.
 
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