iPhone/Desktop GTD Syncing

[tensity]

I read Getting Things Done and created a GTD-system using Evernote and Google Calendar on my iPhone and computer. But, I've found this combination to be somewhat inefficient and hard to use.

A few friends of mine have recommended trying Appigo To-Do, Remember the Milk, and Google Calendar on my phone and computer. Have any of you attempted something similar?

Do you use/recommend a different combination of applications for an iPhone/desktop GTD system?

 

[crc]

Do you use/recommend a different combination of applications for an iPhone/desktop GTD system?

I currently use Nozbe (www.nozbe.com). It's not perfect in that the desktop component is browser based, but it syncs with its own iPhone app and generally speaking has been bug free.

It supports all the GTD core: projects, contexts, next actions, etc... and also supports a few additionals like adding notes and estimate time required to each action, which is useful if you want to see how much time it's going to take you to complete all your calls.

 

[Todd V]

re: GTD Desktop Syncing

If you have a mac you could try Ready-Set-Do!. I just added the ability to interact with your Desktop via your iPhone (or other smartphone) via email. Since the email application is where people spend most of their time on their iPhones anyway it makes sense to have functionality that integrates with email.

With Ready-Set-Do! you can "request" files from your computer be sent to you by email (on your iPhone) and they are sent to you. Similarly, you can also send emails (from your iPhone) that automatically "mark tasks complete" on your computer desktop. You have to set up a mail rule in Mail.app to get it all running, but instructions are provided. This is a brand new feature for version 1.4 released just a few days ago.

There is also an OmniFocus to RSD import script now for OmniFocus users who want to see how RSD works without having to re-enter all of their tasks and projects.

I'm open to any feedback or suggestions you (or others) may have on this new shuttle feature of Ready-Set-Do!.

 

[mickmel]

I'll second Nozbe. Great iPhone app, and I love the web interface on the PC.

I also use Google Calendar on the phone, as it syncs rather nicely with the built-in iPhone calendar app.

 

[mcogilvie]

A few friends of mine have recommended trying Appigo To-Do, Remember the Milk, and Google Calendar on my phone and computer. Have any of you attempted something similar?

Do you use/recommend a different combination of applications for an iPhone/desktop GTD system?

Appigo To-Do will work with either Remember the Milk or Toodledo, which are web-based. I like the RTM iPhone app, but find the web app clumsy. I prefer Toodledo and the Toodledo iPhone app. I don't care for Nozbe, and it's expensive compared to Toodledo and RTM. My recommendation is to try all the web-based services for free, and try the one(s) you like best on your iPhone.

 

[tensity]

Have you guys you Pocket Informant? It looks like everything I would want in one package.

 

[mcogilvie]

Have you guys you Pocket Informant? It looks like everything I would want in one package.

It's still somewhat buggy and slow. I personally find the field mappings between PI and Toodledo not to my taste. I don't recommend it.

 

[tensity]

It's still somewhat buggy and slow. I personally find the field mappings between PI and Toodledo not to my taste. I don't recommend it.

What do you use?

 

[tensity]

I ended up going with the Appigo Todo and Toodledo combination. For those of you who use Todo, how have you set up your lists/categories? And what tricks/tips have you found helpful?

 

[mcogilvie]

What do you use?

Right now I use Toodledo web and iPhone. Appigo Todo is ok, but I dislike some of the design decisions. I want to pick folder OR context, and Appigo wants to do AND. In other words, if I am looking at Folder Home, and want to go to Context Work, I have to set Lists to All, and set Context to Work. The extra step is annoying. I also dislike Appigo Todo's use of the Project in every context in which a Task of the Project appears. It's a reasonable choice, though.

 

[hullja]

GTD software and iphone

Hi Everyone,

I too am looking for an elegant none fussy iphone/desktop/web solution to GTD. I've been looking around and although there are many systems there still doesn't seem a perfect answer... to the extent i'm thinking of writing my own.

I'm currently using Think Rock GTD as I love the structured flow from dumping your thoughts from you head through to then processing them and then keeping track. I think it is a very elegant solution - however it fails on two counts for me...

1: It has no web-based facility that i can tap into from anywhere
2: there is no iphone app so I can catch my thoughts as I have them and sync them up.

I therefore am looking for the following - any ideas would be great or if you support the thinking maybe we could set up a project to create what we want.

I want to be able to dump any thoughts I have in my head instantly and as conveniently as possible. For me this means at my computer (desktop app), anywhere else when mobile (iphone - or other mobile devise) I would like all the data to be automatically synced with an online database application in a similar way that you can use activesync on the iphone with google calendar.

so if i enter a thought on my iphone - it synchs over the 3g air with the online ap which in turn syncs with the desktop app next time i'm on my computer. I don't mind if the desktop app is actually a web app - so long as it has offline capabilities too (maybe using google gears)

anyone know of such a suite of tools? Is it worth trying to set up an open source development plan?

look forward to everyones input

Jason

 

[mcogilvie]

Hi Everyone,

I too am looking for an elegant none fussy iphone/desktop/web solution to GTD.

I use Toodledo and Evernote. Reference and project support go in Evernote. Projects and Next Actions in Toodledo. Works fine.

 

[dibben]

I tried both and went back to paper

I used to use RTM and liked the iphone app but the web version became so unresponsive and slow that I gave up and switched to toodledo. The toodledo web interface is generally much better than the RTM interface although the saved search function on RTM is very nice.

I stuck with toodledo for a while but never managed to handle project lists properly in either app. I tried projects-as-folders but then there so many folders it was hard to maintain. I then tried next actions as sub-tasks in toodledo, which seemed to work at first but then I felt that I was spending far to much time organizing the items in the tool that I was resisting using it.

I also tried a separate list of "tasks" for projects. This was better, but hard to navigate between the project list and the task list.

With both applications I liked the idea of having a portable version on the iphone and also being able to use a real keyboard for adding many tasks using the web version. In practice I found mapping GTD to the tools hard, the web interfaces too slow so I have now gone back to using paper lists.

I still use Evernote though. The ability keep all my reference material accessible on the phone wherever I am has solved one major problem for me: should I file this in the office or at home? Now I have it at both and text searchable.

 

[Oogiem]

anyone know of such a suite of tools? Is it worth trying to set up an open source development plan?

Have you looked at the Omnifocus app with synch using mobile me?

As to an open source project. I'd be interested perhaps but not for iPhone, I think OF does that fairly well but instead for Android phones that synch with my mac.

 

[mcogilvie]

I stuck with toodledo for a while but never managed to handle project lists properly in either app. I tried projects-as-folders but then there so many folders it was hard to maintain. I then tried next actions as sub-tasks in toodledo, which seemed to work at first but then I felt that I was spending far to much time organizing the items in the tool that I was resisting using it.

I've had problems maintaining the project-next action link in almost everything I've used. Too much time and attention spent. Right now I have folders for my areas of focus. Projects and next actions are quickly assigned to an area and context. This works very well for me, because most areas tend to have around 3-7 projects, and I can match next actions up with projects easily. The only exception is my "Other Work" (Administrative stuff) category, which can get a bit larger. But I soldier on through there.

The key for me is to not put non-next actions or reference material on lists. Programs like Omnifocus and Things make it very easy to do both, but it doesn't work out well for me. There seems to be a difference between long lists of next actions to choose from (a context list like @computer), and long lists of items that need to be understood as a whole.

 

[mapapo]

Greetings from Salzburg,

I use Lifebalance for my GTD-Workflow.
there is a mac and windows - application also

Find it under http://www.llamagraphics.com/

 

[dibben]

I've had problems maintaining the project-next action link in almost everything I've used. Too much time and attention spent. Right now I have folders for my areas of focus.

When I first started with the electronic tools the ability to organise NA both by context and by project seemed like a good idea. In practice I found that non-next actions were added to the project and then appeared in the context list. Maintaining the link was more trouble than it was worth for me.

There seems to be a difference between long lists of next actions to choose from (a context list like @computer), and long lists of items that need to be understood as a whole.

This is why I went back to paper, scanning a paper list takes much less time than scrolling through several screens on the iPhone.

What was working well for me on the iPhone was timed reminders. Toodledo allows you to set repeating tasks which then only show up on the list when they are due. This was really useful for things like remembering to put the newspapers out for recyling on specific days. I am now moving those to the calender, but I liked the hotlist reminder for these things.

 

[humblepie]

i think the problem i have is that you need a perfect portable hardware and a perfect gtd software. flexible enough for you to review from a broad perspective, projects or area of responsibility wise and also enable u to focus on the next action. there is no straight forward way.

if you want portable and be able to get a broad perspective a mind mapping tool that shows progress like ithoughts is possible. but really what i am hoping on is something more sophisticated.

no one have managed to translate those 50,40,30 thousand ft stuff and projects that contains more projects into a nifty GTD program.