OS X programmer here

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Any requests for GTD tools for OS X?

I'm getting into GTD, and I'll probably write something. I've had a project on a very cold back burner for a while for tracking progress towards goals, and I notice some things in GTD that remind me roughly of thoughts for that project.

I might get started on something again.

I'm presently unemployed, though, so my focus isn't going to be on email-driven GTD, and I'm probably not going to get into Entourage integration or anything like that.

I've thought it might be interesting to have a 'tickler file' application, where you could drag files and folders and URLs and text clippings, etc, into the appropriate day's folder, and on that day, it'd automatically open that day's folder and display the contained items, if any, perhaps with notes reminding you what to do with each item.

Basically, it'd let you work with electronic items the same way you work with physical items, with a simple, streamlined interface.

Thoughts?

(Also, if anyone from davidco is reading, I'm interested in finding out how to avoid trampling all over your intellectual property, and what policies if any you have regarding GTD tools from third parties.)
 
Sounds interesting

This sounds like an excellent idea. I've avoided using a tickler file because the vast majority of the items I would use that system for are electronic and I've never warmed to the idea of printing them out and trying to remember where they live on my PC.

I use All Day events with a reminder to create my Tickler items right now. An app that would do this would be great. Especially if it were available on both Mac OS X and Windows XP (I use both).
 
well, Shadow Plan for OS X will be released next week, and that's all I really need to sync with ShadowPlan on my Palm.
 
Mac OS X tickler application

I think it would be useful if messages from Mail could also be 'tickled'. The biggest challenge I have in workflow processing is dropping a message into my @reply folder because it will take me more than 2 minutes to respond, or that I just don't want to deal with at that time. Then as my weekly reviews tend to be more haphazard than a scheduled event, some of those messages brew in there for quite a while.

Theoretically I can create tasks from the mail message with an applescript from the services menu that creates a new task in DayLite which can have a date, reminder and category. But it is just so much easier to just drag it over there and file it in @reply.

If you had an applescript that when I dragged the message to the folder would copy the entire message, and the attachments, and then add it to the tickler application that would pop up with a list of next actions on a particular day, it would make my life so much easier.

I would be happy to beta test such a pleasure machine.
 
re: OS X program

Jon,

What would be the difference between your idea on an electronic tickler file system and what one can do currently with Outlook and all-day events? It seems you can create an all-day event, or even drag a task, etc to the calender to create one. By doing so, you have a list of "tickler items" at the top of any particular calender day.

Synch it to your PDA and you've got a tickler file to go.

Would the idea you envision offer more features?

Chris
 
Outlook for Mac

Outlook for Mac only runs in Mac OS 9 or classic, not natively in Mac OS X which is what this thread is about.

Most Mac users aren't in an Outlook environment.
 
Re: re: OS X program

ChrisH said:
Jon,

What would be the difference between your idea on an electronic tickler file system and what one can do currently with Outlook and all-day events? It seems you can create an all-day event, or even drag a task, etc to the calender to create one. By doing so, you have a list of "tickler items" at the top of any particular calender day.

Synch it to your PDA and you've got a tickler file to go.

Would the idea you envision offer more features?

Chris
Click to expand...

Not being an Outlook user, I'm not familiar with the functionality you describe, but my thingy would let you drag any arbitrary file into it, not just tasks from inside Outlook (assuming that's a limitation of Outlook). It'd be a little more streamlined than applications where you have to create an appointment or event first, and associate the file or information with that event.

For example, you can create an appointment in the iCal calendar program, and you can associate a URL and notes with that appointment. But you can't just drag 'n drop a file or a URL onto a day in the calendar.

And if you do set up an appointment with a URL or note, you have to double-click it first in order to see the URL and/or note, so you can get to the information you want associated to the appointment.

If you had to do this in the 'real world' tickler file, in order to file a document, you'd have to create *another* document first and paper clip it to the paper you really want to file.

In what I have in mind, it would be more like the real Tickler, and you wouldn't have that extra step of creating the appointment or all-day event that points to the thingy you want to file.

It's not so much about added features, but rather about streamlined operation due to being specifically designed for the purpose.
 
Re: re: OS X program

Anonymous said:
Not being an Outlook user, I'm not familiar with the functionality you describe, but my thingy would let you drag any arbitrary file into it, not just tasks from inside Outlook (assuming that's a limitation of Outlook).
Click to expand...

Actually, I've just tried that, and in Outlook 2003, I can drag a file straight from Explorer to the calendar, and it creates an event with a shortcut to the file embedded in it. By default, it makes the event timed, but it's only one tick box to make it untimed. If you right drag and drop, it pops up a menu with the extra option to actually embed the file in the event.
 
Re: re: OS X program

pigpogm said:
Anonymous said:
Not being an Outlook user, I'm not familiar with the functionality you describe, but my thingy would let you drag any arbitrary file into it, not just tasks from inside Outlook (assuming that's a limitation of Outlook).
Click to expand...

Actually, I've just tried that, and in Outlook 2003, I can drag a file straight from Explorer to the calendar, and it creates an event with a shortcut to the file embedded in it. By default, it makes the event timed, but it's only one tick box to make it untimed. If you right drag and drop, it pops up a menu with the extra option to actually embed the file in the event.
Click to expand...

Actually, you can do this with any Outlook object type. I regularly create tasks with shortcuts to reference files. It's also a great way to copy the full path to a file - just drag the file to a new note. This is one of Outlook 2003's coolest features IMO.
 
RE: Any requests for GTD tools for OS X?

Jon, did you make a decision about moving forward with your Mac OS X electronic tickler idea?
 
Re: RE: Any requests for GTD tools for OS X?

DonaldN said:
Jon, did you make a decision about moving forward with your Mac OS X electronic tickler idea?
Click to expand...

I haven't moved forward with it yet.

Last week I had a Calc II final, and this week I've been a bit unsettled by a serious Parental Health Event.
 
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