TheBrain for GTD

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tourdebill

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Is anyone using theBrain software? I am looking at it, and it seems to be an effective way of organizing computer files etc. Does it have a GTD application beyond organizing reference files?

Thanks!

Bill
 
Brain

I've used it for a while to organize Internet links & electronic reference files along the lines of Covey's roles (I use roles to keep my GTD projects organized in my life).

But, I've used other software to track projects & NAs
 
RE: The Brain and GTD

My $.02 ....

The Brain has awesome power in it's ability to link disparate forms of data in multiple ways ... the idea that you can have a project with a contact, a Word document, a website, and more all interconnected is pretty awesome.

Practically speaking, file folders on your computer are capable of the same thing ... A project folder with shortcuts to files or actual files is actually easier for me to set up.

As far as tracking NAs and contexts, I think it would look cool ... it even gives some pretty great options for attaching support material, but as far as moving an NA to "completed status" or relinking it it another way ... the Brain gets a bit clunky when you try to move things around. Add links: sure. Add thoughts galore: sure. Make simple changes to existing thoughts and their links: a bit tedious.

A few more thoughts on the brain: I keep finding myself not trusting it as a system. I understand the notion of a mind map and all of that, and I find maps like that to be insanely useful. But when it comes to storing and organizing data, there is a part of me that WANTS a tree format, wants a system that gets more specific as you drill in to it. I guess what I am saying is taht filing has always felt like convergent thinking ... thinking that encourages specificity and simplicity. The Brain feels divergent, encouraging new modes of thought, new links between data, new ideas...

Anyone care to comment?

Bill Kracke
 
Krackeman said:
A few more thoughts on the brain: I keep finding myself not trusting it as a system. I understand the notion of a mind map and all of that, and I find maps like that to be insanely useful. But when it comes to storing and organizing data, there is a part of me that WANTS a tree format, wants a system that gets more specific as you drill in to it. I guess what I am saying is taht filing has always felt like convergent thinking ... thinking that encourages specificity and simplicity. The Brain feels divergent, encouraging new modes of thought, new links between data, new ideas...
Click to expand...

I used The Brain for a few months -- basically just long enough to pay for it :-( -- then abandoned it. I like the concept, and still use mindmaps extensively, but the Brain's interface made it too hard to see the big picture. I either couldn't see enough detail, or couldn't see anything at all in a cluttered screenful of flyspeck type. I also found the constant zooming and recentering very distracting.

Katherine
 
kewms said:
I used The Brain for a few months -- basically just long enough to pay for it :-( -- then abandoned it. I like the concept, and still use mindmaps extensively, but the Brain's interface made it too hard to see the big picture. I either couldn't see enough detail, or couldn't see anything at all in a cluttered screenful of flyspeck type. I also found the constant zooming and recentering very distracting.

Katherine
Click to expand...

I agree completely. It's nice but too limiting. Not enough functions. But the idea is solid just not the software.
 
Grins & Giggles

Just for grins and giggles I downloaded this software. I think it's pretty cool. The eye candy aspect of it is appealing, and I really like the way it's laid out and how information is accessed. I could see myself getting attached to this.

My only observation that shows reason for concern is, the software has not seen any updates/revisions since March 2004. Now granted, I like the "Don't fix it if it ain't broke!" approach. But the absence of updates and revisions screams to me that this may have hit the scene like gang busters at first but since the novelty has worn off, there's no further development. At least for the Personal Brain product.
 
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