Your Things 3 Projects setup

[FocusGuy]

I’m frustrated by the way Things displays your tags/contexts on mobile. I like the fact that OmniFocus has perspectives that allow for a context list without having to take so many steps. I know these lists are contained within things and Todoist for example, but it’s the hassle of digging for them.

I am right with you. It is a lack of things. Lot of people prefer having a flat Tag/context list. However I find mobile Things app is much better than OF. Even the last version (OF4) I am still testing is less powerful and natural than Things is.

Things is much more intuitive and easier for me. I think things is less focus on context that on the task itself or even the project. Sadly I find that OF pleased me less and less and slow me so I switched to things. Things is nearest my way of acting and thinking than OF is.

 

[TesTeq]

I think most people would like to see tags on at least iPad, but it hasn’t happened.

@mcogilvie What do you mean by "seeing tags"? On iPad Tags are visible in Projects and To-dos and accessible via Quick Find.

 

[mcogilvie]

@mcogilvie What do you mean by "seeing tags"? On iPad Tags are visible in Projects and To-dos and accessible via Quick Find.

Sorry to be unclear. On the Mac, a tag appears as a green lozenge with any tags after an item’s description, while on an iPad or iPhone, you see a little tag indicator so you know the item has at least one tag, but you don’t know which tag. For example, on a Mac you can look at a list of project actions and see immediately which is @MAC, @Spouse, et cetera, without having to filter, search or open the item. There’s room on the iPad screen to do this, but Cultured Code hasn’t done it.

 

[Brenaud10]

Sorry to be unclear. On the Mac, a tag appears as a green lozenge with any tags after an item’s description, while on an iPad or iPhone, you see a little tag indicator so you know the item has at least one tag, but you don’t know which tag. For example, on a Mac you can look at a list of project actions and see immediately which is @MAC, @Spouse, et cetera, without having to filter, search or open the item. There’s room on the iPad screen to do this, but Cultured Code hasn’t done it.

Exactly, and as someone with a degree of anxiety, it makes me second guess my choice of which application to use, so I bounce all over the place. I have enough anxiety trying to use the methodology with an app that does not totally support like NirvanaHq for example. This is why I continually come back to Omnifocus. I dislike the complexity of the app, but like that I can have my projects, tag my next actions and see those in a focused context list. NirvanaHQ is also out for me because it does not integrate as smooth with Siri/reminders as Things does. Todoist has the same issue. Just wish I could go back in time, un-learn GTD, and just deal with remember things in my head and everywhere else.

 

[mcogilvie]

. Just wish I could go back in time, un-learn GTD, and just deal with remember things in my head and everywhere else.

Very funny!

 

[TesTeq]

On the Mac, a tag appears as a green lozenge with any tags after an item’s description, while on an iPad or iPhone, you see a little tag indicator so you know the item has at least one tag, but you don’t know which tag.

@mcogilvie You're right. They should make tags visible at a glance.

I've got another problem with Things. Their logic of displaying and hiding items is not compatible with my brain. For example when you have a Project outside of any Area it is visible on the Project list below the Logbook. If you assign a Today start date to this project it is still visible on the Project list but it also appears in the Today area (OK). But if you assign a future date (or Someday) to this Project it disappears form the Project list (why?) and is visible in the Upcoming (or Someday) area only. I hate when projects disappear!

 

[FocusGuy]

But if you assign a future date (or Someday) to this Project it disappears form the Project list (why?) and is visible in the Upcoming (or Someday) area only. I hate when projects disappear!

It will remain into the area you will see what is actionnable, which projects are incoming (project start date) and which projects are someday.

The basic idea is to focus on nothing but what is actionnable.
What I find interesting with Things 3 is the possibility to plan for the future not only tasks (like OF does with it start date) but also the project itself.

Things like OF needs a certain learning curve and observing about how we do stuff and how we work.

I noticed that despite of it's lack of perspectives, Things is able to do 95% of what I did with OF, lighter than it and faster.

 

[mcogilvie]

@mcogilvie You're right. They should make tags visible at a glance.

I've got another problem with Things. Their logic of displaying and hiding items is not compatible with my brain. For example when you have a Project outside of any Area it is visible on the Project list below the Logbook. If you assign a Today start date to this project it is still visible on the Project list but it also appears in the Today area (OK). But if you assign a future date (or Someday) to this Project it disappears form the Project list (why?) and is visible in the Upcoming (or Someday) area only. I hate when projects disappear!

I tested this, and the left side panel shows “2 later projects” where one is someday and the other has a later start date. If you tap on the text, you see a ”later projects“ view special to later projects not in areas. Something similar happens with the “All Projects” view accessed through Quick Find. This seems acceptable to me: later projects are not displayed in the left side panel, but hidden with their existence visible.

 

[TesTeq]

I tested this, and the left side panel shows “2 later projects” where one is someday and the other has a later start date.

@mcogilvie Thank you. I overlooked it. Things logic is probably obvious for most people. For me it is too advanced. I bought Things for Mac, iPad & iPhone many years ago, approached it many times and never begin to trust that suddenly something will not disappear. Additionally they strongly resist to use iCloud synchronization which is strange for non-subscription based business model.

 

[FocusGuy]

@TesTeq Logical is different according to people. Some prefer a flat list others sandboxes. What I love with Things 3 is the possibility to focus on a task or on a tag. The search function is incredible to. Lot of function are hidden in things 3. For example if you type a tag in the field search you will get everything concerning this tag. It is the same with the things function such as today for example or a keyword. Of course OF does it too but differently.
However Things 3 syncing is the best sync I ever had. Much better than Omnifocus.