About two months back, I asked Twitter for input regarding a to-do system. At the time I was using Google Tasks, and it really wasn’t up to the task. (Yes, I know that was lame.)
These were my requirements:
- Mac application
- iPhone app
- General awesomeness
These were my wants:
- Cloud syncing
- An app that would actually do the work for me
Needless to say, I struck out on the last item. Today’s crop of to-do apps just aren’t able to handle that. Maybe in a few years, once the machines have taken over.
Anyway, responses came back for two separate suites of apps: Things and OmniFocus. The general idea was that Things was simple, beautiful, yet powerful, while OmniFocus was an absolute powerhouse.
After a bit of debate, reading reviews, and a 14 day trial, I spent my $60, and chose Things – purchasing both the Mac app and iPhone app. Since then, Cultured Code has pushed out one major Things iPhone update. They added support for retina display (yay), multitasking (yay), and local notifications (almost).
Talk about missing the mark… Local notifications in this case means one single notification for *all* your to-do’s at a single time during the day. You get to pick the time though. Oh, that’s not how it’s supposed to work? Anyway…
Besides this glaring omissions, and the whole cloud sync thing, Things works very well for me.
All the cool kids have moved on
These days though, anybody who’s anybody has moved on from Things. That’s right, all the cool kids are using Omnifocus these days.
I’m perfectly OK with that.
Several very smart people who’s opinions I value have switched to and love using Omnifocus. I have no doubt it’s feature-packed and fantastic. Here’s the thing, though:
Things does what I need it to, pretty darn well.
A few small points aside, Things is perfect. It’s powerful while remaining simple. The interface on both OS X and iOS is beautiful. Everything is where you would expect it to be, and you never have to ask “how do I…”
Things lets you get stuff done without having a degree in advanced calculus or biometrics.
If Cultured Code ever gets around to adding cloud sync, and fixes the silly iPhone local notifications, Things will be just about perfect.
The point of all this is simple: if the tool you are currently using works well for you, consider yourself all set. Shiny new tools will always come along with new features. You can go learn new tools, or keep using your tried and true tools that have never let you down. In other words – do you want to learn a new system, or simply get your work done?
Constantly looking for better ways to do things, and better ways to be organized has another name – procrastination. In other words, its not work. You’re not actually doing anything. Stop procrastination; start doing.
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“The point of all this is simple: if the tool you are currently using works well for you, consider yourself all set. Shiny new tools will always come along with new features.”
This is very true. However, Merlin Mann has been saying this for the last 5 years. Nothing new here, and it’s amazing you’re getting links from shawn blanc for this.
Perhaps. But if we limited ourselves to things which have never been said before… I’d have to think the world would be an awfully quiet place.
In any case, thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Strangely, I’ve read comments exactly like this “pshaw this was already said somewhere else.” I’m surprised you put in the energy to post it since it’s already been done! Har.
On the topic of this post, I was sticking with The Hit List (which I love) until I thought I needed some iOS accompaniment. This led me to TaskPaper which has been doing just fine for my (simple) needs. Thanks for reminding me to stick with what’s working — keeping me working — instead of fussing with gadgets and switches.
I coughed up the dough to cover the relatively high price tag for Omnifocus a while ago, and having used it for a couple of years, I find it oppressively complicated. Between the complicated sync setup and the fact that there are too many decisions to make, I find myself under unnecessary cognitive load every time I use it. If I have to spend even a minute managing my task management system, I am wasting time and energy better spent.
Enter Wunderlist (http://www.6wunderkinder.com/wunderlist/), which I discovered via Lifehacker. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks and it is flawless. It syncs between my Mac at home, my iPhone, and my PC at work, and it’s equally beautiful and easy to use on all three platforms. And it’s free, and Apache licensed. It might not be GTD-centric, but I find GTD to be overhyped anyway. My impression is that most of the people who think they will benefit from GTD will benefit instead from a little old-fashioned discipline (e.g. removing distractions). Close all those information streams and get back to work!
I think Wunderlist is worth investigating for anyone who abides by the KISS principle.
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