The Omni Group

Though 'OmniFocus' sounds pretty good, I'm voting for 'OmniFu' as soon as I get my Deibold Voting Machine to boot Linux.

I agree - the need to sync with iCal for tasks is important. I would like to see something a little more elegant than a calendar for each context though. And a little more detail in the sync would be nice (kGTD does not reference the project in the iCal task, so multiple projects with similar tasks can be a problem). Obviously, compatibility with OmniPlan/OmniOutliner is key. Since iCal doesn't support Growl elegantly I would like to see an optional agent that can run in the background and give growl notifications (coupled with an ability to NOT sync alarms to iCal).

I am really looking forward to an Omni GTD app. I’m currently implementing GTD using Kinkless and OmniOutliner Pro with iCal sync . I works fine, but not well enough. As much as I prefer to work on my Mac all the time, my problem is that I can't use my Mac while I am at work and sometimes when I am on the road. My key demand for a GTD app is “ubiquitiousness”. Create an app, which I can use on the web and on my Mac (and maybe with a mobile device) and it would really establish a new standard in GTD productivity. I imagine that's a huge challenge but this would really be a unique feature!

Using Kinkless; so long as OmniFocus (great name!) has similar functionality, and you take care to sync with PDAs (Palm for me), it's going to be a terrific system. Good luck!

I'm currently using kGTD/OO. Is there any chance of being able to import the tasks from our current kGTD/OO files? I'm sold if that's the case!

Kinkless + OOP

Index cards all the way BABY! There like so fats and slick, I us eth blank sides of them :D Lets you draw and detail ideas without the useless lines.

I'm currently maintaining Projects and Next Actions lists in iCal, which works reasonably well for a simple set of lists. But it slows down at high volume. Syncing to Palm (absolute necessity for me!). Also using .Mac syncing, so I can add to and review my lists from any of my Macs. Using OmniOutliner to develop project plans.

Used index cards for years.  Just switched to Kinkless with OOP.  iCal integration does not work well…. iCal is hosed—please do right.  Also… kinkless does not sort by due date—problematic.  Would completely love to have to do's replicate to my blackberry to do's via PMBlackberry.  That would be fantastic.  Looking very forward to your app.  Please get it out in beta soon!

Very excited for this.  I will have to send a list of hopes and dreams by email.  But I'm a member of the addicted kGTD club.  It's a love/hate relationship, and I have high hopes for OmniFocus (also love the name).  Thanks for this, good luck!  Can't wait to hear more.

Like many others have stated here I use kGTD and OO with syncing to iCal and my Palm. I'm interested in http://www.midnightbeep.com and their Inbox. It looks wonderful but, since its early beta, I haven't really been able to try out all the features. I'm really looking forward to what you at Omnigroup can come up with as an amazing GTD app!

If you want to hit a homerun, create a companion Palm OS app that syncs with OmniFocus. Also, it should have the ability to sync with Google calendar and iCal.

I use tiddlywiki d^3, and have started to use tiddlyspot for sharing.

some good offline integration to blackberry or exchange (sorry!) is essential

I'm using kGTD and OmniOutlinerPro. I only bought OOP so I could run kGTD, so you Omni guys owe the kinkless huge thanks. It would be great if you would just place all the GTD stuff into the next version of OutlinerPro; it seems to work pretty well right now with kGTD, and a new app seems un-necessary, if OOP can be expanded. You already have most of the codebase written…

Matthew, check out this thread: http://kinkless.com/node/1028

It includes a link to this addition to the Sync applescript: http://www.studio-blend.com/dropzone/new_sync_script.txt

This fixes the completed bug and includes a work-around for when you edit tasks. Works great, and removes the one problem I had.

OmniFu got rejected?  You have my sincerest contrafibularities, Linda.  But hearty pericombopulations to the whole team!  </blackadder>

Make it übereasy to link to reference material for a project. I always have NovaMind mindmaps, Curio books and/or folders with other background material associated to projects. It should be really easy to link these to a project (and also every task connected to that project). Like dragging and dropping the reference files on the project name in a list or similar.

OO+kGTD+QuickSilver

I'm a rabid kGTD/OOP fan. (Come to think of it – sorry guys! – but kGTD is the only thing I use OOP for really.)

To me kGTD works fantastically, although I always love to tinker and there's certainly something about version updates that makes me tickled pink. Immediately I can see how you'd make such a program – eliminate the need to Sync, create more distinct operating 'modes', and just generally increase function and stability. I'd definitely say you should be in touch with Merlin and the Kinkless, if you haven't been already.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of Midnight Inbox. It's a gorgeous looking app and there's some things like the automated reviews that I really love about it, but it just doesn't come across as something that's going to replace kGTD anytime soon. Perhaps *because* kGTD is so…  erm… “fragile” I guess, means that it's flexible and, thus, adaptable to my own workflow. I'm not a pure GTD-er, and I don't think most people are. kGTD is fantastic because after the initial getting-to-know-it period, I feel like it's completely mine – I own it.

Anyway, for reference: I have iCal syncing enabled, but don't find myself using it that much. I'm more the type of guy who looks at my projects list once or twice a day and picks a “direction” in which to steer – my work doesn't particularly dictate that I keep a close reign on my NAs. I also ocassionally like printing index cards out, to nestle within the pages of my Moleskine pocket planner.

So there you go!

Features I would like to see :

- A quick way to input data from the outside of the application : Thats the key in GTD idea of “inboxing”. It coud be done with a service like Yojimbo's one (which is excellent).

- An excellent Quicksilver plug-in. kGTD and general Yojimbo users know that this feature makes the difference.

- A flexible approach : like Daniel said, I think that flexibility is a good part of the succes of a GTD app.  I mean with that, that OmniFocus shoudnt be oriented only to GTD, but it could be designed as a general bucket, to track actions and items, and to organize it threedimensionally (I mean, by three kinds of abstraction, or in GTD terms, planning/projects, reviewing/next-actions, and acting/contexts.

- Integration with iCal and gCal.

- Maybe syncing between Macs.

- And strong scriptability.

Congratulations and good work OmniGroup!

I'm using kGTD with iCal sync on. To deal with two computers, I sync iCal with MySync (works great), and the kGTD document with Unison (the file synchronizer, http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison/index.html ). I also use QuickSilver a lot for rapid input of ideas, which get sorted later.

For reference storage, I use KIT (which I find more flexible than Yojimbo) for temporary storage of things to read or to organize better, and VoodooPad for long term storage.

I also have a really quick and dirty tickler system, described here http://alan.petitepomme.net/blog/files/5e244cd20a732b57b13144d73e25ed0f-48.html . It's basically a shell script run every night that looks at some files (01.txt to 31.txt, january.txt to december.txt) and email me the contents of the file. I use the QS text append functionality to add things to them, and it just works perfectly.

What I'm missing right now is a better way to do GTD on my palm. I can review my needs to be done, but dealing with current projects (adding ideas or references) is tricky as they get discarded through kGTD sync.

Sorry for the long post ;-)

1 - Quicksilver plugin support is a MUST. 

Maybe have a plugin that allows you to quickly browse your inbox, tasks, task by tags etc in a similar interface to the iTunes browser in Quicksilver.  The ability to quickly mark items complete, or add tasks etc from any application would be superb.

2 - Get Ethan (i think his name is) from kGTD to do the design. kGTD looks beautiful with its use of bolds,  purples and transparency.

moleskin. the best GTD. Use no electricity. Flexible. personal. Add pages and customize (hacks). Cool. Cheaper.

Hard to do a back up though.

I use a combination of Omni Outliner Pro + KGTD, but rely heavily on index cards for daily and weekly tasks.  Personally, I try to keep KGTD as simple as possible, otherwise I find myself either not constantly updating my system or spending too much time organizing instead of getting things done.  I hope that their is a way for people to get out as much as they put in so to speak.

I'm using iCal for dates and tasks; and I track projects in OO, but without Pro and hence without kGTD. Focus would do well to allow for viewing by project, or by tasks by context (ie, all @computer tasks, sort of a “hoist by context) irrespective of project. I think Palm sync is somewhat important, but if you could manage to sync it with iCal and let Missing Sync or iSync and iCal handle that heavy lifting, you could stay away from the complications that come with syncing and focus on a good standalone app. Also, a way to “glue” support materials by project would be important (Entourage does this pretty well), similar to the way that OO supports file linking. Another idea would be a kind of custom viewing system, whereby users could sort and view tasks by information or keyword, such as due date, person(s) or teams involved, agendas by person, etc.

Tracks server side - for projects

http://www.rousette.org.uk/projects/

An excel file that looks like Joes Goals - for habits

http://www.joesgoals.com

A text file with weekly, monthly, and years - for goals

And… a text file (to-day list) where I type out what I want to do today after looking at all of my other tools/lists/stuff - for daily agenda

1.sync with ical

2.quicksilver support of course

3. export to ftp version (like exporting dynamic html with OO but with upload)

how about integration with OmniPalm?  ;)

I've been using Omni Outliner for quite a while. I've had a hot-and-cold relationship with kGTD, so I've recently shifted to using OOP for planning and Journler for the rest of GTD functionality. See these links for details:

http://journler.phildow.net/

http://scarfone.blogspot.com/2006/07/journler-perfect-program-for-gtd-on.html

Looking forward to seeing OF.

Tim

Maybe some sort of collaboration with a few web-based/PDA-based GTD app developers on some sort of GTD sync?

Failing that, a way to export a few days of tasks, so someone can write a J2ME app that can at least read the export file.

I am still trying to decide whether to go for kGTD (and suffer less than perfect iCal->iSync->Nokia E61 translation) or whether to just use Tracks - http://www.rousette.org.uk/projects/  - and fiddle with the views so as to make a QVGA-scale interface.

I'm using Kinkless with OO Pro. I really like the simplicity and low overhead nature of this combination, so I'm hoping OmniFocus will follow the same principle.

Currently not using anything as I haven't found a solution I like.  I have great hope for OmniFocus and I'm confident you will release a great product.  One of the most important features for me is being able to Sync with a Treo as I need access while on the road.  Ideally, I would like to sync directly to the Treo without having to run it through iCal as I'm not a big fan of iCal.

1.  FTP sync

2.  No dependency on .Mac

I use three systems, mainly.

For the “Big Picture” of what I have to do, the one-time projects, the oddball repeating events, one-time Internet shopping lists, etc. I use Kinkless, with numerous attachments to other outlines, text and Nisus Writer Express files.

In my front pants pocket* I keep my Palm. It is used mostly as a calendar and alarm system (DateBook 5), grocery list manager (HandyShopper), and home cleaning outline (ShadowPlan, though I'd love an OmniPDA). I occasionally jot down items for my KGTD file, but not often.

Third, newest, and also in my pocket is a stack of binder-clipped index cards. I've used DIY Planner to print some reference cards and forms, but most cards are blank for hand-outs, quick notes, etc.

What I want in OmniFu ...

  - Palm synching

  - ability to print to my index cards

  - good integration with other Mac apps: Mail, address, iCal, Quicksilver

  - the ability to attach files to action items

—Liz

Housewife Extraordinaire

I vote for OmniFu too.

I use Kinkless+OOP+ a A4 Notebook for the notes. I am a project manager and have, accoriding to David Allens Def. at last count 87 active projects that I am working on during the week.

I also work on my PhD thesis and a number of private projects.

My big wish for OmniFu would be: Having a way to easily switch between “modes”, i.e.: I want to go from “work” straight to “private work” or “thesis” without having to put in 5 more contexts or create another private file, or, worst: having to look at all the stuff i am waiting for to arrive in my inbox at work while working on my thesis at university.

Hope its clear what I am talking about.

Thanks, pat

I´d really love to see you guys consider Ethan Schoonover´s thoughts in your application! With KGTD he diverted OmniOutliner from its intended use in such a brilliant way, although it´s quite bulky.

For me GTD is about and accessing and storing tasks and ideas as soon as they come up.

Personally I would appreciate a GTD application most which go´s out of my way while I´m working but is accessible from everywhere within the system at the same time. At the same time I would love an easy way to output (publish and print) and input data (like syncing with other devices and apps).

Example: for storing useful Information in DevonThink I use that simple Bookmarklet in my Browser which fits perfect for me since this is the place where my “info gathering” actually happens most likely. Another really useful thing is 37signal´s Backpack, where I can add tasks via SMS directly to a list.

Anyway… I´m quite optimistic that you guys will amaze me with an excellent application like you always do :)

I'm currently using Kinkless as my workhorse for action lists, and I really like the way it does things. I do wish, however, that I could easily print up a set of index cards (or a four-up index card layout that I could cut out of 8x11) that already had my action lists sorted by context on them. For a while, I was printing up DIY hipster templates and writing my tasks by hand for mobile referencing. I've since started using my Palm again now that a workaround exists for the iCal syncing bugs in Kinkless, but I still think the idea of easily printing index cards has legs.

It would be super if the same system could import iCal data for printing as well.

Maybe simpler than any of that (and trying to please every user with the perfect printing format) is just to have some kind of template-based printing system. Let users contribute XML or Webkit documents that describe popular templates, then you wouldn't have to bear the entire burden of designing how things should print.

I guess, just make printing flexible enough that I can conceivably do whatever I need to with it.

Pretty much jumped up & down when I saw an GTD Omni app was on it's way! I use Omni Outliner Pro for most projects, love the ability to attach files so I always have in one place whatever I need for any specific project (very web, file & image driven). Started using Kinkless, missing an easy way to see what needs to be done next independently from the context. Also missing ability to sort by whatever extra column I add (I use an A1-C3 column for labelling importance of projects, but doesn't help if I can't sort). Killer feature will be ability to use on multiple macs & sync w/ Treo (or w/ Apple PDA:-) OmniFocus: Great name by the way!

I'm using OmniOutliner, Mori, Tinderbox, and Inspiration.

For me, Spotlight integration is a MUST. I'd also like to be able to create projects (like Curio), so that I can see at a glance what I've accomplished in a paricular project.

Also an archiver, so I can remove Done work easily.

Many thanks! Sounds great, can't wait to see what you produce.

Cheers

Angela

Well I use kGTD with OmniOutliner Pro and sync to iCal. Most important, however, is that I use Growal and the SendtoKGTD Advanced script to send my tasks kGTD. Also important for me is the integration with Mail. There I use MailActOn and SenttogGTD scripts again. Having a single Inbox is crucial to me, but is not yet quiet achieved with the combination of all these apps and scripts, but it gets close.

Well, for a personal organiser I use Dossier and VoodooPad Pro to capture my notes off meetings and notes that shall go to a sort of permanent knowledge base. Unfortunately those are not linked to neither iCal nor kGTD today, nor are they linked to mails that come in and shall be stored. I tried to improve this process by useing MailTags. That is though only partially successful. The main reason is that the notes put into MailTags are not properly synced with kGTD. Otherwise that would be of great help. So I use some home made scripts to extract email attachements and store them in central places that related to projects. I then grab them once a week during the weekly review to relate them back to kGTD.

So enough for the moment

Cheers

Mario

Using kGTD + OO.  Use excellent scripts from Niks Crappy Software website as well.  In particular, I use Send to kGTD Advanced, kGTD2Go, OmniOutliner List Manager, and I'm trying to implement Mail to kGTD.  I recommend you consult with Nik.  The man has ideas!

Desires:

1)  Be able to export to notes in iPod, as in kGTD2Go

2) GTD is about lists and actions to get things out of one's head.  I would like to be able to keep multiple pages of lists in a single GTD document of which the front page is the kGTD like taskmaster.  Ideally, there would be tabs at the bottom of the page like in Excel for viewing other pages of lists - career goals, shopping lists, etc.

3)  I would like small links to relavant documents or e-mail messages.  An extreme example will illustrate this.

I've been getting large numbers of e-mail messages advertising opportunities for our undergaduates.  Goal - Make a webpage describing these for student access.  Action #1 might be create a single list in a LaTex or other text document.  Action # 2 might be organize these by types -  scholarships, talks, international travel, etc.  Ideally, under the first action I have a string of couple dozen small yellow circles (buttons links), each linking to an e-mail message that opens when the button is pressed.  An option might allow assigning titles to each circle (link.)  When I take action, I begin by opening all these links.  After creating the file with this list, I create a small yellow button link below the second action to this list.  The point is, simple and small links to e-mail messages, documents and iCal items.

3)  Although you likely wish the product to be widely useable, not just a GTD app, it would be nice if the GTD options are the default settings.

4)  Speaking of list pages, and particularly of shopping lists, how about a way to create a master list of groceries available with check boxes, from which checks are made before a sync gives an actions list with the only the checked groceries listed in categories of like items for easier shopping (produce, canned vegetables, meat, cereal, etc.)  Then I can export to iPod notes!

5)  Option to limit import to iCal to “next tasks.”

Reading some of the comments reminded me that it should support Quicksilver (I assume that's what Mario Batz means by “Growal and the SendtoKGTD Advanced script”) at least as well as kGTD does, and preferably better. It'd be nice to direct a task to a specific category and/or project if you know it at capture time. I know this violates pure kGTD by mixing the collection and processing phases, but if you already have the context in mind, why postpone the processing?

S

Please please please, include .Mac synchronization. I want to be able to sync between work and home.

As to what I'm using at the moment: VoodooPad Pro. Something more customized would be preferable though…

I started out using kGTD, but now use Tracks.  I really wanted to be able to access my GTD list from anywhere and the development trunk version even has the beginnings of a mobile version accessible using a Palm or cell phone.

I use KGTD+OOP+iCal.  I'd like better iCal and Mail.app integration, and support for sync'ing URLs between my GTD app and iCal.  I spend a lot of time offfline and record URLs for later checking, and right now OOP puts URLs into a format that does not sync with iCal.  As for better iCal integration, the sync'ing between KGTD and iCal is not reliable for me - I've had To Do's disappear and checked items off that never get checked off in the sync.  And I'd like built-in integration with Mail.app, instead of 3rd-party scripts.

Another OO/Kinkless/iCal sync user.  If it could sync to an online calendar as well, such as Google Calendar, I would truly be in GTD nirvana.

I am currently using Life Balance on my Mac and Palm TX, along with a separate OmniOutliner Pro file that just keeps track of projects.

What I like about Life Balance:

-top-level entries allow me to keep broad categories straight (e.g., research, teaching, leisure, home maintenance, “small tasks”)

-syncs with the Palm

-great support for contexts (places)

-support for one-time tasks, dated tasks, scheduled tasks (i.e. repeating on a fixed schedule) and routine tasks (i.e. “every 5 days” but not on a fixed schedule)

-tasks for a project can be set so they appear in sequence (step 2 doesn't appear until step 1 is checked off) or all at once

What I don't like about Life Balance:

-impossible to edit multiple entries at once

-user interface on the Mac still has too much Palm legacy, e.g., separate tabs for setting context, time, and notes

-calendar integration on the Palm side but not the Mac side

Llamagraphics is preparing a major upgrade that might address some of these issues, but I'd certainly give OmniFocus a try, especially if it offered a Palm version.

I'm stuck with Entourage b/c of Exchange support.  Sync to that and I'll buy it!  Oh, and Quicksilver support.

Using OOPro & Kinkless right now, but am very excited and ready to shell out cash for OmniFocusFu. 

What do I want to see?  Simple way to filter and review projects and desired outcomes based on realm (50,000 foot>Runway to use GTD terminology).

That being said, don't even waste time considering my suggestion right now—show me the beta!

This is the best news ever! Can't wait to get my hands on the beta. Is it possible to give us a rough idea of when to expect the first beta?

I've just switched from OOP/kGTD to using FreeMind to give me a sexy little mindmap of all my tasks, cos kGTD has been playing funny recently, and I missed a meeting because of it.  I would go back to it if I could trust it again, but I have just started really, REALLY liking using mindmaps, so how about some sort of integrated mindmapper?(and not that Omnigraffle semi-effort either)

God, I do love Omni products though, although I still say that charities should get a discount, cos we need it more than students ever will…

Hi there! I'm using a similar system as has been suggested - onminioutliner Pro / Kinkless , syncing to ical then onto missing sync so my tasks sync with entourage at work and my PocketPC (roll on the iphone). Task management & implementing GTD and prioritising my messy life! Good luck sounds exciting!

Mail integration is what's missing from kGTD.  My inbox is where a majority of tasks start and many task end.  I use Mail Tags but there is a huge cravas between the two systems.  I need a fluid way to make the round trip between the inbox to actions / iCal and back again.

Apple should really pull ya'll in to get kGTD fully intagrated to the OS ( Mail iCal Finder iSync iPhone). 

Keep the code flowing.

I would really like the ability to easily pivot tasks between projects, urgency, and contexts. 

Tasks need to be super-easy to get in and process.

Also, I would love to be able to print to-do lists or maybe individual tasks to index cards.

Currently, I use OOP for parts of my GTD system that don't change as often (like project lists) and loose leaf or index cards for the rest.

I completely agree with the concept of hooks etc., here.  If you build it, the scripters will use it.  It would be wonderful if hooks could handle both *input* and *output*... then things like outputting files to text and use with geektool cli commands etc., become a possibility.  The more tools everyone has to work with, the more they'll be able to expand upon your work… just like Ethan's excellent work on kGTD with OOp.

Excited about this project guys!  :)

I use a vanilla, by-the-book GTD implementation using kGTD and printed notecards for lists. I only print new cards when I do a weekly review (unless they get too marked up) and instead make the changes on paper. Because, even if the system is cool, it is about getting the stuff done, not about the system. Right?

The problem with virtually every GTD app I've ever seen is that they're much, much, much too complex. The beauty of a good GTD implementation is that the lists take care of themselves naturally with daily inbox cleaning, and the weekly review provides the automation and maintenance to keep things clean. If OmniFocus isn't measurably simpler to use than kGTD, I don't think I'll upgrade. Bells and whistles or no bells and whistles, what I need is a tool, not a geegaw.

Using Action Tracker. It is a FileMaker DB that I reconfigured to work on my Palm using FMMobile. Syncs relatively easy. Also use Fuhgeddaboutit for adding to dos from Mail.

please consider lifebalance-style contexts that allow time-based context blocking and overlapping.

I use Tracks, via Zenlist (http://www.zenlist.com/), with calendering in iCal, synced to the mobile and the Palm. And Tiddlywiki for note-taking.

OmniFocus sounds good but make the data exportable in XML or RDF.

I have recently started using a Mac.  I like it.  But I also have to live in the other world - Windows.  I like others have posted would like to have something that could work between both worlds.  I use an application on Windows called Bonsai that syncs the outline directly with my desktop ... somthing like that with the ability to sync with a Palm would be excellent.  Or something that I could use via an internet application would be nifty too.

I am voting for scriptability too. If we could self-tune this puppy to be the digital organization hub, that would be nirvana!! (Does that sentence really mean anything? Don't think so, but I am hoping you sense my drift.)

An addition to my previous post:

On the Newton, the assistant lets me say things like “Lunch Friday John” and it will automatically populate Friday, 12 to noon, with a John in my calendar (okay, so you pick the last name instead, to be unique) and put it in my date book.

I'd like to see smart linking like that. If I have a task that involves someone's name, I want to be able to find that task when I am viewing my tasks in relation to a given person. Even if it wasn't the person or the project originally associated with the task.

Hope that makes sense.

I use the Kinkless program but find it flimsy.  II's got the righ idea though.

I really need Palm integration.  Although perhaps you could use the new game interface to get it running on the iPod (can you save/sync state?) Of course either way it's a new (to you guys) cruftier (especially in the PalmOS case—ewww) environment.

Another important feature is links, which OO can't get right: I would like to stick a message into the tickler list for, say, the 30th of next week.  You can't do that in O-O.

HTH

Currently with OOP/Kinkless nearly meets all i want, but heres some thoughts:

+Integrate with everything, not just mac/palm

+Keep an eye out for the new stuff and integrate (Leopard's system-wide notes/todo), New Palm OS, Widows Mobile 5 and later, symbian os

+Steal best bits from everywhere and include

+Price it accordingly to provide good support, fast bugfixes and development

Do it….yesterday ! Lang may yer lum reek…or JFDI

I am truly exited by this teameffort. Omni+Ethan+Merlin! There could be no better dreamteam for the task. Please bring in some of the beauty of Midnight Inbox.

i bought OO Pro just to use with kGTD. i bought the GTD book and started reading it, but like most things i got bored and quit reading before i figured things out. i tried multiple times to use OO/kTGD. i lasted about a week each time. i didn't like that i'd sync with iCal and then it would create 30 calendars (or thereabouts). that's just too much to follow. in the end, i've switched to TextMate for to do lists and google calendars. i use 2 computers and this is an easy way to keep them synced.

one of the things i didn't like about the full GTD process was that i end up with a lot of tasks that are pretty small, but important (i teach). with OO/kGTD, i felt like i was sometimes spending more time trying to document the things to do than i was actually doing them. perhaps if i'd read the book better, i would have a better sense of how to organize overall and the small pieces would have fallen more easily into place??? in any regard, i'd like a way to add simple to do items quickly without a lot of razzmatazz!

Wow - 130+ comments.  Think there's interest in this app? 

Considering that Omni met with Ethan and Merlin a few months ago, and they're tantalizing us with this post, well—that means they've got to be close to beta.  Right?  Right.

Looking forward to OmniFocus.  I'm currently using Mail.app + Mail Act On + iCal + Missing Sync + Palm Pilot. :)

• “Publish to web” functionality (.Mac or otherwise) which allows you to snag a view (and maybe enter data as well) from semi-smart phones…

• Or perhaps that feature could be simplified with “Sync with Backpack” or some other already established Web productivity suite.

• Connectivity to the other PIM apps in OS X: AddressBook, iCal, Mail, etc.

[...] My biggest change has been a move back to Voodoo-Pad from OmniOutliner, because I feel like I wasn’t getting the most out of the program (I never did get how to use columns, and I always felt like the formating, an aesthetic concern I’ll grant you, would never behave,) this I think is mostly a problem with my brain and how it works in combination with the kind of tasks that I seem to be focusing on. I learned from 43Folders that there’s going to be some sort of Omni kGTD program (a productivity methodology/application) on the heels of being released. Sweet. [...]

kGTD/OOP. I'm really, REALLY happy you've decided to take up the challenge. Just involve Ethan and Merlin as much as they'll tolerate. I absolutely live inside OOP.

i tried using kinkless gtd on omni outliner, but i tend to have lots of date specific tasks.  i set up tinderbox to view actions by task, project, or timeframe.  i made agents to color tasks based on whether it's overdue, due today, in the coming week, or past that.  so far it's working pretty well, but i'm interested to see what you guys come up with for omni focus.

Omni,

I would recommend purchasing and installing the actually Outlook plugin offered by David Allen ( http://gtdsupport.netcentrics.com/home/ ).  One thing that is missing in all the various solutions:  Directly processing your email (Mail or Entourage).  This is where 80% of all my projects, actions, etc. start.

Help me proess my inbox :-).

Stuart

Named views which filter records on field values - like the old Lotus Agenda

My paper setup before having a laptop always with me used to be a table with: task - time needed to perform this task - priority. Then I'd add up the times for today's tasks, and see how I stand against time available. Then I'd schedule tasks into events (task A 9:35-10:10 and so forth). IMO, this integration between tasks and events, including needed time, is what is really missing from all apps I've seen up to now. I can't really understand why - all tasks will have to be scheduled into my calendar to be performed at some point, and they do require a certain amount of time! If you promise to do this…

“My key demand for a GTD app is 'ubiquitiousness'.”

That sums it up for me. That's my top request for any app these days. Yojimbo is my resources catch-all for that reason. I use MailTags with IMAP for that reason. Now, if I could only find a ubiquitous GTD app…

Oh, and one more thing…

The option to use it without touching the mouse and with as few keystrokes as possible and from any app at any time. As David Allen says, the only thing that works is what you're willing to use at the most stressful or busy times.

As someone else said, don't forget to make our OO files importable into OmniFocus!

Kinkless does so much of what I like. It's close to perfect, never quite perfect since we can all improve. I think if OmniFocus can get it's feature set in as a foundation great things can emerge. I'll list the features of Kinkless which I really like.

1. Flexibility.

Kinkless allows you to follow the GTD approach yet with the ability to customise how strict (pedantic) you want to be.

2. Implements all needs of GTD

3. iCal Integration

At the begining this feature 'wowed' me. However over time I found myself using it less and less. It's probably just me that's at fault.

4. Mail Integration

No Kinkless doesn't have it now but a few tools/scripts out there fill in the gap. It would be cool if OmniFocus could integrate Mail in an intelligent and useful way. Maybe I could tag a mail message so that it was linked to an action in OmniFocus. That way the mail message would be quickly available as a reference and would lead to less time in creating descriptive notes for an action.

I'm looking forward to what you guys come up with, good times ahead!

I upgraded to OO Pro to use Kinkless. What I find most helpful is its integration w/ Quicksilver so that I can quickly get ideas into my virtual inbox.

Was using Kinkless + OO, but the iCal + thence Palm syncing was frustrating, so switched to a home-brew Basecamp setup (http://www.basecamphq.com) for ubiquity.

Would love a desktop/web/PDA amalgam that synced smoothly, and was flexible enough to hold stray thoughts, ideas, snippets of websites, URLs etc, as well as the more immediate project/next action stuff.

Full .Mac Syncing across multiple machines!!

that would be AMAZING

Fairly new to GTD, and am so far sticking to paper, because I'm not happy with any of the apps I've tried—so am REALLY looking forward to OmniFocus! The most important thing to me would be ability to tweak views. I'd like to be able to view my next actions by context, OR by project, and I'd like to be able to choose how many (or few) next actions I see.

For example, most apps show you a humongous to-do list, with several next actions for each project displayed. I'd really like the ability to decide how many next actions per project I want to see—so that if I'm feeling overwhelmed, I can cut the “next actions shown per project” down to one, thus allowing me to see a list of projects and what the *single* next action/to-do is for each one. I don't always want to see twenty next actions for every project, scattered over various contexts—that makes my to-do list a million miles long, and depressing!

As I check off one to-do, I'd like the next one for that project to slide into its place. That way I'm looking at only one to-do per project at any given time. Right now I'm doing this manually, on paper. I'd love love LOVE to have it automated in an app I can trust (which is where kGTD falls short for me).

Also, to echo the comment by Terrence above, it's really important to me to be able to see context + project + next action all hooked together. Otherwise, I lose track of what action is for what project.

My dearest of the dear Team Omni,

Oh, what a delight, was it to see

that you're making an app based on GTD,

for mummy, daddy, and lil ol' me :)

Hurrah! Rejoice! O Let the celebrations begin!

Finally a GTD app that's work through thick & thin :)

(Ummm…KGTD is pretty cool too, Ethan buddy,

but, Man…nothing like a GTD app from dear Omni!)

Team Omni, request I have, is but one

Please please do tell you'll get it done

My asking is simple and quite straightforward, you see;

please please do somehow have OmniFocus sync with…..my Blackberry

You see, till now there ain't an app that syncs

blackberry to a mac without any kinks

Without a BB sync, I tearfully surmise

OmniFocus wud be another app not for us BB guys :(

this is a corny rhyme, I know, you don't need to mention,

but hey,  I really hope it got your attention.

ever hopeful BB-user-and-Omni-Fan,

Arif

(Bangalore, India)

I use DayLite, but could be persuaded to change.

I agree with earlier comments that there should be some solid syncing with Palm (and maybe even windows) based PDAs.

I used to be a Palm person, but am finding that I just don't have the energy to carry yet another device given I get decent contact/schedule support on my phone.  This works ok with kGTD, but only in a read-only fashion.  What I'd really plunk down the $$ for is some sort of J2ME capture app for the smartphone which syncs to my computer-based GTD app.

I've just started using kGTD with OO. It would be great to sync with PDAs directly without having to go through iCal.

What I would like is a modern version of Lotus agenda with user-defined groupings, views, and categories.

I'm forever going to think of it as OmniFu in my head, though.

[...] I decided to use Kinkless GTD because it seems to be fairly mature given what it is and Omni are working on OmniFocus. I already had a license for OmniOutliner (2 actually because one was included with my MacBook Pro) so I upgraded to Pro and got started populating my Projects and Actions from my mind sweep list. So far Kinkless seems to be working well but I can definitely see that creating the appropriate set of contexts will take some time. To that end I’m considering using Fast User Switching to simulate a work environment vs. a home environment for my computer use. If anyone has tried [...]

HI,

it amazes me only one post mentioned d3 (dcubed a TiddlyWiki plugin/ adaptatiom)

I use it plus the Joel's Painless soft ware schedule plugin.

I also in the last year used the monkey GTD and GTD plus (all TiddlyWiki adaptations or plugins.

It rocks: it is portable (Javascript), runs on major browsers, you can put it on a USB and carry it with you 6 therefore share between home (mac and work (Win). It Prints to cards.

It doesn't run on a mobile phone (I have an SE P900) because the browsers on there do not support JavaScript. On the P900 I use an outliner called projekt, from kylom.com. Brilliant. It can sync OPML with OO.

For some work stuff ( I use Basecamp, because it is so easy to set up ilestones and associated to dos. Godd for tracking my waiting stuf and more flexible than a calendar.

My biggest wish (which I think no other GTD app or system covers) is a way to support the Natural planning process in The GTD book. I never saw any thing about identifying components, sequences & priorites in any GTD tools. I loved this section of the book because it really does seem to hold the essence of the complicated project management techniques. But also to be a useful tool for beating a load of fuzzy actions into shape.

I have found the concept of 'need clarity?' => go back to caturing ideas, what?, principles and why?,

and the complementary

'need more to happen'? => more detailed planning

very useful to keep me on track and able to get over those postponing moods.

I would like a way to assist with the STING process for fighteîng procrastination & lack of focus:

S - select one task

T - time yourself (countdown timer :-)

I - ignore everything else (hide all other content, stop email alerts etc.)

N - no breaks

G five yourself a reward. (hold a list of favourite rewards and then pop one up at random if focussed. at the end of the tmer period.)

I also am puzzeled because my reading of GTD makes me think DA is advocating - just thinking of one action when you have a project in mind. Adding it too the list, & moving on. Most of the systems I see you end up with an enormous list of stuff to do, which gets to looking more & more like the old style TO DO. It seems to me david's message is impotant here - you do not need to plan a whole project - to make progress one bit at a time

And support brain storming too, with drag/ drop to projectify or actionate items. there needs to be a way to promote / demote actions and projects.

I would like to add deBONO's six coloured hats also to the NPP as a frame work for evaluating possible actions in programs. Perhaps add a hat icon to comments/ notes on to dos. allowing grouping or sorting by it.

I have to say I am also a fan of Tinderbox, but use it less than i could because it is mac only. The same thing applies to Omni-x sadly. Although Omnigraffle is SO much better than Visio I go home and do that work there…

oops more like 3 cents :-)

daveG

I was rather hoping that it would make an interesting anagram.  Scum of Ion was the best that I could come up with!  Omingraffle is of course Male Griffon or Minor Fag Elf!

I'm using the next to most recent version of the kGTD with Omni and its almost totally perfect for me. I'd like a better integration with iCal because right now I'm just not using it. The most recent update to kGTD killed the project view which is what I use most of the time.

But really, iCal is less important to me than a .mac sync so I can use this on my laptop and at home. Right now its a stricktly work utility. Thats all I see iCal being good for.

But I have generally 4 to 10 big projects on my desk at work for two or three different clients so I nest the projects under the client name which makes the project view easy to jump between clients or projects. And then I use the different Actions segments when I'm working.

Oh, I forgot, OmniFu would rock as a name.

One earlier commenter mentioned this software, but I think it deserved a repeating, since it's a good app that I'd be comparing any Omni GTD option against: ThinkingRock.

I agree with the following. Please don't re-invent the wheel. I'm sure with Omni's participation OmniFocus will be a winner. To get the GTD right, hire Ethan:

“I’m using kGTD and OmniOutlinerPro. I only bought OOP so I could run kGTD, so you Omni guys owe the kinkless huge thanks. It would be great if you would just place all the GTD stuff into the next version of OutlinerPro; it seems to work pretty well right now with kGTD, and a new app seems un-necessary, if OOP can be expanded. You already have most of the codebase written…”

Would also be good to include dependencies.  Dependent tasks don't show up in the next actions list for whichever context applies until the dependency is completed.  S.

Please consider price or side/upgrade options carefully. Although OmniOutliner Pro is quite nice, I *only* bought it (and only use it) with KinklessGTD. So I've already spent quite a bit on this pre-OmniFocus setup and would rather not pay all over again.

That said, a polished OmniFocus.app will hopefully be hard to resist!

I'd like to see a second type of grouping which is similar to a project, except that the tasks can be done in parallel. Such a thing already exists in the !Single Tasks project, but it would be nice if we could have our own collections of parallel tasks. Even if it were just allowing sub'projects' of !Single Tasks which were parallel tasks would be OK.

I currently use Microsoft Entourage's To-List, together with iCal and Missing Sync to keep my GTD stuff on both my Mac and my Treo.  I HATE Entourage, and it's making me very sloppy on GTD.

What I need is something that will:

a. Give me a way to sync with my Palm

b. Play with various email porgrams, since about 60-70% of my In items arrive via email.  Right now my employer's IMAP email is not playing so nicely with Mail.app, so I'm switching among Mail.app, Entourage, and Thunderbird, all of which, for me, have their problems.

c. A good linking system, so projects can point to next actions, and next actions can point to things that they might need, such as particular emails or documents.

Another vote for Yojimbo-style data collection. A major limitation of Yojimbo is that it only collects on-line stuff, and can't point to documents on your local drive. For OmniFocus to work well, it needs to be able to at least point to stuff out there and right here. Midnight Inbox does look good…but the thought of an Omni product to fill this void is making me hold out.

Looking forward to the product.  A real GTD app for Mac will be a life-changer.  I've been watching Midnight Beep's Inbox, and the thing I like that I see there is the ability to click immediately into collect,  process, organize and your reference section, and see everything from that perspective.  The more automated the process, the better.

The ideal future app to shoot for is one that knows what context I'm in, and presents only those options that I can work on in that context, from the total accumulated list of things I ought to be working on.  I should be able to click in and see more and make other choices, but I want to be able to glance up at a simple, elegant interface that shows what's next on my schedule, and what top selection of tasks I could be working on in the context I'm in.

I'm a dedicated kGTD user as well. I'll buy an app if it's 3/4 as helpful as kGTD. Good name too, BTW.

[...] Fragen über Fragen. Die gut aussehenden Applikationen lassen leider noch auf sich warten. Vielversprechende Kandidaten sind Inbox und OmniFocus. [...]

Anyone know what's up with kinkless.com?  I just dusted off my mac and was very excited to pull it down and start noodling around with it.  But the site seems to be borked and I can't seem to find an alternative download source.

Any ideas?

[...] So, there’s a little app out there called OmniFocus, and I need it and I need it now. I’ve been using Kinkless for a while now and seeing the next logical step in it’s evolution just sounds awesome. [...]

I have only just been introduced to the GTD system.  So far i have been using shadowplan.  Pretty good and lots of useful info from the net on how to use it.

My only concern, is i need it to sync to my palm, otherwise it's useless.

I love OOP but kGTD just never worked ideally for me. I live and die by knowing what I need to do next.  Specifically, I like being able to have a “two minutes” list that can easily sync to my palm.  kGTD is great for organizing projects on my computer but it doesn't have good palm support. And, at 46 pounds, my G5 tower just isn't very portable!

Definitely keep the data format fungible and open, so that integration with all sorts of ridiculous possibilities can open up.  If the end result is a GTD app that can roll like NetNewsWire and NewsGator sync and allow multiple clients hitting one info store, that's where I would find top value for the dollar.

I'm not a total GTD devotee, but it did persuade me that a clear and focused to do list would prove useful and it has done so. The one thing that most to do lists don't have though, which I'd absolutely love, is a very simple idea of projects comprised of various stages where only the next stage is displayed (along with perhaps an indicator of how many other stages there might be to come, as well as the ability to really easily add a new task or combination of tasks to any particular on-running project without it destroying me.

I'd also really like something for contexts - ie. the stuff that they say about things you can do in different places. For example, I'd absolutely love it if there was a way I could set a range of tasks to be done when I'm out and about that could be stuck onto my iPod, and some way of switching between contexts so I knew what jobs I had to do at home and which I was expecting to do at the office.

But the thing I'd love most, which I expect to be not enormously practical, given that I think the new version of Mail is going to have something like it is actually a way of browsing my incoming e-mail inside the GTD app. I need something that will let me either reply to an e-mail directly, or find some way of pulling it out into something I need to do from the e-mail (ie. either organise an event in iCal or Entourage) or turn it into a to do list or project - AND have the original e-mail attached to the thing in question so I can easily find it and reply to it when the task has been done or directly after capturing it.

Please name it OmniFu.

I'm another 'macs at home, windows at work' people. I need access to GTD data from everywhere. I currently don't use a PDA, so a web access, in addition to slick Mac client would be perfect.

Currently using KGTD and OO PRO

Just make OmniFocus as clean and useable as your other programs!

the problem with many gtd software implementations is the lack of a calendar.  i need to see tasks sorted not only by context or project, but by date due.  and instead of just a list with dates, if i could see it in a graphic calendar that would be great.  also, dependent tasks and projects should have the option of being invisible until the right date, or until another task gets completed.

I've recently started using Omni Outliner with Kinkless GTD. For personal self-organization and productivity, it's great. I've found it so useful that I've been going around to everyone on staff, one at a time, and getting them set up with it too. We'd love it even more, of course, if the Kinkless GTD functionality were built into Omni Outliner directly rather than through AppleScript. (Most of the time the AppleScript works fine, but there have been a few glitches.)

The main thing that missing for us is collaborative project planning. David Allen's Getting Things Done system is great for individuals, but as an organization we need to be able to share our project plans and status updates in a less detailed way. Since several members of our staff live in multiple geographical locations and rarely meet physically, being able to share this information easily via the internet is also important to us.

Currently we're using Google calendar and DotProject to handle most of our scheduling and planning. Google calendar works pretty well and lets us sync to iCal. DotProject has a clunky, cumbersome interface but at least lets us share our information via the web.

I downloaded and played around with Omni Plan briefly. I liked the overall look of the interface (Omni is great at that), but felt that it didn't quite meet our needs for group project planning. Here are a few specific criticisms:

(1) It seems to require users to create a separate document for each project. We would prefer to be able to create a single document that contains all of our projects.

(2) There's no way that I could see for us to publish and sync plans on the web. In order to share a plan collectively via the web, we'd have to be uploading/downloading the file or else emailing it around to everyone on staff, which would be cumbersome and confusing. I'd like a project planning system that approximates what we are able to do right now with Google Calendar:

* Each individual can have his own calendar. Only he can edit it, but it can also be shared on a read-only basis with others.

* We also have a group calendar that anyone on staff can edit.

* Using iCal we can subscribe to any of our Google calendars so that even if we're traveling and away from the internet, we're still able to access our schedules.

If OmniProject could make it possible to share Gantt charts and resource allocations in the same way that Google Calendar lets us share appointments and meeting info, we'd be much more interested in it.

Good luck with OmniFocus. We're rooting for you to succeed with a real killer app.

How about a topic map representation of context and pending items with a calendering function as well.  If you want to get really wild add GPS functionality and RFID so your program can know where you are and what equiptment you have available.

I'm amazed at some of the rather elaborate systems people use. Whatever works, but I found the only way to get GTD to remotely work for me was to keep it simple. Otherwise I spend too much time on the system, not enough on getting stuff done, and I also resisted doing reviews with a more elaborate system. And time is waaay too precious to spend fiddling with a GTD system. We all have lives to live.

I am using a Moleskine 16-month calendar to list my project notes, to-dos, and appointments and index cards for capture when away from the desk. I use Address Book and my Palm for contacts. This works okay for me—it's simple and there's not lots of “playing” with the system, which is a Very Good Thing.

But my system does have shortcomings: I'd like a way to tie projects and contexts closer together, and to have more room for Project notes (not a lot of room for this in the Moleskine calendar). I also like having alerts, which isn't possible with paper.

So I'm mildly interested to see how OmniFocus works. But I'm not interested in tons of cool geegaws: I want real simplicity to set up my projects and contexts, and I want simplicity to export it to the real world, either by printing to cards I can keep in my Moleskine or by syncing to my Palm.

I tried Kinkless, but I couldn't get it to work with the trial version of OOPro and I gave up. Another friend tried it and eventually ran into problems keeping it synched.  I love the idea of Kinkless, though, and think Ethan is brilliant, but I do think OmniFocus needs to be very simple to set up and maintain. Be kind to those of us who are not highly capable geeks, please.

I don't like iCal for one reason—the task list is hard to read, you can't adjust the formatting of it.

If OmniFocus didn't loom, and and I went full-steam back to an electronic solution, I'd use Entourage. People love to complain about Entourage, and it's not perfect, but it has a lot more muscle than Mail+iCal and I love that you can tie mail, notes, to-dos together. This forming of instant connections is what I miss most in using a paper solution instead of a computer-based one. It is particularly useful to someone like me who is self-employed and has no one to delegate to.

So I hope that OmniFocus will:

—be simple for a non-geek to set up and maintain

—can sync with Entourage (which should mean in turn I could sync with a Treo, which I plan to buy within the next year). (If it only synced with iCal, that would be okay, as long as I didn't have to look at that iCal task list)

—have an easy means to print to index cards

I wish you all the best with OmniFocus and hope that my comments are helpful.

I wish there was more integration between Mail and everything else. I want to be able to send a piece of mail and schedule a follow-up and note whether I am supposed to do something or the other person is supposed to do something. I want the text of the email, the From/To, the date, the priority, etc. I've considered embedding little codes in my email and then filtering the email and posting events to iCal. But then I saw Leopard Mail had (maybe) what I need.

Please let it sync with the blackberry for task syncing or via pocketmac cheers JP

If I can merely put it into “action item” mode to use in conjunction with OmniPlan tasks, life will be sweet.

[...] Har utvärderat diverse GTD-apps jag hittat via 43 Folders, men ännu inte hittat något jag föredrar över penna och pappar. Väntar på att kunna testa OmniFocus… [...]

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but it would be helpful to be able to include longer term projects/commitments, i.e. one year, five year; or the 10k level, 20k level . . . 50k level. 

I am currently using kinkless for discrete tasks and iCal for the hard landscape (though I'm undisciplined and priorities shift during the day).  One gap I've noticed is that in kinkless I'm focused on the immediate tasks and don't incorporate long term or higher level planning. 

The ability to capture those thoughts in a meaningful and accessible way would be incredibly helpful for me.  (By accessible I mean organized in a way that makes more sense. I realize now that I should create a project in kinkless for one year and five year and set start/end dates and have it reset or recur on a regular basis so it pops up when periodically.  Something like that but more elegant and better thought out would be neat.)

Many of the previous comments echo my needs and desires.  I was using EasyTask, but have just switched (am trying) to kGTD/OO.  One very strong comment I can make is please provide a zoom feature.  I find my eyes are having more trouble each year reading OO.  I don't want to increase the font size, just want to be able to zoom in so I can read the text.  Something like command-+ in mail.

Well, since I'm at it, I might as well include the other number one needs:

1)  iCal integration.  kGTD comes the closest the I've seem.  But I'd like to have both todos as well as events covered. 

2)  Mac Mail - so much of my new tasks come in via email.  Again, kGTD does it, and Inbox does it especially well; kGTD with help from other scipts lets me send emails into OO - I think that's fine.  I had thought Inbox's way of automatically pulling email into it was nifty, but after using both systems awhile, I'm of the opinion now that pushing (sending from mail) is better than pulling (like Inbox), because I'd rather filter the mail in the mail app.

Linda, I'm using kGTD and omnioutliner pro, and indeed bought your product because of kGTD. I hope Ethan's helping you guys!

[...] Oh, and by the way, did I mention that I am getting a MacBook Pro when Leopard ships next year. What then? kGTD, Midnight Inbox, or the upcoming OmniFocus!?!?! [...]

[...] Tools, When is Enough?.Enough? December 12th, 2006 by Michael Ramm   By definition, a tool is is a piece of equipment that most commonly provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task. [1] As I was looking through my latest pr0n mag (or as it is better known, the Levenger Last Minute Shopping 2006 mag), I was drooling over a number of items contained within. On every page I was thinking of how could I incorporate item X into my current system; thinking that the Circa Starter Kit is so reasonably priced…how could I NOT get it! We all have our own tools for GTD. Currently, my main tool is a Moleskine Softcover 2007 LARGE Weekly Planner+Notebook (as seen in the header picture above). I really like it a lot, but I am not using it the way that intended to last September when I bought it. I had planned on using it as my hard landscape [calendar] and the planning pages on the right side would hold my weekly NAs that I wanted to accomplish that week. Well, most of the planning pages between September 1 and today are pretty blank. Another tool that I have is Evernote 1.5. It is a pretty nifty notetaking program and I wanted to use it as Project/Reference Support Material holder. Again, most of the program is empty. I do have some project set up in it, as well as some reference lists, and conference materials that I want to trigger me to look into at a later date. I would love to be able to incorporate Mindjet’s MindManager into my stable. I see that other’s have successfully done it and never looked back. I have never used mindmapping before, so I read up on it a little, and thought that it looked like an interesting approach to thinking. Now being in IT, there is not a lot of use for creative expression and free thinking that is MindManager’s strong suit. I even printed out the manual to learn how to effectively use the program, but have yet to read it. Now, with Windows Vista and Outlook 2007 on the horizon there are great improvements on the basic tools that come with a computer that will make GTD a lot simpler for Windows users. The Outlook team specifically looked at GTD when they were designing the new refinements to To Do’s in Outlook 2007. And the new built in Calendar in Vista will be able to be published to an iCal compliant calendar, like Google Calendar. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that I am getting a MacBook Pro when Leopard ships next year. What then? kGTD, Midnight Inbox, or the upcoming OmniFocus!?!?! Then I glance over next to the monitor that I am looking at to right this out and see my very first GTD tool: an HP iPAQ hx4700 with Pocket Informant preloaded on it. I paid over $600 for that PDA and accessories, and you know what it does now….sits on my desk as a glorified calendar and slide show of pictures of my kids. I really loved that PDA and when I left my last job in Jan 2006, I left the joys of Microsoft Exchange and Outlook. Now that I am the boss and Exchange will be making a appearance sometime in FY 2007, I may revisit the use of my PDA and Outlook. But that does not help me now. I think that we get wrapped up in the Tools of GTD, and not the methodology of GTD. Between now and the end of the year, I am going back to basics. I am going to listen to the GTD Fast compilation and let what David Allen is talking about really sink in to my bones. Then I will follow that up with another read of Getting Things Done. Every time that I have read GTD the book, I have come away with some tidbit that makes the whole thing make more sense to me. If what David Allen states is true (about 5:25 minutes into the podcast), and that it takes 2 years for GTD to really sink in, than I am about 3 1/2 months from a HUGE breakthrough. And I want to be ready for it when it happens. - Michael [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tools [...]

[...] What is Getting Things Done (GTD)? From the owner’s website, GTD is “work-life management system and book by David Allen that transforms personal overwhelm and overload into an integrated system of stress-free productivity.” It has a few basic core values, including collecting everything that has your attention, organizing it all according to how and when you need to accomplish it, and defining concrete actions, and constantly reviewing it against your goals. Well, that’s a pretty bad description. Learn more here. I’m not all-knowing as to GTD’s process, but I’ve started a long process of implementing some of it’s key tenets, and I generally like the approach. Anyway, you get the idea. So there are several ways to use technology to implement the principles of GTD. Nobody covers GTD on the Mac better than Merlin Mann over at 43 folders his blog focused on personal productivity and related issues. One of those ways is to use OmniOutliner from the Omni Group, and a set of Applescripts. Another is to use a new application called Actiontastic. It’s even possible to use Apple’s Mail.app and other of Apple’s programs. I have started using Mail by transforming it from a file storage and browser app to more of a To Do List (which will be easier when Leopard launches), and I use something called LifeBalance (ugghh, cheesy name!) to manage tasks around my goals. Recently, Omni pre-announced a product called OmniFocus that is expected to be a rich GTD application. And if it’s like most of Omni’s applications for Mac OS X, it will be pretty darn good. I’ve got my hopes up. But I’ve got two key requirements that are darn near non-negotiable. [...]

I've given up on OmniOutliner/KGTD and iCal synching. It's all too much, and all the button-pushing, blech. I am pretty much using projects and categories in MS Entourage for Mac OS X to manage the active stuff, and Outliner to handle my Someday/Maybe and Archive crap so I can easily review information and find things when I want them.

But, if I could have a project manager that did all my GTD organizing in one place and synched with Entourage, I would be so very, very happy. I feel so terribly discombobulated all the time, and I'm *thisclose* to going to a paper-based system (*shudder*).

And by the way, could you deliver all of the things we're asking for by next Tuesday? ;) The Omni team has shown me repeatedly that y'all know what you're doing, so you don't need my advice. I'll give it anyway. Take your time, get it right, and you'll have a *major* hit on your hands.

[...] OmniFocus (is it ready yet? [...]

Include my vote for the following:

1. Good integration with todos in iCal (which will then allow easy synching with Palm etc.)

2. easy command line (or at least AppleScript support so we can do this ourself) access via Quicksilver for easy addition of items

3. a reasonable price (student discount?)

Can you tell us a release date ?

Was using Daylite but dumped it before the trial expired, I felt is was overly complex. I also have life balance which is a little simple.

Am now starting to use OO with Kinless. So far, it appears to be the best approach but still in initial learning.

I'd like to be able to drag and drop emails ala Outlook to turn them into tasks, big win for me.

I'd also like to be able to print in the Franklin planner format which is what I tend to carry around with me at work.

I've been through the wringer since learning about GTD a few years ago and trying to integrate it on my Mac/Treo setup. After trying Daylite, EasyTask, LifeBalance, iCal, MarkSpace, Devon products, Omni products, you name it, I've come, just this week, full circle back to Now Up-to-Date.

I haven't quite figured out how to manage the projects in it yet, but I'm working on using undated events. Now is the ONLY program I have found that does repeating to-do's that have the flexibility I need. Many (Daylite, iCal, etc.) do not even support repeating to-dos.

As others have written, over half of my tasks actually are regularly repeating things, and I'm baffled that so many programs ignore this. Daylite, for example has been promising to implement this for about three years now. iCal CAN support this, but Apple hasn't implemented it.

So, for me, repeating to-do's integrated with GTD next action philosophy, syncing with my Treo, etc.

I am currently using the Kinkless GTD/Omni Outline combination for my basic tasks, and a spreadsheet for my longer-term goals. I would like to see an app that can track long-term goals and how they releate to my values and whether I am on track or not. It would also show goals that were not met or abandoned and allow for a reason why.

Goals can be assigned types such as experience, knowledge, skill, acheivement, personal development, pocession / thing ownership, and relation.

I have tried all sort of apps on Macs and PCs and still haven't found what I am looking for. Franklin Covey's software has some nice features with Mission Statements and values.

The most important feature is seamless syncing with PDAs (in my case a PocketPC device) that have advanced PIMs installed like Agendus and Pocket Informant. What good is a system on my Mac if when sycing between my PDA some metainfo gets lost, like categories or extra fields in a contact.

Whatever you do make it sync with Pocket Informant and or Agendus via iSync and the Missing Sync in a way that keeps extra functionality on my PDA like not only recurring tasks but also tasks that repeat themselves only after being checked of (as in life balance).

Hi, I'm currently using kGTD/iCal/Agendus Pro.  Have been for some time, and almost patiently waiting for OmniFu, er Focus to arrive.  I'd be happy to help with the beta, BTW.  For me syncing with the palm in both directions would be a real plus.  kGTD got me hooked on using Omni Outliner.  And so I'm waiting and wondering what's next and how things are progressing.  Thanks for all your efforts so far.

Switched to Mac in Nov 06 after 20 years of DOS/Windows machines.

Discovered kGTD a few days ago and liked what I saw enough to upgrade from the bundled OO to OOPro.

WANT?

1. The functionality I had with the old DOS based Lotus Agenda (yes, I date myself) or Net Manages Ecco Pro. 

Specifically, pull in contacts too.  Tasks, Projects, Contacts all linked.

ADVICE: take a look at Crm4Mac (http://www.crm4mac.com)- I bought it so I could link contacts to projects…..can also link in docs.  Also automatically links email to contacts.  Not well documented, but by right clicking a contact name can filter and view all to dos, emails, etc related to a contact.

Good luck…I'll buy.

jmg

Is there a release date for this yet, I'll probably buy it!

I use an OmniOutliner Pro file with extra columns for “do date”, “priority”, and “links”—the first two are sort keys. The links are to folders, to files, and to other outlines. I use color to distinguish weekend / weekday items, and to highlight “next” tasks.

This works extremely well, except for one thing: I'd really really love it if I could keep things in sync with my Palm PDA and my future Treo.

For assorted bits of info, I use Yojimbo, which works very well, and syncs via .mac, BUT same problem: no Palm syncing.

If OmniOutliner could incorporate easy management of bits of data, with filters so I can see things by context, and if it would easily sync with Palm and via .mac, I'd be totally happy. If the only way I can get those features is through OmniFocus, so be it. But I've got to have them!

- Mail plug-in to shoot a link to an email back to OmniFocus (collect)  (how about being able to read the email right from OmniFocus too)

- Safari/Firefox plug-in to send a URL to OmniFocus (colllect)

- Finder plug-in (send file to OmniFocus or simply link to it))

- Scanner support or link to a folder (folder action) so that when a scan arrives it imports into OmniFocus.  Item can later be dragged out, printed, etc.

- In fact, you could probably allow a user to define other folders as well- when content gets dropped in, it automatically shoots it into OmniFocus- Hmmm, combined with Hazel, could be pretty powerful.

- I think trying to define projects in next actions titles that end up syncing to iCal would be too messy given iCal's limited interface.  I would either avoid projects definition as far as it relates to iCal sync or come up with a project “short tag” that could be appened to the beginning of the next action when syncing with iCal.

- how about throwing us a bone like 1st half of 07, 2nd half of 07?  :o)

Thanks much!

[...] of course, OmniFocus, when it will be launched [...]

„Thoughts about the Hyrum Smith/Stephen Covey “top down” approach to planning, and the David Allen “bottom up” school.

The pure Getting Things Done (GTD) system seems to have some weaknesses. The first one is that it tends to stress urgency over importance. If something needs to be done, there's no real difference in the system between one thing and the next. Allen says that the user should rely on intuition to pick what the real priority is out of the list. More often than not, I'll pick anything but “clean up the living room” out of my @Home context, even if I know that's what really needs doing the most. I may be “getting things done,” but am I getting the right things done? Covey says that the difference between efficiency and effectiveness is doing things right versus doing the right things. The GTD system doesn't really enforce effectiveness.

Part of the reason for that is that GTD also has no obvious connection to the user's core values. As expected in a “bottom up” approach, it's focused more on getting the daily minutae out of your mind so you can think about other things. This is great, but once you've got that under control, how do you know what to think about? And how do you know what's really most important to do at any given time?

That's not to say that the Franklin/Covey system of planning is any better, just different. Covey's “big rocks” system has its own flaws and weaknesses. For one, it's not context focused, so you're often reminded to do things when you can't possibly do anything about them. Two, it tends to let the smaller, lower-priority stuff fall through the cracks. How many people with Franklin Planners have had the same C priority stuff at the bottom of the list for weeks or months, with no progress on them at all?

No, to be truly effective, I need a mixture of Allen's “bottom up” planning and Covey's “top down” visioning. And that's where Life Balance developed by LlamaGraphics comes in.

Life Balance has an interesting philosophy. On the one hand it encourages you to do high level visioning and hierarchical planning, but on the other hand it's extremely context-focused and gives you simple, uncluttered lists of what really needs to be done.

How does it do this? There are four main parts of the program, accessed via an icon bar at the top of the screen. The first is Outline. This is a pretty standard hierarchical planning system at first glance, allowing you to break large projects down into manageable steps. But the magic is in the details, and there are subtle nuances to Life Balance that make it different from anything else on the market. For each item in the outline, you can select a level of importance. This has nothing to do with due dates. Importance is not urgency. You select how important this item is to its parent, on a sliding scale ranging from Essential to Somewhat, all the way down to None. You don't have to worry about how important a task is relative to other tasks, just to the parent. Tasks are sorted against each other by sophisticated algorhythms that factor in relative and cumulative importance as well as urgency and context.“

(See whole text at http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/column040202.htm)

I just started to use GTD-Software and I noticed it´s most important to have the system available erverywhere (which means it has to run on a handheld device: Palm, iPhone ...)

[...] Omnifocus [...]

Dashboard integration would be really useful in an app like this, along with seamless integration not just with iCal, but Mail as well.

Is there an approximate shipping date yet? (quarter? year?)

Release it ASAP, please!!

[...] - I already mentioned that my use of GTD is rendered moot by the prep/grade/prep/grade… revolving door, but as far as GTD tools goes, iGTD looks awfully promising. Until OmniGroup finally comes out with OmniFocus, their long-awaited GTD app that has yet to even reach beta stage, iGTD looks like it could be the grand unification theory that pulls all my wayward GTD stuff together. Haven’t tried it yet but it’s free, and looks good. [...]

[...] The other case of the “form over function” fetish in mac land arises in discussions comparing iGTD, which actually is out in the wild, with OmniFocus, which is in beta. I’ve used iGTD for a bit and find it a very capable app if you are a member of the GTD cult. What bugs me about these discussions is that, in general, people are waiting with bated breath for OF to come out and are simply putting up with IGTD until that point. There is the minority view that gives iGTD its due and suggests it could possible be better than OF whenever the latter emerges. But this seems to me to border on heretical in the mac community. Omni Group is viewed with much love in general, but this goes way overboard in my view when existing, free, well functioning apps like iGTD are basically dissed in favor of beta-ware. Contrast Merlin Mann’s coverage of the GTD space in mac land. In April we have iGTD at the top of the list in this space. Two months later he is explaining how to move to OF. [...]

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