Getting Things Done, on a Mac
5 Amazing Mac Apps for Getting Things Done
GTD (Getting Things Done) isn’t new and neither is Leo’s conclusion, but it is a conclusion I, in part, agree with. GTD is a powerful process and task management framework but I find most applications that are based on that framework too time and energy consuming. Granted, their purpose is to manage tasks and processes, but my job is to actually complete the tasks.
But then again, I am the kind of person who when having to use butter instead of margarine I feel the need to shout, “Why are you resisting me!!?! Why don’t you want to spread?”.
From the mentioned Mac applications, I’ve tried and tested iGTD, OmniFocus, Things and Midnight Inbox. All work fantastically well. I’d suggest trying them all for yourself because each user’s needs are different and each user might place higher value on certain features.
Although OmniFocus and Things are the two most expensive, they do offer great Apple integration and third party support. OmniFocus allows for syncing with iCal and Mail, as well as being searchable in Spotlight. Things promises iPhone and iPod Touch versions for task management on-the-go. Things also stores all your data in an XML format so integrating into third party applications or websites will be pretty darn easy. Although I haven’t read anything to say a web service will be available from the makers of Things to integrate with your data, I suspect it might be a feature you’ll see after the application is out of beta. Especially since the iPhone and iPod Touch versions of the app will be exactly that - a web-based application.
Conclusion: I’d say Things is the prettiest and most fun to use with a clean, flexible and simple view of your tasks. OmniFocus is the most comprehensive and true to the GTD model without being cumbersome, and Midnight Inbox was a more intense overviewy (and free) version of OmniFocus.
That being said, I HIGHLY recommend a humble Mac app called TaskPaper. A beautiful example of power in simplicity! With functionality based on the GTD model and the freedom of a simple text file, this was by far the most fun and efficient task manager I had the pleasure of testing!
How do you manage your time and tasks? Comments appreciated 
March 29th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I’ve found GTD to be much less time consuming than the Covey planning system I had been using for decades. And I recently found just what you’re talking about for the iPhone. The web-based application lets me access my GTD from my Windows computer at work, my Mac at home and carry with me on my iPhone. It is super simple to use. I’ve written a couple of recent posts on my blog at http://johnkendrick.wordpress.com that detail my experiences with it.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Thanks for your comment.
I guess you just have to choose the right GTD app for your specific need.
At the moment I’m only working on my MacBook, and I don’t have an iPhone(yet! hehe).. so I think I’d opt for OmniFocus for two reasons. Firstly, you can set a system-wide shortcut key combo to bring up a dialog to capture your new task without breaking away from the work you’re currently doing. Secondly, because it integrates well with Mail and iCal, when I sync with my mobile phone all my data will be transfered over.
I enjoyed different aspects of all the GTD apps I tried out, so I won’t be surprised if I hop between them every now and again. I’m especially looking forward to Things after it’s first official release out of beta!