"Things" vs Omnifocus....or any other software tool

[jacksonhitt]

Hello All.

So I'm new to the GTD philosophy. But after reading David's book, I can see so much I agree with and am convinced that once applied the ideas are going to improve my life.

However I need to get started!
I have bought all the physical tools (Bisley Filing cabinet arriving this week) but thought it time to implement some software. Before seeing the light of GTD I have been using basic today/reference lists using MobileMe notes.

So which is it to be: Things, Omnifocus.....or something else?

I own a macbook and an iPhone, I will mainly be applying this to personal stuff rather than work. I am a bit of a technophobe too. I notice omni gets a shout from David Allen Company itself, but Things more positive votes on app store.

Let the voting commence.......

[Oogiem]

I never even considered Things after a quick look so Omnifocus gets my vote. Learning curve is high but the features are much more robust and it's much more flexible.

[pxt]

I'm a Macbook, MobileMe and iPhone user and I'm going to go with Things.

I tried both Omnifocus and Things. Omnifocus clearly has more features and settings, but I switched to Things because I wanted a simpler user interface. I was concerned, however, that it might be missing features.

While using Things, I have found that whenever a feature appears to be missing, it is because I'm trying to solve a GTD issue using features, whereas what I really need to do is re-read about GTD. I think the Things makers have a deep understanding of GTD because this has happened several times now. Omnifocus has the tools to provide you with many views of your information, but I found that Things had the views that I needed once I understood the method.

The good news is that both software do trials, so I'd do that if I were you on both.

[theilluminated]

I would recommend OmniFocus, it suits me perfect for its intention. Download the trial and check it out before buying, and look at the videos on the site. There is also a comprehensive tutorial at Lynda.com:

http://www.lynda.com/OmniFocus-tutorials/essential-training/60817-2.html

You can check out the available videos from that tutorial to get a feel of it. I absolutely love it and could not shamelessly praise it more than what I have already done here. ;)

[AE Thanh]

Since you describe yourself as technophobe, I would say Things is the better option for you. It's easier to learn and you'll get a better feel for how to get organized using to do lists. My roommate wrote a introduction to using to do lists including things (http://www.asianefficiency.com/task-management/simple-task-management-using-paper-things-or-microsoft-word/) that will help you get started.

However, I do think Omnifocus is a better app. Things doesn't support over the air syncing (or it doesn't work as well). So while you are updating it on your macbook, you can't use it on your iphone. Omnifocus does this really well.

Also, like mentioned earlier, Omnifocus has a steeper learning curve but will give you more power to using it. I really love this app but it also took me a couple months of experimenting to figure out how I use it optimally. Even for basic usage, it's fine too. If you are willing to learn the app you will get A LOT out of it.

If you really want to use your macbook and iPhone together, go for Omnifocus and learn it. If you just want to use something simple and only on the Macbook, go for Things.

[rdgeorge]

3) Do a seach of this forum, and find this topic covered often.

2) Download and read the Davidco white paper for GTD with Omnifocus

1) Use a paper system for a while, to improve GTD skills and to make yourself a more informed software buyer.

[GTDWorks]

I've been using Things for quite a while but I'm trying Flow (www.getflow.com) for a month to see if it will work for me. So far, so good!

[ccoleman99]

Whatever you decide, I think it's absolutely vital that you get a solution that allows a completely frictionless synchronization between your desktop and your iPhone. In other words, it has to feel like you only have "one list" that you can look at from either place, rather than two lists that you have to worry about keeping up to date.

As a practical matter, I think that rules out Things (at least for me, at least for now).

I tried Things and Toodledo, but eventually settled on OmniFocus, and I'm happy with it. It's a clean interface and a well-designed set of applications.

[rdgeorge]

ccoleman:

Agreed........


rdgeorge

[Oogiem]

Whatever you decide, I think it's absolutely vital that you get a solution that allows a completely frictionless synchronization between your desktop and your iPhone.

Agree totally with the need for easy sync but totally disagree with cloud based solutions to that. For me the requirement for sync is that I be totally in control. Security and privacy concerns preclude use of any cloud based sync for me.

[delittlehales]

I've been using Things for quite a while but I'm trying Flow (www.getflow.com) for a month to see if it will work for me. So far, so good!

I like the way the flow works, but how it appears that to arrange tasks pertaining to context seems awkward. What is your experience of this compared to Things which I am currently using

Dave

[mcogilvie]

I've been using Things for quite a while but I'm trying Flow (www.getflow.com) for a month to see if it will work for me. So far, so good!

Just tried flow. It's not really an individual gtd app, more a collaborative project/task/comments/files web app. At $99/year, it's not a good value IMHO. The web interface also seemed slow to me. I deleted my trial account ASAP. But whatever works for you.

[jacksonhitt]

Hi All.

Thanks for the replies, very useful.
I have started my GTD life today with the collection phase. Rather disconcerting actually and i have a desk pilled with papers and 100 off things in my Omnifocus inbox.
Yes I decided to go with Omnifocus!
So now to process and review. headache already!

The way I see it, the software for GTD (omnifocus - OF? - in my case) needs to distinctly manage 4 different things:
- projects list
- next actions
(I must say the ability to view the actions by context but still have multiple ones related to a project is good and seems to go beyond David's GTD book)
- waiting for
- someday/maybe
It is these 2 categories where the OF methodology doesn't seem clear.
I've read The White Paper OF, GTD and you (which started out really promisingly with a GTD style workflow diagram) but there after seems a bit vague. Using a "on hold" context for both of these 2 categories.

I would like a distinct Someday/Maybe section with separate categories e.g. Music, films, skills to learn, holiday ideas etc
Waiting for should IMHO be a simple list with just delegated actions

As David states in p140 of his book, there are 7 categories in the organizational structure and they should be "kept visually, physically and psychologically separate"
(the other 3 being calendared items - iCal and project and reference material - both in a filing cabinet)

So my question fellow GTD'ers:
How have you managed to fit this methodology into OF??

Many thanks

Jackson

[Oogiem]

I would like a distinct Someday/Maybe section with separate categories e.g. Music, films, skills to learn, holiday ideas etc
Waiting for should IMHO be a simple list with just delegated actions

I structure by Omnifocus system by areas of focus with a folder for each one so in addition to the active projects for each AOF I also have folders in Omnifocus where I keep the Someday maybe items that are associated with that area of focus. I put those projects on hold. Waiting for is a separate context as I can have waiting fors all over my system.

So my top level has a folder

Manage Our Farm Sustainably with sub folders of General Farm, Sheep, Orchard, Poultry, Horses, Ditch Company and within each of those folders is a folder for Farm Someday, Sheep Someday etc. Within those folders are the projects that are possible future active ones.

My lists of music to buy or books to buy is handled by having an on hold project which is buy more books. When I decide to activate it the action is decide what book to get from my saved lists. I keep the actual lists of books in a separate Open Office Text file and also in my DEVONThink notes. My kindle books to buy are in my Amazon Kindle Wish list. It's project support material so not directly in the Omnifocus system but referred to by the system.

My waiting for is a separate context because I am waiting for something but the project is active. So not really seen in the project view at all.

[jacksonhitt]

thanks Oogie.

That's really helpful.
I was getting confused by thinking of waiting and on hold as identical but of course 'on hold' is a status we attach to any context (like waiting) or to a project (for example someday/maybe ones)
think i'm getting there!

[Mark Jantzen]

I prefer OmniFocus though any software I've seen has to be "tricked" to really work with GTD.

For example in OF I use Someday/Maybe as a context. While that might sound really strange from a GTD perspective I'm just tricking the system to get it the way I want.

I have a top level folder for each Horizon and in Areas of Focus I use OF project items to represent my different 20k areas - e.g. Bills & Finances. Then I can use the OF action items to "hang" both actionable things as well as Someday/Maybe things by using various contexts.

It sounds more complicated than it really is and helps make my Weekly Reviews better.

Mark

[GTDWorks]

Still using www.getflow.com. The app has come a long way since April. Check it out again and see for yourself!

[macers]

I have used both, and I've found that Things is much better suited for my needs. While Things isn't perfect, it is a much closer fit to my needs than OF.

I can't speak to the syncing issues that others have with Things--or its apparent lack of a quality sync--because I only use Things on my laptop. I have a different capture tool on my mobile that is always with me and suits my needs perfectly.

[mcogilvie]

Still using www.getflow.com. The app has come a long way since April. Check it out again and see for yourself!

It looks like the only option for off-line functionality is the iPhone app, and a recent reviewer wishes that worked a little better. I'm glad it's working for you, but I suspect that limitation, the cost, and the not-so-generous 14-day free trial will mean flow gets mostly customers new to quality productivity tools, not switchers from something else.

[GTDWorks]

mcogilvie,

To each his own. No sense of loss or limitation for me at all using Flow. And the sync is great. Much better than Things and its glacial pace of development and obvious limitations.

[mcogilvie]

Much better than Things and its glacial pace of development and obvious limitations.

Ah well, Things. Such a good start, and such boneheadedness subsequent. I am amazed it's still got the mindshare it has. I think Cultured Code might get internet syncing working before 2013, maybe.

[GTDWorks]

So many of us were hanging around HOPING that Cultured Code would pull it all together and deliver on cloud sync plus, plus, plus. I hated having to move away but I had no choice as I needed all three devices to be in sync while working away from the office.

[alsa]

I have been using Things for about 3 years and am very satisfied.

The syncing issue is nearly solved. The beta testing has been going on since early summer (of 2011) and works very smoothly in beta. I would be surprised if it isn't launched publicly by sometime in first half of 2012. You can actually see the beta if you go to Settings and shake your iPhone/iPod/iPad. You will see the beta log-in.

[bsarsozo]

I have an iPad 2, iPhone 4 and a winxp pro computer running Outlook 2007 and was wondering if anyone has had success syncing Omnifocus without an apple computer?


Whatever you decide, I think it's absolutely vital that you get a solution that allows a completely frictionless synchronization between your desktop and your iPhone. In other words, it has to feel like you only have "one list" that you can look at from either place, rather than two lists that you have to worry about keeping up to date.

As a practical matter, I think that rules out Things (at least for me, at least for now).

I tried Things and Toodledo, but eventually settled on OmniFocus, and I'm happy with it. It's a clean interface and a well-designed set of applications.

[mcogilvie]

I have an iPad 2, iPhone 4 and a winxp pro computer running Outlook 2007 and was wondering if anyone has had success syncing Omnifocus without an apple computer?

You can sync the iPad and iPhone, no mac needed, just the OmniGroup server. But you may or may not be happy- I wouldn't be.

[apastuszak]

Has anyone looked at Pocket Informant. I bought it for my iPad and am quite happy with. I just wish it handled ticklers.

[North]

The Hit List (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-hit-list/id430219336?mt=8) is stellar.

Here's a long review (that also mentions Omnifocus):

http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/07/quickadvice-thehitlist

[Seanprice]

As an avid Mac user, complete with iPad and iPhone - for me Omnifocus gets a big vote from me.

We use 37 Signals Basecamp as project management hub for all our cilents - we then use Spootnik.net to sync the basecamp projects into Omnifocus.

This makes things so much easier!

[ricksmith]

Whatever you decide, I think it's absolutely vital that you get a solution that allows a completely frictionless synchronization between your desktop and your iPhone. In other words, it has to feel like you only have "one list" that you can look at from either place, rather than two lists that you have to worry about keeping up to date.

As a practical matter, I think that rules out Things (at least for me, at least for now).

I tried Things and Toodledo, but eventually settled on OmniFocus, and I'm happy with it. It's a clean interface and a well-designed set of applications.

You know Things allows syncing now, it's in Beta, but seems to work really well. Why did you rule it out?

[vicve]

Has anyone looked at Pocket Informant. I bought it for my iPad and am quite happy with. I just wish it handled ticklers.

Hello there, Yes, I use Pocket Informant. It's been my primary tool since my GTD implementation (about 1.5 years ago).

I've found it a bit clunky at times (like for projects and notes) but overall, it does the job. The support (at least when I bought it) wasn't that great either.

I have the app on my iPad and iPhone. There have been times when the sync is off which hasn't happened too often lately but for a while, I was considering jumping ship (maybe to Omnfocus). They seem to have gotten it together though.

I bought the HD version for my iPad and it looks nice but nothing spectucular. I would give it a B- overall. Not a bad option but not great.

To answer the overall question about tools, when I started, I started on paper and stayed clear of the software hype. I wanted some time to allow my system to shape itself and then find a tool that most closely helped me manage that. I think if you worry about the tool too early, you might allow that to shape your system rather than the other way around. My thought is, the software is a tool for your system but not your system itself.

I think this might be why some folks find themselves going back to paper many times...starting over.

Hope this helps!

[alsa]

Things' beta cloud sync is very strong. I essentially use the iPad to iPhone bypassing the Mac app completely. It takes a while to re-write/opy your data, but from then on --your're set!

[North]

The Hit List (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-hit-list/id430219336?mt=8) is stellar.


Actually I've switched to Things, because adding folders hasn't been implemented yet in the iPhone version of The Hit List. The Mac app can add folders which can then be synced to the iPhone app, but I don't have a Mac. Also, the developer is prone on going dark for long periods and either not keeping deadlines or refusing to indicate when a feature will be added, or saying anything at all to anyone.

Which is really too bad, because I think The Hit List is (otherwise) the better app, it even beats Things on its own turf: beauty and ease-of-use while still being fairly advanced for those who need that. But that said, Things is great as well, it's basically competition on elite level.

Oh, and I bought Toodledo at the recent discount. Just for kicks and getting to know what the options are.

[PeterW]

The Hit List looks nice although it doesn't have an online version which I'd need. I have a Mac at home, iPhone on the go and Windows at work, so a browser-based version would be nice to use at work.

I'm currently using Appigo's Todo (Mac, iPhone and Online).

[mattjans]

I couldn't see how to post a new topic so i replied here.

Does anyone use vitalist.com or know anything about it? Seems like a good site, but there isn't much site activity and the support posts are a couple years old.

I'm switching from Springpad.com due to their big let down today. I want something electronic, preferably online.

Other ideas welcome. Tx

[John_Hammond]

Things is one of the applications that make me envy Mac users from time to time.. I really wish that there was so stylish software for Windows..

[North]

Actually I've switched to Things, because adding folders hasn't been implemented yet in the iPhone version of The Hit List.

Okay, so just a few days ago I completed or moved the last items in The Hit List and made the final transitation to Things. But today The Hit List was updated, and now folders can be created. And not only that, you can create sub-folders as well, to any depth, which isn't possible in Things (a project within an area is the deepest you get). Now it's also possible to bundle tags with a collapse/expand functionality (Things have tags in hierarchy but no collapse/expand, so you get a long list). Plus the small things I already liked better in The Hit List (but Things got a few wins too).

Looks like I have to switch back, which is heart-wrenching because I love Things too and I just want us all to live happily together. Sigh. Lol.

[mrbobbo]

Before you start thinking about configuring your software, whatever it is, I think you should reflect on the point of GTD. I say this because Omnifocus, for example, will take up a lot of your time as you endlessly tweak it, trying to optimize, optimize, optimize. Trust me. Things has a simpler presentation and I have found it much less distracting. And I use it to manage several concurrent business projects: I'm a software project manager. It's not a replacement for project management software (and neither is Omnifocus). GTD is about not having to think. Omnifocus makes you think too much, IMHO.

A feature Omnifocus has that Things does not is the ability to use and present sequential actions in a project. Sounds great, but in reality I've found that most of what seem like sequential things are not really that sequential: they overlap and can be begun in parallel. Also, in real life, projects have multiple dependencies and a single line sequence doesn't capture the work. So you wind up ignoring sequential most of the time.

A feature Things has that Omnifocus doesn't is tagging. After two years of use, this has emerged as a key benefit. Omnifocus lets you categorize an item with two variables: its Project and its Context. But there is at least one more variable for many items: Person. And an item can relate to several people. Things has Projects and Tags. In Things if I have a Phone item for Project X and I need to call Bob and report the results to Bill, I put the item in Project X and tag it with tags Phone, Bill, and Bob. Now, if I run into Bob in the hallway, I search for the tag Bob and I know what to ask him. In Omnifocus the question would be buried in the Phone context and I'd lose the opportunity.

[mcogilvie]

. I want something electronic, preferably online.

Other ideas welcome. Tx

Toodledo or Remember the Milk, in that order.

[Noel]

I'm a little biased caused I developed it. But I got tired of trying to mold GTD into general purpose to-do apps like OmniFocus and Things so I made Purpose. Any program will have it's strength and weakness. It's all about the many design choices we make when we're making these programs. I made a decision right up front to not worry about making something that would have general mass appeal but instead focus like a laser beam on making something that works for GTD as seamless as possible. Nothing is going to be perfect. For example, I preferred the way Things does tagging (for Contexts) over OmniFocus's contexts.

It's true that you can do GTD with anything (such as pencil and paper) but the problem is that when you're starting out you're still learning a lot of what GTD is and the subtleties of all it's parts. In this early stage I think the wrong tool can make GTD harder to pickup if you'e not clear on it's concepts and how they inter-relate. In many ways, paper and pencil are better when you're starting out because they're less constricting and make you think more about the GTD methodology which is more important than any particular tool.

Anyway, don't want to get banned by the forum gods for mentioning my product so I'll stop there. Just throwing my two cents out there cause it was asked.

[Barb]

I'm a little biased caused I developed it. But I got tired of trying to mold GTD into general purpose to-do apps like OmniFocus and Things so I made Purpose. Any program will have it's strength and weakness. It's all about the many design choices we make when we're making these programs. I made a decision right up front to not worry about making something that would have general mass appeal but instead focus like a laser beam on making something that works for GTD as seamless as possible. Nothing is going to be perfect. For example, I preferred the way Things does tagging (for Contexts) over OmniFocus's contexts.

It's true that you can do GTD with anything (such as pencil and paper) but the problem is that when you're starting out you're still learning a lot of what GTD is and the subtleties of all it's parts. In this early stage I think the wrong tool can make GTD harder to pickup if you'e not clear on it's concepts and how they inter-relate. In many ways, paper and pencil are better when you're starting out because they're less constricting and make you think more about the GTD methodology which is more important than any particular tool.

Anyway, don't want to get banned by the forum gods for mentioning my product so I'll stop there. Just throwing my two cents out there cause it was asked.

I'm surprised to see anyone refer to Omnifocus as a "general purpose to-do app" when it so obviously was created by an expert GTD-er. I'm sure that's why it is one of only a few programs endorsed by the David Allen Co.

[Noel]

I'm surprised to see anyone refer to Omnifocus as a "general purpose to-do app" when it so obviously was created by an expert GTD-er. I'm sure that's why it is one of only a few programs endorsed by the David Allen Co.

The point which I failed to communicate was that it seems to be currently designed it so that in addition to serving the GTD community, it is also be approachable to those not familiar with GTD.

And I'll leave it at that because I have an enormous amount of respect for the folks over at OmniGroup and what they make. I've used many of their products for years and they're really excellent.

[North]

Anyway, don't want to get banned by the forum gods for mentioning my product so I'll stop there. Just throwing my two cents out there cause it was asked.

I for one appreciate knowing about new (relevant) products and I believe in communication between developers and users in forums such as this. If anything some developers are too silent and non-interactive.

I'm not really looking for another GTD app right now though, but I'll keep an eye on Purpose from now on. (Still on Things, but I'll be switching to The Hit List, again, in the near future... probably.)

[webmktco]

I've tried, and tried, Omnifocus and I've come to the conclusion that it's not for me.

I loved Netcentrics for Outlook, but then I switched from Windows to Mac and my GTD has suffered.

My main beef with Omnifocus is that I want notifications for time sensitive tasks... and Omnifocus doesn't do that.

I need desktop notifications for really important things...

[North]

(Still on Things, but I'll be switching to The Hit List, again, in the near future... probably.)

Or not. Oh my, seems like I have switched in my mind again. I'm staying with Things. The Hit List is great, but I realized that the global tagging system is not ideal. If you put something in Someday/Maybe (which you have to create yourself, THL is more flexible in that way) and then look for a next action via tags, items in Someday/Maybe will show up too. Messy, but Things has local tags, so normally you search the tags related to next actions and then that's all you get.

I think this is my final decision for a long while. They're both great though and THL is somewhat more advanced and I can see some people preferring that, also THL is the underdog (popularity wise) and I really wanted to like it more but in the end it's more like a close second.

[Todd V]

I needed an iOS solution for interfacing with my own approach (http://www.readysetdo.com) to getting things done on a mac. I finally settled on TaskPaper (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id354540092?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4). I've found TaskPaper to be very effective for basic task-management on the iPhone / iPad. It's clean. It's simple. And there's less to tinker with. And it's formatting as a basic text file makes it easy to interface with other programs.

But it wasn't until I made two fundamental shifts that I was able to make the most of it on the iPhone:

#1: Individual Docs for Each Context
I originally began with one large Taskpaper document for my location contexts, but I discovered that making separate documents for each context is actually faster to use:

Online.taskpaper
Home.taskpaper
Work.taskpaper

You can tap a new document faster than you can type into a search box. (I like to keep taps and typing to a minimum).

#2: Individual Docs for Each Person
Another change was to create a separate document for each client I would meet with. The format for each of these documents would consist of the following:

Delegated to Me:
- task for me to complete
- another task John Doe asked me to complete
- a task I've delegated to myself to do for John Doe

Agendas:
- item 1 I need John Doe to do
- item 2 to delegate to John Doe next time I meet with him

Waiting For:
- Waiting for John Doe to get back to me on this
- Waiting for John Doe to return this item for me (sent email 6/1/12)

Archive:
- List of completed tasks.

Once I made those two changes, my productivity got a huge boost. I now have two folders. One for "CONTEXTS" and another for "PEOPLE" with each of these Taskpaper documents in them. Simple. Fast. Probably not for everybody. Some will need bigger and better functionality. But for basic, bread-and-butter task-management, TaskPaper does a pretty good job.

[TommyNashvilleTN]

This thread has been primarily Things vs Omnifocus. But no mention of Evernote. For synching on multiple platforms and locations it seems like Evernote would be a good option. I must have PC functionality which apparently rules out Omnifocus. Any Evernote devotees?

[johnaohman]

This thread has been primarily Things vs Omnifocus. But no mention of Evernote. For synching on multiple platforms and locations it seems like Evernote would be a good option. I must have PC functionality which apparently rules out Omnifocus. Any Evernote devotees?

There certainly are Evernote devotees here, and I'm one of them .. .. .. just not for GTD.

Evernote is, "out of the box" very unstructured with many, many available options. As such, you really have to plan and work at proper setup for any given individual's GTD needs. Certainly can be done and, indeed, there are a number of folks here who strongly advocate for that. Doing a forum search will certainly reveal more detailed discussions of this topic in other threads.

I, personally, find Evernote great for storage/retrieval of random and reference materials. However for task management/GTD, I find other tools that are designed more specifically to that end to be more effective for me.
(Toodledo online with sync to Ultimate To-Do List on my Android phone).

At the end of the day however, it's whatever works for your personal style and needs that's really important.

[TommyNashvilleTN]

There certainly are Evernote devotees here, and I'm one of them .. .. .. just not for GTD.

Evernote is, "out of the box" very unstructured with many, many available options. As such, you really have to plan and work at proper setup for any given individual's GTD needs. Certainly can be done and, indeed, there are a number of folks here who strongly advocate for that. Doing a forum search will certainly reveal more detailed discussions of this topic in other threads.

I, personally, find Evernote great for storage/retrieval of random and reference materials. However for task management/GTD, I find other tools that are designed more specifically to that end to be more effective for me.
(Toodledo online with sync to Ultimate To-Do List on my Android phone).
At the end of the day however, it's whatever works for your personal style and needs that's really important.
Thx for your reply. Let me ask...
It seems you'd want some of your 'stuff' in Evernote to connect with something that needs to get DONE. Is that the case? Maybe if u have some more specific examples of waht u put into Evernote I'll get it better. And secondly...
You mention two apps and the need to sync. Over the years I've developed a strong bias against synching because of possible confusion with latest versions etc. So a solution that involves synching I would consider an unattractive workaround at best. Do u not have a way to make GTD work without two apps and synching?

[Phidelt]

They keep adding useful features like siri reminders and forecast view which is extremely useful. Omnifocus is more robust and can handle complex projects, things is just too rudimentary and minamalistic for people who like technology.

[mcogilvie]

They keep adding useful features like siri reminders and forecast view which is extremely useful. Omnifocus is more robust and can handle complex projects, things is just too rudimentary and minamalistic for people who like technology.

I have observed that there is a lot more material on the web on setting-up and/or tweaking omnifocus than things, yet they seem to have roughly the same popularity on the Apple app stores. This suggests (at least) two hypotheses: that omnifocus appeals to people who like to spend time tweaking it, and it requires more work to set up than Things. I think these are both true, and the preferences expressed in the most recent forum poll on list managers do not contradict this- it's a biased sample. I have gone back and forth between them several times, and they are more like each other than either is like any other program. I don't think either one is notably better than the other for gtd.

[H@ns]

I'm not an expert in GTD and associated tools. After reading the D Allen books and some research on the web I picked up things for iPhone and iPad. Using it for a few months the lack of structure in the project list (can become a long list to scroll through) made me look for something else. I then took OF (OS X, ipad, iphone) and saw a lot of use ins possibilities to tweak, structure projects and actions and the built in weekly review. After using that for some time I noticed I still used for logging actions, but most of the time fixing thes on a date, the complexities (probably my OF setup) made me look at my actions less frequently. So this week I returned to the simplicity of things. The daily review process brings more actions to my attention every morning. The tags can provide structure (still tweaking that). It just seems to be easier to use and gets used more and better for that.
One disadvantage for both is that the two of them are keeping me locked in Apples garden (while the android grass seems to become greener)

[paulmcdonald]

Has anyone looked at Pocket Informant. I bought it for my iPad and am quite happy with. I just wish it handled ticklers.

I've been using Pocket Informant for two years now. The pluses are that it does have some GTD functionality written into it. It also takes up one icon space on the iPhone/iPad, thus leaving more "real estate" to the screen. And it does sync pretty darned good with MS-Outlook if you get the add-on.

The downside is that I just can't seem to find anyone else who uses it. I know I'm missing features and benefits, but I don't know where to start.

The other downside is that (at least as far as I can tell) it doesn't interact well with Siri on the iPhone, so that means that the user interface is fumbly for me and my big fingers.

I don't have an iPad so I cannot respond to anything on that realm.