"Get It Done" Review?

[Jano]

I'm am new to GTD and seeking to organize using my mac and my iphone. I've been searching for compatible tools and just ran across http://getitdoneapp.com

Has anyone used this? Reviews. It looks useful and like it follows GTD to me - I'd like your opinions before I dive into this...would like to set this up once and get productive!!

BTW - I have searched the forum and not found anything. I hope this isn't a redundant thread.

Jan

[mcogilvie]

I'm am new to GTD and seeking to organize using my mac and my iphone. I've been searching for compatible tools and just ran across http://getitdoneapp.com

Has anyone used this? Reviews. It looks useful and like it follows GTD to me - I'd like your opinions before I dive into this...would like to set this up once and get productive!!

BTW - I have searched the forum and not found anything. I hope this isn't a redundant thread.

Jan

Not redundant. I think I must have missed this one. Reviews on the app store are mixed, seems a bit pricey for what you get. I would try Toodledo first: it's cheaper, better known, well-regarded, very flexible. $3 bucks or so for the iPhone version, free web account. Start with contexts and due dates, and go from there.

[Oogiem]

Not redundant but I'd also take a look at Omnifocus.

Do you really only want a mobile or web version of your lists? Unless I missed it there is no desktop version so it depends on net access to run on the main computer.

Will you ever have items in your lists that are private or need to be stored securely?

Do you always have access to the internet where you are?

I would second looking at Toodledo if you are comfortable with on-line and cloud based task managers.

[Jano]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll check them out.

To further drill down - I definitely want a mobile app - my iphone is with me constantly - I'd like to move away from my paper to-do because I don't always have that with me. Then, I would like it to sync to a desktop/web application so I can work from that when at desk. I don't know enough about cloud based scenario's to know whether I should be concerned about that or not.

Thanks for you help,
Jan

[chris101]

Hi Jan,

If you're using a Mac and looking for tight desktop/iPhone integration then Omnifocus and Things are the frontrunners. They're structured quite different in that Omnifocus uses hierarchies of folders/projects/tasks/subtasks whereas Things is 'flatter' but allows for flexibility in its use of tags. Both are excellent, they just lend themselves to different work styles. They also both have really nice iPhone and iPad apps.

Web-based applications like Toodledo, Nozbe, Remember the Milk, Nirvana, etc. are a great choice if you're looking to access your tasks from different computers but lose out a little in terms of smoothness of use and the fact that you need an internet connection.

My advice would be to turn the selection of an electronic GTD system into a project. Download trial versions of what you want to try out, fill them with your own tasks, and take it from there. While recommendations and reviews are always useful to supplement your decision, much depends on your work style and what features you require and those you're prepared to compromise on.

One last suggestion, before settling on a system do try to take into account the type of support the developer[s] offer. Part of the reason i use Omnifocus is that their discussion boards/support staff are excellent.

hope that helps,
chris.

[Suelin23]

I use Pocket Informant. I also bought Omnifocus, but don't use it, I like having calendar and lists integrated in PI. Plus the list setup is better, you can have actions that aren't next actions, and every action can be put on both a context list and a project list.

[pevensen]

I, too, am looking for an inexpensive GTD software solution for iPad. I have been looking at Get It Done and a few other.

First, a general comment: it seems like many, if not most, of the creators of "GTD" software have never read the book! They are missing elements of the GTD methodology or major disconnects.

This brings me to Get It Done:

I was initially confused by the Areas tag. At first I thought it was what GID calls contexts, but then I was confused when a project was assigned to an Area and you if you signed a task to an area, you could only assign it to projects that were assigned to that area. As I read more I discovered that Area is a general category of tasks and projects, such as "Work" and "Personal." I can see that potentially being a useful division, but is it really? I don't remember GTD encouraging use to separate tasks into Work vs Personal, etc., just into context, which Areas does not work for.

In Get It Done Setup the creator suggests that Projects are the equivalent of contexts. What?!? That makes no sense! He advices that one sets up a Phone project and put all phone-related tasks under that. Where, then, does one setup the projects--the open loop--one must store? Using Projects as contexts loses the vertical integration of tasks in a project.

One way I came up with to implement contexts is to set up the contexts as tags and create Smart Groups with those tags so I to pull up all the Phone-related tasks, for example. I'm not sure I'm happy with this method. I would prefer it if contexts were supported more directly and less obtrusively.

In addition to these GTD-method disconnects, $39/year seems a bit much.

I haven't tried Toodledo and related mobile apps yet, but that appears to be my next stop.

Peter