"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-tutor...g/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 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.

[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.)