This is the lengthy email I wrote up to OmniFocus, please let me know what you think of the requests herein:
Hola OmniGroup,
1. An aesthetic minor request: Any chance we could get a different icon under the preferences pane for either "General" or "Clippings"? Something about doubling up on that icon just doesn't seem right to me. There has to be another option available in the old icon library, no?
2. I find it very difficult to include reference materials in OmniFocus. It seems to me the only way to go about doing it is to add a subproject within a project and call it "Reference", but this just seems cumbersome to me. I don't want "reference" items to be a todo item, and I don't want to have to go outside of OmniFocus to manage my files related to projects as a separate system from OmniFocus; This is cumbersome.
Here is what I imagine: Perhaps in addition to Planning, and Context, you add a third tab "Reference". In here all of your project names will show up, and if no reference files have been placed in the project, then it would show in the outline box to the right a drop arrow essentially prompting the user to drop relevant reference files into the project. Once a reference file is placed in the project, it would show up as an icon. I realize that importing files into the OmniFocus database would likely make it unwieldy, so for the purposes of this discussion, I'm still just talking about a link to a file, but it would be really nice to give users an option to "move" or "copy" the file they're importing into their project into an OmniFocus managed location so they don't have to manage their files related to a project as separate from the project in OmniFocus.
Let me show you what I mean: (See Attached "referenceDrop.jpg")
This would be the reference drop for a selected project that has no reference files attached to it.
And: (See Attached "referenceLook.jpg")
This is how the reference window would look after files had been dropped onto the WHOIS project.
3. As you can see in the above photo I have a folder full of lists. None of these lists are actionable, they are simply "Maybe Someday, a reference Grocery List, Things to Do while in Egypt, Books to Read, Wines to Taste", and so on. What I think is a bit of a bummer is that in order to create a "list", I essentially have to create a "Project", and then put it on hold. but why? I'm not holding a project, I'm just creating a list. Could you please add an option in the inspector to make something a "list", by definition, a collection of entries that have neither context nor due date, etc.?
4. I have to bump it on your features list one more time: a quick-entry application that runs separate from OmniFocus altogether. I could go on and on about why I think this is important, but I think I've done that a bunch in the past, so I'll save my breath.
5. Finally, perhaps the most vague of all my feature requests to date, but something I'm a bit desperate for: I wish there was a Planning Wizard type thing for OmniFocus. I imagine starting up OmniFocus for the first time and being greeted by a window that explains the basic principle of GTD and starts off by asking you to "get it all off of your mind". Here, users would just go crazy in the Inbox until they've got it all out, and then click next. From there, the wizard would explain to the end user: alright, now what we need to do is process your inbox. Ah but what is this?! A GTD workflow window according to the GTD system that would walk you through the workflow as you process your inbox.
Last but not least, I would love a "nag me" preference, to bug me to process my inbox when it has more than X number of items in it. Likewise, I would like to be nagged to review projects.
Anyway, Thanks for listening to my blabbering and please consider implementing some of these features, I think they would be a great addition to the application, and I'm sure many other users would agree. I really like the approach you guys have taken to OmniFocus being general enough to handle a varied workflow, but I think for a lot of people trying to implement what they've read about in David Allen's book, it takes some guidance. So perhaps you could run the app in a "Strict GTD", or "I Know What I'm Doing" mode? Just some thoughts -- look forward to hearing from you.
Hola OmniGroup,
1. An aesthetic minor request: Any chance we could get a different icon under the preferences pane for either "General" or "Clippings"? Something about doubling up on that icon just doesn't seem right to me. There has to be another option available in the old icon library, no?
2. I find it very difficult to include reference materials in OmniFocus. It seems to me the only way to go about doing it is to add a subproject within a project and call it "Reference", but this just seems cumbersome to me. I don't want "reference" items to be a todo item, and I don't want to have to go outside of OmniFocus to manage my files related to projects as a separate system from OmniFocus; This is cumbersome.
Here is what I imagine: Perhaps in addition to Planning, and Context, you add a third tab "Reference". In here all of your project names will show up, and if no reference files have been placed in the project, then it would show in the outline box to the right a drop arrow essentially prompting the user to drop relevant reference files into the project. Once a reference file is placed in the project, it would show up as an icon. I realize that importing files into the OmniFocus database would likely make it unwieldy, so for the purposes of this discussion, I'm still just talking about a link to a file, but it would be really nice to give users an option to "move" or "copy" the file they're importing into their project into an OmniFocus managed location so they don't have to manage their files related to a project as separate from the project in OmniFocus.
Let me show you what I mean: (See Attached "referenceDrop.jpg")
This would be the reference drop for a selected project that has no reference files attached to it.
And: (See Attached "referenceLook.jpg")
This is how the reference window would look after files had been dropped onto the WHOIS project.
3. As you can see in the above photo I have a folder full of lists. None of these lists are actionable, they are simply "Maybe Someday, a reference Grocery List, Things to Do while in Egypt, Books to Read, Wines to Taste", and so on. What I think is a bit of a bummer is that in order to create a "list", I essentially have to create a "Project", and then put it on hold. but why? I'm not holding a project, I'm just creating a list. Could you please add an option in the inspector to make something a "list", by definition, a collection of entries that have neither context nor due date, etc.?
4. I have to bump it on your features list one more time: a quick-entry application that runs separate from OmniFocus altogether. I could go on and on about why I think this is important, but I think I've done that a bunch in the past, so I'll save my breath.
5. Finally, perhaps the most vague of all my feature requests to date, but something I'm a bit desperate for: I wish there was a Planning Wizard type thing for OmniFocus. I imagine starting up OmniFocus for the first time and being greeted by a window that explains the basic principle of GTD and starts off by asking you to "get it all off of your mind". Here, users would just go crazy in the Inbox until they've got it all out, and then click next. From there, the wizard would explain to the end user: alright, now what we need to do is process your inbox. Ah but what is this?! A GTD workflow window according to the GTD system that would walk you through the workflow as you process your inbox.
Last but not least, I would love a "nag me" preference, to bug me to process my inbox when it has more than X number of items in it. Likewise, I would like to be nagged to review projects.
Anyway, Thanks for listening to my blabbering and please consider implementing some of these features, I think they would be a great addition to the application, and I'm sure many other users would agree. I really like the approach you guys have taken to OmniFocus being general enough to handle a varied workflow, but I think for a lot of people trying to implement what they've read about in David Allen's book, it takes some guidance. So perhaps you could run the app in a "Strict GTD", or "I Know What I'm Doing" mode? Just some thoughts -- look forward to hearing from you.