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Time for change? Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
If you construct a context-based perspective on the Mac that sorts, groups, or filters by duration, that perspective will work on the iOS apps...
 
Prompted by this thread (and the marketing of Things 2), I figured I'd see how it's improved.

You know that saying about "one man's treasure is another man's trash"?

Yeah.

Within five minutes of using Things, I knew it's still not for me. Here are a couple of things that bugged me (or are outright showstoppers for my workflow):

* When creating a new project, you can't just start typing the name in immediately; you have to double-click to go into "editing mode".

* All your actions show up under your projects in the Next view on iPad, with no way of limiting it to just the "next action".

* Completed items also show up in your Next view on iPad.

* On iPad, the projects list is this weird view that's a (poor) graphical representation of a "book" or something.

* When creating a new project, fields are ordered: Project name, Tags, Due Date, Notes, but the tab order is Project name, Tags, Notes, skipping over Due Date. But if you tab to Notes, then shift-tab to go back, you go Notes to Due Date. That makes no sense!

* When a project is selected under Active Projects, there's no way to delete that project. You have to go to the Projects Focus section, select the item from that list and delete from there.

There's no way to automatically only show the actually actionable item for a project, to easily manage projects, etc.

Overall, Things feels more like a "to do list": you make a big list of all the little things you want to do at some point and you review them to select which items on that list you'll do "today".

It does not feel like a GTD app in the slightest to me.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mavric View Post
why on earth don't you use forecast? one of the best features of mobile, I couldn't live without it.
Forecast would be GREAT, except for one thing: the inability to sort tasks on individual days. GTD is a wonderful ideal, but many (if not most) of us have "those" days when re-thinking your day after completing each task is a luxury we can't afford.

Frankly, the ability to plan for an individual day when needed is the only reason I switched from OmniFocus to Things 2.

C
 
If you don't have enough time to choose the next task, how do you ever find enough time to plan out the whole day?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cike View Post
Forecast would be GREAT, except for one thing: the inability to sort tasks on individual days. GTD is a wonderful ideal, but many (if not most) of us have "those" days when re-thinking your day after completing each task is a luxury we can't afford.

Frankly, the ability to plan for an individual day when needed is the only reason I switched from OmniFocus to Things 2.

C
Hmmm.... By using OmniFocus, I already have my day planned out. I start my morning with the daily review. I look at any previously flagged tasks and decide whether to keep them flagged or unflag them. I had already previously entered tasks with due dates assigned.

I have a Today perspective which shows flagged or due tasks that are available.

Context filter: Active
Grouping: Context
Sorting: Due
Availability filter: Available
Status filter: Due or flagged
Estimated Time Filter: Any duration

This is my "today" perspective. I can do them in any order so I don't really care about sorting them. I make sure to focus on just this today view and work on the flagged tasks or due tasks. After I finish all of my "Today" tasks, I'll definitely have free time and look at my Next Actions perspective and just pick one task to work on.

Context filter: Active
Grouping: Contet
Sorting: Due
Availability Filter: Available
Status Filter: Any Status
Estimated Time Filter: Any duration


I don't bother planning "during" the day because I'm too busy doing rather than planning.

Another way of looking at your day is to refer to OmniFocus and look at all your available tasks. Just pick three to five tasks that you want to focus on today. Write them down on an index card. Close OmniFocus so you don't get distracted by looking at the list all day long. Many folks will pretend they're doing things when all they're doing is looking at their to-do list, tinker with it, plan some more, and then forget to "do" their tasks.


Work off that list you wrote down on the index card. Cross off each task on the index card. You will develop the habit of instinctively knowing which tasks hold the best bang for the buck. Work on all due tasks. Then work on the flagged tasks that you believe will deliver the highest reward (or advance your overall goals most effectively for the day or the week).

When you have finished all the tasks on the index card, refer back to OmniFocus, check off those completed tasks and see what else you want to do. Get out another index card and write down three to five more things you want to do.

Less planning, more doing.

Last edited by wilsonng; 2012-09-04 at 09:37 PM..
 
I've played with Things (iPad) and I loved the simplicity and the tag support, but there are just so many features of OF I just can't do without.

However, I am aware of the irony wanting features + simplicity but never finding both in the same place!
 
 


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