21st May, 2008

Things - Getting Things Done Application for Mac

I always think it is neat to find a new useful application, so I may as well post the occasional recommendation.  Mind you, much or most of what I post might be Mac-only.  It is time to make those Windows users out there stop saying stuff like, “they don’t make any software for Macs” and start wondering why they aren’t using a Mac.

Today’s application is called “Things”, and it is only made for Mac.  It is a “Getting Things Done” (GTD) application.  For those of you out there that have used other applications such as iGTD or OmniFocus, then I recommend you take a look at Things by Cultured Code.  If you use Nothing, and you have a lot of tasks to get done on a regular basis, then I suggest you look at Things too.

Things is a very clean, well-designed application.  It is light-weight and very easy to use and navigate.  Immediately after I installed it, I was able to jump right in and start using it.  It just made sense.  I’ve tried both iGTD and OmniFocus, and they simply can’t match the simpleness of Things.  One of my co-workers purchased OmniFocus last fall, and now that Things has come out - he no longer uses OmniFocus and has switched to Things.

The Things app can be as simple or complex as you want it to be.  Put all of your todos in the inbox, or, create different projects, assign due dates and reminders, assign tags to your todos for better organization and prioritization, etc.  As a web developer, I have many different projects at any given time, many with different tasks and due dates.  I benefit daily from it.

Things is still in early development.  They have a lot of great ideas in store for further development.  They even already say there will be an iPhone and iPod Touch version for those of you who have either of those.   The current version is 0.9.1.2.  Things is free to use until they release version 1.0.  It will then be $49 (unless you visit their website and signup for their newsletter - the price is then reduced to $39 when it is released).

There’s plenty more I could write up on Things, but if something like this doesn’t at all interest you, then it’s pointless.  If you are interested, just visit the Things website and learn more about it.  I highly recommend it.

Posted by: Josh Pratt
Categories:
Mac Apps

Responses

For implementing GTD you might try out this web-based application:

Gtdagenda.com

You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.

As with the last update, now Gtdagenda has full Someday/Maybe functionality, you can easily move your tasks and projects between “Active”, “Someday/Maybe” and “Archive”. This will clear your mind, and will boost your productivity.

Hope you like it.

By: dannielo on May 22nd, 2008
at 6:41 am

dannielo,

Thanks for the comment. I haven’t used gtdagenda, but I did take a look at the screenshots and the features. It’s not bad, however, it lacks in the simplicity and overall crisp feel that Things will give you. And, you are required to have an internet connection to use it.

There are pros and cons to a web application such as gtdagenda.com. The main pro, is that you can use it from any computer that has an internet connection - whereas with Things, you can only use it on your own computer. Most people use their own computer most of the time though - so that’s usually not an issue.

One, of the many, perks of Things is that it is made to work well with the OS X operating system. There is a keyboard command that will bring up a small window to let you enter in a todo instantly without opening up the application. Things also has a couple options in the “Services” menu where you can highlight text, and create a todo from it placing that text in the Notes or Title of the todo. They also plan on functionality with syncing with iCal (I believe).

Another feature that is in the pipeline is the ability to connect with others who use Things. You will be able to assign todos to other people who might be part of your project.

In the long run, gtdagenda.com will end up either limiting you big time with the free account - or you will end up spending way more money on it if you subscribe to it monthly.

By: Josh Pratt on May 22nd, 2008
at 7:30 am

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