The Search for My Ideal GTD App
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking for an online service to help me stay organized. My system at the moment is a patchwork of paper, desktop apps, and willpower that has worked well enough in the past but has begun to come apart at the seams as I take on a growing number of responsibilities. Since I work at several different locations, I need to be able to access a single source where I can access tasks, files, and reference information — from wherever I happen to be.
I’ve yet to find the system that works best for me, although there are plenty of slick apps that look promising until I actually get down to working with them. After a few days of excitement, I find myself coming up against barriers to productivity — some of them because of poor design, some because of differences in philosophy between myself and the programmers, most because I’m simply not the target client — and find myself spending time looking for workarounds to make the system work rather than actually getting stuff done.
Looking at and evaluating all these applications has forced me to consider what exactly it is that I’m looking for in an ideal GTD app. Here are a few of the features I think are important:
- Supporting materials should be bound to projects: Most of my projects involve the creation of documents, and many of them have associated reference materials as well. I would like to be able to look at a project, or a task under a project, and with a click create or open an associated document. For instance, I’m working on a long academic article for a book; I’d like to have all of my notes, PDFs of research materials, drafts, and other materials available whenever I open that project. Foldera does this in a way, but I’ve found it difficult to work with, and it is geared more towards business collaboration than towards individual task management.
- Document editing: I want to be able to create and edit documents from within the same interface that I use to look at my projects and tasks. Whether this uses an internal document editor or a link to a third-party service like Google Docs or Zoho doesn’t matter, as long as the document is saved back to the project it belongs to. So using the above example, if I am working on a draft of my article, I want to be able to open the document, write, and save the document back into the project it belongs to.
- Bulk upload: Why on earth do so many online apps allow you to upload documents only one at a time? What I’d really like to see is a desktop app that would allow me to synchronize files, perhaps by flagging them on the desktop in some way, and then upload them in the background — but I’d settle for a file manager that either allowed me to drag and drop multiple files or ctrl-select them to upload all at once.
- Integration with desktop tools like Outlook: I’d like to be able to work in Outlook or other desktop apps and have the work appear in my online space — and vice versa. So when I check a todo list item “done” online, it’s also marked “done” in Outlook. Several online apps do one-way imports from Outlook, and a few do manual syncs — I don’t see why this couldn’t be automated.
- Integration with mobile tools: For me, like many others, a PC isn’t the only tool I work with. I use a Treo, and others use iPhones, Blackberries, and even Windows Mobile devices (it’s true!) when a PC isn’t handy. Yet few online apps try very hard to integrate with them. Even if access can’t be “live”, it would be nice to have work show up at least when the device is synchronized. What I’d really like, though, is integration with my smartphone’s apps, or third-party apps like Google’s — Google has shown that it’s possible to make sophisticated online apps that work on a variety of mobile devices.
- Automatic promotion of future tasks: When I develop a project outline, I generally write down a list of tasks that need to be done to complete the project. But when I look at my todo list, I just want to know what to do now. Most of the apps I’ve seen dump all the todos from all my projects into one master list, which is useless to me — how can I revise the first draft of an article when I haven’t even been to the library to check out the books I need to research it yet? I want my GTD app to promote the very next action to my todo list whenever I mark the item right before it as finished.
- Links to other services: I’d really like to see a way to pass data back and forth between online services, but barring that I’d like at least to add links into the interface to other online services. It’s surprising to me how many GTD apps don’t have anywhere to put links.
- No-nag tasks: I like to schedule time or set reminders for things that I only need to be reminded about once. For example, driving time — I schedule my regular commute in my calendar, and sometimes I do need a reminder (”hey, you gotta get going, buddy!”) but if I miss the reminder, that’s because I’m probably already driving. I’d like to be able to create a category of reminders that go off once and if I’m not there to respond to them, they just disappear.
- An exit strategy How I get my data out of an online app is at least as important as how I get it in. My needs are bound to change in the future, or the programmers may decide to change something in a way that no longer meets my unchanged needs — or the company that hosts the service may go out of business or cancel the service. If my data is trapped in their system, I’m screwed. I need a way to bulk download everything in their original formats (for documents, files, etc.) or in documented web standards (xml, RSS) that can be ported to a new system, or at least opened on my desktop so I can transfer information over manually.
What about you? What features are you looking for in a GTD app? What services do you use, and what would you change to make them suit your needs better? Is there a great out-of-the-box service out there that I’m missing? If you could design your own perfect online service, what would it do?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Dustin Wax
Dustin M. Wax is a freelance writer and project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He is also the creator of The Writer's Technology Companion, a site devoted to the tools of the writing trade. When he's not writing, he teaches anthropology and gender studies in Las Vegas, NV. He is the author of Don't Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.
Follow him on Twitter: @dwax.
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Comments
Neoc says on November 26th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
If you find this, please let me know because I have been looking for an even simpler system and it ain’t nowhere to be found. All you usually get are endless (useless) bells and whistles. I don’t want to spend more time administering the GTD app than actually doing the work I want to capture with it.
Nicholas Chen says on November 26th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Your right, if an app allows you to connect theplanflow (made up word), when you are figuring out what to do next, and the workflow when you are actually working seamlessly while still maintaining online status. That’s productivity.
I know it is not an online app but I like how Things allows you to (although not automatically) put tasks under a today category so you know what to do next.
Mortonmanor says on November 26th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
How does OmniFocus fit into your model. I have been using it for a while now and find that it can be used very simply. I haven’t tried to attach a lot of reference material to a project, but have used small clips.
David
http://www.freshlymobile.com
a fresh look at mobility
Elmer Thomas says on November 26th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
I found that a combinations of online tools are necessary. I do still carry around my moleskine, but I sync it with my system each now. My GTD system is described here: http://www.thinkingserious.com.....e-cabinet/
Jake says on November 26th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
I am the main developer of Toodledo.com and I wanted to let you know that I found this post to be very inspirational. Toodledo already does a good job with the last three bullet points on your list, but we pretty much suck at the others.
If Toodledo could synchronize (both directions) with Outlook, your PDA, and your filesystem, it would be a killer app. The reason we don’t do a good job with this is because the functionality you are describing would require some custom desktop software to sit between the website and your offline tools. We are web developers, so we don’t currently have the skills to make desktop software. These are things that we have always wanted to do, and still want to do, but we just haven’t had the developer resources yet.
We do have a complete API that a developer could use to build these intermediary apps. Perhaps one of your readers would be interested in taking a crack at it :)
Karel says on November 26th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I think I am close to my ideal GTD app: Things by cultured code.
(http://culturedcode.com/things)
It is Mac only, (but you were going to switch anyway, no?) and the developers promised to bring us an iPhone port of this app as soon as the Developer tools for the iPhone will be available.
It has the most important requirement for me in a GTD app: simplicity!
With the most GTD apps I am spending too much of my resources on the program itself and not on my tasks. After playing around with the beta preview of this app I am convinced. This one rocks.
And yes, I tried OmniFocus the past few months, but that doesn’t deliver for me.
Albert says on November 26th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
The best systems are often the simplest, I have found.
I have recently dropped Backpack for Vitalist, and Vitalist for my cellphone.
You have to be off the computer to GTD.
Joël de Bruijn says on November 26th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
This made me wonder: isn’t there any XML defined with the focus on GTD, or tasks, todo lists, contexts, next actions, etc.?
This would help to store the GTD information in a structured way. (RI)Applications which are “GtdML-compliant” should be able to interface or exchange information, without losing quality. This would “free” your data if a specific company stops developing your app.
Some examples can be found here: http://www.43folders.com/forum.....mat-anyone
Ian says on November 26th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I have looked at a few GTD apps recently including iGTD and the high-profile release of Omnifocus which I used in detail for a week, and online Vitalist, however considering the cost, ease of access, and features I decided the best one out there is http://www.TOODLEDO.com
Toodledo does everything all the others do as far as I can and does a lot of that even for free – and I can get it in realtime on the move too! However I will upgrade to the Pro level if I get busier. I much prefer a well-designed web-based system like Tooledo than something that requires specific software and hardware which I have to update myself.
I think for for online design, Vitalist look best, but features and benefits make Toodledo the outright winner quite easily. I can also easily access and update my Toodledo list on my mobile phone.
Michael says on November 26th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
This is a philosophical question more than a practical one: How do you know when you are GTMD (Getting Too Much Done)? It seems to me, from reading GTD materials, that the point to Getting Things Done ends up being Getting Even More Things Done, not Getting Things Done so I have more time to do things that do not need to be done, but which are fun. Yes, most GTD authors would say that GTD is supposed to help you Get Things Done so you CAN have fun. But in practice, through vicarious observation online of GTD gurus, it seems you Get Things Done only to get even more things that need to be done.
Jodie says on November 27th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Exactly. Your article nailed it. I can only offer to share my system with you. It is still paper-based becuase I can “see it” in my office (a tiered single width, metal folder holder, coupled with both a file drawer and a file box.)(Order of aging material progression, as a matter of fact.) And I use Microsoft Outlook 2007 with Buisness Contact Manager for everything else. I just got it about 4 months ago.
Before I saw the GTD system (also about 4 months ago) I used a Franklin Covey Planner. I still have my leather FC planner, but when I found David Allen’s 2-minute rule, everything started getting done.
Your article really nailed every requirement of a good software program; simple and easy to bind the various formats together, save, and so on, but I can’t say it better than Albert: “You have to be off the computer to GTD.”
Jodie says on November 27th, 2007 at 12:32 am
With reference to Michael:
I started using OneNote 2007 from Microsoft to have “fun”. (And it is.) It’s freeform and could be used for mind-mapping.
I want to reference Michael because (there’s a ‘use’ for beca’use’) of that problem of just creating time to get more things that need to be done… not fun.
I often refer back to my bliss. My bliss is the real engine that underpins every single goal I could ever dream up and is basically my happiness.
I’ve countered the “problem” by suggesting to myself that the extra time I build up is for the extra thought it takes to form new habits and deny/defy the continuation of old ones.
Jordan says on November 27th, 2007 at 2:54 am
Maybe I’m just lucky, but I’m almost always able to have my tablet PC around. I use Microsoft’s OneNote to do exactly what you described. Except, you know, the part where you want it to be online. :-/
Elmer Thomas says on November 27th, 2007 at 3:37 am
OneNote for the PocketPC also works very well. Recording notes is almost instantaneous, as opposed to it taking forever using the native recording notes feature. And the synchronization works well.
Now, I use Jott.com to record my thoughts, since it automatically transcribes my notes and sends it to the RTM or to an email.
Martin Wildam says on November 27th, 2007 at 5:47 am
For my GTD I do not need any other app than a calendar.
If there is something to do: Schedule it or drop it – If a thing does not make it to your calendar (not getting a time slice for it to do because you find it not important enough) then why bother?
Laurent Brixius says on November 27th, 2007 at 11:19 am
I haven’t found an application that do it all but one which is very close to my needs for implementing GTD: EssentialPIM.
http://www.essentialpim.com/
There is a calendar (with reminders), to-do lists (with priorities), a contact database and notes and a very functional search engine for each tool. I personnaly use the Notes tool to keep track of my projects and To-do lists for my “next action” lists.
You can link one or more file or contact to a task.
I use the multi-user multi-level network version which allow you to share tasks or contact but you can also keep some private. It can synchronize with Outlook, Windows Mobile devices, Palm, iPOD, Google Calendar.
And it’s not expensive :)
As with many applications, I think the trick is the initial organization. You need to think carefully about your actual and future needs before implementing GTD with this kind of software.
Mark Kanninga says on November 27th, 2007 at 11:54 am
I have to say that I agree, there is no online application that has all the functions in one package… i think it will really take a while until there is though because the mayor company’s haven’t been on this wagon yet with their full attention. i’m currently using essentialPIM with Google calendar and as a startpage with all my info Netvibes, a good combination for now. Right now i’m still looking for a pda that can grant all my GTD wishes… bit thats a whole other story
@Stephen | HD BizBlog says on November 27th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
You can get some of your online “stuff” pulled down pretty quickly just using FireFox. Use ScribeFire to post text and links to your (private) blog, then save the RSS feed as an email. Use Screengrab for images, and the download manager plug-in is good for sticking other types of files into their proper places on your computer.
Eric says on November 28th, 2007 at 3:29 am
I like Vitalist.com . It’s a GTD site all the good stuff built-in, search, ref. sys., etc.
I know that the upgrades cost money, but so far, the ten contexts and ten projects have been sufficient for me. I think it’s because I like to burn through projects one at a time. The ten contacts probably isn’t enough though, but I think Vitalist+ Google Apps covers all the bases. You can tie it to your Google Calendar.
Mohamad says on November 28th, 2007 at 4:25 am
I have come across and download an app caled TimeTo. Here an excerpt for the website:
Use the tool the experts use to remove stress, tame deadlines, and battle procrastination as TimeTo™:
* Memorizes your recurring commitments, appointments
* Balances your priorities, life goals, deadlines, time budget
* Warns you weeks ahead if your commitments are in conflict
* Prioritizes based upon priority, expected return, life balance
* Knows your rules, your preferences, redrafts your schedule
* Blends appointments, deadlined tasks, non-urgent important tasks
* Splits large task into workable chunks
* Helps you stay focussed, keep your promises
* Launches alarms, Web pages, programs, files, Skype calls
* Records what you did, how long it took, what it was worth
* Backs up automatically: frequently, daily, weekly
* Searches your future plans, your past activities (journal)
* Stores, searches, and views text in up to 17 language alphabets
* Portable: can run entirely from a USB key, no install needed, no registry
* Imports and exports to Outlook and other formats
* Syncs with Outlook (currently in beta testing) (and thus to Palm, PocketPC, Blackberry)
Jesse Seymour says on November 28th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
After reading this article and comments I find that my system has many more components in it then everyone else’s so maybe I am missing the GTD point.
My system uses Microsoft OneNote 2007, Outlook 2007, Thunderbird, paper notepads, Google Calendar, paper files and the My Documents folder.
OneNote has one section and two section groups. The section is called Next Steps and the section groups are Home Projects and Work Projects.
Work related appointments go into Outlook, personal appointments go into Google Calendar. Outlook also handles my Waiting For list with a rule that every message I receive that is BCC’ed to me gets moved to a Waiting For folder. I also use categories in Outlook 2007 to keep project related email. Outlook also manages my work contacts.
Thunderbird is my personal email / contacts manager.
Paper notepads get notes as I think of them scribbled or when I get a phone call / verbal directive from my boss. Twice during the day I process my paper notes into Next Actions, Appointments or reference/support material.
Inside One Note each context has its own page and I simply dump the tasks on the page and check them off. The projects section are used to store project planning notes (action lists by project instead of by context) and any information that does not get created as a separate file or email – for example, on my get new tires project I insert a note saying Pomps has a deal – buy 3 get 1 in the project section of OneNote.
I defer tasks to either Next Actions if they don’t have a deadline or the appropriate calendar if they do have a deadline.
Supporting project files are either electronically in My Documents\Current Projects\ or in paper based files on my desk. When projects are closed the paper files are scanned into PDF files and added to a Project Archive.zip file in My Documents file. At the end of each year the Project Archive.zip file gets burned to a CD.
I also use a voice recorder when driving to capture notes and thoughts. I process this in the morning before I start work or right away when I get home.
I know this is not a very sexy solution but I have found it to be extremely flexible. Using the voice recorder or a small spiral bound top-flip note book I can capture information anywhere and then process it into my main system.
Dustin Wax says on November 28th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Jesse — this isn’t really about getting or missing the GTD point — your needs are simply different from mine. I do a lot of the things you do, and currently use a bunch of different tools; the problem is, I’m on the run all the time and can’t always access each of them. When you rely on a bunch of little tools to do little essential jobs, if one of them breaks it gets messy! For me — and I think for a lot of mobile workers — a single-stop solution is best, because I can log in from anywhere and everything’s there. I’ve been thinking a lot about online desktops, which would do this somewhat, although so far most of them seem rather limited.
Axel says on December 7th, 2007 at 9:19 am
I’be been looking for a good GTD app for a long time. One thing I know for sure there are no perfect apps. But there are those that are very close to perfect, like the one that I use right now – http://www.wrike.com/. It’s email integrateds and very flexible. You can work even off-line and then send an up-date to the system via email.
Ian says on December 9th, 2007 at 5:36 am
Further to my comments about Toodledo.com, it does automatically parse links shown in notes, and if the online apps has an offline equivalent (such as ThinkFree Premium) then those online apps will sync. If The offline app log in in automatically using cookies, then associated files will be easily accessible and edited via the To Do list.
I like that Toodledo will also tell me which tasks I can do in a specified amount of free time.
If you don’t mind printing your To Do list (and other stuff), Pocket Mod is good, and Toodledo supports that too.
Thomas Johnson says on December 13th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Have you seen GTD Inbox? It’s a plugin for gmail that integrates some helpful features. I’ve only had it for a day so far but it looks like it will do the job fairly well and it’s great if you’re already using gmail. http://gtdinbox.com/
Katie V Swanson says on December 20th, 2007 at 12:00 am
so has anyone found the perfect program for integration with OUTLOOK?????
Richard says on December 21st, 2007 at 8:14 am
For those of you who are looking for simple, checkout http://www.tudumo.com
I’m writing it with a focus on usability and actioning items, not on features and “stuff”. You’ll find that it’s significantly more powerful than your first impression, though ;)
n/a says on December 26th, 2007 at 2:31 am
And what about combining simple services in one GTD-package? Like http://i-checklist.com/ for checklists and so on?
Ruben Zevallos Jr. says on February 14th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I would like to find some GTD apps in Portuguese… do you know some?
Best,
Ruben Zevallos Jr.
http://www.direito2.com.br
Compwiz says on February 22nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I understand what you’re looking for is a comprehensive tool, or a collection of tools that could work well together for organizing projects… but for just a basic daily to do list, I’ve created ZoToDo…. Go here:Online To Do List
Lukas says on February 26th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Maybe this is the solution for yor needs?
* Create activities and get it done
* Invite friends to collaborate
* Track your activities via RSS-Feed and E-Mail notifications
* Collaborative Todo List
* Share information very easy
* File Upload
* Simple Discussion Forum
* Writeboard
http://www.netnode.ch/activities
Chad fox says on March 5th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
With google gears out now for windows Mobile, Google applications may soon be one of the best web based GTD resources. But not until someone make Gcalendar, gmail, google docs and Notebook available offline and syncronizable using the Gears API. I expect to see all of the above available soon though.
Kevin Crenshaw - Productivity Coach says on July 5th, 2008 at 11:28 am
FYI: Google Calendar and Google Docs now support Google Gears, so online apps are looking more attractive all the time.
FYI 2: Here’s a list of 107+ researched/verified GTD apps. Those with online/offline support via Google Gears or other methods are listed under all platforms:
http://www.priacta.com/Article.....ftware.php
Hope that helps everyone.