Poll: What's your favorite GTD/task/to-do list manager?

Poll: What’s your favorite GTD/task/to-do list manager and why?

Hi everyone,

New poll: what’s your favorite GTD/task/to-do list manager and why?

Thanks for participating!

Cheers,
Jeff

Things, no question!

A year ago it would have been OmniFocus and Taskpaper, but I am a multi-platform gal these days, and that means OmniFocus has a serious handicap. Six months ago Things and OmniFocus were my favourites, but again, Things only works on a Mac. Taskpaper works great because ultimately it is just a text file, and there are syntax enhancements, web applications, and even full alternative programs for interfacing with it on other platforms—not to mention just using a text editor.

One area in which TaskPaper is still weak is the so called tickler file. These are things which have to be done at a certain time, potentially on a cyclical basis. While you can easily create tags with dates in them, TaskPaper doesn’t provide a really solid way to alert you of when these items become available and/or necessary to complete within the next 24 hours. So, for that I’ve been using GTD-PHP. It is a PHP web application which uses MySQL to store its data, which means I can put it on my web server, or run it locally just as easily (vital for my laptop which may not always have 'net access). Since it runs through a web browser, I can access my lists from anywhere, even a public library. I’d prefer, from a coding standpoint, to use Tracks, which is Ruby on Rails based, but I don’t much care for the Tracks interface. GTD-PHP isn’t as pretty, and feels a little more rough around the edges, but philosophically it makes more sense to me. So while I much prefer Ruby (Rails or no) to PHP, I still know my way around that language, and if I need to make any adjustments to the code it isn’t too difficult to do.

Tinderbox. (Near) infinite flexibility allows me to customize it so that it is intuitive (for my warped brain).

That was definitely my favourite two years ago and beyond, and even for a short while earlier this year. I became frustrated with some of OmniFocus’ limitations and went back to using my old Tb system. The main problem I came across there is speed. Supposedly, Tinderbox runs just fine in Rosetta for most people, but for me on my MacBook, it was so slow, even on a completely new installation. So I wrote a quick Taskpaper export template in Tinderbox, ultimately giving TbGTD a second goodbye with a pretty good reason to not say goodbye, ha. And yes, now the multi-platform thing exists.

iGTD used to be my favorite; but it seems its development has come to an untimely end.

But there is another GTD-program which is rather similar to iGTD and which is lacking in the list: EasyTask Manager.

I have dabbled with several, but never got the hang of them. I keep Thinking Rock up-to-date, just in case I get the urge, but I never work with it for everyday use.

Old, slow, and confused
but at least I’m inconsistent.

Using Things since it was available under invitation and it never failed me… for me it’s like going with the flow of my thoughts, so it’s Things or nothing.

The poll misses the one I’ve been using for several months now: Circus Ponies NoteBook. I find it the most flexible and customizable among all of them, and the only one remaining with a ‘flat’ view, so more compliant with Allen’s idea of breaking everything into single small actions, clearing-up the mind from the context.

It is managing my (too many) tasks very well. I only miss an integration with Merlin (or similar planners), and a way to let me see how to work less, earn more, write better.

Paolo

I’m pleased Things is popular; it deserves to be. It’s great for all the non-writing stuff.

Here’s something for the writing stuff that’s been described here before. It isn’t a software task manager but is a system for writers: http://www.antonyjohnston.com/gtw/ , devised by antony of this parish. Highly recommended, especially if you have a number of large projects on the go.

And here’s something if you want the full-on David Allen GTD experience, utilising your computer’s file system including a true tickler file - quite complicated, but neatly done and with some nice icons: http://homepage.mac.com/toddvasquez/Ready-Set-Do!/Personal93.html.

H

Before answering this question, I need to frankly state that I rarely use a task manager or to-do list. My own work style just doesn’t seem to mesh with a rigid system, which I basically find tedious and uninspiring. However, I do sometimes like to sketch out an action plan for a project. Curio is excellent for this process, and it now has incorporated many task management tools. Like Notebook, Curio is a multi-purpose application.