Skip to Content

Free TUAW iPhone app -- try it now!
AOL Tech

getting-things-done posts

Filed under: Productivity, Apple, iPhone

Nik's Favourite iPhone Apps: Things

For better or for worse, the Apple AppStore has a bucketload of To-Do apps. If you're looking for a heavy-hitting [and location-aware] application designed specifically for the GTD mavens, you'll want OmniFocus ($19.99), and if you're looking for something a little lighter on the wallet, then Erica Sadun's free To-Do app might just be the answer.

But over the last few months, I've used and grown to love Cultured Code's application Things ($9.99). At the AppStore's debut, the number one qualm that I had with most To-Do apps was that my task lists were only ever accessible via the iDevice. However, just like OmniFocus, Things also works with the identically-named Mac sibling* and seamlessly syncs your to-dos over a local WiFi network.

The appeal of Things isn't just that it syncs, however. The application has always been easy to use, and unlike some competitors, friendly to those not versed in the David Allen Getting Things Done methodology. It's also got a delightful user interface: elegant, admittedly rather beautiful on the eye, the app is one of the few I've tried that actually kept using from day one.

In amongst a swathe of lacklustre applications on the AppStore,Things (like my other favourites Exposure and Twitterrific) is one of the few apps to look, feel and work as though Apple themselves produced it.

* The Mac-only desktop version of Things at the time of writing is still in 'preview' [beta], however the developers have announced it will launch at Macworld Expo in January for $49.

Filed under: Business, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, E-mail, Office, Productivity, Web services, Commercial, Shareware, Freeware

Huge survey of available GTD applications

Getting Things DoneIf there's one thing that users of David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) system suffer from, it's typically the temptation to mess with their system. Nothing feels better than having all of your stuff under control, except maybe having all of your stuff under control in a sexy new system.

So if you've been rocking the same GTD application for too long and feel it's time to mix things up a little, check out this amazing survey of the GTD application landscape at About This Particular Mac.

While it originates at a Mac-centric site, the list should be of interest to any GTD practitioner since many (if not most) of the listed applications are web apps, with the occasional cross-platform app thrown in.

For good measure, here are our favorite GTD apps based on platfrom:

Windows: ClearContext (an Outlook add-in)
Mac: iGTD
Web: Backpack or Remember The Milk

Filed under: Internet, Productivity, Web services, web 2.0

Getting things done the Vitalist way

Getting things done the Vitalist way

It's Friday, and Download Squad wants to make sure that you have completed all your tasks for the week. And what better way to track and ensure they are completed than with an online app. We have covered a bunch of note taking and GTD apps in the past, but Vitalist is another one you might enjoy using.

Vitalist offers a fresh outlook on the space. The interface is quick to grasp, well layed out and offers tasks that can be grouped and filtered by color coordinated projects, making it quick to scan and update as required. Vitalist has also built out special mobile access websites including a dedicated iPhone website for completing tasks while on the go. Support for both Google and Netvibes start page widgets is available as well as reminders that can be sent to emails and via sms. There are a few different Vitalist account options starting at free, and rising up to $10/month. Free accounts of course come with a few limitations. Actions and Tasks are unlimited, but projects and contacts are limited to 10 and there are no task sharing features available.

With so many GTD tools in the marketplace, it's hard to decide which one to choose that will help you along the way. Sometimes your best bet is to actually get a good old fashion moleskin notebook and a pen. Getting things done truly has nothing to do with the application, and more to do with the execution and sticking to whatever you choose to help you along the way.

Check out a few more pics after the jump...

Read more →

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures
Microsoft Security Essentials
Chromium Pre-Alpha on CrunchBang Linux
Safari 4 Beta
10 Firefox themes that don't suck
IE8 RC1
Download Squad at the Crunchies After-Party
Download Squad at the Crunchies
WordPress 2.7
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals
Windows 7 Hands On
Comodo Internet Security
Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store
Android First-look: Twitroid
Google Reader Android
Android Hands-On
Twine 1.0
Photoshop Express Beta
Mozilla Birthday Cake
Palm stuff
Adobe Lightroom 1.1

 


Follow us on Twitter!

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

More Tech Coverage

AOL Radio

Joystiq

TUAW

Daily Finance

Autoblog

Urlesque

Engadget

WoW

Switched.com

FanHouse