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5 GTD systems I stopped using and why

14 01 07 - 00:34 - Bookmark this post

One of the biggest reasons why especially IT-people, bloggers and geeks are drawn to GTD is it's possibility to tweak and play with the system. For some reason, the 5 phases of GTD invite to find, install and play with all sorts of online and offline applications. Because it is mainly build around lists, contexts and the notion that you have those lists with you, mobile applications talk with desktop applications, online web 2.0-esque startups built around lists and the likes.

But over the last two years I am into GTD, I must say I have yet to find the perfect system. And you know what? I don't think I will ever find. If I were a very literate person, I would insert some smart Buddha quote here about the journey and the destiny, but forget that. I want to talk about five systems I have tried myself and why I stopped or will stop using them.

1. OnFolio

I used OnFolio way back in 2005. I wrote a couple of articles about OnFolio and the battle with Evernote. To my surprise, OnFolio won. But it wasn't for long. OnFolio was a great way to collect information, but not more that that. I couldn't really work with it throughout the whole GTD process so after a short period of time, I simply stopped using it. And to tell you the truth, I haven't missed it since. OnFolio is now part of Microsoft and it looks as if Vista might have some features from OnFolio

2. GTD Outlook addin

Very soon after I started with GTD, the Outlook addin caught my eye. Since it is promoted on the David Allen-site, I bought the add in and installed it on my laptop. I use Outlook only for my professional email. Everything personal goes through Gmail. But because of the way we work in our company, Outlook is the best way to work and collaborate. The add-in does it's work pretty OK, but I had some big issues with it recently. The latest issue is because of updates on the Outlook security, the add in doesn't work properly. But also some earlier issues like changing toolbars and errors with the toolbar when my iPaq is in it's cradle and synchronizing, makes it for me very difficult to maintain it's use. It's become a burden to update, tweak, work-around all those issues. I just want to use the thing, nothing more. I was recently notified of the Jello dashboard for Outlook. I must say, it looks interesting. Perhaps worth a look. But the GTD addin, I was a fan, but have become more of an average enthousiast user.

3. Backpack

As mentioned, my personal and professional workflows are separated. Because of different emailsystems and interests, it feels better for me to separate them. In 2005, I found Backpack and again, fell for it's charms. I'm a sucker for webbased applications. I wrote an extensive review on how to use Backpack in the GTD process and to this day, it is one of the most-linked and most-read articles on my blog. But to be honest, I don't use Backpack anymore. Same reasons as the Outlook addin. Too difficult to keep up, There were all sorts of hacks needed to get into GTD with it and no real GTD principles in it's core. For instance, I wrote about a hack to get into the context-project relation, you use tags. But the use of tagging is underdeveloped in Backpack. No autocompletion for instance. I hate that. It means I have to think whether I used "@computer" or "@pc" for instance. I know, there are worse things in the world, but in my tiny little productivity corner, these are things that bug me. Backpack also has a calendar, but it's use is totally oblivious to me. It just doesn't work, integration with iCal format sucks and there is no integration with Backpack itself. So yes, I still have a Backpack account, but I don't use it for GTD anymore.

4. GTD Gmail

I have to say, this is one of the best Gmail extensions I have seen in a very long time. Also, the biggest plus is that the development starts with GTD in mind. So when you install this on your PC, shazaam, your Gmail becomes the epicentre of your GTD world. This is all great and excellent, if you use just one PC, with one browser (Firefox) and you don't use Gmail as a mobile application. I did all of that. I have multiple working machines and I use Gmail a lot when on the road with my iPaq. I must say, I am very charmed by the way the whole extension is integrated and the ways you can use it. I love the different labels and search options. But after trying it for a month, I didn't feel a click. No chemistry between me and the application. I found myself not trusting it completely. So out it went.

5. MindManager

I always found MindManager one of the best prorgams to capture and organize your thinking. When I got the opportunity to get a licensed version, I started investigating if you could use Mindmanager as a GTD program. And it turns out, you can. Especially with GyroQ, a most-excellent add-in to MindManager as reviewed on this blog. But again, after working with it for a month or so, I find MindManager to be very slow and hard to use to get some fast work done on your projects. Because I put all my projects and tasks (in my personal life) in a big honkin' mindmap, I quickly found out MindManager is not too happy with big maps. Takes ages to load on my laptop (Dell Latitude D620) and editing such a big mindmap (around 40 branches with sub-projects) is not the most fun thing to do. But there might be some hope. Gyronix, the makers of GyroQ, also released ResultManager which should work as a sort of dashboard for different mindmaps. So I think I'm gonna try and see of there is some GTD-ness in it. But MindManager as your sole GTD system is not the way to go for me.

Conclusion

In between the systems mentioned above I also had some flings with the likes TiddlyWiki, RememberTheMilk, ListPro and some other systems. The biggest problems with migrating is well, the migrating. You have to copy-paste all your stuff into this new system, get around the new kid on the block, get used to it...So I tried some systems with just two or three little projects, but that doesn't work to well either. Because you'd have to think what goes where.

Another conclusion is if you are serious about GTD, you need a system that is built for GTD. The Outlook Add in and GTDGmail have this, so make sure you try them and see for yourself if it your cup of tea.

I do have a tendency to try ThinkingRock. It is built around the GTD system and has some nice features. But I have this big mountain of exporting/importing everything out of MindManager...Perhaps I should try ResultManager first, see how that goes and then look further.

I hope this article gives some direction on where to look for in a system, what some of the issues may be with existing systems and what you can expect.

What are your experiences with the mentioned systems? Good? Bad? I look forward to the discussion

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one. I have played around with these same systems and dropped them; for similar reasons. Part of my problem is that my employer is tied to Lotus Notes, so I need something that works well within that environment. I’ve got the GTD with Lotus Notes handbook from David Allen. I’m going to give that a try and see how it works out.
Ian McKenzie - 14 01 07 - 05:35

I love your summary here. Very useful for GTD newbies, or people like myself who just haven’t found a system they LOVE.

I just downloaded Thinking Rock and started toying around. I’m liking it a LOT. I’ve been using GTD Gmail, but it keeps me too tied to the inbox. Plus, you have to click so darn much to apply contexts/projects. Then you have to wait for the GTD modifications to load sometimes. It’s good, but still kind-of a pain.

I guess we should all face it – there is NO perfect system.

Great post,
Andrew
Andrew Flusche - 14 01 07 - 05:44

Punkey – like you, I’ve experimented with a large number of tools including most of those you listed here. I remain a steadfast mind mapper but my MindManager maps are project plans, brainstorms, and reference and research collections.

I’ve also found that all of the GTD trappings in most applications ended up being more of a distraction than an aid – I feel into the classic trap of tinkering with the system more than working it.

These days – 5+ years into my GTD journey – I use a very simple task list tagged by context and project in a simple “junk drawer” application. The small amount of time spent tagging items as I capture them is much less than all the time I spent making more cumbersome and complex software systems stay in alignment with my ever-changing reality. Smart Folders that aggregate tags do my filtering for me.

The tools I have found most useful and have stuck with are the small utilities that eliminate drudgery and automate frequently performed actions.

Andrew is right – there is no perfect system – except the one you finally decide meets your needs best with the least amount of overhead.
Marc Orchant - 14 01 07 - 06:46

I’m very happy with Idea Library which I run on my PPC-6700. Idea Library just allows the user to create hierarchical lists using various objects (folders, to-dos, notes, external documents, voice recordings, etc.) http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/id..
Gina - 14 01 07 - 06:49

Oohh so recognizable. On PC I used the outlook plugin first and later on I used NETVIBES, because it was webbased so I could access it from different pc’s/macs/locations. I made a tab for each context and in the tabs I made a to do list for actions that belong to projects and one tab for single actions that didn’t belong to a project. It works great that way! You can order around the items in the to do lists, wich I like. But… it’s kind of like the wrong way around. You want projects / context as labels added to an action, not context that projects live in that actions live in. So there are several to do lists that belong to one project that live in different context tabs. Remember the milk I had a lot of fun with, but I found it too slow. Since I switched to a MacBook I use Actiontastic with Quicksilver. Actiontastic is absolutely great. Now I have it completely up and running I collect thoughts and actions by pressing ctrl+space and I can dump the thought right there and continue working. Then when I’m set to empty the inbox I press a play button and all those snippets pass in front of me forcing me to really think hard if it’s really an actionable thing and then where it belongs: which project (if any) and which contect. Viewing per project and per context are working very smoothly. So I’ve gone through the same process you are and the only downside is that it runs locally on my mac. I could sync it to an Ipod… but I don’t have one. You should see how this works though, you would love it. Cheerz, Sanne
Sanne Roemen - 14 01 07 - 07:14

Thanks for all your comments. Very interesting to see a lot of people going through the same issues.
Ian: I heard about this handbook. I am not a Lotus Notes user myself but is it similar to Outlook?
Andrew: Glad I can help you. Your observation of GTDGMail is spot-on. It can be slow sometimes…
Marc: Who would’ve guessed you experimenting with systems ;-). I also use MindManager but indeed, for brainstorming and first ideas. What do you mean by “junk drawer” application?
Gina: Thanks for the tip! It kinda looks like LinkPro for the Pocket PC.
Sanne: You should show me sometime! My girlfriend will have a Mac again in the near future so I will definitely try it out. But hey! We should connect real soon about these nice little plans we have!
Frank Meeuwsen - 14 01 07 - 09:05

Thanks for this nice write up. I did the same with switching systems.
In my short gtd career (half a year now) I have used RTM and TRACKS. Now I’m using Thinkrock.
At this moment it’s the best app i know. Maybe you have to give it a try..
Jort - 14 01 07 - 09:27

Hi Frank,

Very good summary – thank you. I already wondered why you were soo enthusiastic about MindManager, it being so slow, but now I know :-)

I use Outlook + my Treo 680 (with Chapura Keysuite to sync all my Outlook GTD folders).

Showing some geekiness myself, I added my own buttons to Outlook to move and copy e-mails and tasks around. Works fine for me.

I also built a small utility (Fingertips) that enables me to quickly add stuff to any list in Outlook. This is a bit like the tool Sanne describes I think, which sounds quite interesting I must say.

After I used Fingertips during a presentation and some attendees asked me about it, I put it on this website: http://www.getfingertips.nl

You can download and use it for free.

Kind regards,
Taco Oosterkamp
Taco Oosterkamp - 14 01 07 - 10:26

Oops, wrong URL.

It should be: http://www.getfingertips.com
Taco Oosterkamp - 14 01 07 - 10:27

I also use ThinkingRock, and I’m quite pleased with it. For the folks who still don’t know it, it is free and it offers all you need to start getting organized with your computer. I have an article about it in my blog, GTDrawings.
Joan M.Mas - 14 01 07 - 10:54

Well, as you said, migrating is always a pain! Even when we don’t change our system, our hardwares, OS and software version and compatibility WILL change sooner or later.
Based on that fact of life, I stick to the basic PIM to implement GTD – more in the post “GTD on PDA: Back to Basics” on my blog:
http://web.mac.com/ericlodi/iWeb/Orgamet..
Ericlodi - 14 01 07 - 12:32

Have you tried My Life Organized?

I have been using it for a while now and find it the best implementation of GTD available. While it is very flexible, it is also based on the same principles as GTD out of the box. There is a desktop and a Pocket PC version and they sync to one another. Very nice.
Pete - 14 01 07 - 14:46

Hi,

I have been using Backpack and, as u, I don’t use it any more. I use it only to concentrate information about certain projects.
The best webApi at this time is, for me , http://www.rememberthemilk.com . If you don’t know it look at it, it’s beautiful.
Julien Henzelin - 14 01 07 - 17:34

Great thoughts about the difficulty of landing on a single GTD tool. I am currently going through the frustration of restarting my GTD process. I have looked at several of the apps noted here, and they are all very tempting (in a geeky sort of way)!

However, I am currently putting my efforts into ThinkingRock; I need its jave-based platform independence. I feel it does a good job of both enforcing some important GTD behaviors (thought collection, then processing with an emphasis on specifying the very next action) and providing useful filtering of information already collected.

However, I am always on the lookout for improved systems, or improvements in how I might use existing tools. Thanks for keeping us abreast of your own efforts and learnings. Very helpful!
Steve - 14 01 07 - 19:07

I use ThinkingRock for about 3 months now and it does work pretyy well for me. I even wrote a somewhow detailed review on it on by blog, feel free to check out. I use MindManager in order to organize ideas, and some basic planning. The final planning is done with OmniPlan. Also, recently – ant not directly related to this thread – I installed Quicksilver and fall in love ;-). I am Mac based, now it should be obvious.

ThinkRock do the best job in letting you focus on the process of GTD, not the GTD application.

Best Regards.
Dragos Roua - 14 01 07 - 19:07

You should try MyLifeOrganized (www.mylifeorganized.net). It’s damn fast, has a very elegant simplicity, synchs with Outlook and PocketPC and has a wonderful community around it. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but thought about recommending since I spent a lot of time with other tools, and now I am happily settled with this one.
Luciano Passuello - 14 01 07 - 22:06

ThinkingRock really does work marvels for me.
Pascal Venier - 14 01 07 - 23:27

I too tried Backpack for a time. It’s a great app but it didn’t flow like I do.

I’ve found success at work with Outlook. This book has some GREAT ways to customize Outlookfor GTD. I truly love my Outlook implementation.

For home nothing works as well as Stikkit It is simple and handles the info I need well. It is web-based so I can access stuff about home from work. It has a great email feature that works EXACTLY how I work. I can’t say enough good about Stikkit.
Jason Rehmus - 14 01 07 - 23:56

Frank, Loved this post – it inspired me to add to your list (see http://gtdwannabe.blogspot.com/2007/01/i..). Short story – I’ve tried 3/5 of yours, plus considered the other two. In addition, I gave Outlook by itself a good year, plus tried and failed to like wikis, my life organized, and one note.

Outlook was the strongest contender, until I decided to join the text crowd and created my own, custom-built-does-exactly-what-I-want-it-to-do system with a text file, a perl script, and several batch files. A bit of work, true, but it is a custom job.

Thanks for the post – it got me thinking about my system again. Hopefully, it won’t get me thinking about trying out a new one! ;)
GTD Wannabe - 15 01 07 - 01:11

I have used several of the apps that you’ve talked about. And right now I am using EverNote, MindManager, and Backpack. And I am trying to stick with these apps and trying to make them work because I have been moving around from application to application for a while and I felt like I was wasting a lot of time either transferring data or facing a big learning curve understanding and applying the new application in my life. I am not convinced that all these apps are GTD friendly, but Mindmanager and Gyronix have become integral in my work productivity (by the way a shout out to you for the opportunity to win these licenses – they certainly haven’t gone to waste!).
Bill - 15 01 07 - 01:26

Ah, Frank. I just introduced Martijn into using Actiontastic. It really, truly, effectively got rid of his mess. He’s as you can imagine, forever greatfull. :-D. Do let’s meet up soon.
Sanne Roemen - 15 01 07 - 04:16

Great suggestions here, but where are the paper-based systems? Anybody tried the hipster PDA?
In my eperience, most people adapting GTD start simple (usually the to-do list in Outlook), and little by little add bells and whistles to their system. Of course, bells and whistles bring in overhead, so they start looking for a ‘complete’ system, just as you have done. In the end, many people find that they where much more productive in the beginning when everything was simple, and they scale back to way simpler solution.
Jeroen Sangers - 15 01 07 - 09:52

Frank, as a follow up to your post you could start a blogger tag-game and ask 5 bloggers : what are the 5 GTD systems you stopped using and why? ;^)
Pascal Venier - 15 01 07 - 12:06

Thought you’d enjoy knowing that ResultsManager does have a GTD-focused Dashboard, and many of the others work as pillars in a GTD implementation. Also, you’ll notice that GyroQ and ResultsManager make a killer combo as many of the GyroQ tags create actions that ResultsManager will track.
Kyle McFarlin - 15 01 07 - 16:51

Hi, I’m Glenn and I’ve used GTD since June. I created an Excel Workbook that contains one worksheet for each of the lists. I create a separate worksheet for each day where I move my master list next actions to my daily next actions. Learning from Peter Drucker I set monthly goals, then weekly goals. I plan my week around those goals. For each days next actions, I prioritize them, then sort. Although not perfect, it’s worked fine for me.

Regards,

Glenn
Glenn - 15 01 07 - 21:48

There is a ton of info, tips, tricks, software recomendations, and discussions of user experiences in the Get Everything Organized Experiment section at DonationCoder.com

We took over 3 months to look at various time management systems with the goal of everyone being able to take what works for them from each system and build a custom system tailored to their individual needs. It’s worth taking a look at:
http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/i..

There was even some software made by members just for using with this, such as my Instant Boss, to help procrastinators stay motivated: http://appsapps.info/instantboss.php
app103 - 16 01 07 - 01:31

hi there!

To answer your question, I also used most of them but I couldn’t eventually really stick with one of them…

So I developed by own web application. It’s very ugly and simple but it currently allows me to follow all GTD principles wether I browse it from a workstation or my mobile phone.

Great gtd tools review :)
antonio - 17 01 07 - 01:18

I couldn’t find any, so I rolled my own, and am using it. I don’t suppose it is perfect for everybody – it’s extremely simple and limited. But it does the job. I wanted something that would sit in my GNU Screen (unix) environment, so I could access it from anywhere.
So it’s a command line tool. Stores its actions in a MySQL database.
Haven’t shared it with anyone, but if anyone is interested, mail me.

-Han
Han - 17 01 07 - 01:59

1. I notice that this is beginning to sound like a GTD-aholics anonymous meeting… “Hi. I’m Steve and I am a GTD-aholic.” ;-) GTD is a great system, but the variety of individual implementations is amazing.

2. I am very intrigued by the text-based approach, with very basic, but fast functionality. Perhaps Han or some of the others could put together some screenshots and/or ASCII examples of his system.

-Steve
Steve - 17 01 07 - 02:15

TRY PAPER, its lo-fi, its geeky, its so sexy & cool… Chicks dig a man with paper, or maybe that’s just me…
GeeksRsexy - 17 01 07 - 02:20

New reader (via del.icio.us), had to say what a good post this is. I’m coming to the (sad!) conclusion that there is no one tool that will replace paper and this weekend I dug out an old leather Filofax*. I still have a box of supplies (lined, unlined, gridded paper in varying shades, plastic pockets, etc.). Using blank divider tabs I’ve organised it by project with a front section for brain dumps and I’m already feeling better about not having to remember which system I have notes about what in and which convoluted password I used.

I used to be a big fan of Microsoft’s OneNote but it’s not that portable across computers (at least, I never got it working properly) and portability is a high priority for me.

I still continue to use MindManager but as someone above said, it’s more of a planning/brainstorming tool, not for long term reference. I’d also recommend the free mindmap software, FreeMind:
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/ind..

• I feel as if I should be wearing 80’s, Dallas-style shoulder pads too… :-)

The Lotus Notes handbook is similar in concept to the one previously published for Outlook. It gives a step-by-step for setting up GTD using the features in Notes.
Ian McKenzie - 17 01 07 - 16:56

Beware the “just use paper” mentality. Think of all the combinations and permutations that you can get hung up on: moleskine or no? what size paper? notebook, binder, index cards? what size index cards? actually do the HPDA approach? if so, what HPDA hacks to incorporate? which HPDA flickr streams to look at? what about the D*I*Y Templates – there’s a gazillion of them – trust me, I’ve looked. What about pen? Fisher space pen? Should you connect it to your Moleskine, HPDA stack? Bulldog clips, vs. leather folders/binders. Those nifty bleacher stands for index cards? etc. etc. etc. That’s why I’m kind of scared to go near paper (plus my aversion to writing things down when I could be typing them). At least when I try software, for the most part, it’s free (i.e., I’m using things I’ve already got access to.) If I go lofi, think of all the money I could/would spend ;)
GTD Wannabe - 17 01 07 - 23:35

I have been using Google Notebook for a couple of months now and really like it as a GTD list maker/manager.

Highlights for me:
– ability to view and edit my lists from any internet connected computer, mac or pc.
– sharing certain lists with my wife (shopping, housework, etc.)
– ability to view lists on my mobile phone

The only real issue I have with this super simple solution is that I cannot edit my lists from my mobile phone (mark things done, add new items, etc.). This would be easily solved by getting a true internet capable phone, something I don’t want to commit to just yet. For now, I just write myself notes while I’m out and about (I always carry a pen, even before GTD) and dump the notes into Google Notebook when I get home.
Fred - 18 01 07 - 18:58

I used OneNote on a tablet for a while, but my worklife is very Outlook/email-centric. My perfect solution would meld OneNote with Outlook w/Exchange backend. I tried very hard to implement GTD Outlook add-in, and still use it somewhat, but it’s not very good with “Projects.” Someone wrote a promising add-in for Projects, but doesn’t seem well supported. I keep hoping the vendor that wrote the add-in for AllenCo further builds out Add-in with more project-centric pieces. Also wish they were more Blackberry friendly (which it seems that they would be given other businesses they are in).
Kenny Schiff - 21 01 07 - 15:47

for GTD Wannabe:

Do you have any idea how much free paper you get for lo-fi GTD use every day?

Go look in your mailbox at your junk mail. All those free envelopes that can be recycled into ‘index cards’ that can also hold stuff. And don’t throw away those reciepts from the coffee shop…write on the back of them and stick them in your envelope. Just make sure you cross out the front of the envelopes and reciepts with a marker or pen first
app103 - 26 01 07 - 09:13

for GTD Wannabe:

Do you have any idea how much free paper you get for lo-fi GTD use every day?

Go look in your mailbox at your junk mail. All those free envelopes that can be recycled into ‘index cards’ that can also hold stuff. And don’t throw away those reciepts from the coffee shop…write on the back of them and stick them in your envelope. Just make sure you cross out the front of the envelopes and reciepts with a marker or pen first.

Now just imagine your daily envelope…

*call so&so (phone number is in the envelope)
*make bank deposit (deposit slip is in the envelope)
*pick up groceries (shopping list is in the envelope)

Instead of 43 folders, you use 365 free junk mail envelopes. :-D
app103 - 26 01 07 - 09:17

for GTD Wannabe:

Do you have any idea how much free paper you get for lo-fi GTD use every day?

Go look in your mailbox at your junk mail. All those free envelopes that can be recycled into ‘index cards’ that can also hold stuff. And don’t throw away those reciepts from the coffee shop…write on the back of them and stick them in your envelope. Just make sure you cross out the front of the envelopes and reciepts with a marker or pen first.

Now just imagine your daily envelope…

*call so&so (phone number is in the envelope)
*make bank deposit (deposit slip is in the envelope)
*pick up groceries (shopping list is in the envelope)

Instead of 43 folders, you use 365 free junk mail envelopes. :-D

(actually, you should use a seperate envelope to make your grocery shopping list…and shove the related coupons inside the envelope)
app103 - 26 01 07 - 09:18

Great post. I’m a newbie to GTD but finding it great as far as I’ve gotten. Have also tried Acommplice at the same time. It’s in a late stage beta but it has a lot of potential and company has been very responsive.
http://www.accomplice.com/
stevens229 - 26 01 07 - 22:38

When I read the article I got a feeling of “been there, done that”. Every now and then I try a new webapp or other type of application but I always end up with going back to my notepad as my inbox and two textfiles that I “manage” with vi on my computer. Right now I’m trying backpackit again but after a week or so I can already feel that it is not going to work.
Nickus - 28 01 07 - 08:04

Thanks for this post. Inspired by your posts, I started using Backpack last spring. By the end of the summer, I had stopped using it. I had many of the same problems you mentioned and found the ability to move things around in lists less efficient than I expected. The only thing I miss is being able to send email reminders to another system other than my own email address.

Maybe the fact that I used the whiteboard to journal about a failing romantic relationship—as part of my GTD project “get a boyfriend”—contributed to my decision to terminate the service. Once the relationship died, Backpack depressed me. I guess I just needed something to blame. In other words, since I don’t have a dog, I kicked the Backpack instead.

I am now in a relationship with a Levenger Circa paper-based planner system using the principles of GTD and DIY Planner (great articles on setting up paper planners). It’s like having a new Barbie doll, I can’t stop buying accessories for it. I feel optimistic this relationship will last through the summer.
Cathleen Rittereiser - 28 01 07 - 20:35

It is a struggle.. i tried Midnight Inbox, but it isn’t quite past beta- though it is a very pretty setup and has some nice features. I am currently using Thinking Rock, which seems very promising, especially with an update coming out in Feb sometime.

It has always been a problem for me to want to switch systems, and thus becomming disorganized for lack of consistency- how many notebooks do i won with 5 pages used and then abandoned?! A bad trap I am trying to wean myself from- high hopes for TR!
Jake - 29 01 07 - 01:28

Excellent post. Has anyone experimented with GTD-based vitalist.com?
mvk - 08 02 07 - 09:50

Hello!

Did you try Nozbe?

http://www.nozbe.com

It’s a web-based GTD system I just launched in beta stage. It would remind you a little about Backpack, but with a strong GTD twist to it. I liked Backpack but it lacked the GTD things I needed so I develped Nozbe to combine the two worlds – ease of use of Backpack + GTD stuff like: next actions and contexts.

Since I just launched the application, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

- Michael
Michael - 10 02 07 - 14:05

Frank, in your 2006 article about Backpack you stated that you had put all your personal organisational stuff in Backpack on as much as 40 pages.
How did you manage to get all that out of Backpack? Just wondering. Is there a way to make it easier by using the “email page” function? Or did you use the “Export to XML” feature?

As for my own experiences, I tried to manage a medium-size project and other GTD-related stuff with Basecamp and even subscribed to a paid (personal) plan because of that. But I found the limit of 3 projects too rigid, and the lack of tags irritating. While you can try to hack contexts (etc.) in as “people”, you can only assign one to each task.
IMO, all of 37s’ apps, while they all have some interesting features, are too limited and lack some much-needed granularity (and integration). In Basecamp, it’s the layer of lists that gets in the way (e.g. you can’t attach single tasks to a milestone, only a list; and only lists can have due dates), in Backpack it’s the layer of pages (you can’t move items between pages, can only tag complete pages etc.).
I am, however, thinking about upgrading to a paid Backpack account and using that for some projects (strictly one project per page, or vice versa).

BTW: Your text-entry box looks really weird (and super-tiny) in Opera.
Alex - 13 02 07 - 16:20

Sorry, the sentence about Basecamp should read:
“...only milestones can have due dates”
Meaning that there are no due dates for to-dos; by attaching a list to a milestone you can effectively give a whole list a due date. But you’ll only see the list name, not the todos when looking at the milestones.
Alex - 13 02 07 - 19:36

I’ve found AirSet (www.airset.com) to be an excellent GTD tool. It’s a free, secure online service, that syncs with Palm Desktop or Outlook (contacts and calendar only…for now) and provides both personal and groups sharing of files, tasks lists, calendars, blogs, and links. Also great notification services. It’s FREE and https enabled. My only dislike – tasks don’t sync. But I expect that may change soon – hopefully!

Also – you may find Freemind (http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) very useful for brain-storming, etc. Very intuitive, small, standalone, no install needed, and will export in several formats.

I hope others find these as useful as I have!
Dennis - 10 07 07 - 20:37

Dennis et al:

I also use Airset with GTD, as it is a FREE web-based app that allows me to:

1) Access my calender, lists and contacts from a non-pda phone
2) update my calender, lists and contacts from my phone
3) syncs with my outlook from work

I was considering putting together a GTD users guide for Airset…anyone interested?

- Brian
Brian - 12 08 07 - 20:32

Brian, Dennis, Airset does look interesting. Perhaps a GTD User guide can be interesting! Perhaps I can host it here on this blog?
Frank Meeuwsen - 15 08 07 - 21:25

I have for a while liked the d3 (that’s supposed to be “cubed”) GTD TiddlyWiki (http://www.dcubed.ca/), as you can put in standard TW extensions and make it support remote updates. That gave me a system I could use from work and from home without having to carry a specific piece of hardware around with me (which certainly I’d not have when I needed it most).

I also like MindManager, but for different things. It’s more of a project specific tool for those that need it, rather than a full blown GTD system.

One wonders if the “large maps” problem could be resolved by using links though. One of the features I use is the ability to create a node on one map and link it to another map, which then has more detail. Perhaps not as seamlessly navigable, but still pretty functional.
Pete - 27 08 07 - 17:04

I use http://www.toodledo.com as my GTD app. Its not exclusively built for GTD, but it works very well for me. Here is an article on how to use Toodledo with GTD: http://www.toodledo.com/info/gtd.php
Jake - 27 08 07 - 18:34

I think the best system to use is the one you created. Of course, it’d mostly be possible if you’re more paper-based like I am, I’m using different computers at home and work, and it’s possible to synchronize, but when I’m out of both home and office, I need to sync with my mobile phone too. So i’m using a moleskine (actually, two of them) for planning everything. And because combining several systems that others have created doesn’t really work in the long run, I’m trying to set up my own.
Tanya - 28 08 07 - 15:25

I use Jello dashboard at home’s outlook, synct with my pocketpc and sync an online backup at google calendar using plaxo, plaxo allows me to sync both ways from any outlook with the plugin installed (i.e. office outlook to plaxo to home outlook) or from google calendar to outlook home or outlook office. I print the jello report daily and tape it to the last page of my moleskin. However would love to have a GTD tool that could sync at least with gmail, is tedious to fill in the tasks at the office since I can’t install jello dashboard there.
Ken - 10 11 07 - 17:18

I use "VIP Organizer":http://www.todolistlsoft.com/ because I like to organize tasks by categories. It doesn’t have some GTD features but grouping and filtering option is very very good.
Toper - 26 12 07 - 12:03