It’s simple – the two apps handle items without start dates (also known as defer dates) in a completely opposite manner. I was trying to figure why I was spending so much less time fiddling with Things, when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Now for the overriding reason why I switched to Things. Goodbye to the busy work of deferring tasks I add the task, and dump it into either my Today view, or into the Upcoming view on a certain date. In Things, I often add quick one-off tasks without bothering to add a project or tag. OmniFocus almost begs you to add projects and contexts. Because of that simplicity, Things is also better at one-off tasks. Things can be powerful too, but the focus is on simplicity. I find myself managing the app less, and instead getting things done. Things gives me just enough power, but not too much. I found myself constantly tweaking OmniFocus, and coming up with custom perspectives, to try to harness all my tasks. OmniFocus is the power user’s tool.īut with great power comes a great ability to fiddle. If you have a huge number of tasks in many areas of your life, OmniFocus might be the better choice for you. Beholden because it still feels like an outline. Indebted because its soul as an outliner leads to its almost endless ability to slice and dice your data. I find myself opening the app regularly to check off my tasks, because there is a certain delight in interacting with Things.Īesthetically, OmniFocus has its roots as an outliner, and is both indebted and beholden to those roots. And because I like using Things, I’m getting more done. That might seem like a superficial reason for using an app, but I’ve discovered a pleasant side-effect of that beauty – I like using the app. Let’s get the most obvious reason for switching out of the way. 1 The whole GTD “next action” concept didn’t work for me, and I spent much too much time trying to twist my tasks into “projects.” My reasons Aesthetics
I also found it to be more mental overhead to plot and write out every single next action, than to just jot out a quick task. Yes, I know you can categorize almost any task into a project if you really think hard enough, but my line of work is filled with a million different unrelated tasks. Third, my line of work really isn’t project based.
Keep that in mind when deciding if Things is right for you. Things doesn’t have as strict an adherence to GTD principles as other apps, but I’m fine with that. While I use some GTD principles, I found (after a few years of struggling) that it just didn’t work for me. Second, I’m no longer a true GTD devotee. It just works better for me GTD isn’t my thing I’m by no means claiming that Things is “better” than OmniFocus. CaveatsĪ few caveats at the outset: Take this all with a grain of saltįirst, productivity and task management is highly personal, subject to each person’s particular foibles. There’s also a chance I’m unaware of a feature in OmniFocus to address the main shortcoming I mention below. There is a chance some of this could be moot soon, as the next version of OmniFocus is currently in a closed beta.
Omnifocus 3 tags full#
This article isn’t meant to be a full review, but instead will focus on the friction I had with OmniFocus and the key differences for me between OmniFocus and Things. It made me realize the main reason that OmniFocus wasn’t working for me. It was a “wow” moment for me when I realized what the key difference is between the apps. So why did I switch? For the TL DR reason, jump down to my third reason below, which is the main reason. I fancied myself a power user, and thought other task management apps were somehow inferior because they didn’t have the level of power offered by OmniFocus. For a few years, I was an OmniFocus snob. If you’ve visited 40Tech lately you’ve seen several posts on Things, which is now my task management app of choice.
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