Next Actions

by Ed Eubanks Jr.

GTD for iOS/iPad

On the iPad and the Future of Mac Task Management

As developers turn their attention more toward development for the iPad and the iOS in general, I think many users are going to find the Mac-specific GTD applications to be less needful, because their task management needs are satisfied with some combination of a Web-based application and mobile synchronization, with maybe something like iCal synchronization in place.

My sense is that those users who are hard-core GTD devotees, and who make extensive use of the more robust tools, will use locally-installed applications like Things, OmniFocus, and maybe one or two others—especially those that expand well into these mobile spaces like iPhone and iPad. The rest of the locally-installed applications will need some sort of justification for their existence if they will sell at all.

Cases in Point

A case in point is Appigo’s ToDo for iPad, which is a beautiful application that is very full-functioning. They also have an iPhone application, as well as a utility to sync ToDo with ToodleDo, a popular Web-based task-management tool (ToodleDo has its own iPhone and iPad applications, by the way, which are well-done in their own right), as well as with iCal’s task list. I could see doing daily reviews in this on an iPad, weekly reviews in ToodleDo’s Web interface, and ongoing tracking and check-off of tasks through the mobile apps and iCal.

OmniFocus is another great example of full-scale integration. Long one of the “standards” for the Mac, the Omni Group was quick to release their iPhone companion application as well, which has only gotten better as it has matured. The release of the iPad application, though, took OmniFocus GTD management to a new level: I find OmniFocus for iPad to be a preferable interface to either of the others for everything except bulk task and project planning and entry (the desktop version still prevails for that).

Things has also succeeded in bridging the two platform/three device gap, with popular offerings for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Others have seen less proliferation and success, while some are still wrestling with how to take their concept across to other platforms. Last fall, Jesse Grosjean, developer of TaskPaper, freely admitted to me that this has been an obstacle for him: while TaskPaper for iOS is available with compatibility for iPhone and iPad, he hasn’t determined how the iPad version might serve the TaskPaper ecosystem uniquely (which is not to say that the iOS version is not useful; Jesse has done a good job with the iOS companion app). I suspect that his struggle is not uncommon among developers of the more straightforward, somewhat-barebones solutions.

Not a Problem

While I understand this “struggle” and a desire to see discrete functions for each device, I’m not sure it is a true problem. Indeed, I think the simplicity that Jesse has employed with TaskPaper is one of the appealing aspects of it: people who simply don’t need or want the depth and advanced power (and attendant complexity) of OmniFocus or even Things will find TaskPaper, and others similar to it, a welcome alternative.

Thus, the iPad presence doesn’t need to serve a separate function. The utility of OmniFocus’s distinction of features and, to some degree, prescribed function of the iPad version is laudable and surely appreciated by most users, but a TaskPaper user might actually find that sort of distinction tedious or even annoying.

On the other hand, everyone will agree that making TaskPaper universally-compatible on iOS devices (and not just another “2×” iPhone application on the iPad) is much appreciated. If there are no distinctive features, why not? (TaskPaper isn’t unique here; I’ve noticed a couple of others doing this as well.)

Here We Go Again?

On the other hand, one problem with GTD on iOS, and especially on the iPad, is that round two of the long list of application makers has come. Just as there were hordes of developers rushing to take advantage of the GTD fever a few years ago with task management applications for the Web and Mac OS (thus the lengthy list that follows the body of this column), it seems there are many dozens of iOS apps for task management, many of them aimed squarely at the GTD market.

What’s troublesome about this is two-fold: first, many of these are apps are only for the device they are installed on, leaving the user stranded for further function and input. Unless there is some sort of integration beyond the iPhone and/or iPad (such as I noted above with Appigo’s ToDo, or some other effort), many users will find even the most appealing of these apps quite limited. Who can afford to create your entire task list by thumbs on an iPhone? Some users won’t have a problem with this, but many (most?) will want easier input options and further accessibility to their lists, even if they don’t need them. Let’s face it: we’ve largely grown accustomed to having stuff like task lists at our fingertips wherever we are (Yay, cloud!).

Second, and perhaps more frustrating, is the status of software that is caught somewhere between vaporware and dead applications. I’ll coin a new term here: gossamerware. We’ve seen this too often in GTD/task management software (and other categories, too): an application will rush onto the scene, be pronounced by some to be the one to topple the “big” targets, and then it languishes without updates or any further word about development. Sometimes the Web site will suddenly disappear; in other cases there will be a Web site that hasn’t been updated for years.

Or perhaps there is clear evidence of ongoing development, but nothing ever seems to come of it—promised deadlines are repeatedly missed or pushed back, new OS upgrades are claimed to set everything back, and promised major upgrades (and/or versions for other platforms) that never come clearly get in the way of routine bug-fixes and other minor updates. Meanwhile, users are forced to wait for interminable periods for any progress in an application they have committed to, and they begin to wonder if they have chosen foolishly and should move to a different product. But the Web sites are so pretty! And the well-written copy claims that my wildest expectations and dreams will be exceeded in the coming weeks or months! It’s so easy to forget that some version of that copy has been on the Web site for well over a year, in some cases.

Whether there is a monetary cost associated with committing to gossamerware, the cost of investing your time into learning the system, embracing it with your tasks and projects, and living with it on a daily basis is cost enough to make gossamerware frustrating. If one of the big ideas in GTD is to get your tasks into a trusted system, it’s hard to trust these fleeting apps. And I fear that the proliferation of new options for iOS will go through the same cycle as many of the GTD apps have.

Where Do We Go With This?

I’m in a unique position to see how common gossamerware is, because I so regularly survey these Web sites in search of news about updates. I have to say, it seems pretty clear that the best path for a committed GTDer is to stick with one of the well-established packages, and choose one that either already offers options on the platform(s) you need or produces actual releases with enough regularity to trust that they will offer them soon.

Which makes me question the true value of the list below. When I started this project, my hope was to maintain a comprehensive, if not exhaustive, list of GTD-friendly applications for the Mac, and I think I’ve largely fulfilled that ambition. But a latent (and naïve) expectation within that hope was that the applications I surveyed would, by and large, be reliably maintained and updated. That clearly has not been the case, as regular readers will have noticed in my occasional (though too frequent, in my opinion) comments about the lack of updates and information about ongoing development. I have removed a few applications from the list over the years, but perhaps not enough.

That will change in future lists. Between now and the next edition of this list (date to be determined), I intend to cull it to what will certainly be a highly subjective and selective list, and one that, consequently, I hope will be more useful. One that you may safely choose from and know that it will indeed be a trusted system.

Some (many?) of you may be relieved at this change; I’ve received some feedback about the tedium of sorting through the apparently-defunct applications in order to find active ones. For me, this is a significant departure from what I once hoped this column to be. As I mentioned in my very first column, I was inspired by Ted Goranson’s diligent—even vigilant—work in keeping up with outliners of many vintages (and as we learned in Ted’s response to a question in the E-Mail section of this issue, Ted even went so far as to track the code of abandoned applications). I’ve written Next Actions as something of an homage to About This Particular Outliner, but it is time for me to depart from the footsteps of my predecessor and find my own path—at least with regard to this aspect of my column.

About the List

There are a lot of things happening on the iPad/iOS platform, and these probably merit a round-up or at least a look of some sort. For now, I have added notations about “iPad Presence” in the list below, and I’ve included the information that I have been able to gather. Feel free to comment with more, if you know about them.

I always welcome any feedback on my list or suggestions for additions. I don’t always add every suggestion, but I’ll look at them and evaluate whether they fit with my goals for this column. And given my plans for culling it a bit, I also welcome votes for which ones should be kept. Speak up now! As always, silence is assent.

Locally Installed GTD Applications

EasyTask Manager

Developer: Orionbelt.com

Current Version: 2.1

Price: $20

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: Yes

Web-app Sync: Yes

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: App (free); Web app (free)

iPad Presence: App (free), Web app (free)

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: Windows version available; automatic advance of uncompleted due tasks to today.

News: None

Frictionless

Developer: Twin Forces

Current Version: 2.0d18

Price: Free, open-source

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: No

QuickSilver Plug-in: Yes

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: None

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: Quick-entry box; fuzzy repeated actions.

News: None

Ghost Action

Developer: Ghost Park Software

Current Version: 1.3.2

Price: $20

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: Sort of—a non-syncing application ($10)

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4 only

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: .Mac syncing (without iCal running); PDA/iPod syncing; two-way iCal syncing.

News: None

iCog

Developer: HensPace

Current Version: 1.90

Price: Free

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: No

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: None

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Unknown

Required Applications: Python 2.4 or later

Distinguishing Features: Compatible with any OS running Python (including Windows); very simple text-only utility.

News: None

mGTD

Developer: Jeff Fisher

Current Version: 1.3

Price: Free

Development Status: Pre-final

iCal Sync: No

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: None

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: None (Mori template)

Required Applications: Mori 1.6.11

Distinguishing Features: Expands Mori (digital notebook) functions to include GTD principles.

News: None

Midnight Inbox

Developer: Midnight Beep Softworks

Current Version: 1.4.4

Price: $35

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: App “coming soon”

iPad Presence: App ($15)

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: Action timer; quick-note and quick-action hot keys; Mail compatible; automatic data collection.

News: The Leopard-compatible version 2.0 of the Mac application is still “coming soon.”

OmniFocus

Developer: Omni Group

Current Version: 1.8.2

Price: $80

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: Yes

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: App ($20)

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.8

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: Mail compatible and Spotlight compatible; simple interface with powerful view features.

News: With version 1.8, much of the interface was simplified and streamlined. Omni also added “workflow improvements,” and there are some substantial improvements. See the release notes.

Pluto menubar

Developer: MOApp Software Manufactory

Current Version: 5.1.1

Price: €16 (about $24)

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: Yes

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: None

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: This is a menu-bar application, but don’t be fooled—it is a very fully featured GTD tool. There is a lot to see here, and you won’t find any of the standard features you’re looking for missing. Note the full-screen editing, searching, tags, contacts, and priorities.

News: None

Ready, Set, Do!

Developer: Todd Vasquez

Current Version: 1.4.5

Price: $30

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: Yes

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: None

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: A very different approach using a set of AppleScript routines to impose organization and communication across a computer’s entire file system; productivity scoring; help with files and tasks related to meetings; multiple language support.

News: None

TaskPaper

Developer: Hog Bay Software

Current Version: 2.2.1

Price: $19

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: No

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: App ($10)

iPad Presence: App ($10)

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: Simple text-based system; no-frills; intentionally designed as an alternative to more fully featured systems.

News: The iOS app is now compatible with both iPhone and iPad.

The Hit List

Developer: Potion Factory

Current Version: 0.9.3.25 (beta)

Price: $50 (pre-order)

Development Status: Beta

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: No

iPhone Presence: No (but indicated as “coming”)

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: List view and “card” view; task timer; system-wide quick-entry; tabs allow good project management; AppleScript support; tags and prioritization of tasks.

News: Latest version extends the beta license, but still no substantial development on this application.

Things

Developer: Cultured Code

Current Version: 1.4.3

Price: $50

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: Yes

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: App ($10)

iPad Presence: App ($20)

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.11

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: iCal sync; repeating tasks; Mail compatibility; tags; network and multi-computer operation; and import/export options.

News: Lots of improvements: sync speed, quick entry, and projects all received attention.

Thinking Rock

Developer: Avente Pty Ltd

Current Version: 3.1.2

Price: $40/first year; $10/annual subscription. (Note: version 2.x is also available for free.)

Development Status: Release

iCal Sync: No

QuickSilver Plug-in: No

Web-app Sync: No

Print Lists: Yes

iPhone Presence: None

iPad Presence: None

OS Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4

Required Applications: None

Distinguishing Features: Cross-platform compatibility through Java; interactive collection and processing; can be run off of a flash drive.

News: None

What To Do

Developer: Objective Satisfaction

Current Version: 1.3.2

Other Browser/Web-based Task Managers

GTD and Task Management Wikis

iPhone Applications (not Web Apps)

Also in This Series

The Last Action · May 2012
Master List, April 2011 · April 2011
GTD for iOS/iPad · February 2011
E-mail Tricks and Tools · August 2010
Master List, May 2010 · May 2010
Inbox Overload · April 2010
Master List, February 2010 · February 2010
Getting Back on the GTD Wagon · December 2009
Master List, June 2009 · June 2009
Complete Archive

Reader Comments (3)

Michael Daitzman · February 12, 2011 - 17:20 EST #1: Hi,

Thinkingrock has an iPhone app- from some email exchange I think they are on track to a new one as well.

Thx for a great list!

Wade Staddon · February 20, 2011 - 01:45 EST #2: Thanks for this series - always appreciated.

I have started working with Pagico, which so far works cross-platform nicely using DropBox to sync. Their support was very responsive with a contact importing issue. They do not yet have an IOS app but are working on it.

Todd V · July 1, 2011 - 16:47 EST #3: Ed,

Another excellent roundup and spot-on insights about the conundrum both developers and end-users face with new technologies and platforms. As the creator of Ready-Set-Do!, this paradox is of particular interest to me. Check out the RSD Backstory. Frustration with gossamerware is what led me to create Ready-Set-Do! in the first place.

One of the advantages of RSD is that next actions go with the files; there is no separate link that needs to be created between a task in a task-management app and a file related to it. The only thing RSD needs to work on iOS devices is a file syncing utility that--in addition to syncing files and folders, also syncs their Spotlight comments. To-date I haven't found one yet. If I did find one with that functionality, RSD would have a very nice way to sync and interact with iOS devices (and even non-iOS devices), simply by letting users access and modify the spotlight comments for these items. It would also not require separate development of a separate app that has to be coded in parallel with a desktop app - a trend that increases the likelihood that one of them will eventually drop off with no more software support, or increase costs to support both development trajectories.

My workaround, at this point, is an Applescript I wrote for RSD that runs on a Mac desktop or laptop that allows requesting files from your RSD system, marking them complete, or modifying them via email. So, for example, the Email My Action Lists script in RSD sends me a fresh copy of my action lists in my email. I'm out with my iPad, decide to look over my action lists emails to find something I can do. Here is an item I would like to read - #15. But the file is on my computer - drats!. No problem, though. All I have to do is forward the email to myself and add > 15+ to the subject line. The RSD mail rule script runs on my computer at home and sends the requested file to me to read. When I'm done I forward the email to myself and add >- to the subject line and the script marks the item complete in my RSD system. I can also capture anything to RSD by emailing myself and adding > inbox to the subject line or postpone by adding > Tickler followed by the date.

This may seem tedious, but I actually think it's a much more efficient process than one might initially think - especially on handheld devices. I'll be the first to admit that Ready-Set-Do! has some things that can be improved, but when I look out onto the horizon of GTD iOS, Mac, and web apps I think there is far too much tapping-per-task: tap due date, tap start date, tap end date, tap context, tap, tap, tap. When you add up all of the taps-per-task I think it is too much. Cumulatively that's a lot of wasted time tapping things *about* the task as opposed to just doing it. Furthermore, I actually think dividing each aspect of a task into a separate thing fosters the tweak-it focus rather than the doing focus. This is why in RSD, each of these aspects of a task are just right there in the next action itself - @ Location (Sub-Context): Next action to do > DUE 7/1/11. If you need to change something you just change it. There is no tap, tap, tap to reconfigure the next action. You just change the text. The process also takes advantage of the fact that most iOS and non-iOS users are in their email more than any other app on their handheld device. So there is no separate tapping of an app and then a further capture button to collect. You just tap new email, collect, and send. Tap your action list email and choose something to get done, etc.

At this point I still think the desktop is a better command and control center, and thus is best for the higher horizon planning and capturing of GTD- Get Clear on Projects and Weekly Review. That may change in the next few years as the hardware improves. Currently iOS and other handheld devices are better for collection, minor tweaks to tasks, and--most of all--the doing of tasks. The key, though, is to make sure that when you need to do a task that you have easy access to what you need to complete it. Many times that means files on your computer. In order for the system to be truly trusted, these programs need to ensure easy access to them.

So for me, it all comes down to in-the-moment access to files, minimization of taps and tweaks to tasks, and thinking more about efficiency than GUI eye candy. The first, especially, is the most important one developers face now as end users find themselves not only spread across multiple computers, but across multiple hand-held devices as well. The latter is the littered wake of gossamerware.

Thanks again for the post and the opportunity to post a few of my musings about this here.

ATPM 17.02February 2011

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Next Actions

GTD for iOS/iPad

On the iPad and the Future of Mac Task Management

Cases in Point

Not a Problem

Here We Go Again?

Where Do We Go With This?

About the List

Locally Installed GTD Applications

Locally Installed General Task Managers

Browser and Web-based GTD Applications

Other Browser/Web-based Task Managers

GTD and Task Management Wikis

iPhone Applications (not Web Apps)

Also in This Series

Reader Comments (3)

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ATPM 17.02
February 2011