A Thought on Things

I’ve started using Things a bit (along with OmniFocus — I’ll explain how I use each at some point if this keeps up).

I like the interface of Things a lot and there is a simplicity to it that is really appealing. I find that Things works great for quick and simple tasks. I also find that it works great for repeating tasks. I find it complicated, however, to use it to organize tasks in to projects and keep track of anything that is longer-term and sustained.

So one thought — and I don’t know yet if this will work — is to use Things for repeating tasks and quick hit stuff, and then keep track of longer-term outcomes somewhere else.

For those out there who use Things: How do you use it?

No related posts.

June 22, 2010 | Filed Under Productivity | 2 Comments 

Comments

2 Responses to “A Thought on Things”

  1. Eric Anest on June 22nd, 2010 8:10 am

    I use both the iPod Touch and desktop versions of Things and find it to be pretty useful. I say “pretty useful” because I find the sorting of tasks to be odd, along with the fact that there’s no “over the air” syncing between devices.

    I think the limitations you’ve described are limitations of GTD itself–it helps you manage the minutiae but isn’t very good at managing large goals or projects that take months to complete.

    Looking forward to hearing how you’ll supplement Things to manage those long-term outcomes.

  2. Jon on June 24th, 2010 11:44 pm

    I got on to Things about 3-4 months ago now and can’t be happier with it. I made the big switch b/w Windows to a Mac and spent a fair bit of time looking for a good to-do list and project-type manager. Things has been the best i’ve come across.

    I have both the Mac desktop version and the iPhone one as well. They sync very easily on either the same wi-fi or a network that i create from the MacBook Pro.

    For me Things seems to work well for both the longer-term and shorter-term projects. I don’t strictly follow GTD protocols but have adapted Things to a system that works for me. Therefore, anything that requires a number of actions is made as a Project and then all the little items that i need to do to complete it are whacked in under there. This will quite often mean that i have Projects that seemingly never end b/c they are so far off and sometimes quite broad. i.e. “Home” lists all the jobs i have to do around the house, including paying bills to vacuuming the floor.

    The option for quick ideas or projects that might happen down the future are all stuck in under “Someday” or simply put in the “Inbox” ready to be allocated when ready. I know that may not be ideal for some people but it seems to work for me. It means that it is out of my head and also acts as a reminder when i look at it again.

Leave a Reply