Mac Software recommendation: OmniFocus, the ultimate to-do list

We nerds love systems -- systems of all kinds, protocols of all sorts. We're always on the lookout for ways of living more like robots. And so for nerds, clever little systems designed to help you get organised are always a really appealing way to overcome the clutter and chaos of life. This is even more true when the system can involve some kind of gadget or software. Nerds, you may have noticed, love gadgets and software.

But sometimes we nerds forget that, ultimately, we aren't robots. And so we get too ambitious and try to implement systems that are too nerdy. I've fallen into this trap many a time. A couple of years ago I built my self a Super Duper Intelligent Techno ToDo List using FileMaker. At its core was a super intelligent algorythm that would prioritise all my to-dos based on the importance of the project they were a part of, the domain that they contributed to (e.g., career, social life, health, etc.) and how soon they were due. The hope was that it would run my life for me, showing me the most important things to do at any given time. The system took me ages to set it up, and it was all very clever (if I do say so myself), but I only ended up using it for a couple of weeks because, ultimately, it just wasn't human friendly.

And then i discovered Getting Things Done (GTD). GTD is a little nerd cult based on a book by David Allen called, funnily enough, Getting Things Done. It is a set of 'action management' principals that are complement the human mind, not replace it. The basis of the system, as I understand it, stems from the notion that we typically have ideas about things that need to be done at times when we have no way of doing them, and that trying to remember to do these things is both inefficient and stressful. So GTD encourages us to abolish the practice of taking 'mental notes' in favour of either a paper and/or digital system. And under GTD such a system should include a few core features:

a) ubiquitous capture - one must be able to capture todo items quickly and easily, at any time (the moment they come to mind) and keep them safe.

b) context based lists - todo items must be grouped together on the basis of the context that they can be done in, or the resources they require, NOT, as we instinctively tend to do, on the basis of what project they are a part of.

c) trust - you need to be able to give yourself the iron clad garuntee that once a todo is in the system, it will DEFINETLY be seen when it needs to be seen, and so, one has to develop the discipline of regularly processing one's inbox and context lists.

Those, in my opinion, are the core essentials. You can learn more via the wikipedia article. It's nothing revolutionary. In fact, David Allen describes GTD as "just advanced common sense".

A GTD system can take many forms. For example, you could implement it using index cards, a notebook, or text files. But if you are a Mac user, I would recommend this new piece of software from OmniGroup: OmniFocus.

A free beta version of OmniFocus has just be released, although i've been an alpha tester since early this year. I think that it is the most elegant GTD software available. It's become an indispensable part of my life now; I couldn't live without it.

Best features (IMHO):


The quick entry window.When working in any other application a single (assignable) keystroke brings up a 'quick entry' window. You bang out a quick note, hit enter, and voila, it's in your digital inbox.

Smart start- and due-date parsing.As well as entering dates via a mini calendar window, OmniFocus will also recognise dates written in almost any format (e.g., 01/01/08, January 1, Jan 1, tomorrow, tom, 3 days, 3d, next week, January, 2 months, March 2008, etc.)

SmartMatch. You can assign tasks to a context or project list by typing its full title, or, simply by typing any aspect of it; OmniFocus will match it to the most similar context. For example, typing "wo" might match to the context "Work", or typing "market" might match to "Supermarket".

Sorting, Filtering, and Grouping. You can sort, filter, and group tasks by all kinds of different task characteristics, and easily change between these views.

What OmniFocus doesn't do, however, is run your life for you. And for this reason, Omni Focus can be dangerous in the wrong hands. So it's best suited for people who are familiar with GTD. It's also probably best suited to people who spend most of their time around their Mac.

If you're interested in OmniFocus, check out the 15min intro video (available here), and download the beta.

Also note that there is a 50% discount available if you pre-order before Jan 8. You can get a futher discount on top of that if you own a copy of OmniOutliner Pro (another Omni product).