Getting Organized

Every year for the past several years I would make a New Years resolution to get organized, then I would download a bunch of Mac applications and get frustrated with them.  During the last half of December 2008, I decided to try 3 programs: OmniFocus, The Hit List and Things.  All 3 applications allow you to use the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology from David Allen. I like to call it “Getting Shi!@# Done.”

OmniFocus (OF) from The Omni Group.  I’ve tried this program several times and loved that it was really just a blank sheet and you could customize it. OF has both a desktop and iPhone version that sync up. But for some reason I just couldn’t fit it into my daily work flow. Otherwise it’s a great program from a very talented company.

The Hit List (THL) from The Potion Factory. THL is in beta and has a great interface.  THL fit in with how I work, but it’s iPhone app has not been released yet and that was part of my criteria for picking an application.  The iPhone app is in the works but I really wanted something on day one – Jan 1, 2009.

This finally bring me to Things from Cultured Code. I have been a part of their beta program and have tried using Things several times over the past year.  As their official launch at Macworld 2009 neared, their code base got better and was very rock solid. I again started to use Things and was impressed how much better the application was when I first started using it. The Things interface is so simple you can start entering data right away without reading a “how to” guide. The interface was a natural fit for how I work and took me no time to get organized. The iPhone version synced via WiFi without any issues to my desktop.  The iPhone version has a couple features missing but the team at Cultured Code are making sure those get implemented ASAP.

Overall, I would highly recommend Things if you are looking to get organized.  Things desktop is USD 50 and Things iPhone/touch is USD 10.

Update: Watch the Things screencast I created