When it comes to entrepreneurial daily activities, it is important to have a flow of activities that on short-term and long-term will bring the best possible results for the business. Using the GTD system with OmniFocus for task management activities, I am able to stay focused and progressively work to achieve my goals.
When I want to decide about my daily activities, I use the GTD system developed by David Allen to pull off some of the tasks, or ideas that I have already put into my information pool.
Want to make sure to fully develop your notes on Evernote, even if you have to take a break from them? Activate this Evernote OmniFocus integration and we'll make sure to track them all, creating tasks on OmniFocus for every new note on Evernote automatically from then on. OmniFocus, for its part, is exceptional at helping you organize your life, but really isn't designed to be a repository of detailed information, so integration with Evernote is a natural desire. For example, I have an OmniFocus single-action list which I use to store blog post ideas; it's a natural next step to have an Evernote note associated. Omnifocus has a link structure of its own, but unfortunately Evernote can’t “swallow” those links in its own system and make them clickable, which makes two-way integration a bit cumbersome. Luckily this workflow is not a hack, it is an intended user behavior that comes from both applications. Big Benefits of. In a matter of minutes and without a single line of code, Zapier allows you to automatically send info between Evernote and OmniFocus. Get started with workflows like: Create OmniFocus tasks for new notes on Evernote. Or check out the rest of our guided workflows. Save time with Zapier; it's free to try.
What is an information pool in my GTD system?
At the time when I worked in the intelligence department at Customs Administration, we have developed a system as an intelligence cycle which starts with an information pool. That’s a place where each information about everything regardless of the meaning and importance is stored. It is something like capturing process and inbox in the GTD system.
At that level, the meaning, importance, and usefulness of the information are not important because thеsе activities are part of the processing process of each information when will be decided about the next steps.
Because we live in a highly messy world, our mind continuously learns to process different kinds of stuff. And there is a lot of stuff. On the other side, everything that comes to our mind does not always connect with our current activities. The best way is to put all that stuff in a pool that will enable to be processed later.
In the process of collecting different stuff in the last several years, I am trying to build an effective system that will support me based on a daily basis. I try to use different productivity tools that will help me to remember things around me and things produced by my mind. That’s the first level of becoming more productive.
Still, I can’t find one unique tool as a solution for my collecting activities. For example, I am using Evernote to collect and store everything around me. The tool is useful for me to capture ideas as I go, to capture different “read it later” materials, to capture different reference material, etc. Different ideas, different references, different “read it later” materials come from many places, and Evernote is simple to use and integrate that different places around me.
Information processing process in my GTD system
So, now I have a place where everything will be captured and ready to be processed. Now comes the magic of the whole process.
When I need to process everything that I collect or capture I go through my inbox notebook (my information pool, or place where I collect unprocessed stuff), and look at each of the notes there. The following decisions I made in this process:
What is the note?
As a first, I need to find what the note will represent for my future work. Many of them are reading materials in which I need to scan quickly, and if I find something worth, I will move it in my reference notebook with proper tags and comments. Everything that will remain as a part of collected reading materials, I make a scanning and if I don’t find value, I will delete it.
There will also be notes that will need some type of action from my side. Those notes I move into the to-do notebook in my Evernote account. In such a way, I work until I clean everything from my Inbox notebook.
Can I do it now?
When I process notes that are actionable the first thing I need to answer is can I do it now. Because, this processing in large part is in the evening as a preparation for my next day, I don’t have too much time to work on the tasks. In such a situation, the 2 minute limit for doing things now from the GTD system is most suitable for me.
Many of the notes will be a simple answer to email or things that I can make in less than 2 minutes. Before anything else that I will make with the notes in my to-do inbox, I will clean everything that I can do in less than 2 minutes. In many cases, five to ten notes will be finished and cleaned in 10 to 20 minutes. In such a way, I escape losing my time in planning activities for notes that will need less than two minutes to be finished, because such a plan will take me more than two minutes.
How important is the action?
The next level, when my inbox is clear, and my to-do notebook has only tasks that will need more than 2 minutes to be done I start with the processing of my action list. As a first thing that I need to do is to prioritize the possible actions before I decide when I will need to do them.
This part of the job I am doing through adding a number in a title of the notes that enables me when I sort notes by title to look at most important actions as first. For example, if something is of high importance, I write #1 at the beginning of the title, about important things I write #2, about medium importance things #3, and low importance things #4.
What do I need to do with the actions?
The next level is to look at my number-one priority actions and decide what I need to do with them. In most of the cases, these actions marked as #1 will go into my OmniFocus inbox because they are important and will need to be completed as quickly as possible. With the possibilities to copy notes, I can use the link to the note in my Evernote account and put it in the OmniFocus as a reference for my tasks. Because OmniFocus is not so good for detailed explanations about the tasks, this is the perfect way to make a connection between task and note about that task.
When I finish with the number-one priorities, I continue with the next one. In such a way, again, I go through all my notes in my to-do notebook until I clean all of them and put them into my OmniFocus inbox. Again, when I transfer tasks from Evernote to OmniFocus, I pay attention to the mark about priority, because I will need another processing into the OmniFocus, and I don’t want to lose the priorities from my notebooks. This is easy because the link to the notes in Evernote will be displayed as a note title.
Do I need to do the task, or I can delegate it?
I always start with the highest priority tasks marked as #1 and the first question that I ask myself is about who will be responsible for the task. If I can delegate the task, I will put it into the context of the task person that will be responsible to take care of it and send him an email.
Usually, I use sharing possibility in Evernote, where I have notebooks that I share with the persons to whom I delegate tasks. So, the task as a note in Evernote will go into that folder to be available for their reference. In such a way, I will know who will be responsible, and I can easily follow the progress.
When do I need to start doing the rest of the tasks?
Now, because in my OmniFocus inbox, I have tasks that need to be done from my side, I can start processing them in such a way that I can ensure each of the tasks will be finished. This part of my GTD system for processing process means scheduling tasks for the exact time when it needs to be done, put them into appropriate projects, context and adding the time that I will need to finish each of them. This process will finish when the inbox folder in OmniFocus will become empty.
In the perspective view in the OmniFocus, I have captured three perspectives titled as quick, medium and long. These perspectives show me the tasks that will need to be done today but in a correlation of time that I need to work on them. This will help me to become more organized in addition to other functionality of OmniFocus as contexts and projects. Quick perspective shows me the tasks that I need to do today, but in less than 15 minutes, and the medium perspective will show me tasks that will need less than an hour. The last, longer perspective shows me the tasks that I need to finish today, but they will need more than one hour to be completed. In such a way, I can quickly go through tasks that I need to complete today depending on the time that each task will need to be completed.
This is the process that I use today, and I update and change it as I learn something more, or the experience shows me that I need to change something. Probably, It is not the best solution, but I start with something as a good basis for improvements.
- Published on February 20, 2019
- Updated on
- Read time 6 minutes
- Category
Ever since the term Getting Things Done (GTD) was coined by David Ellen in 2001. There has been a wave of tools identifying as one of the best to-do list apps for getting things done. One such popular tool is OmniFocus.
The ever-increasing popularity of the product comes on the basis of numerous industry leaders’ recommendations. I have been motivating enough for users from all over the internet.
But there is a catch. Even with some amazing graphics and advanced features for to-do list management, OmniFocus calls for alternatives because of its cross-platform restrictions. Sometimes the integration is lacking, which makes it hard for power users to complete their work on daily basis.
We have appended some of the best Omnifocus alternatives for you to breeze through. Take a look below:
1. nTask
First up on our list of the best OmniFocus alternatives – nTask.
nTask is relatively new when stacked up against other task management tools. However, it comes with some solid features to help get things done faster. The developers kept technical glitches at bay while striving to perfect this program.
This OmniFocus alternative goes beyond the likes of basic task management by providing native modules for elaborate project management.
These modules allow you to tackle your tasks productively, successfully execute your team meetings, and resolve your issues and risks with precision.
nTask provides this spectrum of intelligent features all the while ensuring smooth navigation across the application.
✨ Key Features
- Checklist management.
- Elaborate task management.
- Gantt charts for project tracking.
- Comprehensive meeting management.
- Time tracking with tasks.
- Comments and file attachments.
- Color labels and progress status.
- Due dates and priority level.
- Powerful search filters.
- Alerts and notifications.
- Third-party application access.
😍 Pros
- Simple user-interface with a short learning curve.
- Native modules for comprehensive project management.
- Multiple views for organizing tasks.
- Free version available.
🙁 Cons
- Limited functionality of Gantt charts.
- Kanban workflow is missing (underworks).
💸 Pricing
- The tool is free for basic task management and limited workspaces. The paid plan is available at an affordable starting price at $1 per user/month.
Are you looking for the perfect Omnifocus alternatives?
See why teams trust nTask for task management. Create unlimited tasks, meetings & do more.
2. Todoist
A powerful task management software, Todoist helps individuals and teams to organize their tasks with flexibility. You can quickly create your daily to-dos and assign due dates to stay on track.
Todoist ranks #2 in our roundup of the top OmniFocus alternatives.
The product comes with a multi-dimensional mix of tools including document management, project scheduling, and task management to provide a complete solution under one platform.
Furthermore, with the help of ‘Karma points’, you can track your project performance over time. In addition, you can also visualize your productivity to take smarter decisions.
😍 Pros
- Quick checklist management.
- Task priorities.
- Built-in project templates.
- Recurring tasks.
😫 Cons
- No time tracking functionality.
- Built-in calendar feature is missing.
- Task labels and reminders are not available in Free plan.
- Limited features available in Free plan.
💸 Pricing
- The Free version can be upgraded to Premium and Business plans for $3 and $5 respectively.
Also Read:
3. Asana
Asana is another shortlisted application in our Omnifocus alternatives’ roundup. It is one of the first choices of many teams when it comes to project management. Asana comes with a robust set of features for organizing and managing tasks.
The core functionality of the tool revolves around project management solutions for different types of teams, including Agile. Through project portfolios, you can keep an eye on your project progress over time and plan accordingly.
Some other useful features to help teams always stay on track include project portfolio management, project reporting, dashboard, and project timeline.
😍 Pros
- Easy to setup.
- Templates for repeatable projects.
- Recurring tasks functionality.
- Free version available.
😫 Cons
- Limited features available in the Basic plan.
- No Gantt charts for project scheduling.
- Time tracking with tasks is missing. You can switch over to some other application if time is one of your main concerns.
- Timeline view is only available in paid plans.
💸 Pricing
- Apart from the Free plan, Asana comes with not 1, but 3 paid plans! Premium, Business, and Enterprise. The paid plans start from $9.99 per user/month.
4. Evernote
A popular note-taking application, Evernote grabs a fourth place in our Best Omnifocus Alternatives List. Equipped with an intelligent toolset for managing your to-dos, Evernote provides tons of built-in features for organizing your thoughts.
With the help of the web clipping feature, you don’t have to lose track anymore. Save any information you may find online to your Evernote interface and bookmark for later use.
The smart document scanning feature allows you to keep all your important documents with you wherever you go without any hassle.
In addition, this OmniFocus alternative lets you share your notebooks with team members to collaborate on ideas from desktop, web, or mobile application. These notebooks can also be edited instantly by anyone.
😍 Pros
- Elaborate note-taking features. It is a cornerstone perk for Evernote users.
- Web clipping functionality for saving important content.
- Shared spaces for team collaboration.
- Free basic version.
😫 Cons
- No time tracking is available with tasks.
- Very limited free features.
- Team collaboration features only available in the Business plan.
💸 Pricing
- Free, Premium, and Business plans. The paid plans are priced at $7.99/month and $14.99/user/month respectively.
5. Remember the Milk
Remember the Milk is one of the oldest tools out there for to-do list management. If you are looking for a fairly simple task management application as a viable Omnifocus alternative, this tool might be the runt of the litter.
Coming with a Smart lists feature, Remember the Milk allows you to instantly add your most important tasks. You can further add due dates and priority so that missing deadlines by accident is a thing of the past.
This makes Remember the Milk rank #5 on our list of the best OmniFocus alternatives.
😍 Pros
- Easy to use.
- Lists can be shared.
- Details can be quickly added to tasks through Smart Add feature.
- The basic version is free. Try it anytime you feel comfortable.
😫 Cons
- Basic version has limited features available.
- No time tracking functionality available.
- Subtasks are only available in the Pro version.
- Advanced sorting filters are missing in Free version.
💸 Pricing
Omnifocus And Evernote
- The Free version can be upgraded to Pro for $39.99 per year.
6. Float
Omnifocus Vs Evernote
Float is more of a ‘one and done’ type of project and resource management app. To be honest, it leans more on resource scheduling with a tinge of project and task management on the side. Yes, we know that you thought it was meant for the latter. But that’s not the case.
Anyhow, Float combines an intuitive interface with an amazing overlay of tools’ shortcuts. Everything is right where it needs to be. You get a brilliant dashboard with an overview of all your important tasks, assignees, and resources.
There’s a convenient drag and drop functionality that lets you play around with your resources and their overall management at your discretion. Float has a powerful budget management system to enable contractors and admins with their billable work hours.
To that end, Float also goes through regular updates from time to time. The dev team reportedly gets feedback from users to not only improve on features that are already in the program but also add user-requested features to keep the gears moving on in the right direction.
😍 Pros
- Offers a brilliant overview of resource understanding, scheduling, and management through visual cues.
- Manage time and resources at your discretion.
- Understand the financial health of your projects from a deeper POV.
- Easy learning curve.
- Attractive pricing and packages.
- Friendly support staff.
😫 Cons
- Not that we know of. The overall experience has been more than satisfactory.
- They don’t have Live Phone Support.
💸 Pricing
- Float comes with a free trial. The support staff might extend it for you. Paid plans start at $5.00 per month. For more details, you can contact their CSRs anytime.
Read also:
Have you used any of these top 6 OmniFocus alternatives for task management? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below. You can also send us an email to get personalized answers to your questions.
Other Related Articles
- • 9 MIN READ
15 Best Toggl Alternatives for 2021 & Counting
- • 8 MIN READ
Top Down vs Bottom Up Approach: Which is Best for Your Organization?
- • 7 MIN READ
8 Best JotForm Alternatives to Use in 2021
- • 7 MIN READ
Project Termination Guide for Successful Failure & Minimum Blowbacks
- • 18 MIN READ
Expert’s Opinions: Keeping Teams Productive at Work
- • 10 MIN READ
How to Rock Your First Week With nTask?
- • 13 MIN READ
Effective Team Communication Tips for Agile Professionals in 2021
- • 9 MIN READ
10 Steps to Writing an Awesome Scope of Work Document
- • 6 MIN READ
Ingenious Ways to Inspire Team Autonomy
- • 6 MIN READ
Team Workload Management Tips, Ethics, and Guidelines for Project Managers
- • 6 MIN READ
Workplace Complacency: 4 Tips to Overcome Adversity as a Project Manager
- • 15 MIN READ
The 15 Best Free Slack Alternatives for Effective Project Management
- • 9 MIN READ
9 Free Best Code Editors for Windows & Mac In 2021