This is why I won’t be using 1-800 flowers anymore.

Just imagine if you could “host” your own tasks, similar to email on your own domain. Then you could easily switch between services as it suited you.

Sadly, it won’t happen. As it is, I believe the email standard being open is a fluke and luck. If it were invented a few years later, one company would likely own it. Same with podcasts being distributed via RSS. It’s a happy accident.

Considering switching to FastMail from Gsuite…

Moving tasks around in Todoist

There seems to be no way on iOS to make a group of tasks become sub tasks. I was trying to move the selected tasks all under electronics, but no dice.

Needed to find a task with an important attachment

My wife had a particular correspondence that she needed to follow up on. For whatever reason I didn’t scan it to evernote, I instead took a picture and put it in the task manager I was using at the time.

Of course Things 3 doesn’t support attachments, but I thought maybe I did include a link to an Evernote note of the pic. Nope!

I also didn’t add it to Todoist. Which I also use sometimes off and on.

Of course I found it in Omnifocus.

The Omnifocus experience on iOS is not as good as it should be. And Omnigroup has some plans to fix it >We’ll be reviewing the ways customers navigate our apps—making them easier to navigate on small touch devices, more efficient to use from a keyboard, and more accessible to the sight-impaired.

Task Manager Status

So…

After some more thought, using a PC at work is causing me to change some things up.

This is not a new development. I have pretty much always used a PC at work. Sometimes I am able to use my iPhone or iPad. But only sometimes. This causes real friction tracking tasks. I really want to be able to use Things 3, but alas, they willl likely never have a web app.

Omnifocus currently has a web app in beta. But to be honest, although I still want to love Omnifocus 3, it really leaves something to be desired in 2019. It may be the most technically powerful, but it’s design feels so so dated. This extends to their web app which is trying to emulate basic features of their desktop app. But at least in my humble opinion, it truly feels like an web app from the 1.0 era.

This brings me to the two web based solutions I am currently trying to decide between.

Todoist

The current undisputed leader in this space. I have used this app in the past.

The beta currently allows sorting varies lists by date. But they just added this. Their handling of sub tasks is well, sub par (😂). Their CEO has tweeted that a big revamp is coming sometime this year. It feels to me like their pace of development is very slow. They are a very well established company with more integrations than probably anybody. I’m not afraid they will be going anywhere anytime soon. It seems they don’t want to sell and make a cash grab.

Ticktick

This is the new to me task manager. It feels like a more modern version of Todoist. It does have some issues thought. The biggest for me thus far is their natural language processing. In Todoist, it almost always seems to know what I was trying to say when entering a task date or recurrence. Ticktick does not work nearly as well in this regard. On the other hand, it has sorting of lists and smart lists right now. Their handling of sub tasks is also superior to the way Todoist currently does it. One feature that is not currently quite as good as Todoist is the way it displays email that I forward to create tasks. Most of these are from my work exchange account. In Todoist, they are displayed exactly as they appear in my work email app (Outlook). In Ticktick, it is mostly correct, but not exactly. Filters are technically more powerfull in Todoist, but I do like how Ticktick gives you a visual way to create them. It would not take much for Ticktick to catch up here. I think all they really need is to add “NOT” logic.

As always, take this with a grain of salt. I change task managers like most people change bed sheets. I do think I may have accepted that although I love native apps, as long as my work involves being on a PC, I will need a service that offers a web app.

My wife got me these.

Todoist, seriously?!

I have a serious problem. I worked in Todoist a lot last night 😱.

At work I use a PC and that obvious makes todoist useful. I played with the web version of OF and at least now it’s just not good.

Thinking maybe the web app first nature of todoist may win out. I wish Things would offer a web app. They seem pretty against it though.

I know @culturedcode is doing it at some point, but the inability to complete a repeating task early really prevents me from sticking with Things 3.

Izq.fm Podcast Ep 2 “Task Managers”

I discuss Things, Omnifocus, and Todoist

Izq.fm Podcast Ep 1 “Everything buckets”

Trying this again…

Somewhat Off Color Task Manager Joke

Things 3 is the person you meet at the bar who can be sexy and thrilling, but typically leaves you wanting more in the end.

By contrast, OmniFocus is the person you met in line at the grocery store who turns out to be super smart and funny. You can introduce them to your family and you end up living happily ever after.

I realize I’m a little weird with my task managers…

10 years of Software

I know it’s not en vogue right now, but I started using @Evernote in August of 2008. I’m still using it today.

Trying to think of other software I’ve used a similar length of time and the only thing that comes to mind is OmniFocus. I first purchased it with my first iPhone which was the iPhone 3G. This quickly led me to buying it for my Mac and a few years later on my iPad.

What software are you using from 10+ years ago?

Would love if you could tag folders in @Omni’s @omnifocus

Filter Out a specific Tag in Things 3

This tip (if you could call it that) only works well if you don’t have that many Areas and if you aren’t changing Areas around that often…

my Areas

So basically, I tag the Work Area as “Work”, and all other Areas in addition to whatever else I want to tag them, also get the tag “Not Work”. This allows me to easily filter by Work and Not Work .

Remember, if you tag an Area, then all items under that Area inherit the tag.

Until or unless Things 3 gets a more robust search and/or tag filtering system, this is what I have been doing.

Let me know if this helps anyone.

Does anyone want to be on my podcast and talk about task managers… because apparently I can’t write about anything else, lol ?

I really wish @Culturedcode would publish a roadmap for the year like @Omni does. I use both apps, but to be honest, I’m scared that Things 3 will languish the way Things 2 did. A roadmap for the year would make those fears go away.

More on Task Managers

I’ve been using both OmniFocus and Things for quite a while sort of floating back and forth between them. They are both amazing apps. I think I can unequivocally say that if your primary use of a task manager is from iPhone and iPad, then Things is the better app. If your primary use is from Mac with some iPad and maybe primarily just checking tasks off from iPhone, then it’s a toss up on your specific needs and habits. You will definitely run into more cases where Things may not do a specific thing (no pun intended) that you need. Say showing only tasks tagged “work” but not tagged “office” and grouped by project and “unavailable “. Which is very complex and you really may need this. But speaking for myself, if I simply go to a specific area and project, and simply filter by a tag, I can usually achieve the same thing, and I spend WAYYYYYYY less time coming up with the very best perspective ever.

YMMV, and I could change my mind after the next wizbang feature. It’s a real struggle with me finding the most awesomest task manager. Am I alone? Let me know what you guys think…

Considering switch to YouTube tv from Hulu. Thoughts?

The fact that Things has no saved searches or filters or perspectives might be its biggest downfall. I believe you could add this feature without adding complexity. Simply don’t use it if you don’t need to.

Observation of Things and OmniFocus

I’m finding it’s possible to have that overwhelming feeling with @culturedcode that people associate with @OmniFocus.

When tons of items show up in the today view because the “when” date is today, it’s somewhat annoying to not be able to filter OUT items by tags. This is where OF can feel calmer. You can build perspectives to only see what you need to.

Giving Castro a try again for my podcast listening. I love Overcast but kind of want to give Castro a try (again).

Could this kid be any cuter?

What if Apple mail gets the Apple notes treatment this year???

Brinks Home Security

This company is a complete scam. I wanted to cancel and they insist on charging for an extra month.

Let me be clear. I CANCELLED! The gear was unplugged and not installed at my house. I complained for 30 min on the phone and they assured me the would not charge again. Then they did.

I apparently have no recourse, but I would advise anybody that doesn’t want to be shackled to a company if they ever want to cancel, to not use this company’s service.

Spread this message far and wide.