Things: One To-Do App to Rule Them All

I own several to-do or GTD apps: TaskPaper, Opal, OmniOutliner, OmniFocus, OmniPlan, Merlin, Apple Mail’s To-Do List, iCal, NoteMind, and Things.

I have used them all at one time or another, and I have tried and deleted half a dozen more. With so many different task managers to choose from, what could possibly make any one stick out over the others? Plenty.

For the record, all of the apps I mentioned are good for what they do. Some are strictly for outline-style lists with checkboxes and the like; some are text-based, and follow the notion of keeping it simple; some are full-fledged project-management applications, and are good for long-range planning, but not so good for keeping up on day-to-day tasks.

Newcomers like OmniFocus are still adding features as of the writing of this article, and the 1.0 release was just a few weeks ago. So which to-do app has the best combination of eye candy, ease of use, and functionality? If I had to pick two apps, I’d say OmniFocus from The Omni Group and Things from Cultured Code. If I had to pick one app, it’d be Things.

A Few of my Favorite Things (Features)

1. Project-based lists, or not. Things is very flexible in how it lets you keep your lists. If you have projects with various tasks, no problem. If you want to whip up a to-do list for today, that’s a snap. Moving tasks or task lists around is as simple as drag and drop.

2. Today, Next, Someday, and Postponed. Things adapts to how you prefer to list items. If you like to live in the moment, you can make a Today list, and tick off tasks as you do them. You can put items in sequential order and then access only one item at a time using Next, which can help keep you focused if you are prone to freaking out over the number of items in your to-do list. Add an item to Someday if it’s something you don’t have time for right now, but you don’t want to forget it. And Postponed is for items that have been taken off your plate for now.

3. Tags make it easy to see all your tasks, or just the ones you have for a particular group or project. By entering a few tags as part of your to-do creation process, it quickly becomes second nature, and makes finding items later much, much easier.

4. Quick Entry: pop up a window, type your item, and you’re done.

5. The open XML file format makes it easy to export and import your list into other applications. It also makes it possible to view your list on any modern web browser, via their built-in XML parser.

Future Things

1. Project Templates. Imagine pre-fabricated lists of things you will likely need to do, such as template lists for traveling abroad, server upgrade steps, packing lists, or smaller project management lists.

2. Recurring to-dos will be nice for those repetitive tasks that, once you have the sequence entered, simply repeat at a given time or date. This should make it as easy as setting a recurring event in iCal.

3. Integration with iCal and Mail is something which OmniFocus currently has, and is very handy for adding alarms and reminders to your items, or including contact information in your entries.

4. Integration with Quicksilver will be a nice feature for those of us who use the Quicksilver application launcher. It will be like the Quick Entry feature above, but with fewer keystrokes to get there. Imagine being able to jot down a new to-do item without having to leave your current application. Nice!

5. Network-based collaboration. Presumably, this would allow for a kind of shared to-do list between members of a project team, such that you can see and add items to your list, and it will be combined with others’ lists in a way that simplifies the collaborative process. Or so your boss can see when you’re slacking.

The End of Things

Most of the to-do applications differ based on how complicated your lists are, and most focus on a particular way of visualizing tasks. As a result, some to-do apps are cluttered and complicated to use, or feel like overkill, while others may feel too simplistic or lacking in features. Things, by Cultured Code, has the best combination of a well-designed user interface, a wide choice of lists and how those lists are displayed, and keeping things simple enough to actually make your life easier, without skimping on features.

Things is available in a public beta from the Cultured Code website, and will be released in Spring 2008. It will cost $49, however, you can save 20% if you sign up for their e-newsletter by January 31.

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