Friday Software Spotlight: OmniFocus
posted in Software |Okay, as far as I know, OmniFocus is not actually software. I agree with John Gruber over at Daring Fireball that it’s really vaporware instead. But that’s a topic for another day. 
Instead, I think there are a couple of must-have features for OmniFocus to really get traction as a tool for Getting Things Done (GTD). But first, perhaps a brief primer is in order.
What is Getting Things Done (GTD)? From the owner’s website, GTD is “work-life management system and book by David Allen that transforms personal overwhelm and overload into an integrated system of stress-free productivity.” It has a few basic core values, including collecting everything that has your attention, organizing it all according to how and when you need to accomplish it, and defining concrete actions, and constantly reviewing it against your goals. Well, that’s a pretty bad description. Learn more here. I’m not all-knowing as to GTD’s process, but I’ve started a long process of implementing some of it’s key tenets, and I generally like the approach.
Anyway, you get the idea. So there are several ways to use technology to implement the principles of GTD. Nobody covers GTD on the Mac better than Merlin Mann over at 43 folders his blog focused on personal productivity and related issues. One of those ways is to use OmniOutliner from the Omni Group, and a set of Applescripts. Another is to use a new application called Actiontastic. It’s even possible to use Apple’s Mail.app and other of Apple’s programs. I have started using Mail by transforming it from a file storage and browser app to more of a To Do List (which will be easier when Leopard launches), and I use something called LifeBalance (ugghh, cheesy name!) to manage tasks around my goals.
Recently, Omni pre-announced a product called OmniFocus that is expected to be a rich GTD application. And if it’s like most of Omni’s applications for Mac OS X, it will be pretty darn good. I’ve got my hopes up. But I’ve got two key requirements that are darn near non-negotiable.
- Sync with Palm OS: Of course, this will be moot if the iPhone comes out, because I’ll order one as soon as they are announced. But today, I really like having a single, master task list with me at all times. When I find myself with a few extra minutes waiting in line somewhere, I can pull up my list in LifeBalance on my Treo, check things off, add new ones, or re-prioritize as necessary. This is essential to me, because I move around a lot, and don’t always have my MacBook Pro with me.
- Hierarchical Outline: GTD has its own way of organizing information into contexts, projects, and other categories. But I can’t live without a hierarchical outline view that has collapse/expand functionality. There is something very powerful about seeing everything in one big list to understand the full scope of your activities, and the ability to narrow your focus to a single task or project when necessary.
I’m very optimistic about OmniFocus, and excited about it’s release. But without these two key features, it’ll have to be a damn fine application for me to use it on a regular basis.
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