It’s a common problem and one of the stronger criticisms of the GTD system. Gospel according to David Allen is to capture everything, but if you do that, you’ll probably become overwhelmed. At the end of the day it may not be for you, but it also might be that you’re getting lost in its myriad features. It is very multi-functional, but that doesn’t mean you need to use all the functionality. The other thing that I’ll mention regarding OF is that it, like any app, requires you to think about how you set it up. So most of the time I do my mind dump capturing in my own brand of bullet journal, and when I’m organizing and reviewing, things get moved to OF where I can track them better. I actually don’t like capturing in OF, but find it great for organizing and review. I personally use both OmniFocus and a bullet journal. The key is figuring out how to apply the principles to work for you. This isn’t to say the app is for everyone, but to get the kind of zen state you’re talking about requires regular commitment.Īnd FWIW, every working GTD system is kind of ad hoc, and evolves as our life changes. If you’re falling off the wagon after a month I’d guess you weren’t reviewing well (a common problem). The other question I’d be asking is whether it’s the app or GTD itself you have a problem with. But operating that rigid system is just not fluid. In the end, OF is just a database with filters. When you look at more modern tools, they provide a much more malleable canvas to design your experience, too. But if you’re shifting things around often, OF will be a chore to use. If you have very predictable routines, then OF may work well. Generally, I think OF is just not dynamic enough to keep up with changes and it creates a lot of friction to move things around. I use a combination of paper and digital tools alongside OF. Keeping those in a behemoth the size of OF feels sort of like buying a car with tons of features and only using it to drive from point a to b. I mean, we are talking about simple lists. Lately it’s occurred to me that OF is seriously overkill for just that. In fact, many of the things you mention are in my system right now! It’s kind of amazing: it’s evolved into that simple list system for me, too. So OmniFocus, it’s not you - it’s me, I just don’t think we’re compatible… or do you have any suggestions how we could make it work? But this is more adhoc than a working system - so much slips through and I definitely never achieved the zen mind that I imagine a working GTD practice offers. The default way I manage my todo lists is just using Notes app to collect everything, and then making a 1 or 2 day plan in Taskpaper. In reality though I just can’t seem to integrate OmniFocus into my life, although I desire to. I still think the app is awesome - although haven’t really tried any of the alternative apps that have emerged since, because I’d already sunk so much cash into OF. And so now, before I click renew on my web subscription - I think it’s time I seriously rethink if this really is the app for me - because every year I am only able to commit to it for a month, before letting it slide until returning a year later - with the greatest of intentions - only to fail again. I have sunk a lot of money into it over these years - but I’ve never actually been able to make it work. As an avid reader of Merlin Man’s blog and GTD convert, I just thought it was a super cool app, and so I purchased every new version, and then every version subsequently released for a new device. I have been “using” OmniFocus since the beginning, back when it was a script in OmniOutliner.
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