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How are you Mac folks doing reminders and structuring to-dos?
Scott | Nov 29 2007
As of Leopard, I'm a transplant from Entourage to the Mail/Address Book/iCal/.mac combo. Over in Entourage for the past 7 years, I created a slick Zero Inbox system by using delayed reminders, using a cool combo of Applescripts that removed emails out of the Inbox until a time when I needed to deal with them. I haven't figured out a system yet in the Mail world. I'd love to hear how you Mac GTD'ers are using timers/reminders to postpone to-dos until the time you need to deal with them. I'm intrigued by OmniFocus, but it doesn't seem to be set up to do timers; more, it looks like a way to order ones to-dos in the sequence they need to be done. It might work, to switch from a popup timer world, to just remembering to look at a list. But before I dive in to OmniFocus, I'd love to hear how others are dealing with their to-dos using the Mail/Address Book/iCal/.mac combo. Thanks for any ideas. 38 Comments
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 Bento, Filemakers new easy to use database, is great FOR GTDSubmitted by derx on November 29, 2007 - 10:58pm.
I spent Thanksgiving evaluating iGTD, OMNIfocus, TaskPaper, etc. in a search to select a GTD tool. During a break I took the time to view the Filemaker Bento Webex. I had downloaded Bento on the day it was released but didn't open the program. After viewing the Webex I was intrigued. In less than 2 hours I was able to set up a very nice GTD project database in Bento with contextual tasks/to do's. Bento shares it's data with Address Book and iCal so it obviously plays quite nicely with them -- NO SYNCING REQUIRED! Create an Automater script (easy to do in Leopard) to grab text and make a task from any location on your Mac and you can get close to having most of the functionality of OMNIfocus but have the ability to customize to your hearts content. Add Smart Collections (similar to iTunes Smart Folders) to your database for automated queries. I used Smart Collections to set up my Inbox (tasks yet to be assigned to a project or context) as well as quick views for overdue items, items due in 48 hours, etc. etc. The key to start up with Bento is this -- watch the Filemaker Bento Webex AND add a new field in iCal for Context. Once you have related contextual tasks in iCal you are on the way. Even if you don't look at Bento for GTD I would consider it for supercharging iCal's and Address Book's functionality. Modify an event, task/to do, Contact in Bento and it's changed in iCal/Address Book and vice versa. Bento allows multiple views and sorting of tasks/to do's and events -- something not available in iCal. If Address Book or iCal is missing a data field, add it in Bento. You want to attach a file/document to an event -- do it in Bento. Even if you're a Filemaker expert you will appreciate the ease of use and power in Bento. It truly is a relational database for the common man or woman. Oh, iPhone integration is planned for Bento. Of course all tasks/events created in Bento show in the iPhone because they are iCal events. » POSTED IN:
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