Getting Things Done with Things on the Mac and iPhone

I’m a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done book, and the GTD craze has been sweeping the internet for a while now. Running my own business means that I have to juggle a lot of things, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do. It took me a bit to finally ready the book, but once I did, it completely change my life.

Things is produced by Cultured Code, and there are two versions of the the popular GTD program available: One for the Mac, and one for the iPhone. They are syncable if both devices are connected via the same wi-fi network, which is a handy tool to have. On the desktop, there are lots of different options for putting in tasks, as well as different places to put them. The GTD principle is based on organizing tasks based on different priorities, and as such, the program works those out pretty well. The Inbox is for your quick thoughts that have yet to be sorted, Next is for things coming up, Scheduled is for ones on a specific date, Someday are general hopes and projects that will happen at some point, and Today lists your priorities for the current day.

The iPhone app takes all of those same principles, and puts them in a handy portable version. The screenshot on the right shows my current tasks. Items in red are due today, and should be done by the end of day. Items in blue are placed in there by me, and don’t have a specific due date, but are due soon.

Combining the two platforms makes life a lot easier. If I’m not near my MacBook, I can check things off on my phone and just sync when I’m able to. Conversely, should I have a quick task that I need to perform by the end of the day and I want to jot them down, it is definitely easier to do it on the laptop, but having the convenience for on-the-go, is very nice.

Overall, the two programs are definitely worth the purchase price, assuming you’re a GTD fan. If you’re not, this may not be the program for you. But if you want to try it out, there is a free demo on their site so you can try it out and see what you think. As funny as it sounds, it’s changed my life, so maybe it can help you out as well.

Things