The best Mac GTD app might be right under your nose

When I read David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, a couple of years ago, I understood that he was basically describing a relational database where tasks were organized by project (buy ketchup, clean out the garage, and so on) and ultimately viewed and acted upon according their context (errands, office, phone, and so on.)

All this GTD hullabaloo we've been hearing about (or participating in) is, at its core, nothing more than a basic relational database. Like so many things, its genius lies in its simplicity.

The exploding popularity of the GTD system among so-called knowledge workers in recent years — and the tantalizing simplicity of a software solution — has inspired some of the best Mac developers. The frontrunners in this new category are OmniFocus, Things, Inbox, and iGTD. They are all very good and worth a look.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have tried them all. Several times. Right now, these popular GTD apps are in beta or early 1.x release and loyalty isn't strong. GTD'ers like myself are jumping from app to app looking for the right fit. (How productive is that?)

The fact that none of them fit probably says more about my shortcomings than the talents of the developers. Fact is, I'm lazy when it comes to using this stuff and fall off the wagon quickly.

During one of those "off the wagon" periods, I began to wonder if I really needed any of these programs and set out to implement a GTD system that fit into my natural workflow. This meant skipping GTD apps and plugins and using iCal and Mail.

Nine reasons not to use a separate app for GTD

There are plenty of arguments to be made for third-party apps, but there are a few advantages to using only Leopard's built-in capabilities to manage tasks and projects.

Simplicity. First of all, I don't have to launch, configure, and routinely update a GTD app. Secondly, it just doesn't make sense to introduce yet another inbox in the form of another app.

No backsliding. It is also virtually impossible to fall off this version of the wagon. When I use Mail.app, I'm using the system.

Easy Inbox Zero compliance. When I collect tasks in an another app, there's a good chance that a "work" email might get a look, but will be left in the inbox. The message just sits there, where it will surely be read again and again.

Maybe you're a better person than I am, but sometimes I just want to check my email... not process my email. Now I just flag it and get it out of the way.

Integration with iApps. Mail.app To Do's are automatically assigned to a calendar in iCal. No syncing is necessary.

Printing. This is one of the most neglected areas in GTD apps. If you like to print out our your agenda, none of the current GTD apps can touch iCal. There are times when you can't beat a printed list.

Have you printed an iCal calender (with To Do's) lately? You may have forgotten just how nice the results look.

Integration with Spotlight, Coverflow. Since all my "stuff" lives in Mail and iCal, it can easily be found using Spotlight. Even cooler are saved Finder searches that display notes and tasks using Coverflow. (I create a tag by adding °, shift-option-8, to key words.)

Price. It's free. (Well, after you've paid for your Mac and Leopard, that is.)

Speed. Thanks to data detectors, creating a To Do is extremely easy in Leopard, and, dare I say, more elegant than any of the GTD apps’ quick entry panels. Why replace this feature with a keystroke and a window?

The future. Eventually, Apple will enable To Do's and Note syncing between Mac and iPhone/Touch. When this happens, you won't just be ready, you'll be way ahead. Your GTD app will be on your Mac and in your hand.

The recipe

The great thing about GTD is that it can be adapted to suit the needs and preferences of the person using it. Keep in mind, the only thing I know about my approach, is that it works for me. Your results may vary.

In iCal:

1. Contexts. Create new calendars in iCal. These calendars should represent contexts like "Web", "Phone calls", and so on. Be sure to create a default calendar named "INBOX" or "Unprocessed". Feel free to color code them. Also consider using "Calendar Groups" to organize contexts and people.

In Mail.app:

2. Actions. Create To Do's in Mail.app by clicking on dates in emails or by clicking the To Do button in the toolbar. When you do, assign them to contexts (calendars).

3. Projects Create Notes using Mail.app Notes. These are your projects. Notes are perfect for projects as they can store To Do's, web page snippets, images, links, outlines, and more. They can be moved around to various folders as well, just like mail messages.

Existing To Do's can be pasted into Notes/projects. Predictably, copying a To Do will make a copy. If you want to move (or assign) a To Do, you need to cut and paste.

Tip: To paste an email you can either make a link using one of the scripts below or by dragging an email to your desktop and then into the note. (The email on your desktop is a copy and can be thrown away. The email in your note will reference the one Mail.app. This is because they have same message:// url. Weird, eh?)

By the way, I almost never work out of the "Reminders" section (the one that contains all notes and to do's). I use mailboxes and smart mailboxes.

4. Project list. Create Project mailboxes: Active, Complete, Hold, Someday, Reference, and Agendas

5. Collection point. Make a "Review" smart mailbox folder with these smart mailboxes: Flagged messages (for messages you need to review), and Unfiled (For projects that haven't been filed, so nothing slips through the cracks.)

6. To Do list. If you prefer not to work from iCal, make some "Work" smart mailboxes: Overdue, Due Today, Due This Week, etc. containing to dos. You can also use the "Is on calendar" search criteria to make smart mailboxes for your contexts. Be creative with these smart folders and adapt them to how you work.

My Leopard GTD workflow

So here's how it all winds up working:

Collect. Collection happens in Mail.app and iCal. Incoming email that I know is important but don't care to deal with right away is "flagged for review". In a moment of inspiration/anxiety outside of Mail.app, a simple script in my Applescript menu will make a new To Do or event. I also use Jott to get stuff out of my head and into my Mail inbox.

Process. All flagged emails and unprocessed To Do's can be viewed in one Smart Mailbox inside Mail.app. Processing amounts to going through a smart mailbox and either dealing with each item or assigning it to a project. To Do's can be pasted into Notes and assigned to different contexts via a popup.

Organize. Projects are stored as Notes in Mail.app. It helps to think of these notes as a giant sheet on a legal pad, not as a sticky. Notes can hold all the elements associated with a project, files, links, emails, images, and, most importantly, To Do's.

Review. Notes can be moved like mail messages. Folders for Someday/Maybe and Pending projects are easily created in Mail.app. Tags and keywords can be added to projects and to dos effortlessly with a °tag signifier. Smart Mailboxes and Finder searches can help you track those tags and keywords.

Do. Calendars are set up as contexts, "Home", "Office", "Phone", etc. This is the most natural thing in the world and pretty much the way iCal is supposed to work. To Do's are guaranteed to have a context applied to them.

I usually print my daily and weekly agendas from iCal and work from them. Sometimes I work from Mail. Either way, my GTD system is always running and in front of me.

(I've attached some basic scripts to speed the creation of To Do's, events, and message URL's. These work best when placed in your Applescript menu.)