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I tried a number of GTD software, and obviously many of the apps out there have a WAY larger feature set than TaskPaper. But that was exactly my problem with them. I ended up editing this and that and spent far more time organizing than actually doing. Read the description on the website, it summarizes the differences between, say OmniFocus and TaskPaper very well. The simple structure is as follows - if you add a : behind at the end of a sentence, it becomes the "header" (or marks the beginning of a new Project). If it has a - in front, it's a Task. Everything else are notes. And if you start a word with @ in a task, it becomes a link/keyword. The file is an actual text file that only has this structure. So you don't have to follow a database logic or file structure, but you can just type your list in any form or shape that you want (within those four parameters). It's actually pretty powerful, because the software only "understands" the text in a way that makes it easier to view and edit and "deal" with your notes. But the actual note-taking is very, very simple. Type. Done. I agree that some features - such as web-integration - are still missing, but they are available in some form (only not for the regular user who just wants to use it) already (scripting, web). Given the previous rate of development, v1.1 can't be that far away. And with it comes a plug-in structure, so folks can add a lof of different features. I came back to this simple approach, because in the end a simple list, just dotted down, allows you focus on the important stuff and not to dabble with "if I set this up now in this way, it will automatically do this in 3 weeks together with..." So I gave a "4" for features - not for amount or depth, but rather of effectiveness of the features. Give it a shot. It's not for everybody. But if the other GTD or To Lists out there don't really work for you and regular handwritten, simple lists work oddly enough really well for you when you shop, for example, then give this a try. It's WAY more powerful than handwritten notes but it's simple enough to dabble with it in the rawest of formats - text - and still make sense of it. |
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This is my preferred note-taking and storing application now. The previous descriptions are well done, so I don't need to repeat them here. But the point of simplicity cannot be made often enough. SB allows you enough "complexity" where needed (RTF for the notes, keywords), but stays simple enough compared to such applications as NoteTaker or NoteBook and does not force you to follow a certain structure (as the date-centered focus in Journler for example). A crucial point for me is the openness of the system. You can get all of the information out in various formats (either individually, or grouped after you have tied together some information), you can intuitively and intelligently browse through your own thoughts in a manner you never envisioned before (which is the whole point of using tools like that), you can search for your notes though a simple Spotlight search, you can search your data on your computer based on your notes (again through Spotlight) - this tight integration with core Apple technologies makes this a 5-star app for me. I have tried them all and for me as an academic, with ideas and notes being my core asset, this is the one that allows me to make the most use of my own knowledge. Oh, and it's free and takes up so little space (on your hardrive and RAM) that it can (and should!) run all day on your Mac. Give it a try. Read through the sales pitch. You will love it if you want a simple approach that yields very powerful results. |
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I have been using the free Onyx so far but socks as convinced me to pay the reasonable shareware fee. Yes, it does the same things - but it also adds a couple of things I really thought was worth the $: a very clear interface, that gives you enough control when you want it (for example the Spotlight control is far better implemented), but also gives you enough "just do it for me" options for the normal use (for example the regular automatic maintenance options). I am sure a number of people will argue that you can get most of these features for free or one particular feature in a better implementation, but Socks really makes it easy for me to maintain my computer and keeps it running smoothly in a very Mac-like fashion. The programmer assures me that it will also support Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard). |
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