GTDNext is looking good

Kudos
#1

I recently stopped in to see how the app is moving along and I must say that I was far more pleased than before. For one, the app seems a lot easier to understand. I am not sure if it’s the simplification to the app options section, the added help pop ups that hold your hand or the better understanding of how the structure of a task/project works in GTDNext.

What ever it is, it’s working. I am now interested to dump some real world task in here and see how it goes.

Keep up the good work @James

#2

I am sure you are right that GTDNext has improved in many ways. They have made many new releases - a feature here, a feature there, and they have ironed out a number of issues.

But I also think that your initial reactions were actually quite representative of how many users might also perceive it. If I recall correctly you were taken aback by the outline mode, the absence of a “pure” projects list and a “create project” button etc etc. Although I myself have no issues with the outline mode, I still believe, as I did then, that it would be smart of GTDNext to have some buttons etc to ensure that new users who are not familiar with an outline mode can get started. For example:

  • a “create project” button that creates a new top level container and “selects” this for entering “new tasks”.
  • a “create task” button that creates a task at the top of the list you are currently looking at - not in the inbox, but in the project you are looking at, or straight on the next list or whatever you happen to be looking at. (This is something that even I would like; even though I am not confused in any way by the outline mode it irritates me not to be able to simply enter a new next action when I am looking at the Next list.)
  • possibly an “inbox” container" and a “single tasks” container in the big outline for those users who feel bewildered by having a ton of these items “clutter” the view of all the projects.

And then, to reiterate one opinion that I have offered many times before, I think the whole sequential thing could be streamlined a lot. It would be a lot simpler for everyone to just have one “sequential” checkbox rather than two different ones (force next and sequential). Basically the sequential box could and should work equally well for actions as it does for projects, and the force next checkbox could be removed completely. And the gray/green indicator should apply equally for actions and projects alike depending on whether they are set to sequential or not.

#3

@Folke

I did not say the app was perfect and there is no such thing anyway. I just said that I have seen some major improvements since their first launch. For one thing, I was not completely lost like I was when the first version was out. I may not understand everything yet, but it’s an improvement from were it was.

I keep a close eye to several apps to see how they are making progress and I simply feel that GTDNext has made some good changes since their first release is all.

#4

Thanks for stopping bye @Proximo - Always appreciate your insights. We are working hard to balance out adding features and making the app easy for new users.Glad to hear it’s working for you at least!

We keep thinking about that, but also look at apps with tens of thousands of users like workflowy who doesn’t have a single button and seem to be doing just fine…it makes us think they might just clutter up the interface. At times it would be nice - we agree. Bottom line is the jury is still out on buttons.

#5

Yeah, well, I can understand that, and for me personally it does not matter all that much. I am quite used to spending a bit of effort figuring out how apps work, within reasonable limits. I was thinking mainly for the benefit of those whose previous experience is mainly with other todo apps or have just read the GTD book or have been using paper lists or Evernote etc. I think it is probably incorrect to assume that users generally have a background from Workflowy (which is not even primarily a todo app) or any other app that lets you “scroll” or “arrow” down across different projects.

But what does matter to me on an ongoing basis is the fact that there is currently no quick and reliable way to enter a new next action for me on the Next actions list (or a waiting action for someone else on the Waiting list etc). If I use the quick enter field the task gets “hidden away” on an entirely different list where I do not see it (Inbox). And if I place the cursor on some other task and press enter it only works if it is a standalone action, not if it belongs to a project (and anyway, why would I have to both point the cursor and hit a key, when one key/click should be enough?). There really ought to be a button and/or a keyboard shortcut to enter a task on whatever list I am currently looking at. For example, both Nirvana and Doit has an “N” key shortcut to open a new task entry/edit pane, and they also have a button that accomplishes that same thing. In both cases the “type” field and/or and project field etc all default to whatever list page you are looking at.

Being able to quickly (sloppily) enter a task on, say, the Next or Waiting list without “over-organizing” it is very useful. It is something that I (most of us?) tend to do for things that we expect to check off very soon and which does not need to be organized into a project or hierarchy. I have dozens of those each day. I normally organize these only if for some reason they still remain on the list after the day I entered them.