From what I remember, a calendar is part of GTD. You look at what is in your inbox and park it where needed. Reference files are a part of GTD. A better place to put it is in a program like Evernote. OF2 is the place to park tasks and projects.
OF2 is part of the puzzle of GTD - what’s in my inbox? I have appointments, projects, tasks, contacts, notes, etc.
Not everyone has a far superior calendar program because all they needed may be the Forecast view.
And it appears that there are many who appreciate the Forecast view. Thus, it is not style over function. Sometimes style can work hand-in-hand with function.
You’ve clarified my point perfectly by eluding to Evernote - it’s function is to store reference material just like OF’s function is to deal with task management, just like a calendar is to deal with appoinents. Each one of the afore has a separate function and should stick to dealing with what it’s designed for.
Further, David Allen clearly states “a calendar should not be used for task management and only for reference of appointments”.
By the way the calander application I mentioned is the native one on OSX.
Can’t quite explain other than that v2.0 feels more comfortable.
I’ve just completed an annual GTD review going through all projects and actions, etc. For this, v2.0 was good. I can’t quite see why there isn’t a pop up calendar available in the main task window though when setting due dates… I seem to have to go to the inspector when intuitively I shouldn’t have to. Adding repeat options as another item in the 2nd row of each task would also make me not have to go into the inspector as often.
Where v2.0 falls down is in processing a large amount of items in the Inbox, which is exactly what GTD is founded upon; collecting to do items into an Inbox and then processing. Please allow the project list tree to be visible to drop inbox items in without having to open another window. To allow it in most other places and not in the inbox seems a little crazy when you read the first sentence of this paragraph again.
Overall though, thank you, v2.0 is excellent and I will be purchasing for all of my senior team once it is available on release.
@Cliftonplymouth, Your arguments are valid- it is just so hard to adapt what Mr. Allen laid out for an analog system into the digital world 1:1… Suddenly it would actually be possible to do email, file management, project planning and calendaring in one unified system: that’s what Daylite is all about, others are trying hard as well (Outlook, anyone ?-)…)… Does it make sense in a GTD sense? I wouldn’t dare generalizing an answer here… it unifies a lot of fields, thereby removing friction but making handling more complex…
Another thing is Omnifocus as a software: while clearly based on GTD, it never advocated for only being used for GTD- and clearly why should it? There is an obvious relation between due tasks and your calendar schedule, being adequately adressed by the Forecast view. This feature is a no-brainer to most of the users sounding off in this forum- You could say those who care and contribute.
So what if You feel it betrays Your viewpoint on GTD? Remove Forecast view from the Perspectives by removing the star in the perspective pane and breathe in orthodox task management. The Omni group is actually attempting to prepare a flexible powerhouse here that will adapt to Your needs as well as that of others.
I am so happy with what we have already right now…
I really want to love OF2, and most of it I do. But upgrading at this stage would be a backward step in my productivity.
I like:
The new sidebar on the left
The inspector on the right
The forecast view is great
Love the review mode
Not so keen on:
I miss being able to see project list down the side of the inbox. I can’t always remember what I’ve called a project, and having to scroll through the tiny pop-up list is a pain.
I miss being able to see in the project list which projects are not just manually on hold, but are date-deferred.
The deal breaker that will likely prevent me upgrading:
There’s too much clutter as I look down my task lists with the 2-line view. I need to be able to collapse them into a single line view to see just the tasks themselves, without all the extra project/context/note/dates information. I keep going back to OF1 to actually get stuff done.
Not seeing a list of Projects on the left feels to me like a step backwards. It takes something that used to be done simply - dragging an item from the Inbox to project - and turns it into several steps (or the need for multiple windows).
In addition, the 2-line view is - in my opinion - more cluttered looking than the 1-line view in OF1, adding to the data density problem others have complained about. In OF1 I can easily look down the list and see what I need to see. (Especially since I use custom Styles - fonts, sizes, colors, etc. - to create visual distinctions.) In OF2 it’s harder for me to see things quickly and clearly.
I think @vbampton has expressed some of my thoughts well. However, for me the result is not a deal breaker and a reversion to OF1. I definitely prefer OF2 and have used it exclusively over the last few weeks. I “get” the design much more than I ever did OF1 (and I’ve been using it for years!). OF2 seems more “obvious” and accessible and I love the Eye of Sauron much more than the filter bar. …
I don’t want multicolumn lists again but perhaps another setting in the Eye of Sauron should be a “Show action text only” checkbox which hides the note, project, defer and due dates (and perhaps even the checkbox?)" to reduce the “visual clutter” than some people dislike.
Hi Ken. I’ve been an omnifocus user on and off starting 3 years ago when I first got my mac. I’ve used almost every single task management app out there and so far I’m loving OF 2 :) The first one was messy, cluttered and gave me a headache because i prefer a more simple and clean UI (like the Mac OS) which OF 2 gives me. It’s really nice on the eyes and it doesn’t feel overwhelming at first glance. I hate apps that let you configure where all icons and options go because I’ll always end up messing around with it only to realize that I prefer something more simple in the first place. I’m really happy to see that I don’t need to use a skin this time around for a more enjoyable OF experience. I hope to see a revamped iPad app soonish because I think that’s where I’ll be using OF the most. The app is still better than the old OF iPhone app but it could definitely use a nice makeover :)
I’m quite happy with V2. I’ll be living in Forecast view.
One thing that annoys me is the text-background contrast. My eyes aren’t what thy used to be; medium gray text on a light gray background is not good! In V1 I was able to change text color, font and size; I want that feature back.
Other than that, I’ll post my quibbles in the individual threads.
I love OF2. Quite a few people said they didn’t like the spacing or unused space. I think the density of the text is perfect. I love using it. I really disliked using OF1 to the point that I dreaded using it (because of how it looked) and I’ve never been too much a fan of the layout on the iPad. I love the current iPhone look and now I can add OF2 to the list.
I’m using a 15" MacBook Pro Retina and “Best” but even with the “More Space” settings I think it looks great. No complaints here on the look of it. Bravo to the design team!
The tweaks in the latest builds have really cleared up the data density issue for me, and the extra affordance given to highlighting the checkcircles when you hover over a task has minimised the left/right checkbox issue a bit more. Knowing that a left/right option will likely show up in a later version has reassured me and made this version feel a lot more releasable to me.
I love Omnifocus 2. I fell in love with it almost instantly. The new UI is so much better then in Omnifocus 1.
I am using Omnifocus 1 or years now on a daily base. It is a crucial part of my workflow. Omnifocus 2 makes my workflow even better. It works smoother then Omnifocus 1 and it looks so much nicer.
It’s important to me to have a smooth working environment. Omnifocus delivers on this. I have a very clear overlook on all things that need to be don for all the different project that I am managing.
Can’t thank you guys enough for the great work you are doing.
KUDOS on REDUCED CLUTTER
Less Visual clutter in OF2 while keeping its features at one’s fingertips!
Exactly what you want in an organizing tool: The feeling that you are immediately reducing any anxiety.
Splitting out views is nice. The PRO version lets you “script” your own PERSPECTIVE views.
The terminology has improved a bit in the “DEFERRED/DELAYED START/HOLD” arena.
INBOX
The view at the IN BOX has the contexts & projects choices under the line entry tasks a little faint.
Probably not a big deal there. Its better viewable in the other views once these have been established.
Maybe this is by design to encourage people to assign projects & contexts promptly
vs keeping tasks perpetually in the IN BOX?
Page densities: Absolute contrast of black text on white paper
depends on the size of the screen & ratio of text to background.
If the screen is tiny: black on bright white is about as good as anything.
If its a large screen: A mostly bright white backlit page can be daunting.
The amount of white space varies as you type & its never perfectly optimal for long.
Therefore, being able to adjust the contrast by changing paper shade can help.
Further, you want the app to stand out, depending upon other screen apps in use at the time.
I’m pretty new to OF - so I only spent about a month on OF1 before getting on the OF2 beta… I really like the new design - much more visually appealing. Definitely “feels” easier to navigate than OF1. Keep up the great work!
First off, I have to say that I’m relieved that if I’m an old fart who can’t live with change, then at least I’m not completely alone… :-)
Have just started to work with v2, having used v1 since its inception – I just don’t get the lack of “data density” and scannability. In the task list, I need to be able to quickly scan down the list, but the notes icon (even if there are none for that item) and the project name just get in the way. I like a table or spreadsheet layout. I can scan down a column or shift to the next column and scan that. In v2, my eye is zigging around lines to get to the next task. In answer to Ken’s question: no, I would stay with v1 for this reason.
While I’m being negative – oops, constructively critical – I understand the drive to make both the Mac and iOS versions look the same, but the circles just don’t do it for me. The size is way too big (maybe partly to fill up the vertical space that’s there due to the multi-line entries) and the contrast between the halves inadequate. The ship has sailed, since the iOS version is released, but if we’re using circles couldn’t they have been designed to be filled in some way? Consumer Reports has been using different filled circles for years in their reports and I find them very scannable.
What do I like? Well, I like the inspector being a panel – have never used the inspector enough, I’ve felt, mostly because it was another floating window that would get moved around.
I haven’t figured Forecast out yet (you can tell I haven’t really worked with my OF on my phone), but I like the idea of it and think that it probably has real potential.
Will continue to evaluate v2 (I’m a self-professed software junkie – I have to play with new software) and will see if it starts making sense, but I don’t think the data density/scanning problem is going to go away for me.
