Would Omnifocus work in my case?

OmniFocus
#1

Im really looking for a good GTD app / manager for myself to keep myself on task with work (Finally getting to the point where I am doing more and more jobs on my own or with less input from my boss…yay engineering?) … Anyhow, I’ve previously played with Doit.im, and Any.Do, and neither have been very good for me atleast…

I use an iPhone 6+, a iPad Mini 3, and a MBA (Home use, could take to office if I really wanted…), however at work I’m on windows (Revit user primarily)…So what I’m wondering is, is there an omnifocus user out there with a similar setup that might have some insight? Mostly for how to interact in a windows environment, and what work flow works best in a case like this?

Thanks

#2

Anyone have experience in a semi-mixed environment? Or how well omnifocus works on ipad/iphone only (For a work environment?)

#3

I think if you search the forums you’ll find lots of discussion on how folks do this. I gave up on using OF at work because of having to be in a Windows environment. I it a barrier to have to switch to another device, and especially one without a physical keyboard, to manage my tasks. I tried using maildrop, but then fond I had a lot of cleanup I had to do once the tasks got into OF from the sync server. Just wasn’t for me.

#4

I am in a windows environment at work as well. I keep my iPad on my desk at all times, usually with a logitech keyboard, and that is where I manage my ToDo List in OmniFocus. For a while I fretted over not having OF on my windows computer. I even went down the path of building a hackintosh virtual machine. In the end keeping the trusted system of OF and Omnioutliner separate than my work machine is a blessing. I want a single place to focus when I am planning, figuring out what is next, etc… with Omnifocus. Similarly, OmniOutliner is my brainstorm tool. I like the focus the brings me by having it on my iPad. Any major writing or project planning is done on OO.

My job does work in an exchange environment. I can add ToDo’s in Outlook on my windows computer and they show up in Reminders in IOS. Omnifocus can pull those in if I wanted. I have it set up but I rarely use it. Not because it doesn’t work well, I just like working directly in OF on the iPad.

–
Stephen

#5

I’d say this really depends on what your intended workflow is, and then what it ends up looking like in reality.

I personally use my MacBook to do all of my heavy processing/entering, and tend to use my phone for ticking things off or light processing. I try really hard not to use a computer at home (netflix doesn’t count!), so I rely heavily on my phone there. I know it’s hard for me to context switch when I’m actually sitting at a computer, and having a keyboard does make a huge difference in speed of processing.

#6

Thanks for the input guys.

Question regarding Pro vs. Normal …if I update the iOS app, does the OSX one get updated as well? Or am I looking at $120 total for both (Assuming I find a need for the pro features)?

Thanks.

#7

You would need Pro for both if you wanted the pro features on iOS and Mac. That said, in my opinion, if you are using GTD and OmniFocus one of the most powerful features for me is the custom perspectives that let me only view what is relevant at that time which requires the Pro upgrade.

I have a very similar environment to you – MacBook Air at home (personal), iPhone and iPad. I generally do my weekly reviews and add major new projects on my Mac because I don’t have a keyboard for my iPad and I find it easier this way. I do most everything else from my iPad and iPhone. That said, I travel a lot for business and do not take my Mac with me. This has never stopped me from adding projects or updating next actions from my iPad, or even doing my weekly reviews on the iPad if that’s what I’ve got.

It’s a great setup for me, and I hope you find the same. Good luck!

Just some other points about how I work in my mixed environment with a Windows work PC –

  1. I use mail drop all the time. If I have a next action generated from an e-mail where I want to keep the text of the e-mail as reference for me, I will forward the e-mail to my mail drop e-mail address and change the subject to my next action (e.g., “Generate list of product ideas for Mary”). This way, in OF I see I have the e-mail from Mary with details about exactly what she is looking for. Then I move it on the iPad from the Inbox to the appropriate project/context.

  2. I use Google Chrome as my web browser and found an add-in that puts a button in the tool bar to send a link to an e-mail via Gmail. I use Gmail as my personal e-mail, so if I want to add a link to my Inbox to review later (or file as a next action to review a certain web site or implement something on that web site), I click the button and use the add-in to send it to my mail drop address.

Just thought that might help give you (or others reading) some ideas. I am always looking for ideas to be able to work with OF better even though I am using a Windows PC at work.

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