Things 3 has been released for Mac and iOS. This to-do app is not an outliner, but it does offer list-making.

The developer, Cultured Code, offers scripts for importing from other task manager apps. I tried the script for OmniFocus to Things 3 import. I have a moderately complex OmniFocus database with quite a few archived projects and completed tasks. The Things importer managed to resurrect all of the archived projects and flag them as past due. I think the script must be reading the wrong fields in the OmniFocus data field. Probably something that can be fixed by the developer -- but not ready for prime time. In the present incarnation there would be substantial post-import clean up needed.

The new interface is pretty.

The Mac app is $49.99 or so.

That is nifty looking. I was toying with getting Things a couple of months ago. This might just clinch it. BTW, it is $39.99 on the App Store here in the US.

Steve Z.

Ah, so it is. Seems there is a 20% discount until 5/25 -- they are selling only thru the Mac App Store now so this pricing makes up for not having upgrade pricing.


Stephen Zeoli wrote:

BTW, it is $39.99 on the App
Store here in the US.

Steve Z.

Things 3 is one of the most beautiful apps I've seen. The UX is gorgeous and seems very well thought out as well. However, I won't be switching over from 2Do. There are too many features I depend upon in 2Do that are missing in Things 3:

- Image attachments
- Duration (instead of start date)
- Paused tasks
- Email import
- Workflow automation on iOS (There is some basic URI support, but it is very limited as far as I can tell.)

All of these things are now important parts of my workflow.

Also, regarding the price I don't begrudge them charging what they think the apps are worth, but I notice that most iOS apps now just charge once for both phone and iPad, but they charge a lot for the iPad version as a separate purchase.

There is also no import script for 2Do although it seems like one could write one's own if you had the time.

It sounds great, but there doesn't seem to be a Web version on the horizon. I've used many Mac task apps over the years, but my company uses Windows so at this point I generally stick with apps that are either cross-platform (Evernote, OneNote) or have a credible Web version. I like 2Do and have been advised that a Web version should arrive this year.

Where did you see that 2Do would have a web version? I know that the developer is working on a new form of sync, but hadn't heard anything about a web version...

exatty95 wrote:

I like 2Do and have been advised that a Web version should arrive this year.

In my opinion the best web-based task manager with native apps is Todoist. But because Todoist doesn't have separate "start" and "due" dates I don't use it anymore. I have too many deadlines to use any task manager that doesn’t have this feature...

I wrote to 2Do about a month ago and asked. I was told that a Web version should be introduced this year, and inferred that it wasn't imminent.

Yo Luhmann,

Having had a little play - and been really rather impressed - I can confirm that Things 3 does indeed support images and any other file you like. You simply drag and drop files into notes (in todos), or you send files to Things using its extension. You can also automatically copy and paste stuff into new todos using the Ctrl+space shortcut, which is a very neat feature (you have to check the relevant box in "Preferences" first, otherwise the shortcut simply creates a new todo, rather than a new todo based on selected app/text).

The UI is brilliant; they've really had a good look at how people "do" task management and thought about it very carefully. The way you can create tabbed sections in projects using tags is inspired!

I've made a couple of suggestions to developers, two to do with folding (i.e. making Things more like an outliner). It would be great if you could fold headings within projects (i.e. toggle todos in each project), and fold areas in the navigation bar (e.g. headings under which projects appear). Finally, I suggested they make it possible to quick-tag all todos under a certain heading within a project.

The only other thing that's missing is collaboration, but if they've any sense, they're already working on it! Otherwise, it's probably the most elegant task management app I've seen to date.

Cheers,
Bill

Sorry, no, I'm wrong; Things only supports links to files, not the files themselves. Shame, but at least useful.

Nice review here, incidentally: www.macstories.net/reviews/things-3-beauty-and-delight-in-a-task-manager/

From what I can see without downloading the app, Things 3 has start-dates as well as due-dates. For those of us whose tasks tend to last longer than an hour or two, start-dates are pretty much essential. Previously, I think I'm correct in stating that Things lacked them (which was a problem for me when I had a "Things 2" phase), and hitherto, Omnifocus has been one of the very few Mac task managers to incorporate them; now Things joins it.

Things 3 doesn't have start / end dates (both dates) for individual tasks or projects. For projects, it has "Deadlines" -- the date the project should be completed by. Tasks within projects have due dates. So, the way to have a "start" date is to have a task within a project that has a due date in the future. So, the project could on July 31 and the first task within the project could have a due date of June 1 -- which means nothing for that project appears on the Upcoming list until June 1.

To be clear -- this is not the same result as OmniFocus, where we can have "defer" (start) dates and "due" dates for each task and for each project.

The most important part of separate start/due dates for me is not just the information about when something is due, but how this items appears in one's Today list which is where I look to see what I need to focus on right now. I hated the fact that in Todoist I had to lie about the due date in order to get something to appear in my Today list.

I particularly like the way 2Do handles separate start and due dates. In addition to manually setting a start date, one can set a "duration" which is a relative start date based on the due date. So if something is due the second Tuesday of every month, the start date can be 3 days before that. Also, 2Do's Today list shows the items in my Today list, but after the items that have due dates which are sooner. This is exactly how I like to have things listed. As an academic I have a huge number of deadlines and have to be able to juggle things that are due in two weeks as well as things that are overdue, few apps I have used have allowed me to see this information in a way that matches my own priorities, but 2Do does it very well. It also has a 'defer' option if you want to quickly re-schedule something for a later date, which is useful for procrastinators!

Paul Korm wrote:

Things 3 doesn't have start / end dates (both dates) for individual
tasks or projects. For projects, it has "Deadlines" -- the date the
project should be completed by. Tasks within projects have due dates.
So, the way to have a "start" date is to have a task within a project
that has a due date in the future. So, the project could on July 31
and the first task within the project could have a due date of June 1 --
which means nothing for that project appears on the Upcoming list until
June 1.

To be clear -- this is not the same result as OmniFocus, where we can
have "defer" (start) dates and "due" dates for each task and for each
project.

Thanks for the correction, Paul. I had relied, as far as I remember, on a review of Things 3 which stated that metadata included start dates - and I'd assumed that to include task metadata. Evidently not.

It's a little strange that some top-line task-management apps continue to fail to include this feature, even as an option. When I used Todoist several years ago, users were asking for start-dates, and I understand that they're still asking. The 2Do way of doing it does sound useful.

Things has two different date settings: a "When" date and a "Deadline" date. If you set the "When" date only, it assigns the task to the specified date. So I've got a couple of tasks arranged for Wednesday, for example, and they appear on Wednesday in the "Upcoming" view.

But if you set the "Deadline" date, while the task itself is assigned to the "Deadline" date, you also get a little note alongside each task with the number of days to go (so "Due in 2 days", for example).

You can use the "When" date as a way of keeping track of tasks that may have a deadline in two weeks' time, but need action now. So for my tasks with a Wednesday "Deadline" date, I could set a "When" date of today, meaning they need attention today, but the actual deadline isn't until Wednesday. And Things will show this in its display: the task will appear in the "Today" view, but with a note saying "Due in 2 days".

This is an interesting compromise on the concept of starting date, and personally, I find it quite user-friendly, but then I've never been able to get on with start dates etc.; I prefer to assign a "When" to tasks when I know I'm going to have time to do them. Being able to specify an end-deadline is a nice extra; previously, I've always put the task's end-deadline in notes, which is less than ideal when trying to keep an overview.

I hope that's helpful!
Cheers,
Bill

For those interested in playing with Things 3, a trial version is available from the Cultured Code website (https://culturedcode.com/things/

It's a very cleverly designed app - the more I've played with it, the more I realise how much time and thought has gone into analysing how people use task management software. Playing with the trial version is definitely a good idea if you're havering over the (comparatively high) price (it's worth remembering how much OmniGroup charge for their various apps, however!)

I confess (reluctantly, because I've already got a perfectly good task management workflow) that I really, really like Things.

But then, I am an inveterate CRIMPer - I've just managed to (finally) persuade myself out of "investing" in the gorgeous but as yet unproven reMarkable "paper tablet", a new device that uses eInk not just for reading, but for notes and sketching too (for interested CRIMPers, more details here: https://getremarkable.com No doubt I'll have to re-dissuade myself once it's actually launched...

Cheers!
Bill

MadaboutDana wrote:

Things has two different date settings: a "When" date and a "Deadline"
date. If you set the "When" date only, it assigns the task to the
specified date. So I've got a couple of tasks arranged for Wednesday,
for example, and they appear on Wednesday in the "Upcoming" view.

But if you set the "Deadline" date, while the task itself is assigned to
the "Deadline" date, you also get a little note alongside each task with
the number of days to go (so "Due in 2 days", for example).

You can use the "When" date as a way of keeping track of tasks that may
have a deadline in two weeks' time, but need action now. So for my tasks
with a Wednesday "Deadline" date, I could set a "When" date of today,
meaning they need attention today, but the actual deadline isn't until
Wednesday. And Things will show this in its display: the task will
appear in the "Today" view, but with a note saying "Due in 2 days".

This is an interesting compromise on the concept of starting date, and
personally, I find it quite user-friendly, but then I've never been able
to get on with start dates etc.; I prefer to assign a "When" to tasks
when I know I'm going to have time to do them. Being able to specify an
end-deadline is a nice extra; previously, I've always put the task's
end-deadline in notes, which is less than ideal when trying to keep an
overview.

I hope that's helpful!
Cheers,
Bill

Thanks for the elucidation, Bill.

For me, I suppose the other big issue hitherto with Things has been "hinterland", or "ecology". One or two other task managers, at least on the Mac, are surrounded by groupings of scripts and associated applications that enable them to run, sometimes automatically, in ways that the original developers probably did not intend. For me, this gives them additional flexibility and versatility. Omnifocus is quite rich in having such add-ons in the ecology that surrounds it; Things less so. Possibly this is a consequence of Things' earlier somewhat hesitant development. (Although there are exceptions to every rule: I use Übersicht to place my Today perspective from Omnifocus on my desktop, and I believe that the same can be done with Things 2.)

Generally, I find such functionality useful. Time will tell whether a similar ecology of add-ons will develop around Things 3.

Judging by the enthusiastic reception, I suspect it will.

As a non-script-oriented person, one of the little things I find nicest about Things 3 is the way you can easily open projects or areas in new windows. So today, for example, I've got my normal "Today" list open in one window with the usual list of bits and pieces in it, next to another window showing the detailed checklist of stuff I need to churn through for the latest stage in a large, ongoing project. In a third window I've got briefing notes for a background project I need to think about while doing various foreground things...

It's a small but immensely helpful change; similar, I suppose to what you describe about Übersicht (don't know that one - time to CRIMP!). It's probably time to admit that I'm a heavy user of multiple Mac "virtual" desktops; I've got about 13 of them spread across various monitors. But all the Things windows are on a single desktop, honest!

I agree. I believe the value task-manager app is amplified when its task data can be integrated with other apps - especially in macOS. Things has always been more a stand-alone app than OF, and v3 is not different in that respect. Importing is supported in the interface, but exporting is not. The URI scheme supports adding tasks using a things://add? URI, but not linking to tasks -- which I find is important because I want to use apps like Tinderbox or Curio to augment my task list. Things is a good citizen and recognizes other apps' URI schemes. And on iOS Things has a share extension for capturing info from Safari, etc., and creating tasks. Things 3, like its predecessors, continues to eschew iCloud syncing in favor of Cultured Code's own "Things Cloud", which is not such a bad thing.

On the other hand, Things 3 (and predecessors) has a small but efficient scripting dictionary that can be used to create AppleScript or JXA tools -- to create CSV or other exports.

So maybe there can be more evolution and development of useful participation in Hugh's "ecology".

Hugh wrote:

For me, I suppose the other big issue hitherto with Things has been “hinterland”, or “ecology”.

The Sepate Window has immediately become my favorite feature in Things 3. I can finally concentrate on one specific prorject; without being distracted by any other to do. I can write my progress logs, todos and reflections on that single window all day....

Upgrading some of the tasks to a project is fast. the best part, keeping the two projects in two windows side by side, I can see the flow, transition from one project to another...the project notes in the same window...

This get me in tune.

I have never like todo applications. The separate window feature in Things 3 is getting me hooked. I love separate windows (the main reason I keep Tinderbox). Dropping todos and running projects only simpler in Things 3.

Coming back to what Luhmann said about start dates, I find this is very well catered for in the slightly daunting but impressively comprehensive Firetask.

It's not desperately well known, but the latest version (4.0) appears to have solved many of the irritations associated with earlier versions. It's got an idiosyncratic mix of GTD and Kanban-style management options, but its project, task and subtask management approach is actually very nicely done. It now uses iCloud to sync, and does so (apparently) very smoothly. I'm using the trial version available from the Firetask website (http://firetask.com/index.html I'm not much of a GTD person myself, but I can see how this approach could work very well.

Firetask has a plethora of management options: "Manage" (including general tasks, project-specific tasks/subtasks [projects can also be assigned to portfolios], and categories. It has a "Review" section (including Kanban, priorities and dates, which is a calendar page - you can link it to Apple Reminders and Calendar). And finally it has a "Focus" section (Today, Next, Waiting For). Plus various other sections that are more for convenience or differing task management styles than anything else.

And joy! (for those who like these things): it has very straightforward task entry options, including a start date and a due date, plus lots of room for notes (always essential, in my view). It also makes good use of colours (based on priority).

At first sight (and I'm only playing with the trial), Firetask seems at least as comprehensive as any of its obvious competitors (Things, 2Do, OmniFocus), and although the range of GTD options is daunting, they are also flexible, allowing for a number of different approaches (simultaneously or as alternatives). I'm favourably impressed.

And while relatively expensive, it uses iCloud for syncing, and doesn't rely on subscriptions. For some, that will be a significant feature!

It's available for iOS and macOS and is sold through the relevant App Stores. But a desktop trial is, as mentioned, available from the website.

Cheers,
Bill

Thanks for this news, Bill. I used a copy of a previous version of Firetask for several months (possibly because it had a kanban view - I can't remember). For a while it appeared to be abandoned. It's good to see that it still has plenty of life in it - and lots of versatility.

Firetask seems interesting application. I specially like the Kanban part.

But, I am still worried again on the complexity.

I think Firetask has the same inclination as the OF and 2DO: the task management becomes so daunting that it is not a support any more: it is another burdone of its own. **The task management is a task by itself.**


That is why I am liking Things: specially the seprate windows. I don't need anything; just the tasks in a single window, and may be some notes along with them to clarify my thinking.

I spend 3 days just in a single Window: without seeing any other item. It is helping me to concentrate.

I agree, that's the nice part of Things. But I've found it's less well-optimised for those with lots and lots of tasks; I'm constantly switching from one set of tasks to another, which probably explains my undying search for the Perfect Task Manager.

The thing about Firetask is, you can switch off the bits you don't want or need; the entire sidebar can be reconfigured to show just the bare essentials. I've already switched off a whole bunch of stuff I don't use ("Contributors", "Someday", etc.); I may switch off "Categories" and "Scratchpad", too, possibly also "General". Although "Categories" is actually quite useful (equivalent to tags). "Checklists" is really just a template holder, and can also be switched off without any issues. Leaving you with a fairly lean, mean task manager.

No, it doesn't do separate windows, which I agree is a pity - that would actually put it well into the Things league. It does show a tab bar if you want one, but since it's inactive, it's no use at all.