OmniGroup

Clippings intelligently convert "stuff" into OmniFocus tasks

Merlin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:13:29 -0400

[Disclosure: I'm a volunteer contributor on the development of the OmniFocus app]

You could be forgiven for being exhausted by my harangues about the importance of putting actions into their own special place outside of email, web sites, or other action-bearing media ("Email is just a series of tubes," Senator Ted Stevens, might one day say).

In fact, liberating actions from the email in which they arrived and putting them into a system that you trust is arguably the most important tenet of Inbox Zero. But it's also advice that leaves a lot of people scratching their heads: "OK, big shot, so where do I put this new task, and how exactly is it supposed to get there?"

Well, I'm happy to say that recent sneaky peaks of OmniFocus now have a pretty neat way to help with this problem. It's called "Clippings," and if you're familiar with the similar feature in OmniOutliner, you can imagine how it might work in the context of a task-tracking app and the complementary apps whose contents you want to direct to it.

Alongside the recently-added Perspectives, this is a feature that is making me very happy right now.

Once lightly configured, via the OF Preferences, Clippings allow you to select text and images from inside most OS X applications and send it to the OF QuickEntry box, where it gets munged into an inbox task automagically.

My favorite way to use this right now is inside Mail.app and alongside Scott Morrison's wonderful MailTags plugin.

Let's say I get a message from my client, Thorstenson Finlandson, containing some bit of work that he wants me to do.

See how I selected some of the text? Now I select "[Mail] > Services > OmniFocus: Send to Inbox" (n.b.: you can also define a system-wide key command for this in OF Preferences). And, waa-lah, the selection gets sent to my OF QuickEntry box.

Note that the message Subject is the default name of the task, the selection is added as a "Note," and (this is huge) the sender's email address is added as a link, as well as an URL that points me back to the original message (thanks for that one, MailTags!).

Since Thorstenson thoughtfully used an awesome subject line, I'll need only a bit of light editing and the addition of a few task details to turn this into a real thing.

I hit "Save" and I'm good to go. Back in OmniFocus, I'm ready to get to work:

All that note stuff I added is safely shunted away in its currently-hidden field, but I can bring it up any time by selecting the task row and hitting "CMD-[apostrophe]" or by clicking the "Expand Note" icon on the far right.

Happily, this works right out of the box in many other popular OS X apps (I'll go out on a limb and guess that it works in most Cocoa apps that play nice with OS X Services; feel free to correct me). But this already feels like a really healthy, Quicksilver-like habit to me. I love a) that it's super-fast, and b) that I keep that wonderful link back to the item the task came from. Disco.

Could I do things like this inside a Single Heavyweight Application? Yes, probably. But, personally, that's not my gig. I love Mail.app for email, Safari for web browsing, NetNewsWire for feed reading, and so on. I've chosen a series of super-sharp paring knives over one monstrous Swiss Army Knife, because, frankly, that's just how Daddy rolls.

I love how Clippings capitalizes on standard OS X technologies to lightly glue things together for me, regardless of my app preference. Personally, I don't need a massive robot to try and do a bunch of thinking for me; I just need a few very simple tools that shorten my path from cognition to completion.

Anyhow, as you can see, I'm a little giddy about this and wanted to share it with you guys. If you're in on the sneaky peak, be sure to give Clippings a spin (along with the hugely useful Perspectives). If I may say, my OmniGroup friends are doing a swell job on what feels to me like a very solid and non-fiddly app.

Rumor

A little bird tells me that a certain fast-talking new OmniGroup employee with hip glasses and a buzz cut may soon have a new OmniFocus screencast for you. Watch this space later this week for details.

[Again with the disclosure: I'm a volunteer contributor on the development of the OmniFocus app]

”Clippings intelligently convert "stuff" into OmniFocus tasks” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on October 15, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

OmniFocus in SF, WWDC

Merlin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 05:30:01 -0400

The Omni Mouth » OmniFocus demo at the San Francisco Apple Store

My peeps at OmniGroup mentioned this, so I'll slide it in as well. I'll be appearing with my OmniBrethren at the Stockton Street Apple store on Thursday June 21st to demo OmniFocus. Huzzah:

[Merlin will] be talking about productivity tips in general and discussing how OmniFocus fits in his workflow, so it should be more fun and interesting than your basic software demo. You should definitely come by and say howdy.

Be there.

Second, I heartily second Linda's suggestion that you email (omnifocus-wwdc at omnigroup dot com) if you're interested in doing an informal OF meet-up at WWDC.

If you don't come, Ken and I will have to sit there and stare at each other and maybe talk about D&D. Please, don't make us talk about D&D.

Update 2007-06-11 09:32:34 - OmniFocus at WWDC is scheduled. According to a recent Message of the Day in the OmniFocus beta:

We'd like to invite anyone attending WWDC to join Ethan Schoonover, Merlin Mann, and the OmniFocus development team for an informal gathering on Wednesday evening. We'll be meeting from 6:15pm-7:15pm in the ~~"Commonwealth Room"~~ "Olympic Room" on the 2nd floor at the Westin Hotel, one block from Moscone. (Please note the change in venue!)

This should be a lot of fun. If we can wangle A/V equipment. we'll do a demo of the latest version or OF, plus we'll be available to answer any questions about OmniFocus and just generally hang out.

Nota bene: I believe that this is for WWDC pass holders only. So I apologize in advance if there's an iPortcullis in place, and really encourage you to come to the event at the Apple Store next week if you're around.

Update 2007-06-12 23:24:49: Note room change above. We're now in the larger "Olympic Room."

”OmniFocus in SF, WWDC” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on June 06, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Getting ready for OmniFocus

Merlin — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 10:38:00 -0400

(Disclosure: I am a contributor to the OmniFocus project)

According to OmniGroup, about 2,500 people are now participating in the "sneaky peak" beta of OmniFocus, and new folks will continue to be added as capacity for support allows. But even if you're not yet using the app and are just waiting to get your hands on a finished version, it's not too early to start thinking about making a smooth transition from wherever you are now.

Moving your world of action into a new application is like moving into a new house (and can be almost as stressful). This is your chance to throw away crap, rethink how you've been doing things, and just give yourself a fresh start. So before you ever fire up OmniFocus for that first time, do yourself a favor and get sorted out with your current system first. Believe me, you're much more likely to handle this well before the temptation of having the app in your hands sends you diving into using it full-time.

In short, I recommend you start by conducting a thorough review that's focused on bringing all your tasks and projects up to date and in line with reality.

delete or archive all the crufty tasks and projects that you've finished or that you never really intend to do
carefully review all remaining items to ensure that each is still timely, well-defined, and worthy of your attention
tweak next actions to reflect true physical tasks that you really plan to complete (related to all three of these: Does this “next action” belong someplace else?)
look over all your contexts and consider deleting or combining any items that are more taxonomically satisfying than functionally useful (related: Simplify your contexts)
if you're using an electronic system, including Kinkless, definitely make and retain multiple recent backups just to be safe

But, whether you're moving from Kinkless, paper, or what have you, when you're finished with this preparation, you should have a completely up-to-date and actionable dashboard of your near-term activities.

Remember, it's garbage in, garbage out with this stuff, so be sure you're starting out with as little crap as possible. And, honestly? If you feel your current system has way more trash than treasure, you might (carefully) consider starting over from scratch once OmniFocus arrives. Whatever works for you.

In my opinion, OmniFocus works because it helps enforce several habits that have been shown to help people succeed with making a personal productivity system that works and that sticks. Still, it's not a magic wand. Like any tool, it's only as useful as the hand that wields it.

In my next post on OmniFocus, I'll go over what I consider to be some best practices that come out of my own experience using OmniFocus for a couple months now, including how to avoid fiddling, how to not get wrapped up in taxonomy, and, how to stay focused on action.

”Getting ready for OmniFocus” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on June 04, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Merlin & MacBreak @ Macworld: Omni Group, MailTank, AppZapper, Pzizz, Cha-Ching and Flip4Mac

Merlin — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:31:08 -0500

A few more of my MacBreak segments from the Macworld Expo floor are now available for download:

MacBreak 51 Macworld 2007: The Omni Group - (MOV) - 8:03 - "Merlin chats with Ken Case from the Omni Group about their products and the application development possibilities for the iPhone."
MacBreak 50 Macworld 2007: MacTank - (MOV) - 07:44 - "Merlin chats with the developers of MailTank and MailTemplate."
MacBreak 49 Macworld 2007: AppZapper, Pzziz and Cha-Ching - (MOV) - 8:58 - "Leo and Merlin continue their tour of 'Tiny Town', visiting with the makers of Cha-Ching, Pzziz and AppZapper."
MacBreak Macworld 2007: Flip4Mac - (MOV) - 5:59 - "Leo and Merlin chat with the makers of the Flip4Mac suite of digital media tools."

More episodes coming later today. Never miss an episode of MacBreak by subscribing for free.

”Merlin & MacBreak @ Macworld: Omni Group, MailTank, AppZapper, Pzizz, Cha-Ching and Flip4Mac” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 12, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

TUAW's notes from the OmniFocus meetup

Merlin — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 06:11:49 -0500

OmniFocus Sneak Preview - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Dan Lurie at TUAW has detailed notes on the OmniFocus Meetup yesterday at the Apple Store.

OmniFocus, unlike its predecessor KinklessGTD will feature an instant data propagation across the app, thus doing away with the need for a "sync button," and ensuring your data is always where you expect it to be.

OmniFocus will have a simpler and more streamlined interface than OmniOutliner, on which KGTD was built.

Users will be able to view multiple or individual projects and contexts in either a single window or multiple separate windows.

OmniFocus will support existing KGTD QuickSilver inbox-entry actions.

OmniFocus will also feature a standalone proprietary quick-entry method via keystroke, similar to Yojimbo.

Future versions will support user definable smart folders.

The first version of OmniFocus will not require 10.5 Leopard, but all following versions will due to the use of Leopard only technologies.

Like KGTD, OmniFocus will support syncing with portable devices through iCal.

OmniFocus will be fully applescriptable.

Future versions will support integration with OmniPlan.

Future versions will support universal action creation from other applications (such as turning an email message or iCal to-do into an action).

Future versions will support attaching or tying of files to actions and projects.

OmniGroup is planning to release OmniFocus within the next few months.

It was great to hear Ken lay out OmniGroup's plans and progress on the Kinkless replacement. Thanks much to everyone who showed up yesterday.

”TUAW's notes from the OmniFocus meetup” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 09, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

OmniFocus meetup, Monday @ the Apple Store

Merlin — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:04:53 -0500

The Omni Mouth » OmniFocus get-together during Macworld week

Upcoming.org: OmniFocus Meetup at Apple Store (Monday, January 8, 2007)

As most Kinkless nerds already know, OmniGroup is developing a full-on Cocoa implementation of Ethan's script that they've dubbed OmniFocus. Since the OmniGroup folks will be in town for MacWorld, they've kindly offered to host a meetup at the Apple Store on Monday afternoon. For better or worse, your Author will be the emcee.

I don't think there will be any Steve-like reveals, booth bunny antics, or techno-music-fueled demos of the app, but this will be a great chance to hear what OG's been cooking up -- they're most especially interested to hear your questions, comments, and any kind of input. They seem serious about making this app work for current Kinkless fans.

The meetup is in the theater upstairs and runs from 4:30-5:30. There's a good amount of seating available, but you might want to get there on the early side if you want to guarantee yourself a comfy spot.

[Disclosure: I'm an [unpaid] and only marginally useful advisor on OmniFocus]

”OmniFocus meetup, Monday @ the Apple Store” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 04, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Ethan on Kinkless and OmniFocus

Merlin — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 08:02:23 -0400

Hold breath. Exhale. Focus. | Kinkless

I don't have much to add to Ethan's (typically entertaining and gracious) post about OmniFocus -- an under-development OmniGroup app that will bring Kinkless' functionality to a stable and powerful Cocoa application. But, first off: Yay! The Kinkless is dead! Long live the Kinkless!

Ethan writes:

OmniGroup has been very supportive of kGTD from the beginning, clearly making code tweaks and additions to support this nutty venture. At some point it became clear that the next logical step would be to consider Cocoafying the whole shebang. Having the chance to take everything I’d been thinking and working on with kGTD and see it turned into something bigger and better and brighter is like making a doodle on a piece of paper, handing it to da Vinci and seeing it turned into a full color oil painting. Even better: it’s like Da Vinci letting you sit around and gab at them while they do this and ask for “a bit more cobalt-blue in the sky” and “a few more peasants in that bit on the left”.

While OF is under development, I won't have much to say publicly about it -- I'm superstitious about buying a crib until the baby gets its first smack on the ass -- but I know the OmniMouth will keep you posted on updates, including when you can expect to see a beta, what the feature set for the first cut is likely to include, and so on.

What I will say is that both Ethan and OmniGroup are wonderful to collaborate with. I'm confident that this will be an app that pulls together the functionality, stability, and polish you associate with OG's terrific apps.

[Non-disclosure disclosure: Not sure it matters, but if you're curious, this is not a paying gig for me. Mostly I just stand around like a fat man at a construction site, drinking coffee and shouting pointless suggestions. Ethan and OmniGroup listen patiently, sometimes complying with my random requests, and that's all the pay I could ever hope for.]

”Ethan on Kinkless and OmniFocus” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on September 27, 2006. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

25% off OmniOutliner for 43F readers

Merlin — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:16:54 -0400

The Omni Group - Applications - OmniOutliner - Professional

It's nice to know my crush on OmniGroup is reciprocated -- and extended to the lovely Mac users who read 43 Folders.

From now through June 30th, when you buy OmniOutliner from the OmniGroup site, use the checkout code "43FOLDERS" to receive a 25% discount on all versions of OmniOutliner. This includes OmniOutliner standard, OmniOutliner Pro, upgrades, and family packs -- anything in the OO product line). If you've been holding off trying the 1-2 punch of OmniOutliner and the free Kinkless GTD, now's your chance to jump in for a few less bones.

Thanks to Ken, Linda, and everyone at OmniGroup for sharing the love.

”25% off OmniOutliner for 43F readers” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on June 21, 2006. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"