43 Folders

Back to Work

Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

Join us via RSS, iTunes, or at 5by5.tv.

”What’s 43 Folders?”
43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

How are you Mac folks doing reminders and structuring to-dos?

As of Leopard, I'm a transplant from Entourage to the Mail/Address Book/iCal/.mac combo. Over in Entourage for the past 7 years, I created a slick Zero Inbox system by using delayed reminders, using a cool combo of Applescripts that removed emails out of the Inbox until a time when I needed to deal with them. I haven't figured out a system yet in the Mail world.

I'd love to hear how you Mac GTD'ers are using timers/reminders to postpone to-dos until the time you need to deal with them. I'm intrigued by OmniFocus, but it doesn't seem to be set up to do timers; more, it looks like a way to order ones to-dos in the sequence they need to be done. It might work, to switch from a popup timer world, to just remembering to look at a list. But before I dive in to OmniFocus, I'd love to hear how others are dealing with their to-dos using the Mail/Address Book/iCal/.mac combo.

Thanks for any ideas.

groovechicken's picture

Bad News for you...

I hate iCal and Address Book, but I have heard they are better in Leopard and expect to move to that OS in a couple of months.

Ummmmmm... ask for some second opinions. I find that I actually like iCal LESS in Leopard than in Tiger. The only advantage I have found over the Tiger version for the way I work is multiple alarms. Meanwhile there are several changes to it that drive me nuts. Address Book hasn't really changed in any noticeable way that would make it "better".

If Notes are great in Leopard, I guess I’ll be fine with moving to that

They're not and you won't. I was excited about Notes in Mail... until I actually tried to use it. I gave up on it very quickly because the way it functions does not really lend itself well to any kind of workflow. I'm still using Sidenote for note-keeping at the moment, but will probably move those into something web-based soon so I can get to them from other machines... which is becoming more important to me now that I have used and hated Leopard. The silly notebook paper background only adds insult to injury. It's as if I can hear those ugly little pages mocking, "You know you WANT to use us, but you can't. Ha ha, we're designed for teenagers, not work."

Okay, so I'm sounding bitter... and I am. I've been a Apple fanboy for years, but Leopard shows me they are going a direction I'm not sure I can stomach. The iPhone is probably the only thing keeping me around at this point. Had I not bought the iPhone, I may have already migrated to Linux to do my day-to-day work and just keep Tiger around for media creation.

Peace, Todd Russell

 
EXPLORE 43Folders THE GOOD STUFF

Popular
Today

Popular
Classics

An Oblique Strategy:
Honor thy error as a hidden intention


STAY IN THE LOOP:

Subscribe with Google Reader

Subscribe on Netvibes

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe on Pageflakes

Add RSS feed

The Podcast Feed

Cranking

Merlin used to crank. He’s not cranking any more.

This is an essay about family, priorities, and Shakey’s Pizza, and it’s probably the best thing he’s written. »

Scared Shitless

Merlin’s scared. You’re scared. Everybody is scared.

This is the video of Merlin’s keynote at Webstock 2011. The one where he cried. You should watch it. »