This is the second in my review series of GTD Apps. This time we are reviewing GTDAgenda.
GTDAgenda is a Web Based application based around the GTD philosophy. One downfall is the fact that you need an Internet connection in order to use this system so you cannot easily take it with you.
GTDAgenda.com is a website designed to assist individuals in increasing their productivity through David Allen’s Getting Things Done model. It does an admirable job of shaping the foundation of his advice into a practical, easy-to-use system that could easily change people’s lives through regular use.
The site’s aesthetic are plain but well conceived and goes a great length toward marrying functionality with a myriad of useful features. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the design is found after playing around with categorization tools and discovering exactly how deep the system actually is.
Seemingly nothing has been overlooked by the GTDAgenda team but the entire page never comes off as overly complicated or confusing. GTDAgenda instead chooses to let users dive into the various functions at whichever level they desire. It’s perfectly possible to use the page as nothing more than an electronic calendar, checklist or broad planning tool but for those who look deeper there is also a ton of great details to take advantage of as well.
The layout of GTDAgenda is in itself worth taking the time to discuss. The simple design and ease of use mix together very well. Although the page is relatively plain looking, there is nothing so offensive as to keep users from wanting to use GTDAgenda as a frequently viewed hub for their planning activities. Much like the Word document ‘to-do’ lists which Allen displays in Getting Things Done, GTDAgenda allows for an immediate response from users simply through its simple, upfront look.
All of the features are designed with Allen’s GTD model firmly in mind and go a long way toward allowing the site’s users to fully embrace the productivity system. GTDAgenda hosts a header which lists key organizational points (such as Goals, Projects, Tasks and Next Actions) along with appropriate sorting options within each one of these categories. For example, clicking on ‘Tasks’ displays a sub-category wherein users may prioritize their work to fit different criteria.
Each header keeps a few features the same so they may be referenced no matter what you’re concentrating on at the time. A handy calendar hangs on the right-hand side of the page and opens scheduled tasks and action steps by clicking on a given date.
The context menu is also an excellent implementation of core GTD philosophy as it allows users to sort their various work into categories such as @Computer, @Home and Errands. A checklist feature goes even further toward allowing for the kind of satisfaction Allen recommends from crossing off completed work and visualizing what must still be done so it can be taken off one’s mind.
GTDAgenda is difficult to criticize as it does perform a fantastic job of offering a productivity system styled upon the core principles and tools purported by the book. Nothing at all presents itself as ineffective or worth taking the time to negatively address in a review. The bottom line perhaps is that, like every organization tool, GTDAgenda will work for some and not for others.
Anyone even remotely interested in the GTD productivity model should at least check out GTDAgenda. The site and application does a great job of providing a system that allows for as little or as much customization and organization as any user could hope for.
Please note, the links to GTDAgenda are affiliate links so anybody signing up will result in myself getting paid a referral feed. This has not tarnished or influenced my review of GTDAgenda.
I tried GTDAgenda and could not stick with it. The interface made me cringe. Not attractive at all, no way to change colors, and the font is that like an old typewriter.
I felt like I was stepping into the web of the 90’s.
@Kris
Yes, it is functional but the design needs a good overhaul!
I will feed these comments back to the site owner. Making the app look better with some nice graphics should be quite an easy step to achieve.
I use OmniFocus currently which is also light on the design side, especially against Things. However, the usability of OmniFocus wins it for me over Things…
Thanks.
I’d like to request a review on a program. It’s not a dedicated GTD app, but it certainly can be used as one. It’s called LifeBalance, and I don’t work for them. I am, however, a user of it, and I want to see how you’d work GTD into it; it’s a pretty great piece of software, though updates seem kinda sparse.
Anyway, it’s located here. Feel free to delete this comment; I’m not trying to spam for it.
http://www.llamagraphics.com/drupal/
@Carolyn,
Thanks for the heads up. I have not seem that app before but I have just added it to my review list so I will be able to check it out and comment on it.
Thanks and have a great weekend.
Andrew..
I understand the desire for storing your GTD locally, but to me there are good reasons for wanting it online, not the least of which is to always have your GTD available. Especially if you live and work in or around an urban area with near ubiquitous Internet availability.
The application I use allows me to view my entire GTD at work on my Win machine, at home on my Macs, at the library, on a friend’s laptop, and even on my cell phone. And the application is SSL encrypted as it transmits data to and from the cloud.
I’ve written several posts about my experiences with the application on my blog at http://johnkendrick.wordpress.com/how-to-gtd/ John
@John,
Thanks for the comment. The great thing is that different things work for different people.
I use OmniFocus both on my Mac and on my phone. The power in taking your system with you on your cell phone is fantastic.
I use evernote for note collecting and that has a Mac client, an iPhone client and a web front end. I have used it a few times from other machines and internet cafes etc.. This functionality built into OmniFocus would be awesome.
Have a great weekend.
Andrew..
I’m one of those who has problems with a web based tool – I just spend so much time away on the road and I don’t want to have to stop, find a wifi hotspot, log-in and wait, just to check how I could be using that 15 minute window I have whilst I stop for lunch.
I use Omnifocus as well, and am pretty happy with it, although I would like some more automation and indication on the reviewing side.
@Andrew I really like this review. Very interesting and I liked the description of the context menu.
@James
Thanks for your comment. Nice to meet another OmniFocus user 🙂
Have a great weekend.
Andrew..
Andrew,
Great review. You may want to try zenbe. It is a very nice application, free, offers iphone sync (most desirable), and other goodies!
I
@ikd
Thanks, will take a good luck at Zenbe. I have added it to the review list.
Cheers
Andrew..