Several months back I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done and became an instant acolyte of GTD. It is so easy, and it keeps me in check. The concept of getting all things that I need to do out of my head, and into a reliable organization system has been really helpful to me because it means I can forget things knowing that I can come back to them when I need to.

So, the next step was to create that reliable system. As a power-mac user I immediately began looking for a GTD tool that was:

1. Easy to use from anywhere – It had to be easy to use, and allow me to input tasks from wherever I was on my computer. This helps ensure that I actually use the tool.

2. Simple user interface – Additionally, the user interface has to be simple. If I couldn’t “get” the application within a few minutes, it wasn’t going to be right for me.

3. Flexible – The application had to be flexible enough for me to use it the way that I want to use it. For instance, while I understand that a “project” is anything which can’t be completed in a single tasks, I often like to embed smaller projects into larger ones.

3. Economical – I’m definitely willing to pay for a good app, but I wasn’t willing to spend a ton of money on it.

When it came right down to buying a few months ago, I chose to purchase Culture Code’s marvellous new app Things. I loved the user interface, the ability to create and manage projects in the side bar, the quick entry HUD that can be beckoned at any time with a simple keyboard shortcut. And at a price of only $49 it seemed to meet all my needs.

Screenshot of Things

Sure there were a few things about Things that annoyed me. First of all, I didn’t like that all projects were grouped together no matter their size or scope. For instance, if I wanted to truly be a GTD acolyte, I should theoretically have “Active Projects” from everything from “Web site Redesign” to “Build Site Map.” The problem is that then I lose the essence of locating the “smaller” project within the scope of the larger one. And, since both of them are projects, they share the same weight in my sidebar. Sure, I could create an “area” for each larger project and then associate the smaller projects with that area, but I see “Areas” more like “Work”, “Home”, and “School.” So this seemed like an area where the simplicity of Things took away from its flexibility.

Another little thing that bothers me about Things is the fact that completed tasks don’t ever disappear in a incomplete project. I know that this is a good thing at times, but when I’m trying to focus in on what I need to do, all those grey completed task just get in the way.

So, even though these two things slightly annoyed me, I was really happy with Things, and it had really helped my work-flow.

Then, I decided to buy the MacHeist Bundle and along came Potion Factory’s GTD app The Hit List. At first I was just curious. I didn’t think that anything could meet my needs like Things had been doing. Boy, was I wrong.

Screenshot of the Hit List

What instantly delighted me about The Hit List is that the user has the ability to contain smaller projects within larger projects, and create a nest, which helps me be a better GTDer. Along with that, the sidebar is completely flexible using folders and even smart folders to organize the things I need to get done in whatever method I choose. Plus, setting tags and contexts are just as simple in THL as they ever were in Things.

Another enticing feature of THL is it’s focus on keyboard shortcuts. I can do pretty much anything in THL without leaving the keyboard, a major time saver.

Although I really like Things’ single screen feature for notes, due dates and more, I have to admit that THL’s “card view” is really helpful. By getting everything else out of the way when I’m in productivity mode, I can focus on the details of a single task without my mind wandering. Plus, the card view gives me a place to do thinking work (taking notes, writing memos, etc).

All in all, I have to admit that I’m very please with both apps. However, I think the flexiblilty of The Hit List makes it a clear winner in my book. For me, The Hit List is a grown up version of Things. I hope that Culture Code will take heed of some of the things in THL, and hopefully they can win me back in the future.

For those of you who don’t know, my wife is nine months pregnant and having all of the tell-tale signs of an imminent labor. However, as uncomfortably low as our unborn daughter is choosing to settle, she is not giving in to our constant barrage of requests that she go the extra 8 inches and just come out. Both of us being huge “What about Bob?” fans, I was sitting down just a few minutes ago and the metaphor hit. Waiting for our baby Junia, is kind of like this wonderful scene in this funny film:

No matter how hard we try, this labor thing will just happen when and how it should…exactly when she’s ready to come. However, being Dr. Leo’s in this whole thing makes that difficult to accept.

We’ll keep you posted.