I've been using OmniFocus for many months; well since the beta started. It's a great GTD app and has a ton of nice features.
This week Anxiety, a new todo list app from Tom Stoelwinder at Model Concept was released. It's free, so simple, and it begs for my use.
Using Anxiety as a HUD for OmniFocus
I've got a lot of contexts and projects logged in OmniFocus and can't see migrating away from it. It works so why fix it. Last night I was playing with Anxiety to see how nice it syncs with iCal and immediately noticed that since it will sync my calendars and let me create new calendars directly from it's interface, it's got to work nicely with OmniFocus. And it did; beautifully and bidirectionally.
This is great for me because I can't stand desktop clutter and OmniFocus is a full featured app. It takes up a lot of real estate on my desktop. If I'm in the middle of something and want to check off a action that's been completed, I'd rather be able to do it quickly instead of jumping into OmniFocus. This is where Anxiety really shines now. Since Anxiety has a nice toggle on the menu bar, I can show it quickly, mark it as completed and go back to work. Or, since it's so small, I can leave it floating on my mostly uncluttered desktop.
OmniFocus Sync Preferences
In your preferences pane for OmniFocus, setup which contexts you want to sync with iCal calendars. Keep in mind any calendars in iCal that you already have and take advantage of them if you can. If you want them to be deleted in OmniFocus when they are deleted from iCal, check that option in the preferences. I didn't because I want them to show as completed for my daily review. Now when I check something off in Anxiety, the next time I snyc OmniFocus it get's marked as completed. Another added bonus is that anything new created in Anxiety will end up in you OmniFocus inbox. Schweet!
A big thanks goes out to Tom for a kick-ass little app!
Note: Reader Aaron points out that Anxiety is Leopard only and he is correct. It relies on Leopards new system-wide database.
On Thursday, Dec 13
Can you give me an example of how you use OmniFocus? I have started to use this and want to integrate it with my iCal. I am new to GTD and need the discipline badly.
I like the simplicity of OmniFocus (when it needs to be). How do you use it with iCal? It seems as the sync is only one-way - from iCal to OF. Is that by desing or can OF put info into iCal?
Thanks,
D&P
On Thursday, Dec 13
D&P...
The best place to get info on how to use OmniFocus is over at the OmniGroup forums (http://forums.omnigroup.com/forumdisplay.php?f=42). There isn't any real documentation on it yet since it's still in beta.
OmniFocus will work both ways or at least I haven't had any problems with it. You have to go into the OF preferences (see the screenshot above) and tell what calendars sync with which contexts.
If you're new to GTD, I'd suggest getting the book or you can get the audiobook on iTunes. I'm not a huge follower of it but adapted many of the principals of it.
On Thursday, Dec 13
Note that anxiety requires leopard!
On Friday, Dec 14
I've just got Omnifocus and Anxiety, with the intention of getting more organised. My initial impression is that OmniFocus is a great looking, functional app, but I'm not sure if i'm ready for that level of organisation!
It seems that it's for people who already organised, to get even better.
I think I will dip my toe in the water by starting simply with calndars and to do lists. So Anxiety it is for me. For now.
But it's cool that I could start using OmniFocus if I get organised.
An upgrade path, if you will.
Cheers
On Friday, Dec 14
Kev.
Omnifocus is built with David Allen's book "Getting things done" in mind. The philosophy behind it is organization using contexts and next actions. OmniFocus will be very confusing to anyone who doesn't have a basic grasp of GTD. IF you want to go down that road, I'd suggest reading the book or doing a google search for GTD. There's a ton of info on it out there. Also, take a browse through 43folders.com.
If you are just starting down your organizational path, Anxiety is one kick-ass little app and works with iCal so you can print out your todo lists and take them on the road with you. While you're getting used to that, read up on GTD. I personally use SOME of the principals but not all of them. Enough to find OmniFocus invaluable.
On Monday, Dec 17
Thanks for the tip on this. Just started using OmniFocus recently and hear about Anxiety. Didn't even think about using them together. I am still learning OmniFocus though. Great tips.
On Monday, Dec 17
This feature would be a little more useful if you gave any info at all on setting the 3 up to work together. My Anxiety is giving no readouts of anything in OmniFocus or iCal. It only shows Mail ToDo's, which I don't use.
Am I missing something far too obvious to mention?
On Tuesday, Dec 18
Hi,
I am a GTD fan, and was starting to use Omnifocus. After I read this article I am a Omnifocus and Anxiety fan also. It is alsome to leave that black to do list on the botton-right of my screen with everything I can accomplish while at work.
It is unbelievable productive. Before this, every task that i finished, i would open Omnifocus and check as done, but them i would get involved on setting-up everything again, each project and next task. With the anxiety it became less complicated. I just click done and go on to the next task!
One thing, is there a way to automatically sync Omnifocus and iCal? It seems to just sync when I press the button on Omnifocus.
Regards,
Bernardo
On Tuesday, Dec 18
Bernardo.
Good to hear you're diggin' the setup. It's a nice match isn't it.
As far as I know, that's the only way to sync OmniFocus, however, you could whip up a automator script really quickly that would do that for you and/or assign it to a key command.
On Tuesday, Dec 18
UNDEADBYDAWN...
I'll try to write up some detailed instructions for you. I'm not sure why your mail todo's are taking over. Do you have matching calendars setup in ical/anxiety that are also in OmniFocus?
On Wednesday, Dec 19
Hey Greg
I have Omni and iCal synced up no problem and Anxiety claims to be aware of all my iCal Calendars, but gives no details from any of them. Given that I have iCal pretty darned full, that's puzzling.
This does seem a great idea, I'm just not getting a result.
On Wednesday, Dec 19
Do you see your calendar list in the dropdown at the top of Anxiety and if so does it match what you have in OmniFocus's contexts?
On Sunday, Dec 23
Why would you pay for both softwares, when you could do the same with Dobedo – a free widget – and iGTD? moreover, both work i tiger and if you want a HUD style in your dobedo widget, it's only a matter of some photoshop. I refuse to pay for a software, omnifocus in this case, when a better freeware alternative, iGTD, is available.
On Sunday, Dec 30
You can also preview/download the full GTD ebook via google:
search: "getting things done filetype:pdf"
(sorry I have a tendancy to google first then purchase)
On Monday, Jan 7
I don’t see why you’d bother with Anxiety if you have OmniFocus already. OmniFocus lets you set up a perspective on one or more of your contexts that is every bit as minimal as the Anxiety window. Just resize your OmniFocus window, hide the elements you don’t want to see, and then record the window configuration as a perspective.
On Sunday, Jun 8
Nice suggestion, and easy to set up. Thanks!
Since OmniFocus does not regularly sync with iCal except when it's opened or closed (AFAIK), put together a simple Applescript to tell OmniFocus to sync.
tell application "OmniFocus"
tell front document
ical_synchronize
end tell
end tell
Saved that as an .app, then created a trigger using QuickSilver to run that app - in my case, clicking the upper right corner of the screen.
On Wednesday, Jan 21
This is awesome! the only thing is I'm a lazy bum ^^ ive been trying to add Paul's piece of code
tell application "OmniFocus"
tell front document
ical_synchronize
end tell
end tell
to the "Send to OmniFocus.scpt" so as soon as I add a something through quicksilver it will update ical and appear in anxiety. Got it to update, but not the newest add. Would love some help on this one.
On Wednesday, Jan 21
ok kickass Oscar! Thanks for posting your changes!!
On Thursday, Jan 22
I fixed the script!
you can download it here:
http://www.oscarslife.com/downloads/SendtoOmniFocus.scpt.zip
What it does is:
when adding new task with quicksilver auto update so your new task will appear in Anxiety. Also gives your task a context called "Anxiety" if you don't type one in(you'll need a context for tasks to appear in anx).
how to use:
download my file, unzip and replace the old one with mine.
(old file found at Home/Library/Application Support/Quicksilver/Actions)
(I had to restart QS)
open up omnifocus, create new context called "Anxiety", open preferences->ICal and put Anxiety in whatever cal your using.
call QS hit period (.) type your task, tab, S, enter.
Trouble? Let me know