Thanks for the thoughtful reply, much appreciated!
I think I can say with integrity that when it comes to Apple’s default apps, I have “learned one set of good enough apps REALLY well.” If the recent updates to the OSs fixed the linking between Mail and Reminders, I’ll be one happy camper. But I’m leery of getting my hopes up. I’ll need a week of consistent linking to be convinced.
I also finally resolved the writing app conundrum. A week or so ago, I ran into another scary instance of Ulysses not syncing. I had to delete and reinstall the app. That did it for me. My book will now only be written in Scrivener, everything else will be in Pages. Those two work well for me, and I avoid the middleman Markdown apps.
I’ve stumbled upon another issue that might be connected.
When I share a mail message from Apple Mail to Reminders on my Mac, the link from the new reminder to the mail message works seamlessly on both my Mac and iPhone.
However, when I share a mail message from Apple Mail to Reminders on my iPhone, the link from the new reminder to the mail message works on my iPhone but not on my Mac.
I’ve deliberately used “old” mail messages in my personal iCloud account, which are synced and available on all my devices. I’ve tested this multiple times with macOS Sequoia 15.4.1 and iOS 18.4.1.
Thinking about this, I’ve come to the conclusion that for me the issue most often is friction. That’s why I stopped using Tinderbox, OmniFocus and Todoist. This is sometimes caused when an app updates and changes something. More often than not, it’s when I need to do something and a 2s job takes 5 min.
I too am seeing this. Well, this is why I said above that was not counting my chickens before they were hatched, “But I’m leery of getting my hopes up. I’ll need a week of consistent linking to be convinced.”.
Thanks for the helpful tip. I’ve just tried using drag and drop on my iPhone for the first time, and I can confirm that the link I created works on my Mac.
Yes, I moved the one “drag and drop linked” email message from Apple Mail to different IMAP folders and even to a different email account. Surprisingly, the link still worked on both my iPhone and Mac. I tested this on both devices. There might be a slight delay before both Apple Reminders and Apple Mail synchronize their data. Since both my email accounts are set up on both devices, this might not have worked otherwise.
Could you please elaborate on the sync issue? I created a sheet yesterday in the inbox on my iPad, but it didn’t sync immediately to the inbox on my phone. It had a cloud icon for a while, even today, but it has now come through. Is that how it was? Nothing was lost, but it seems to have an inconsistent sync schedule.
@webwalrus mentioned how we used software years ago. There were two advantages then. Software wasn’t as regularly updated. Software wasn’t feature rich (in comparison to today).
I’m wondering whether the answer is simplicity? Do I really need a link to an email in my tasks? Leaving actionable emails in my inbox would solve that problem and also show me how much is still to do. Who said you have to have inbox zero. After all, inbox zero is just moving the work to be done out of sight, which I don’t think is a good idea. Even flagging emails and archiving would still work.
The irony is that software now is anything but simple. I remember reading in Mark Bernstein’s The Tinderbox Way, that an assessment of computer use after some years of them being embedded in business saw no productivity gain, but the reports looked a whole lot prettier!
For me, as much as I like the prettier. In reality pen and paper still seems to make me finish more work. I know this doesn’t work in every field, but perhaps the idea of simple systems is the way to go?
Years ago a professional taught me task management. They made me write a list of all my work and then add them to the calendar on days where I’d get the tasks done. They embedded a regular review of all tasks and projects and that was it. Surprisingly it still works.
It may sound paradoxical, but I agree and disagree at the same time. I absolutely adore the aesthetics of pen and paper and the tactile experience of using them. I completely comprehend why people prefer paper and pen as they are remarkable technological and cultural inventions, serving as excellent tools for building an exceptional information and knowledge-sharing system.
On the other hand, I find it more convenient to use an iPhone and a Mac, likely because I’ve been using computers for a long time and have probably spent more time on using a Mac and an iPhone than writing on paper.
I believe the invention of the (hyper-) link and its widespread adoption through web browsers was a profoundly influential invention for organizing and sharing knowledge. I think because we appreciate the hyperlink, we would also like to link not only web pages but also our content and data stored in the native apps we use.
It’s not only about efficiency. Learning how to use new technologies, brought to us by software and hardware updates, can be enjoyable and fascinating. It can make our daily work more engaging, enjoyable, and potentially even more productive. Of course, there’s always the risk of spending too much time learning and becoming distracted or frustrated because things don’t work as originally expected. But that’s life, isn’t it.
What you describe would be one example, which is frustrating but not catastrophic. However, in addition to the app not syncing or taking hours to do so, I’ve had work lost. The most recent incident occurred when Ulysses would not sync my work. I tried everything, but the newly revised and recreated sheets would not sync. I finally had to delete and reinstall Ulysses to get sync to work.
Ulysses is a great app, and many use it for all of their work without issues. But that has not been my experience. I don’t trust it.
First, thanks for the kind response. Second, that is strange. I would think that sharing by selecting the subject and using the share extension would create the same link as dragging and dropping. I wonder what the difference is?
Going back to first principles, basically, you need a system to track what you need to do, and a way to file things for reference.
An email can be anything from a self-contained task (“pick up milk on the way home”), reference material for a task (“when you call Dave, make sure to ask him about the price of widgets”), or something you have to file for compliance purposes (“here’s the audit report from 2024”).
Back in the day, we would have written “pick up milk” on our to-do list, written “call Dave” on our to-do list, and maybe even had another list called “things to ask Dave” if it was the sort of thing we’d keep adding to over the course of a week. And that audit report would live in the filing cabinet.
But I would also suggest that the world was a simpler place back then.
I actually don’t think @Bmosbacker is trying to over-complicate the system. I’ve seen overcomplicated digital systems that make my head spin, and this isn’t it.
In this case, I think he’s trying to use his digital tools in relatively simple ways that give him rapid ingress to more ephemeral, task-specific information at the time of task initiation. It’s not necessarily stuff that has to be filed for the ages, but rather stuff that has to be known for a given task. It makes sense to have it with the task, in a similar way that you might have a report on your desk with a paper clip and a sticky note that says “proofread and return to Dave.”
To @Bmosbacker’s actual issue, the thing that I do find myself wondering is how often these emails actually move - and whether or not the email could possibly be moved/archived/placed in its final resting place before being tossed into Reminders. It would probably take an extra click or two, but if I’m understanding the spec correctly, the link can’t break if the file doesn’t move?
In this case, I think he’s trying to use his digital tools in relatively simple ways that give him rapid ingress to more ephemeral, task-specific information at the time of task initiation. It’s not necessarily stuff that has to be filed for the ages, but rather stuff that has to be known for a given task. It makes sense to have it with the task, in a similar way that you might have a report on your desk with a paper clip and a sticky note that says “proofread and return to Dave.”
I could not have said that any better, exactly!
To @Bmosbacker’s actual issue, the thing that I do find myself wondering is how often these emails actually move - and whether or not the email could possibly be moved/archived/placed in its final resting place before being tossed into Reminders. It would probably take an extra click or two, but if I’m understanding the spec correctly, the link can’t break if the file doesn’t move?
Yes, in my experience, if I move the email to its final resting place (that sounds ominous! ) and then link it to Reminders, it maintains the link. The “problem,” and surely this is a first-world problem, is that it involves extra steps; I have to deal with the email, move it, select it, and create the link in Reminders. Not a major issue, but if you do this 5-10/day x 20 days/month., over time, that takes a lot of time. The reason I keep flirting with OF is that I can bcc my OF email address and then archive the email, done. The other advantage is the review feature.
) and then link it to Reminders, it maintains the link. The “problem,” and surely this is a first-world problem, is that it involves extra steps; I have to deal with the email, move it, select it, and create the link in Reminders. Not a major issue, but if you do this 5-10/day x 20 days/month., over time, that takes a lot of time. The reason I keep flirting with OF is that I can bcc my OF email address and then archive the email, done. The other advantage is the review feature.