This is good info. I’ve switched Task Managers like changing socks over the last few years , because there is always a feature in the other app that my current app doesn’t have.
I’m currently using reminders (since Aug 2024) because it has the URL property, integrates well with Siri, and doesn’t have a subscription.
I miss OF’s weekly review, nested folders, and option to repeat a task from the completion date instead of the due date.
The challenge of switching back is always that I have hundreds of tasks or actions, and I have to copy and paste and schedule each on into OF. There is a barebones import feature, but you lose organization structure(folders,lists) , location data(remind me when I arrive at work) ,and other data that way.
You’re gonna need to figure out what exactly you think is missing in your productivity workflow and address that.
Sometimes I’ll check out another task manager and see what they’re doing. Then I ask myself:
That’s a nice feature. Do I really need that feature or is it just a shiny new toy to play with it?
Will that new feature truly impact my workflow?
If I really liked a feature from another task manager, can I replicate it enough with my task manager and other apps to get what I want?
I’ve hopped over to Things and NotePlan a few times to see what I could extract…
Here’s a link to an old MPU thread from 2022.
Unfortunately, my answer had a link to something I wrote in 2022 about how I was able to emulate a Things 3 workflow in OmniFocus 3. That blog site is no longer available. Perhaps wayback machine would find it?
I probably have an old Ulysses app entry that I’ll need to find later.
Yes, it would be nice to have all the features in one app but I had assembled a nice collection of apps and workflows that worked for me.
I frequently use Apple Shortcuts and Keyboard Maestro to customize OmniFocus to get it to work the way I want to.
For example, I had a Keyboard Maestro macro to open OmniFocus on one side of my screen and fantastical on the other side. I switched to my flagged and due perspective in OmniFocus and the daily or weekly schedule in fantastical. This allowed me to do time blocking. Drag and drop an OmniFocus task to a time block in fantastical. This kinda emulated the Things today view. If I wanted to do something at a 2:30 pm, I’d drag the task to that time slot. If I wanted to do something at anytime that day, I’d drag it to the all day section of fantastical.
At the end of the day, I’ll move unfinished time blocks to tomorrow or another day.
Now that OmniFocus 4.7 will have a planned date, I most likely wont need to do this anymore.
I do see many users chime in and wished that there was a native all-in-one solution and the one app would fit their workflow perfectly. There probably will never be a one size fits all solution. Automation with Apple Shortcuts and Keyboard Maestro gives me a chance to create a solution that can get me pretty close.
Now, what was it that you’re looking for in features? Is it just the shiny new object syndrome that I’ve had for years? Is your productivity workflow not clicking? Hopping to a new task manager may feel good but it won’t solve the problem.
Edit: just found my old Ulysses article. I just exported as a PDF and saved it in my Dropbox. It’s an example of how I looked at an app and tried to see if I can adapt it into an OmniFocus workflow.