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I’ve tried Dynalist, ListPro, HanDBase, Workflowy, Carbonfin Outliner, My Life Organised, EssentialPim, Trello, AnyList, Google Tasks, Remember The Milk, Task Coach, Informant, Any.do, 2do, Microsoft Todo, Onlinelistmaster, Apple Notes, Apple Reminders, Evernote, OneNote, Leadertask, Notion, Google Keep, Toodledo, SwiftoDo, OmniFocus, Todoist, TickTick, and Pomodoro.
But I’ve not tried Obsidian. Maybe when the iOS app is out of beta.
Were there any clear winners in your experience in implenting electronically? Just curiosity more than anything !
Do you by chance know if there is an eay way to send an unfinished item/taks to the end of the list in Obsidian? Thanks
I have a dedicated page for a FVP master list. Each entry has a checkbox that can have 3 states (indicated either by a checkmark, cross or arrow forward). For dotting I use "arrow forward". For placing existing tasks to the bottom I either copy and paste them, or use the "Line Sorter" Plugin, to move them down, line by line, with a keyboard shortcut, see https://zim-wiki.org/manual/Plugins/Line_Sorter.html. This is a default plugin that you have to enable in "Options > Plugins", if not enabled already.
For complex projects I link tasks from the master list to another page with detailed step-by-step tasks. This keeps the master list decluttered.
All content is stored in plain text files and can be easily read and manipulated by other apps. My preference on Android is Markor. See https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.gsantner.markor and https://github.com/gsantner/markor. Don't forget to select the Zim-Wiki format, when reading Zim-Wiki pages in Markor.
Enjoy!
Firstly, I forgot to list Checkvist.
As for the best one, if I could divest myself of my craving for a mobile (ios) version, and possibly my hatred of workarounds, I would most likely settle on the one you're using currently, Dynalist, but the fact that you can't duplicate items on the otherwise excellent mobile version is enough to put me off. I also love My Life Organised, and do use it for non-discretionary items, for which it excellent, and I would use it for FVP, Autofocus or the like, but again the mobile version doesn't quite cut it for me.
The one I WAS using very happily was the system I write about in this thread:
http://markforster.squarespace.com/fv-forum/post/2770698#post2770729
But unfortunately the ios version (Swiftodo), has become buggy very recently after the latest ios update, or possibly something Dropbox have done. However, as with much "Donationware", the developer is very much on the ball and I'm confident he will restore usability very soon. Until then I am a bit of a lost soul in terms of digital solutions and can't quite bring myself to forgo the features that apps provide and revert to pen and paper.
I would also mention Notion in dispatches. Some overhead and learning curve involved to set up an FVP system and if only I wasn't so pernickety as to object to it adding "Copy of" to copied items it would be perfect. Actually, reading that back, I think I've just persuaded myself to ignore that plaint and give it another try.
You can though. Tap an item and if you don't see Duplicate on the bottom bar, (swipe it left to see the end), tap the bar settings and add Duplicate.
However, they're using Obsidian exclusively for PKM, notes, etc., not for task mgmt. They prefer dedicated task mgmt apps (like Omnifocus).
I've spent so much time and money over the years on applications going back to Lotus Agenda for DOS and Ecco (old-timers from the late '90s will remember those) that I'm doing an apps fast right now. Just using what I already have (Apple Notes, Evernote, pen and paper); my life is really not that complicated, my ego just likes to think it is.
It was always (and still is) fun to try out new apps and see how they work; I always enjoy hearing how members of this forum are finding ways to digitize Mark's systems.
Backlinks work well for project management. You can link any task to a project node and it shows the date and the lists they are in from the project node. They are also built on mirrors so updating in one place allows it to update everywhere.
I am using pen and paper these days for actions and workflowy for reference, but I love these features for both tasks and reference.
<<You can though. Tap an item and if you don't see Duplicate on the bottom bar, (swipe it left to see the end), tap the bar settings and add Duplicate.>>
Would that be the Premium version? (I should have explained I’m too tight to pay £8 a month)
Actually now that I've worked out it's c.£5.74 a month I may just fork out on the Premium version after all. Thanks for reminding me about the duplication feature.
<< I've spent so much time and money over the years on applications>>
I hear ya brother.
A couple of years ago - when my entire workflow system centered around journaling (and still does) - I needed some way to track niggly tasks, reminders, etc. Purchasing an Apple Watch coupled with SIRI led to my decision to take full advantage of Apple's Reminders. It works wonderfully. Example:
"Hey dad, don't forget I need stamps for school tomorrow."
Me: "Hey Siri, remind me to pick up stamps at 8pm tonight".
Cj Chilvers does an excellent job describing why this simple solution works so bloody well:
https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/my-adhd-wearable
I use apps for just about everything in my life - except for time management. Electronic time management is just too fiddly for me. What's more, it tempts people into over-designing their time management methods.
When I want to do a task, say "Tax Return", I just want to write Tax Return at the end of a list without colour coding it, highlighting it, linking it, adding a tick box, prioritising it, marking it up, or any of the myriad other things which electronic methods encourage one to do.
I quite often get asked how I manage to do so many tasks during a day, and part of my answer is that the system itself must take the minimum of time and the minimum of thought. Not being electronic is a major part of that.
For example take Ian S's post:
"I’ve tried Dynalist, ListPro, HanDBase, Workflowy, Carbonfin Outliner, My Life Organised, EssentialPim, Trello, AnyList, Google Tasks, Remember The Milk, Task Coach, Informant, Any.do, 2do, Microsoft Todo, Onlinelistmaster, Apple Notes, Apple Reminders, Evernote, OneNote, Leadertask, Notion, Google Keep, Toodledo, SwiftoDo, OmniFocus, Todoist, TickTick, and Pomodoro."
I'm not getting at Ian, I've been guilty of the same thing myself, but just think of the amount of productive work he could have done in the time which he spent testing all these apps out.
<<just think of the amount of productive work he could have done in the time which he spent testing all these apps out.>>
I've tried it all as well... including paper/pen (I have fond memories of doing AF and DWM). But my experience is that productive work - however one defines it - is a complex mix of variable that far exceeds the meaning of any tool.
Take David Sparks... a cursory look at his work background would suggest he's primed to do a lot of things, and quite well. A lawyer, an author (many times over), a podcaster, an online trainer, a musician... the mistake some people make is thinking that Obsidian (or Omnifocus) make the man. I'd wager Sparks - even as a young man, was very driven. He simply likes to tinker with gear. And as David Allen is fond of saying: There are worse ways to waste one's time.
<< Do you by chance know if there is an eay way to send an unfinished item/taks to the end of the list in Obsidian?>>
I have not attempted this, but the info at this Sweet Setup post may address your question:
https://thesweetsetup.com/appending-captured-text-in-drafts-to-daily-notes-in-obsidian/
When I have tried FVP digitally, I use OmniFocus with flags or tags, or TaskPaper with a long-list format.
With the lack of a widely available iOS app, I probably would not use Obsidian for this purpose.
What I have recently done is take my daily diary of events, copy them into the Obsidian Daily Note at the end of the day, and then quickly add the square-bracket hyperlinks to create new notes or link to existing ones - takes about five minutes to complete. I am hopeful that this will help me find common information more quickly.
Alan would be curious to hear more about out you structure your Dynalist and any particular tips! I’m still relatively a newbie with the program.
What a great community and forum this is. Thanks again for the advice
<< With the lack of a widely available iOS app, I probably would not use Obsidian for this purpose. >>
The iOS app is out of beta.
I tried Obsidian, too, and it has many interesting sides for writers‘ needs, but for organizing my life Dynalist is clearly superior, mainly by its bullet orientation, its zooming capabilities and its folder/document structure. I use Dynalist to organize and interlink my whole life –projects, time management, contacts, journalling, habits, finances, paper and electronic archives, my Zettelkasten …. – just everything, nearly my entire thinking happens in Dynalist.
With some reflection, growing experience and rising versatility I found solutions in Dynalist so far for each organizing, management or thinking challenge.
My only question is whether Dynalist’s developers will maintain the proprietary Dynalist and thus assure accessibility and usability of the thinking and linking architectures created in Dynalist!
<<Am I right in thinking there are only 2 ways to sync data - iCloud or Obsidian’s own sync?>>
That’s correct, unfortunately. However the software/system/movement is evolving so quickly you should check every month or two to see if that changes.
I hope they maintain Dynalist forever, but if it ever falls aside, all the data is daily zipped into Dropbox as a bunch of markdown outline files so I can bring it forward.
My only hang-up now is figuring out how to organize information. I'm starting to get large amounts of info and I have never managed to keep that volume from feeling like an awful clutter. I've pondered if I could do better in Obsidian, and haven't come to a resolution. There seem to be plusses and minuses on both sides. (linking by name, with the necessity of naming files vs linking directly but with the necessity of organizing everything into a tree.)
Zane,
Is it not possible to simply put the Obsidian vault in a Dropbox folder and use the ios app to read/write Dropbox?
I'm a longtime Dropbox user, but brand new to Obsidian. Users are trying various solutions, but a couple of weeks ago when I looked into syncing they were iffy at best. Here's the official explanation on "Third party sync support".
https://help.obsidian.md/Obsidian/iOS+app#Third+party+sync+support
> My only hang-up now is figuring out how to organize information.
Try a Zettelkasten:
http://zettelkasten.de/posts/overview/
My heartfelt recommendation.
Obsidian is btw also very popular as a tool to maintain a Zettelkasten.
I am using the Checklist plugin which puts all tasks in the pane on the right.
When I click on a task it takes me to that task (to the note that has it). Where I follow Bernard's suggestion - "maybe with use of boldface font for dotted tasks", which only takes a moment.
So far, so good.
In case you haven’t come across it, the book that Zettelkasters are most influenced by is Ahrens’ How to Take Smart Notes.
http://fortelabs.co/blog/how-to-take-smart-notes/
Very interesting. Site-relevant quote:
“When I am stuck for one moment, I leave it and do something else.” As in martial arts, if you encounter resistance or an opposing force, you should not push against it but instead redirect it towards another productive goal."