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Intriguing new task-management software
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Posted by Randall Shinn
Jan 9, 2009 at 04:29 PM
For those Mac users who have looked at OmniFocus and Things, the public-beta release of The Hit List has just been announced: http://www.potionfactory.com/blog/2009/01/08/hit-list-public-preview .
When I saw the screen shot I was reminded of Ecco, and basically THL is an outline with keyboard entry in mind that hides a surprising amount of power behind an easy to understand interface. I checked out some initial reactions of beta users, and they find it easier to use than OmniFocus and more powerful than Things, and perhaps simpler to grasp than either.
Contexts are placed on the same line as the task by entering “@“context and tags by “/“whatever tags. The program has smart typing to have with filling these in, and the program can even guess at appropriate contexts and tags based on your similar prior entries. Different lists can be viewed via tabs. The program has smart folders as well. Worth looking at.
Randall
Posted by Chris Thompson
Jan 9, 2009 at 11:38 PM
I tried this during the beta period. The user interface is nice, but it’s somewhat light on features. One way of looking at it is as a slightly different user interface to Things, since both depend on using tags to develop any kind of complexity. But it doesn’t have Things’ concept of a “Today” list (though you could simulate this with tags); its equivalent is simply based on items having a start date of today or in the past, or Things’ recurring tasks. I like Things a lot, but its fatal flaw for me is not being able to postpone tasks in projects yet, which really forces you to use tags more than I’d like.
If you’ve been frustrated by OmniFocus before, the current version (1.5+) is also worth a look since they’ve simplified quite a bit of the UI. OF does still need tabs rather than multiple floating views or views triggered by buttons stored on the toolbar, and it would be better if OF had a generalized tagging system rather than a single context per item, but I think it’s still the stronger product.
—Chris
Posted by Hugh
Jan 10, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Chris Thompson wrote:
>I tried this during the beta period. The user interface is nice, but it’s somewhat
>light on features. One way of looking at it is as a slightly different user interface to
>Things, since both depend on using tags to develop any kind of complexity. But it
>doesn’t have Things’ concept of a “Today” list (though you could simulate this with
>tags); its equivalent is simply based on items having a start date of today or in the
>past, or Things’ recurring tasks. I like Things a lot, but its fatal flaw for me is not
>being able to postpone tasks in projects yet, which really forces you to use tags more
>than I’d like.
>
I agree with all your comments above Chris - except for one thing: as far as I can see, the version of THL that’s just been released does have a decently-functional Today list. Presumably recurring-items functionality will follow - since it’s such a big requirement for most people using a task list at this level of complexity and cost.
As Randall notes, THL seems to slot nicely into the to-do PIM spectrum somewhere between Things and OF. Although there in fact dozens of these applications for the Mac (About This Particular Macintosh occasionally itemises them), OF, Things and TaskPaper appear to mark out the commanding heights. THL may set another benchmark. Having tried each of them, I think the discriminating factor generally isn’t whether one or other is “better” or “worse” in some fundamental sense, but which suits one’s work content and style. THL looks like it may be the same.
The echo of Ecco, deliberate or not, is a nice design touch.
H
>If you’ve been frustrated by OmniFocus before, the current version
>(1.5+) is also worth a look since they’ve simplified quite a bit of the UI. OF does still
>need tabs rather than multiple floating views or views triggered by buttons stored on
>the toolbar, and it would be better if OF had a generalized tagging system rather than a
>single context per item, but I think it’s still the stronger product.
>
>—Chris
Posted by Randall Shinn
Jan 13, 2009 at 09:18 PM
I’m a fan of Omni software, and I have purchased OmniOutliner, OmniFocus, and OmniPlan. I find OmniPlan good for planning complex projects.
The interface for OmniFocus has never quite clicked for me. I probably need to spend more time studying it, but I find it frustrasting that some much of its power seems to reside in floating inspectors. I also find myself surprised when a task I enter doesn’t show up where I expect it on a context list. Somehow it seems as if a task-management program should have a less demanding interface.
I have also paid for Things 1.0, and so far I find it more pleasant to work in for relative simple task management. The task information is easier to see and manipulate in one screen, and I like using areas rather than contexts. But in order to make me into a long-term user I need to have some kind of synchronization that works easily (as does OmniFocus’s). I would also need to be able to enter subtasks.
What I find attractive about The Hit List is the interface paradigm. I like outlining tasks, and I like seeing all the relavent information on one line. But at the moment THL lacks crucial features like repeating tasks, and easy synchronization. The latter might be solved by placing a copy of the file on the web. THL is not yet ready for prime time IMHO, but I think its interface is refreshing and its basic concepts seem easy to think in.
A year from now I will probably be using whatever program seems to most help me think about and then get them off my mind. At the moment I find that with OmniFocus the program doesn’t seem easy to think in, because I am too distracted by the complexity of interacting with the interface.
Randall
Posted by Chris Thompson
Jan 13, 2009 at 11:54 PM
One thing that I find helps with OmniFocus is to hide the start date and end date columns. When they’re displayed, the whole thing looks too much like a spreadsheet and is hard to process visually. Items get color coded automatically as their due dates approach, and you can always see info in the inspector (maybe not the best tradeoff, I agree). They’ve also *finally* added the ability to hide the contexts column, but you have to be careful with that one. While it reduces visual clutter, if an item doesn’t have a context assigned (assuming one isn’t being assigned by default for the project), it can’t become eligible as a “next action”. I honestly think for beginners they should offer an option to turn off next actions and contexts. I also agree the program is generally quite imposing, though they’ve made a good effort to improve some of the more bewildering stuff in 1.5.
—Chris