Each individual action can be assigned a Project and a Context Actions can have start dates, due dates, and repetition intervals, but the most satisfying part of any action is the checkbox that marks its completion. This is where most Actions start their life, though they can be started within an already created Project or Context (detailed below).Ģ) Actions are any discreet task. OmniFocus implements four main concepts within its multi-pane interface.ġ) Inbox is where one notes the initial description of whatever must be done before it gets forgotten.
When you start OmniFocus for the Mac OS it asks you for permission to check for updates and (cleverly) displays several Getting Things Done-related actions, such as looking at David Allen’s web site and viewing the OmniFocus Quick Start video - if you do nothing else before jumping into the application, make sure to watch this video.
I think having at least a cursory understanding of the Getting Things Done principles is a considerable aid in getting the most out OmniFocus - a little extra time spent on the front end will pay off in the long term. My belief is that there are many different ways of effective personal task management, but Getting Things Done as implemented by OmniFocus works well for me. Getting Things Done postulates that that a person needs to move tasks out of the mind by recording them externally. The Omni Group also communicates regularly about OmniFocus in their corporate blog.Īll versions of OmniFocus are explicitly based on David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) philosophy – in fact the concepts are licensed from David Allen & Co.
OmniFocus for Mac OS continues to receive significant updates: OmniFocus 1.8 (a free update to all OmniFocus users) cleaned up the interface, improved synchronization, and added more automatic housekeeping. I have used both the Mac OS application and the iPhone app as my primary task manager since July 2009. OmniFocus was first available as a Mac OS application, followed by an iPhone/iPod Touch app in July 2008 and an iPad app in July 2010. The Omni Group’s OmniFocus personal task manager was released in January 2008 and has progressed steadily to the current version 1.8.x.