Software: Things Isn't Syncing

A few months ago, I decided to try a couple of productivity programs.  I picked Things for Mac and OmniFocus, as they both seemed very appealing for slightly different reasons (they are both based on the Getting Things Done, "GTD", system).   I put a each program on my MacBook Pro, and then downloaded the corresponding apps to my iPhone 3GS and iPad2.   After a few months of use, I found that Things was great for single task entries (business, personal, and volunteer related) while OmniFocus was better suited to business related task lists related to larger projects.   This wasn't surprising, as the descriptions of the products indicated that this would be the case.  OmniFocus is cool, and I'll post about it another time.  Today I'd like to air my issue with Things.

What really got me hooked on Things was the ability to whip out my iPhone and write a note to myself.  E.g., I'd be at a happy hour and someone would ask me for something, so I'd put an entry in Things.  Furthermore, I often have my iPad out during meetings, and if a task I wanted to assign myself came up I'd enter it into Things for iPad.  I would then sync Things between the iPhone and iPad and MacBook (to do this, you have to open things on your Mac and then open the Things app on the device you want to sync).  What I found was that while I would enter tasks into Things on the mobile devices, I would actually sit down with the Mac to execute the list.  I got used to this system.  My productivity spiked.  And then, the damn thing stopped syncing.

I don't know what has happened, but for the past few weeks every time I have opened Things for the iPhone it reports a failed sync and then crashes.  The iPad is just as uncooperative, and after the iOS5 update (which erased all of my apps) Things is empty and it won't sync.   I have looked into the problem, and I can't tell if it's an upgrade issue with iOS5.  I have Lion on my MacBook and iOS5 on the iPad.  I'm going to buy an iPhone 4S instead of putting iOS5 on my current phone.  But, regardless of the lack of iOS5 on the phone, I have installed all of the current upgrades across devices and checked settings.  Things still isn't working.

So, all I can tell you is that Things for Mac rocks in conjunction with Things for iPhone and iPad.   If you are distracted by constantly having to deal with business issues, Things is like a trusted personal assistant. But, Things as a stand alone on each platform doesn't do much for me.  I'm putting tasks I think of while out of the office onto OmniFocus sometimes, but more often than not I'm just writing myself reminders in Evernote.  Once Things sorts out the syncing or I figure out the solution, I'll post about it.  In the mean time, I'd recommend OmniFocus or Evernote for personal productivity over Things.

Office: Productivity

Pictured: my docked laptop and telephone headset.


First of all, I appreciate the irony of posting about productivity while I myself am being incredibly non-productive. I can't help it. I'm waiting for an important call and I don't want to get sidelined by another project. I mean, why else would I chose to blow up my Twitter and send an absurd amount of personal email in the middle of the afternoon? So, I've decided to channel that energy into magnanimity and share with you my three favorite office tools:

1. Docking Station: This gives you the best of having a laptop and a desktop. I ordered one for my office and one for my residence. I think they were $125/ea from Dell, and it has been money well spent. Now I have the mobility of the laptop for travel, remote work, etc., but the ability to quickly plug into/out of a system of peripherals. Being a large dude, I have large hands. Thus, I love being able to use a full size keyboard and mouse (wireless are best) when working at home or in the office. If you are a laptop user, I highly recommend getting a dockable laptop and a docking station if you don't have this capability already.

2. Wide Screen Monitor: Having easy access to wide screen monitors is a side benefit of using the docking station, but the large monitor has enough benefits to merit a separate mention. I have a 23" Samsung SyncMaster in my office, and some sort of 23" LG at home. The additional screen real estate is great for working with two application windows open to full size and placed side by side. Obviously, a dual monitor system would be preferable; however, a wide 23" and up can handle the job of two applications on screen with ease. E.g., comparing documents side by side is a breeze, as is cutting and pasting blocks of text as you assemble a new document from source documents. Also, it's a great size for using MS Outlook and working with large spreadsheet on Excel. Bottom line is: the $250 or so for the monitor is quite worthwhile.

3. Telephone Headset: These are not just for telemarketers. As a lawyer and as a business owner, I frequently have long phone conversations which involve some sort of computer use and/or note taking. The speaker on my Cisco IP phone is fine, but it is not very private on my end and people have trouble understanding me on the other end unless I am very loud. I don't always feel like broadcasting my conversations to the entire office, thus a headset seemed a better option. The Plantronics headset (pictured) above was about $80 at Office Depot. I bought it as a trial before splurging on a wireless Bluetooth system. The headset has been very useful, as I find that it has made collaboration while on the phone much, much easier. Now I just need a Bluetooth set up so I can pace around my office while talking to people.