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I have been writing about Getting Things Done and workflow productivity here for almost two years, and I have fiddled, hacked, and revised my system untold times. I have gone back and forth with digital, paper-based and online applications until I have finally settled on a workflow that works for me. Everyone is different - which is what makes the GTD framework so powerful. It can be adapted to each individual person for their own unique needs.

The power of capture in the cloud

GTD is about productivity, so having to wait for each Capture and Collect operation doesn’t make you feel productive. Paper and Desktop applications are fast, but they lock up your data in just one place. If you happen to forget your notebook or PDA you can be out of luck. One thing that I keep looking for is an online application, offering access to your data from any place and any device, but at the same time behaving as a desktop application in terms of speed. Up to now, I think there is an application that is on its way to achieving this goal: Task Writer.

I have spent some time using this online application, and I like it. Though it is a bit short on features (it is a terrific example of “Ready-Fire-Aim–Fire“), the pieces that I look for are on the way. One of the big turn-offs for some of the online applications that I have tried is the steep learning curve, and how cumbersome it is to enter a new task or capture a thought. Task Writer does not have that problem.

Simpler is better

No matter how great an application is, if it forces you to invest a bunch time to understand its features, and maybe even require that you change the way you work to fit the application, it had better have a fantastic return. I have had an e-mail conversation with one of the reps for Task Writer and this is part of what she said:

We are aiming to keep taskwriter as simple as possible, while offering you all the features you need to get things done. Also, we are now working on interactive tutorials which are going to guide GTD newcomers [simultaneously] through the GTD process and [the] taskwriter [learning curve]. They will have the opportunity to learn about GTD and use taskwriter at the same time.

We are working now at full speed on developing a set of features which is going to allow you to better make use of the application. A few things that are keeping us busy would be an interface for mobile phone, iCal feeds, which is going to offer integration to Google Calendar, offline support, making it possible to work on your tasks without internet connectivity, RSS feeds, email integration (create tasks from email and receive your tasks on email), SMS notifications, smart PDF printing, Excel export, file attachments, google and netvibes widget support and smart tasks lists. Collaborative work is also scheduled for the medium future.

Taskwriter has a very simple interface, and complete customization. Take a look at this screen cap:

Create your own lists and set of contexts, now that is a required feature.

The final word

This is an online app that I am seriously considering. As soon as the e-mail communication is integrated I believe that this will be the online app to look at. Check out Task Writer for yourself.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5e4jxy. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen