SimpleGTD

I wrote about my dismay at Google Notebook's despise a few days ago.  Removing a key cog in my GTD system was bad mojo.  Google has put the writing on the wall for Notebook, they say Notebook will still work for me now and into forever.  Riiiiight...

As Jason Scott put so eloquently: F*** the Cloud.

But, the cloud is useful.  And since I'm constantly hooked in, it only makes sense to use an internet application to keep track of all those nit-noid little tasks that pop into life when a pen and paper aren't handy, but strangely, a computer attached to the internet is up and running.  I needed to replace Google Notebook with a cloud that wasn't about to dissipate soon.

My system didn't follow all the tenets of a good GTD system, but it got the central point: nothing was kept in my head.  And the system was easy enough to use that I maintained it for a number of months.

My criteria were: fast, simple, and drag and drop.  The most important for me is simple.  A simple system is easier to maintain.  Complicated applications are nice for the added features, but not for my intended use.

I looked at a number of suggested replacements for Notebook, and really only took serious looks at a few.  Google Docs is simply a non-starter - the interface is too slow, too complicated, and not as drag-and-drop friendly as I'd like.  I actually can't believe that they suggested this as a viable replacement.  The appeal of Notebooks over Docs was the simplicity and speed.

I tried GMail Tasks for a few days.  It's integrated into GMail, it's fast, and I can drag and reorder tasks (within a list); however, I disliked the fact that I could not access them from a separate webpage.  I had to go through GMail.  The integration aspect is wonderful - except when it's not.  Email distracts me, and I like to open up my email only periodically to avoid frittering away time clicking refresh.  I appreciate the intention, but it doesn't work for me.  If I have email open to look at my tasks, it's too tempting.

I tried Zoho Notebook, but their interface was slower than I liked and the interface was too complicated for my purposes.  I could insert individual notes and drag them around within a page, but I couldn't drag between pages or notebooks.

I looked at Evernote, the interface is snappier, it's on a number of platforms, and I can drag and drop, but the interface just feels too much for what I need.

I'm really picky about simplicity and that's where most of these Notebook replacements fell flat.

I was almost despairing when I found SimpleGTD.  It's fast, simple, it has drag-and-drop between contexts.  As an added bonus, because it is GTD centric, my system improved.  I actually follow the projects/next actions principle more closely than I did with Google Notebook.  I can go to a single page and tell you everything that I need to get done.

I also realize how much I was actually missing with my Google Notebook based system.  What makes this system great is the way it automatically moves your project next actions to your next actions lists.  When you finish a Next Action, you check a box and it disappears.  The author seems to be actively engaged with his user base.  If you used Notebook for GTD, then you should take a look at SimpleGTD.