In one of my recent posts I wrote about how I completely switched to using only Apples stock apps for my productivity workflow. Where I briefly touched on how the rabbit hole of productivity apps, systems and workflows had been getting up to me and eventually made me feel overwhelmed.
Which resulted in me not getting my actual work done, and instead spent time in one another app instead of doing what I should. I then decided to convert back and simplify things by using Apples stock apps only.
Now, I am still mostly using the default apps on my Mac and iPhone. However, after sticking with my last workflow for some time, I found a few minor hindrances that I thought needed to be addressed.
I believe this is a great approach — using your tools as long as you don’t encounter any problems or inconveniences. If you do, it may be wise to search for alternative tools that could solve the issues. I know that trying new apps can be really fun for those of us interested in such things, and I’m not suggesting you should avoid it. But be cautious before switching, as it takes time to learn a new approach for a new app, and moving all your data around can also be time-consuming. Ensure you have done your research and at least tried the software before deciding to make a switch, so you don’t end up wanting to switch back again.
We don’t need to go into depth on why I switched from Apple Reminders to Things 3. However what I wrote in the post I mentioned above, was that I only used Apple Notes for managing all my projects, which also included all the projects tasks, which I usually kept on a pinned note in the projects folder. However, after having some bigger assignments in school containing a lot of tasks, I stubbled on some problems which caused me to almost miss important deadlines. Which of course I found problematic, and indicated that something wasn’t working as it should.
Therefore I simply decided to try Things 3, as they have a great approach for managing project-related tasks in a very simple and straight forward way. And I must say, I have no regrets taking the decision as I now have improved my workflow even more, and would defently say that I am spending less time organising and managing my tasks overall. I simply ”trust my system”, and have been since start of doing the switch.
I don’t want to make this into a review of Things 3 as an application, there are a bunch of other articles and videos doing just that. What I want however, is to go through what I dislike about reminders and what the main reasons for switching was.
Things that were missing in Apple Reminders
- Lack of keyboard shortcuts
- No ”project” approach
- No deadlines
- Less intuitive UI compared to Things 3
- Overall speed
My reasons for switching
- Lack of keyboard shortcuts
Compared to Reminders, Things 3 has superior keyboard shortcut support on the Mac for quickly navigating and accessing all the features. Which makes it a breeze to use and really speeds up everything you do.
- No real ”projects” approach
Reminders instead use lists which probably isn’t a problem for most people, but I much prefer Things approach of having projects that you complete when they are done and are sort of temporary. Every project you create in Things also has support for notes at the top of the projects page, which is really convenient for pasting URLs or jotting down some notes. I ususally link back to the Apple Note I have for the project here as well, with the help of a Raycast extension. Also, Apple Notes supports linking to specific projects within Things, so I can quickly navigate around the two.
2. No deadlines
Having assignments in school, this has been a life saver for me. I can easily differentiate my start dates which is the date I will start working on a project, and due dates which is the last day I have on me to get the project done, otherwise there will be consequences.
3. Bad UI compared to Things 3
Even though Apples software have a great design, I find Things 3 to be that much better. The feeling of using it, both on Mac and the iPhone is so much more enjoyable which I do appreciate as a tech geek.
4. Overall speed
Now Apple Reminders isn’t slow by any means, however navigating around the app, specially on the Mac is just not intuitive at all. For example, assigning a date for a task is a hazel, as the little popup window for selecting the date is really small and it makes it very easy to accidentally miss click.
On the iPhone I would say it’s better, but the workflow in Things is really superior. There are different ways of assigning dates to task, but what I usually do is to just type the date with words as Things support some basic natural language for inputing dates.
The gestures on iPhone also are a lot better in Things, it has a quick find feature which you easily can activate by swiping down on the screen and literally search for anything. This includes, tasks, words, dates, projects, areas, headings within projects and so on.
Hope you found this post enjoyable. If you’re interested in reading more about these kind of things, please let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading :)
