Revamping OmniFocus?

Did you start using OmniFocus with the best intentions but find that it got into disarray? We can help you get back on track and avoid future pitfalls.

We’re here to help you unravel your OmniFocus database and restore it to a functional state. We’ll also help you establish habits that will keep OmniFocus useful and relevant so that it becomes a trusted companion as you navigate the sometimes unpredictable journey of life and work.

🚀 OmniFocus 4 has arrived! We’re in the process of updating our content to OmniFocus 4. In the meantime, much of our OmniFocus 3 content applies to OmniFocus 4 as well.

Common OmniFocus Pitfalls

We’ve had the good fortune of serving thousands of OmniFocus users over the years, giving us plenty of insights into why people’s OmniFocus’ usage (and productivity systems in general) go awry.

We encapsulated these insights into what has become (not surprisingly) one of our most popular articles, Common OmniFocus Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them (Free). We recommend reading this article even if your OmniFocus setup is in relatively good shape and needs some fine-tuning.

By far, the most common issue we see is that OmniFocus has become a dumping ground. Getting clear on what to keep in OmniFocus and, equally importantly, what’s best kept elsewhere is key to unlocking OmniFocus’ potential and making it a trusted component of your productivity system.

Getting (and Staying) Back on Track

Inspired by the popularity of Common OmniFocus Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them (Free), we created an in-depth course for Getting Back on Track with OmniFocus (Members).

This course provides guidance for clarifying OmniFocus’ role within your productivity system. It also takes a deep dive into each pitfall, offering practical advice to get your system back on track. We recommend that everyone go through this course. If OmniFocus is already in good shape, it will help maintain this status quo. If OmniFocus has fallen into a state of disarray, it will guide you back to a productive course.

It’s important to note that OmniFocus is just one aspect of your overall productivity system. Other components typically include brainstorming tools (e.g., MindNode, OmniOutliner), a calendar app (e.g., Calendar, Fantastical), and a note-taking app (e.g., Notes, Craft). We’re here to help you use OmniFocus alongside all of these other tools and will even show you how you can use OmniFocus to keep your overall productivity system up-to-date and relevant.

The Importance of Regular Reviews

One key to having a useful, relevant, and trusted productivity system is to perform regular reviews. These reviews can range from short ones performed each day to more in-depth ones performed once a year.

Our Mastering Reviews with OmniFocus course (Members) emphasizes the importance of reviews and gives you practical ways to make them an integral part of your life and work. It emphasizes the importance of identifying and reviewing all parts of your productivity system and shows how complementary productivity apps (e.g., Asana, Trello, Notion) can be used alongside OmniFocus.

Learn OmniFocus Office Hours

We’ve had people join Learn OmniFocus from over eighty countries, representing a wide range of cultures and professions. These small-group (maximum ten people) Learn OmniFocus Office Hours sessions (Members) give you the opportunity to come together in a supportive and engaging way.

Led by Learn OmniFocus Founder Tim Stringer, these sessions can be an excellent way to get support as you revamp your OmniFocus setup and workflows.

Private Coaching & Consulting

Do you want some one-on-one guidance? Consider booking a couple of private sessions with Tim Stringer. He’s been doing this work since 2010 and has worked with people from a wide variety of cultures, professions, and geographies over the years. Tim is also very familiar with apps and services that complement OmniFocus, including many of the ones we feature in our OmniFocus App Directory.