A behind the scenes look at how Learn OmniFocus Founder, Tim Stringer uses OmniFocus to manage his multifaceted life.
Tim Stringer took centre stage on Learn OmniFocus LIVE to talk about how he’s using OmniFocus in concert with complementary apps and services to manage and balance his multifaceted life. He shares details of his folder structure, contexts and perspectives and takes us on a tour of the OmniFocus workflows he engages in on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
Tim emphasizes that productivity is a practice that is cultivated over time and stresses the importance of being intentional and focused. Inspired by Stephen Covey’s teachings, he also talks about the importance of paying attention to both the clock and the compass; it’s all too easy to get caught up in day-to-day efficiencies and to lose track of the bigger picture.
Referenced Apps
The following apps were referenced during the session:
- Focus – The Focus productivity timer app is available for Mac and iOS/Apple Watch and is designed to support the popular Pomodoro technique. Focus uses iCloud to sync the active timer and tasks between Macs, iOS and Apple Watch devices.
- Streaks – Slack is an award winning habit tracking app that runs on the iPhone and Apple Watch and helps to cultivate new habits. It provides integration with Apple’s Health app, making it particularly well suited to developing health-related habits.
- AnyList – Among other things, AnyList provides a convenient way to create and share grocery shopping lists. There’s free app for iPhone and iPad that includes automatic Reminders import and shared lists. There’s also a premium option available that adds some additional features and unlocks Mac and web-based versions of AnyList.
Also check out the OmniFocus App Directory, a growing database of apps that support or complement OmniFocus.
Additional Learning on Learn OmniFocus
During the session Tim referenced some specific content on Learn OmniFocus. Please note that a Learn OmniFocus Membership is required to access most of this content.
- Using OmniFocus in a Team Setting – Learn how to use OmniFocus alongside collaborative solutions, including Asana, Trello, Basecamp and Daylite. This session recording also shows how Zapier can be used to automate the creation of OmniFocus actions.
- Automating OmniFocus – Learn how to add convenience and efficiency to your OmniFocus workflows using AppleScript and apps such as Keyboard Maestro for Mac and Drafts for iOS. This session recording expands on the brief demos that Tim included in the session.
- Using FastScripts with OmniFocus for Mac – FastScripts allows you to conveniently access your OmniFocus scripts, without cluttering up the OmniFocus toolbar. Watch this video learn how to install and configure FastScripts.
- Project Templates in OmniFocus 2 for Mac – If you find you’re creating the same types of projects over and over again, it’s likely worth you while to create one or more project templates. This video shows you how.
- Performing Weekly Reviews with OmniFocus 2 for Mac – This video provides an in-depth look at the Weekly Review project that Tim showcased during the session.
- Complete & Await Reply with OmniFocus Mac (Pro) – As demonstrated during the session, you can use the “Complete & Await Reply” AppleScript to mark an item complete and automatically create a “Waiting” action. This short video shows you how to install and use this handy script.
- Creating Actions with TextExpander on Mac & iOS – During the Q&A portion of the session, Tim touched on how to use TextExpander with OmniFocus. This video goes into more depth on this subject and includes some TextExpander snippets to add to your library.
Tim also referenced session recordings from workflows guests on Learn OmniFocus LIVE, including Kourosh Dini, Sven Fechner, Joe Buhlig, David Sparks and Shawn Blanc.
About Tim Stringer
Learn OmniFocus Founder, Tim Stringer discovered David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology in 2008 while facing a Stage 4 cancer. The deep lessons form his healing journey combined with his new perspective on life and productivity has taking him down a very fulfilling and productive path.
Tim is a called upon public speaker and was interviewed by David Allen as part of the David Allen Company’s “In Conversation” series after writing an article for the GTD Times blog. He also had the honour of starring in the the Omni Group’s first Customer Stories video and of giving a talk on his Holistic Productivity™ approach to productivity at the Omni Group’s inaugural OmniFocus Setup event in San Francisco.
See the About Tim Stringer page for more information.