' This app is the best thing in my life for organising the million and one things I need to do. I love having my to do lists in one place and syncing events with my alerts and calendar. I just wish the events came up on my to do list on that day too as sometimes I forget to look at my events tab.
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Everybody's talking about Things 3. Now that I'm on the bandwagon, here is my take on what makes it presently the best task manager for macOS and iOS — for me at least. Inevitably this mean comparison with what I turned over along the way. Running pathological optimism means I've tried them all, but Todoist got left behind this time round. I'm not here to run that app down, it remains excellent for many reasons — maybe even better in ways that don't matter to my workflow. But, should you be wondering, is Things 3 better than Todoist, perhaps this will be useful.
Todoist or not Todoist
I‘ve only been using Things 3 for a few months. In truth, I'm generally suspicious of trends, so I tried to avoid it while I still had good reason to. Even if I'm only making excuses, I need more than new and shiny. Thankfully, a genuine reason presented itself when my Todoist subscription was up for renewal. The cost of renewing that sub wasn't much less than buying the Things 3 suite outright. Between the annually recurrent cost, and various Todoist annoyances, it was worth kicking the tyres. As it turned out, a trial on macOS convinced me to jump.
Initially there were two features I missed from Todoist. I'm over them both already. First, the API allowed me to use Zapier, and/or IFTTT for various automations. Second is the natural language parsing for task entry. At least I missed that until I realised it's either a bonhomie for laziness, or an easy way to fill up a task list with lots of nonsense you'll never do. Never mind that with a keyboard the difference in keystrokes is minimal. I'm not saying I wouldn't like to see better natural language support added to Things 3 — it does include some basic date parsing abilities — but it doesn't come close to being the show stopper I thought it might. If anything, the relative slowdown — minimal as it is — helps add a little more deliberation into the process.
To the first point, with native automation Cultured Code has made significant inroads to mitigate some of the abilities lost by not having an API. By all accounts, the recent addition of a deep, and flexible URL scheme is just the beginning, with other innovations on the way.I would argue that inter-app automation is not just as useful, but in some ways more relevant. The automation I used most would automatically copy editorial tasks to Trello. I was able to create an analogue of that on iOS, using Workflow. Anyone who complains about the ‘extra step' of pushing a button could look out the window once in a while.
Native inter-app automation breaks dependence on the web. In the process it cuts back the surface area of data-sharing with third-parties. More than that, there is an immediacy to working locally that allows for sharing rich data. Being able to delineate notes, mind maps, or outlines into actions opens up all kinds of possibility for continuity. Particularly for a writing workflow. This makes a lot of sense for academic work, research, and writing. Or for any other kind of work that includes creative planning.
It's true the barrier to entry for URL based automation is a little higher than web automation. It's not that it's difficult to grasp, more that building the links themselves can be tedious. Cultured Code appear wise to this, having created a link building tool on their website. With nothing left to miss, one can enjoy all the benefits delivered by clever design choices, and opinionated simplicity. Ironically, my biggest concern over both those features was the possibility for double handling and time wasting. And yet, Things 3 is both an app I would rather spend time using, and one I don't have to.
Subtleties
Things 3 Windows
While these new automation features are getting all the attention right now, it's a couple of subtle, but significant design choices that make Things 3 so effective. I found the flexibility of Todoist equal parts powerful and beguiling. Getting the most from it requires one to configure projects, labels, and priorities to facilitate query filters built around those different pieces of metadata. If you get it right you can contextualise your workload with extremely specific queries. This is a major strength if you need that kind of detail, however, with so much configuring, and fiddling to get it right, it can also be a headache. I never felt like I had it configured very well, so the temptation to reconfigure always hovered.
Things 3 is completely different. I'm not going to run through all of its features, there are better places for that. For my money, what makes Things 3 worth recommending is a couple of subtleties that mean I spend less time managing my task list.
The first touch is indicative of the user experience in general. The way Things 3 handles the inbox. Processing is simple, a task only requires one touch for removal from view. If all you ever want to do is put due dates on your tasks, Things 3 will consider them processed and essentially remove them from view, until the day they require actioning. If you're wired to slowly disintegrate when faced with growing clutter, this is priceless. Most task mangers have some kind of filtered view to show you only the tasks you need to see, but they all require a lot more interaction. Things 3 is designed to cut back on over-processing by making it extremely simple to get a hold on what needs doing. In that way it's the opposite of Todoist, but that doesn't mean it is without flexibility.
The emphasis in the Things 3 user experience is on aesthetics. As a method for task management, it leans on visual organisation. Elements like headings, tags, and manual ordering, can be employed in the myriad ways. They can even constitute productivity systems favoured by nerds. On the flipside, Things offers enough customisation to avoid forcing users into an inflexible, or totalising system. Configuration requires little fuss if simplicity is your thing. Or, the various organisational delimiters apply to whatever bespoke version of getting things done you run with.
Data Security
With this app being written about so much, I might surprised to have hardly seen security mentioned, if it weren't for the fact this is an area that very little light is shined on in general with task managers. Given I was using Todoist, it would be a little rich to take Things 3 to task over security holes. I would argue that Todoist does the minimum required for data security; they could do more. While the mechanics are similar, it's a fact that Things 3 is better than Todoist on security. Cultured Code use better encryption, and provide better insight into what they are doing. Nonetheless, the proprietary syncing would be dramatically improved with client side encryption.
From a personal point of view — and this was the same stance I had with Todoist — should anyone hack them, my own task list would not be the most exciting or revelatory reading. Unfortunately, in taking this stance I'm part of the problem, as it overlooks the importance of data security in general. Users so commonly make these kinds of compromises, we excuse developers from making improvements. Who can blame them for focusing on the squeeky door? A little more noise would go a long way to ensuring security standards are improved more generally.
Cultured Code suggests they may add client side encryption ‘at a later time', I would add that it is on users to ensure they do that by making clear it is necessary. This remains an opportunity for them, especially considering the OmniGroup are setting the standard for end-to-end encryption in their software. Which means, if you cannot afford to compromise on security at all, I would recommend using OmniFocus. With all the changes coming this year, OmniFocus is worth keeping an eye on. Should they drastically improve the user experience, the security factor will have me sorely tempted to jump again. In the meantime, if you're using Things 3, know that your data is pretty secure, but not that secure.
Is Things the best Task Manager for macOS and iOS?
That seems to be the question everyone wants answered, but changing your task manager for the sake of it is madness. Unless it's your hobby, in which case I can't help you. 1 If you have something that is working well for you nEverybody's talking about Things 3. Now that I'm on the bandwagon, here is my take on what makes it presently the best task manager for macOS and iOSow, I'm an advocate for the ‘ain't broke, don't fix it' adage. On the other hand, if you're struggling with an unnecessarily complex setup, or software that ends up being another thing to manage, you could do a lot worse than give Things 3 a look. It is being talked about with good reason. 2 If you have never used a task manager before, choosing the right one can be confusing, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to new users.
For my own purposes, right now Things 3 is the best task manager for macOS and iOS. While not perfect by any means, it manages to walk the fine line between simplicity, and customisation. Again, my aim is not to deride Todoist, nothing has stopped it bearing the standard for cross platform support, collaboration, and web automation. But, if you're already half way out the door, in many ways I have found Things 3 better than Todoist.
For macOS users, a free trial for Things 3 is available, or you can pick it up on the Mac App Store. Unfortunately, the iOS app is not universal, so you do have to buy seperate apps for iPhone and iPad. Although, that does mean if you want to try it out on iOS without going all in, you can purchase the cheaper iPhone version to get started.
- Unless I can recommend a good book ↩
- For one thing, it is the first task manager that hasn't found a way to truly annoy me. ↩
This post is part of the Hogg Foundation's '3 Things to Know' blog series, which explains concepts influencing community mental health and our grantmaking. Check out others in this series: Trauma-informed Care, Recovery, Healthy Equity, Social Determinants of (Mental) Health, Resilience and Well-Being.
Most people are familiar with the concept of being humble. To be humble is to demonstrate 'humility,' which is commonly defined as 'freedom from pride or arrogance.' What, then, might it mean to practice 'cultural humility,' a phrase often seen in areas related to mental health care and social advocacy?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines cultural humility as 'a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique whereby the individual not only learns about another's culture, but one starts with an examination of her/his own beliefs and cultural identities.' The term was first coined in 1998 by healthcare professionals Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-García, who originally described cultural humility as a tool to educate physicians to work with culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse populations in the United States. The concept, however, carries meaning for any clinical researcher or social advocate who is studying and/or working with someone different from themselves – in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, or geographic location – in any cultural context and in any part of the world.
Here are three things to know about cultural humility:
1. We move between several different cultures – often without even thinking about it.
Though the term 'culture' is often used when describing different ethnic or religious affiliations, most people experience and participate in different cultures just by moving through their daily lives. For example, a person's family or home culture will likely have distinctly different qualities and behavioral expectations than their work culture, school culture, or social group culture. Because the overall purpose of practicing cultural humility is to be aware of one's own values and beliefs, it is important to understand that those notions come from the combination of cultures that people experience in their everyday lives. A person cannot begin to understand the makeup and context of another person's life without being aware and reflective of their own background and situation first.
2. Cultural humility is distinct from cultural competency and reflexivity.
Things 3 Vs Notion
It is important to know the differences between cultural humility and closely related concepts like cultural competency and reflexivity. Cultural competency is a tool for leveling imbalanced patient-provider power dynamics. The shortcomings of this practice, however, have been identified by researchers who reviewed frequently used cultural competency measures. They found that in many frequently used competency measures, whiteness was understood and represented as the norm. Cultural incompetence is then framed as being due to a lack of knowledge about the ‘other.' In short, the goal of cultural competency is to learn about the other person's culture rather than reflect on one's own background. Reflexivity, on the other hand, calls on researchers to explore their own personal beliefs in order to be more aware of potential judgements that can occur during data collection and analysis. It is the research practice of placing oneself within the experience of the participant and then examining the participant-researcher relationship. But even reflexivity falls short of the lifelong process of self-reflection that is synonymous with cultural humility.
3. Cultural humility requires historical awareness.
It is not enough to think about one's own values, beliefs, and social position within the context of the present moment. In order to practice true cultural humility, a person must also be aware of and sensitive to historic realities like legacies of violence and oppression against certain groups of people. For example, the Public Health Service's Syphilis Experiment at Tuskegee serves as a tragic reminder of how African Americans have been historically deprived of adequate healthcare and have experienced abuse and disrespect in the name of clinical research. The history of mistrust between vulnerable populations and public health institutions has led to understandable skepticism about the purpose and outcomes of research. In order to build trust, the historic, systemic reasons for mistrust must be excavated and made visible. These reasons include the history of slavery, racism, segregation, and more recent lived experience of disrespect at the hands of healthcare providers. By recognizing the failures of the past, researchers, clinicians, providers, and advocates can all contribute to building a better future that is founded in practices of cultural humility.
Wild Things 3
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