Things is for getting shit done
While Notion is my workspace, Things is my time management tool. Both are core to my digital ecosystem and together fulfill what I need in a digital workspace.
When I’m looking for something to do, Things is what I open.
Every day I make sure to plan for tomorrow, which involves looking through Things, seeing what needs to be done, and aligning the time and energy I have available with the tasks I have the option of completing.
Of course, lots of this is mentally managed, but if there is a “thing to do” then it is captured and assigned in Things.
- Deadlines
- Tasks
- Projects
- Priority actions
- Those things to one day get to but not right now
Personal projects, work projects, household projects, community projects, and so much more.
I use a PARA approach to organizing Things: Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive
The areas I include are Life, Work, Household, Marley, Communities. Each “Area” can have tasks allocated, and can also have projects created. Within each project I manage the nitty gritty details from start dates to deadlines.
Tags are used to reference the type of work, so if my mind is in a creative mode I can create things, or if it’s unfocused I can cross off little things. I also tag them by time: 5 mins, 15 mins, 60 mins, 90+ mins. That way I can look up what’s available in a given time frame when I find myself looking for something to do.
Recently I’ve been linking Things to Craft docs because the biggest drawback to Things is its inability to include rich text notes and attachments. So, I use Craft—my workspace—to contain the body of work related to a task or project. Most tasks don’t need this, but for the ones that have reference materials I add them.
Things has been my Number One app for….5+ years now? At least? I’ve flirted with others but none can rival the balance of beauty, simplicity, and capability Things offers.