Enhancing Productivity With Apple Notes And Things 3

I want my brain to generate ideas – not to remember things I thought of on a whim and might forget. With increasing responsibilities as an academician, I’ve found that combining Apple Notes with Things 3 creates a powerful system to keep me organized and productive. They also offer seamless synchronization across all my productivity devices, don’t get into any subscription payment model, and provide minimal friction between thinking of an idea and logging it.

Apple Notes is my go-to app for capturing thoughts (the Quick Notes feature, in particular, is amazing) because of its straightforward, simple, and intuitive interface. This isn’t to dismiss the app’s features. Rich text formatting allows me to highlight important points, add checklists, insert images, scan documents, etc. Furthermore, I can share notes with colleagues and collaborate in real-time.

I’ve previously written about Things 3, a “getting things done” (GTD) task management app that excels at project planning and execution, setting deadlines and reminders, and focusing on tasks that need immediate attention while keeping an eye on future goals. Like Apple Notes, Things 3 uses tags and areas to organize tasks, making it easy to filter and find specific items.

From my Apple Notes, I identify actionable items and transfer them to Things 3. This ensures that all tasks are tracked and managed efficiently. For example, if I write a research idea in Apple Notes, I create a corresponding project in Things 3 with tasks to follow up on the idea, gather data, and write a paper. I often include links to specific Apple Notes within my tasks in Things 3. This way, all the necessary information is just a click away when working on a task. For instance, if I’m preparing for a lecture, I’ll have a project in Things 3 with tasks for creating slides, and each task will link to the relevant note containing detailed content.

In the background is Apple Notes, and in the foreground is Things 3 (specifically, the Tags I use). Notice how the categories/folders mirror each other in both applications. This allows me to combine both apps to create a seamless, efficient, consistent system that enhances my productivity. By leveraging the strengths of each app, I can capture ideas and information effortlessly, manage my tasks effectively, and stay organized amidst the demands of my career.