Last time I focused on the event
management aspects of iCal; this week I'll look at the task
management features and tools that I use with iCal.
When it comes down to it, a to-do list (or task list) needs very
few features to work. A basic task list will have a title, a due
date, room for notes, and a way to mark it as "completed". Setting
a task's priority, setting an alarm, or designating a particular
category or calendar are helpful - and for many, necessary -
additions. Anything beyond that and it becomes more than a task
list.
iCal has all of these, and their implementation falls somewhere
between fair and great, depending on how you set up your iCal
window.
By default, both the task list and the Information Drawer (or
window) are hidden, which makes tracking your pending tasks a bit
more tedious. You could use a widget or a menu-style task list
viewer (see below), but if you're trying to streamline the iCal
window itself, it becomes a tradeoff between screen space and
efficiency.
As I mentioned in my last column, I keep iCal as big as I can
with the Information Drawer always open. I also keep the task list
active all the time in every calendar view.
Without this setup, creation of a new task causes a flurry of
action: the task list is invoked and the Information Drawer slides
open (or the window pops up if you have Information detached). Once
you've entered your task item, both the drawer and the list remain
in place, so you have to hide them both manually. (Note: There are
keystroke combinations for both actions, so this is not really a
big deal.)
If, however, you've set up iCal for a minimal screen footprint,
this approach results in a big change in your iCal window. I'd call
that implementation fair.
With my window setup, however, task implementation jumps up to
great as far as I'm concerned. When I create a new task (which can
be done by way of the File menu, but I always use the cmd-K
keystroke), I can start typing the task item right away. A tab or
hard return finishes the creation of a new task, which then remains
selected for additional tweaks via the drawer.
Items in the task list can be sorted by a number of criteria,
which are selectable from the menu at the top of the list. You can
also adjust a few preferences from here (or from the Preference
pane), such as the option of hiding tasks that are outside of the
calendar view - an option I love - and showing or hiding completed
items.
The Preference pane offers additional options of determining the
number of days after completion before hiding a task and the number
of days before a completed task is deleted.
Some readers may want - or need - a more robust task management
system than this. Generally, I consider anything that goes beyond
the basic list, a la iCal's task list, more a project management
system than task management. (In my next column, I'll look at
managing projects using iCal and other software.)
Two Alternatives
There are, however, a few exceptions.
To-Do X is a
very impressive solution for folks who need just a bit more than
what iCal offers. It has expanded categorization and prioritization
options, and it drops an icon in the menu bar for fast access.
To-Do X also offers iCal support, with data import from iCal's
existing task management function.
Another alternative is Life Balance, which uses a
comprehensive view of the tasks in your list to give perspective on
how much (or how little) balance there actually is. Life Balance
contains some features that lean it toward the project management
category, but not quite enough to put it firmly there. However,
Life Balance is not iCal-compatible; it's a stand-alone
application.
iCal Add-ons
There are several tools that I find offer a good complement or
supplement to iCal's task management - and several others that I
don't use but feel are worth mentioning.
DoBeDo
Since I end up using iCal's built-in to-do list function, I
don't find the need to use an external one. I do, however, find
that a little bit of extra access is helpful. The most common way I
accomplish this is through a Dashboard widget called DoBeDo. This
allows me to view my tasks and check them off without invoking iCal
directly. This is particularly helpful if I have iCal minimized.
This full-featured widget allows you to select viewing options,
determine which calendar(s) to view in the widget, and a few other
options (including the curious "printer selector" option - why this
made it onto a widget is beyond me).
A couple of tips about this widget: There are button-like tools
scattered all over the front of it. At the bottom, you'll find page
number, also indicating how many pages of to-do items you have. A
small icon (a leaf?) in the corner flips to the next page - or back
if you're not on page one. Also, clicking directly on the title at
the top - for example, "All" if you've chosen to view all calendars
- will bring up a list of your calendars. From this list you may
choose to view only one or go back to "All". Handy stuff.
By the way, I've tried all of the other available to-do widgets
that claim to work with iCal, and DoBeDo is the only one that
actually delivers on this consistently. Others report similar
findings; it seems that it's either fairly difficult to develop a
good iCal to-do widget or not something that many have bothered
with.
High Priority
Another helpful tool I've used is High Priority.
Actually a Preference pane, this utility puts an icon in your menu
bar that provides a basic pulldown list of your to-do items. It
also allows you to create a new to-do item from the pulldown menu,
something that can make for fast entry if you need to make a quick
note.
The settings options in the preference pane are surprisingly
robust: You'll find a lot more options than you might think would
be available for something this simple. In addition to the basic
display choices, a number of options allow suppression of certain
information: choose how long before completed items are hidden, for
example, or to hide subscribed calendars.
Though I've had High Priority installed for several months, I've
never really adapted to using it. One reason is that a lot of the
options in the pref-pane don't seem to "take", which makes me
frustrated with it. Mainly, though, I think I just don't prefer
this interface.
MenuCalendarClock
Another menu bar option is MenuCalendarClock. This application
brings all of your iCal event data into a pulldown menu, but it
doesn't include tasks. For those who like menus, this can be a good
way to get a quick glimpse of your upcoming events. Dashboard users
might find it redundant, as I did.
iClock
Lately I've been playing with iClock to
see if I like it better than High Priority. One thing I like from
the start: It converts the clock into a full-functioning
information menu. (It actually replaces the clock with its own
version, which is more customizable with display options than the
default Apple clock.) iClock includes a menu for task items,
similar to High Priority's.
I like iClock for a number of the features that it contains, and
I'll mention it more in future articles, but I just don't use the
menu bar enough to benefit from keeping the task menu option
enabled.
Improving iCal
There are a few features I'd like to see in iCal. I'd love to
have tabbing after typing the task item to carry me to the next
information in the Information Drawer rather than simply create the
task. And I'd appreciate a more customizable way of sorting tasks
without it being totally manual - how about a "smart sort" based on
Spotlight?
Finally, I'd like a way to set the default calendar for a new
task (or new event, for that matter) to be created in; it seems
like I'm always in the wrong calendar when I create new items in
iCal.
For day-to-day task management, I find that iCal suits all of my
needs. For larger projects, I supplement iCal with other
applications, but I find that these are more ad-hoc than a regular,
run-my-life kind of operating mode.
Still, I do enough to have a system for that, too - I'll talk
about it in my next column, as well as some other "plays well with
others" iCal features. 
