On Tuesday we put out our call for the best applications that help you practice the Getting Things Done productivity system, and from a mighty list of viable contenders, we've taken your votes and determined the five most popular of the bunch. Your choices span a wide range—you'll be surprised by some of the tools many of your peers are using to boost their productivity and get things done. Let's take a closer look at the five most popular GTD tools, then you can cast your ballot for the single best GTD app to rule them all.
Remember the Milk (Web-based)
Popular for its web accessibility—which makes it a cross-platform solution you can access from any computer—Remember the Milk lures users with its robust to-do list management options and its constant innovation. With tight integration with Gmail, Google Calendar and support for working offline with Google Gears, RTM is helping serious GTDers do a lot more than just remember the milk. If you're new to RTM but intrigued, check out our introduction to getting organized with RTM. RTM is free to use, but a pro account is available if you need more than what's offered with the free version.
Microsoft Outlook (Windows)
Those of us who don't use Microsoft Outlook stay at a safe distance, but those whose office lives depend on what's still the corporate standard email, to-do, and calendar suite, Outlook's become an appendage they can't live without. Of course, that's not to say that Outlook couldn't use some tweaking. Readers who prefer getting things done with Outlook also sing the praises of add-ons like the previously mentioned Jello.Dashboard, GTD Outlook Add-in, and the Outlook and OneNote one-two punch. As with most things Microsoft, Outlook will cost you.
ThinkingRock (Windows/Mac/Linux)
Free, open source GTD application ThinkingRock is one of the few desktop apps that boasts cross-platform support. ThinkingRock is also the first app on our list that's specifically built around the GTD methodology; users emphasize its robust feature set and strict implementation of GTD. This one does come with a bit of a learning curve, but those willing to make the time investment find it pays off in spades. (original post)
OmniFocus (Mac)
Like ThinkingRock, OmniFocus emphasizes implementing and streamlining GTD on your computer. Since OmniFocus is Mac-only, it can integrate tightly with OS X, including hooks into iCal and Mail.app. Users are also excitedly awaiting a promised iPhone/iPod touch application, which will sync all the goods of OmniFocus for on-the-go GTD. OmniFocus will set you back around $80 for a license. (original post)
