Getting Things Done

If you're looking for a free project management application, then you might be interested in ThinkingRock , a cross-platform, Java based personal organizer that allows you to collect your thoughts and process them into actions, projects, information or future possibilities.

Unlike heavyweight project management applications like Microsoft Project, ThinkingRock embodies a way to organize things according to David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology. GTD is about creating context-specific lists of tasks. These lists can then be organized into tasks, projects and actions as required.

Actions can be done by you, delegated to someone else or scheduled for a particular date. Projects can be organised with ordered actions and sub-projects. You can review all of your actions, projects and other information quickly and easily to see what you need to do or to choose what you want to do at a particular time.


I don't normally organize myself so rigidly but I quite like the idea of GTD and have started giving ThinkingRock a try as it might just suit the way my mind works (a bit random and non-linear). While the XML data file used is small and ideal for storing on a USB drive, it's a pity it's not a web-based application as that'd be ideal for people moving around a lot.

Other project management applications worth checking out are Basecamp, Zoho Projects and KOffice, all of which I've mentioned before in related posts. Added to those are some I haven't looked at yet but almost certainly will soon - Actiontastic, d³, iGTD, myLifeOrganized, Nozbe and Simple GTD.

Related Posts: Online Office Tools, Microsoft Free Word Processing