Hi everyone!
In these first weeks of the year we have been going over everything that we have left unfinished in previous plans and the suggestions most frequently requested by our users. We have also been reflecting on all the new things we would like to do in the future, which are quite a few. We have an extensive Someday/Maybe list!
The goal of this process was to have a clear inventory of all the things we can do and prioritize those that we think will have the most positive impact on our users’ lives. Our purpose continues to be to offer a personal management platform that helps people make progress in their lives, achieving a productive, calm and fulfilling lifestyle.
In general terms, these are the projects on which we will focus this year, grouped into blocks of different types:
- Develop new features to help implement the GTD methodology in a more complete and simple way: Mind Sweep, Natural Project Planning, and Project Templates.
- Improve existing features to make them more complete and robust, and allow for a more dynamic workflow. We will improve calendar integration with read-only calendars, calendars associated with Focus Areas, and color assignment to distinguish calendars; improve the design and usability of the Clarify and Engage sections; introduce improvements that facilitate workflow (undo last change, advanced search options, etc.).
- Complete the functionality of the mobile apps and improve their usability. New features we expect to add during the year are Agendas and collaborators, Routines, and Perspective.
- Improve integration with other systems. We will integrate FacileThings with Zapier or Make, which will allow connecting the app with hundreds of widely used apps. The goal is that people who want to use FacileThings for a comprehensive personal management can do it, even if they have to use other applications in their company. We will create beautiful PDF reports that the user can take to their meetings or export to other systems. We will create a public API that will allow developers to integrate FacileThings with their company’s IT systems.
- Technology enhancements. We will upgrade all systems and programming libraries to avoid security holes and improve overall system performance. We will also upgrade servers to improve response speed.
- Educate. GTD and FacileThings do not have an easy learning curve. We have been able to observe that those users who have a basic knowledge of the methodology have a much better experience and get more out of using the application. It is therefore important to help our users understand the productive principles on which the system is based, especially when they are starting out. We are preparing a Getting Started Guide to get you started with FacileThings in the most effective way possible. We will also create an educational portal with all the necessary content to learn GTD and get the most out of FacileThings.
- Innovate. We are always working on side projects that we think will be useful in the future. This year we will start developing a new alternative web application, with a technology that allows working on any device, with or without internet connection (we will publish a Beta version as soon as a minimum functionality is available). We are researching and analyzing artificial intelligence algorithms that would generate valuable information and allow any user to improve their personal effectiveness, regardless of their GTD level of implementation.
Specifically, these are the projects we will be working on during the first months of the year:
- Upgrade the servers to achieve better performance and higher processing speed.
- Update the versions of all the libraries and software packages we use, in order to avoid security problems and facilitate the continuous improvement of both the web application and the mobile apps.
- Improve and redesign the Account section. There will be a new billing section for the user to manage their own invoices and a new utility to clean the account data.
- Launch a new version of the mobile app that will include the Collaborators option, so that you can always have the Agenda of issues to track at hand when you meet someone.
- Develop a new “Mind Sweep” option that will allow to perform, in a guided way, a massive capture of to-dos. This is something that should be done when starting to implement a GTD system and, afterwards, whenever necessary.
- Create a FacileThings/GTD Startup Guide. The first version will be in ebook format.
- Design and implement a new onboarding process for new users.
- Create a set of PDF reports that allow to visualize, with an appropriate design and in one place, comprehensive information about lists, projects, collaborators, etc.
I will let you know every month (or every two months, depending on our progress) where we are at, what improvements have been completed and published, and what others we will work on in the next period.
That’s all for now. Once again, I want to thank you all for your willingness to point out needs and suggest improvements that make FacileThings a better personal productivity system.
9 comments
Hi FacileThings Team.
I would like to know if you plan at one moment to integrate FacileThings with notion ?
Best regards,
David
Hi FacileThings Team.
I would like to know if you plan at one moment to integrate FacileThings with notion ?
Best regards,
David
Excellent goals for the coming year. I am particularly excited about the offline capabilities and hope such functionality will be available for the web and iOS applications as quickly as possible. Project templates are another feature I've been looking forward to for some time, and I am eager to see them implemented. The calendar updates that allow us to focus on Areas of Focus will be very much welcome. Please consider allowing users to define the Areas of Focus route to what calendar. For example, my "Dad" Area of Focus I want to be recorded on my calendar, and my "Project Management Office" Area of Focus on the professional calendar.
I am saddened to see nothing specific about improving the Note field in the tasks. Some improvements can still be made. For example, a larger area when editing the notes and adding a shortcut key to add dates and times automatically.
I suggest FT consider leaning on its user base to assist with the GTD "Getting Started Guide" and education portal. The application's users know GTD very well and can be leveraged to assist new and existing users as a community of like-minded and supportive individuals. There is a Reddit community for FT already, and I would very much like to see it leveraged to work with FT and further empower the application users to be even more successful.
Excellent goals for the coming year. I am particularly excited about the offline capabilities and hope such functionality will be available for the web and iOS applications as quickly as possible. Project templates are another feature I've been looking forward to for some time, and I am eager to see them implemented. The calendar updates that allow us to focus on Areas of Focus will be very much welcome. Please consider allowing users to define the Areas of Focus route to what calendar. For example, my "Dad" Area of Focus I want to be recorded on my calendar, and my "Project Management Office" Area of Focus on the professional calendar.
I am saddened to see nothing specific about improving the Note field in the tasks. Some improvements can still be made. For example, a larger area when editing the notes and adding a shortcut key to add dates and times automatically.
I suggest FT consider leaning on its user base to assist with the GTD "Getting Started Guide" and education portal. The application's users know GTD very well and can be leveraged to assist new and existing users as a community of like-minded and supportive individuals. There is a Reddit community for FT already, and I would very much like to see it leveraged to work with FT and further empower the application users to be even more successful.
I would really love to see dark mode happen if it isn't already on the radar. I apply special styles through my browser but I can't have the app open on my phone until it has dark mode!
I would really love to see dark mode happen if it isn't already on the radar. I apply special styles through my browser but I can't have the app open on my phone until it has dark mode!
i think the most important is to have an app that is independent of being online.
Where i am the internet is always "low strength" or non-existent.For example, when there is cloud cover, internet coverage and reception is either lost or unpredictably intermittent
i think the most important is to have an app that is independent of being online.
Where i am the internet is always "low strength" or non-existent.For example, when there is cloud cover, internet coverage and reception is either lost or unpredictably intermittent
Cyrus, I really appreciate your comments and we will take them into account when designing both the integration of calendars by focus areas and the educational section. I haven't mentioned note-taking improvements, but they will come in the second half of the year if everything goes as it should.
Likewise, the dark mode is also among the usability improvements for the second half of the year. Thanks for mentioning it, Jeanisam!
David, We haven't considered any kind of integration with Notion yet. How would you want to use such an integration?
Cyrus, I really appreciate your comments and we will take them into account when designing both the integration of calendars by focus areas and the educational section. I haven't mentioned note-taking improvements, but they will come in the second half of the year if everything goes as it should.
Likewise, the dark mode is also among the usability improvements for the second half of the year. Thanks for mentioning it, Jeanisam!
David, We haven't considered any kind of integration with Notion yet. How would you want to use such an integration?
Some really good items in this list!
If looking into Zapier and Make integration, would you also consider IFTTT? I’ve tried both Zapier and IFTTT and found the latter to be easier to use and more reliable. I’d not actually heard of Make before, so not sure how widespread it is.
The alternative web application sounds intriguing, and the use of AI algorithms could be very useful (having played with ChatGPT recently, I can see the potential here). While I actually quite like the FacileThings web interface, I can see how new users might find it a bit overwhelming or even dated when compared with the UX of many productivity applications on the market right now.
I like Cyrus’ comments regarding enhancing the notes are with a bigger editing windows and shortcut keys for adding dates and times. Also agree that the FT group in Reddit should be promoted more to increase communication between users.
Finally, from a security perspective, I’d like to see support for Google Authenticator-type multi-factor authentication.
Some really good items in this list!
If looking into Zapier and Make integration, would you also consider IFTTT? I’ve tried both Zapier and IFTTT and found the latter to be easier to use and more reliable. I’d not actually heard of Make before, so not sure how widespread it is.
The alternative web application sounds intriguing, and the use of AI algorithms could be very useful (having played with ChatGPT recently, I can see the potential here). While I actually quite like the FacileThings web interface, I can see how new users might find it a bit overwhelming or even dated when compared with the UX of many productivity applications on the market right now.
I like Cyrus’ comments regarding enhancing the notes are with a bigger editing windows and shortcut keys for adding dates and times. Also agree that the FT group in Reddit should be promoted more to increase communication between users.
Finally, from a security perspective, I’d like to see support for Google Authenticator-type multi-factor authentication.
Hi Julian,
Make was formerly called Integromat (maybe you heard of that). We'll evaluate IFTTT and other tools as well, and we'll probably end up integrating with more than one.
With that alternative web app we will also try to develop a more modern UX ;)
The Reddit group was created by an FT fan and we cannot take too much care of it at the moment. However, we will follow it closely and contribute as much as we can.
I'm noting down the 2FA suggestion to consider later.
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Hi Julian,
Make was formerly called Integromat (maybe you heard of that). We'll evaluate IFTTT and other tools as well, and we'll probably end up integrating with more than one.
With that alternative web app we will also try to develop a more modern UX ;)
The Reddit group was created by an FT fan and we cannot take too much care of it at the moment. However, we will follow it closely and contribute as much as we can.
I'm noting down the 2FA suggestion to consider later.
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Hi — I’m relatively new to FacileThings but have been using GTD for about 2.5 years now. I’m really enjoying the capabilities of what this software offers. Definitely a bit of a learning curve but it’s getting easier. I feel the flow of my GTD system happens with more ease on this platform than on the others that I’ve tried over the last few years. One of the things I like the best is that I’m more clearly able to work in the different GTD stages in FacileThings. It has definitely made that easier and more obvious to me. I’m excited about the updates that you mention. Regarding Natural Project Planning and other areas of GTD too — you know how there are common reflection questions one can ask themselves — I’d love to see a way for that to be built in. Right now I’ve been making checklists of questions but because you need to toggle between that and notes it’s not super great. I pretty much need to have the same project open in two windows to make it work. I’d love it if there was a way to create reflective questions or project related questions in a template with room for answers to be recorded specific to a project. This would add a lot to projects and would also keep more of my thinking in FacileThings. Anyway — thank you for this software. I’m definitely enjoying it.
Hi — I’m relatively new to FacileThings but have been using GTD for about 2.5 years now. I’m really enjoying the capabilities of what this software offers. Definitely a bit of a learning curve but it’s getting easier. I feel the flow of my GTD system happens with more ease on this platform than on the others that I’ve tried over the last few years. One of the things I like the best is that I’m more clearly able to work in the different GTD stages in FacileThings. It has definitely made that easier and more obvious to me. I’m excited about the updates that you mention. Regarding Natural Project Planning and other areas of GTD too — you know how there are common reflection questions one can ask themselves — I’d love to see a way for that to be built in. Right now I’ve been making checklists of questions but because you need to toggle between that and notes it’s not super great. I pretty much need to have the same project open in two windows to make it work. I’d love it if there was a way to create reflective questions or project related questions in a template with room for answers to be recorded specific to a project. This would add a lot to projects and would also keep more of my thinking in FacileThings. Anyway — thank you for this software. I’m definitely enjoying it.
Hi Jane,
So glad that Facilethings is helping you to execute the GTD workflow in a more intuitive way and I take note of your suggestion to include reflection/project-related questions within the project itself. I think it will be easy once we implement tne Natural Planning process ;)
Thank you!
Hi Jane,
So glad that Facilethings is helping you to execute the GTD workflow in a more intuitive way and I take note of your suggestion to include reflection/project-related questions within the project itself. I think it will be easy once we implement tne Natural Planning process ;)
Thank you!