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(in a nutshell...) I like the Getting Things Done (GTD) method for organizing my life and am using it more and more often. I work in a few different places using all three major operating systems: Linux, Apple and Windows. Gmail is containing half of my important information. So, I needed an a Time Management tool that I could use it anywhere, would be flexible, highly customizable and also include Gmail as one of the main options. I also use Treo syncing it with Google Calendar via GCALDaemon, thus Google Calendar had to be implemented as well.

I tried Thinking Rock (with Dropbox), GTD Inbox,  Vitalist, and Todoist.

I ended up using Gmail with Multiple inboxes, displaying Google Calendar as gadget, iGoogle with multiple tabs for the various locations displaying one or more Google Tasks.

(the whole story...) Thinking Rock is one great piece of GTD software. It's Java based, thus compatible with all three main operating systems: Linux, Apple and Windows. It has a host of useful features and one can pretty good organize its own time with it, following the GTD philosophy.

Dropbox is an amazingly simple and clever file sharing platform. Also compatible with Linux (Nautilus), Apple and Windows. You create an account with dropbox, and then the installer creates a folder (usually in your home/documents directory). Now you can start moving your files to this folder. You will see the activity status on your little dropbox icon (meaning files are uploaded on the server).
Say you now install install Dropbox on your work computer. Enter your email/password combination and soon all your files from your home Dropbox are moved there. Providing you have a decent modem speed, of course. The only limitation is that the free account gives you 2gb of storage, and the paid up to 10gb. But this is changing as I write this. Check their website.

Thinking Rock (TR) in combination with Dropbox is the perfect solution for organising your life following the Getting Things Done technique on all three major operating systems.

You create/save your TR file in Dropbox and so it becomes accessible everywhere.

The good thing about TR is that it's Java based. Hence universal. But that's also the bad thing, in a sense. Java eats a lot, a lot of memory, and is a bit slow. So, while TR worked perfectly on my home computer, it was just too slow on my school laptops. It came to the point where I needed to wait up to 5 minutes till the program properly opened.

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So, last week I was back on Google to search for a solution.

This time, I was searching for an online solution.

As I say, my life is gmail-centric. I receive to- and send all my emails from Gmail. Private and professional.

Thus I need an online solution, GTD and Gmail-centric.

Tried Vitalist. You can have a trial period with them for up to 45 days, with all features enabled.

It's basically v similar to Thinking Rock, and it's online. You don't worry about memory, saving files and it's reasonably fast.

The only thing that turned me down was that it didn't have any integration with Gmail...

... But Todoist had. With Todoist, you get a small applet that you place it in your Firefox toolbar. When you are in Gmail, you just press that applet, select the Category and simply click ok. Todoist is a free online GTD application. It has a clean and intuitive interface and many features.

But it doesn't have categories nor contexts. I needed a bit more complexity than that.

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There's also GTDInbox, a Firefox Extention. Ambitious script. All the main GTD features and their implementing into Gmail are superb.

But personally, I found it more confusing then simplifying my email flow. I used it for a few weeks and gave it up. It has amazingly intuitive and well GTD-thought system of organization of your gmail-flow. Rich in features and customization possibilities. Simply not for me.

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Finally, I discovered the 'perfect' solution for the Best GTD Online System.

Firstly I started looking again into Google's Tasks. Tasks used to be part of the Labs Gmail gadgets, now it's part of Gmail itself, under Contacts.

Google has plans with, it seems. You can have multiple Task lists. Tasks are entered and reordered easy. Using Tab, one can intend a task, thus getinng close to a project with a few indented tasks.

An email can be entered quickly into the currently (or last) opened task-list by going to More Options.

Google Tasks can be entered as an iGoogle gadget too. And not only that, but many instances of Tasks can be opened on the same or different iGoogle tab.

Having in mind that one can have many iGoogle tabs, the solution for an online GDT system seems very close.

So, at the moment, I use the iGoogle tabs as locations: home, work 1, work 2 etc.

On each of those iGoogle tabs I have created 3-4 Tasks lists with different projects, that are mainly done in those locations.  I have set up the home page of my browser to open with the certain tab: at home, the home tabs is opened etc.

This way, I have a clear view of the tasks that need to be done on certain projects.

If a certain task has to be executed in more locations, I simply move or open a duplicate tasks lists on the other tab.

Selecting a job a done is seamlessly synchronized with any other copy of Tasks.

The option to select various themes per tab gives also stylish and distinction possibilities.

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Back to Gmail now.

One short headline somewhere on the web gave me an indea.

Gmail > Labs > multiple inboxes.

One of the GTD's goal is maintaining Zero Inbox level. Multiple inboxes can actually help you with this.

Simply, there are 5 additional Gmail panes and you can select which email goes here. You can simply have  Next Action + Waiting + Delegated panes that you populate manually. You can also use the Gmail filters to populate them automatically.

Your creativity is your limit. And Google's decision to give us only 5 additional inboxes, which can placed above, below or side-to-side with your main Inbox.

Finally, Gmail calendar. Can send you email or text reminders.
I use different calendar for my different jobs, having reminders for the more important ones. Most beautiful, it can be displayed in Gmail (Labs) or iGoogle (Gadgets). Also, one can now view Tasks in the calendar pane. Also, tasks with date are entered automatically into the calendar, providing you have enabled it.

So now, using jGoogle with a few tabs and multiple instances of Google Tasks, plus Multiple inboxes on Gmail, plus the Google Calendar  one can be really creative and customize the email and task flow wity a few clicks. Also, all this is done online, thus it can be accessed from anywhere.

And, as i mentioned earlier, there are signs that google is working on further development of Tasks.

Google wants to launch a new, interned focused, Open source Software based Operating System, called Chrome.
So Google needs a Outlook/Evolution or similar replacement.

Tasks, Calendar and Gmail will certainly see further development.