Overview
Along with Doit.im, Nirvana is one of the best implementations of a GTD system I’ve seen.
These two applications have the same major shortcoming: there is no single Next Action in a project; all new tasks are created as “Next”. I don’t really understand how two companies that build such apt tools for use with the GTD methodology and yet flub such a fundamental component of the concept.
The web platform is built on HTML5 and allows for really slick drag-and-drop operations. Most task attributes can be set by a simple right-click of the task and you can email tasks directly to your inbox as a collection method.
There is an iPhone application that offers most of the features available in the web application. Sadly, the most noticeable thing missing is a way to search your tasks. For all other platforms, you have to rely on the web application. I’ve actually found that I can load the web page on my Android and make changes to it with no signal, and then it will sync when I have a signal again. That’s far too risky in my opinion.
Pros
- Nirvana does allow you to set a project as sequential (as opposed to parallel) which allows you to order tasks.
- Nirvana allows you to separate your projects by Areas of Focus. I never really used Areas until recently I don’t particularly rely on them. I did notice during my research that many GTD practitioners scream about the value of being able to segregate projects by Area.
Cons
- As mentioned, above there is no Next Action status; all tasks are automatically created as “Next Up”. Each project should have a single Next Action, which is defined as the first logical task of those remaining that moves you project toward completion. Sitting at your desk at 4:00 with all of your work done for the day would be the perfect time to look through all of your next actions and pick one to start working on. This isn’t possible with Nirvana.
- The lack of cross-platform application availability really is an issue for me, perhaps to the point that it’s even a showstopper.
- Nirvana does not support subtasks. If this is a problem for you (and for many people, it is) then you need to be aware of this.
Let’s see how the features compare against my list:
| Feature | Description | Nirvana |
| Tasks | Tasks | Yes |
| Subtasks | Subtasks | No |
| Projects | Projects | Yes |
| Contexts | Contexts | Yes, customizable |
| Quick-Add | Put tasks into my inbox either directly to the app or via email, being able to quick add is a plus | No |
| Move Tasks | Move tasks directly to projects from inbox with shortcut keys (as opposed to having to cut, browse, paste) | Yes |
| GTD Hierarchy | Organization hierarchy must include Projects > Tasks > Contexts > Tags | Yes |
| Focus Areas | I wouldn’t mind having another higher level of organization above projects, either as drawers to file projects in, areas of focus, or nested project folders as these things would let me separate Work, Home and Personal projects | Yes |
| Delegates | Assign tasks to delegates (this was done as free text or from a contact on TodoMatrix, which was nice) | Yes |
| GTD Statuses | Use of standard GTD task statuses (Next Action, Waiting, Someday) | Yes |
| Due Dates | Set a deadline/due date | Yes |
| Delegate Due Dates | Set a deadline by which a delegate needs to complete a Waiting For task | No |
| Reminders | Set at least one reminder for the task (TodoMatrix allowed up to three reminders for the task and one for the delegate’s due date) | No |
| Recurring Tasks | Create recurring tasks | Yes |
| Task Ordering | Order tasks (preferably by drag and drop) | Yes |
| Google Sync | Sync with Google Calendar is a nicety, but it’s not something I really need or even know for sure I would use | No |
| Notifications | Some sort of notification badge to let me know that I have tasks aging out | No |
| Views | Time- and context-based views so I can review all items due within three days, or all past due items, or all items with @phone context | No |
| Search | Search functionality to find tasks | Yes |
| Search Filters | Create and save complex search queries and views | No |
| Multi-platform | Multi-platform availability (Web, Windows, Mac, Android) that allows for both cloud storage and offline updates from app | No |
| Offline | Update task list locally while offline for sync later | No |
| Windows | Application that runs on the Windows platform | No |
| Mac | Application that runs on the Mac platform | No |
| Web | Application that runs on the Web platform | Yes |
| Android | Application that runs on the Android platform | No |
| iOS | Application that runs on the iOS platform | Yes |
| Free Trial | Try the application for free for a period of time (days) | Yes |
| Subscription | Cost of subscription or Premium/Pro account | $40/yr |
User Interface
Plainly put, this is one of the nicest interfaces to use and one of the best GTD applications I’ve seen. It’s simple to use and I’m able to add or edit tasks quickly when I need to.
If your primary usage is going to be via web with light reliance on an iPhone app, you can’t go wrong with Nirvana. If you’re a Mac or Android user, or if you frequently need to work somewhere that internet access is not readily available, I’d recommend you try Doit instead.
Developer: NirvanaHQ
Website: http://nirvanahq.com
