MLO - so many great things but integration lacking

[Ultradianguy]

I've just returned to MLO after 4 years of trying various other systems in a GTD model.  First time around I found MLO too awkward and difficult to use.  I've tried Todoist (which I like a lot but not for complex projects), and Trello several others.  But they all lacked certain power, so now - I'm back to MLO and this time around I've learned to use it much better and learned to use the GTD Focus 4 Power (or something like that) Template.  It's a really great program. I can live with the complexity and drilling down through many menus to get to the features.

But what I'm really frustrated with is the complete lack of integrations that almost every task manager has.

For instance:

Todoinst and Trello support emailing tasks directly to a list or inbox or category

Todoist and Trello both have chrome addins that let you add tasks directly from Gmail without even using the forwarded email capability.

Todoist has a way to integrate into the Outlook window making it easier to create tasks while in Outlook. 

Both Todoist and Trello have integrations through Zapier and IFTTT and can connect to OneNote as well as many other apps via those mechanisms. (And OneNote lets you add tasks directly to Outlook without leaving OneNote).

MLO has none of these.

The only integration MLO has is Outlook Sync and Outlook Drag and Drop but neither works well in current corporate configurations. In fact, one of the biggest reasons I gave up the first time is that the Outlook sync was so buggy. I tried to do two way sync with category/context matching and it ended up being a big mess

I just tried it again - if I do sync to outlook, tasks keep reappearing in MLO in the inbox from Outlook even after they've been processed once within MLO.  

I'd be happy with the Drag and Drop of emails to MLO, but the link back to Outlook doesn't work as has been reported by other users as well. Perhaps it works under some conditions, but not in a typical corporate set up.

So really where I've arrived is that the only safe thing to do is just create my tasks in MLO by hand based on emails in Outlook and Gmail.  So at best it's a trade off between the simplicity and superior integration of Todoist and Trello and many other tools vs the tremendous power and flexibility of MLO, albeit without any reliable integration with anything else. 

I really hope the MLO team will take this seriously.  It doesn't seem to me that the Outlook integration has improved one bit since I tried it 4 years ago when version 4 had just come out.  In fact, it seems worse as Outlook itself has changed. MLO already has the Cloud Sync.  It needs to support emailing into that cloud. And genuinely robust integration with Outlook. Support of IFTTT or Zapier or Gmail integration (for example via Powerbot) would be great, but I could live without that if the other two worked.  

[Dwight]

Hi, Ultradianguy

You wrote "MLO already has the Cloud Sync.  It needs to support emailing into that cloud."

Are you using Task By Email (TBE)?  See
http://www.mylifeorganized.net/support/task-by-email-released-on-mlo-cloud/

Here's a helpful hint: if you include parseable parameters at the end of an email subject submitted to TBE (eg Call John tomorrow @calls), then you can bring up the created task on Windows and hit Alt-Enter and MLO will parse ane process the parameters.

I agree with most of your points about integration.  It's tantalizing to imagine how much of my daily interaction with MLO could be automated if there were an MLO channel on IFTTT. But IFTTT channels are built on APIs or web interfaces,  neither of which MLO has, so any solution is a ways off.
-Dwight
Mlo betazoid on Android sgn2

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[bird...@gmail.com]

I briefly stopped using MLO for several months, switching to Wunderlist. 

Then I cam to my senses.

[Lake Norman B2B Homes Boats]

Dear Ultra,   Would you mind sharing your method of organization   TODOs  filters  tags contexts  etc ?   Screenshots and or personal contact?

I would appreciate it. If you do not have the time, I fully understand and thank you in advance.

[SRhyse]

In addition to what Dwight said regarding using the 'Task by Email' feature being valuable to use, on the Windows app, you can set up a hot key to have an input box float above whatever apps you're using to put things in, either en mass to be parsed into a hierarchy, or individually with the bottom portion all being notes. That's one of my favorite features. No matter where you are, you can just make a task and throw info into it and even have it parsed. On the desktop, that more or less integrates MLO with everything for me.

[J Smith]

Me too

J