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Handling Non-Dated, but Important Next Actions (OmniFocus, GTD method)
Scottw | Jan 24 2008
I currently use OmniFocus to implement my GTD method. I find it to be about the best organization app and I live and breath by it and iCal. I try to keep my inbox at zero, and I feel as though I am running with all four on the floor and while that might look funny, my system seems to work for me. HOWEVER... In OmniFocus, I typically tag things with a start day of TODAY (to track when it was entered) unless it has a specific start date that happens in the future. For example, if I need to change the oil in the car, I might put the start date for Saturday with an expiration of Sunday so that it will be "front center" when I reference OmniFocus on what I need to get done come Saturday/Sunday. Let's say that the kids get sick, unannounced visitors show up at your front door to stay and a last minute project from a client all combined means, getting the oil changed is last on your list. Come Monday... WHAT DO I DO WITH THAT ACTION? If the car is not in danger of being damaged and I don't have time to deal with getting the oil changed during the week, do I go in and set a new start/stop date for the following weekend? What if I have a repeat weekend? My due dates become FLUFF. I have this issue with MOST of my tasks and hence my post here. The oil change is just an example, but it might be a something like fixing a bug on my site. It is not a show stopper, paid clients come before it, but I really need to address it. So, what happens is my "DUE in the last week/month" starts to grow and expand and this is not good for motivation with a big backlog. The GTD method says that we should not assign a DUE DATE to a specific next action UNLESS it truly is due that day. Fair enough. BUT, I have a TON of next actions and single actions that just keep growing that unless I put an expiration date on them, they lose place with things I have given an expiration, whether or not they truly have one. Perhaps it's how I am organizing my information in OmniFocus, being more date centric. Perhaps there is a better way to manage next actions that may not be date centric for prioritization. 6 Comments
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 Daily Reviews, Flags, and Perspectives are Doing it for meSubmitted by luckylindy on January 30, 2008 - 7:40pm.
If I first accept that I am okay if all that OF does is help me keep sight of all that I need to do in my life, then I am already ahead of my old game (entropy, procrastination, etc.) I like assigning dates, too, though. So for really important (not all) actions, I have set due dates as figurative lines in the sand. Then I set up 2 custom perspectives which show me all that is due personally and all that is due at work (perspectives are just GREAT...use them if you don't already.) I then review every day, even multiple times a day. If I need to change due dates, I do (sorry if I am getting too much due do on you!), This works well for me because it helps me focus on the really important stuff and reevaluate what might need pro/demotion in my life. It also alleviates--for me- the need to review weekly, since I am reviewing the important stuff so frequently. A bi-weekly review keeps me up to date on the miscellaneous stuff that had no assigned date. The beauty of OF is that it allows each person to find a way to get their things done; it is as flexible as its users are varied. » POSTED IN:
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