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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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 Re: Handling Non-Dated, but Important Next Actions (OmniFocus, GSubmitted by Scottw on February 4, 2008 - 9:20am.
Thanks for the input. Based on previous feedback, I went in and started looking at things differently and started slicing off due dates on things that really didn't have them. While it was sort of a relief to do that, I still find myself looking at the new perspectives and thinking.... WHAT DO I DO? and then going back to the due date scenario and thinking... ah okay... these items are DUE and need to be done. I am terribly distracted and finding motivation to do a next action is like pulling teeth when I'd rather be working on my random latest thought idea. Only things that MUST BE DONE NOW or ELSE seem to get my attention. GTD and OmniFocus have helped me bring my life together and I am very thankful for the GTD method. I still have trouble taking time to break out projects in next actions, but must admit it is the secret to getting it done. Cause "Finish Project A" is a big mountain, I don't wish to climb, even though the due date is fast approach, yet no next actions have been defined. I have not been a master of Contexts either. I have them and use them for when I do things like Errands, but outside of that, it is not terribly useful for me or the magic of it is not to my understanding. I have ADHD which explains most of my issues... but I do find the MORE STUFF I see in Omnifocus on my Perspective, the worse off I am. It's a big blur of STUFF. Which means, keepings things in CONTEXT and setting priorities w/o using Due Dates (hard stuff). » POSTED IN:
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