ForumsTips & TricksStatus: How do you use it?
Status: How do you use it?
| Author | Message |
|---|---|
|
dan.julian |
So, I know Toodledo's help section gives a recommended use for the status field, but I've kind of naturally fallen into the following pattern:
None - I don't use this one. Next Action - A true-blue, GTD Next Action; not a project. Active - A project that I've started and need to finish. Planning - A project I'm planning (i.e., still identifying the first couple of steps). Delegated - I don't use this one. Waiting - A GTD "Waiting For" task; waiting on someone to do something. Hold - I don't use this one. Postponed - I don't use this one. Someday - Again, the GTD "Someday/Maybe" pile. Canceled - I don't use this one; I just delete them. Your needs might differ. Reference - I don't use this one. (I use the notebook.) Anyhow, let me know your thoughts, how you use the status field, etc. This message was edited Sep 30, 2010. |
|
PeterW |
I don't use the status field any more - I tried but found it a chore to update. It's now turned off and I use folders to provide status.
|
|
JCLATWORK |
Ditto PeterW. And I don't miss it. I find that using folders for all of these categories simplifies things and keeps my lists in each folder shorter.
|
|
Salgud |
First of all, I don't refer to my tasks as "Projects". I call them tasks or todos. I keep groups of tasks in separate folders by Project.
I use status to some purpose on all my tasks, most of them pretty obvious. Most of my tasks are "Active", meaning I can do them when scheduled. I rarely use "Next Action", except when I want to be able to separate and edit some "Active" tasks from all the others. My "Starred" (tasks to be done today) custom Search list is set to accomodate this. I use "Waiting" if I'm waiting on a reply to proceed, "Hold" if I've put a task on hold for some other reason than "Waiting". I use "Planning" for my template tasks, ones that will never be on my "Active" list themselves, but which I clone when I'm doing a project. The clones become "Active" or "Next Action", depending on what I'm going to do with them next. "Postponed" is postponed. "Someday" I use for tasks I'd like to get to but won't have time in the near future, but want a record of to remind me when I do have some time. I use "Reference" for special tasks that are not really tasks. I got the idea from a post in these forums. Since tags come and go in TD, I created tasks, 2 so far, that are simply placeholders so that some tags don't just come and go. I call these tasks "Tag1" and "Tag2" and they have as many tags as TD allows so that those tags never dissappear from my tag list. I've almost got "Tag2" filled up with it's limit of tags, so if I add more permanent tags, I'll have to create "Tag3". Since they have a status of "Reference", they don't show up on any of the lists where I don't want them. "Cancelled" is for tasks that I didn't do for one reason or another, but for which I'd like a record that I didn't do them and why, which I put in the Note field. I even have a use for "None". I'm experimenting with using TD for my grocery shopping list. I'm creating a master list of all the things I normally buy at the grocery store, which will be, based on past experience, in excess of 200 items when it's done. I can go into the master list, star everything I want to get this trip, then print the starred list before I go shopping. All grocery items have a status of None, which precludes them from appearing on my other lists. I also have a repeating task called "Check Deferred List", which repeats once a week and reminds me to look at all the tasks in all those deferred categories (Waiting, Postponed, Someday, Hold, etc.), so I don't lose track of anything. Works quite well. So I use virtually all of the statuses for some purpose. One of the things I like about TD is that it gives me so many ways to slice and dice my task list. Might as well use it if you need it and it's there. YMMV. |
You cannot reply yet
U Back to topic home
R Post a reply
To participate in these forums, you must be signed in.