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Linden

Posted Aug 31, 2009 in: Proximo's GTD Setup
Score: 1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 31, 2009
  • Score: 1
In answer to wjlynch and jquark, I have a context that I call "chores" for most of my routine tasks. I use the start date column and set them to repeat by completion date.

They're in my "actions" folder instead of "ticklers" for the same reason Rory mentioned -- too much effort shifting them in and out.

Routine tasks that don't really fit into "chores" stay in whatever context they belong to and are otherwise treated the same way (actions folder, start date, repeat by completion date).
Linden

Posted Aug 29, 2009 in: Nested subtasks and other updates.
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 29, 2009
  • Score: 0
Super-awesome upgrades! It was a pleasant surprise when I logged in. :)
Linden

Posted Aug 28, 2009 in: End Dates for Repeating Tasks
Score: 1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 28, 2009
  • Score: 1
This is a really frequent request that comes up. It might be nice to have a "end repeat" date available in some future upgrade.

I'm not doing any syncing, so the calendar issue doesn't affect me, but it would certainly save a lot of time and energy spent trying to figure out if today's the day to end the task.
Linden

Posted Aug 26, 2009 in: Proximo's GTD Setup
Score: -1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 26, 2009
  • Score: -1
Glad I could be helpful in those earlier posts, everyone! It's kind of funny, since I was feeling VERY skeptical when I read Proximo's first post on his new setup.

I use goals to handle a lot of the "responsibilities" portion of GTD, although it will need refining at some point. My job has a few major areas of responsibility, so I've assigned a short-term goal to each one. If a task belongs to one of those areas, I assign it to that goal. If I've set aside a block of time for one area, or just want to review that level, I can use the goals tab or sort one of the other views by goal.

An added bonus to using goals for big projects is that you can use the chains to see if you're taking some sort of action on a regular basis and whether there's an area that's being neglected compared to others.

That said, I agree with Proximo. All three of the approaches you mentioned would work for managing major projects. Experimenting is likely the best way to figure out which solution fits your workflow.
Linden

Posted Aug 26, 2009 in: IPhone Apps
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 26, 2009
  • Score: 0
Posted by Proximo:
21 days, 2 hours, 39 minutes and 27 seconds.


It took me a second to realise what this was about. :) Poor Proximo! You're going to be like a kid in a candy store once you finally get your iPhone!
Linden

Posted Aug 25, 2009 in: Proximo's GTD Setup
Score: 2
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 25, 2009
  • Score: 2
Posted by stephenmford:

I'm missing one thing. If items under projects are just projects, and the subtasks are really subprojects, and items under actions are just actions, I don't see a way to do a search that will show me actions on one project. It looks like ALL your actions are dumped and mixed into one folder.


I struggled with the same thing at first. The videos helped me, but I needed to watch them a couple of times.

The projects' subtasks are the actions linked to each project, also assigned to the "Projects" folder. They don't get put in the "Actions" folder, so they are always linked explicitly with the project.

If you have a giant project that has multi-step sub-projects, it might work as a context of it's own, e.g. @BigProject. The sub-projects would be parent tasks in the Projects folder, and the tasks to get them to completion would be subtasks also in the Projects folder. If you had a standalone task belonging to @BigProject, you would set it to that context but in the Actions folder. That way you know it isn't linked to anything.

I find this especially useful when I'm defining projects but haven't yet identified their subtasks. If a standalone task is in the Actions folder, I know it is intended to be completed in one step. If the standalone task is in the Projects folder, I know I need to sit down and think about what steps are required to get it to completion -- specifically, what do I do next?


This message was edited Aug 25, 2009.
Linden

Posted Aug 24, 2009 in: What is the 'No Folder' folder for?
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 24, 2009
  • Score: 0
I guess Toodledo left it as "no folder" so that people aren't forced to use it as an inbox. As Anders pointed out, many people use No Folder to indicate a standalone task that doesn't belong to projects housed in named folders. "Inbox" would imply a status that doesn't really apply to those.

That said, if we ever get the ability to rename some of the Status options, allowing folks to rename "No Folder" to "Inbox" would be nice for people otherwise not using it.
Linden

Posted Aug 20, 2009 in: Proximo's GTD Setup
Score: 1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 20, 2009
  • Score: 1
I've been doing lists like the grocery list as a special parent task in my "actions" folder. The reason is that the subtasks aren't actually independent tasks -- they belong specifically to that main task. (I use this most often for reconciling statements.)

#Actions
@personal
+Pick up groceries
-nuts at paddy's
-protein powder
-...
(where "#" is folder and "@" is context)

If you have a lot of store-specific items, you might want a parent task for each store, but I would still think of the items themselves more as markers than project actions.


Your reading list actually looks like it might still be best as a context rather than a task. So you'd have @work, @personal, @errands, @read/review. (Similarly, I use Proximo's @work and @personal, but also added @errands/outings and @chores because these were easy-to-lose categories for me.)

So, you could have:
#Projects
@Read/Review
+David Allen articles
-article 1
-article 2

#Actions
@Read/Review
-Trading Psychology (assuming this is one book/item)

(I'm using "-" to mean standalone task as well as subtasks.)


I'm not totally sure I follow the tax return sample question, but I can give it a shot. With the separation you made between business and personal, I get the impression it would be TWO tax returns (one for the business, one for personal finances) that should definitely be separate projects.

If it's one return where you have some business elements included in your personal taxes, I would see it more as ONE tax return with potentially a few duplicated tasks, as below:

+Complete Tax Return
-enter personal receipts/deductions
-enter tax slips
-enter business receipts/deductions
-...

Some of the lines are duplicated, but they would still be subtasks on an even tier below the project heading.

I hope this perspective is helpful! There seem to be an infinite way that folks can divide and subdivide projects!


This message was edited Aug 20, 2009.
Linden

Posted Aug 20, 2009 in: Statistics
Score: 1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 20, 2009
  • Score: 1
Hi Paul! From my experience those pie charts are based on all incomplete tasks in your list at the moment you look at the statistics. If you doubled the tasks in one area, that section of the pie chart would grow proportionally the next time you checked it.

Personally, I think line charts or bar charts (like the main one) more useful than pie charts. Because then you can compare ratios over time. It would be great for tracking progress on commitments compared to convictions as described in the quote you shared.

I submitted a suggestion ticket once, requesting that we be able to change the main chart to show new/completed/due-today counts by context or goal instead of folder, as well.

Thanks for drawing attention to this area!
Linden

Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 17, 2009
  • Score: 0
Good point, Anders. I use the 1000 days for start dates on the saved searches, since you can't use filters there. It shows me anything that has already started or never had a start date.

The challenge is that there isn't a search option that says "Date is before X" as a relation. If I enter "Date is before TODAY" it remembers the exact date, so the search quickly becomes useless. The goal of choosing 1000 is to avoid any future tasks from being displayed.

I did forget to note that for recurring tasks that are due today to appear, "Due date IS in the next = 0 days" may be needed in there somewhere.

If there's a more efficient search that excludes tasks set farther in the future than today without excluding dateless items, I'd love the tip!
Linden

Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 17, 2009
  • Score: 0
If you're just using due dates, "Hide Future Tasks" hides anything due more than 7 days out. The downside is that anything due in the future but within 7 days is still displayed.

If those recurring tasks don't need to be done until the due date, you might want to use a start date. "Hide Future Tasks" will hide any tasks with a start date after today.

Another option, if you don't want to add a column you aren't currently using, would be to make a custom saved search. That way you can choose what due dates are excluded. I think "Checked off = no" and "Due Date is not in the next = 1000 days" get the list you want. Then you can set the sort order to the same as your "all tasks" list and print.

(1000 is an arbitrary number of days I use to make sure even stuff I've got set for the next year doesn't show up by accident. If you have tasks set for 3-years out, this might be a problem...)
Linden

Posted Aug 15, 2009 in: Proximo's GTD Setup
Score: -1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 15, 2009
  • Score: -1
I set aside some time today to review your setup and the videos and take a serious look at my workflow. I've decided to transition almost 100% to your system.

Like Anders, I had originally been stumped by your separation of action items and project subtasks. Your second video cleared it up in an instant!

And after a lot of thought, I agree with how you're marking next actions. Which pretty much every actionable item is technically a next action, sometimes there are active projects that just won't fit into the next few days. Rather than have the next action showing up in my lists, it's simply not starred.

The one major difference is that I track goals. They help me link my projects to long-term aspirations, and the chains give me a quick way to check on whether I'm ignoring areas of my life.

I'm also experimenting with using tags for some of my special personal tasks (chores, errands), but it might make more sense to just add those as additional contexts so they aren't mixed in with less routine-oriented personal projects. It's nice to have fewer columns!


My next step is to improve my consistency with daily and weekly reviews. The way I had things set up before made it difficult to do this efficiently and I think this new format keeps the information streamlined!

Thanks again -- this is a dramatic step forward for me!
Linden

Posted Aug 13, 2009 in: Proximo's GTD Setup
Score: -1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 13, 2009
  • Score: -1
Thanks for sharing the videos, Proximo -- it made your system worlds clearer.

I'm not sure I'll adopt all of it, but you've inspired me to spend some time pondering what elements I can incorporate to SIMPLIFY my current system.
Linden

Posted Aug 12, 2009 in: Scheduled Maintenance Wednesday 7pm CST
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 12, 2009
  • Score: 0
When Toodledo was down earlier in the year due to unexpected power outages in their server's datacenter, they were very good at keeping us abreast of the moment-to-moment progress.

I expect the same level of service will be provided with tonight's migration.
Linden

Posted Aug 07, 2009 in: Subtasks display and handling
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 07, 2009
  • Score: 0
Richard recently made a post that appears to create the one-line flow you're looking for, using tags for your broad areas and then folders for your project titles.

You can read it here: http://www.toodledo.com/forums/3/2654/-1/pseudo-subfolders.html

Doing this, you could have a "Bike Website" folder and then have "specify pages" as a task in that folder. If you listed folders before the title in your layout, you would have:
Project > Task name

Toodledo is working on adding a new level to the heirarchy, and it is popularly believed to be the missing project level. This may end up behaving as what you're looking for, but Richard's suggestion looks like an excellencd workaround for now.


This message was edited Aug 07, 2009.
Linden

Posted Aug 06, 2009 in: Stand alone reminders
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 06, 2009
  • Score: 0
I know where you're coming from, Proximo. I love Toodledo, and appreciate that Jake is working on dozens (likely hundreds) of feature requests -- some large, some small. I'm not sure if he's solo or has a couple of helpers, but either way it's a lot of work. We get updates of some sort every day, so it feels a bit selfish to add new ones to the list at an ever-growing pace.

That said, I've found an interesting workaround to the tickler for now: Start Dates

I sat down this evening to get tough on due dates. I've gotten into a lazy habit of entering "would like" due dates and it's definitely removing clarity from my life and replacing it with stress. More and more of the GTDers have been writing in the forums about keeping due dates sacred, and that's motivated me to revisit my approach.

While I trudged through my master-list of tasks, removing due dates, I discovered that date-less items waiting for a response or further action could be tickled with a start-date. I won't get an e-mail for them (can the lead-up reminders be associated to a start date -- I'm not sure?), but they will appear in my waiting list once the start date arrives without masquerading as a hard deadline.

It's not perfect and won't work for everyone, but it seems to be a good starting point.
Linden

Posted Aug 06, 2009 in: Stand alone reminders
Score: 1
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 06, 2009
  • Score: 1
The tickler a la GTD actually is associated with a date and separated from action items. The idea is that some things don't need to be reviewed for a few weeks or months (varying by action), but doesn't necessarily have a hard due date.

In this sense, the "tickle" tag is still a bit of a workaround, requiring you to actively review the task during each weekly review even if it won't be relevant for a longer time.

I do like Proximo's suggestion here of setting a standalone reminder for this purpose. Everyone's suggestions and general comments about various GTD concepts lately have been very helpful in getting my system a bit more in line, and I think these ticklers would take it to the next level.

Best of luck in brainstorming a way to integrate the feature with everything else!
Linden

Posted Aug 05, 2009 in: GTD thoughts from a newbie
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 05, 2009
  • Score: 0
Thanks for that in-depth walk-through, Lance. I've only got a one foot in GTD right now, and while I'm light-years ahead of where I was last year, there's room for improvement.

Your explanation definitely helps to see how I can begin to walk away from tentative "would-like-to" due dates and move toward a more full implementation of GTD.
Linden

Posted Aug 01, 2009 in: Toodledo migrating to new servers
Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Aug 01, 2009
  • Score: 0
Wow! I didn't check the news for a couple of days and came back to find this!

That is an amazing upgrade, and I'm happy to hear that you're able to do it with the same company. It sounds like Rackspace has given you the same top-notch customer service that you provide us.
Linden

Score: 0
  • Linden
  • Posted: Jul 25, 2009
  • Score: 0
Toodledo never comments on the progress until the feature is complete.

This is probably wise, because there can always be snags that delay expected timelines.

They have some update to the site every week, and often even more often than that, so it's fair to assume the work is still in progress.
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