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jay

Posted Oct 06, 2015 in: Outlines to Tasks
Score: 5
  • jay
  • Posted: Oct 06, 2015
  • Score: 5
Upvote from me! I've read in the blog or online doc that a task can contain or reference an outline but to me this is upside down. As with the others above, the way I would use it would be to outline a project and then convert or link the outline elements as tasks. This way, I can see a "project" view in the outline mode and also see / act on the supporting actions in (a GTD fashion) from the task view.
jay

Posted Feb 11, 2013 in: Add "View By" Shortcuts
Score: 0
  • jay
  • Posted: Feb 11, 2013
  • Score: 0
Posted by Jake:
There is no "start date" view, but you could use our saved search tool to replicate this in the search section.


Thank you Jake.

Please consider implementing this. Arguments for:
- It is parallel to Due Date. Anyone using both of these fields is likely to benefit from access to views based on either.
- The "View By" list has an odd number of entries. It seems it would be very easy to insert this above the "Due Date" entry.

-J
jay

Posted Feb 09, 2013 in: Add "View By" Shortcuts
Score: 0
  • jay
  • Posted: Feb 09, 2013
  • Score: 0
Hello,

I've been using Due Date for quite some time. Viewing by Due Date from the main Task Page is a daily activity for me.

I've decided to start using Start Date as well and would like a way to quickly view start dates that are: Overdue, Today, Tomorrow, Next 7 Days, etc.

But my "View By" options don't have such a shortcut. I would simply like to add "Start Date" above "Due Date".

Is there a way to do this?

Thank you,

-J
jay

Posted Aug 21, 2011 in: Hiding from Work!
Score: -1
  • jay
  • Posted: Aug 21, 2011
  • Score: -1
Posted by ben:
I set TD up using Proximo's framework...
... and use context to filter personal, work, and several other "high level" contexts...
-Ben


Hi Ben,

Thanks for the reply.

I have read Proximo's framework and it may work for some (apparently it works for many!) but it would break an essential aspect of my work flow. I use Contexts as places, people, or types of activities to me reminded when, where or with whom I can get a task completed. Some of my Contexts:

Agenda
Email
Errands
Home
Office
Online
Phone
Reading
Shopping
Staff

I see there are other ways of using Context, such as you are doing. And this might help me partition too. But then I would have to find another field in which to store the... um, er "contexts" above. :-)

As with my previous post, which TD field is used to store which type of GTD attribute is variable. I think it comes down to which are more important to the individual for filtering and sorting.

Thanks again!

-J
jay

Posted Aug 21, 2011 in: Hiding from Work!
Score: -1
  • jay
  • Posted: Aug 21, 2011
  • Score: -1
Posted by Folke_1293790322:

... I have a pair of tags - .W and .P ...
...Just like you, I keep things in Folders...


Hi Folke,

Thanks for the feedback. As our systems seem to be somewhat similar, this is something I could easily do. Using tags to separate personal and work would be straightforward.

The question I am mulling over is whether tags or folders would be better for this partitioning. And I'm starting to lean towards folders rather than tags.

I am beginning to realize that many of my folder names are categorical (accounting?) descriptions that actually have very little to do with how I process them (which is driven by Context, Date, and Priority.) Folders such as Household, Vehicles, Finances, etc. could easily be converted to tags. Probably, I could even loose these descriptions and I wouldn't loose much if anything from my process. But if I were to delete these folders (tagging them first) then I could get down to just a few folders thereby gaining easy partitioning. This would also allow me to retain the categorical description though it's not clear this is really necessary in my GTD system. Tags might be a way to wean me off of tracking information that ultimately isn't that important.

In some ways, partitioning by folder or tag is 6 of one, half a dozen of another. But TD UI (as well as DGT GTD, my Android app) provide more direct filtering by folder. As I need to partition by work / personal more often than by categories, I'm leaning towards using tags for categories and folders for partitions. That is, I would do something like the inverse of what you are doing, swapping folders for tags and tags for folders. Make sense?

I'm still mulling but this is the direction I'm heading.

Thanks again!

-J
jay

Posted Aug 20, 2011 in: Hiding from Work!
Score: 1
  • jay
  • Posted: Aug 20, 2011
  • Score: 1
I'm not sure if this is a question about GTD or a question of how to map GTD to TD. Quick background…

I've been using GTD for a couple years and have found it extremely valuable. My own GTD / TD system relies primarily on:

* Folders - categories of tasks like Work, Family, Household, Finances, etc.
* Context - the essential attribute, IMHO -- limits my view of tasks to where, when, or with whom I can get them done
* Due Dates - also essential (sometimes) as deadlines do exist
* Priority - I'm not strict about this one as it can change based on external circumstances and passage of time. I do use Top or High to flag items that are or are approaching critical though.

I don't use:
* Status - For a while I used "Waiting" to indicate delegated or external follow ups. But now I just put that into a Context "Agenda" with a subject like "Tom: install fiber". Next time I see Tom I can quickly filter (by Context = Agenda, Search = "Tom:") all of the items I'm waiting on Tom for. And as I'm using Due Date and a little bit of Priority, I can choose to contact Tom to expedite as necessary.
* Star - Seems a duplicate of priority to me
* Tag - starting to rethink this one, see below.

Finally, many of my tasks stem from emails. (Not using my email Inbox as a task manager is one of the most important insights I gained from GTD!) I frequently forward emails setting the @Context, *Folder, #Due fields. The speed of dispatching actions and waitings from email to the "external system" is probably my most loved aspect about TD.

The challenge I have relates to my use of Folders. For responsibilities related to my employment, I have just one folder named <company_name>. I also have a number of other folders for non-work activity such as Family, Household, Finances, etc. The problem comes up on weekends or whenever I need to take a break from my work. When I am in this situation, I still want to leverage Contexts, Due Dates, and Priorities. But I don't want to see any tasks related to work -- even if its due NOW and I'm standing next to Tom! So with my current system, to see the tasks which are relevant outside of work I need a view that shows tasks in all folders except those in the <company_name> folder.

The Contexts property has a very nice filtering widget with "Invert" where I can view, for example, all Agenda tasks *or* all non-Agenda tasks. I wish I had the same kind of filtering ability for Folders. Except for custom searches though, which are not so streamlined to use, I cannot get this view.

I'm starting to think that I should have fewer folders, possibly just two: Work & Personal or something like that. I could then supplement the loss of the other Folder names with Tags. So Family, Household, Finances, etc. would become Tag names and those tasks would move to my Personal Folder. Before I make this jump though, I wanted to see what others are doing or might suggest.

How do you partition / hide work tasks from your personal life?
jay

Posted Jul 30, 2011 in: After reading "The Checklist Manifesto"
Score: 3
  • jay
  • Posted: Jul 30, 2011
  • Score: 3
I agree Checklists and Todo lists, while seeming very similar on the surface, are fundamentally different. Todo lists are about managing a sequence of transient tasks over time -- i.e. time management. Checklists are about refining a (typically) complex or multi-faceted process -- i.e process engineering. Both involve "what to do" but our relationship to them is different. When we are working on a Checklist we are creating or refining a process. It's a meta-activity. When we work on a Todo list we are *following* a process.

Often the checklist will evolve over time. In that case, it's nice to have a historical record for what was added, removed, or re-ordered. For this reason, and because it is searchable, a Wiki is a good tool for tracking process checklists. We use one at work but I would like to have one for my private / family life too. I've been looking for a portable Wiki tool but haven't found it. (There are many cloud solutions but they require one to be connected.)

Is anyone out there using a mobile Wiki in their private life?