Please include "Top Down" organization

[popcornflix]

[OmniFocus now supports Top-Down planning. This thread is for discussing how to implement and execute this approach.]


One of the things Covey/RPM does right is allow you to push forward some overriding goals. Management types call this "Top Down" organization.

It means you plan your strategy from the top, and then move down towards your daily actions.

I have had the most success with a combination of top-down and bottom-up (GTD) approaches.

I don't need an overriding life goal to take out the trash or pick up milk at the store. However, after I have taken care of the Mission Critical tasks on my desk today, it's very helpful to be able to look at the big overriding goals that I want to invest my time in. Then I can drill down on the one I want to pursue and choose a next action.

We all have a cloud of tasks that get dumped on us daily, and often they can overwhelm us and prevent us from doing the things that are important to us. By planning major goals and subprojects in a top-down way, it helps us to make sure we're making the best choices as to how we spend our time.

I hope OmniFocus is flexible enough to have both top-down and bottom-up management.

[Shifting Sands]

I would like to know the answer to this as well.

Is OmniFocus limited to GTD-style planning or will we be able to work down from the top as well? Will I be able to use OF in the same way I might use Life Balance?

[Kane]

Could you flag specific Projects (these would be your top level goals), and sort the flagged items to the top of the Projects list?

Jeffrey

[johnrover]

I suspect that the Folder / project structure will be flexible enough to meet your needs.

[curt.clifton]

I'm using the folder/project structure for top-down planning in OF, plus flagging to highlight the projects that correspond to my monthly goals. It mostly works very well already. OF does not yet support sorting or group by flags, but a few of us have submitted feedback asking for that. If you have the sneaky peak and want this feature, be sure to submit your feedback too. Once that's in there, I think OF will handle top-down planning and bottom-up execution very well.

[Shifting Sands]

Thanks for all the replies!

Yes, I think the folder/project structure will work.

[dwayneneckles]

Can someone please explain how to use the Folder / project workaround as a way to manage your goals, please?

Thanks

[dwayneneckles]

Aslo Curt Clifton where do you save your monthly goals.. directly inside omnifocus

[curt.clifton]

I responded in detail to one of your other posts on the same topic in another thread here (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=1784). Let's keep this conversation in that thread instead of scattered across several threads so it's easier for people to find.

[popcornflix]

I'd like projects to appear under more than one date when grouped by Due date in Project View.

As it stands, if you have a project with action that are due both today and tomorrow, the action will appear under "Due Today" -- including the actions dated for tomorrow.

However, the project will not appear under "Due Tomorrow." This is confusing and counter-intuitive.

I would expect that when you group by Due date, that the actions would be grouped into their appropriate Due date, under the Project heading. So the project heading would appear as many times as needed.

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.:popcornFlix:.

[brianogilvie]

I would expect that when you group by Due date, that the actions would be grouped into their appropriate Due date, under the Project heading. So the project heading would appear as many times as needed.

This should probably be a new thread, but anyway: sorting and grouping in Planning mode works at the level of the project as a whole, not the action. For me, the relevant date in planning mode is the first due date in the project, because that's the first firm commitment I have set in the project. I would be very distressed if OF worked the way you describe, because it would subvert the purpose of a separate Planning mode: namely, to allow the user to plan projects as a whole.

Can't you get the list you want with the following settings?

Context mode
Show all contexts
Group by due date
Sort by due date or project
Show remaining action
Show any duration
Show any flag state

Those settings give you your remaining actions by due date with each project listed in the projects column.