group without checkbox?
 

Forgive me if I don't understand the distinctions between folders, groups, and projects; I'm a newb trying to learn my way around...
I've been setting up folders and projects and now feel like I have too many because the project pull-down menus are getting long. So I'd like to "demote" some projects but not turn them into actions (I don't want it to have a checkbox). What I've observed is that if something [U]does not have a checkbox[/U], then it necessarily [U]appears in the project list[/U] and, consequently the project pull-down. Is that correct?

Yes, that's correct, unless it is a folder. A project has a little file card icon to the left of the name instead of a checkbox.

I try to keep my active project list as small as reasonably possible. To use a juggling metaphor, I've just come to realize that I can only keep so many balls in the air at one time. Some of the balls just have to go in the closet for awhile.

To avoid losing track of projects, while keeping the active number reasonable, I use a few OmniFocus features.
[LIST][*]My usual planning perspective only shows Active projects (first lozenge in the View bar). [*]I put some projects On-Hold (right-click the project to see the status). [*]Periodically I review my On-Hold projects to see if any should be activated. [*]Besides On-Hold projects, sometimes I know that I want to suspend a project for a fixed amount of time. I defer these projects by giving them a start date in the future. When that date arrives, the "pending" project is automatically activated.[/LIST]
I hope those ideas help. OF is a powerful application. Some of us use a lot of different features. But don't worry about doing that right away. Just start with the basics, ask questions, and try things out. Browsing these forums is a great way to see the ways others are putting OF to good use.