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-   -   Difference between "single actions" and "parallel" projects? (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=4798)

jasong 2007-09-06 10:50 PM

Difference between "single actions" and "parallel" projects?
 
Can someone educate me on the difference between a "single actions" project and a "parallel" project?

In both, the actions can be performed in any order; there's no concept of "next action".

The only difference I can find is that the actions in "single action" projects don't show up as next actions in my Context mode, which I have to assume is a bug, otherwise how do I complete them? (They do show up as "available", but again, this seems to be a bug: I'd think "next" and "available" would be equivalent in this case.)

Jason.

curt.clifton 2007-09-07 03:53 AM

[QUOTE=jasong;20781]Can someone educate me on the difference between a "single actions" project and a "parallel" project?

In both, the actions can be performed in any order; there's no concept of "next action".[/QUOTE]

The plan is for singleton projects (eventually to be called "lists of single actions") to have [I]all[/I] next actions, while parallel projects will have one next action and the rest just "available". That's not implemented yet.

The other difference is that a singleton project can be set (via preferences) as the default destination for in-box and quick-entry actions that have a context but no project.

jasong 2007-09-07 06:34 AM

[QUOTE=curt.clifton;20793]The plan is for singleton projects (eventually to be called "lists of single actions") to have [I]all[/I] next actions, while parallel projects will have one next action and the rest just "available". That's not implemented yet.[/QUOTE]

Aha. OK, thanks... I'll keep an eye open for that.

Jason.

brianogilvie 2007-09-08 05:57 AM

[QUOTE=jasong;20781]In both, the actions can be performed in any order; there's no concept of "next action". [/QUOTE]

To add to what Curt said: it's true that all actions are available to be done in any order in a parallel project, and that therefore there's no logical next action. However, you can reorder actions in the project so that the most important/pressing/distasteful/whatever action is indicated as next, as a way to encourage yourself to focus on it and get it out of the way.

This topic has come up before in the forums:
[URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost.php?p=13685&postcount=21"]http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost.php?p=13685&postcount=21[/URL]

And, in the context of how to handle single actions (a discussion that contributed to the current idea of a single actions "project"):
[URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost.php?p=17420&postcount=41"]http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost.php?p=17420&postcount=41[/URL]

(In both cases I've linked to my postings, to expand on what I wrote above, but you should look at the rest of the discussion too!)


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