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-   -   Best way to implement "Not doing now" and "Not doing ever"? (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=4354)

FloatingBones 2007-07-30 09:40 PM

Best way to implement "Not doing now" and "Not doing ever"?
 
What's the best way that people have found to implement "Not doing now" and "Not doing ever"?

These are distinctions that Mission Control ( [url]www.missioncontrol.com[/url] ) has; they function as place-holders for things to keep in existence but that one has no committment to doing now (or ever) at this point.

It looks like creating separate top-level folders for each and dragging tasks, projects, and folders there is the most straightforward way to implement.

I could make these two things contexts, but that seems to make less sense.

Are there any other obvious alternatives?

--phil

curt.clifton 2007-07-30 09:44 PM

[QUOTE=FloatingBones]What's the best way that people have found to implement "Not doing now" and "Not doing ever"?
[/QUOTE]

"Not doing now" = On Hold project

"Not doing ever" = delete

FloatingBones 2007-07-30 10:51 PM

[QUOTE=curt.clifton]"Not doing now" = On Hold project

"Not doing ever" = delete[/QUOTE]

This is not a complete solution. It doesn't take into account what to do with miscellaneous tasks (or, as Austin Powers would say, random tasks) that one wants to park.

FWIW, "Not doing ever" in this context means "Something that I currently have no plans to ever do, but might change my mind about some time in the future." It's a place to hold those quixotic ideas for projects that keep showing up anyway. Perhaps a way to tell your subconscious, "Yes, I am listening. I know you're interested in this project, but I really have no commitment to doing it." The Mission Control folk have more to say about it; that's my "fair use" summary of the topic.

jasong 2007-07-30 11:18 PM

What about "Dropped"? The big weakness here is there's no "Dropped" project filter like there is for Active, On Hold and Completed projects.

Craig 2007-07-31 06:04 AM

I have my active projects foldered by "area of responsibility." Then I have, at the bottom of my project list, a Someday/Maybe folder.

If a project is simply "not doing now," I place it on hold but it is filed in the appropriate area of responsibility folder. This includes things I intend to do but I know I don't want to work on before at least the next weekly review. If a project is "not doing ever" (meaning no specific plans but a weak "maybe"), I place it on hold in the Someday/Maybe folder at the bottom. Thus by where I file the project, I have in effect two levels of On-Holdness. At weekly review I consider whether I want to promote or demote projects between or out of these levels.

jelmore 2007-07-31 10:31 AM

[QUOTE=jasong]What about "Dropped"? The big weakness here is there's no "Dropped" project filter like there is for Active, On Hold and Completed projects.[/QUOTE]

But they do show up under All Projects, so there is some way you can view them.

I used to just delete projects I didn't want to do, but I had recently decided to Drop them instead. I realized that there may be some marginal utility in it, if for no other reason than circumstances may [i]force[/i] you to have to reevaluate a project you wouldn't have looked at otherwise -- maybe you scrapped the idea of buying a new car because you didn't feel like expending the time and resources to trade up, but you can now make use of that research and energy when your car is totaled in an accident.

The obligatory David Allen quote would be "you should never have to have the same thought twice unless you want to", so Dropped would be a good way of preserving that thinking.

HiramNetherlands 2007-08-01 12:25 AM

[QUOTE=jelmore;18495]But [dropped projects] do show up under All Projects, so there is some way you can view them.[/QUOTE]

Still, I agree that there should be a 'dropped' filter.

Also, projects (not tasks) with a future start date should, I think, not show up as active projects.

BwanaZulia 2007-08-01 01:31 AM

[QUOTE=jasong;18460]What about "Dropped"? The big weakness here is there's no "Dropped" project filter like there is for Active, On Hold and Completed projects.[/QUOTE]

I second this as a feature request.

If you are going to build a project state, at least build a view to the state.

BZ


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