Red styled project items
 

I've searched for this and haven't found anything so apologies if this has been discussed. I have one particular project that is styled with red text. The OmniFocus icon has a red label with the number 5 in it, which is the number of project actions (the project also shows this label too).

I've tried marking the project as reviewed to see if it is overdue but this has made no difference. Can anyone explain what has happened with this project please?

It means you have that many actions (or internal action groups) that have a due date set that has passed.

Thanks Robbie, I knew it had to be something like this.

Marking the project as reviewed will not affect the overdue status. That is determined by the due date of the project. I can have a project that was due three weeks ago, and the mere fact of my reviewing it does not change the fact that I had promised it to someone three weeks ago. To make the red go away, change the due date--after renegotiating your agreement with whoever imposed the due date in the first place.

Some related advice: If you're following GTD, it's best not to use a due date unless it is a [U]real[/U] due date. For US taxpayers filing in the calendar year, April 15 is a real due date for filing the return. It's a bad idea to say, "I want to get my taxes done by March 1, so I'll make that my due date!" The problem is that you accustom yourself to thinking that due dates are not real, and then you can get bitten by those that [U]are[/U] real. It's better to get in the habit of frequent reviews, so that you can decide what you want or need to get done next, even if it doesn't have a due date or that due date is far in the future. Flags are a good way to mark such actions or projects.

Apologies for taking such a long time to reply, this is good advice thanks. I don't put due dates on things so I don't know how this happened, I guess I must have been trying out the features and put a due date in place.

Thanks!
 

[QUOTE=brianogilvie;33444]
Some related advice: If you're following GTD, it's best not to use a due date unless it is a [U]real[/U] due date. For US taxpayers filing in the calendar year, April 15 is a real due date for filing the return. It's a bad idea to say, "I want to get my taxes done by March 1, so I'll make that my due date!" The problem is that you accustom yourself to thinking that due dates are not real, and then you can get bitten by those that [U]are[/U] real. It's better to get in the habit of frequent reviews, so that you can decide what you want or need to get done next, even if it doesn't have a due date or that due date is far in the future. Flags are a good way to mark such actions or projects.[/QUOTE]

Brianogilvie - thank you so much for this advice! I have been dating *everything* and then finding myself overwhelmed by the red numbers/things not done that kept piling up. Almost to the point where I would stop looking at OF because it made me feel guilty! This really helps my thinking in terms of how to best use OF and implement GTD.

That [I]is[/I] great advice. I had been dating more things than I needed as well and found them piling up. It's always good to get refreshed on GTD when using it in the real world.

[QUOTE=Cameron;34699]That [I]is[/I] great advice. I had been dating more things than I needed as well and found them piling up. It's always good to get refreshed on GTD when using it in the real world.[/QUOTE]

I appreciate the overwhelming-ness that can ensue from dating things, however I use due dates as a way to remind me to do things, even if the due date itself is not set in stone. I realize that's not real GTD practice, but how do others remind themselves and prevent stuff getting lost? Do you just use sort order and rely on that with regular visual scans?

I like the ability to group things with due dates using the View bar or with Perspectives, they help cut down the clutter. But if no (or very few) due dates are getting applied they are pointless.

Would appreciate others' thoughts on this...

Thanks,

Adam

Weekly and (if needed) daily reviews. You can set how often a single-task or project needs to be reviewed . . .

Yes, reviews are the way to go.

Similar to the calendar, which you should only use for time specific appointments, Due Dates should only be used for things that [i]must[/i] be accomplished by a certain date.

Im not just saying this because it is GTD doctrine, I think it's definitely the best way to go, especially since you are using Omnifocus.