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-   -   Single tasks solutions (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=3548)

jakeg 2007-05-16 07:43 PM

Single tasks solutions
 
Thanks to Omni I'm testing omnifocus and I like it so far. However, I can't find a way to incorporate single tasks. I was hoping omni would provide some means, but they haven't. Some tasks simply don't fit into a project mode. I find myself creating projects for tasks that don't need one and that simply complicate things.

So if anyone else has a solution how to deal with single tasks I'd love to hear what you came up with. Thanks.

sprocketjockey 2007-05-16 07:47 PM

I've created a project called Single Step Tasks, and set it to parallel tasks.

Set the filter to Available, and you should be able to have a place to put all those single steppers

chrjohns 2007-05-16 08:15 PM

I had the same thought when I reviewed Ethan's first screen cast. Although I haven't used the actual app yet, I am having a philosophical issue with the way it is set up. IMHO single actions just don't belong grouped together as a project because they are by their nature unrelated. They should start in the inbox and then move out of the inbox to a context list when a context is assigned to them. The user should not be required to assign the actions to a project to move them out of the inbox.

michelle 2007-05-17 10:06 AM

This is something we have been thinking and talking about a lot. We are working on a long term solution, but for now the best thing to do is make a project for single tasks. We welcome any suggestions or feedback you have on this.

brianogilvie 2007-05-17 11:09 AM

[QUOTE=jakeg]So if anyone else has a solution how to deal with single tasks I'd love to hear what you came up with. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

I have a project called "Stay Organized," where I put unrelated tasks. I suppose it might better be called "Keep Head above Water"!

In terms of the interface, though, would it be possible to define a special project, whatever it's called, in which every action was a next action? Because the main problem with creating a "Single Tasks" project is that only the first one shows up in a context list as a next action, when in fact they are all, by their nature, next actions.

michelle 2007-05-17 12:27 PM

[QUOTE=brianogilvie]In terms of the interface, though, would it be possible to define a special project, whatever it's called, in which every action was a next action? [/QUOTE]

Interesting . . . we were thinking of creating a special type of project for single tasks that had no next actions. You're idea may be better. Do others agree? Should they all be next actions?

HiramNetherlands 2007-05-17 12:48 PM

[QUOTE=michelle]Interesting . . . we were thinking of creating a special type of project for single tasks that had no next actions. You're idea may be better. Do others agree? Should they all be next actions?[/QUOTE]

Yes, that would make sense. Alternatively, the special single-tasks-collection could display the first [I]n[/I] tasks (hand-ordered by user) as first actions, with [I]n[/I] being a user defined number.

Craig 2007-05-17 12:52 PM

I'm still having a hard time trying to understand how distinguishing "next actions" in ANY parallel project makes any sense...

HiramNetherlands 2007-05-17 12:57 PM

[QUOTE=Craig]I'm still having a hard time trying to understand how distinguishing "next actions" in ANY parallel project makes any sense...[/QUOTE]

You hand-order the tasks. Or you don't, if you don't care which actions comes up as the next action.

jelmore 2007-05-17 01:00 PM

[QUOTE=Craig]I'm still having a hard time trying to understand how distinguishing "next actions" in ANY parallel project makes any sense...[/QUOTE]

You beat me to it.

It seems that having all actions in a parallel project be Next Actions would make it easy to have a parallel project named "Runway" or "Single Actions" or "Next Actions" highlight everything.

(The whole idea of a "parallel project" seems not very GTD-ish to me. But at the same time, OmniFocus doesn't have to adhere strictly to GTD, so long as it's possible to do so by choice.)


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