[SpiralOcean]

Regarding setting due dates that are not hard due dates.

In the past I have also shied away from placing due dates on things that didn't really need to be done by a certain date because when something really needs to be done I want to know about it.

The problem I have is... I still have many projects that then never get done. I wanted someway to plan out projects so I can be spurred to get them done.

I've gone back to setting due dates for projects so that when I look at a context and sort by due date and start processing from the top down I have a chance of getting some of those projects that have been sitting around forever completed.

I don't know if this system will work for me yet.

There are other ways to sort and group. Start Date, Creation Date, Modified Date. I've tried Start Date, but I filter my contexts for available actions which means I won't see any projects that haven't been started yet.

My goal is to complete all tasks that are due or due soon (within 24 hours is due soon for me). If I make it to the green 0 in the menu bar, then I pick a context and start working on those tasks. Which are sorted by soft due date. (the project is due but the task is not due).

I tried using Flags for a while. But I use flags with Curt's cool applescript to find projects that are stalled. sigh. If only OmniFocus would change the stalled project filter to show me projects and parents with no children. This would free me up to use flags for things I want to get done today.

The problem with flags is on the iPhone app, I can't filter tasks so I only see my home flags or work flags. I see all flags.

It's a work in progress for me. I may get to the point where I go back to never setting due dates unless i need to. But with a due soon set to 24 hours, by the time I see a project is due, it may be too late.

To recap:
I set project due dates for "soft" due dates of when I want to have projects done. I sort by due date in the context list to encourage me to work on projects that I want to have done sooner.

If I need a hard due date, I set a task due date.