I've created a basic timer script, which uses
Growl and
TimeBoxed.
The script is useful as a two-minute timer, but it will also use the time estimate value if you've entered one in OmniFocus. When run, the script pops up a sticky Growl bubble with the name of the selected action, and starts a timer countdown in TimeBoxed. This helps me stick to the 2 minute rule and stay focused on the task at hand.
I can't take much credit for this – all I've done is combine two scripts – but I wanted to share it in case anyone else might find it useful.
This is basically a combination (with modifications) of curt.clifton's
"What Are You Doing?" script, and Lutin's
"TimeBoxed / OmniFocus" script.
I didn't spend too much time hunting down an icon, the one I'm using is from here:
http://kylesteed.com/2009/new-clock-icon/
The script will look for an estimated time in the selected action, and if there is an estimated time, it will use that value for the timer rather than the default 2 minutes. You can also change the default timer of 2 minutes to something else by editing the value near the top of the script.
Even if you have multiple items selected, the script will only look at the first item. One thing at a time! :)
I would recommend putting this in your Toolbar and/or setting up a keyboard shortcut for it.
I also recommend changing where the sticky Growl notifications show up on-screen to differentiate them from other Growl notifications. You can do this after running the script once, from Growl's preference pane.
To change the location of the notifications, open the Growl preference pane, then click Applications. Choose OmniFocus Stickies. Then select a custom starting position. I've selected the bottom left.
While you're there, you may also want to click over to the Notifications tab and set Stay On Screen to Always just to be sure.
Please post here if you run into any problems. You will need
Growl and
TimeBoxed installed for the script to work.