[Gardener]

> If no date and no flag, then I have to find
> it again by review which isn't always efficient.

I think that this is a large part of the problem: You don't trust your review. As I see it, because you don't trust your review, you're trying to make your daily scan of items replicate the function of a review. But showing all of the material for a review, every time you try to choose a task, is showing too much.

> I'll go through and just flag the
> things I feel even vaguely that I'd like to put in the forefront, say
> 50-75 things.

In fact, it sounds as if you don't trust one of the fundamental purposes of GTD: To hide things that you're not currently focused on. Most of what you say in your post seems to be aimed at keeping things in your vision as much as possible. You're working very hard to thwart GTD. :)

So I'd go back to that basic question: Why? Why do you feel the need to be aware of such a large percentage of your workload, rather than seeking that "mind like water" thing? Is it because the workload is insanely large, so that you're trapped in a constant process of chasing whatever's least overdue? Is it because every item in the workload is fascinating, and when you narrow it you get bored? Is it because your schedules are uncertain and you're never quite sure when something is due?

Each of these is a different problem, requiring a different solution. And there might be a dozen other reasons behind your need to be aware of so much of your workload. I suspect that you need to figure out the "why" before you can really solve the problem.