[wilsonng]

Sorry, I have never really used the duration fields much. But i never set my due date by the actual due date. I usually like to set the due date to an earlier time and add a buffer as a safety measure.

For example: I know that I have to submit my 1040 taxes by April 15th. But I usually set the due date on April 1st. This gives me a buffer time as i have learned to never wait until the last minute to get things done.

Before leaving on a trip, I try to get as much done as early as possible. I know that if I leave by next Sunday, I can imagine that there will always be last minute things that will muck up my carefully planned OmniFocus due dates.

The same thing happens with my office work. I try to get a project completed as early as possible because I sometimes have that feeling that the boss (or client or colleague) will throw in a last minute curveball. Finishing by an early due dates give me time to do some last minute fine tuning instead of trying to kill myself burning the midnight oil.

As the old saying goes: "The early bird gets the worm."

As always, there is Parkinson's Law:

"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

If I create my own personal due date instead of the real due date, I can shrink the time available to complete a project/task. Otherwise, I'll smugly look at the due date and think "I still have time to get this done and I'll wait until the last possible minute when I have a fire lit under my butt to complete it."