[curt.clifton]

Don,

Contexts are for actions not projects. Setting a context on a project only provides a default context for the child actions within the project.*

A project is something that takes multiple steps to complete. Consider your project to return a form to a client. What's the first concrete action you have to take to finish that project? Do you have to complete the form? If so, then that's probably the first action and the context is Office. Or do you have to collect more information before you can complete the form? If so, that's your first action and the context is where ever you have to be to collect the information.

Once the form is complete, your next action is probably to return it to the client. How will you do that? Do you meet with the client regularly? Then the client probably warrants their own context. Or do you have to make a special trip to deliver the form? Then that probably belongs in an Errand context. Or perhaps you have a scheduled meeting with the client? Then put the meeting on your calendar with a note to hand back the form.

I'd encourage you to pick up David Allen's Getting Things Done. You don't have to follow the GTD methodology to use OF, but I think familiarity with the methodology makes the program easier to understand. The ideas of project, context, and next action have simple definitions, but they convey a lot more meaning than their simple definitions would suggest.

Cheers,

Curt


* Currently OmniFocus only shows actions in context mode, not projects or action groups. Omni has promised that a future version of OmniFocus will show action groups and projects in context mode once all their child actions are done. At that point, contexts on projects will serve as more than just defaults for the child actions.