[Mike N]

In my Data Preferences > Data I have "When entering dates without times, use:" set to 8:00 AM. However, whenever I enter a Start or Due date (either using a drop-down or just typing in a date) it still defaults to 12:00 AM. Does anyone have a fix?

Does anyone know how to have the Start and Due columns display the time too? I use time it to roughly order tasks within a day.

[Lizard]

I'm seeing the same issue. We did a little work in that neighborhood last week. Guess it had some ripple effects. I've let the engineers know. There *might* still be time to fix it for 1.0. Thanks for letting us know.

[Lizard]

We fixed part of this in the latest build (96726), but note that the preference says "When entering *due* dates without times, use:". This preference does not apply to start dates. (I missed that too, so don't feel that I'm picking on you.)

[JKT]

Is there any good reason why the start time defaults to 00:00 and why we can't enter our own default as we can for due date? This is really annoying me at the moment (that I have to constantly change the start time to something more sensible than an hour when I really shouldn't be getting anything done other than sleeping ;) ).

[curt.clifton]

I'm curious as to how you're using start times. Could you say more?

I think of start times as "available start times". So an action with a 00:00 start time, is there waiting for me when I log on in the morning.

The GTD methodology isn't well-suited to actions that must be done in a small time window. (Or rather, Allen argues that such actions should be on our calendars not our task lists.) Because of OmniFocus's strong GTD heritage, it sometimes feels like working against the grain to use it in ways not envisioned in GTD, or even actively discouraged by the methodology.

Please note that I'm not arguing that OmniFocus must be "pure GTD" or that your use of start times is somehow "heretical". I'm just interested in how you're using the application and what your objective is for this feature. Maybe I'll pick up a new trick, or maybe there's a different way to accomplish what you're after.

[JKT]

I'm using OmniFocus more as a time planning application/reminder application rather than as a purist GTD app. It isn't so much that this deficiency affects my way of working, it would just be better if it reflected the realities of my life. E.g. I can't do home tasks and projects during the week after 8 a.m. and before 7 p.m. as I am either at work or travelling to and from work. Likewise, I can't do work tasks and projects before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m. because I am at home. It would be nice to be able to assign different default start and due dates for my different Library folders (of which I naturally have two, Home and Work) so that I am not prompted to do something related to work at home, when I can't do it, and vice versa.

It isn't a big deal, that I am not able to do this, or that I am not able to even set one default start time, just it feels odd that it isn't there when I am able to set a default due time and it is becoming a bit dull having to do it manually.

[ptone]

Originally Posted by JKT

It would be nice to be able to assign different default start and due dates for my different Library folders (of which I naturally have two, Home and Work) so that I am not prompted to do something related to work at home, when I can't do it, and vice versa.

I think trying to build a schedule like this may work for some, but for many they would constantly be wanting to override it.

You may already know this, but if you "Focus" on a work or home folder, than switch to context view - you will only see tasks in those folders. You have even more control over this with perspectives. This is the OF approach to the issue you state.

-P

[JKT]

Unfortunately, that doesn't help with the Dock icon and menubar item showing me tasks that are "due" but can't be completed because I am in the wrong location (unless I have overridden the default). So my problem at the moment is that I am frequently needing to override the 00:00 default for the start time. However, if others don't need to do this, then they don't have to use any interface that is there to do it (if it was added by OmniGroup) the same way you don't have to change the default for the due time in the current implementation of OmniFocus.

[yucca]

If you used home and work contexts, you would get what you want; AND you would be working with the application rather than against it.