[omnibob]

Originally Posted by brianogilvie

In Project view ... [t]he group and sort items in the view bar don't filter; they organize. (That's why the name is view bar, not filter bar, which was an earlier name.)

That explains it (although in Project view, if you mean view bar as including all five 'selectors', choosing Flagged does filter out all non-flagged items). If Due were a choice in that selector, I imagine I could get what I'm after.

I like working out of the Project view a lot, and here is my reasoning for wanting this behavior. It may be contrary to the current design and thinking of the program, but FWIW:

A calendar (acc. to DA/GTD) is a place to store your hard landscape items. Then you have your other stuff to get done. OF provides a due date, and I use that instead of placing items that need to get done by a date on a date in my Calendar, with no specific time. I like having them in my action list. I also want to be able to (using a Perspective), in Project mode, see everything with due dates (but none without) so I can attend to those important things. At least it's available in context view.

Thanks to you both for your help and explanations.

Bob

[curt.clifton]

I think that Allen's "hard landscape" actions are actually those that must be done on a particular day, rather than before a particular day. That said, I've been putting those actions in OF with both a start and due date set. After my morning review, I start my day working in Context view, grouped by Due, sorted by Due, and filtered by available. Once I've taken care of everything due today, then I might change to a different filter (for example, working on important actions by filtering for flagged actions).

The challenge for me is that when things are hectic, I often don't get through the urgent tasks. Then I'm tempted to add artificial due dates to items so they show up. But that puts me back in the old pre-GTD days of worrying about all the tasks on my list and bumping them forward day after day. I guess the message is, use due dates careful. They're powerful, but can "lead us into temptation".

[brianogilvie]

Originally Posted by omnibob

A calendar (acc. to DA/GTD) is a place to store your hard landscape items. Then you have your other stuff to get done. OF provides a due date, and I use that instead of placing items that need to get done by a date on a date in my Calendar, with no specific time. I like having them in my action list. I also want to be able to (using a Perspective), in Project mode, see everything with due dates (but none without) so I can attend to those important things. At least it's available in context view.

Yep, that's how GTD should work. The program is designed, though, to have you do things in the Context mode, not the Project mode. That's for planning. (OmniFocus follows Kinkless GTD in this respect, as in many others.) I try to avoid Project mode except at the beginning and the end of the day, and during my inbox-clearing time, because otherwise it encourages overplanning. I work in Context mode, because in that mode, I am insulated from the siren song that calls out, "plan, don't do--doing is harder than planning!"

Flagging is also great. I try to flag only things that need my immediate attention, and to clear flags at the end of each day if they're no longer relevant, while flagging things that need my attention the next day. I've taken a cue from Leo Babauta at Zen Habits and started to identify, each evening (or morning, if I don't do it in the evening), the three Most Important Things to get done the next day. I flag those; once I've gotten them done (or done all I can that day), I'll look over the rest of my context list.

[ext555]

Oh yes and I give into that temptation way too often !!

[omnibob]

Originally Posted by brianogilvie

The program is designed, though, to have you do things in the Context mode, not the Project mode. That's for planning.

I will try devoting more time to using the Context mode for doing and see how it goes. I have one role (job) where 95% of my work is @computer, so the context mode seems less useful to me. There are more demands on me to complete projects, which is why I would like to have a Project Mode Perspective to see items filtered and sorted by due groups, and secondarily by project. I think that way part of the time. And OF does that already, except that the non-due items are seen as well. I now see that in Context Mode, when sorting and filtering by date, that Actions are (or can be) sorted by Project, which is most of what I've been suggesting for in the Project Mode -- it just doesn't have the horizontal Project separator bar to give the Actions even more visual separation (by Project). Probably not a big deal for most ppl.

I don't know if the OG is explicitly not allowing that capacity or not; you may be right that they are. I may be in a tiny minority. Anyway I've given enough of my opinion/reasoning, and like I say, I'll see how working in Context mode feels.

Originally Posted by brianogilvie

... the three Most Important Things to get done the next day. I flag those; once I've gotten them done (or done all I can that day), I'll look over the rest of my context list.

I love that. I'm really starting to change my thinking to go that route. Get important stuff done, feel good about it, don't feel bad about all the stuff you didn't do. And if you have more time/energy, just go back to your lists.

Timothy Ferriss <http://www.4hourworkweek.com/> describes writing the 2-3 things he wants to get done in day on an 8-1/2" x 11" piece of paper. He then folds that three times so it fits in his pocket. I'm just now trying a hybrid approach where I filter by due date or flagged items in Context Mode, select all, copy, paste to a text window (I suppose I could just print from OF), and print that short list. (This is for when I'm away from my computer.)

Bob

[dhm2006]

Originally Posted by omnibob

I now see that in Context Mode, when sorting and filtering by date, that Actions are (or can be) sorted by Project, which is most of what I've been suggesting for in the Project Mode -- it just doesn't have the horizontal Project separator bar to give the Actions even more visual separation (by Project). Probably not a big deal for most ppl.
Bob

If I *group* by project in context mode (as opposed to *sort*), I get a horizontal project separator bar. Is that what you want, or did I misunderstand?

[omnibob]

Originally Posted by dhm2006

If I *group* by project in context mode (as opposed to *sort*), I get a horizontal project separator bar. Is that what you want, or did I misunderstand?

In Context Mode I had: Due; Due; Remaining; Any; All.

If I switch to: Project; Due; Remaining; Any; All. ... then the horizontal project separator bar appears, but I see Actions that are not due. Thanks.

Bob

[dhm2006]

Originally Posted by omnibob

In Context Mode I had: Due; Due; Remaining; Any; All.

If I switch to: Project; Due; Remaining; Any; All. ... then the horizontal project separator bar appears, but I see Actions that are not due. Thanks.

Bob

Due only shows up on the group button ist and the sort button list. I don't think either of those buttons actually filter in the sense of omitting actions from view, do they?

You mentioned having due as an option on one of the filter buttons lists in post #11:

Originally Posted by omnibob

That explains it (although in Project view, if you mean view bar as including all five 'selectors', choosing Flagged does filter out all non-flagged items). If Due were a choice in that selector, I imagine I could get what I'm after.

I think that would be a great feature, if it isn't too difficult to include. I think a lot of people would like to filter on the start date and the due date.

[eronel]

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

What I would like is for child tasks without explicit due dates to show the parent's due date in context view, perhaps in a lighter shade.

Originally Posted by brianogilvie

It would be nice, though, if the UI displayed the due (or start) date inherited from the project or action group.

I would like to add my vote for this feature as well. I am in grad school and have many readings to track each week. I love the fact that when I'm planning in OF I can assign a due date to the parent task for each of the individual reading tasks for a single class. But when I'm in context view, exactly which readings are due when is not displayed because the date is inherited.

I'd like to see the inherited due (and start) dates indicated somehow, perhaps similar to how the inherited flag state is indicated.

Lenore