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Daily reminders vs. a cluttered forecast Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Still thinking about this, I would ask the "reverse question", what would I gain by using another software?

Thanks!

Julien
 
I also use Due for daily reminders. I have to take medication 3 times a day. Because reminding you about something at a certain time of day is basically ALL that Due does, it can really focus on how to do it well. When I get an alert that something's due, I can snooze it for 10 minutes or an hour or even a day. (Of course, I can also just mark it done!)

While I can't speak for certain, I don't think OmniFocus is likely to add that many "snooze" options to alerts. They would be in the way of all the other things that people need for handling their less routine tasks.
 
I use Due in addition to OF as well. It works annoyingly well. :)
 
My forecast view is cluttered with daily routine stuff that obscures my less-routine actions.

Trying to understand the issue here. If these tasks have to be done on, say, Friday then I need a measure to see that I have to do them that day. It does not matter if the task is "clean gutter" or "clean nuclear power plant". I have to do it and I need to be reminded of doing it. How does it clutter the view just because it is a regular task? If you do not need to be reminded, don't put it in OF. If you need to be reminded, it is not in the way.

I've spent so much time in the forecast that I've gotten in the habit of "living" there instead of switching among contexts throughout the day.

Forecast shows all tasks that you have to finish today. As long as you get them done, staying there is nothing bad. No need to cycle through the contexts if you can still do the things you have to. On the contrary, staying in forecast until you have those things checked off means that the time critical stuff is done before you do other things, going by contexts.

My iPhone slows with a few hundred checked-off actions before I archive them each month
.

Make a new task to archive your old actions once every two weeks. It only takes a minute.
 
I've started using the iOS Reminders app alongside Siri for quick, one-off reminder tasks, and in the process I've also considered using it for daily routine tasks, but found that it didn't quite fit the bill -- the biggest limitation being the inability to use "repeat after completion" -- if I miss a task it can quickly bunch up. Under the heading of "clutter" I also found it annoying that all of these routine tasks showed up in the Notification Centre with no way to turn them off without disabling notifications entirely.

Personally, however, I've tended to avoid the clutter somewhat by simply trying to limit those activities that truly have a hard landscape due date. From a GTD point of view, I've found that it's far better to get into the habit of checking appropriate contexts and lists than worrying about arbitrary dates that may not matter.

For example, I maintain a "household routine" context for those various things that need to be done around the house on a regular basis, but I put due dates on almost none of them unless there really is a critical date. Instead I use start dates to keep them off the list until enough time has elapsed since the last time I completed the task.

For instance, a task like "take out garbage" may need to be done about every two days, but I really don't need to put a due date on it. My world isn't going to fall apart if I don't take out the garbage on time (and to be fair, there will be external factors reminding me to do so if I wait too long anyway :) ). Instead I use a start date for this that recurs every two days after completion. Once I've actually taken out the garbage, the item disappears from my list entirely until two days later.

On the other hand, "clean litter box" is something that I do put a due date on, simply because the cats will find somewhere else to relieve themselves if I don't do it in a timely enough manner for their highnesses. :)

Similarly, I use a fixed due date with a 24-hours-after-completion repeat to remind me to take my vitamins each day -- this way I get a notification, and the 24-hour setting allows me to ensure that I'm not taking them too close together (e.g. if I don't take them until later in the day, the next reminder doesn't appear until later the next day).

Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the number of interrupt-driven tasks. Unless something has an externally enforced due date, I don't set one. This avoids creating stress about things that I feel I should be doing when I'm in no position to do them. Instead, I go to my appropriate contexts when I do have the time and focus and run through the appropriate household chores and other routine items.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by julienl View Post
Also, I'm curious about any suggestion for "checklists" apps, I had tried many before getting to OmniFocus, but none had seem to do the job.
One option is Paperless: Lists + Checklists:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paper...359564368?mt=8

There's a lite version, if you'd like to try it out before you buy.

I used to use Paperless for this sort of thing (and for vacation packing lists and such). Now, I prefer to keep this sort of thing in a text file on Dropbox. This gives me easy access to it from any computer. From my iPhone, I use the excellent Elements text editor, which syncs with Dropbox, so I can read/write access to them on the go.

Elements: Dropbox and Markdown Powered Text Editor:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eleme...382752422?mt=8
 
Why do you want to use another software in addition to OF that does what OF does? You can easily make lists in OF...
 
 


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