I have some ideas I would love to see in the OmniFocus Mac and iOS apps regarding significant enhancements to Forecast and Contexts.
Think about all this information we put into OmniFocus about tasks: availability dates, due dates, time estimations, not to mention task ordering and sequence (i.e. sequential vs. parallel). Now think about how Forecast visualizes calendar events inline with tasks grouped by due date.
Now, put all that together. Within a Forecast view, OmniFocus could help the user understand when and in what order to get tasks done, based on my free time according to my calendar, tasks' availability dates, ordering, and dependencies, some Context-based constraints, such when and where I'm available to work on contextualized tasks, and even task duration estimations.
To reiterate another idea for Contexts that snuck in there: just as we've discovered that where is an important attribute of a context, when is also important. I'd love to give my contexts day and time specifications, or to otherwise bind them to calendar events that express when I'm in a particular context (in this case, from when until when I'm supposed to be physically at work).
Some things to consider. I know the OmniFocus 2 team is busy trying to build whatever's in their heads already, but I also believe enhancements along this line would be game-changers, as my task management tools would now help me understand exactly how, when, and where to get all my tasks done.
Thanks for reading. I would live to hear any additional ideas if you have them!
– Joe
Think about all this information we put into OmniFocus about tasks: availability dates, due dates, time estimations, not to mention task ordering and sequence (i.e. sequential vs. parallel). Now think about how Forecast visualizes calendar events inline with tasks grouped by due date.
Now, put all that together. Within a Forecast view, OmniFocus could help the user understand when and in what order to get tasks done, based on my free time according to my calendar, tasks' availability dates, ordering, and dependencies, some Context-based constraints, such when and where I'm available to work on contextualized tasks, and even task duration estimations.
To reiterate another idea for Contexts that snuck in there: just as we've discovered that where is an important attribute of a context, when is also important. I'd love to give my contexts day and time specifications, or to otherwise bind them to calendar events that express when I'm in a particular context (in this case, from when until when I'm supposed to be physically at work).
Some things to consider. I know the OmniFocus 2 team is busy trying to build whatever's in their heads already, but I also believe enhancements along this line would be game-changers, as my task management tools would now help me understand exactly how, when, and where to get all my tasks done.
Thanks for reading. I would live to hear any additional ideas if you have them!
– Joe