Quick Intro About My GTD Habits:
Hey everyone, I'm new to OmniFocus but definately am glad i've arrived. I first read DA's GTD Book in summer of 2008 but never applied it. Then in February of this year I listened to his 8 hour seminar and listened passionately. I purchased a few trays for the home such as Inbox, etc. Even someday/maybe file folders and finally what has made my life incredibly easier the past few months is an alphebeticaly organized file box for all my folders. As DA's says, everything goes in here. In the past i'd go crazy looking for something if someone requested it from me but now I know that if it doesn't exist in that folder, then it probably doesn't exist. Also my home used to be un-organized and storage boxes simply housed the most they could of whatever. But now I have an array of boxes each with a specific topic so if I'm in a hurry and need paper or school folders it's under my "Computer Desk Tools" box or spare chap-stick or nail clippers rest under my "Health" box....etc.etc. Simply put, I love it.
I first started out implementing GTD on paper, though after spending 4 hours writing out every project and every action along with successful outcome, as a young 21 year old I realized typing stuff up was faster and easier for me. So I took everything to Pages. Here I grabbed a simple blank template and typed out each project name, successful outcome and each action including their context. After typing up about 9 pages worth over 30 current projects, I'd print those 9 pages out and grab my "Hipster PDA" and grabbed a blank index card for each context. I put the next action in the appropiate context index card for each one of my projects in those 9 printed pages that listed all my project I came up with in my weekly review. I'd walk about with @errands, @home, @school, etc. The first two days after printing out those 9 pages and my weekly review were very productive since all I had to do was look at my context index cards, but soon after I completed those next actions it was a mental drag to go back into my overall projects and ee what I had to do next.
This led me to find some sort of application for my Mac, since I was already using my Mac using Pages to utilized GTD. I searched and tried out Things, The Hit List, and iGTD. Things had great potential though I knew I wanted personalization more so; iGTD was okay for me, but OmniFocus seems just great.
My deal is, I don't have an iPod Touch anymore so the iOF app isn't a reality for me, though it's not a big deal since what I plan on doing with OmniFocus is print out all my overall projects and also print out daily my updated next actions under their appropriate contexts'...
So with that said, here are a few questions:
1. Under what context do your leisure events/activities go at? For example, I created a "Go Surfing" event in June, with the start date on June 21st so I won't see it till then. Now, rather than answering what I just asked; I remember David Allen in GTD say that this kinda stuff is what your calendar should be used for.
This began with me as having a big calendar at home, but hated that I had to be home to know what I had to do. So I used Google Calendar so I could access my events at home or school, but hated I didn't have it in my hand. So I then purchased a handheld calendar but just don't use it much. I've always used at @context printouts more and if I could print out a calendar with those kinds of events/actions GTD mentions that be great. Especially since one staple could hold all my context's and calendar.
So I guess what my real question is, what solution is there for me to have a calendar I use on my computer (please tell me there is one under omnifocus) and print out along with my context's? I'm expecting the answer to be iCal, however have never been too fond if it. The only computer based calendar i've used and enjoyed using if Google Calendar since I can view it on any computer and print it out on any computer if I need to. Also I really love that I can send a txt message from my cell phone to Google Calendar and it'll add an event or any other important future info. If the answer is iCal, I think i'd only use it if there was some sort of iCal=Google Calendar automatic syncing so I can view my calendar from anywhere, since my Macbook doesn't travel with me all days of the week. And if the answer is iCal, why? I guess what i'm saying is, if you were a salesman trying to get me to use iCal utilizing OmniFocus/GTD how would you sell iCal to me?
2. This question to me is probably the most important:
(Foreward: My projects pref. setting is at "Sequential" as most my projects are never parallel) I have my projects with obviously many steps. For example, lets say one of my projects has 9 steps in total. Step 2 can't be done until after I complete step 1. So i'll go ahead and complete step 1, then step 2. But step 3 can be done at the same time as step 4. Both step 3 and 4 are at different contexts. But OmniFocus has this set up as Sequential. And I can't click the project to be parallel cause all 9 steps can't be done at the same time. After I complete both steps 3 & 4 I can start step 5. After step 5, I can start and complete step 6. But with steps 7 and 8, those again can be done at the same time. But the final step, step 9 can't be started till both steps 7 & 8 are done. Succinctly put: some of my next actions within projects can be done at the same time as other next actions in the same project, but not always. But frequently enough for me to need a solution for this.
How can I get my projects to allow to more than one next actionable step when that is an option for me to do?
As of now this problem is only being met by me carrying around all my projects list with all their actions...but would prefer to see what I actually can be doing instead of checking up through my laundry list of projects.
3. How do you create contexts?: I saw the omnifocus screencasts and some contexts were specified such as errands: supermarket, while at one point i was vague with my contexts. When I first started GTD I had a context named @car, where all my next actions that wouldn't be at home would take place... but now i've changed it according to cities such as errands: culver city & errands: downey. Also another named errands: Target Store.... essentially what i'm asking here is: how do you go about creating a new context...do you create one if you frequent a location a lot or do you create as many specific contexts as need be when a new location may come along?
4. easy and quick perspective button? for my next actions list only (within context of course)? and all projects with actions to print out too? aside from the keyboard shortcut command?
the keyboard shortcut is okay but would love a specific perspective button on my toolbar if that exists.
Hey everyone, I'm new to OmniFocus but definately am glad i've arrived. I first read DA's GTD Book in summer of 2008 but never applied it. Then in February of this year I listened to his 8 hour seminar and listened passionately. I purchased a few trays for the home such as Inbox, etc. Even someday/maybe file folders and finally what has made my life incredibly easier the past few months is an alphebeticaly organized file box for all my folders. As DA's says, everything goes in here. In the past i'd go crazy looking for something if someone requested it from me but now I know that if it doesn't exist in that folder, then it probably doesn't exist. Also my home used to be un-organized and storage boxes simply housed the most they could of whatever. But now I have an array of boxes each with a specific topic so if I'm in a hurry and need paper or school folders it's under my "Computer Desk Tools" box or spare chap-stick or nail clippers rest under my "Health" box....etc.etc. Simply put, I love it.
I first started out implementing GTD on paper, though after spending 4 hours writing out every project and every action along with successful outcome, as a young 21 year old I realized typing stuff up was faster and easier for me. So I took everything to Pages. Here I grabbed a simple blank template and typed out each project name, successful outcome and each action including their context. After typing up about 9 pages worth over 30 current projects, I'd print those 9 pages out and grab my "Hipster PDA" and grabbed a blank index card for each context. I put the next action in the appropiate context index card for each one of my projects in those 9 printed pages that listed all my project I came up with in my weekly review. I'd walk about with @errands, @home, @school, etc. The first two days after printing out those 9 pages and my weekly review were very productive since all I had to do was look at my context index cards, but soon after I completed those next actions it was a mental drag to go back into my overall projects and ee what I had to do next.
This led me to find some sort of application for my Mac, since I was already using my Mac using Pages to utilized GTD. I searched and tried out Things, The Hit List, and iGTD. Things had great potential though I knew I wanted personalization more so; iGTD was okay for me, but OmniFocus seems just great.
My deal is, I don't have an iPod Touch anymore so the iOF app isn't a reality for me, though it's not a big deal since what I plan on doing with OmniFocus is print out all my overall projects and also print out daily my updated next actions under their appropriate contexts'...
So with that said, here are a few questions:
1. Under what context do your leisure events/activities go at? For example, I created a "Go Surfing" event in June, with the start date on June 21st so I won't see it till then. Now, rather than answering what I just asked; I remember David Allen in GTD say that this kinda stuff is what your calendar should be used for.
3 things go in a calendar: time specific actions (appointments), day specific actions (do sometime that day), and day specific info.
This began with me as having a big calendar at home, but hated that I had to be home to know what I had to do. So I used Google Calendar so I could access my events at home or school, but hated I didn't have it in my hand. So I then purchased a handheld calendar but just don't use it much. I've always used at @context printouts more and if I could print out a calendar with those kinds of events/actions GTD mentions that be great. Especially since one staple could hold all my context's and calendar.
So I guess what my real question is, what solution is there for me to have a calendar I use on my computer (please tell me there is one under omnifocus) and print out along with my context's? I'm expecting the answer to be iCal, however have never been too fond if it. The only computer based calendar i've used and enjoyed using if Google Calendar since I can view it on any computer and print it out on any computer if I need to. Also I really love that I can send a txt message from my cell phone to Google Calendar and it'll add an event or any other important future info. If the answer is iCal, I think i'd only use it if there was some sort of iCal=Google Calendar automatic syncing so I can view my calendar from anywhere, since my Macbook doesn't travel with me all days of the week. And if the answer is iCal, why? I guess what i'm saying is, if you were a salesman trying to get me to use iCal utilizing OmniFocus/GTD how would you sell iCal to me?
2. This question to me is probably the most important:
(Foreward: My projects pref. setting is at "Sequential" as most my projects are never parallel) I have my projects with obviously many steps. For example, lets say one of my projects has 9 steps in total. Step 2 can't be done until after I complete step 1. So i'll go ahead and complete step 1, then step 2. But step 3 can be done at the same time as step 4. Both step 3 and 4 are at different contexts. But OmniFocus has this set up as Sequential. And I can't click the project to be parallel cause all 9 steps can't be done at the same time. After I complete both steps 3 & 4 I can start step 5. After step 5, I can start and complete step 6. But with steps 7 and 8, those again can be done at the same time. But the final step, step 9 can't be started till both steps 7 & 8 are done. Succinctly put: some of my next actions within projects can be done at the same time as other next actions in the same project, but not always. But frequently enough for me to need a solution for this.
How can I get my projects to allow to more than one next actionable step when that is an option for me to do?
As of now this problem is only being met by me carrying around all my projects list with all their actions...but would prefer to see what I actually can be doing instead of checking up through my laundry list of projects.
3. How do you create contexts?: I saw the omnifocus screencasts and some contexts were specified such as errands: supermarket, while at one point i was vague with my contexts. When I first started GTD I had a context named @car, where all my next actions that wouldn't be at home would take place... but now i've changed it according to cities such as errands: culver city & errands: downey. Also another named errands: Target Store.... essentially what i'm asking here is: how do you go about creating a new context...do you create one if you frequent a location a lot or do you create as many specific contexts as need be when a new location may come along?
4. easy and quick perspective button? for my next actions list only (within context of course)? and all projects with actions to print out too? aside from the keyboard shortcut command?
the keyboard shortcut is okay but would love a specific perspective button on my toolbar if that exists.
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