[elektroglide]

one of my favourite things about things is the next action list, which means i can see at a glance what i need to do next to move any project forward.

i find it hard to know how to get easy access to my next actions in omnifocus. it's not the same as due or overdue. what is the o.f. equivalent?

[whpalmer4]

Go to context mode, set the status filter to Next Action, set the grouping and sort filters however makes most sense to you (group by context, sort by project or sort by due would be my suggestions), and save as a perspective. Now add that perspective as a toolbar button via View->Customize Toolbar and you've got one-click access to a list of next actions.

[Toadling]

Out of curiosity, can anyone tell me what exactly Things displays in its next actions list? Does it really show only a single next action for every project like OmniFocus' next action filter? Or does it show a number of remaining actions? Or available actions?

It's been a long time since I looked seriously at Things, but from what I recall, the app lacked the concept of sequential execution and blocking actions. In other words, all actions were parallel within a project.

-Dennis

[whpalmer4]

Dennis, it looks like it hasn't changed in that regard.

I downloaded a more recent copy (I had 1.0!) and entered a simple project:

Clean office
--Straighten up area around computer
--Clean off table
--Organize bookshelves

The Next display shows all three tasks, in that order, with no apparent differentiation. More like Remaining than Next Actions, I think. Fired up The Hit List, too. They both look like they would be fine for someone with about 20 projects, tops.

Apropos the discussion of repeat support elsewhere on the forum today, I found a bug in Things when I tried to enter a date that only occurs every four years. Did you know that February goes from the 27th straight to the 31st? :-) And The Hit List let me enter a start date of 2/29/2012, with a repeat of every year, but when I ticked off the first one, the next one was scheduled for 1/23/2011! Applescript support for both looks a bit spotty, too. I think I'll stick with DeWALT instead of Fisher-Price for my productivity tools :-)

[elektroglide]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

Go to context mode, set the status filter to Next Action, set the grouping and sort filters however makes most sense to you (group by context, sort by project or sort by due would be my suggestions), and save as a perspective. Now add that perspective as a toolbar button via View->Customize Toolbar and you've got one-click access to a list of next actions.

belated thanks - it helps a lot!

i'd still really like a dedicated "today" category like things - i'll use your tip as a starting point and see where i get to with it...