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In GTD, Allen recommends having a tickler file where you can send reminders to yourself to arrive sometime in the future. I assume this could effectively be integrated with iCal but I was wondering if it has yet been integrated with iCal in OmniFocus and if it is actually called a "Tickler File".
 
Why not just put such things directly in iCal? It raises the question as to whether OmniFocus is to be an entire GTD application, or one focussed on the specifics of managing the sequential actions required for reaching required outcomes? Of course some of these actions are calendar-related, but then some actions are also dependent on physical objects which are incapable of being incorporated directly into OmniFocus or any other digital tool. I wonder if asking too much of OmniFocus could be counterproductive, especially as it can never fulfil such requirements. Better, in my view, to focus on the core activity of processing next actions.
 
I do not see why this could not be handled in OF elegantly, with minor modifications as to the expectations of what it should look like. Of course, the concept of a tickler file was based on a paper office. This requires separate files (43 of them), to track everything. Copying this into the digital office would probably be wasteful.

A tickler is essentially an item with a "due date" and 0 lead time. It shows up the day it is due. How the user handles it is up to them. They can make a project out of it, actually do it; whatever. So a system built around it is not necessary. All you need is a filter setting that groups by due date (already have a framework for that) to view your "tickler file", and for everyday work, a way to filter out items not due yet (set to Available). Using the Context View, ticklers already exist. :)

Although, all of this filter toggling does lead me to hope that there will be an easy way to set filter presets, perhaps in a menu right in the filter bar.

For some people, offloading time-based things into iCal is okay. Personally, I don't like iCal as a production platform, and I really don't like having to go to two places to see what I need to do. I think timing functions are very integral to project flow, and various timing functions should definitely be integrated into OF.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmberV
A tickler is essentially an item with a "due date" and 0 lead time. It shows up the day it is due. How the user handles it is up to them. They can make a project out of it, actually do it; whatever. So a system built around it is not necessary. All you need is a filter setting that groups by due date (already have a framework for that) to view your "tickler file", and for everyday work, a way to filter out items not due yet (set to Available). Using the Context View, ticklers already exist. :)
A "due date" and 0 lead time = start date. Once start and due dates function properly in OF, employing the tickler concept is as simple as assigning a start date to the item. For something many months from now (ie October), set the start date to the first of that month. That's what I've been doing in kGTD and you can put tickler stuff, including events, into this by using a "Remind" context or whatever.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmberV
For some people, offloading time-based things into iCal is okay. Personally, I don't like iCal as a production platform, and I really don't like having to go to two places to see what I need to do. I think timing functions are very integral to project flow, and various timing functions should definitely be integrated into OF.
Agreed. Keep it simple. OF for tasks/tickler, iCal for actual hard-coded events (hard landscape). OF just needs robust handling of start and due dates, which I'm sure is being currently developed. I stopped using iCal for To Dos completely after I got comfortable with kGTD and now OF.
 
 


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