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whpalmer4--beautifully said! The problem I've had with ignoring the context label is that it's labelled "context"! I couldn't see past that, till this post helped.

By using it as an axis, as you say, many options open up.
 
Nice font, what is the name of that one?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bashosfrog View Post
Much of GTD makes good sense, but I've found the notion of contexts to be a pernicious distraction. It doesn't matter how cleverly I devise them, they always prove to be a waste of time. And because OmniFocus is built around contexts, I keep feeling that I'm wasting OF's horsepower.

Last edited by Brian; 2012-12-10 at 04:09 PM.. Reason: reduce quantity of quoted material for better readability.
 
Avenir and Avenir Condensed - they come with Mountain Lion.
 
Just wanted to pass on a big "Thanks" for proposing a new way of laying out my work. I've been stuck in the routine of using Due dates, which means I have to manually change dates to everything that doesn't get done on my arbitrary due date. Now that I have things organized into Focus, On Deck, and Waiting, the work is just there when I need to work on it, and I simply drag tasks to the different Contexts to promote/demote them. Quick & easy.

My weekly review is also easier as I simply see what to move On Deck, and not guess at arbitrary due dates.

Having Due items laid out in a different perspective also keeps things cleaner.

Great, great idea that I got a tangible benefit from. I even implemented the font.

Anyway, thanks for posting this.
 
Thanks for reporting on your setup. Good to know that it's working for someone else, too.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bashosfrog View Post
OF isn't always well disposed to this sort of workflow, though. For instance, in 'month" or "week", I'd often like to have projects, rather than tasks. But if I assign either context to a project, the project will appear in the kanban perspective along with all its tasks, filling the view with unecessary crud.
A workaround that I think would work, if you're still looking for a way to accomplish this, to have the first task in a project repeat the name of the project and have the project set to sequential. Then when you 'activate' the project, you check off or delete that first item and set it to parallel if you want.

Thanks for your post and also for dpvanwormer's.

ETA: And chriswitt too. I like your terminology.

Last edited by malisa; 2012-12-09 at 04:20 PM..
 
I have the same feelings about OF like dpvanwormer.

I use OF almost 2 years now. For the last 2 months I wasn't doing anything which would improve my career or anything which would bring me longer outcome which I want. I stuck with OF and GTD on making "things." There is always more and more things to do, but I just didn't have time to finish reading this book, or to accomplish my private project. It started to be so many things to do on my lists, that I didn't know what to do on the next day. There was just so many of them, it was overwhelming. And most of this stuff was important for that moment, for sure, but in the longer outcome it wasn't for improving my skills, knowledge, career.

I started reading more about the Agile Results, yesterday I ordered the book.

Most of you guys, probably have already careers, families... I am a student and besides school and keeping my GPA 4.0, I want to continue creating my company, learn about my craft, read books which would improve me and my life. All of this needs to be organized and I can do only that much I can do. Don't take me wrong, GTD is amazing and OF is the best app I have ever used. But GTD seems more like system for a workplace. I find it difficult to manage the same time my work, school, career, personal life, and other things.

When I came across Agile and Kanban I felt like this is something for me. However now, while switching little and making OmniFocus-GTD-Agile hybrid I have a difficulty to manage other stuff, not related to my personal goals, career, etc., but things which have to be done.

So, I have a question for people who use Kanban/Agile Results.
How do you manage stuff unrelated to your work/career/personal goals?
EXAMPLE: You have to do groceries, clean your car, clean your computer, go to Home Depot, build a shelf at house, blah blah blah.
All this stuff does not fall between the Rule of 3 from the Agile Results. So, it is not even the prettiest frog (if you know Brian Tracy you know what I mean).

Thanks
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrainInside View Post
...
So, I have a question for people who use Kanban/Agile Results.
How do you manage stuff unrelated to your work/career/personal goals?
EXAMPLE: You have to do groceries, clean your car, clean your computer, go to Home Depot, build a shelf at house, blah blah blah.
All this stuff does not fall between the Rule of 3 from the Agile Results. So, it is not even the prettiest frog (if you know Brian Tracy you know what I mean).

Thanks
I would comment first ... I have no background to the Agile rules.

Outside of this, I would comment that OmniFocus is IMO a good tool to manage such "stuff". Put it in a single-action Project called "Chores". Alternatively, tasks such as you mention are part of Projects in your Areas of Responsibility ... Surroundings: Car & House & "Tools" (including computer).

Outside of this, tasks such you you mention are stuff you just do without needing to document them. As an example, I don't need a Kanban or GTD tool to document that I need to get groceries. When I need them, I make a list and define a time to go get them. Sometimes, that is what weekends are all about.

--
JJW
 
Thanks DrJJWMac,

I use OF on daily basis from 2 years. I write more about GTD method itself.

Once I have read on a productivity blog:
"Making a religion of GTD gives no more time to practice your mastery..."
2 months ago I realized, that GTD was my "religion." But the problem was, I wasn't doing anything to pursue my dreams. I was just doing doing doing... more and more, quicker and more efficient... But, what about life goals? Dreams? I cannot find the balance, don't know how to organize all of this. The time during the day is limited, but, there are many important things to do, like responsibilities etc. I don't know if you guys have it in the past, but I have some kind of productivity vs life breakdown.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrainInside View Post
... I cannot find the balance, don't know how to organize all of this. ...
I recommend stepping out of OmniFocus for what you are trying to do. Mind mapping from your "center" outward could help. In my case, I started with divisions of Personal, Professional, Social, and Zen. Within each, I set up areas of responsibility (another suggestion is to use roles). Examples I had were ... Research, Teaching, ... Surroundings, Family, Well-Being, ... GTD. At that point, and before I went anywhere in OmniFocus for this year, I developed my own internal strategic plan. What do you believe you are primarily to do in your life? What are your goals to address that question? What measurable objectives / outcomes will get you to those goals? Then, I started filling in the flesh with the OmniFocus Folders and Projects.

Even though I imagine I will use it less, I still suggest that Goalscape might also give you a useful view of how to approach your problem from a different direction.

Hope this helps to break you out of the rut that we all travel on occasion.

--
JJW
 
 


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