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Why David Allen doesn't "get" GTD Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Quote:
Originally Posted by tah View Post
A lot of peoples needs are beyond the scope of that. What we need is a small workgroup GTD-ish application. Omnifocus, with some features of Omniplan, and the ability to push tasks to other users.

Omniplan has too much overhead, and doesn't have all the features of omnifocus (quick entry, context, etc, etc). If I enter all my tasks into OF, and they are either sequential or parallel, and have due dates and durations, OF should be able to automatically build a basic gantt chart.

Even if I was working by myself, it is still important to know how much work I have, and when I'd be able to take on more.
You may have a point--an intermediate app of some kind that falls somewhere between OmniFocus and OmniPlan. I wouldn't want any of that in OF, however, but a completely new app? Maybe. Send your suggestion on to Omni. Who knows?

Edit: See Ken's post. It looks like Omni is already on top of that!

Last edited by keone; 2009-04-06 at 12:20 PM.. Reason: Ken's post.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Singleton View Post
I must make it very clear that what the dude who was so 'sure' he had figured out what my problem was, really just has not walked a mile in my shoes.
I don't know who this dude to whom you are referring is, because reading the posts interacting with you, I only see people ASKING if this is the behavior you are reporting. Your posting style leaves a bit of room for interpretation.

Quote:
ALL of the ITEMS were LINKS

does this make sense?
It makes sense that they looked like links, but one can also produce something that looks like a link by customizing the styles. Given that, I prefer not to make any assumptions about what it is.
Quote:
And who ever thought of setting something from 12AM to 1159pm?
that is great idea....
That's just a precaution in case you have chosen something weird for your default start and due date/times.
Quote:
why? such extra hassle? adding dates upon dates?
why tell something you are going to be doing it again tommorrow by giving it such precise numbers....sounds like NASA...ooops they forgot the metric system....or was it inches....or yards...or footcandles....I can't remember.

on iCal...I don't have to THUNK such extra baggage.
only to add the item "MEDITATE LIKE GHANDI"
repeat daily.
when you add this option of based on COMPLETION DATE? or START DATE? or was it DUE DATE? isn't that COMPLETION? whatever...
It shouldn't matter if you are making something DAILY REPEAT.
Give me an example of why you would want to set something in these two different methods of decision, and I will understand the reasoning behind the extra decision making. But, if you ask me to fill in a box checked ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO REPEAT? or just RE-REPEAT? there is a difference.
One creates a FEEDBACK LOOP....
the other, thinks ahead.
As I explained, OmniFocus offers a more powerful set of choices than iCal does. Some tasks want to repeat starting at the same point in time, regardless of when you finish, others want to repeat at the same interval. If you want iCal's behavior, just always choose "Assigned date" and that's what you will get.

Quote:
what was happening was I was getting a REPEAT
You try to check it off
it comes right back!
no check it off!
it comes right back!
and you can't see the date....it is on the iphone...

but if you sync it back to the Desktop....

it plays TENNIS CHECK
One gets checked, as the other one is UNCHECKED...
Now you show me in your manual Harding where it says that syncing will create a feedback loop of inadequate productivity.
If you have a repeating action with a short repeat interval (less than a day) available, you can get behavior much like this if you keep checking it off. Hey, look at that, it came back! Better check it off again!
Quote:
but, again, if you were NOT in my shoes...

you would be such an arrogant piece of work of pride
having already READ the MANUAL
and being such a WISE MANUAL READER.
Would have realized, that it doesn't matter what the manual says, if the INTERFACE, reacts a certain way it is BROKEN.

If the ICE MACHINE keeps pouring out ice....onto the floor.
If the ice machine pours out ice on the floor because someone doesn't understand they should stop pushing the button when the bucket fills up, does that make it broken?

You haven't shown us anything that convincingly demonstrates that OmniFocus' repeating actions are broken, despite your protestations. The forum crowd is usually pretty helpful to those who ask for help, although criticizing people who are attempting to help you for no reward but a sense of satisfaction for having helped someone is an interesting motivational tactic. Do you find it to be generally effective? Here's the last effort I'll make to help you: if you go to the Omni online storefront, search around a bit and you'll find a link to their 30-day refund policy. You did mention that you wanted a refund the other day, and perhaps you'll find a tool more suited to your unique needs. Good luck with that!

Quote:
And, this was a bug.

I don't have this happening anymore since I have trashed the preferences.
Here's a helpful tip for next time: the first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces! Renaming the preferences file would have been quite sufficient to test the corrupted preferences hypothesis, and would allow a post-mortem comparison if the problem turned out to be the preferences file. No doubt you feel that you shouldn't have to do this, having paid your money, and I completely agree that you have no contractual obligation to do so. Think of it as your opportunity to be part of the solution rather than the problem. We might already have an understanding of what had to happen to get your program in that state, and possibly even a fix, had you simply renamed the file instead of destroying it. File this under "making it easier for others to help me"...
 
yes....that explained it much better...
Now I understand....
also thanks TECH NINJA...

they emailed me too...

I understand the difference now and why you need the setting....

I think that was why it was looping though.....I will try to repeat it....but that is odd that a software would allow you to basically create a loop on yourself...I think it was getting confused, as it was syncing and playing tennis check mark with each version......

but after I got rid of those REPEAT or PROJECTS...and re entered them....
it doesn't do that anymore.....

thanks all I will keep you posted if I find out that linkage deal again....
but maybe the iPhone update fixed it...

sing
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by keone View Post
I wouldn't want any of that in OF, however, but a completely new app?[/I]
I hate when people say that: "I wouldn't want nice functionality in my app" ?!?There is confusion by some users that applications which have all the power and functionality are somehow bloat-ware. Not so. "Bloat-ware" is a function of poor UI and bad programming, not features.

For example people complain about MS word/excel being bloat-ware. Well yeah bad UI, buggy software, etc, etc. But I think I've used EVERY feature it has to offer. Pages & Numbers are much better applications, I love them and use them preferentially, but not exclusively because inevitably 10-15% of the time it doesn't have the feature and I have to use MS products.

Point is, lack of features should never be confused with a selling point.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tah View Post
Point is, lack of features should never be confused with a selling point.
I don't think keone is necessarily arguing for no features or fewer features in OmniFocus, but rather different features. And I tend to agree. I don't have much interest in gantt charts and such in OmniFocus. I think development resources could be better spent elsewhere.

-Dennis
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tah View Post
I hate when people say that: "I wouldn't want nice functionality in my app"
Oh my, this has become tedious. Your "hate" for a statement that I didn't even make is duly noted. However, Ken Case's response to you re: OF 2.0 essentially rendered my concerns moot, don't you think? Thus, your desire to now argue semantics seems to fall squarely in the beating-a-dead-horse category. Let's move on, shall we?
 
My gears are turning… I've found that it's hard to implement OF. Not because OF is not good, but because no matter how good it is, if I haven't trained myself to use it the way it was designed, then it won't work for me. I guess OF is not just a program that will do everything for you; it's a program that will help train you to live your life the GTD way.

Thanks for the distinction between importance and urgency. I have been trying to wrap my mind around how to prioritize tasks for some time now. That's how I got to this thread. I have a muddled distinction between what a project is and what a single action item is. I think the line can be grey at times. I've also in the past had a muddled distinction between planning time and context time (in the beginning I actually worked for several months solely from the project view, not remembering to work from the context view!)

I've evolved to having 26 contexts (including sub-contexts). Is that normal? I find I need them so I don't spend precious time sifting through tasks when I should be getting them done.

But then again, no matter what context I'm in, if something's urgent, I better get in that context quick if I want to get it done on time! So that brings me back to training my own mind to use this tool. I need to always check my urgent tasks, review them daily, and then quickly focus on the context I'm in and crank it out.

Yes, Omnifocus isn't perfect. There are some random things I wish it did, but at this point I've realized a lot of my headaches were a result of applying GTD incorrectly, and not building enough complexity into OmniFocus. OF can handle complexity (while in some ways, my mind can't!) but I still have to change my habits to make it work. It's not going to conform to the way I do things. I'm going to have to conform to it.

That brings me to the topic of routine. One thing I have found OF will not do for me well is help me implement a routine. I see routine as a separate aspect of life that needs organizing in some other way. I use a mindmap, with routine daily and weekly items organized spatially. I know you can repeat tasks in OF, but to me that just adds clutter to the program and requires more organization on my part. But maybe I could re-think that...

Routine helps me because it minimizes multi-tasking, which is the bane of my creativity and productivity. Speaking of which, planning and doing should be two separate activities. I'm trying to implement that habit religiously, because I find a lot of time is wasted if I try to do while planning. The two just don't mix—it's like drinking and driving.

If you've read this far, thanks. It's been good to verbalize this to concretize it within my own head. This might be good for newbies to read; I'm repeating stuff that is probably common knowledge in the GTD world, but which may not be so obvious to the newly initiated.

But, yeah, priorities have been a headache for me. I am still trying to figure the priority thing out... the gears are turning.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by synth01 View Post
But, yeah, priorities have been a headache for me. I am still trying to figure the priority thing out... the gears are turning.
Perhaps this will help: http://www.43folders.com/2009/04/28/priorities

For a good long while, I've been stuck on this "priority" issue and had an epiphany when I read his post about this. So, now I feel a bit free to sidestep this issue.
 
26 contexts ? is that including sub-contexts [I hope ?]

try putting the top [at most 7 ] contexts of your life as headers and then put the lesser ones under each of the 7 ..

with this you'll be able to see everything under the main context and then focus on the sub contexts as needed ..

just a suggestion : )
 
Quote:
26 contexts ? is that including sub-contexts [I hope ?]
I have 9 header contexts. I do need to shuffle them around, I think, maybe. I'll look at it
 
 


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