[mcogilvie]

I am having trouble with using Omnifocus for the process and organize phases of gtd workflow, and would like suggestions. When I am organizing, I often have a single next action which may or may not grow in scope to become a project, or may be combined with other tasks to become a project. I would like to associate it with its corresponding area of focus, to see it in a broader context. What I would like to have is folders for my areas of focus, and the ability to have both projects and next actions in the folder. Omnifocus does not allow this, so it seems like the best I can do is have something like

Area1 (folder)
-Area1 (single-action list)
-Project1
-Project2
Area2 (folder)

I have to put the single action list Area1 first in the hierarchy because when I want to put something in Area1 (singletons), I want to have Area1:Area1 first on the list, before Area1:Project1.

There is another issue: the default single action list. If I add an action in someplace it doesn't belong, it may disappear into the default list before I have fully processed it. Of course I will find it.. eventually. It seems like it would be more sensible to have such items go to the inbox, but that isn't an option. I could try to always use command-N to call up the quick entry window, but it does seem like the software is running me, rather than the
other way around.

Is this the best I can do? If Omnifocus was not so inflexible, things would work better for me (pun noticed but not intended).

[curt.clifton]

Putting single action lists under the folders is the canonical approach for miscellaneous actions that you want to organize by areas of responsibility. OF 2.0 promises more general handling of projects, action groups, and actions, though I don't recall whether putting single actions directly in folders has been discussed. Use Help → Send Feedback to submit feature suggestions to get them entered in the development database. (See this sticky thread at the top of the main OF forum for details.)

Take a look at the clean-up options in the Data preferences to keep items from leaving the inbox before you're done with them. Here's how I have mine configured (click thumbnail to zoom):



By requiring both a project and a context, items don't leave the inbox until I've assigned them to the correct single action list.

Cheers,

Curt