[hocuspocus]

a project

a folder

a single action list

and why does the iphone only have the first 2 as an option and the desktop have all 3???

[beharkey]

From the Help in OmniFocus:

Projects
"Related actions are grouped into projects, which represent a set of actions working toward a common goal. Anything you want to do that requires more than one action, like "Finish moving in" or "Get novella published", are good candidates for projects. Projects can then in turn be organized into folders, for keeping track of your broader areas of work."

Single-Action Lists
"Some actions, like "Get a haircut", don't really fit into any particular project; they're just individual little things you need to do. You can keep this kind of action in a single-action list. These lists are similar to projects, but they don't assume that the actions they contain have anything to do with one another."


And actually, the iPhone has all three. To create a Single-Action List, you first create a project. Then you can choose to make that project Sequential, Parallel or a Single Action List (the icon for this looks sorta like a shoebox).

[hocuspocus]

so are you saying that things start out as a project i.e. work and then folders would be job 1 job 2 etc??? why not just list your to do's and use a tag?? then sort on the tag....seems much more simple...and simple is good! then all you have to do to sequence within a tag is use dates.

[beharkey]

If you want to use tags, then you might look at Things.

For OmniFocus, I would suggest you read David Allen's "Getting Things Done". OmniFocus is based on that productivity methodology. I think you won't fully understand the power of OmniFocus if you don't understand and follow GTD.

So, briefly...

Folders are just a way to organize groups of things. So for instance, you might have a folder labeled Personal and another labeled Work.

Projects would generally reside inside a folder (though they don't have to). They are the meat & potatoes of GTD. A project is any task that has more than one related physical action. So for instance, a project might be "Clean Out The Garage". Then inside that project would be a number of actions like "throw away trash", "buy shelving", etc.

Additionally, a project can be structured to be sequential or parallel. Sequential means you have to do the actions in a certain order. Parellel means that you can do the actions in any order.

Actions are any single physical action. Don't be tempted to make an action called something like "Clean Out Garage", because that isn't a SINGLE physical action - it is really several actions. Therefore, it would be a project.

A Single Action List is just a way to group actions that are unrelated. You could use a folder for this if you want, but a Single Action List has a little more power because you can assign a start date, due date as well as other features.

And I didn't even begin to explain contexts or whether or not to use due dates... that's a whole 'nother discussion.


Hopefully that isn't too confusing. Again, I would highly recommend you read David Allen's book. He goes into much greater depth about all of this stuff.

[brianogilvie]

Beharkey is spot on. If you don't want to shell out your hard-earned $$ (or ££, or €€, or whatever) for David Allen's book, you can look at Merlin Mann's 43 Folders blog to learn more about the Getting Things Done methodology. The basic idea is that you should note down any commitment you have made to do something. If it can be done in one simple physical action (e.g., take out the trash), then it is an action that belongs on a context list. If it takes more than one physical action (e.g., Take a vacation in Maui--I'm dreaming here!), then it is a project, which will require several physical actions to complete, each of which will have its own context (place or tool required to complete the action).

[whpalmer4]

Also, check your local library. Not only do lots of them have The Book, some also have it available online in electronic form.