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Someday/Maybe Projects? Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Omnifocus works well for projects and actions I need to do today, or in the very near future. But I can't find a method that works in dealing with someday/maybe projects.

If it's a project I'd like to start working on in a month I can put it "on hold". But that doesn't really work for a project that I'm just comtemplating, a project I lack enough info to make a decision on, or a project I know I won't be able to tackle until 2 years from now. Those aren't on hold. They're not developed enough, or the timing just isn't right yet.

"On hold" doesn't really work here, and if I use "on hold" then projects that actually fit that description will be buried by projects I'm no where near ready to tackle.

Does anyone have any suggestions using omnifocus for this or is this a type project (someday/maybe) I should keep elsewhere (omnioutliner, text file) until the project is more developed and feasible?

Thanks for any ideas.
 
I have a someday maybe folder with action-less projects.
E.g. "buy a boat".

By not putting actions in these projects, they won't clutter the context view and I don't have to put them on hold.
 
I'm sorry, jakeg, I really disagree. I think "On Hold" projects and single-action lists are ideal for all of the cases you mentioned, and I think that's exactly how Omni Group intended them to be used. If "On Hold" doesn't fit the description of someday/maybe items, or really anything that's not currently actionable, then what does?

I usually start off with a simple idea, often a single line of text, that I store on my someday/maybe single-action list (SAL). The list is on hold so it doesn't appear among by actionable items unless I want to see it.

When the item matures to more than just an idea and I'm ready to flesh it out a bit more, or I think I might start working on it soon, I just drag it out of the SAL onto the sidebar to turn it into a project. If I'm not ready to start work on it immediately, I place the new project on hold.

The project then sits on hold as I plan it out, add actions, and think about it some more, sometimes for months. In fact, I see no reason it couldn't sit there as an on hold project with partially-defined action for years. Sometimes, I'll make the project active, work on it a bit, and the put it on hold again as other things come up and my priorities shift.

Do whatever works best for you, but you'll be missing out if you don't take full advantage of the on hold state.

If you're concerned about organization of your on hold projects, why not create a separate folder for them? Actually, you could even set the folder as "Dropped" so it doesn't show up in the sidebar until you want. In fact, if the folder is marked as dropped, you don't even need to put the projects on hold because anything placed in the dropped folder will be hidden.

Last edited by Toadling; 2008-05-11 at 07:47 AM..
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakeg View Post
Does anyone have any suggestions using omnifocus for this or is this a type project (someday/maybe) I should keep elsewhere (omnioutliner, text file) until the project is more developed and feasible?
I keep someday/maybe ideas in an OmniOutliner file, with an OmniFocus recurring task set up to remind myself to review them. I put a link to the OO file in the task notes, so I can just click on it from OF to open up the document.
 
You're talking about two types of projects:

(A) Ones that have been defined, thought out, next actions, with a start date in the future.

(B) Projects that are more in the ideal/research&development stage that you want to hold on to.

I handle the first by assigning them a start date in the future (2months or whatever) and change that date if needed during my weekly review.

The second I use the "hold" for and have a separate someday/maybe folder for these projects... Like lists of books to read, movies to watch, home projects, places to visit, etc... I use the "child" tasks if I do any planning on these during my weekly review.
 
I have several someday/maybe folders with projects in them (one for work, one for home, etc). The projects themselves are on hold, so they don't show up . So, if I, for some reason, want to look at the on hold projects that are not someday/maybe, I can just deselect the entire folder in the projects view.

Does this meet your requirements?
 
It's interesting to read about other peoples' approach to this, particularly how "on hold" projects are used. For me, it doesn't really matter why a project is on hold, whether it's because the project is a someday/maybe item or just something that's been put on the back burner for whatever reason. The important thing is that it's on hold, out of my main view, but still accessible for regular review. So I just keep all my "on hold" items together, sorted at the bottom of my list of projects, organized in folders based on area of responsibility.

So, out of curiosity, why do some feel it's important to separate different kinds of on hold items? Maybe I'm missing something.

And Brian, why have you decided to keep yours outside of OmniFocus in a separate OO file? Linking it in to OF as an attachment is a good idea and something I hadn't really considered.

Last edited by Toadling; 2008-05-12 at 06:01 PM.. Reason: Darn punctuation, pesky little varmints they are!
 
I use "On Hold" with a monthly review cycle so they pop up in my weekly review.

BZ
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toadling View Post
So, out of curiosity, why do some feel it's important to separate different kinds of on hold items? Maybe I'm missing something.

And Brian, why have you decided to keep yours outside of OmniFocus in a separate OO file? Linking it in to OF as an attachment is a good idea and something I hadn't really considered.
I keep my someday/maybe list in an OO file because it started out there, before I started alpha testing OF. I never bothered to move it into OF. I think of the someday/maybe list as a list of things that I imagine I might want to do, but to which I haven't made any commitment--even the minimal commitment of thinking about what the next action would be for that project. Until I make that minimal commitment, I haven't been entering things in OF.

I keep other OO lists, including checklists for packing for trips and other specific, recurring occasions, and lists of routines that I would like to become habitual. And I have mind maps of some territories in my areas of responsibility. I like using whatever tool seems best, and if I use a tool besides OF for something of which I want a regular reminder, I can link to the file.
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. Lots of good ideas.
 
 


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