[curt.clifton]

Originally Posted by tim.jeffries

I know the argument about hard landscape but do I really want to be putting a task like 'call John about tablet design at 10am' in my calendar?

Why not? If you really do need to make the call at 10am, then presumably you need to block that out.

(I don't mean to sound snarky. Just wanted to share that I've found it liberating to schedule all my hard landscape items, not just ones that happen in assigned rooms with other people.)

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by tim.jeffries

The problem is that I'm not always directly in front of my computer and that my computer isn't even always on. Sometimes I'm out and about but have to make phone call at a certain time. The phone call is an action of a larger project and need to be reminded. If Omni could tell iCal to set a reminder/alarm then that would be synced to my phone which would alarm and remind me to make the call.

I know the argument about hard landscape but do I really want to be putting a task like 'call John about tablet design at 10am' in my calendar?

Is it going to be any better if OmniFocus does it for you? You're still going to have to have that event in the calendar for your iPhone to do anything...

I suspect it wouldn't be too difficult to cobble together an Applescript that would take the start/due/duration/note from a selected event and create a matching event in iCal with a notification. How should such a script behave with start and due dates? Are you envisioning that start date and due date are one and the same in this application?

[tim.jeffries]

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

Why not? If you really do need to make the call at 10am, then presumably you need to block that out.

(I don't mean to sound snarky. Just wanted to share that I've found it liberating to schedule all my hard landscape items, not just ones that happen in assigned rooms with other people.)

I didn't take you snarkily. :-) I'm happy to change my habits if it makes sense.

So in my example then I probably could have put the task in as an event, but how about it's role in my project? I'd end up replicating actions into my calendar.

Also, what about a reoccuring task like 'put out the bins' which needs to happen some time on a Tuesday night? I definitely need a reminder otherwise I go to bed having forgotten . The problem is that it happens at a different time every week ...

[tim.jeffries]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

Is it going to be any better if OmniFocus does it for you? You're still going to have to have that event in the calendar for your iPhone to do anything...

I still don't have my iPhone yet (they still don't have free stock of black 16GB models in Australia) so I'm continuing to use my treo 650 which deals with tasks fine. I can't believe that you can't sync tasks between iCal and the iPhone ... that's ridiculous. It's half the reason I use a smartphone. :-(

I suspect it wouldn't be too difficult to cobble together an Applescript that would take the start/due/duration/note from a selected event and create a matching event in iCal with a notification. How should such a script behave with start and due dates? Are you envisioning that start date and due date are one and the same in this application?

Yeah I would have thought so. Could be a good option ... If only I knew anything about Applescript!

[curt.clifton]

Originally Posted by tim.jeffries

So in my example then I probably could have put the task in as an event, but how about it's role in my project? I'd end up replicating actions into my calendar.

I do end up duplicating some items like this. I put a waiting-for item in OF like "In time, meet with client", plus an appointment on my calendar. Not ideal. I think I'd like a "hard landscape" property on actions in OF. If this were checked, then the action would be added to the system calendar (and would show up in iCal). I suspect this would be a OF 2.0 feature, if it shows up at all. Of course, this would be just one more cruft of complexity, and OF overwhelms some people already.

Also, what about a reoccuring task like 'put out the bins' which needs to happen some time on a Tuesday night? I definitely need a reminder otherwise I go to bed having forgotten . The problem is that it happens at a different time every week ...

These items get due dates for me. My daily operating mode is to knock off all the urgent items before switching to context-based perspectives. That means that the trash goes to the curb pretty early some weeks. :-)

[tim.jeffries]

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

I do end up duplicating some items like this. I put a waiting-for item in OF like "In time, meet with client", plus an appointment on my calendar. Not ideal. I think I'd like a "hard landscape" property on actions in OF. If this were checked, then the action would be added to the system calendar (and would show up in iCal). I suspect this would be a OF 2.0 feature, if it shows up at all. Of course, this would be just one more cruft of complexity, and OF overwhelms some people already.

Sounds like a good option. I'm surprised more people aren't bothered by this.

These items get due dates for me. My daily operating mode is to knock off all the urgent items before switching to context-based perspectives. That means that the trash goes to the curb pretty early some weeks. :-)

Yep, I get that and I like that but given that I'm at work all day I don't want 'put out bins' to be due but unacheiveable (therefore creating stress) all day until I get home. Doesn't that kind of go against the whole point? If I could set a reminder to bug me after 6pm on a Tuesday to put out my bins that'd be perfect. I could trust that I wouldn't have to worry about the task until when I needed to.

Anyway, it obviously doesn't work like that and I suspect it's not likely to so I might have to change the way I work if I'd like to use it.

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by tim.jeffries

Yep, I get that and I like that but given that I'm at work all day I don't want 'put out bins' to be due but unacheiveable (therefore creating stress) all day until I get home. Doesn't that kind of go against the whole point? If I could set a reminder to bug me after 6pm on a Tuesday to put out my bins that'd be perfect. I could trust that I wouldn't have to worry about the task until when I needed to.

You can move the start date up to Tuesday, 6 pm. Then it won't be due (and urgent) until 6 pm. I do this sort of arrangement myself.

[tim.jeffries]

Originally Posted by Lucas

You can move the start date up to Tuesday, 6 pm. Then it won't be due (and urgent) until 6 pm. I do this sort of arrangement myself.

Yep okay that's good. The only concern is then that I have to make sure I check OF (either on my mac or phone) after 6pm but before I go to bed. How often do other people check OF? It is possible that we might have people over for dinner and then I'd go straight to bed without checking it ... That's why an alarm has been helpful in the past.

I should point out that this concern is bigger than just the bins. I just thought this would be a helpful example to thrash it out with.

Thanks.

[curt.clifton]

Tim,

As part of my morning review I look at a perspective I call "Urgent Radar". It's in context mode with these settings:

That perspective lets me see what's coming up today. I switch to an Urgent-Work Items perspective for actually doing things at work. That perspective only has my work contexts selected—so it doesn't show "Take out the trash"—and shows available items sorted by due date. I also have a Urgent-Home Items perspective.

If I know I'm not going to be back on my computer in the evening, but need to remember to do something, I'll jot myself a note on a scrap of paper and put the note somewhere I can't miss it—typically sticking out of the top of my briefcase. I've found this "life-hack" more reliable than the alarms I used to use, maybe because I don't hear very well.

I also try to do an evening review at home, mainly for looking at tomorrow's ticklers and emptying my home inboxes.

For me, the regular reviews are essential for maintaining peace of mind and supporting the collection habit. With regular reviews, I haven't been bothered by the absence of more aggressive reminders in OF.

Here are my morning and evening review checklists in case anyone finds them helpful:

Morning Review:

- [ ] Process Email
- [ ] Empty In Folder (in my briefcase, moves items between home and work)
- [ ] Empty In Box
- [ ] Review Today's Calendar
- [ ] Empty OmniFocus Inbox
- [ ] Review active projects
    - [ ] Any projects to put On Hold or move to someday/maybe? (Be
          draconian)
    - [ ] Any projects that are stuck?
        - [ ] Planning/clarity needed?
        - [ ] True next action identified?
        - [ ] Attach purpose, "success looks like", etc.
- [ ] Review Next Actions Lists
    - [ ] Urgent Radar perspective
    - [ ] Important perspective

Evening Review:

- [ ] Review Tomorrow’s Ticklers   
- [ ] Check mirror for notes
- [ ] Empty Moleskine
- [ ] Empty Voice Memos
- [ ] Empty In Folder
- [ ] Empty In Box
- [ ] Process Email
- [ ] Empty OmniFocus Inbox
- [ ] Verify Next Actions for all Projects
- [ ] Review Tomorrow’s Calendar 
- [ ] Print Errands tasklists
- [ ] Sync Phone

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by tim.jeffries

Yep okay that's good. The only concern is then that I have to make sure I check OF (either on my mac or phone) after 6pm but before I go to bed. ... That's why an alarm has been helpful in the past.

Of course, you would also have to check your mac to get an alarm - assuming that the "due soon" badge on the OF icon & an alarm are essentially equivalent.

If you wanted more alarming, you might set up growl for email or sms on the "due soon" being triggered.