[colicoid]

David Allen thinks that you should name your projects so that they state how you want something to be when its done. He says that it makes it a more positive experience to look at your projects. The problem is that I can't figure out how to do that. I tried names like "application x has zero bugs" or "documentation for X is ready" but it just felt a bit silly.
Any ideas?

I am also interested in what kind of naming conventions people add as an extra layer of organization on top of all the regular OF tricks. I for example might name actions so I can identify what action-group they belong to when I am in context-view. E.g.

Project X
action1
action2
bugs to fix
-> bug - action3
-> bug - action4

In the above example "bugs to fix" would be an action group.

Any other interesting takes on naming conventions?

[jasong]

Don't like the "write it like you'd already done it" method either. I just write what I want to do: "Clean air ducts", "File 2007 Taxes", "Visit eye doctor", etc.

[mikeyk22]

I felt a little silly at first, but now I kind of enjoy having 'motivational' project names. Some samples:

-> Host a great Visting Lecture event
-> Stay connected with family
-> Keep finances in order
-> Keep in touch with friends
-> Stay connected with family

For more mundane projects, though, it's hard to come up with interesting ones. "Have a great dentist visit" sounds a bit silly :)

[Craig]

I keep my project names short so they don't clog up the tree view, but I put a full, past-tense, what-does-it-look-like-when-successfully-complete sentence in the project's notes field.

My one clever naming convention is this: Within folders based on "areas of responsibility" I have singleton lists along with the relevant projects. The folders are named after the roles (e.g. "homeowner") and the singleton lists are named "sing" + the role (e.g. "sing homeowner"). The good thing about this is that when entering new actions, it doesn't matter if I think of the role first or second: typing either homesing or singhome will recall that list. The first matches "HOMEowner > SING homeowner" and the second "homeowner > SING HOMEowner."

[abh19]

I wouldn't title them as already performed—that seems to take away my enjoyment of the present moment... cheating me out of enjoying the "work" and the incomplete state of it. Like living a memory rather than life itself....

Anyway, it might be helpful to name it something that reflects the central goal(s) of the project, to help you focus on the essentials & not let the project morph into something else along the way.

Examples of what I mean:

Buy tires for car vs. Buy safest tires for car
Buy catfood vs. Buy cheapest catfood
Correct proposal vs. Make proposal sound professional
Take a balloon ride vs. Take a balloon ride over stunning scenery

Not that every project needs this elaboration, but it might help to maintain focus for some projects, especially those that are more open-ended or that are on your slate for a long time, and it'll never hurt to think first about the goals you want each project to meet.

[Lizard]

"application x has zero bugs"

That example got me thinking. Sometimes it is really important to define what "done" means. Is the application done when every single bug is fixed? What if there's one bug that you just can't find, but rarely occurs in the real world, and your users are begging for the app now? Maybe it's better to ship now and then focus on that bug.

Is "move to new house" done when the moving van is empty? Or when all the boxes are unpacked? Or when you feel ready to host a house warming?