[psidnell]

Originally Posted by myotis

Thanks, but omniplanner looks like a project management tool, I'm just looking for simple way of filtering future tasks to give me rough idea of how busy I am likely to be in any particular month.

I have actually tried project management software in the past for this, as I was already using it for managing projects, but it isn't actually much use. It is far too complicated and time consuming for personl task management.

I have to agree.

As I understand it, in GTD contexts represents resources, and OmniFocus is an excellent tool for identifying what tasks you can perform when you have access to that resource.

However, in real life resources are constrained: there are only so many waking hours in a day and equipment is rationed etc. Project management tools like OmniPlanner/MS Project claim to be good at this (I have doubts), but mortals use things called calendars.

The missing piece of the puzzle for me is a simple and intuitive way to know:

A) How many tasks I can complete (based on my task duration estimates) I can achieve with a particular level of access to a resource. And/or:
B) How much access it will take me to complete a set of tasks.

If there were a way to relate a context to a set of calendar entries representing times when that context was pertinent e.g I'm at the office from 8-6 or I have the truck on Wednesday - then I could see how a tool could tell me when a project might be complete, or that I have a problem.

I know Omni are working on integrating OmniFocus and OmniPlanner in some way and I'm very curious to see how that turns out.

However, I have a big problem with traditional project planning tools (agile vs waterfall etc). As you rightly point out - they're heinously complex, totally over the top as a personal productivity tool and in my experience often produce useless plans unless used by very gifted managers.

The dogmatic position that calendars are evil is unhelpful. Even if it's true, everyone around me forces me to commit my activities to them and share plans via them.

I personally would love a way to unify these worlds - but preferably one that doesn't have me wiring up gantt charts or fiddling with resource utilisation percentages.

I understand calendars without going on a training course.