[mgorbach]

Hello all,
Another specific question: I've got a few items in the inbox with no project set, and a context of "errands". When I switch to context view, these items do not show up in the "errands" context. Only those actions that are in projects or action lists show up, not the ones in inbox. Why is this? What workflow should I be using?

[Brian]

Sorry for the confusion here - the inbox is meant to hold items that you're thinking about or otherwise have under consideration, but haven't fully committed to yet. That's why items there don't appear in context view.

It sounds like you want to open up the Data preferences pane and change the 'Clean up should process inbox items with' setting to 'a context' or 'either a project or a context'. Once you do that, when you press the 'clean up' button, those items will leave the inbox and appear in context view.

If you give the 'keeping track of single actions' topic under the help menu, it'll explain what's going on here in more detail.

[mgorbach]

Thanks for the explanation. I don't see such a setting though. I see "Both a project and a context", while what I really want is "Either a project or a context."

[Toadling]

Don't you see something like this under your Data preference tab?



-Dennis

[mgorbach]

I see that same screen. That screen says "Both a Project and Context." I need "Either a Project or Context." See the difference?

[Toadling]

Ah, I see what you mean. I thought you meant you wanted either a "Project" or a "Context", in which case one of the first two options would have worked (not the one I have enabled). But you literally want "Either a Project or Context." So an item with either value would get cleaned up.

Unfortunately, that options doesn't appear to be available in the current release.

-Dennis

[Brian]

Note to self: do not give advice predicated on builds that haven't been released yet.

Um... you'll be very happy soon?

Sorry for the confusion.

[colicoid]

I think the fact that you are forced to process inbox items is very good.

David Allen says that you should process inbox items in a very strict manner, e.g. regardless of the items priorities. So if item #1 is something like "buy milk" and the second item is "read letter from the president" you still have to process #1 first. By process I just mean that the item should be moved into your structure and assigned a context.

[mgorbach]

Originally Posted by Brian

Note to self: do not give advice predicated on builds that haven't been released yet.

Um... you'll be very happy soon?

Sorry for the confusion.

Hmm. I can has preview?

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by colicoid

I think the fact that you are forced to process inbox items is very good.

David Allen says that you should process inbox items in a very strict manner, e.g. regardless of the items priorities. So if item #1 is something like "buy milk" and the second item is "read letter from the president" you still have to process #1 first. By process I just mean that the item should be moved into your structure and assigned a context.

Well, yes, but...

My interpretation of David's pages on this matter are that as long as you do process everything in the inbox on a regular basis, the order isn't particularly relevant.

Originally Posted by David Allen, GTD, 'LIFO or FIFO?' p. 123

As long as you go from one end clear through to the other within a reasonable period of time, though, it won't make much difference.

I think he's just trying to discourage you from wasting a lot of time shuffling through the stuff in your inbox, looking for something "fun" or "easy" to do, and touching things without deciding on how to process them, thus letting stuff linger longer than it should. With the OF inbox, it only takes me a second or two to "shuffle through" a dozen or more items, so I don't think I waste an appreciable amount of time doing so (I probably waste as much or more time waiting for OF to redraw the inbox when I go to look at it!) If my inbox gets big enough to put up a scrollbar on my Macbook screen, I know it is time to do some more processing, even if I just emptied it this morning.