[elektroglide]

i'd really like to see a today status option in OF. i know there are various workarounds in OF, but nothing for me beats the ability to just mark an action for today (things does it really well).

not a date, not a context, instead a dedicated status assignment.

the clarity of knowing what actions are shortlisted to be actioned today, without changing any other status setting on those actions is hugely helpful for me.

anyone else miss this feature?

[Craig]

Are you presently using the flagging feature for something else?

[elektroglide]

Originally Posted by Craig

Are you presently using the flagging feature for something else?

yes - to indicate must do's soon, or to alert my assistant of something, but not necessarily today.

today's actions may include non-urgent (and non-flagged) items, collated in an easy-to-see list which has nothing in common other than i would like to do those things today. flagging for me is broader than a "today" function, relating to importance as much as time specifically.

i don't see that it would disrupt anything in gtd or OF to have a today status feature...

[whpalmer4]

You could preface such actions with "today:" and type that into the search box in the toolbar to narrow the view...

To make an official feature request, use Help->Send Feedback or email OmniFocus@omnigroup.com. Forum posts don't get counted, and may not even be seen.

[elektroglide]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

You could preface such actions with "today:" and type that into the search box in the toolbar to narrow the view...

To make an official feature request, use Help->Send Feedback or email OmniFocus@omnigroup.com. Forum posts don't get counted, and may not even be seen.

that would work, although it's more work than just assigning a today status.

cc things does it rather elegantly, and it's a useful feature, for me at least.

i've sent the feature request to that email you gave, thanks for the reminder.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by elektroglide

that would work, although it's more work than just assigning a today status.

Yes, it is, but it is something you can do today -- very few feature requests get done right away, so if this workflow is important to you, you'll need to do something else (like my suggestion) in the interim.

It also wouldn't be very difficult to cobble up an Applescript that did this to the selected item(s), and you could install the script as a toolbar button, giving you one-click access.

[henry]

Originally Posted by elektroglide

i don't see that it would disrupt anything in gtd or OF to have a today status feature...

Today lists are a form of prioritisation. You're saying that these items are more important than anything else based on some arbitrary measure which may not be valid when you come round to doing the task. There may be a perfectly valid reason why you CAN'T do the task when the time comes, but you will feel bad about not being able to do it.
Also there may be other tasks that you are able to do but they won't get done because they aren't on your today list.

[elektroglide]

Originally Posted by henry

Today lists are a form of prioritisation. You're saying that these items are more important than anything else based on some arbitrary measure which may not be valid when you come round to doing the task. There may be a perfectly valid reason why you CAN'T do the task when the time comes, but you will feel bad about not being able to do it.
Also there may be other tasks that you are able to do but they won't get done because they aren't on your today list.

aren't all lists by definition a form of prioritisation in that they exclude all things not on them? the arbitrary measure is that i want to do today items today, and want to have quick access to a coralled list of those actions.

i don't feel bad about not being able to do something on my today list, and having a today list doesn't prevent me from doing things which aren't on it (in fact many things not on the list get done anyway since no list is biologically exhaustive). the today list is not a very rigid thing in my world, but it's something i can refer to when i get distracted.

this is simply a memory aid. david allen suggests that ultimately, intuition is the deciding factor in where one's focus should go at any point in time (all other things being equal eg available resources/context), and the today list for me is simply an informal and quick memory aid for noting the results of that intuitive process.

in a similar way, software such as concentrate and vitamin r helps me to stay on track for periods of time even when i have decided what to do next.

we're talking real world idiot-proofing for those of us like myself with more monkey mind than zen-like powers of concentration...

whatever the pros and cons - and i have yet to see any cons to having a today feature, i want a today list, i use it in things, and i want it in OF! ninjas have been alerted. it's only a matter of time!

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by elektroglide

we're talking real world idiot-proofing for those of us like myself with more monkey mind than zen-like powers of concentration...

whatever the pros and cons - and i have yet to see any cons to having a today feature, i want a today list, i use it in things, and i want it in OF! ninjas have been alerted. it's only a matter of time!

I think that's more the way that things works and not really the way that OF works. One thing that you might try is to combine flagging with grouping by context in context mode. Then you can say ok I'm going to do the stuff in this context first this context second etc. Does that make sense?

[JorBru]

Originally Posted by elektroglide

whatever the pros and cons - and i have yet to see any cons to having a today feature, i want a today list, i use it in things, and i want it in OF! ninjas have been alerted. it's only a matter of time!

i agree completely. a "Today" or "Now" feature is an important tool, currently missing from OmniFocus.

it should be a date field - in other words, for any given action item, i should be able to specify a date it will appear on the "Today" list (which is a very different thing from being "Available").

OmniFocus does a great job of providing lists of possible Action Items based on the current Context, the date (what has become available, nearly Due, past Due), and what has become do-able (now that pre-requisites are complete).

Where OF disappoints is as a planning tool, and a means for seeing what Contexts are necessary now (it is all well and good to say "Oh, I have some time in {pick a Context} - what should I do?", but also important to be able to ask "of all that I must do in the coming {pick a period of time} what Contexts will be necessary, so I can plan to be there (or at computer, near phone, etc.).

A "Today" view is part of the solution and would be a natural out-growth from a planning module that permitted the user to assign "Do" dates to Action Items and get an overview of what Contexts will be required (and when) by that plan. Currently, OF only does the reverse - you get to see Action Items for the current Context, but you don't get a useful tool for seeing the Context(s) necessary for the Action Items deemed most important (as opposed to Due status, etc.).

It is a reactionary workflow. "I'm in _____ context, what should/could I do?" when what is needed is pro-active "What contexts are implied by my assessment of what is most important this week?"