Managing next actions and projects in Apple reminders

mcogilvie

Registered
And following this approach largely:

When I read this article, I did not think it was simple:
As you can see, connecting next actions to projects inside Reminders can be cumbersome because we have to set up a tree-like structure where next steps are nested under projects using drag-and-drop. When you have an Inbox list (which we will talk about later), you have to drag the reminder to the corresponding list inside “Planning,” then click on the list again in the sidebar, find the reminder, and drag it under its project. The last step can be done using keyboard shortcuts, but it is far from being as intuitive as assigning projects to next actions in OmniFocus or Things; people accustomed to these apps can feel like this step is a chore in Reminders which results in more time spent on system administration than necessary.
 

amelchi

Registered
What I wanted to know is what are your strategies for dealing with "long" projects (not two actions projects): do you use GTD? Is your tickler file almost your planner? If not how do you manage a long project... lets say "Write a book"?
Thanks
 

tmlr

Registered
> Don't use contexts as lists; use them as tags.

I'll do you one better. Use tags for contexts, create lists for Projects and then use Smart Lists to get your context lists.

The screenshots look kinda empty because I'm in the process migrating from Obsidian. Don't get me wrong, I love Obsidian, but ingestion and quick checks on mobile are too hard, so I'm trying to simplify with Apple Reminders.
 

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jsloat

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> Don't use contexts as lists; use them as tags.

I'll do you one better. Use tags for contexts, create lists for Projects and then use Smart Lists to get your context lists.

The screenshots look kinda empty because I'm in the process migrating from Obsidian. Don't get me wrong, I love Obsidian, but ingestion and quick checks on mobile are too hard, so I'm trying to simplify with Apple Reminders.
Nice, what is your list setup? I only see Inbox and whatever is inside the places folder
 

tmlr

Registered
Nice, what is your list setup? I only see Inbox and whatever is inside the places folder
My lists are split into 3 groups:
  • Contexts
  • People
  • Places
Places and People are obvious, contexts are interesting. You'll find your regular @calls and @work and @yard there but in my cases context are targeting mood/condition more than place or tools available. I work from home, laptop is always with me, so there's no really limit on tools availability, so I've got contexts like:
  • @chores (I'm in the mood to get into zone and do lots of small tasks)
  • @coding (do some programming that I wanted)
  • @diy (feel like working with tools in the shed)
  • @evening (some calm small bits and pieces, may be reading)
  • @tinker (I'm in to mood to learn something new or may be improve something in my setup, tinker with computer stuff)
  • @idle (waiting for computer to finish operation or just having a break? Procrastinate efficiently, funny videos, TikTok or small articles go there)
I have also a number smart lists:
  • @today - it automatically collects tasks from daily notes. My daily notes are my inbox. But also some times I feel like outlining the day, so all times will automatically go there.
  • @next actions - collects all contexts in Obsidian, grouped by context but in Reminders it'll be just a group
  • @agendas - same as next actions but for people
  • @errands - same as next actions but for places
I have "Waiting for" list but most of the time it sits empty.
I have list for areas but I'm not quite figured them out yet so it is not worth posting, won't be a good example.
 
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