Managing next actions and projects in Apple reminders

[bigskymind]

And following this approach largely:

Using Apple Reminders for GTD – Decoding

decoding.io

 

[mcogilvie]

And following this approach largely:

Using Apple Reminders for GTD – Decoding

decoding.io

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.

 

[jsloat]

When I read this article, I did not think it was simple:

I agree, I read the article and did enjoy the in-depth explanation, but I think I would prefer the method of a previous poster of using tags for context & separate lists for projects.

 

[amelchi]

does anybody use GTD as a planner? is it the tickler file?

 

[amelchi]

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]

> 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.

 

[jsloat]

> 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]

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.

 

[bingobob1]

The main reason I have never changed from Things to Reminders is this: In Reminders, when you’re looking at an item in Today or a smart list (for example), you can’t just go to the item’s project in order to see it in context. That’s the obstacle for me.

 

[FocusGuy]

When you have a Mac, using apple Apps is often better. It is an holistic system, so it's easy to use for example you can use reminder, apple note both of them, make link, use tags linking inside orouside the app. Using reminder is interesting if you like having the the task inside your calendar at the right day and it is elegant, efficient and smart.

However I dislike this system. I tried ;-). From my point of view it is Ok if you have a very light system with only a few projects or a few tasks. But when things becomes serious I felt more comfortable using Omnifocus, things or even todoist (paid version). Paper or a good note book is better, Bujo approach is better too if use with apple note as reference material for example or any good note app.

I feel much better with Omnifocus it is easy, fast efficient. Every next action can be link to the project itself.

But us is just a personal point of view. Any one can use anything for GTD. Having a digital solution just helps when you have an iPhone and use it every time and everywhere.

 

[Max34]

Hi, I'm curious about how people are managing the interaction between projects and next actions in the Apple Reminders app.

I have a list of projects broken down by my areas of focus and separate next action lists by context (home, garden, internet etc.). Does anyone have tactics about how they manage the interaction between the two?

Many thanks in advance,

Damian

You can link the two pretty easily if you keep one simple rule. Put every project in its own list, then add one reminder inside each list tagged as your next action. Your context lists stay clean because you only drag the next action into them, not the whole project. When you finish that task, open the project list, pick the next step and tag it. It keeps things moving without turning Reminders into a maze.

 

[MichaelB215]

I don't use it for GTD purposes as its still not quite suited to GTD imo. But for people that use Reminders, Remind Me Faster is a great little app that makes it easier to get things into your system.

Remind Me Faster App - App Store

Download Remind Me Faster by Nick Leith on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more games like Remind Me Faster.

apps.apple.com

This is a great tool.

You can also replace the Camera or Flashlight widget on the iPhone lock screen with the iOS
26 native New Reminder widget (the same one as in the Control Panel).

Curiously, this only works for those two “permanent” buttons on the lower left and right of the lock screen - not in the customizable widgets above. But with the introduction of the physical camera button on the side of iPhone 17 I didn’t mind losing the on screen one.

 

[Popeye]

Very cool to see your setup, Robert! Thanks for sharing.

Echoing what some have suggested, using tags is also what Morten does in his setup. I have personally taken the transition from Todoist to Reminders as an opportunity to simplify my system, so I am back to the plain separate lists. If you're curious to hear more about how we (Morten and I) approach our differing setups in Apple Reminders, here's our episode on that:

We are moving into 2026 now and I wonder…

Do you guys still using Apple Reminders today or do Todoist and Omnifocus won you back from this ”flirt” ??

 

[TesTeq]

You can also replace the Camera or Flashlight widget on the iPhone lock screen

@MichaelB215 Thank you! I didn't know it. I don't need the Camera button when I can achieve the same by swiping left!