Best Method to store / document Levels of Horizon 3-5

ivanjay205

Registered
Hi everyone,

I was a long time user of FacileThings and recently migrated over to OmniFocus 3 as a tool. This has been a great change for me although I am missing the documentation and connection of levels of horizon 3-5 built into the platform. I am wondering what people do and how they structure it?

I know this could have been in the other forum in here specifically for software but I think this is broader than a specific Omnifocus or FacileThings question about what are the best methods. I am sure it ranges in all different ways.

I am primarily a digital person and love having very little if any paper of any kind. But I just dont see how to create the purpose, vision, and goals and "connect" them to my project and next actions unless it is purely just a review periodically in distinct systems of some sort.

I often tie the act of creating the document to my corporate business plan as I am a business owner. Of course personal elements get in there too but in particular these higher focuses are often tied to a lot of business goals, sales goals, growth goals, etc.
 

mcogilvie

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I have lists for each level beyond areas of focus, so separate lists for levels 3-5. Each item is tagged with one or more areas of focus. That’s it,
 

ivanjay205

Registered
I have lists for each level beyond areas of focus, so separate lists for levels 3-5. Each item is tagged with one or more areas of focus. That’s it,
Are the lists as simple as word document or...? And you do not have any connection between your goals and your project list other than just ensuring that you have projects aligning to the goals?
 

gtdstudente

Registered
Hi everyone,

I was a long time user of FacileThings and recently migrated over to OmniFocus 3 as a tool. This has been a great change for me although I am missing the documentation and connection of levels of horizon 3-5 built into the platform. I am wondering what people do and how they structure it?

I know this could have been in the other forum in here specifically for software but I think this is broader than a specific Omnifocus or FacileThings question about what are the best methods. I am sure it ranges in all different ways.

I am primarily a digital person and love having very little if any paper of any kind. But I just dont see how to create the purpose, vision, and goals and "connect" them to my project and next actions unless it is purely just a review periodically in distinct systems of some sort.

I often tie the act of creating the document to my corporate business plan as I am a business owner. Of course personal elements get in there too but in particular these higher focuses are often tied to a lot of business goals, sales goals, growth goals, etc.
I simply have all horizons, including eternal Horizon's like Heaven, in descending order under Four Areas-of-Focus: Divine, Health, Utility/Tools, and Fiscal
 

Wilson Ng

Registered
I just have a mind map of the different roles (Areas of Responsibilities) such as parent, spouse, business owner, student of the game, etc.

I'll open this document in my mind map app and review to see if there are any projects (sub-nodes) inside each area that I've neglected and need to promote. I'll prune off projects that were once great ideas but time/situation changes and it is no longer a desired goal or outcome I want.

I use this mind map of my higher horizons to review what I want the next year, 3 years, and 5 years looks like. I have't quite gotten to that elusive higher horizon such as my Vision and Purpose but I'll get there eventually.

I use the mind map to brainstorm for project ideas and to curate my higher horizons. Do I still want to keep working on this area of responsibility? Is there someone else that can do this better than me? Did my roles change? Did my goals change? Did a major life event (career change, marital status change, addition of new family, family relocation, medical emergency, etc.) happen and I need to re-evaluate my mind map? Did my purpose or vision change? How does it affect my mind map? Can I drop some areas or add new areas? Do I re-prioritize each area based on the current situation?

After I settle my higher horizons, I'll go back to OmniFocus to see if there are any projects or checklists that needs to be updated, delegated, or dropped based on my new mind map.

I only do this once every 6 months or 12 months or whenever a major life change has occurred. When in doubt, that's when I refer to my mind map and update my OmniFocus list.
 

Oogiem

Registered
I am missing the documentation and connection of levels of horizon 3-5 built into the platform. I am wondering what people do and how they structure it?
I use Omnifocus only for current active projects and my recurring tasks.

All my higher level documents are in Obsidian and they are linked tothe appropriate AOF summary documents and other pieces. I am restructuring my top home note in Obsidian to give quicker access to these higher level items so that I see and review them abit more often than quarterly. My life is changing and I need to revisit those horizones more like monthly now.
 

mcogilvie

Registered
Are the lists as simple as word document or...? And you do not have any connection between your goals and your project list other than just ensuring that you have projects aligning to the goals?
I use Things, so I have a Things area called 30K+ (old GTD terminology) and each level is a Things project. Each item is tagged with one or more areas of focus, so I can filter and see everything, from next actions up to level 5, relevant to a given area. That turns out to be much more useful for me than a hierarchy or links.
 

Instigase

Registered
I use Obsidian for notes at each of the levels. I take advantage of the linking capabilities in obsidian to link to supporting notes and to link between the different horizon levels. Eventually as I work down to the ground level, I have project notes which is a sort of form that has answers to prompts from the Natural Planning Model. Next actions are always logged into ToDoist.

On a side note, I could merge my way to a monolithic system and hack a GTD task management system into Obsidian, but that's too much work for me so I default to the best-in-class philosophy of software and Todist is task management tool while notes and ideas are managed by Obsidian. Besides, both todoist and Obsidian use Markdown and linking so its relatively painless to keep both talking to each other but with enough friction so its not too automagical and mindless.

Good luck!
 

lastgasp

Registered
I use Things, so I have a Things area called 30K+ (old GTD terminology) and each level is a Things project. Each item is tagged with one or more areas of focus, so I can filter and see everything, from next actions up to level 5, relevant to a given area. That turns out to be much more useful for me than a hierarchy or links.
I appreciated your post about the Things 30K+ model. I think I understand how you have it set up, but I’d love to see a screenshot or two, please, with non-sensitive or redacted examples. Thanks for your frequent posts here.
 

mcogilvie

Registered
I appreciated your post about the Things 30K+ model. I think I understand how you have it set up, but I’d love to see a screenshot or two, please, with non-sensitive or redacted examples. Thanks for your frequent posts here.

I’m a bit under the weather right now, so a screenshot seems hard, but here is 50K (Level 5) in Markdown. One # indicates the Things project title, while ## indicates a Things header. -[ ] indicates a list item. As you can see, I put David Allen’s description of the Level in the notes field. Also note that I am not too fancy here. I’ve read too many “vision statements” to be impressed by corporate platitudes.

# 50K: Purpose and Principles (0/18)

What is the work you are here to do on the planet, with your life? This is the ultimate bigger picture discussion. Is this the job you want? Is this the lifestyle you want? Are you operating within the context of your real values, etc.? From an organizational perspective, this is the Purpose and Vision discussion. Why does it exist? No matter how organized you may get, if you are not spending enough time with your family, your health, your spiritual life, etc., you will still have “incompletes” to deal with, make decisions about, and have projects and actions about, to get completely clear.


## Principles

- [ ] Meliorism- The belief that the world can be made better by human effort.
- [ ] Skepticism
- [ ] Liberty
- [ ] Family
- [ ] Science, Reason and the evidence of the senses
- [ ] Curiousity
- [ ] Tolerance

## Lifetime Goals and Purpose

- [ ] Deep lifelong love with wife
- [ ] Leave the world a better place
- [ ] Provide as best I can for my family
- [ ] Support Freedom and Justice for all
- [ ] Support science
- [ ] As Healthy as possible throughout life
- [ ] Financial security for life, wife and beyond
- [ ] Physically and mentally active for as long as possible
- [ ] Spiritual Resilience
- [ ] Physical Exercise
- [ ] Mental Agility
 

FocusGuy

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@mcogilvie Thank you for sharing. I am using Omnifocus. I want to make my Horizon in a folder.
I understand how I could make it with H5 but how could it looks like with H4, H3 and H2 ?
 
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