Higher Horizons - Where to store them?

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ivanjay205

Registered
Hi all,

I switched to OmniFocus about a year ago and do enjoy it. However, I switched from FacileThings and I desperately miss the integration of the higher horizons and the constant reflection of them built into FacileThings. I now find I rarely interact with them.

I am making it part of my weekly review and I want to get better about it. So the question is how do most people organize them?

I typed them up in word, which seems fine but really basic. I have thought about doing a mind map off of them which would be interesting. I am also thinking about building them into a project in OmniFocus so they automatically show up in my review panel. But that seems clunky.

Anyone have any suggestions on what works best for them? And how often do you review / analyze them?
 
Oogiem

Oogiem

Registered
ivanjay205 said:
Anyone have any suggestions on what works best for them? And how often do you review / analyze them?
Click to expand...
Mine are notes in Obsidian and I review them at least quarterly at my solstice and equinox reviews/12 Week year planning or more often if I feel a need to.
 
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bishblaize

Registered
My job description and company strategic plan are published items. I review my JD every few weeks or so and my Board and I review our strategic plan (at least) quarterly at our Board Meeting.

My other stuff I keep in a mindmap, balance wheel and/or they're recurring themes in my journal. I was never really able to encapsulate my feelings on longer-term personal aims in a simple list, they're too complex for that.
 
mcogilvie

mcogilvie

Registered
My higher horizons are just lists, and I keep them in the same app that holds my projects and next actions. I have ticklers set for review at intervals from a month to six months.
 
dtj

dtj

Registered
If I focused at high levels, i'd probably embody them in like at the project levels. If some things weren't fairly mutually exclusive, i'd probably have them in tags and then make perspectives with the tags. My planning activities that involve higher levels are typically done in mindmapping.
 
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Matt_M

Registered
My recommendation, in general, is to just keep things simple. There is nothing really wrong or bad about using something as simple as Microsoft Word for keeping track of your 20,000 ft. and above, horizons of focus. In fact, I believe I recall reading in the GTD or Making It All Work book where David even recommends using something simple like a basic word document for these as it will be more than sufficient given how irregularly they are reviewed.

Personally, I just use a simple plain text file for managing my horizons of focus and have been more than happy. I have not needed any kind of fancy program or software for them at all. They are only reviewed every quarter or annually as they are not as tactically important as my projects and next actions lists. Areas of Focus may occasionally get a monthly review but more often it is just every quarter. The higher level horizons like goals and objectives, as well as vision, are usually semi-annually and annually, respectively. Again, unless something significant happens they rarely need excessive or even frequent review as they are usually long-term commitments with anything from 3 ~ 10 years in terms of a time line.

I really would not even bother doing any kind of "linking" or referencing of the higher level of items in day-to-day actions as ultimately it won't really tell you anything new or significantly important. As David says "Knowing what your life's purpose is may help a little [when deciding to write an email or fix a printer]".

That's my point of view at least. :)

Edit: I noticed there was also some discussion here https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com...-horizons-in-omnifocus-or-another-tool.17667/ for this as well. You might review that thread too.
 
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René Lie

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
I keep mine in Notion, and review them at regular intervals.

I want my list manager to be able to link next actions to projects, but I don't see the need for my higher horizons to "live" in my list manager (Asana).

Remember: Just as a carpenter wouldn't execute all his or her tasks with a single tool, we shouldn't set up our GTD systems relying on only one tool. At least for me, I can't imagine one tool that would fulfill all my wishes. That being said, I could probably get by with only one tool if I really had to, but I don't!
 
schmeggahead

schmeggahead

Registered
When it comes right down to it, is it where you will look for it at the appropriate time?
That is the definition of organized: it is where you will look for it, with other stuff that has the same relationship with you that the rest of them have and you will look at them as often as you need to be only as much as you need to.

I see a project definition to define that for you, given your current set of tools. No one can tell you an answer that is right for you. You can easily learn from others about how they chose to place it in their organizational schema, make connections and find your solution for today. It can give you insights into where you finally select it to be. Make sure you feel free to alter that when it no longer works for you.

Higher horizons refocus on a regular basis for me. Consider them like steering a vehicle. Young drivers make constant adjustments and as people mature as drivers, they look farther and farther down the road and the adjustments are less frequent. The helm requires less and less adjustment.

Feel comfortable with what you have discovered so far and enjoy the new discovery to come.
Best Wishes,
Clayton

Remember that capture is about speed and facility; clarify is about precision and completeness. - Jared Caron
 
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mksilk2

Registered
I use TheBrain. Personally I find it an incredible way to store related information. It serves a few purposes for me: first it is my reference system, secondly it is my master GTD tracking system (ie the place where I define my GTD system in terms of which tools I use etc) and thirdly it is my HoF system.
 
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