Nirvana - Do tasks go in Calendar or Scheduled list.

Jeff Osborne

Registered
As Nirvana does not yet have calendar integration, I'm curious when we need to "Defer" time sensitive tasks, how do users decide on putting them either in Calendar of choice, or the Scheduled list in Nirvana. Interested in your views. Thanks
 

kelstarrising

Kelly | GTD expert
Universally, for any tool, the best practices are:

If it needs to be done ON a day, it goes on the calendar
If it can be done BY a day or ANY day, it goes in your list manager


  • So, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" would go on your calendar
  • Call Kelly by Tuesday with go on your @calls list with a Tuesday due date
  • Call Kelly (anytime) would go on @calls with no due date
Hope that helps.

Kelly
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
Universally, for any tool, the best practices are:

If it needs to be done ON a day, it goes on the calendar
If it can be done BY a day or ANY day, it goes in your list manager


  • So, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" would go on your calendar
  • Call Kelly by Tuesday with go on your @calls list with a Tuesday due date
  • Call Kelly (anytime) would go on @calls with no due date
Hope that helps.

Kelly
Unless you know this will be an hour-long conversation on a difficult project. In that case, I would schedule this call on your calendar.
 

Jeff Osborne

Registered
Yes I see your preferences. But I also note that people are using the Scheduled List in Nirvana as the alternative for tasks which must be done on a specific day but any time during that day and only putting meetings and milestones on their external calendar? My Outlook calendar is not good for listing lots of small tasks that hardly take up time individually like calls. In that case, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" could go in the Scheduled List. So In pure GTD talk, I guess some people would argue that Scheduled List is an adjunct to your external Calendar? Thoughts?
 
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DKPhoto

Registered
Yes I see your preferences. But I also note that people are using the Scheduled List in Nirvana as the alternative for tasks which must be done on a specific day but any time during that day and only putting meetings and milestones on their external calendar? My Outlook calendar is not good for listing lots of small tasks that hardly take up time individually like calls. In that case, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" could go in the Scheduled List. So In pure GTD talk, I guess some people would argue that Scheduled List is an adjunct to your external Calendar? Thoughts?
I don’t know anything about Nirvana as I use 2Do app which allows me to put a start and due date, so if it has to be done on a certain day at anytime then it starts that day and is due that day.
I usually set start times as start of working day and end times as end of, but obviously that can be changed to suit. There’s then only one calls list and the call won’t show up until that day. There is a scheduled view so you can see what’s coming up if your commitments change.
Maybe Nirvana has something similar?
 

Jeff Osborne

Registered
Yes Nirvana works the same way in that you can Schedule a start date for a task and also put in a due date. If a task has to be done on a certain day, and you don't want to fill up your external calendar with two minute phone calls, you can use Nirvana's Scheduled List. Like you pointed out though, in this instance you have to set the scheduled and due dates to be the same. The small frustration is that there doesn't seem to be a single click operation for this and there is room for error in getting the dates the same.
 

JMartinez

Registered
I had the same dilemma, how to choose to put some tasks with due date in Nirvana and some tasks in Calendar?

This caused me stress and unreliability.

I asked my official GTD Level 1 coach and he told me that the best thing to do is to have all tasks with due dates in one place.

In other words.
If I decided to use the calendar, I would have to put all my due date tasks on the calendar, that meant both the time-stamped tasks, the dated tasks, and the tracking file.

On the other hand, if I decided to use Nirvana for the dated tasks, I would have to use the Nirvana scheduled list as the calendar, putting there the timestamped tasks, the date-only tasks, and the tracking file.

This was an eye-opener for me, because it avoided having to look in two places and eliminated at once the doubt about what to check first.

In my case, I decided to use Nirvana's "Scheduled" list as my calendar and it was a great success.

I completely discarded the use of the traditional calendar and moved all my events to the Nirvana Scheduled list.

Some will say, that's all well and good, but what happens when you are invited to a meeting? or when you have to call a meeting?

Simple and effective, in the first case, I copy the meeting details into the Nirvana scheduled task.

In the second case, next to the meeting invitees, I put the address of my Nirvana inbox and I get the invitation to my Nirvana inbox which I transform into a calendar appointment in Nirvana.

I hope this has helped you to clarify

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 

FocusGuy

Registered
Universally, for any tool, the best practices are:

If it needs to be done ON a day, it goes on the calendar
If it can be done BY a day or ANY day, it goes in your list manager


  • So, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" would go on your calendar
  • Call Kelly by Tuesday with go on your @calls list with a Tuesday due date
  • Call Kelly (anytime) would go on @calls with no due date
Hope that helps.

Kelly

1) About my calendar
For me, as David Allen said, my calendar is a sacred space. I use it as kelly said. Except that it also helps me for controling big things. I try to put on it nothing but what must be. I alway begin my day by seeing my calendar and doing what is on it (so I never work on my next action list if my tasks on my calendar are not finished)

I have 3 google calendar : one pink means personnal stuff, One blue for work, red for deadline or due stuff, green for waiting for.

There are mainly 2 or 3 tasks per day nothing more.

Day specific means for me Bigs rocks.
- Client I need to call after a proposal made 3 days ago
- People I must call because of an engagement
- Delivery of my computer
- Due date for my VAT
- Weekly review date (I like to see it even if I know it is on friday)
- Tickets to get for a concert with my spouse,
- Date of review for major project X
- Things I must absolutly do on that day, if it is by that day it goes into Nirvana.

My calendar also contains time specific ie appointments.

I clean my diary little by little when things are done

2) About my next action lists
Then when this is done I go to my next action list and do things. I check next action list and update then act on it !
In nirvana I only have 2 rules about dates :
IF and only if it is due it will be a due date.
IF I plan to do something by that day it will be defer + Start date.
When I begin my day it appears in focus and then I decide to do things or not (I may postpone it). If I must do it it goes to my calendar.

I work like this since many many years and it goes perfectly well with me
 
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Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
Over time, I have found that being very strategic about blocking time on my calendar for deep work is a fine art. If one does this too much, things unravel as new work and surprises land in your lap. And as I have said before, even if I have blocked off a few hours in the morning for an important project, I still pause and ask myself is this still the best use of my time based on where my world is at present. In other words, I ALWAYS decide what to do moment to moment.
 

FocusGuy

Registered
Universally, for any tool, the best practices are:

If it needs to be done ON a day, it goes on the calendar
If it can be done BY a day or ANY day, it goes in your list manager


  • So, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" would go on your calendar
  • Call Kelly by Tuesday with go on your @calls list with a Tuesday due date
  • Call Kelly (anytime) would go on @calls with no due date
Hope that helps.

Kelly
So kelly, you never use start date in nirvana or whatever ? I explained my way do I do it right ?
 

Jeff Osborne

Registered
I had the same dilemma, how to choose to put some tasks with due date in Nirvana and some tasks in Calendar?

This caused me stress and unreliability.

I asked my official GTD Level 1 coach and he told me that the best thing to do is to have all tasks with due dates in one place.

In other words.
If I decided to use the calendar, I would have to put all my due date tasks on the calendar, that meant both the time-stamped tasks, the dated tasks, and the tracking file.

On the other hand, if I decided to use Nirvana for the dated tasks, I would have to use the Nirvana scheduled list as the calendar, putting there the timestamped tasks, the date-only tasks, and the tracking file.

This was an eye-opener for me, because it avoided having to look in two places and eliminated at once the doubt about what to check first.

In my case, I decided to use Nirvana's "Scheduled" list as my calendar and it was a great success.

I completely discarded the use of the traditional calendar and moved all my events to the Nirvana Scheduled list.

Some will say, that's all well and good, but what happens when you are invited to a meeting? or when you have to call a meeting?

Simple and effective, in the first case, I copy the meeting details into the Nirvana scheduled task.

In the second case, next to the meeting invitees, I put the address of my Nirvana inbox and I get the invitation to my Nirvana inbox which I transform into a calendar appointment in Nirvana.

I hope this has helped you to clarify

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Sorry but am I missing something? How do you put time-of-day specific tasks in Nirvana Scheduled List for it to act as calendar?
 

JMartinez

Registered
Sorry but am I missing something? How do you put time-of-day specific tasks in Nirvana Scheduled List for it to act as calendar?
As my official GTD coach says, the secret is in the wording of the actions.

Recurring actions (Simple write-ups)
  • Josep's birthday on August 14
  • Take medicine (2 pills)
  • Check chevrolet tire pressure


Actions of the follow-up file (The redaction has indicated the activation date, also in Nirvana they only have configured start date but not expiration date).
  • As of 01-11-2021 check whether to renew subscription xxxx
  • From 03-11-2021 tickets can be purchased xxxx
  • As of 01-12-2021 Check dates to order Christmas vacations

Calendar actions (Start date and expiration date)
  • Saturday 02-10-2021, all day excursion to xxxxxx
  • Sunday 03-10-2021, at 16:30, coffee with xxxxxx
  • Monday 04-10-20-2021, at 10:00 am, Meeting with xxxx
In this way by the redactions, I also know whether the action is recurring, follow-up file or calendar appointment, without using any label.

These actions should not have a context tag because calendar actions do not have contexts since they have to be done on a specific day or a specific day and time.
 

FocusGuy

Registered
As my official GTD coach says, the secret is in the wording of the actions.

Recurring actions (Simple write-ups)
  • Josep's birthday on August 14
  • Take medicine (2 pills)
  • Check chevrolet tire pressure


Actions of the follow-up file (The redaction has indicated the activation date, also in Nirvana they only have configured start date but not expiration date).
  • As of 01-11-2021 check whether to renew subscription xxxx
  • From 03-11-2021 tickets can be purchased xxxx
  • As of 01-12-2021 Check dates to order Christmas vacations

Calendar actions (Start date and expiration date)
  • Saturday 02-10-2021, all day excursion to xxxxxx
  • Sunday 03-10-2021, at 16:30, coffee with xxxxxx
  • Monday 04-10-20-2021, at 10:00 am, Meeting with xxxx
In this way by the redactions, I also know whether the action is recurring, follow-up file or calendar appointment, without using any label.

These actions should not have a context tag because calendar actions do not have contexts since they have to be done on a specific day or a specific day and time.
Sorry but to be sure to understand, you put EVERYTHING in NIRVANA or whatever you use, with this wording and you put only but appointment I imagine in your calendar ? Is that right ? ;)
 

JMartinez

Registered
Sorry but to be sure to understand, you put EVERYTHING in NIRVANA or whatever you use, with this wording and you put only but appointment I imagine in your calendar ? Is that right ? ;)
I put everything in the Scheduled list with the corresponding statements. I don't use Outlook, Google or Apple calendar or any other calendar

I attach scheduled screenshoot (sorry, in Spanish)
 

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Parth

Registered
Universally, for any tool, the best practices are:

If it needs to be done ON a day, it goes on the calendar
If it can be done BY a day or ANY day, it goes in your list manager


  • So, "Call Kelly on Tuesday" would go on your calendar
  • Call Kelly by Tuesday with go on your @calls list with a Tuesday due date
  • Call Kelly (anytime) would go on @calls with no due date
Hope that helps.

Kelly
Hello Jeff. It's simple. If you there is something you are going defintiely do in the future add it to your calendar. If you have captured something but decide you will review(think what to do with it) later send it to your scheduled list
 

FocusGuy

Registered
Hello Jeff. It's simple. If you there is something you are going defintiely do in the future add it to your calendar. If you have captured something but decide you will review(think what to do with it) later send it to your scheduled list
I tried putting all in Of using start date for intend and due date for due things but it has a lot a friction with me.
Doing things like you sai, is much better for me. Best control, best acting too !
 
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