Numbering, naming, or otherwise identifying pr

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Just curious about the various ways that folks identify their projects. I have my projects categorized on Palm's To Do but sometimes after I complete an action I can't remember what project it went with and I have to run through the whole category or even several. It would help me if I could trace back readily to the project. For example, I end up with a 20 item list for the hardware store and when I finally get home with ll the items I can't remember what I got certain things for until I start actually doing the projects.
 
It seems like your challenge is more about identifying next actions than it is about identifying projects. A simple solution would be to make your next actions more explicit. For example, instead of writing "Get nails", try "Get nails to fix fence".

C
 
I'm a slog-through-the-list person myself, but I could see using one word at the beginning of each NA to identify it.

Project:
Get paintings displayed in Louvre

NAs:
Louvre: Buy "Lil' Artist" paint set @ WalMart
Louvre: Research flights to Paris

...that sort of thing.

Pres
 
FWIW, I'm one of the ranks of folks who use the word-at-the-start-of-the-NA approach (e.g., the Louvre example). That works well for me.
 
Pres, you got a LOL. :-)

To the point of Jamie's question, there's a technological fix: the GTD add-in to Outlook. Without it, I found it very hard to keep the projects connected to NAs.

Cheers, Richard
 
Pres, you got a LOL. :-)

To the point of Jamie's question, there's a technological fix: the GTD add-in to Outlook. Without it, I found it very hard to keep the projects connected to NAs.

Cheers, Richard
 
I put a three-letter code at the beginning of my projects and their associated next actions. Like this:

gwf - Get watch fixed
gwf - Go to UPS Store to mail watch

The nice thing about this system is that you can pick codes that don't appear in ordinary English words. This eliminates spurious hits when you search on the code.

Also, during the weekly review, I can sort my To-Do list alphabetically. This sorted list puts the projects right next to their associated next actions, which makes it easy to verify that each project has at least one next action.
 
Reading this topic made me realize why GTD didn't work for me when I first started using it two years ago. I kept getting muddled trying to keep track of project associated next actions and miscellaneous actions.

I now keep all my lists in text file outlines, which I view as one file. I list all actions as either NA: task_to_be_done [context} or OA: task_to_be_done by project files. (OA stands for other action.) I wrote a perl program that pulls out the actions based on the NA tag and lists them by context. I have one "general" project where I list things that don't belong to a dedicated project, like "NA: buy pocket folders [errands]" I never have to update the master list, because the perl program does so based on the projects list.

If my master list gets too long, I move some projects to the SDMB list, because realistically, I won't be getting to them very soon.
 
I use Memo Pad instead of To Do. Each context list, as well as each project, is its own category. I put the Next Action on the first line of each memo, so that it appears like a To Do item in a flat list, and put the project name on the second line of the memo, so that it only appears when I open that memo. When I'm ready to check off the item, I select the memo, see the project/category name, delete the memo, then delete the Next Action from the project category.

I used to use To Do religiously, then fancier outliners. Now I finally the see the sophistication of Memo Pad.
 
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