kelstarrising
Kelly | GTD expert
Hey OmniFocus users! We would love to know how you are using OmniFocus these days. Thanks!
OmniFocus Poll
- Thread starter kelstarrising
- Start date
RS356
Registered
I was also beta testing OF 3. I found the introduction of tags far less effective than contexts. What features did you not like in OF 3?
kelstarrising
Kelly | GTD expert
And I would love to hear any comments about using the forthcoming web version. Can you see using it?
mcogilvie
Registered
While a lot of people focus on features they think they need or would like, I am more interested in a simple clear workflow. From that perspective, I think OF 3 is more difficult to use than OF 2, and a lot of that is tags and the new perspective filter system. Suppose I want to see only next actions with certain tags, say home and errands. If any of those next actions have other tags, for example the today tag, I won’t see just the tags I want if I group by tags, I will see groupings by all those other tags as well. Paste still only works in built-in perspectives in iOS, so there’s still no easy way to duplicate an entry in custom perspectives. The UI is cluttered, and lots of important controls and information is scattered around the periphery of the screen. Don’t even get me started on the insane use of Taskpaper format. I’m not in love with Things (the workflow model is NOT gtd, but an old-fashioned master list/daily list setup), but the design is very clean, and everything works everywhere in a unified way.
Rose
Registered
I primarily work on iOS as I'm on the go a lot, though I own and use the Mac version too - just less frequently!
As I have a collection of Windows machines at work (and one at home too) I've been beta testing the web version and using it a lot more than I thought which is really interesting.
As I have a collection of Windows machines at work (and one at home too) I've been beta testing the web version and using it a lot more than I thought which is really interesting.
I sit down once or twice a day on the Mac and get things up to speed, but I’m on the go so much that I work primarily off the phone for both capture and checking things off. I have lots of stuff on my list and every AM go through and flag the hot stuff that needs to get done that day. Once I get the flagged stuff done in a particular context, if I’m still in that context I look at the broader context list and pick something else (or not!).
AndrewJMason
Registered
Fully on OF3 for 4 months now. Contains both my GTD system and reference system. All in. Love!
Oogiem
Registered
Nope, not unless I can host it on my own servers.
kelstarrising
Kelly | GTD expert
Pro or Standard? If Pro, which feature makes it worth it?
AndrewJMason
Registered
I Prefer Pro, but Standard works fine. It's not a must for a pure system.
Biggest "pro" benefit for me is custom perspectives built with mail-style rules.
I'm a recovering crazy-maker, so these are perfect for quick triage.
(ie - "Show me all tasks tagged 'Waiting For' & 'My Boss').
Biggest "pro" benefit for me is custom perspectives built with mail-style rules.
I'm a recovering crazy-maker, so these are perfect for quick triage.
(ie - "Show me all tasks tagged 'Waiting For' & 'My Boss').
Andrew, can you expand on how your using Omnifocus for Reference.... I love the idea of having one system for both.
AndrewJMason
Registered
Sure!
I have a top-level folder "Reference" that includes my entire reference library, sitting beside my projects folders.
This way:
- If new paper comes in, I snap it into the attachment section using my phone or iPad.
- If I'm unclear if it has actions, I send it straight to the inbox for processing.
- If it's clearly support material for a project (meeting notes, recording of a crucial conversation), I add the pic to the notes section of that project.
- If it's purely reference (and I know what the reference folder is) I can quick-entry it and set the "project" to that reference folder, toss the paper, and keep rolling knowing it's in iPad, Phone, and computer.
- Been recording a daily "audio journal" the same way.
- You can then set the "Weekly review" frequency to 1 year (or whatever you want) so it doesn't gunk up your projects list.
- You can also build a custom perspective (using pro) that zooms in solely on reference.
(See attached Pics)
Hope that helps!
I have a top-level folder "Reference" that includes my entire reference library, sitting beside my projects folders.
This way:
- If new paper comes in, I snap it into the attachment section using my phone or iPad.
- If I'm unclear if it has actions, I send it straight to the inbox for processing.
- If it's clearly support material for a project (meeting notes, recording of a crucial conversation), I add the pic to the notes section of that project.
- If it's purely reference (and I know what the reference folder is) I can quick-entry it and set the "project" to that reference folder, toss the paper, and keep rolling knowing it's in iPad, Phone, and computer.
- Been recording a daily "audio journal" the same way.
- You can then set the "Weekly review" frequency to 1 year (or whatever you want) so it doesn't gunk up your projects list.
- You can also build a custom perspective (using pro) that zooms in solely on reference.
(See attached Pics)
Hope that helps!
Attachments
Ravine61
GTD'R 4 Life
Been utilizing OmniFocus for 5 years. Recently went thru an “overhaul” of it, as I felt I was “mis-using” how and what I made a “project”.
For me, the reinforcement for utilizing it is because it makes the first GTD step so darn easy...”capturing”....whatever I capture on my IPhone/Mac/IPAD will migrate across all of 3 devices...
and I have no excuse not to capture each and every item/project because I can dictate it into my iPhone when I am on the go (perhaps the most daunting time for me to try and capture anything is when I am walking, driving, flying, etc).
Curious as to how others have experienced times when they felt they needed to overhaul what they had in OmnFocus, and how they did this. Kelly, thank you for creating this topic. I truly feel I would not be as successful and consistent with the GTD methodology, if I had not implemented it via the OmniFocus platform.
For me, the reinforcement for utilizing it is because it makes the first GTD step so darn easy...”capturing”....whatever I capture on my IPhone/Mac/IPAD will migrate across all of 3 devices...
and I have no excuse not to capture each and every item/project because I can dictate it into my iPhone when I am on the go (perhaps the most daunting time for me to try and capture anything is when I am walking, driving, flying, etc).
Curious as to how others have experienced times when they felt they needed to overhaul what they had in OmnFocus, and how they did this. Kelly, thank you for creating this topic. I truly feel I would not be as successful and consistent with the GTD methodology, if I had not implemented it via the OmniFocus platform.
redsleaves
Registered
I don't have a need for it. I've got Apple at work and at home. And I don't know anyone else that uses omnifocus, so I couldn't collaborate with tasks even if I wanted to. If the functionality expanded to allow tie-in with web-automation services like IFTTT that might be a different story.
redsleaves
Registered
OmniFocus 3 has changed the game for me. It’s still ugly and a little clunky, but tags and the perspective builder have made it so much more powerful. It's much easier to see exactly what you want to see when you want to see it. Which means you can put more into the app.
That being said, if you aren't interested in the whiz-bang filtering capabilities of Pro, you're probably better off using Things 3. It does everything that Omnifocus Standard does, but it's a much better user experience. It's an absolute joy to use.
But I digress.
Tagging and Perspectives:
I have a few modes that I go into throughout the day. Some of them are more free-form working modes. But some of them are daily routine type things. Those lists used to have to live in different apps because they felt like they were gumming up the works if they were in OF. The problem with that was that sometimes I'd want to add a one-off task, and there was friction.
With OmniFocus 3, I’ve been able to build for all of my different modes. For Instance:
I’ve got a perspective called “Morning Rush”, which is the checklist that I use every morning to make sure the kids and I get out of the house having groomed and packed everything that we need.
That perspective pulls in anything that has a “Morning Rush” tag. The daily and once-or-twice a week tasks are all tagged with Morning Rush, but are also tagged with “Checklists.”
The “Checklists” tag is blocked in my proper work perspectives to keep those from getting gummed up. But I can also include one-off tasks in Morning Rush, without the "Checklist" tag, in case I also want it on a working list, like an "Around the House" perspective. I can then take care of it at night if I get the chance, but if I don’t get to it for whatever reason, it’ll be waiting on my Morning Rush list.
Location Triggers:
I'm making extensive use of location-based tags to trigger alerts, but I can also tag those tasks so they appear on specific agenda lists for people at a location. If I have a call with them, I'll see it on their agenda list. If I go to their building, I'll get a reminder to talk to them. "Leaving the Gym" isn't a super helpful Context, but it is functional to alert me about a place that I need to go or something else that I need to do, that needs to happen when I'm leaving the gym.
Forecast:
I've played with the Forecast tag in a few different ways. I've tried using Forecast as my daily driver list, including anything with a "Today" tag.
But part of what I like about OF is the ability to present a list of tasks grouped by tag/context, so I found a typical Today perspective to be more useful as a driver.
Forecast has become my dashboard. It's got hard landscape stuff, calendar events and due dates, but it also holds my tasks that are tagged with "Radar." I use that tag, and the Forecast perspective, to keep vitally important tasks from getting lost in the swirl of the system. Anything that I need to keep in mind, not lose sight of, but maybe don't need to start working on just yet. Like a course that I'm teaching at the end of October. It's far enough out that it could easily fall out of my brain. But it's also far enough out that I don't NEED to be working on it yet. So it's there, on my Forecast perspective, where I see it every morning and can make a decision about whether or not it's time to get on it. I'm going to a concert in a couple of weeks. I don't have any action items for it. But I also want to keep it in mind so that it doesn't sneak up on me when it's time. My wife is dealing with something extraordinarily stressful at work. No actions needed from me, besides awareness and patience and not slacking on my household responsibilities. We've got it on Radar, Admiral. We'll keep an eye on it.
That being said, if you aren't interested in the whiz-bang filtering capabilities of Pro, you're probably better off using Things 3. It does everything that Omnifocus Standard does, but it's a much better user experience. It's an absolute joy to use.
But I digress.
Tagging and Perspectives:
I have a few modes that I go into throughout the day. Some of them are more free-form working modes. But some of them are daily routine type things. Those lists used to have to live in different apps because they felt like they were gumming up the works if they were in OF. The problem with that was that sometimes I'd want to add a one-off task, and there was friction.
With OmniFocus 3, I’ve been able to build for all of my different modes. For Instance:
I’ve got a perspective called “Morning Rush”, which is the checklist that I use every morning to make sure the kids and I get out of the house having groomed and packed everything that we need.
That perspective pulls in anything that has a “Morning Rush” tag. The daily and once-or-twice a week tasks are all tagged with Morning Rush, but are also tagged with “Checklists.”
The “Checklists” tag is blocked in my proper work perspectives to keep those from getting gummed up. But I can also include one-off tasks in Morning Rush, without the "Checklist" tag, in case I also want it on a working list, like an "Around the House" perspective. I can then take care of it at night if I get the chance, but if I don’t get to it for whatever reason, it’ll be waiting on my Morning Rush list.
Location Triggers:
I'm making extensive use of location-based tags to trigger alerts, but I can also tag those tasks so they appear on specific agenda lists for people at a location. If I have a call with them, I'll see it on their agenda list. If I go to their building, I'll get a reminder to talk to them. "Leaving the Gym" isn't a super helpful Context, but it is functional to alert me about a place that I need to go or something else that I need to do, that needs to happen when I'm leaving the gym.
Forecast:
I've played with the Forecast tag in a few different ways. I've tried using Forecast as my daily driver list, including anything with a "Today" tag.
But part of what I like about OF is the ability to present a list of tasks grouped by tag/context, so I found a typical Today perspective to be more useful as a driver.
Forecast has become my dashboard. It's got hard landscape stuff, calendar events and due dates, but it also holds my tasks that are tagged with "Radar." I use that tag, and the Forecast perspective, to keep vitally important tasks from getting lost in the swirl of the system. Anything that I need to keep in mind, not lose sight of, but maybe don't need to start working on just yet. Like a course that I'm teaching at the end of October. It's far enough out that it could easily fall out of my brain. But it's also far enough out that I don't NEED to be working on it yet. So it's there, on my Forecast perspective, where I see it every morning and can make a decision about whether or not it's time to get on it. I'm going to a concert in a couple of weeks. I don't have any action items for it. But I also want to keep it in mind so that it doesn't sneak up on me when it's time. My wife is dealing with something extraordinarily stressful at work. No actions needed from me, besides awareness and patience and not slacking on my household responsibilities. We've got it on Radar, Admiral. We'll keep an eye on it.
kelstarrising
Kelly | GTD expert
@redsleaves — you just nominated yourself to be a beta tester for me on the OmniFocus 3 Guide! Ha ha ha.
Be careful posting insightful, detailed posts that reveal your GTD and tech-savvy ness. I’m always watching!
Be careful posting insightful, detailed posts that reveal your GTD and tech-savvy ness. I’m always watching!
redsleaves
Registered
I always find writing that stuff out to be clarifying as far as what I’m doing and why. Would love to help if I can!@redsleaves — you just nominated yourself to be a beta tester for me on the OmniFocus 3 Guide! Ha ha ha.
Be careful posting insightful, detailed posts that reveal your GTD and tech-savvy ness. I’m always watching!