Hello - I am new to GTD and I am still fuzzy on how to setup my workflow. I have several clients, for which I do monthly recurring tasks. I want to be able to plan for and check off that I have completed these tasks. I happen to be using OmniFocus which probably isn't completely relevant to understanding the process. According to a reference article in OmniFocus, I set up Folders for each client, then I started putting the monthly tasks under Projects in the Projects folder, but after reading and listening to GTD videos I recall at one point that it was said to use context lists for actions and not projects. So now I am very confused. If someone could help guide me to where I can figure out where I have gone wrong or where I need to relearn I would greatly appreciate it. My biggest fear is losing track of all those tasks and I am not feeling secure in making the full leap to rely on a different system. Thank you in advance.
Recurring tasks and GTD
- Thread starter cridge
- Start date
cridge said:
GTD recommends working from lists organized by context, because you can't work on your taxes at a place where you don't have your tax files. At the same time, many people find value in planning and organizing in terms of projects, or in your case clients. Omnifocus supports both of these ways of looking at your lists by giving you a project view and a context view. Next actions in Omnifocus have both a project (or client) and a context. The two views, project and context, show the same data, just sorted differently. So if you had to pick up something from your client Alvin, it would go into a project Alvin (or into a project inside Alvin's folder- you get to pick), but might have a context Errand (or Out- you pick). You plan in project view, and do in context view. In all honesty, Omnifocus is a powerful program, but is not easy to master. You might want to look at the GTD white paper on using it, the white paper from Omnigroup, or some of the other online resources. Just keep it simple at first.
Oogiem
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I use Omnifocus and I have lots of recurring projects. Farming is very calendar centric and things repeat on a regular schedule. As I come to one of these major projects that will repeat I build a template for the project in Omnifocus and store it as an on-hold project in a folder called templates. Then when I need to create an instance of that project I copy it, move the copy to the AOF folder where it belongs, rename it as necessary and make it an active project. Within that project each action already has an appropriate context assigned so I just see it in sequence as needed. For some things I have them set in Omnifocus as recurring projects that start again some timeframe that is appropriate after completion.
Here is one example:
Sheep vaccinations
Call vet re Covexin vaccine - make sure it's on order
Call vet about sheep vaccines ask about covexin 10 (used in NZ, Aus & UK adds manheimia to the mix), heptavac P plus
Order vaccine from vet for ewes and adults
Waiting for vaccine to come in from vet
Go pick up vaccine from vet - take cooler
Vaccinate ewes
Vaccinate ewe yearlings
Vaccinate rams
Vaccinate ram yearlings
Set dates for Vaccinating early lambs
Set dates for Vaccinating middle lambs
Vaccinate early lambs
Vaccinate early lambs 1st shot
Vaccinate early lambs 2nd shot
Vaccinate middle lambs
Vaccinate middle lambs 1st shot
Vaccinate middle lambs 2nd shot
Set dates for Vaccinating late lambs
Vaccinate late lambs
Vaccinate late lambs 1st shot
Vaccinate late lambs 2nd shot
Here is one example:
Sheep vaccinations
Call vet re Covexin vaccine - make sure it's on order
Call vet about sheep vaccines ask about covexin 10 (used in NZ, Aus & UK adds manheimia to the mix), heptavac P plus
Order vaccine from vet for ewes and adults
Waiting for vaccine to come in from vet
Go pick up vaccine from vet - take cooler
Vaccinate ewes
Vaccinate ewe yearlings
Vaccinate rams
Vaccinate ram yearlings
Set dates for Vaccinating early lambs
Set dates for Vaccinating middle lambs
Vaccinate early lambs
Vaccinate early lambs 1st shot
Vaccinate early lambs 2nd shot
Vaccinate middle lambs
Vaccinate middle lambs 1st shot
Vaccinate middle lambs 2nd shot
Set dates for Vaccinating late lambs
Vaccinate late lambs
Vaccinate late lambs 1st shot
Vaccinate late lambs 2nd shot
The overall project is vaccinations. I have it set as a pending project that restarts each year. It's due to start again on 2/1/15 as I know I need to vacciante the ewes before lambing and that means end of March.Hi - Thank you for the responses. I do agree that I need to keep things simple. I will keep reading and learning and modify as needed. I think the issue is that these tasks are not really part of a project (I suppose I could make them) and they occur monthly (ongoing) - an example would be that I have one client who has 8 bank accounts that I have to reconcile each month and statement end dates are at different days of the month. Now multiply that by several more clients and you can see the complexity that ensues. In other words, this is ongoing recurring work rather than a project that completes, and I am having trouble keeping track of what is complete for each month vs what isn't complete and when the statements are available to work on. I'm just not sure where these would fall in the GTD system
Folke
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GTD is just a general basis. You may have to adapt it to your needs - that's GTD, too.
I think if your problem is that all these actions become possible on different dates I would simply set them up individually for appearing on those different tickler dates. And if they have deadlines (due dates) you can program those, too. All these tasks can still be part of their respective project and folder. I assume Omnifocus will show you the project name and the folder name next to the task name, and that will help you understand which client the task pertains to. And which month - although this is not revealed by the project name it will probably be apparent from the due date.
I think if your problem is that all these actions become possible on different dates I would simply set them up individually for appearing on those different tickler dates. And if they have deadlines (due dates) you can program those, too. All these tasks can still be part of their respective project and folder. I assume Omnifocus will show you the project name and the folder name next to the task name, and that will help you understand which client the task pertains to. And which month - although this is not revealed by the project name it will probably be apparent from the due date.
cridge said:
This goes beyond GTD to the specialized capabilities of Omnifocus. If you were using paper, you would probably use a calendar to remind you. With Omnifocus, you can set up recurring projects, actions or action groups with monthly start dates and due dates. Let take a simple case, where you have a client Abe, and all you need is a single action for each account. You could make a single-action list (because these actions are recurring and not parts of projects) called Reconcile Abe's accounts. An action in that list might be "Reconcile Abe's account at First Fidelity." You set it to recur monthly, with a start date of when the statement is available and a due date at whatever it needs to be for you (end of month, in seven days, et cetera). Repeat that seven more times. Then each account will appear when it needs to, and repeat every month. If you set your view to "Available," you will see only those tasks that can be done now. If you set your view to "Remaining," you will see where each one is in its monthly cycle. Projects and action groups (subprojects) can work the same way, but that may be more than you need. With Omnifocus pro, you can do a lot more, e.g., produce a custom view of all your accounts.
JamesT
0
There a lots of ways to handle this.. In the past I've might have created a spreadsheet with each client as a row and each month as a column. Then I would schedule a repeating task to do "balance client accounts" and use the spreadsheet to track what is complete.
I'm not sure if Omnifocus has a checklist feature, but in GTDNext, I'd set up a checklist with each client as an item. Then as I finish each client account work I could just check it off the list. Then either reset the list at the end of the month or start a new one. That might be easier than creating 7 repeating actions. create one and keep the list of what is complete separate. my .02!
I'm not sure if Omnifocus has a checklist feature, but in GTDNext, I'd set up a checklist with each client as an item. Then as I finish each client account work I could just check it off the list. Then either reset the list at the end of the month or start a new one. That might be easier than creating 7 repeating actions. create one and keep the list of what is complete separate. my .02!
Folke
0
JamesT said:
Correct. Very important to remember that just because these things are "actions" it is not necessary to keep them in the same app, and sometimes they are better dealt with outside.
I do not know if an external spreadsheet or app would help you in this case, but here are some examples of when an additional app or "external structure" may help you:
- calendar(s) for appointments etc (already part of GTD).
- collaboration tool(s), shared calendars, shared next action lists etc, when much of what you need to do must be seen by others, and vice versa.
- specialized list and tools for frequent/repetitive work with special requirements. e.g. your external checklist above, or CRM tools for sales, etc.