Re: Overall organization/setup for org mode: Projects and Tasks

[David Rogers <davidandrewrogers@gmail.com>]

"Alan E. Davis" <lngndvs@gmail.com> writes:

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> I've been using org-mode for a few years.  My agenda is 
> cluttered with tasks that are weeks and even months past due.  I 
> am "this close" to declaring "orgmode bankruptcy" and starting 
> from scratch, except my current setup works so well for other 
> things.   Might still do that, but I want to ask for ideas.

Re. "orgmode bankruptcy":
Don't start your list from scratch; this problem will just happen 
again.
This is not the fault of any agenda system, and would have 
happened anyway. I think the problem likely comes from having a 
significant number of tasks that are mis-categorized and/or 
mis-judged. There are several possible ways that can happen:

(I'm sure I'm not seeing some of the possibilities here... my main 
point is that with these "problem tasks" there's something wrong 
with the task itself, not your reminder system; and furthermore 
that the defective tasks can probably be repaired or rehabilitated 
so that they get done.)

(And clearly, nothing I can say here is unique. It's all been done 
and all been said before, in different ways.)

- Tasks that were never worth doing; toss those ones out 
  immediately.

- Tasks that should never have been yours; either negotiate a way 
  to get 
  them to the proper person, or else decide to do them anyway (and 
  then actually do them!).

- Tasks that were important in the past, but now it's too late 
  (i.e. you 
  judge them to be un-salvageable); toss them out too (but make 
  sure it's REALLY too late before doing so). Failure happens 
  sometimes, and keeping an item on the agenda after it has failed 
  isn't helping anyone.

- Tasks that are turning out to be more difficult than they 
  looked; 
  break them down into parts to be done one at a time, share them, 
  or get someone else to do them.


- Just because a task looks/sounds/feels important, doesn't mean 
  that it 
  is. "What if I simply decided not to do it?" is always a valid 
  question.

- Any task that can safely be dropped should be dropped. There 
  will 
  always be enough real work to do without inventing more.

The truth is, you have to either do a task or else not do it; and the truth
is, you always have a choice about that.