Re: Organizing by time or by subject and an idea

[John Hendy <jw.hendy@gmail.com>]

On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 8:03 PM, Bernt Hansen <bernt@norang.ca> wrote:
> John Hendy <jw.hendy@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> I got food feedback as far as the "snapshots" inquiry, but am still
>> not settled on the time vs. topic hierarchy strategy (definite thanks
>> to Bernt and Eric Fraga!). I thought of a specific situation that
>> might help with receiving feedback.
>>
>> I think were I solely working as an individual, the structure Bernt
>> suggested would work. Essentially:
>>
>> * todo Some bigger task
>> ** todo subtask 1
>> ** todo subtask 2
>>
>> And so on. Basically -- lay out the steps you think you need to do to
>> complete it... and complete it. Store notes under the todos and you're
>> good to go.
>>
>> But I work with a team. Some todos are dependent on input from the
>> team... Consider this example:
>>
>> * todo some bigger task
>> ** todo decide on what color to make the widgets for the three field tests
>> ** todo subtask 2
>>
>> Now, let's say I have a team meeting where my marketer tells me the
>> decision for the widget colors:
>> - field test 1: red
>> - field test 2: blue
>> - field test 3 green
>>
>> I have [at least] two options:
>>
>> * todo some bigger task
>> ** done decide on what color to make the widgets for the three field tests
>> - field test 1: red
>> - field test 2: blue
>> - field test 3 green
>>
>> or...
>>
>> * Team Meeting Summaries
>> ** [timestamp] Team Update
>> Alice informed us of the color decisions:
>> - field test 1: red
>> - field test 2: blue
>> - field test 3 green
>>
>>
>> I feel stuck in situations like this... I need to reproduce minutes
>> and thus it makes sense to keep the information with the chronological
>> event in which it occurred. I also know that it fits a larger project
>> structure and fulfills some task. I don't think duplicating it is the
>> way to go...
>
> Hi John,
>
> In situations like this I keep the notes from the meeting in my
> 'meeting' task and create duplicate TODO tasks from the items in the
> meeting.  This way my meeting notes are coherent and complete, and I'm
> free to do whatever I want with the created subtasks without touching my
> meeting notes.
>

Gotcha. So keep things with the "event" in which they occurred/action
was taken and recreate what is necessary elsewhere for documentation
or coherence (as in, why the todo is able to be marked done due to the
meeting).


> ie.
>
> ** DONE Meet with team
>   Notes from team meeting go here
>   field test 1: red
>   field test 2: blue
>
> then if I have another task for
>
> ** TODO Determine colour for field test 1
>
> I'll make it done and either link it to the team meeting task, or just
> copy in the details I need so I can see immediately from the task what
> colour was chosen.
>

Thanks for clarifying, and this squares with what I saw the options as
-- recreate or link.

I don't know why, but I just have these mini-existential crises about
org-mode organization. I continually feel like once I *finally* get my
de-facto system in place I can just shut up and use the tool rather
than thinking about *how* to use the tool all the time. Sigh...

Thanks for helping me!


John

> HTH,
> Bernt