Creating prioritized todo list from GTD project/next action list

Creating prioritized todo list from GTD project/next action list

[Scott Jaderholm]

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Hi,

It looks like many of the org-mode users are using it for a GTD-like setup.
I imagine many of you have a format like this:

* Project 1
** Next Action

* Project 2
** Next Action

I've heard some opposition from GTDers to a simple todo list for the day and
it seems that the GTD way is to decide in-the-moment what to do based on a
number of criteria. Well, I really do like having a todo list and planning
out the critical things for my day in the morning and then going down the
list checking them off. I but I also like having a project view because that
allows me to make sure I come up with the next actions for all my
commitments. I'm curious if anyone has come up with a nice way to make this
todo list, organize it, but have it link back to your next actions for your
projects.

I've tried tagging TODOs with :today:, but you can't reorder them in the
agenda match tag window. What I normally do now is schedule the TODOs for
today and then I archive them in the agenda view with $ to complete them.
The biggest problem with this is that I can't reorder the scheduled TODOs to
reflect the priority or order in which I want to do them, and I clutter up
my calendar view of the day.

I thought of two solutions and I'm wondering if anyone has implemented
either or come up with another.

One, rearrange items in the agenda without having to assign them a time.

Two, have a keystroke that you could press on a headline and it would create
a link (or an agenda like display) of that headline in a temporary window
(or a todo window) where you could use org-mode controls to rearrange the
headlines. If you pressed C-c $ or C-c C-t you could archive or complete the
tasks and have them be changed back in the real file.

Just thought I'd ask and see if there was something I was missing.

Thanks,
Scott

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Re: Creating prioritized todo list from GTD project/next action list

[Claudine Chionh]

Scott Jaderholm wrote:

> I'm curious if anyone has come up with a 
> nice way to make this todo list, organize it, but have it link back to 
> your next actions for your projects.

> I've tried tagging TODOs with :today:, but you can't reorder them in the 
> agenda match tag window. What I normally do now is schedule the TODOs 
> for today and then I archive them in the agenda view with $ to complete 
> them. The biggest problem with this is that I can't reorder the 
> scheduled TODOs to reflect the priority or order in which I want to do 
> them, and I clutter up my calendar view of the day.

Maybe *I'm* missing something, but this seems more complicated than necessary. I 
organise actions under projects, as you do, then I use
C-a a (org-agenda-list)
to display the current week's actions, sorted by date and priority. Pressing t 
in agenda mode will toggle the todo/done state.

-- 
Claudine Chionh
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

RE: Creating prioritized todo list from GTD project/nextaction list

[Egli Christian (KIRO 43)]

Hi Scott
 
> Well, I really do like having a todo list and planning out the
critical things for my day in the morning and then going down the 
> list checking them off. I but I also like having a project view
because that allows me to make sure I come up with the next actions 
> for all my commitments. I'm curious if anyone has come up with a nice
way to make this todo list, organize it, but have it link back 
> to your next actions for your projects.
  
> I've tried tagging TODOs with :today:, but you can't reorder them in
the agenda match tag window. What I normally do now is schedule 
> the TODOs for today and then I archive them in the agenda view with $
to complete them. The biggest problem with this is that I 
> can't reorder the scheduled TODOs to reflect the priority or order in
which I want to do them, and I clutter up my calendar view of 
> the day. 

> I thought of two solutions and I'm wondering if anyone has implemented
either or come up with another.

> One, rearrange items in the agenda without having to assign them a
time.

Couldn't you assign a priority to the tasks and then sort the agenda
view by priority?

> Two, have a keystroke that you could press on a headline and it would
create a link (or an agenda like display) of that headline in 
> a temporary window (or a todo window) where you could use org-mode
controls to rearrange the headlines. If you pressed C-c $ or C-c 
> C-t you could archive or complete the tasks and have them be changed
back in the real file. 

Huh, this sounds like quite a bit of code to develop.

Christian

Re: Creating prioritized todo list from GTD project/next action list

[Bastien]

Hi Scott,

"Scott Jaderholm" <jaderholm@gmail.com> writes:

> I've tried tagging TODOs with :today:, but you can't reorder them in the
> agenda match tag window. What I normally do now is schedule the TODOs for
> today and then I archive them in the agenda view with $ to complete
> them. The biggest problem with this is that I can't reorder the scheduled
> TODOs to reflect the priority or order in which I want to do them, and I
> clutter up my calendar view of the day.

Here is a brief overview of how i use org-mode to solve (workaround?) the
issue you raised :

- I use a "NEXT" state for the next actions (i admittedly suppose most of
  the next actions should be done on ... today)

- Tags are only related to the context or the /kind/ of actions (:work:,
  :home: or :reading:, :writing:), making it easy to know what i can do
  depending on what i want to do

- I manually order the NEXT actions within a project so that they appear in
  the right order in the agenda view

- I manually order the project themselves (either within a file or by using
  C-c [ and C-c ]) so that projects appear in the right order

- I schedule a task iff it has to be done on a specific day.

Hope this helps, regards,

-- 
Bastien