From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "Peter Neilson" Subject: Re: orgmode for many continuous tasks? Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2017 07:58:02 -0400 Message-ID: References: <20170925072151.GA18049@reactor-core.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-Printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:36777) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dwS1Y-0002f0-Oe for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Sep 2017 07:58:09 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dwS1S-00067q-WF for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Sep 2017 07:58:08 -0400 Received: from pacmmta54.windstream.net ([162.39.147.220]:37803) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_128_CBC_SHA1:16) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1dwS1S-00066A-Mr for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Sep 2017 07:58:02 -0400 In-Reply-To: <20170925072151.GA18049@reactor-core.org> List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: "Emacs-orgmode" To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org On Mon, 25 Sep 2017 03:21:51 -0400, Mycroft Jones = wrote: > I'm wondering if org-mode can do this: > > I have many tasks. Some are one off. But many are tasks that will ta= ke = > a > period of time, days, weeks, months. I need to schedule a bit of time= = > every > day. Over time I can complete the tasks by plugging away. But I have= = > so many. > Half hour chunks work for some tasks, 1 or 2 or 3 hour chunks work bes= t = > for others. > > 1) writing 3 different books > 2) learning 2 different languages > 3) 2 different types of exercise exercise > 4) 3 different ongoing tasks at work > 5) watching videos that friends send me > 6) reading books on my night stand > 7) various one-off tasks > 8) scheduled items, where I have to do them at a scheduled time. > > So, for each broad category of task, there are subtasks. So far, it = > looks like > orgmode is good. But, what I'd like is to automatically generate = > scheduling > suggestions for the day. For instance, if I've been putting too much = = > time into > languages, then schedule more time for writing the books. And if I've= = > focused > too much on one book, remind me to put time into another book. I'd li= ke = > the > scheduler to be a sort of time-accounting system that suggests work fo= r = > the day > in a way that balances the tree. > > Within each branch of the tree, I'd like the branches to be allocated = = > roughly > equal time, over a period of weeks and months, on a day to day basis. > > Is there a simple workflow in orgmode that can do this? I haven't don= e = > elisp > for 10 years, but I'm comfortable with it. Would this be simple to = > implement? > > Mycroft Hmmm. I have similar problems, but on a somewhat more difficult level. A= = lot of my tasks are farm-related and are thus self-driven rather than = org-mode-driven. For instance, two barn roofs need repair, and seeing th= em = listed as TODO in an agenda does nothing to get started on them, or on t= he = sub-tasks necessary to starting the work on the roofs. But when I look a= t = the roofs, and thus am reminded of "* TODO Repair barn roofs", it's alwa= ys = when I'm already at work on something immediately more pressing. But it gets worse! If I think of a task that needs to be done, and write= = it into one of my TODO lists, then I tend to ignore it. Adding it to the= = schedule dismisses it from any immediate concern, and (as I alluded = before) much of my work is outside, on the farm, nowhere near my compute= r. = It's almost like Ko-Ko's solution in G&S's operetta 'The Mikado': Ko-Ko: When Your Majesty says "Let a thing be done", it=E2=80=99s as = good as = done, practically it is done, because Your Majesty=E2=80=99s will is law= . Your = Majesty says "Kill a gentleman", and the gentleman is to be killed, = consequently that gentleman is as good as dead, practically he is dead, = = and if he is dead, why not say so? The Mikado: I see. [Dramatic Pause] Nothing could possibly be = more...satisfactory! My problem with org mode itself thus becomes yet another action item (to= = be ignored): * TODO Devise a way to project my agenda (in unavoidable brilliance) ont= o = the side of the barn, or perhaps embroider it into the fleece of my shee= p = (who * TODO need to be shorn). Plausible (or implausible) solutions to my problem or to Mycroft's are = hereby solicited.