Next step(s) in getting organized

[Ryq G 27]

I've done a pretty good job of creating an outline of my life in which the content sits in Evernote. I've got recipes,. receipts, manuals, how to's, things to investigate, and most anything I may have in paper.  It's not perfect, but better than the paper.

The next thing I have to work on is my todo's or tasks.  What I think I want (open to other ideas), is to create a master list of the things I need to do.  I might have every task on one list, or group them into multiple lists (home, financial, computer, social, etc.).  Each of those lists may have multiple tasks and subdivide them.  I will either want to assign them high/med/low priorities and/or due dates.   I want to be nagged about due dates and high priority items. Some of these tasks will be large (Move, or work on my Wil, or redesign bedroom) and some will be small (get stain out of pants, take out trash.) Some tasks will be broken down into parts.

I want to be able to look at any list and review it.  I want to sort or limit it to higher priorities or due dates.  Other times I just may want to see small tasks when I don't have much time.  A priority or a date could be set at any task in the list or to the whole list.

I've not used tags or reminders much, & think they may hold the key

 

What may be a good way to design this in Evernote?  Key will be the nag and ability to set priorities and see them whether by line or subject line.

.

 

[DTLow 5,744]

10 hours ago, Ryq G said:

The next thing I have to work on is my todo's or tasks

If a note is actionable, I assign tag:Actionable
Each task is a separate note. No tasks get forgotten

>>I might have every task on one list, or group them into multiple lists (home, financial, computer, social, etc.)

I have projects identified by tag:Project-aaaaaaaaaaa
Searches/Filters generate the different task lists

>>high/med/low priorities

I have two priority tags; Urgent and Important (Eisenhower Matrix)

>>I want to be nagged about due dates

Some users have tags; now, next-day, ...  
I learned a trick from working with calendars - use an actual date

I use the Reminder feature to store due/action dates for Actionable notes
and saved searches to generate task lists
My current task list is generated by 
reminderOrder:* -reminderTime:day+1 -reminderDoneTime:*
(All reminders, exclude future dated, exclude completed)

I have 5 sections in my current task list
- Urgent and Important
- Urgent
- Important
- Dated
- No Due Date (do whenever)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In project reviews or when a task is completed
I review the task list, identify the Next Action and assign a Reminder and due/action date

This is a GTD concept (Getting Things Done)
We capture all the tasks of a project, but we focus on the Next Action

[PinkElephant 8,773]

Originally I wanted to set something up in EN.

But due to restrictions I moved on to Things 3 as task manager (iOS + Mac only). When I want to follow up on something I have in EN, I create an external link, and open a Things-task from the sharing function. The task rests in Things and can be handled there. A click on the link opens the EN note for reference. For me this works smoothly and makes sure I have tasks and reminders in only one place.

If you want to get some advise and ideas, maybe check on David Allens GTD website. They have 2 brief manuals for setting up the GTD-method using Evernote (Windows-based, but it is possible to do so on any client) or Things. Each cost 10$, but are condensed information worth the price. For more background get the GTD book.

https://gettingthingsdone.com/

[DTLow 5,744]

48 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

But due to restrictions I moved on to Things 3 as task manager

Can you identify the restrictions/limitations that are important to you?

Of course Evernote is a generic filing service, and any dedicated task management service will have extended features.  I've been able to work-around for the features I need

One feature I miss is chaining tasks for automatic scheduling and adjustment

Also, my task notes don't have duration or % complete attributes.  I only have due date and completion status/date 

[gazumped 12,054]

10 hours ago, Ryq G said:

What may be a good way to design this in Evernote?  Key will be the nag and ability to set priorities and see them whether by line or subject line.

Like @DTLow I use Eisenhower-based priorities,  but mine are a little less formal.  I tag with 01_NOW / 02_Soon / 03_sometime / 04_whenever* as descending priorities.  They are,  in order,  today / next 10 days / when you can / if you have time.  I also use reminders.

The reason for the numbering is to make selection quicker - typing '0' gets me a list of all those tags - and to keep them in order.

Like others here I then use saved searches (in my Shortcuts) to generate my 'to-do' lists.  Then my lists are:

'today'  - all uncleared reminders up to and including today,  plus any other notes tagged 01
'soon' - all reminders due in the 10 days from tomorrow, plus any other notes tagged 02
'sometime' - all reminders due 11+ days from now,  plus any notes tagged 03
'whenever' (which really means 'unlikely ever to get done,  but at least I thought about it') any notes tagged 04

The reminder dates and tags are (obviously) changeable as I process a project

There's a bit of a learning curve,  but rather than saved searches I now use an external app to automate these lists for me.  I just have links to my 'list' pages which are maintained automatically according to the tags and dates I assign to individual notes by https://filterize.net

As with everything GTD,  the most important element is to get stuff out of your head and into a note,  and ensure that you will see that note again at some point to verify its importance and urgency.  The 'best' way to do this depends on the individual.  I'd suggest trying out a simple system first - you have to be able to use it consistently and accurately;  complicated stuff gets forgotten.  Over time you'll inevitably think of ways to personalise and improve on whatever system you start with.  Take it slow and don't let things drop through cracks!

* There is,  always,  a shrug when applying this tag 😉

EDIT:  Forgot a step.  Without Filterize,  after a search,  convert your list into a Table of Contents,  which gives you a clickable link to the notes listed and can be saved as a standalone page.  (That's the bit that Filterize automates for me!)

[PinkElephant 8,773]

Reason for Things as task manager - WARNING: This is completely subjective, my very personal view. Follow on your own peril ...

1) Look and feel. If you dislike your task manager, it will not work for you. Things has the most reduced design, but works intuitively in even more complex operations. I simply like to use it ...

2) Functionality: Setting dates, even far in the future (like due date of ID papers, vaccinations etc.) is very easy, recurring reminders work with a lot of options (like repeat X month after setting it to DONE), the Apple calendar shows and is integrated etc.

3) I like to handle the tasks independently from the notes. The notes rest in their respective place (or may be moved out of information processing needs), the tasks flow independently from them in the Things GTD-style structure. The link between EN and the Things task is kept independently of the movements on both sides.

[Ryq G 27]

On 9/23/2019 at 7:13 PM, DTLow said:

If a note is actionable, I assign tag:Actionable
Each task is a separate note. No tasks get forgotten

>>I might have every task on one list, or group them into multiple lists (home, financial, computer, social, etc.)

I have projects identified by tag:Project-aaaaaaaaaaa
Searches/Filters generate the different task lists

>>high/med/low priorities

I have two priority tags; Urgent and Important (Eisenhower Matrix)

>>I want to be nagged about due dates

Some users have tags; now, next-day, ...  
I learned a trick from working with calendars - use an actual date

I use the Reminder feature to store due/action dates for Actionable notes
and saved searches to generate task lists
My current task list is generated by 
reminderOrder:* -reminderTime:day+1 -reminderDoneTime:*
(All reminders, exclude future dated, exclude completed)

I have 5 sections in my current task list
- Urgent and Important
- Urgent
- Important
- Dated
- No Due Date (do whenever)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In project reviews or when a task is completed
I review the task list, identify the Next Action and assign a Reminder and due/action date

This is a GTD concept (Getting Things Done)
We capture all the tasks of a project, but we focus on the Next Action

This seems to be a bit complicated for me at the moment.  I think I'm going to check out GTD.  Why a separate note for each task?  I have close to 50 things on my todo list and that would mean opening a lot of documents.  

It looks like one can create macros or formulae inm reminders and will have to check that out as well.  Thanks.

[Ryq G 27]

On 9/24/2019 at 4:33 AM, PinkElephant said:

Originally I wanted to set something up in EN.

But due to restrictions I moved on to Things 3 as task manager (iOS + Mac only). When I want to follow up on something I have in EN, I create an external link, and open a Things-task from the sharing function. The task rests in Things and can be handled there. A click on the link opens the EN note for reference. For me this works smoothly and makes sure I have tasks and reminders in only one place.

If you want to get some advise and ideas, maybe check on David Allens GTD website. They have 2 brief manuals for setting up the GTD-method using Evernote (Windows-based, but it is possible to do so on any client) or Things. Each cost 10$, but are condensed information worth the price. For more background get the GTD book.

https://gettingthingsdone.com/

That's the 2nd endorsement of getting things done....worthwhile.  Thanks for the website.  I've tried one or two to do lists.  They let me assign a date to each item and cross it off the list.  That's a nice feature.  Can I do something similar in EM?  What does a task manager do?  I"d prefer not to learn another program especially if I'm not sure it meets my needs.  Guess I may have to put this on my todo list. 

[Ryq G 27]

On 9/24/2019 at 5:23 AM, gazumped said:

Like @DTLow I use Eisenhower-based priorities,  but mine are a little less formal.  I tag with 01_NOW / 02_Soon / 03_sometime / 04_whenever* as descending priorities.  They are,  in order,  today / next 10 days / when you can / if you have time.  I also use reminders.

The reason for the numbering is to make selection quicker - typing '0' gets me a list of all those tags - and to keep them in order.

Like others here I then use saved searches (in my Shortcuts) to generate my 'to-do' lists.  Then my lists are:

'today'  - all uncleared reminders up to and including today,  plus any other notes tagged 01
'soon' - all reminders due in the 10 days from tomorrow, plus any other notes tagged 02
'sometime' - all reminders due 11+ days from now,  plus any notes tagged 03
'whenever' (which really means 'unlikely ever to get done,  but at least I thought about it') any notes tagged 04

The reminder dates and tags are (obviously) changeable as I process a project

There's a bit of a learning curve,  but rather than saved searches I now use an external app to automate these lists for me.  I just have links to my 'list' pages which are maintained automatically according to the tags and dates I assign to individual notes by https://filterize.net

As with everything GTD,  the most important element is to get stuff out of your head and into a note,  and ensure that you will see that note again at some point to verify its importance and urgency.  The 'best' way to do this depends on the individual.  I'd suggest trying out a simple system first - you have to be able to use it consistently and accurately;  complicated stuff gets forgotten.  Over time you'll inevitably think of ways to personalise and improve on whatever system you start with.  Take it slow and don't let things drop through cracks!

* There is,  always,  a shrug when applying this tag 😉

EDIT:  Forgot a step.  Without Filterize,  after a search,  convert your list into a Table of Contents,  which gives you a clickable link to the notes listed and can be saved as a standalone page.  (That's the bit that Filterize automates for me!)

I like the idea of using a number as part of the file name as it will be easier to find and sort automatically.  Will have to check out filterize.

Right now, I have an outline of 50 items.  Some of them have 4 or five sections underneath.  I know I could divide it into a few sections by urgency, and even highlight them.  I have put things in the calendar before, but that works for meetings, etc., but not well for due dates.  I kinda need a mom reminding me what needs to be done by certain dates and those that are just urgent.   But to quote Oscar Wilde, "To lose one parent..... , may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

[DTLow 5,744]

3 hours ago, Ryq G said:

Why a separate note for each task?

This allows the task to be included in various lists, as required; Current Tasks, Project Tasks, Completed Tasks, ...

Also, the assignment of attributes to different tasks;  due date, tags (project, priority, ..)

[gazumped 12,054]

6 hours ago, Ryq G said:

what needs to be done by certain dates and those that are just urgent

I feel your pain - I have way too many ideas in a permanent holding pattern,  and fearsome temptation to spend time one the ones that interest me,  rather than the ones that mean money / incur less aggravation.  The "GTD way" is best. 

Write your list
Pick something which you know needs to be done now.
Process it to a conclusion.
Pick the next item.

In browsing your list,  you'll spark an 'Oh yeah,  I should add xxxx' thought (even just typing that reminded me of something!) - so add your new item.
You'll change your mind about priorities - you may get a mail or a phone call at any time that jumps something to the top.
All that is fine - just pick one task and complete it.  Go on to the next...

The things that have dates also have real or implied lead times.  Going to a conference next year?  Diary the actual date (or set a reminder) but you may also have preparation work to do,  submissions,  scripts,  papers to submit.  Estimate how much time you need,  add 25%,  and book that start date too.  If you keep a diary,  line out however much time you need per day to get ready and stick to that schedule.  Your ongoing tasks take P1 status over everything else -although you'll always know you have a little wiggle time in case an absolute crisis comes up.

The two most important attributes:

1    Don't overthink this.  You can spend so much time planning,  there's none left for actual working

2    Keep it simple - you need to be able to run the admin in your sleep so nothing does an Oscar on your watch...

 

[DTLow 5,744]

24 minutes ago, gazumped said:

Diary the actual date (or set a reminder)

Another vote for reminders and GTD Next Action

Since I only have the one date to work with, I set it for my Next Actions even if there's no actual due date
i.e. if I'm planning to work on a task today or tomorrow, I set the reminder date

[gazumped 12,054]

Another FWIW - after trying every calendar app under the sun,  plus To-Do apps with calendars,  I've gone back to Google because GMail and GCal have a close working relationship,  plus GCal is the only free calendar that has an unlimited (?) supply of 'sub' calendars.  - Overlays that you can switch on or off to make it easier to read what's important on any given day. 

When I'm scheduling events that need preparation time I can do a prep-time allocation repeating daily / weekly / monthly;  and I can embed an Evernote note link to a 'parent' note summarising the task and listing links to any other assets or documents I might need.

[Ryq G 27]

I am now reading GTD.  Just reading it makes me understand that I am worrying about the wrong I'm still at teh beginning but I think I'm on the right path no matter what tools I choose.

[PinkElephant 8,773]

Regarding sticking dates to tasks: GTD teaches (and I think they are right) that on most tasks there should not be a date sticked to it. When tasks pop up based on dates, it will easily flush the system, leaving things behind to be done, and create a feeling of failure. From my experience this was a mayor factor in my past attempts to use task managers in which I failed after a while: I started to push up a mountain of unsettled backlog.

GTD says put tasks into their baskets, and revolve to work them down. But do only stick due dates to tasks that absolutely need them. For all others the key is the daily and weekly review of all task baskets.

This is how I have set it up in Things.

[DTLow 5,744]

15 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

Regarding sticking dates to tasks: GTD teaches ....

In GTD, Allen suggests these date/time tasks be noted in a calendar,  
however I'm comfortable using Evernote's Reminder feature to store the due date     
I only use the calendar if the task is event based

>>For all others the key is the daily and weekly review of all task baskets.

For my daily review, I use a consolidated basket that includes date/time tasks, active next-actions, ... 
This is generated using Evernote's search feature

[Ryq G 27]

Thanks Pink and Low.  Since I'm familiar with Wunderlist, I've got my stuff in there.  It's taken a burden off that I have most written down.  I did select dates for many of the items, but know they are almost placeholders.  I understand what you mean by leaving them open.  The fact that the list is in there is a big help.

One of my problems is how and where I take notes--say a draft of a letter.  I may do it in Evernote, or Mail, or Textedit, sometimes even a sticky note. Then I have trouble finding it.  I've been trying to put more in Evernote.

I've been scanning or downloading manuals, receipts, instructions, etc. and have made good headway into reducing the volume of paper here.  Since I'm only in Chap 2 of GTD, I feel pretty good.

[DTLow 5,744]

36 minutes ago, Ryq G said:

Then I have trouble finding it.

My solution is to make use of Evernote's tag feature to identify notes based on various categories   
When that fails 😋, I use Evernote's text search feature to find missing notes

>>I may do it in Evernote, or Mail, or Textedit, sometimes even a sticky note. 

I use various editors, but all my notes/documents are archived in Evernote. 

[PinkElephant 8,773]

Nice to hear you are positive about Wunderlist. I use it as well, but only for the shopping lists my wife and I share.

Wunderlist was bought by Microsoft some years ago, they own the company and the servers. Through the Wunderlist team they pursue the development of their own task manager within the Office package. Thus Wunderlist is not developed further, and MS has announced it will be discontinued once their own stuff is working. Maybe the WL guys are dragging their feet a little, because MS is still far behind 😎

This takeover was the reason for me to switch to Things 3. It is doing fine for me, very intuitive. The only downside: It is strictly personal, no sharing of tasks with other people.

[Ryq G 27]

There go my plans for total world domination!

[Ryq G 27]

@dtlow......the problem is not finding in evernote but the ability to be consistent in how/where I save information.  For some reason spotlight cannot find items I put on my grocery shopping list.  I don't understand.....it's right on the refrigerator in plain view.

[DTLow 5,744]

5 hours ago, Ryq G said:

the ability to be consistent in how/where I save information

I use my default notebook (@Inbox) as my Inbox,  
and instead of randomly assigning tags - an applescript to enforce "consistency in how/where I save information"

First question: Subject Date

 

 

Second question: Subject

 

Third question: Note Type
The Note Type drives further questions related to Tags, Reminders, ...
For example, a Receipt requires Vendor and Budget tags

 

After this processing the script assigns the title
Subject-Date Note-Type Keywords [Subject]
and tags, and ...

For example, this note for a receipt