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Coordinating Project List and Status between Evernote and Omnifocus


llbean

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Hello-

I've been spending an extraordinary time changing my EN habits to work with OF using mostly GTD principles. Here are my thoughts/questions:

1) I do not have a great number of projects, most actions are single-action list types or at most 2-3 step routine processes. Some of these actions have links back to an Evernote but no project tag associated with them as they are minor. These would include scanning in a flyer for one of my kids events and later referencing them later. I guess I'm reluctant to call anything a project unless it is a stand-a-lone no kidding Project versus "minor" projects. Also, generally speaking, if there is 1 note or less in EN referencing the task, it isn't a Project.

2) However, I can see the need, with the 20-30 projects I already have, for a way to identify and track the projects between OF and EN. #1 above doesn't work due to the complexity/multiple notes links required. My question is two fold: First, does anybody use unique identifiers or project codes to identify projects tag? If so, how do create and inventory these project codes? I'm assuming something like a "master" evernote list or something?

Finally, do people generally track in EN when a project is complete. My current tag naming convention in Evernote is /Prj-XXXXXXX - my thought is once it is complete in OF I then change it to XPrj-XXXXXXXX. Any thoughts?

LL

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  • Level 5*

Hello-

I've been spending an extraordinary time changing my EN habits to work with OF using mostly GTD principles. Here are my thoughts/questions:

1) I do not have a great number of projects, most actions are single-action list types or at most 2-3 step routine processes. Some of these actions have links back to an Evernote but no project tag associated with them as they are minor. These would include scanning in a flyer for one of my kids events and later referencing them later. I guess I'm reluctant to call anything a project unless it is a stand-a-lone no kidding Project versus "minor" projects. Also, generally speaking, if there is 1 note or less in EN referencing the task, it isn't a Project.

2) However, I can see the need, with the 20-30 projects I already have, for a way to identify and track the projects between OF and EN. #1 above doesn't work due to the complexity/multiple notes links required. My question is two fold: First, does anybody use unique identifiers or project codes to identify projects tag? If so, how do create and inventory these project codes? I'm assuming something like a "master" evernote list or something?

Finally, do people generally track in EN when a project is complete. My current tag naming convention in Evernote is /Prj-XXXXXXX - my thought is once it is complete in OF I then change it to XPrj-XXXXXXXX. Any thoughts?

LL

hi. hopefully more people will chime in, but i use unique projectidentifiers (see the notebook in my sig for more). iwas wondering, what do you get out of using of?

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I use a pretty simple system where I identify projects with tags that start with a period. So I am currently in the processing of ordering school materials for next year all next actions that have to do with that will start with ".school materials". Then down in the tag area of Evernote, I create a tag called ".Projects" which I drag all the other project tags to so that if I go to that area I can see all the project tags together.

I could also do a search for tags that start with a period which will bring all these projects up.

Then as I identify next actions they get a project tag and other tags indicating when, where, how, etc that an action might happen. How complex these other identifiers are, depends on how complex your projects/life it.

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Hello-

I've been spending an extraordinary time changing my EN habits to work with OF using mostly GTD principles. Here are my thoughts/questions:

1) I do not have a great number of projects, most actions are single-action list types or at most 2-3 step routine processes. Some of these actions have links back to an Evernote but no project tag associated with them as they are minor. These would include scanning in a flyer for one of my kids events and later referencing them later. I guess I'm reluctant to call anything a project unless it is a stand-a-lone no kidding Project versus "minor" projects. Also, generally speaking, if there is 1 note or less in EN referencing the task, it isn't a Project.

2) However, I can see the need, with the 20-30 projects I already have, for a way to identify and track the projects between OF and EN. #1 above doesn't work due to the complexity/multiple notes links required. My question is two fold: First, does anybody use unique identifiers or project codes to identify projects tag? If so, how do create and inventory these project codes? I'm assuming something like a "master" evernote list or something?

Finally, do people generally track in EN when a project is complete. My current tag naming convention in Evernote is /Prj-XXXXXXX - my thought is once it is complete in OF I then change it to XPrj-XXXXXXXX. Any thoughts?

LL

hi. hopefully more people will chime in, but i use unique projectidentifiers (see the notebook in my sig for more). iwas wondering, what do you get out of using of?

Thanks, I'll look at your notebooks.

I use OF to manage my actions versus EN which I use solely as reference/support material. What I get out of OF is the ability to collect, organize, and process my projects, utilizing EN note links in OF. I had tried doing everything in EN, however, I find the iOS version to be slow and bulky. Another reason is no start/due date in EN. I'm still new to OF but so far I like what I see.

LL

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GM-

I can see your shared notebook in my browser, but only the Notebook name in EN, no notes. What am I missing?

Thanks-

LL

Hi. It is a little confusing the first time. You will have to click on the notebook and sync it. See the Evernote organization note.

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Still nothing, I'm on the Shared panel (Mac version), I see your user name and the Mayo Notebook. I select it, hit the sync button, still no notes. Right clicked on notebook settings and Sync to This Computer is selected, but still nothing.....

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I think it is a Mac bug, they were synced on my iOS device.

well, there may be some kind of problem with the app. i had a problem syncing with my beta version. are other shared notebooks syncing for you?

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Don't know, your notebook is the only shared one I have.

BTW, I read your note on the minimalist approach and found it very interesting. I find that I spend way too much time trying to catalog everything for the sake of appeared order (especially in List View- which is why I really like the new card view so far). Perhaps it is an OCD trait or something. The real question I guess is not how to order, but how do I really need to retrieve the info. However, it is kinda like an infinite loop of insanity. I feel I need a high degree of cataloging in order to be able to find similar notes so that I remember how to catalog the new note so I can find it later and remember how to catalog the next note! I think also at issue is a genuine fear of losing that ability to find the note ever again which might be attributed to a lack of confidence in my (or my wife's) understanding of EN.

I like really like your indexing/note link approach in some areas in order to gain continuity in focus areas. For example, instead of a distinct project tag, maybe I should simply have one note for that project with links on it to all of the other notes? This one note can explain the relationships between all of the associated notes within in that project much better than a single tag.

The other thing I think I've realized is that it is not important to describe what something is as much as how it functions. Seems like most of your note title keywords are active, ending in -ing. I've struggled too much trying to decide if a a piece of paper is a statement or a bill or both because I confine myself to a somewhat strict set of tags. Instead, chronology, author, action seem much more important.

So this is where I'm at. Changing engrained mental habits is really really hard.

Thanks-

LL

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