Jump to content

Making a rational structure


Recommended Posts

Novice here:

Scenario ( fictional)
I own 3 igloos. So I make  notebook titled 'My3Igloos'

I then have three notes, one for each igloo.

In each Igloo, I have a numbered checkbox for jobs, notes etc.

In Igloo 1. I have the following list of jobs:

  • Ceiling Iceblock needs replacing
    • cut iceblock
    • remove old iceblock
    • fit new iceblock
  • Sled need repair
    • ask fred to help 
  • Invite mum over for herring
    • when she agrees, catch some hering

Today, I want to cut the iceblock and invite mum over

From this example, how would you create a list of jobs for today?

 

pete

Link to comment
  • Level 5

You can set a reminder for the next action in a note, and repeat this whenever you have done it and set the position to done. Problem: Just one reminder per note, completely sequential, date-oriented (not all tasks will have a fixed date).

Or you could set up something following GTD, like creating silos

  • do when at igloo x
  • When contact with xx, here fred
  • When on the ice-phone, call mum

etc. 

Then you could work with tags, even several tags on the same note, to fill the respective silos containing the tasks. thus you can follow up in the tasks independently. Some could be time-set, others depending on occasion (when going to visit igloo 1 today, create list of all to-dos at igloo1). The silos can be accessed by searching for the tags, like using saved searches for each.

Maybe look for GTD by David Allen, and for an Evernote implementation of GTD for thesecretweappon for further information.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • Level 5*
17 hours ago, peterlemer said:

Making a rational structure 
From this example, how would you create a list of jobs for today?

Making a rational structure
- I see various structures in your example; Tasks, Projects, Igloos, Mom
- I use tags to identify structures

Project tags: Project-Replace Ceiling Iceblock
                        Project-Sled Repair,
                        Project-Dinner With Mom

Igloo tags:     Igloo-1, Igloo-2, Igloo-3                 (Actual Structures )😊

People tags:   People-Mom

Task tags:       Actionable

Task Notes
- I use separate notes for each task.  This allows lists to be generated
- Task notes are identified by tag:Actionable
                                                     tag:Project-aaaaaa
- Optional note tags                  tag:Igloo-n
                                                     tag:People-aaaaaaa

List of tasks for today

I don't review my entire task list; only the priority tasks due today.

A GTD principal is to focus on the Next Action for the project
When that's completed, identify a new Next Action
Cut Iceblock* is the Next Action and a priority task

I use the reminder feature to identify priority tasks
This identifies the task and stores optional due date and completion date/status

My current task list is generated by saved search: 
reminderOrder:* -reminderTime:day+1 -reminderDoneTime:*
(all priority tasks, exclude future dated, exclude completed)

 

* All of us Canadians know you don't cut iceblocks in the summer.  This task would be future dated

Link to comment
On 6/22/2019 at 1:14 PM, PinkElephant said:

You can set a reminder for the next action in a note, and repeat this whenever you have done it and set the position to done. Problem: Just one reminder per note, completely sequential, date-oriented (not all tasks will have a fixed date).

Or you could set up something following GTD, like creating silos

  • do when at igloo x
  • When contact with xx, here fred
  • When on the ice-phone, call mum

etc. 

Then you could work with tags, even several tags on the same note, to fill the respective silos containing the tasks. thus you can follow up in the tasks independently. Some could be time-set, others depending on occasion (when going to visit igloo 1 today, create list of all to-dos at igloo1). The silos can be accessed by searching for the tags, like using saved searches for each.

Maybe look for GTD by David Allen, and for an Evernote implementation of GTD for thesecretweappon for further information.

thanks Pinkelephant will do some work on your syggestion. I'm familiar with GTD, and I'll look up thesecretweapon 🙂 - pete

Link to comment
On 6/22/2019 at 1:49 PM, DTLow said:

Making a rational structure
- I see various structures in your example; Tasks, Projects, Igloos, Mom
- I use tags to identify structures

Project tags: Project-Replace Ceiling Iceblock
                        Project-Sled Repair,
                        Project-Dinner With Mom

Igloo tags:     Igloo-1, Igloo-2, Igloo-3                 (Actual Structures )😊

People tags:   People-Mom

Task tags:       Actionable

Task Notes
- I use separate notes for each task.  This allows lists to be generated
- Task notes are identified by tag:Actionable
                                                     tag:Project-aaaaaa
- Optional note tags                  tag:Igloo-n
                                                     tag:People-aaaaaaa

List of tasks for today

I don't review my entire task list; only the priority tasks due today.

A GTD principal is to focus on the Next Action for the project
When that's completed, identify a new Next Action
Cut Iceblock* is the Next Action and a priority task

I use the reminder feature to identify priority tasks
This identifies the task and stores optional due date and completion date/status

My current task list is generated by saved search: 
reminderOrder:* -reminderTime:day+1 -reminderDoneTime:*
(all priority tasks, exclude future dated, exclude completed)

 

* All of us Canadians know you don't cut iceblocks in the summer.  This task would be future dated

Ah, I haven;t got into the practice of having a seperate noye for each tak. I've been using checklists within notes.

I've got > 1000 notes, many of them with checklists. If I broke them down to task-par-note I may hvae upwards of 5000-10000 notes.

 

I'll have a think about this. 

 

I can see how note-per-task might be efficient in some ways

 

pete

Link to comment
On 6/22/2019 at 1:49 PM, DTLow said:

Making a rational structure
- I see various structures in your example; Tasks, Projects, Igloos, Mom
- I use tags to identify structures

Project tags: Project-Replace Ceiling Iceblock
                        Project-Sled Repair,
                        Project-Dinner With Mom

Igloo tags:     Igloo-1, Igloo-2, Igloo-3                 (Actual Structures )😊

People tags:   People-Mom

Task tags:       Actionable

Task Notes
- I use separate notes for each task.  This allows lists to be generated
- Task notes are identified by tag:Actionable
                                                     tag:Project-aaaaaa
- Optional note tags                  tag:Igloo-n
                                                     tag:People-aaaaaaa

List of tasks for today

I don't review my entire task list; only the priority tasks due today.

A GTD principal is to focus on the Next Action for the project
When that's completed, identify a new Next Action
Cut Iceblock* is the Next Action and a priority task

I use the reminder feature to identify priority tasks
This identifies the task and stores optional due date and completion date/status

My current task list is generated by saved search: 
reminderOrder:* -reminderTime:day+1 -reminderDoneTime:*
(all priority tasks, exclude future dated, exclude completed)

 

* All of us Canadians know you don't cut iceblocks in the summer.  This task would be future dated

thanks for this DTLow. I can immediately see how I can structure my tags more imaginatively. at the moment they are a single level class that I identify by the first few characters.

 

 Not ready to have seperate notes for each task as I explain in a parallel post.

 

Here in equatorial guinea, we cut iceblocks all year round.

 

pete

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
  • Level 5*
16 hours ago, peterlemer said:

I've got > 1000 notes, many of them with checklists. If I broke them down to task-par-note I may hvae upwards of 5000-10000 notes.

I've got over 13,000 notes, and it makes no difference

My approach is to generate lists of specific notes; for example your "list of jobs for today"

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • Level 5

Option 1: Get all your checklists, split them up

Option2: Stay with the existing checklists, all new stuff is created as notes. Set a final date, when you will dissolve the last leftovers of checklists into notes (as in opt.1, but less volume, and you can check and improve the new system).

My solution: I‘ve got Things as task manager, able to do all stuff like recurring reminders, start and deadline dates etc. And I like the interface ...

When I need to follow up, I create an external link of a note, and create from it a new Things-task. Through the link embedded, I can always jump back to that note.

Result: Content in EN, Command & Control in Things.

Link to comment

wow, you've just blown my mind. Another task database?...

hmmm. I've got folders and files from Palm, Mori, Omnifocus and dawkins knows what else.

 

And your method smells of opportunity 🙂

 

thanks

 

pete

Link to comment
  • Level 5

This is how it looks in the Inbox of Things on my iPad. Just created a test-task and shared it as a link into Things. The new task is created automatically using the title (Test) and the body (Test again) of the EN note the link was created from. Below is the external link. Once you click it, you get directly to the note in EN.

Title and body of the task will not sync, but the note itself will always have the actual status saved in EN. So you can do with the task whatever you want to control the flow, and add all content to the note.

Example: I had a legal issue going on with my attorney. Created a note in EN, from that created a task in Things. All the initial stuff, documents etc. went into the note. The task moves from date to date, or from GTD-container to GTD-container (like „Phone“, „Computer“ or „Meeting“). When we have contact, I save the content we spoke about in the EN note, as letters, mails etc..

Gives more flexibility than having the note itself being moved around, plus more tools to handle the task than EN offers.

6D05B4CB-3FD1-4838-ACEA-39670C66F260.thumb.jpeg.b23b7bd31c7eb3921adf06b184617148.jpeg

Link to comment
  • Level 5*

You can also use the reminder function to help manage tasks.  Still a task per note but add a reminder for when you want to do it.  Then set up some saved searches to let you easily scan whats open in different date ranges or whatever.  Of my 42,677 notes 1,719 have reminders, the bulk completed thankfully.  My saved searches as an example.  With Windows you can save the layout by search which enables setting the sort to reminder time for the search.  So you get a nice list of tasks.  You can use time to order them, but I don't.  FWIW.

ScreenClip.png.87b2d3b55f5e0ba112fe06dd843158c2.png     ScreenClip.png.0e4780cbcf48c4fbde294522cb61bf37.png

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...