Due Dates versus dates to work on something
shekala says:
I discovered Asana recently and love how they distinguish between a due date and what I actually need to work on. They call it marking a task as to be worked on Today, Upcoming or Later. Thus, it enables me to see a list of anything I need to work on Today, regardless of the actual due date. I have seen many discussion on this forum trying to emulate this kind of thing, but all the solutions seem rather complicated for such a basic need. At any given moment, I can decide what to work on Today, and it stays in the Today until I take it out, thus eliminating the need for repeating tasks, postponing, and smart lists. Of course, I also have a due date, but it is such a basic concept that the due date has nothing to do with the day I need/want to work on something that its hard to understand why RTM hasn't focused on this need.
Any input would be appreciated.
Any input would be appreciated.
davidfarquhar says:
If I'm understanding you correctly then I can see two possible ways to do this
- have a tag called "Work on Today", and build a Smart List based on this. I actually use a tag "Now" which I use to extract the things I want to work on Now from my larger list of tasks
- use Start Dates - set the Start Date of the task as when you want to start working on it, and build a smart list to show anything with Start Date before tomorrow OR Due Date before tomorrow (to pick up overdue tasks)
I know you said you didn't want to use smart lists, but that's where RTM gives you the flexibility to decide how you want to see your data
- have a tag called "Work on Today", and build a Smart List based on this. I actually use a tag "Now" which I use to extract the things I want to work on Now from my larger list of tasks
- use Start Dates - set the Start Date of the task as when you want to start working on it, and build a smart list to show anything with Start Date before tomorrow OR Due Date before tomorrow (to pick up overdue tasks)
I know you said you didn't want to use smart lists, but that's where RTM gives you the flexibility to decide how you want to see your data
I would encourage you to try using even just one smart list and you will realize how powerful they can be. It could be as simple as "tag:work-today" or something like that.
The reason (I think anyway) RTM keeps things simple is because it allows people to use it in many different ways. Some RTM users have many lists while others have just one list and organize everything with tags. It's totally up to the individual.
The reason (I think anyway) RTM keeps things simple is because it allows people to use it in many different ways. Some RTM users have many lists while others have just one list and organize everything with tags. It's totally up to the individual.