ForumsGetting Things Done®How are you using Folders?
How are you using Folders?
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Qrystal |
Posted by patrick:
You can totally do this - just make each of the subtasks repeating items. Marking off the main task as complete makes all the subtasks go bye-bye I think, so just don't mark the main task off. If you need to mark it as complete for tracking purposes, as a workaround you can just create a new task with the same name and mark it as complete. This is what I do - minus the workaround because I only care about the recurring subtasks. Hope this helps. You can make the main task recurring as well, and it will contain the recurring subtasks! This is what I do for my monthy bills: * "pay bills - first batch" is due on the first friday of every month, and contains a bunch of bills that are usually due in the first half of the month. * "pay bills - second batch" is due on the third friday of every month, and contains the rest. The bill subtasks are due when the bills themselves is due, repeating monthly (but since the actual bill due dates shift around a bit, I'll tweak it once I see the bill). Just another thing that makes Toodledo so awesome~!!! |
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jwelshjr |
Posted by Qrystal:
You can make the main task recurring as well, and it will contain the recurring subtasks! Just another thing that makes Toodledo so awesome~!!! Sweet! I haven't gone through a full 'cycle' with this setup yet, so I didn't realize that. Thanks for the replies. This message was edited Jun 02, 2008. |
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Darius_1296933579 |
Posted by Qrystal:
You can make the main task recurring as well, and it will contain the recurring subtasks! Thanks for pointing this out! I thought I read otherwise somewhere and never bothered to test that out... maybe it's time to start completing recurring projects. ;) |
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JonG |
Great ideas everyone, thanks for sharing. Everyone finds the methods that work for them.
GTD "Projects" are outcomes you want to achieve, with more than one action, completed within a year. I already have 16 folders--ok a couple should probably be goals--and more I need to add. I've struggled with Toodledo folders because I find them hard to work with in this volume. I need to add folders/projects quickly and on the fly (almost at the same time as tasks). I need to be able to list folders/projects for review and to print them to take with me. Still, Toodledo gives me access from home or work which helps solve my Mac at home, Windows at work challenge, and seems more complete in other ways than other tools I've looked at. Hoping for more development and flexibility added to folders over time. Appreciate suggestions and thoughts. This message was edited Jul 02, 2008. |
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Ian |
I own a number of businesses and each business has its own folder containing tasks and subtasks. I only wish the Hotlist would group subtasks into their primary task by default.
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jwelshjr |
Posted by Toodledo.vs:
Great ideas everyone, thanks for sharing. Everyone finds the methods that work for them. GTD "Projects" are outcomes you want to achieve, with more than one action, completed within a year. I already have 16 folders--ok a couple should probably be goals--and more I need to add. I've struggled with Toodledo folders because I find them hard to work with in this volume. I need to add folders/projects quickly and on the fly (almost at the same time as tasks). I need to be able to list folders/projects for review and to print them to take with me. Initially, it seemed obvious to me that a folder would equate to a GTD Project. However, over time I realized that they simply do not work well for me in that capacity within Toodledo (partly why I started this thread!). Like you mentioned, quick, on-the-fly folder creation is not easy. And toggling the different views on my Blackberry was also cumbersome. But for me, Folder management was probably the biggest reason for abandoning the Folder-as-Project method. So, I have consolidated my folders down to a bare minimum for quickly sorting between Work, Personal, Maybe, Leisure and Inbox (No Folder). From there, I simply use subtasks when I have a Project. Another bonus to this method was that I didn't have to turn a Task that I had created into a Folder later when I determined that it was really a Project - I could just add the Subtasks. My main issue is that I haven't figured out a fast/simple way to get a list of my Projects. I created a special Context named .project, but I generally forget to use it so it just languishes there in my list. Maybe I need to get back to doing that. Secondarily, I'd love to have some means of seeing the current progress or % complete of an entire Project based on the total number of subtasks (and/or estimated time). But, maybe I will make a feature request: can the search page provide the option to see all Tasks that have Subtasks? And is it somehow possible to show progress (or % complete) on the top-level Task (especially if it has Subtasks) as I mentioned? |
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Qrystal |
What a great idea!!! Both parts of it!!
- If the search page could show all tasks that have subtasks, that would be AWESOME for a GTD Weekly Review!!! And it would be much less clunky than using a context or tag to mark such projects (and what if you forget to set a task as a project? eek!) - If the top-level task with subtasks could say something even as simple as "5/12 subtasks complete" on hovering over the subtask icon, that would be really awesome. |
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Jake Toodledo Founder |
Thanks for the suggestions.
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gsimonizer |
I use folders for different areas of focus: Career, Home Life, Social, Life Experience, Interests, Health. Areas of focus do not have a beginning or an end, but represent different areas of my life that I may choose to focus on or that I have some kind of responsibility. This is similar to the GTD "20,000 foot view" which is one level above projects (at 10,000 feet). So folders contain tasks and projects that contribute to that area of focus or responsibility.
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vegheadjones |
I'm a folder = project guy, and would really appreciate the ability to make folders on the fly (in the same way we can now add contexts).
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gpl |
Yes, creating a folder on the fly while adding a task would be a very welcomed addition... At least for me!
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dave |
My method is closest to Snapper's.
Since I use my toodledo for one purpose: projects at work, I only have one folder. Projects. I then break things down by where I am in the project (analysis, documentation, programming, estimate, problem, etc), and I use the tags (along with "sort by tags" view") in order to have them organized. Then when I'm about to work on a project, I can decide what kind of work I want to do and go for it. After I finish part of a project in one phase, I move on to the next appropriate phase. |
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dave |
I've struggled with Toodledo folders because I find them hard to work with in this volume. I need to add folders/projects quickly and on the fly (almost at the same time as tasks).
This is why I stopped using folders for each project. I used to make a new folder for each project I had to do, and then create a list of prioritized tasks that had to be done in order to complete the task, ala GTD methodology. Having to create folders and tasks seperately began to grind on me, so I tried using tasks and subtasks the way I used to use tasks and folders; the problem I had with this is that subtasks end up breaking away from their supertask in the old HTML format and the mobile version, which I use pretty heavily. So now, I just keep my "next action" task listed in the notes of my tasks, and keep all of my projects listed in one folder; that way its just click and type to update with new notes and next actions. It's been working very well so far. |
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J-Mac |
Posted by Qrystal:
You can make the main task recurring as well, and it will contain the recurring subtasks! This is what I do for my monthy bills: * "pay bills - first batch" is due on the first friday of every month, and contains a bunch of bills that are usually due in the first half of the month. * "pay bills - second batch" is due on the third friday of every month, and contains the rest. The bill subtasks are due when the bills themselves is due, repeating monthly (but since the actual bill due dates shift around a bit, I'll tweak it once I see the bill). Just another thing that makes Toodledo so awesome~!!! Wow - first half and second half monthly bills - sounds like me almost exactly! However I am not using subtasks for individual bills. That sounds like a great idea, though - have to give that a try. I don't use folders for projects at all - too cumbersome for me. I use folders as general categories for my actions: Financial, Medical, House Projects, and for my various hobbies and interests. Then I use Contexts as "Places" or "Resources" generally. Like @Computer, @Home, @Doctor, @Office, etc. So each task is in a Folder based on the category it falls into, and has the Context that indicates where or what I need to be and/or use to do it. Works for me so far. Some seem to fall outside of that of course, but then I improvise as necessary. Jim This message was edited Jul 25, 2008. |
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jubub |
Posted by Qrystal:
Posted by patrick: You can totally do this - just make each of the subtasks repeating items. You can make the main task recurring as well I do have the same steps to different projects/folders. So they repeat - but not periodically. Any hints how to create some kind of a "task list" to choose from - so I won´t forget each single step? Juergen |
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mvoort |
I use three main folders:
Inbox (for new ideas and single actions) Someday/Maybe (things I may want to do in the future) Waiting For (Waiting for John to respond to my email) A fourth should be here, but I use evernote for this: Agenda's (things to talk about with people) eg: * Lindsey: plan vacation, present brother * Neighbour: broken fence The rest of my lists are all independend projects (and projects need more than one step to complete) eg: Brother's birthday: * Call brother ask for wishlist (context phone) * decide on present (context agenda) * buy present (context errand) * Write card to go with present (context home) I do not use lists to divide between work / private tasks because David Allen says he sees everything you need to do as 'work' and it doens't really matter who you do it for (and I agree with that). Contexts are equally important to folders: what can you do right now? If you're on a phone you pull up the list of the phone context and see all phonecalls you need to make. If you're at the office you want to know what you can do / should do at the office. This message was edited Aug 27, 2008. |
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rachel.ackoff |
I'm brand new to Toodledo, but I don't understand what you all mean by folders are difficult to create "on the fly." Could you also explain why it's difficult to have a lot of folders? I'm considering having a folder for each of my projects but if it's easier I can use tags for each of my projects. Has anyone used tags for this purpose? I'm trying to avoid upgrading from the free Toodledo. Thanks!
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jcandito |
I try not to pigeonhole myself with A,B, or C priorities, but I "funnel" my next actions through a series of "time batches". If there is something that has to be done on a specific day or time, I put it in my calender. But for all other actions, I put them in a folder marked "This Month" This Week" "Tomorrow" or "Today". These are "flexible" priority folders that I try to push my actions through.
On any one day, I work out of the "Today" folder (and within contexts of @Office @Home @Computer @Calls, etc). I also review "Tomorrow Folder" if I complete everything in my "Today" folder to see if I can do anything there. I will transfer, if need be, actions from any folder to the "Today" folder if the priority changes. An action does NOT have to go through every folder. Thank would create too much drag for me. But I limit myself to doings from the today folder. Of course if somehtin is in one of the other folders when I discovery it HAS to be done today, I transfer it to the Today folder. LOL. So far this has worked best for me. I cannot just work off contexts without some sense of priority and I don't want to break promises to myself by coding actions as 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C, in importance. The time batched folders give me enough flexibility to re-negotiate action in the other folders. It ALSO gives me the flexibility to work off the the contexts as well. I use the unassigned actions as my 'Inbox" for processing. I usually email those to Toodledo. I do not us Toodledo as my collection bucket. I use the notebook function of Upvise as my collection tool. I installed it (it is free) in my Nokia E61 and assigned a shortcut to it. I collect to the notebook and it automatically syncs with the online account. Then I process the stuff to Toodledo. Works Great. http://www.upvise.com/ My folders on Toodledo are: Today Tomorrow This Week This Month (everything not in the above goes here) Someday Maybe Waiting For My contexts are: @Home @Office @Computer @Calls @Travel |
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Adam Compton |
So how do you guys handle the GTD suggestion that projects have a note attached that describes the desired outcome? I like Toodledo a lot, but I am having a hard time getting started with it because of this issue.
When I start a new project, I like to write down everything I can think of about it, and then cull through that reference to determine next actions and create tasks. During a weekly review, I look at the notes for each of my active projects and make sure that the tasks I have created are still in keeping with the desired outcome (and to refresh my memory of any incidental information about the project). If I use folders in Toodledo to manage my projects, it's possible to associate notes with them, but it's not possible (as far as I'm aware) to look at the notes for a folder at the same time as the tasks for that folder. Also, as previously noted, it's hard to create new folders on the fly. If I use tags to manage projects, they're easy to create on the fly, but it's not possible to attach a note to them at all (that I can see). Basically, I want a container of some fashion, where I can save some information common to all the tasks in that container that isn't tied to the completion of any one specific task. Ease of creating such a container would be a significant bonus. It seems like sub-tasks might be a way to handle this, but I still have only a free account and I'd rather not pony up unless I am more confident they'll meet my needs. Any ideas? |
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Alisa |
Hi Adam,
I modified my set-up as follows: Goals = Goals Folders = Roles Tasks = Projects Subtasks = Tasks Contexts = Locations Statuses = Statuses Tags = Contacts Using Folders as Roles is a spin-off from when I used the Covey method. I use Tasks as Projects and use the Star to further identify them easily. I do use the Notes as you described for my Projects. I know you are concerned about upgrading as I was. I can only tell you that everything just fell together nicely once I did. You could use your free one-week trial to test it out before deciding. This message was edited Feb 05, 2009. |
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