Palm applications that can filter out postdated tasks /to dos

[tominperu]

I use Outlook synched with a Palm.

I really like the ability in Outlook to postdate a task, putting a future due date, and then using the "Active Task" view filter such it only appears when you arrive at that date. The great thing in Outlook non dated tasks also appear so you don't have to worry about dating all tasks.

A frustrating thing is that I can't seem to have the same view in the Palm so my "to do list" in the Palm is cluttered with future tasks that I've programmed in for months ahead but really don't want to see now. If anyone knows how I can configure the default Palm to do list to remedy this that would be the simplest solution.

I've also been trying out Bonsai but haven't managed to do the same without having to give all tasks a date which is a pain to have to do. I tried out My Life Organised months ago and seem to remember it also had the ability to filter out non active tasks but Im wondering if it has a version for Palm yet. I know that Life Balance has a Palm version but cant remember if it can hide postdated tasks. There also may be other applications that can do the same on a desktop and also after synching to the Palm.

Are there any other GTDers out there who have found a way of only seeing active (including non dated) tasks on the handheld?

[tnoyce]

I used to have a Palm and my favourite app was Datebook from www.pimlicosoftware.com. It is significantly superior to the built-in app and gives you a lot of ways to slice and dice ToDos. I have still not found an equivalent app on PocketPC, being currently a rather dissatisfied user of Informant Pro.

- Tim the sloth

[apinaud]

Has you try TODO Plus, it is an older product but was one of the most flexible ones I remember

[TacoOosterkamp]

I use KeySuite (www.chapura.com) for that. Works great! It also allows me to carry all my lists on my Palm, not just my Next Action list.

I use the Start Date field for this, not the Due Date. That seems more logically to me. I'm not sure if KeySuite can do this with the Due Date field.

Kind regards,
Taco Oosterkamp

[tominperu]

Thanks Taco, that's interesting! I should obviously try KeySuite.

Also thanks apinaud and tnoyce for your suggestions but I've tried so many apps in the past and there are so many more out there that Id like clear confirmation that they do what I need before I try any more - hence the specific question.

[johnaohman]

This view is possible with KeySuite. However, please know that KeySuite doesn't use the built-in databases of the Palm (like Agendus, DateBk do), rather it uses its own proprietary databases for calendar, contacts, tasks, notes. Some consider that a disadvantage as it relates to the inability to use other software that avails itself of the built in databases, but I personally use KeySuite and find the advantages of this program in and of itself to outweigh the other.

[mcogilvie]

A frustrating thing is that I can't seem to have the same view in the Palm so my "to do list" in the Palm is cluttered with future tasks that I've programmed in for months ahead but really don't want to see now. If anyone knows how I can configure the default Palm to do list to remedy this that would be the simplest solution.



There are a number of programs that use the built-in tasks database, but the one I like the best is called CanDo. It has strong filtering capabilities.

[tominperu]

Just looked at the CanDo application web site and its looks good, although it doesn't do recurring tasks which I use a lot.

Does anyone know whether there is a Palm version of MyLifeOrganized or whether you can do Postdated tasks (and recurrent tasks come to that) in Life Balance?

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[apinaud]

Just looked at the CanDo application web site and its looks good, although it doesn't do recurring tasks which I use a lot.

How many times you use requering tasks?

I use outlook, same as you and I have a series of tasks that repeat themselves everyweek (usually friday that is my wr time is when I added). Michael Hyatt has a great and symple macro that add them in the right category. One button, no problem.

Can something like this work for you?

[Ivy]

I've also been trying out Bonsai but haven't managed to do the same without having to give all tasks a date which is a pain to have to do.

Are there any other GTDers out there who have found a way of only seeing active (including non dated) tasks on the handheld?

I use Bonsai and have no problem with this. I simply select Status: Incomplete for all my filters. It automatically removes the done ones. I also use Start Date so that every time I add anything, it automatically throws in the date. This is from the GTD book where David says that you should date everything because the 3% of the time you need it, it will be very useful. All my NAs are todos (with checkboxes) and not tasks (with a percent complete bar).

[tominperu]

Ivy,

Thanks for your reply to my question. I was beginning to think noone wanted to respond to me!

Do you mean there is an option in Bonsai where it puts today's date in automatically? I must admit I am not very familiar with Bonsai. I'll play around with it to see if I can do what you say.

From what you say, I understand that if you put a date in the future (overuling the default) it won't appear in your todo list until that date. Is that right?

Thanks Tom

[Ivy]

If you show the column "Start Date" (just right-click on a column header to adjust the list of columns you see) any new item will get today's date without you having to do anything.

I don't use Bonsai with the TODO list, so I'm not sure how they show up, but I think you're right about putting in a future date.

I keep all my projects, waiting fors, someday/maybes, and next actions in this one big outline I have for everything. I use the category for, well, category (NA, Pro, WF, S/M) and use keywords as context (@computer, @work, etc). Then I have a list of filters for each context with the Incomplete option selected (so I don't see the done ones). Potential NAs go under their respective projects along with various notes and links for project support and when I want to do them I change their category from Project to NA and they show up in the right list neatly tucked under the project they go to. I also have a set of keywords for project support stuff like "See Tickler" "See planner" (paper inbox I carry) "See Amazon" wish list. I have a filter for each context, one for projects (with the done ones displayed so I can see my progress), one for waiting fors, and so on. So my weekly review is just changing filters to view different lists, typing in new NAs and Projects, and changing Project items to NAs where needed.

I use Outlook (and Datebook) for hard landscape, contacts, and full day appts for tickler items. A tickler is never a NA until it shows up. So, for example, if I have my Dad's b-day in the calendar, I put a two week reminder for it. When I see it, I put a NA in Bonsai to "Buy and mail card" so I don't forget. When I see it again (on the day) it reminds me to call as well.

One of the reasons I like Bonsai so much is because of the desktop version. I can get data off the Palm, but don't like inputting or managing it from there unless I have to. Bonsai lets me input at home or work and sync them all together and carry the data around.

Hope that makes sense. It's hard describing software without pictures!

[tominperu]

Thanks for that Ivy. Yes, I've played around with Bonsai now and it seems one can put in a postdate for to dos which is useful. The trick is to have the start date as today as default and then filter putting a date "start within".

[andersons]

Does anyone know whether there is a Palm version of MyLifeOrganized or whether you can do Postdated tasks (and recurrent tasks come to that) in Life Balance?
1. When I was experimenting with MLO awhile back, and reading posts on the Google group, I read that the developer decided not to support Palm OS, but instead put his energy into adding features to the Windows/Windows mobile product.

2. Yes, you can certainly do postdated tasks and recurring tasks with LifeBalance. This kind of filtering is what LB is all about and is handled naturally IMO. Handling of recurrences is a major reason why I bought LifeBalance.

Last I knew, LB does not easily sync with Outlook. I don't see the need to sync with Outlook myself since LB does everything I need on the Palm and syncs nicely with the built-in calendar.

[tominperu]

Thanks for that! That was just the answer I was hoping for! Last time I tried LifeBalance I didn't have a Palm but now I have one maybe the pros of using it outweigh anything I might miss in Outlook.

Thanks again

Tom

[andersons]

Thanks for that! That was just the answer I was hoping for! Last time I tried LifeBalance I didn't have a Palm but now I have one maybe the pros of using it outweigh anything I might miss in Outlook.

It is possible to sync things with Outlook indirectly via Palm Desktop. LB will import and export either contexts (which are called Places in LB) or outline sections to and from the built-in ToDo.

However, you have to understand what you are doing when using this feature or else you make a big mess. I personally do not use the import/export very much.

What features of Outlook do you rely on the most?

[tominperu]

Andersons, thanks for the interest.

I´m disposed to pass over options for messy synchs! I may go for the Chapura Keysuite otion which seems to synch very well.

My main use of Outlook is for Tasks and "Projects as Contacts" . For email I use Outlook Express (the reason is a long story), and I use a paper calender.

I looked at LifeBalance before and may do so again (if they let me have another trial). I've got used to how things work in Outlook and it is hard to adapt. I'm not sure if I would eventually get used to LifeBalance or not. It sounds petty but I really like the option in Outlook of seeing all tasks on the screen at the same time but grouped under different categories. One can also filter to see only priority tasks. I found the listing within Life Balance too rigid. I'm not sure if it's just like driving a new car and one misses the old familiarity or whether for me Outlook is inherently better.

I also use the Contacts as Projects method. I like the fact that with this method all tasks are listed at the same level (as it were) but some with links to Projects. In LifeBalance and MLO one ends up with a complex hierarchical system that ends up doing my head in. With Outlook I tend to keep things simple, which is better.

Of course I lose the Projects as Contacts when I synch to the Palm, which is another reason for at least checking out LifeBalance again, but things aren't broken, so for the moment I'm not fixing things in a hurry...

[andersons]

My main use of Outlook is for Tasks and "Projects as Contacts" . For email I use Outlook Express (the reason is a long story), and I use a paper calender.

. . . I really like the option in Outlook of seeing all tasks on the screen at the same time but grouped under different categories. One can also filter to see only priority tasks. I found the listing within Life Balance too rigid. I'm not sure if it's just like driving a new car and one misses the old familiarity or whether for me Outlook is inherently better.

I also use the Contacts as Projects method. I like the fact that with this method all tasks are listed at the same level (as it were) but some with links to Projects. In LifeBalance and MLO one ends up with a complex hierarchical system that ends up doing my head in. With Outlook I tend to keep things simple, which is better.
Hmm. I guess I don't quite know what you mean by "see all tasks on the screen at the same time but grouped under different categories."

You don't need to have a complex hierarchical system in LB or MLO. With GTD, you have a list of Projects, and I'll bet you mentally group them into different categories. Categories could be as simple as "Work" and "Home." The sample data has maybe 6 or 7 categories which would work well for many people. These can be the top-level items in the outline (TLIs). Projects (and single actions) go under the appropriate TLI, and NAs go under their Projects, of course. That's just 3 levels. Some projects may have subprojects, bringing your outline to 4 levels in some places. So your outline would be as simple as

Project Category/Area of Focus/However you want to think of it
-> Task which is not a project
-> Project 1
---> NA 1
---> NA 2
-> Project 2
---> Subproject 1
------> NA 2.1
---> Subproject 2
------> NA 2.2

This is very similar to the Projects list in GTD. The highest outline level simply groups the projects (and single actions) into categories. You use the outline view for planning and review, mostly during the Weekly Review.

On the runway when it's time to DO, though, you use the To Do list view which displays lists of NAs according to their context (called "places"). You cannot sort this list manually, but the priority algorithm does a great job if you use LB as directed. If you have every item in the outline default to the highest importance setting, and give projects and actions accurate due dates and lead times, the To Do list will essentially be sorted by due date. Realistically, that's how most of us work -- earliest-deadline-first.

But say Project 1 is truly less important than Project 2. Your boss tells you, Project 2 is the priority, but if you have time, do Project 1. Push the importance of Project 1 down from 100% to 90%, but do not change any of the NAs under it. Now NA 1 and NA 2 will both appear lower in the To Do list. Once you get the hang of it, this is much easier than trying to change the priority of each individual action.

[tominperu]

You are really selling Life Balance hard here!

In Outlook, I've got used to being able to see all my Tasks together but grouped together in Categories/Contexts. Having to click from context to context to see all the tasks I find really annoying athough I do it happily on the Palm because obviously the screen is smaller. It sounds petty but its the way Im used to working. I can then decide what I want to do that day or morning or whatever and mark them as high priority. Then I can then filter out all but these priority items and then print these out for the day. It's just a great thing to be able to do and I'll probably miss that with Life Balance. (I often go into central Lima and don't want to carry a Palm as I'd just be asking to be robbed)

But I will nevertheless try LB and decide whether its positives might outweigh any minuses.

Everyone has to find what's right for them while not closing the door to new ideas and being too entrenched to a particular way of working.

Tom

[ksonnenb]

I also use Bonsai for my GTD implementation. I use something similar to http://www.natara.com/Forums/messageview.cfm?catid=32&threadid=4617 for more details on how to implement GTD with Bonsai. Make sure you read the whole thread since the author has tweaked the system over time. The most useful feature that I have found is setting a project as "parent of next actions" which allows me to have multiple next actions for a project (for planning) but only the first one will show up on my next actions list when I filter NAs.

Kevin S.

[Ivy]

Wow! What a great thread on Bonsai. My use is more like he started with, but not quite. It's such a flexible tool.

I hadn't used the Parent of NA feature yet, although I was aware of it, because a lot of my projects have a muddle of NAs that don't have one obvious order. But some now do and I think I'll give it a try.

[andersons]

You are really selling Life Balance hard here!

In Outlook, I've got used to being able to see all my Tasks together but grouped together in Categories/Contexts. Having to click from context to context to see all the tasks I find really annoying athough I do it happily on the Palm because obviously the screen is smaller. It sounds petty but its the way Im used to working. I can then decide what I want to do that day or morning or whatever and mark them as high priority. Then I can then filter out all but these priority items and then print these out for the day. It's just a great thing to be able to do and I'll probably miss that with Life Balance. (I often go into central Lima and don't want to carry a Palm as I'd just be asking to be robbed)

I'm not trying to sell Life Balance hard; it has its drawbacks. But it does what you initially asked for on this thread, elegantly, and it is easier to use than one might initially think.

If I understand correctly, you like to see a list of ALL your Tasks (NAs), sorted by context. Now, while this is outside the use of contexts as presented in GTD, :-) I like your comprehensive list also. I don't think it's "petty" at all.

I do something similar with Life Balance most mornings. In LB, contexts ("places") can include other places. A built-in context "All Places" will show you a comprehensive list of every (non-post-dated) leaf in the outline, i.e., NA. However, I have made a more customized context called "!All Actions" that includes all the action places @Home, @Errands, @Computer, @Office, etc. That gives me the comprehensive list similar to the one you describe.

However, my list is sorted by priority, not by context. But I find this is preferable. I don't have to figure out the priority of everything myself. Most mornings, I look at this list of everything I have to do, from approximately most important to least important. Generally, the first 10 items on the list (1 screen on my little Clie) are the high-priority tasks I want to get done today. I can scroll down the list, and as each task is selected, its context appears to the right in the task's properties pane. So I have that information too.

The trick is to get the priority algorithm working for you. To get this, in a nutshell --
1) Keep the importance setting for every item set to a default of "Essential" (100%)
2) For tasks that have due dates, set the correct due date and an accurate lead time (how far before the due date you want to see the item on your list).
3) For projects that have due dates, but the individual actions to complete it do not, set the due date and lead time at the level of the parent project BUT NOT for the individual next-action children underneath it. Set those to "once."
4) For projects or actions without a true due date, do not set one; schedule it to happen "Once."
5) The exceptions are projects/actions that do not have an explicit due date but become less and less valuable as time passes, like sending thank-you notes. For thank-yous, for example, I set a semi-arbitrary due date of one week and put that due date in Life Balance. I can always skip over it in the ToDo list if I absolutely have to, but if I set no due date, the many items with explicit due dates keep trampling it down.

But to get back to the portability issue -- according to my memory, you wanted something that would filter postdated tasks on the Palm, for portability. If you prefer to resolve the portability issue by printing a list generated with Outlook, and you're perfectly happy with it, then there you go. I'm only saying that LB will do what you want, on the Palm.

[tominperu]

I'm going to try and summarise this thread so far, but with the proviso that I haven't completely checked out all the software recommended.

My original request was for programs that can run on a Palm and a desktop and which can filter postdated tasks. After plenty of recommendations of programs that can do this I then muddied the water by saying I also wanted to be able to do recurring tasks.

Summarising the programs mentioned so far:

Outlook with Keysuite Chapura: Bingo! Palm and desktop yes, postdated tasks yes, recurring tasks yes.

Life Balance: Bingo! Palm and desktop yes, postdated tasks yes, recurring tasks yes.

My Life Organized (MLO): Not on the Palm, but yes on Windows Mobile. Desktop yes. Postdated and recurring tasks: no feedback given but I think yes (anybody?)

Bonsai: Palm and desktop yes, postdated tasks yes. Recurring tasks no (I think - please tell me if I'm wrong).

CanDo - Palm yes, Desktop (don't think so, ?), postdated tasks yes, recurring tasks no (or please enlighten me).

Datebook and ToDoPlus also recommended but no specifics on capabilities and I haven't checked them.

I´ve said why I may keep with Outlook (with Chapura). Andersons has explained how Life Balance works for him. And people definitely like Bonsai.

People have also mentioned the possible problem of Chapura not using the standard Palm database, but I don't think this is an issue for me!

Sorry if I've missed out anyone's point that they thought was really important! Thanks to all who´ve contributed so far.

Tom

[wordsofwonder]

Of course I lose the Projects as Contacts when I synch to the Palm, which is another reason for at least checking out LifeBalance again, but things aren't broken, so for the moment I'm not fixing things in a hurry...

You can do the Contacts as Projects method using Agendus (http://www.iambic.com/products/?palmos), which lets you easily link to-do items to contacts, view the list of open and completed NAs associated with a contact, and so forth. You can also link appointments (read: Hard Landscape items and ticklers) to contacts. And, the links are preserved on the PC. (You'd see "Next action blah blah blah [My Project]" in Outlook).

-- Tammy

[moises]

Andersons has explained how Life Balance works for him.

Tom
andersons is a her. :wink:

[andersons]

My Life Organized (MLO): Not on the Palm, but yes on Windows Mobile. Desktop yes. Postdated and recurring tasks: no feedback given but I think yes (anybody?)
Postdated and recurring tasks: yes, and with more possible variations and permutations than you can imagine

[tominperu]

andersons is a her. :wink:

My apologies. Thanks again.