Fantastic idea! I titled mine "Needs to be done". Now I have three daily sections... [1] Stuff that has to be done, [2] Stuff that was deferred because of 'whatever' reason, (from one of your other videos) and [3] Needs to be done. THANKS for the tip. It's made thing so much less stressful
I switched to Things 3 because of the Today view. I was getting frustrated with the tasks disappearing in OmniFocus if I didn't do it by a certain defer date. One older solution was to make yet another perspective to track past defer date tasks. But that just added to the feeling of overwhelm with a long list of perspectives. I am switching back to OmniFocus because of the lack of attachments and location-based reminders in Things 3 and this Next tag will help a lot with the switch. Thanks for the great video.
Fantastic idea Peter! I've been doing something similar with a "TS" tag that stands for "This Sprint". To me, it means anytime within the next 2 weeks. I'll definitely experiment with the Next tag. Thank You!
Hi Peter! Every end of year I came back to RUclips to study what improvements I will adopt into my OmniFocus workflow for the next year. This “next” tag approach is simply magic. I have just set it up and can’t wait to put it on practice to my 2022! Thanks a lot
I tried Omnifocus a while back, but the way defer dates worked confused me. Having watched this video, I finally understand. The defer date isn't when I start working on a task; it's when the task is presented to me to consider working on it. It's odd you have to watch a video on youtube, make a custom tag, and go through this to get things to work the way they should. But it does make sense to me now; perhaps even more than the way Things handles it. Thank you for your explanation.
This video was Awesome! I've been trying to figure out how to implement "next actions" in the "getting things done" framework, and hadn't found a way specifically to do this within Omnifocus (my chosen list method). Your video not only gave me an easy way to do this, but a more inclusive way to use "next" on items not necessarily attached to a specific project, but still something I want to have highlighted as a priority to get done soon. I'm excited to watch more of your Omnifocus videos and hope I can apply your wisdom to my GTD framework! Thanks for your great explanations!
Lydia Allred Love to hear it, Lydia! You can also save yourself some time by enrolling in my OmniFocus course, which teaches a whole system at once: learn.peterakkies.net/omnifocus-productivity/
Good idea really I am one of those who struggle with due dates. I hope this will be a good solution for all. Please continue on sharing your experience Thanks
I used to do this idea with a bullet journal. I had a #thisweek #nextweek #thismonth and #nextmonth collection and then migrated tasks around as needed. Light organization but much of the work was fine as long as I did it in a given month
I haven’t watched all your videos yet, so apologies if you cover this in another one that I haven’t got to... But I use the flag in my omnifocus setup to essentially do what you have suggested here. If you use a tag for “next actions”, how do you use flagging (if at all)?
Some of my comments got lost when I made a channel adjustment, so I'll comment again here: I sometimes use flags to denote the two or three "most important" tasks.
Is this next tag setup no longer possible in omnifocus v3? I no longer see the "today shows items with this tag" setting. This was the missing link for me and very much appreciate you thinking this through and sharing! Hopefully there's a new way to do it or something I'm missing
I really love the idea and I'm sure it will help me to decrease my clutter! Is it possible tho to have two different tags shown in the Forecast? Like "Next" and "Daily"
Apologies if this is slightly off topic but does Omnifocus have a week view where I can see just the tasks from Monday to Friday, and then Tuesday to Friday, etc. (and no more) at one go.
Looks good. How do you plan what to do tomorrow if the «next» tag doesn’t show until tomorrow? I find it annoying that there is no way to setup perspectives saying: Defer date = tomorrow. (Or: In two days) Thansk
Thank you so much!! I have a quick question: What if I did not finish this task (that is tagged "Next") by today (which means I did not check it off), then would this task still show on tomorrow?
Hello Peter, very nice videos! Why should i not use the flagged status for that or what is the flag used for in omnifocus? Currently i mark the next things i want to do just by flagging them.
Could it be that this function is not on board anymore with the newest version? When I have my forecast tab open and click on the eye-button above I actually don't have the option to fix a tag like your "next tap".... any idea where I can apply this funktion maybe anywhere else? (i run Omnifocus 3.11.4) Thanks for your help
Peter Akkies Thanks for the inspiration! Unfortunately I was not able to find a meaningful distinction between flagged+deferred and next-tagged for me. What I can differentiate are tasks I am able to do on that date and tasks that require external preparatory work before I can work on them so I now use the tag “waiting” as forecast-tag. Those tasks appear on the forecast and my Perspective when the deferred date is reached but are not highlighted like due or flagged tasks..
This is great, Peter--thanks! May I just confirm one thing? If I set up the Forecast view to show items tagged with "next," then "next" items from the past will show up, but "next" items deferred into the future will *not*... Is that how it works? =)
Until recently I have still been using OF2 (I've just upgraded). This is pretty much what I was using the "Flagged" feature for. I'm now curious: do you actually use flags, or have the new features in OF3 made that unnecessary for you?
Hi Peter, an awesome trick there, however when I complete a 'next' tagged task and I have enabled the repeat function, OF3 will automatically assign a due date? E.g. processing your emails daily during any workweek. Can I somehow configure this functionality without getting the automatic due dates? Many thanks in advance and love your channel!
Some of my comments got lost when I made a channel adjustment, so I'll comment again here: there are three different repeat options in OmniFocus. You don't need to assign a due date to get repetition. You can repeat based on defer dates and completion dates too. More details in my course ;-) learn.peterakkies.net/omnifocus-productivity/
@@PeterAkkies ah, got it. What’s the difference between pro and subscription? I rarely use it and came across the software a year after I purchased it. Lol actually, the other day was the first time I did anything with it. 🤦🏽♂️
I was enthused when I watched your video but pretty disappointed when I actually tried to implement it. If OF3 actually enabled you to specify date ranges then maybe you coud you could make a useful perspective using due dates + next + next week tags. OF3 is a nice tool for the big picture but I’ve found it almost worthless for trying to live in the day by day world - and I’ve been trying for 5 years now to use OF3 as a stand alone tool. I keep watching videos like yours and others and hoping that there is a practical way to use OF3 to plan my day and my week. I’ve spent countless hour and I’m still very disappointed. I have so much invested in OF but I’m on the verge of just giving up on it.
Is the idea of the next tag to use it with actions that don’t have due dates to get them show up in the forecast perspective? Otherwise, I’m struggling to see the value.
Because there is no setting in the Forecast perspective to (also) show tasks that are flagged, but there is a setting to show tasks with a certain tag. That said, in OmniFocus 4, it will be possible to show flagged tasks in the Forecast perspective.
@@PeterAkkies Is this the only reason you use a tag instead of flag here? Or do you have another life-changing technique I should learn that uses flags? :)
It's the first time I find a "life-changing" advice is actually life-changing. Thank you very very very much!!
Fantastic idea!
I titled mine "Needs to be done". Now I have three daily sections... [1] Stuff that has to be done, [2] Stuff that was deferred because of 'whatever' reason, (from one of your other videos) and [3] Needs to be done.
THANKS for the tip. It's made thing so much less stressful
I switched to Things 3 because of the Today view. I was getting frustrated with the tasks disappearing in OmniFocus if I didn't do it by a certain defer date. One older solution was to make yet another perspective to track past defer date tasks. But that just added to the feeling of overwhelm with a long list of perspectives. I am switching back to OmniFocus because of the lack of attachments and location-based reminders in Things 3 and this Next tag will help a lot with the switch. Thanks for the great video.
I get your interest in both Things 3 and OmniFocus, Jose. And I am glad to hear that the next tag will help you!
Fantastic idea Peter! I've been doing something similar with a "TS" tag that stands for "This Sprint". To me, it means anytime within the next 2 weeks. I'll definitely experiment with the Next tag. Thank You!
Good idea. I am using this from now on. Thanks.
A real lightbulb moment. I suspect this is going to be a very successful approach for me. Thanks a lot.
well, I maybe found this video a bit later than a lot of other folks, but I appreciate this tip! It's very useful!
Peter your OmniFocus videos are king - thank you!
Hi Peter! Every end of year I came back to RUclips to study what improvements I will adopt into my OmniFocus workflow for the next year. This “next” tag approach is simply magic. I have just set it up and can’t wait to put it on practice to my 2022! Thanks a lot
Love it!
I tried Omnifocus a while back, but the way defer dates worked confused me. Having watched this video, I finally understand. The defer date isn't when I start working on a task; it's when the task is presented to me to consider working on it. It's odd you have to watch a video on youtube, make a custom tag, and go through this to get things to work the way they should. But it does make sense to me now; perhaps even more than the way Things handles it. Thank you for your explanation.
This is also better than using flags which is an alternative brought by many before but for me has a completely different meaning. Thank you!
This video was Awesome! I've been trying to figure out how to implement "next actions" in the "getting things done" framework, and hadn't found a way specifically to do this within Omnifocus (my chosen list method). Your video not only gave me an easy way to do this, but a more inclusive way to use "next" on items not necessarily attached to a specific project, but still something I want to have highlighted as a priority to get done soon. I'm excited to watch more of your Omnifocus videos and hope I can apply your wisdom to my GTD framework! Thanks for your great explanations!
Lydia Allred Love to hear it, Lydia! You can also save yourself some time by enrolling in my OmniFocus course, which teaches a whole system at once: learn.peterakkies.net/omnifocus-productivity/
This is a really good point that I will implement. Thank you for this idea, Peter!
In light of your use of the next tag, I would be interested to know whether you use the flagged function instead, and if so, in which cases.
You can do that now in OmniFocus 4, yes, with some pros and cons. I go over them in my OmniFocus course
Very useful. Can’t wait to try this out!
Good idea really
I am one of those who struggle with due dates. I hope this will be a good solution for all. Please continue on sharing your experience
Thanks
Thank you Khaleed!
I use time block in conjunction with Omni. Game changer
tried it & this changed my workflow completely, thank you for the great tip.
I am applying this ASAP. Thanks
Great way to operationalize the Next Actions List. Thank you very much, Peter!
Brilliant idea. thanks !!
Really useful! Thanks!
Great vid! Love it!
I used to do this idea with a bullet journal. I had a #thisweek #nextweek #thismonth and #nextmonth collection and then migrated tasks around as needed. Light organization but much of the work was fine as long as I did it in a given month
I haven’t watched all your videos yet, so apologies if you cover this in another one that I haven’t got to... But I use the flag in my omnifocus setup to essentially do what you have suggested here. If you use a tag for “next actions”, how do you use flagging (if at all)?
Some of my comments got lost when I made a channel adjustment, so I'll comment again here: I sometimes use flags to denote the two or three "most important" tasks.
Is this next tag setup no longer possible in omnifocus v3? I no longer see the "today shows items with this tag" setting. This was the missing link for me and very much appreciate you thinking this through and sharing! Hopefully there's a new way to do it or something I'm missing
You do need the Pro version of OmniFocus. Usually that’s the problem.
@@PeterAkkies aha thank you very much for clarifying
I really love the idea and I'm sure it will help me to decrease my clutter! Is it possible tho to have two different tags shown in the Forecast? Like "Next" and "Daily"
Unfortunately not, Simon.
WOW, thank you! This really helps a lot!
Apologies if this is slightly off topic but does Omnifocus have a week view where I can see just the tasks from Monday to Friday, and then Tuesday to Friday, etc. (and no more) at one go.
Please update for v4 your Idea! Should i use the flag?
Searched to find that option with my version of OmniFocus 3. Did I miss the part where you mention that it is within the PRO version only?
Fantasitic Idea! Thanks from Tokyo Japan.
Looks good. How do you plan what to do tomorrow if the «next» tag doesn’t show until tomorrow?
I find it annoying that there is no way to setup perspectives saying: Defer date = tomorrow. (Or: In two days)
Thansk
*Thanks ;)
If that bothers you a lot, you’ll probably really like Things 3.
Thank you so much!! I have a quick question: What if I did not finish this task (that is tagged "Next") by today (which means I did not check it off), then would this task still show on tomorrow?
Wow this was soo easy and quick to learn
Glad you think so!
Very informative! Thankyou, didn’t know about this. Also love the beer mats in the background!
Hello Peter, very nice videos! Why should i not use the flagged status for that or what is the flag used for in omnifocus? Currently i mark the next things i want to do just by flagging them.
ok, now i saw the other comment.
You can do that. In my OmniFocus course I have a detailed discussion of flags vs. the next tag.
in version 3 this is taken care of. past dues do show up
Absolute life changer 💯
Hello Peter, great video I did find it very useful!
Plz, I need some advice. In the Forecast perspective, I don´t have the view option box "Today shows items with this tag:" Run OF 3.15.6
... And the standard plan
Yeah that's a Pro feature
Thank you! Using this now.
Phantastic - Thanks a lot
Could it be that this function is not on board anymore with the newest version? When I have my forecast tab open and click on the eye-button above I actually don't have the option to fix a tag like your "next tap".... any idea where I can apply this funktion maybe anywhere else? (i run Omnifocus 3.11.4) Thanks for your help
It’s probably because you don’t have OmniFocus Pro. That’s a Pro feature.
I’m using flagged+deferred for that. What is your opinion on when to flag items?
Peter Akkies Thanks for the inspiration! Unfortunately I was not able to find a meaningful distinction between flagged+deferred and next-tagged for me.
What I can differentiate are tasks I am able to do on that date and tasks that require external preparatory work before I can work on them so I now use the tag “waiting” as forecast-tag. Those tasks appear on the forecast and my Perspective when the deferred date is reached but are not highlighted like due or flagged tasks..
This is great, Peter--thanks! May I just confirm one thing? If I set up the Forecast view to show items tagged with "next," then "next" items from the past will show up, but "next" items deferred into the future will *not*... Is that how it works? =)
Hello Peter, can still I use different calendars such google calendar? Thank you
OmniFocus just shows the calendars you have listed in the Calendar app on your device, so yes!
Great idea!!
Until recently I have still been using OF2 (I've just upgraded). This is pretty much what I was using the "Flagged" feature for. I'm now curious: do you actually use flags, or have the new features in OF3 made that unnecessary for you?
Very useful skills! Thanks
Hi Peter, an awesome trick there, however when I complete a 'next' tagged task and I have enabled the repeat function, OF3 will automatically assign a due date? E.g. processing your emails daily during any workweek. Can I somehow configure this functionality without getting the automatic due dates? Many thanks in advance and love your channel!
Some of my comments got lost when I made a channel adjustment, so I'll comment again here: there are three different repeat options in OmniFocus. You don't need to assign a due date to get repetition. You can repeat based on defer dates and completion dates too. More details in my course ;-) learn.peterakkies.net/omnifocus-productivity/
hell yeah this is a good one!
Hi, thanks for the idea. I’m a Luddite using OmniFocus 2. Is this possible with v2?
Some of my comments got lost when I made a channel adjustment, so I'll comment again here: no, Sam, this isn't possible in OmniFocus v2.
Ok that all looks good however in Omni 3 I cannot find that option.
You need the Pro version to do this, Kikahuna. That’s probably why.
@@PeterAkkies ah, got it. What’s the difference between pro and subscription? I rarely use it and came across the software a year after I purchased it. Lol actually, the other day was the first time I did anything with it. 🤦🏽♂️
@@KikaWaiAlae Not sure whether the subscription is for Pro or not. But you can find that info at omnigroup.com/omnifocus
Is this only a pro feature? I can't see the option
Hey Elwin. Yes, it is.
my omnifocus isn't letting me change the tag shown in forecast
Are you using OmniFocus 3 Pro?
@@PeterAkkies I just have standard, but I was able to use this feature before and now the option doesn't show up. Did they change something?
My friend. With all the love in the world, I say the first five minutes of this video were unneeded.
I like to think I've improved in the 5 years since I posted this video!
Brilliant!!!!
I was enthused when I watched your video but pretty disappointed when I actually tried to implement it. If OF3 actually enabled you to specify date ranges then maybe you coud you could make a useful perspective using due dates + next + next week tags. OF3 is a nice tool for the big picture but I’ve found it almost worthless for trying to live in the day by day world - and I’ve been trying for 5 years now to use OF3 as a stand alone tool. I keep watching videos like yours and others and hoping that there is a practical way to use OF3 to plan my day and my week. I’ve spent countless hour and I’m still very disappointed. I have so much invested in OF but I’m on the verge of just giving up on it.
Hey Rick, if OmniFocus doesn't work for you, then why not try another app? You don't owe fealty to any one app. Different strokes for different folks!
Thanks 🙏
I LOVE IT
Is the idea of the next tag to use it with actions that don’t have due dates to get them show up in the forecast perspective? Otherwise, I’m struggling to see the value.
Yes, precisely! It's to say "I intend to work on this next, even though it isn't due soon".
Alternative : #asap #someday Re: GTD
why not just use the flag for these items? this is what i do
Because there is no setting in the Forecast perspective to (also) show tasks that are flagged, but there is a setting to show tasks with a certain tag. That said, in OmniFocus 4, it will be possible to show flagged tasks in the Forecast perspective.
@@PeterAkkies Is this the only reason you use a tag instead of flag here? Or do you have another life-changing technique I should learn that uses flags? :)
Haha. I still recommend using the "next" tag because you can then use flags to mean something else, like "top priority".@@wlonkly
4:56