Areas of Focus is Misunderstood!
I believe that AOF is misunderstood in Nirvana. Currently, it's being used as a context (or "Uber context"), when in reality its NOT meant to be that way. In addition, "Work" and "Home" are just contexts, not areas of focus.
Areas of Focus should be a list/checklist of stuff that you need to maintain.
I believe this best explains it. (directly from the source)
===Excerpt from Getting Things Done, David Allen. Pages 205-6===
This is the level of "current job responsibilities." What are the "hats" you wear?
. . . . .
The operational purpose of the "Areas of Focus" list is to ensure that you have all your projects and next actions defined, so you can manage your responsibilities appropriately. If you were to create an accounting of those and evaluate them objectively, in terms of what you're doing and shall be doing, you'll undoubtedly uncover projects you need to add to your "Projects" list. You may in reviewing the list, decide that some areas are just fine and are being taken care of. Then again, you may realize that something has been "bugging" you in one area and that a project should be created to shore it up. "Areas of Focus" is really just a more abstract and refined version of the "Triggers" list we covered earlier.
===End===
If you have Making It All Work, I recommend reading Chapter 14.
===Excerpt from Making It All Work, David Allen. Page 230===
Areas of focus can most usefully serve as checklists for ensuring balance and inclusion of the most significant components--of your life, a project, or a department.
===End===
Hope this gets implemented/fixed. :)
Something helpful: http://j.mp/RbPEN
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62 Posted by Proximo on 02 Jun, 2011 11:59 PM
@Photon
In a way it has.
It's renamed to "Areas" in N2 which eliminates a lot of the confusion. Areas is different than "Areas of Focus". The confusion was mainly due to the naming.
I would still like smart list but the new name works fine for me.
I have a Work Area, Personal Area and Business Area. Each allow me to switch the entire UI to that specific Area which is what I always used it for. I am about to leave work and when I get home, I would open Nirvana and switch to my Personal Area to see what I can be doing.
63 Posted by Photon on 03 Jun, 2011 02:02 AM
Can you see it? http://imgur.com/XKnm9
64 Posted by Proximo on 04 Jun, 2011 03:02 AM
Good catch Photon.
Never paid much attention to that. I agree that it's confusing and should be fixed. I stand corrected bud. :-)
65 Posted by AJS on 04 Jun, 2011 09:46 PM
I've dabbled with Nirvana without making a full time switch at this point for various reasons, but this discussion caught my attention. Proximo's description of separating areas so you would only have to look at those specific to your needs at any given time gave me an "aha" moment. One of the key gripes I have with most task management solutions is you have to fit the project list, among many others, down the right side column means you soon run out of space in that column. I figured that Nirvana might have hit the holy grail if projects were also viewable by area, but at least for me, it seems not. You can hit the desired area button but still all your miscellaneous projects remain in view. Sorta defeats the object in my opinion.
66 Posted by Soren on 05 Jun, 2011 06:14 AM
@AJS if you have assigned an area to the PROJECT (i.e. HOME) it only shows when you chose the areas: "HOME" or "show all"
Thats how it works for me, so I don't understand your comment:"You can hit the desired area button but still all your miscellaneous projects " ?
(N2 ver. 221)
67 Posted by AJS on 05 Jun, 2011 08:43 AM
Soren,
Ok I know what I was doing wrong. I was in the Focus view and clicking the button on the right which said Personal or Business without realising that applied to only the Focus view. The relevant button is, as you have pointed out, on the left pane below the TO DO section. Thanks for pointing that out. This takes the software to another level for me.
68 Posted by Proximo on 06 Jun, 2011 12:58 AM
Areas are vital to how I use Nirvana