[Nirvana 2] Focus does not move tasks out of inbox
For me, in build 80, dragging a task to "focus" does not move it out of the inbox. You have to also drag it to "Next".
Maybe that's the desired result, but it was a little confusing at first.
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2 Posted by Proximo on 14 Nov, 2010 06:50 AM
This is how N1 worked too. If a task is in your inbox, it has never belong to one of the GTD list yet. Moving it directly from inbox to Focus means the task only ever belonged to the inbox so it stays there.
Support Staff 3 Posted by Elbert McLaughlin on 14 Nov, 2010 11:03 AM
Yeah, this is by "design" ... to keep things consistent with the rest of the changes. Not sure if it's right though.
The Today list concept confused a lot of newcomers as it had a "date" connotation to it. Which then encouraged all kinds of confusion relating to changing due dates and expecting things to pop out of "today."
The shift in thinking with Focus is that now you can "star" any item to bring it into Focus... meaning that Focus is now a quick list to identify things that require your attention outside of the normal inbox/next/waiting/scheduled/someday states. So, this might mean that you can "star" a waiting for or scheduled item for quick review, but not necessarily change it's state to Next.
Hence, when you star an item in the inbox, either by clicking the star or my dragging, you are just marking the item and it remains where it was. This adds an additional step when moving tasks out of Inbox, I know. But in keeping with GTD, there really is no Today (as it was previously known) concept. We're trying to be a bit more purist, and this is what we've come up with (thus far).
Thoughts? Bad idea?
4 Posted by gregoe86 on 14 Nov, 2010 03:11 PM
I understand the logic in this regard, but while it's not pure GTD, I'd prefer it so that when I drag a task from the Inbox to Focus it also gets moved from Inbox to Next. Just one less step to do when processing my inbox.
I'm hardly a GTD Pro, but that's my two cents.
Support Staff 5 Posted by Elbert McLaughlin on 14 Nov, 2010 04:20 PM
I hear ya. here's the fastest click path then, for now.
first "star" all of the items you want in focus.
then drag tasks to where you want them filed (eg. next/someday/etc)
6 Posted by Rique on 14 Nov, 2010 04:42 PM
Elbert, I like the way you are using the star. I hope you do not change it. My reasoning is that I can foresee a scenario where something would be considered "next" and not focus - and even "focus" and not next.
"Focus" is not, strictly speaking, precisely the same thing that "today" is. That is just my .02, and may not be strict GTD. However, my vote is to leave the functionality of the star/focus feature as it is currently designed.
I'm open to better / more creative approaches, of course. Thanks!
7 Posted by Proximo on 14 Nov, 2010 07:21 PM
I agree with @Rique
I sometimes star a Waiting for task to remind me to call someone and get an update on the progress. The star is simple because it moves anything into Focus.
8 Posted by gregoe86 on 14 Nov, 2010 08:41 PM
And I absolutely agree with the way Focus is implemented in general. I do wonder about the value of allowing something in the Inbox to simultaneously be under Focus. I thought that Inbox was just for Capture, and that assigning Focus is more of a Process step.
Full disclosure - I haven't actually read GTD (law student = outside reading is near impossible)... but I've read a lot of Prox's posts!
Support Staff 9 Posted by Elbert McLaughlin on 14 Nov, 2010 09:58 PM
@gregoe86 - you are right that it is a little bit strange... but then, i suppose there could be a situation where you don't know where to file something so might want to leave it in inbox with a star... ? like maybe on a really really indecisive day. ;-)
10 Posted by gregoe86 on 14 Nov, 2010 11:09 PM
Haha, I think we all have had days like that... I can handle the workaround of starring, then dragging.
11 Posted by Rique on 17 Nov, 2010 11:53 PM
And as I've said in a different thread, I do not believe that moving a task to "Focus" means that it has actually been processed. To process an item in your inbox, you need to first decide the disposition of that task (Actionable? Y or N; Do it quickly? Do it now. Do it later? Defer, Schedule, set as standalone or set as attached to a project).
Items/tasks not processed should stay in the Inbox. Just MHO.
12 Posted by convexcube on 18 Nov, 2010 08:52 PM
I think the star should be removed in the inbox. What if it were replaced with a file function indicated by a filing cabinet icon? Clicking it would bring up a modal list of places to file the task including an option for focus, once a status (next/scheduled/waiting/someday) is selected. I realise this functionality is already there with the dropdown & dragging, but it would be a quick way to file away without the distraction of the other items and further indicate the purpose of the inbox as a collection box that needs to be processed before further action.
13 Posted by Rique on 19 Nov, 2010 01:07 AM
Why take the choice of the star away from those who like it as it is? If you don't want to use it in the inbox, simply do not use it in the inbox. If your preferred workflow is to first process - and then determine focus - how will it even be an issue for you?
Sometimes, my inbox will fill up with a number of items all at once. I may want to quickly go through the inbox and star all the items I want to go ahead and fully process - there are 40 items there, but only 5 relate to the project we are wrapping up tomorrow. I scan through my inbox quickly, I star those 5 tasks - and then I process them before the others.
David McLaughlin closed this discussion on 14 Feb, 2011 09:41 PM.