Add new tasks at the top of the list instead of at the bottom (Part 2)
It's been a while since I weighed in on anything, and see that the prior thread on this was closed.
That discussion was about having adding new tasks at the top of the list instead of at the bottom, and there was talk of setting a preference, use of a toggle, or a "magic arrow."
I'm in the process of doing some major maintenance on my work life and continuously having new tasks wind up on the bottom of my lists is a pain.
Can someone please provide an update on this?
Support Staff 2 Posted by David McLaughlin on 02 Aug, 2011 11:58 PM
It's been accepted as an enhancement and is on the to-do list.
dbm
3 Posted by Glenn on 03 Aug, 2011 12:08 AM
David, that's awesome news.
OK, is that for N2 only, or will we see this in N1?
Also, any clue as to timeframe?
Support Staff 4 Posted by David McLaughlin on 03 Aug, 2011 12:23 AM
N1 is going to be retired in a few weeks.
There hasn't been any new development on the N1 code base for some time.
No specific timeframe, but it's getting closer to the top of the list.
5 Posted by Proximo on 03 Aug, 2011 11:25 AM
Greatness,
While your at it. Could you make it an option to move all Starred task to the top of the Next list.
Sorting on the Next list is a manual process which is fine. When I filter by Time, Energy and Context, the sorting is not a big deal. But when I choose to star a task, it becomes a pain when looking at the Next list without any filters activated only to find the task you added the star too, all over the place.
Just saying. :-)
Support Staff 6 Posted by David McLaughlin on 03 Aug, 2011 01:50 PM
@proximo -
It's on the list as part of some more involved sorting capabilities we were considering doing later.
Might be possible to break it out to do separately - no promises as to if & when.
Cheers,
David
7 Posted by Proximo on 04 Aug, 2011 03:39 AM
David,
You Rock!
Support Staff 8 Posted by David McLaughlin on 04 Aug, 2011 10:31 PM
@Glenn, et al
Regarding the add a task at the top...
I'll just mention that it's out of the 'IceBox' and into the 'Backlog' for you Agile fans -- not saying where in the backlog since things shift around a bit - but it's on the radar.
In GTD terms, think of it moving from Someday to Next (but a really big Next like @Proximo's)
Cheers,
David
9 Posted by Elurven on 05 Aug, 2011 06:26 AM
Well, I suppose you all know my preference for tasks on top, so I won't go into that again ;-). But I have to weigh in on Proximo's suggestion. Having starred items automatically moved to the top of the Next list, is a feature that I have been craving for some time.
10 Posted by Bruce Marriott on 05 Aug, 2011 06:35 AM
I'd just come into this section to suggest this and find it top of the pile and up for being done - great stuff!
A little clarification on what I would like. I think its clear that when inputting tasks what people want is the ability to declare a preference. What I'd add (just in case) is that that applies to the Focus List also. So when I star items elswhere to go on the Focus List they go to the top.
11 Posted by Proximo on 05 Aug, 2011 09:17 PM
@Bruce
I only keep 5 or less task in my Focus list at any one time, so I guess I never got irritated about the new ones, not showing up on top. :-)
12 Posted by Bruce Marriott on 06 Aug, 2011 06:12 AM
@Proximo
Love it! We all use platforms like this in so many different ways I think.
My own routine, for better or worse, is at the start of the day to put all my tasks (for the day) on the focus list and juggle them to get the sweep of the day. That might be 10 or 20 tasks - varies. I would hate to limit myself to 5 and then have to go out and add another 5 in etc. But if 5 works for you and your tasks bravo I say!
13 Posted by Proximo on 07 Aug, 2011 12:00 AM
Bruce
You are correct. We all use GTD differently and we should stick to what works for us. I love reading how people use GTD because I pick up a bunch of nuggets.
Here is what I do.
In the morning when I arrive at work, I change my Area to "Work". Now I open my Next list and filter by Time, Energy and Context as necessary. Now I am looking at a much smaller list of task that make sense for me to consider at that given moment.
My Time, Energy and Context change through out the day. From this smaller list of task to choose from, I try to pick the top 5 for me to work on and star them.
Now I switch to the Focus list and I am looking at 5 task that make sense for me to do at that moment and I get to work on them.
When I complete these 5 task, I switch back to the Next list and once again filter by Time, Energy and Context. This could be 2 hours later for example. Now my Time, Energy and Context are different and this allows me to look at potential task that fit that moment in time. I now have a smaller list of task that match my time, energy and context, so I choose 3 to 5 to work on.
Back to the Focus list, rinse and repeat.
The idea here is that I am giving all Next Actions an equal opportunity to grab my attention, based on my time, energy and context.
So I am always working on the right stuff at any given time.
If I was to select a long list of task at the beginning of the day. The time, energy and context I have would eventually not match the list of task I have in front of me.
After lunch I may be brain dead and only have 1 hour before a meeting. I can choose 1 hour as my time, low energy and maybe computer as my context. Now I am working on an optimized list of task that make sense.
This is basically how David Allen teaches GTD. One of the key benefits of GTD is to work on the right stuff and you do this by choosing what to do based on your time, energy and context which is ever changing.
14 Posted by Bruce Marriott on 08 Aug, 2011 05:42 AM
@Proximo
Have the book and paid my own money to see Allen perform live for a day in London - but sadly GTD has not stuck with me. To each their own and Nirvana hopefully allows us all to operate in ways that make us productive. (In the meantime all those who follow GTD closely please remember me in your prayers and ask for my redemption!!)
15 Posted by Proximo on 09 Aug, 2011 03:37 AM
Bruce,
There is no official right or wrong way of doing GTD. David laid out the foundation but this does not work for everyone. David says it all the time. The important thing is that you are productive, so don't worry about doing things differently than others.
If it works, then do it.