OmniFocus is a really flexible app. I let's you do a lot of modifications to suit YOUR specific workflow. The problem, however, is how to build YOUR specific workflow. Because OmniFocus doesn't come with an easy inbuilt one. And over the long run this will slow you down and hinder your productivity.
What you have to do, is figure out how you want your workflow with OmniFocus, and then implement it!
Perhaps you have already experienced one of the following problems
- The next action list grows to enormous size
- Urgent tasks hides behind non-urgent stuff
- You use a lot of clicks, when moving around the application, slowing you down and hindering your ability to get a clear perspective on the state of affairs.
Well, luckily there's a remedy for these nuisances. And it's all about tweaking the software to suit you. And though I can't tell what your optimal workflow, what I CAN do, is show you how I have tweaked Omnifocus.
BUILDING MY OWN WORKFLOW
Customizing OmniFocus to fit your workflow will save you a ton of time.
The goal we're aiming for is to have a set of custom perspectives and corresponding short cuts in the toolbar.
Perspectives are predefined views/sortings of your tasks, and they are really handy. I have a set of custommade perspective for each cornerstone in my GTD workflow.
- Inbox
- Today
- Next Actions
- Projects
- Waiting For
- Review
In the recently published version of OmniFocus some of these got build in. But I still prefer to make my own. It let’s me make precisely as I want them, and I get to have keyboard short cuts.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PERSPECTIVES
To make a perspective is quite easy. You just fool around with the possible sortings and filtrations, until satisfied, and then you go to the perspectives pulldown menu and press save as perspective.
You can watch the whole process in this video:
OmniFocus Workflow from Jens Poder on Vimeo.
Short cuts to perspectives in the toolbar got into OmniFocus from version 1.1. Right clicking and customizing the toolbar, will let you put your custom perspectives buttons into your toolbar.
This is what pulls it all together. Discard the unused stuff and put in your own perspectives.
Now you have all the main ingredients of your GTD-workflow at the click of a mouse or keyboard shortcut.
Tomorrow we'll look at how to tweak OmniFocus to only serve your tasks relevant right now.
- Jens Poder
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Great post, will feature it in my links for this week and also post your video!
Well done!
Andrew..
Hi Andrew.
Thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked it
Just posted your video on my blog - http://www.didigetthingsdone.com/2008/11/04/tweaking-your-omnifocus-workflow/
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your workflow, Jens. I found your video on vimeo, and was very enlightened. I've been using OF for a while, but I feel that I have a greater grasp of some of the true power of the app now. Thanks again.
Cheers.
Hi Pat
Thank you for commenting. Hope you experience more value from OmniFocus in the future. I know, I have, after implementing these changes.
I'm a lot more focused. Review and Today are really helpful. It's a great feeling to have a clear sense of what needs to be done today, knowing that your project list is thoroughly reviewed.
Hi Jens
I loved the workflow video audio content, but I could not see the screen very well, is there a higher resolution version to download? All the type and icons are so tiny. Are there any other versions to download?
thanks
zack
Hi Zack
I'm afraid the resolution is as good as it gets. It it my first experiement with screencasting, so I haven't quite gotten the settings right.
Thanks for watching!
great video ! Had never really bothered with Perspectives but will give it a go now. thanks
Great video. Thanks much. I was overwhelmed by OF, and this video put me right.
The biggest thing missing from OF is out-of-the-box GTD implementation of some reasonable sort. Your video adds that. For GTD noobs who are overwhelmed, I recommend folks get the David Allen Audible.com GTD book in iTunes, listen to it in the car whilst commuting. Then watch the basic OF videos at the OmniGroup site, then watch this video. The combination of the three, plus the iPhone version of OF really puts it all in to uh, perspective.
Jens you rocked it. tak!
Hi Jeff
Thank you for the praise :)
Funny... I got into GTD via the audio-version as well. Short, Sharp and to the point.
Cheers! Jens
Awesome work. I was struggling with how to make Omnifocus provide me with a custom Today view. Your solutions and demonstrations had me up and running quickly. Thank you.
Very good info on Omnifocus, thanks. I noticed a "cork board" icon when you switched apps on your Mac. What program is it?
Hi donnie. I just had head somewhere else for a while. It's a custom icon for the writers app scrivener.
Stumbled on to this. Thanks, very helpful.