From GoodReader, I select the file (in this case, a PDF I want to finish reading) and copy the link to the iOS pasteboard.
I then paste the link into the notes section of a new OmniFocus inbox action.
Now I can directly open the PDF in GoodReader and pickup from where I left off. Note: It should be obvious, but this only works on iOS since there is no GoodReader for Mac.
Bonus Tip
From the file action menu in GoodReader, I can also choose to open the PDF in any number of supported apps. This list is getting long for me. I have a lot of PDF readers.
For all my grief for AppleScript, his work is an excellent model of the power of scripting on the Mac. I also love the structure of his scripts. Unlike mine, he properly designs his scripts with methods and descriptive structure. This is how you write an AppleScript:
His Taskpaper to Omnifocus script is particularly amazing. It does not require TaskPaper either. I can sketch out a large project in plain text (my preferred medium) using the TaskPaper format:
Build Death Star:
- Call about completion of clone army @GPhone @due(2012-02-28)
- Check schematics @due(2012-02-24)
- Ask designer about the unprotected vent @flag
- Call Darth to schedule meeting @due(2012-02-27 08:00)
- Lookup Darth's number @Outlook
- Send flowers (Padmé anniversary) @PC @due(2012-02-24)
- Buy new Overlord todo app from the droid app store @amazon
After drafting a project, I just copy the project outline to the clipboard and run Rob’s script.1 A popup window shows what will happen and the results afterward.
At the completion, a new project is sitting in OmniFocus with the tasks and structure as I outlined.
To get at the script, view the package contents of Rob’s droplet. The script is buried a few levels deep.
Note that this script expects the old TaskPaper format, not the new indented format. I’ve had problems with the project structure when I use the new TaskPaper format.
Commentary
My biggest complaint about OmniFocus (for me) is that it’s great at capturing quick actions and mind-dumps but it sucks for designing and planning a moderately complex project. OmniOutliner is great at planning large projects because I can easily grab and move tasks and milestones around. The Omni Group makes some great stuff, but absolutely none of it works well together. Why can’t I copy an outline and past it into OF to create a new project?2 How about a direct link between OmniFocus and OmniPlan? These are great applications individually, but they are silos fighting against each other.
Rob actually makes the script available through a droplet. The droplet can process multiple text files in one go. ↩
Don’t even get me started about the import/export options. They just don’t work consistently or predictably. After designing a project with 50+ tasks and sub-tasks, it’s a real pisser when it doesn’t import properly. ↩
Hi. My name is Gabe and I have a problem with planning.
Now that I’ve gotten that off of my chest, the healing can begin. I use OmniFocus to manage tasks. Well, to be honest I use OmniFocus, Outlook Exchange, Simplenote, post-it notes, lipstick on mirrors and full body tattoos.
One major issue with tracking tasks, as I have lamented many times before, is that I work on Windows all day. That means there is no OmniFocus clipper or quick entry box. I’ve rigged my email to add tasks to OmniFocus and I still love Spootnik, but both methods have just enough friction that I’ve relaxed into adding tasks in Outlook and relying on iOS sync and reminders. This is not a good system. It’s low friction getting things in, but it feels like a third degree rug-burn getting them out.
Carrot and Stick
So what’s my motivation for this self-intervention? I have just embarked on a large multi-year, big-dollar project at work. Perhaps the biggest project I have ever managed. There will be dozens of people, thousands of tasks, hundreds of goals, and dozens of milestones. The challenging part is that there is only one deadline and one successful end-point. So I’m left with two major motivating factors.
Carrot: Make my work easier so I can unplug when I’m at home.
Stick: Keep my job.
The Do Over
I cleared my OmniFocus inbox. I deleted old projects. I removed tasks that were postponed. I stopped lying to myself. Now for the hard part. I have to stick with a new system.
The Plan
While I may be stuck with Outlook and MS Project during the day, I have the gang at Omni Group to back me up. OmniPlan can import and export MS Project files and OmniFocus has the best iOS apps available. What I really need is the quick clipper functionailty available on the Mac but on Windows. I have something I’ve made but it’s still in the testing phase. I’ll post more on it later.
I’ve made a sizeable bet on the future of OmniPlan for iPad. The Omni Group are estimating a Q2 delivery for OP on iPad so I went ahead and spent the $200 for OmniPlan on Mac. I wanted a head start to get going with OmniPlan learn the system and limitations on my Mac before trying to rule the world from my iPad.
I want to rework both of these mechanisms to support attachments and inserted images. I also want to try making an Evernote to OmniFocus script. I’m not sure why, but it sure sounds fun.
Unfortunately, Spootnik has not received an update in a long time. It is still quite good, but it’s no replacement for sitting in front of my Mac. That means I need to do more with OmniFocus on my iPad and my server at home. Hopefully, before the stick mentioned above is truly a threat.
Sven Fechner over at SimplicityIsBliss.com is writing a book about OmniFocus. He’s looking for real world users to contribute. I can pretty much guarantee if Sven is writing it, this book will become a classic reference.
For all of you Spootnik users headed to Macworld, Lars and Rubin will be showing some new features and talking about Mailplane.
If you’re an OmniFocus user, Spootnik is more than a sync service. It provides web access to your OmniFocus data (both read and write access) as well as Basecamp integration.
A nice little script by Wolf Rentzsch for extracting actions from Omnifocus to plain text. Applescript may be showing its age, but it sure is readable. That script almost looks like instructions you would provide to a person to perform the same action.
It is now obvious that Siri has elevated the iOS Reminders app to the winners circle of productivity applications. It has become the quintessential ubiquitous capture device for me. One unexpected side effect is that I am now using the Tasks functionality in Outlook on Windows much more.
Exchange Tasks
Through my day-job I am forced to use Microsoft Exchange and Outlook on Windows. I loath Outlook but I have come to accept it as my lot in life. I use very few features of Outlook and one that has never fit my workflow was the Tasks system built into Outlook. Looking back at my completed tasks in Outlook, I can see that I tried using it in 2006 but never added more than a few tasks. But now that Siri is running my life, Outlook tasks are becoming more attractive.
My employer provides access to Exchange from iOS and that’s been great for email and calendar access. Now, Tasks also sync to Apple’s Reminders app. I’ve discovered that through judicious selection of task list names, I can create project and context buckets that work well in both applications. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an OmniFocus devotee, but having access to my task list from Outlook and being able to add actions through Siri have a tremendous allure.
Organizing Tasks in Outlook
I’ve fiddled with tasks in Outlook for the past couple of weeks trying out different configurations to reduce their friction and get as much value as I can from Outlook. In Outlook on Windows, tasks can be organized into task folders. Folders can also be nested. Unfortunately, the iOS Reminders app does not nest task lists. That means any structure created in outlook is completely flattened on iOS. A nested task structure in outlook like Work >> Email becomes two task lists, Work and Email and in Reminders.
Outlook
As a consequence, I am using the lists as single action buckets rather than contexts. This turns out to be better for entering tasks with Siri. As long as the names of the lists are unique, I can say “Add Check with Jim to my Work list” or “Add finish database refactoring to my Legal list” and Siri places the task in the correct list. The key is to define mutually exclusive buckets. I can’t have a “Personal” list at work and on iCloud or it becomes to much work to make sure Siri adds it to the right list.
I’ve created a list for each major project in Outlook. I don’t plan projects in these lists. I use them as a layover for tasks on their way to OmniFocus. If I can clear a task out in less than 2–3 minutes then I don’t bother transferring it to OmniFocus. I just do it.
In addition to lists for each project, I also have a general “Work” list for anything that is not project specific. It’s also a catch all for when I can’t remember the name of a project[1] or it applies to more than one project. I also have a “Personal” list. This is a list of actions that don’t specifically apply to work but I might need to do when I’m at the office. It’s also nice to be able to add a quick task for home while I am in front of my Windows computer rather than getting out my iPhone or iPad to add the item to my iCloud list.
Reminders
Unintended Benefits
One thing that I like about the task lists in Outlook is that I can add emails to the list for followup. It’s a nice way to hoist an email out of the thickets of Outlook priority flags, which are completely useless for me. I can then see the entire email as a note in the Reminders app when I am away from my office.
Another nice benefit, is the ease at which I can add quick ideas about a project to my work lists. Siri makes the process so simple, there’s no excuse to get down every small idea and get it into my project. OmniFocus on the iPhone is great, but to add an OF action, I need to unlock my phone, open OF and then type in the action. With Siri I hold the home button down and then say “Add ‘Schedule a meeting with Jim to my Legal list.’ ” Boom. Done.
I’m adding an unprecedented (for me) number of actions now.
Why iCloud
You might be asking, “if Exchange lists are working so well, why keep anything in iCloud?” I certainly asked that question. Two reasons: I want to share lists with my wife and I want to have access to some lists from my Mac.
My wife and I share “Groceries”, “Home”, “Weekend” and “Home Depot” lists. She can not use my Exchange lists because that would be a violation of corporate security policies. So the best way to share lists within our family is to use iCloud.
I also want some lists available when I’m on my Mac. I may not have my iPad or iPhone next to me while I am in front of my Mac. In that case, I can pop into BusyCal to add or process tasks. I can also easily copy them out to OmniFocus if necessary.
Some of my projects run for multiple years. There may be no activity for several months while I wait for some other group or project to progress. I also have over a dozen projects running at any one time. Remember the exact list name can be a challenge. ↩
I stumbled across Veritrope while researching some OmniFocus AppleScript-ing. It has a number of generally useful scripts. It’s chock full of examples, tips and resources of all kinds.
In light of my previous post about controlling my work environment with Keyboard Maestro, I thought I would share a few more handy macros for OmniFocus.
Clean and Sync
This is a pretty simple macro. Most of the work is done by two lines of AppleScript. The macro tells OmniFocus to clean-up the front window and then perform a sync. It’s simple but handy.
Get to the tasks
This one I use whenever I sit down at my Mac to clear some tasks out of OmniFocus. I have a OF Perspective that is for when I am at my Mac. The perspective has a hot key set for triggering it. This KM macro does a few things. It brings OmniFocus to the front and then executes the Clean and Sync macro shown above and then simulates the key combination to activate the perspective. Finally, it moves the window to take up the left half of my primary monitor.
Todo Files
I posted previously about my Mail rule that can automatically create an OmniFocus task for an attachment and share the file with a link through Dropbox. It’s pretty handy, but at the end of the week I need to process those tasks and files. I do it often enough that I created a simple macro that just opens the finder to the folder in Dropbox. That’s it. I said it was simple.
In case you don’t cruise the Omni Group forums like some dork with nothing better to do, I found this, um, cruising the forums. It’s a great FAQ that even Ken Case himself has contributed to.
