Hi, I am loving your software, but still having some issues with tasks multi showing up in doit.im so need to clear up how to sort it all out. I think I realized it was doing the right thing, but need to think about the best way to move forward. I realized I was syncing tasks from google cal to doit, changing date/context etc. But then next time it synced the old task dates etc meant they were syncing all over again.
So this leads to my first question:
Is there any smart way to look for recurring tasks and a quick way to delete them on doit?
Secondly is, is the right workflow for me to use.
1. edit all tasks in google cal with time start etc, so they will initially sync into doit.im
2. removed all tasks from google calendar that i do not want to sync back to doit ever again
3. then only ever add tasks from within doit.im as this will mean i will not get cross over issues.
4. i will have one calendar which is called appointments and only add appts here, that way it will sync with doit and there should be no problem as anything to edit for appts i will do through google calendar.
Does this sounds correct to you?
Feature request/general thoughts:
i think what i would like to do is just use googlecal for appts/meetings only, it is better to view agenda/meetings for a day on in my opinion instead of doit right now in my opinion. Is the calendar going to improve so it has more just good straightforward calendar usage, like google cal, view agenda, week, just certain calendars, etc? I would really like to be able to view certain contexts on calendar only so i can quickly see if have a free time for a meeting etc.
Thansk for your time. lisa
@lisa_alway
As a fellow user (no software expert), this is what I do (similar to what you are describing):
I keep the Doit-GCal sync totally deactivated. I set up all appointments and other GTD calendar actions in GCal, and have GCal automatically send reminders to my Doit email inbox 15 hours in advance (plus any SMS reminders etc later for some of the things when it is closer to the actual appointment).
This is not quite as good as GCal sync would have a potential to be, but it accomplishes one of the main purposes - to show today's calendar events (appointments etc) in Doit so that I do not have to switch back and forth during the day.
What I do not get with this method, though, which I would have liked to use sync for, is sync of future calendar actions that belong in projects. When I review my projects (I do not know if you are familiar with GTD, but the word "review" in GTD is used primarily in a forward-looking sense, i.e. reviewing your lists and plans for the future) then ideally I would like to see those calendar actions (meetings etc) both in my calendar (to avoid double-booking that time) and in my project action list (to review whether I have got everything covered or if I would need to do additional things), and automatically keep them in sync if the date/time changes.
I tested Doit's calendar sync a few months ago, and I was quite impressed in many ways. I did not notice any of the duplication problems that you mention, and which has been mentioned in another thread, too. Maybe there is a technical glitch somewhere; I do not know. For me it worked beautifully. The main reason why I do not use the sync is that Doit deletes or checkmarks those calendar actions that I have completed or decided that I will not attend to, and this does not work for me because many of my calendars are shared (and even my private calendars I want to keep intact as a journal).
The special Doit.im calendar is something I would not use at all in its present form for calendar actions because they would drown in other clutter. The Doit.im calendar and "Scheduled" (and this is the same in most apps) is actually a two-in one implementation for two entirely different GTD things: GTD Calendar actions (appointments etc) and GTD Tickler ("earliest possible date to even consider this again", e.g. buy food for Christmas, which is too early to even look at now). Yes, in a way you could say that they are all "scheduled", but with a big difference: calendar actions are scheduled for actually getting done; ticklers are scheduled only for being considered (reviewed) from that day onwards, but with no indication at all of when or if they will actually get done. Most of my scheduled actions are ticklers.
I think a useful feature when you create a "scheduled" action would be a checkbox etc that lets you decide whether this is a "calendar action" or just a "tickler". The default position should be "tickler". The choice would control how Doit should treat this task. If "calendar" is selected then the task should be created on another GCal calendar - one that you do not keep hidden; there is generally no need to see tickler dates or deadlines on a calendar.
And if you are a typical "time planner" (not a GTD person), then you could still use "calendar actions" even for your personal solo tasks etc - take out the garbage on Monday, feed the cat on Tuesday etc.