Task becomes active after another one is completed | Help Center

Task becomes active after another one is completed

PRO

iamleeharris 12/07/2013 22:15

Platform:AllCompleted

I would like to see an option of having a task appearing in the Next focus group when another task has been completed. I think the best way to do this is under the scheduled menu. When we create task 2 we can select the scheduled menu and then under the calendar there can be a list of tasks within the project that task 2 belongs to. We can select task 1 and then once we finish the task 1, task 2 will be transferred from someday to next. One of the biggest down sides to working with the next action method by David Allen is we have to either have a bunch of tasks that are dependent on each other in the Next focus group or we have to go back and put in the next task as soon as we finish it's predecessor.

Thanks,

Lee

Folke post on 12/07/2013 23:12#1

PRO

@iamleeharris

You are right that the dependent tasks in a project do not belong on the Next list, or Waiting list or anywhere at all except in the project. Currently you have to use one workaround or another. Here is the one I use. http://help.doit.im/group/topic/43

Various solutions have been proposed. The one I favor is the simplest and most powerful: You simple "draw a line" somewhere in the project. Anything above the line is visible on the "active" lists (Next, Waiting etc). Anything below the line is visible only within the projects ("inactive").

This can even be automated such that when the upper section is empty, the the first action in the lower portion will be moved up.

This solution allows you to have either just one or as many active tasks as you like. Most apps that have automatic solutions allow only exactly one action at a time, which is not only against GTD, but it is also totally unrealistic, because there are usually a few actions that are perfectly possible to do now (or start waiting for others to finish).

It would be wrong to keep the subsequent tasks in Someday or in Scheduled, as you suggested. They are neither - there is nothing uncertain about whether you intend to do them, nor do you have an agreed date for when you will do them (typically). They belong "locally" within the project only. And that is also what GTD prescribes.