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Attention Starring

PRO

Folke 09/27/2014 09:44

Platform:All

I would like to ask about the status of an old request, and I also have a "compromise" suggestion if you think the original request is difficult to implement soon.

The original request is for you to implement the normal form of "starring" mechanism (attention focusing mechanism) that so many other apps have. In other word to be able to "star" (mark) any action on any list and thereby ALSO have it show up on a special "Starred" or "Today" list WITHOUT moving it away from its real "home list". The task should still be visible on its "home list". We have discussed this in many threads earlier. The reason why this is important is:

- Each list has a meaning in GTD and I do not want to change that meaning just because I want it to have extra convenient attention today. For example, Next means that the task is for me to do, Waiting means that the task is for someone else to do, Scheduled means it cannot be done today, Someday means I am not sure it even needs to be done. There can be many reasons why I might want a task highly visible today, e.g. I might need to reconsider it or double-check it in some way or I might want to consider doing it.

- When I look at a given list, say Next or Waiting, I want to see ALL actions that would be possible for me to do anytime now (Next actions) or that are possible that I will get "delivered" to me anytime now (Waiting For actions). Just because I have starred them I do not want to lose sight of them on its "home list". I want them all on one list - otherwise it is very difficult to see the totality or to adjust which ones are starred and which ones are not.

So, my first question is: What are your plans right now regarding such a normal starring feature that you can find in most programs and which is so useful and appreciated? Is it decided? Planned? Designed? In progress?

If not, would you please consider a crude but simple compromise solution? It is not as good as the original suggestion but would still be a useful improvement. You could simply add a user preference option in Settings to "Include Today's tasks as a first group on the main lists"? In other words, on my Next list, Waiting list etc, I would then see the whole Today list as a Today GROUP first of all on that list, before I see the remaining contexts groups or deadline groups etc s usual (the grouping I have chosen).

wendy_only post on 09/29/2014 08:55#1

PRO

@Folke
Hi,

Thank you for your feedback!

Honestly to tell you that it is not in our developing plan yet.

Could you please try to add a "Star" tag to the task and use this tag to create a filter called Star? In this way,you can see all Star tasks in Star filter and also in the real list.

On web version, the Doit Now list can be showed in a pop-up window. You could see this group on all viewing page.

Shall you need any help or have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me back.

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,
Doit.im Team
Folke post on 09/29/2014 09:23#2

PRO

@wendy_only

What a pity you have not even started planning for it yet. It is such a common and useful feature.

Thanks for your two workaround tips, though, although I must say I do not quite understand them:

A Star tag? Tags are not visible in Doit!

A pop-up window for Doit Now? On other lists, such as Next and Waiting? I am not sure I understand. Where do I find this so that I can try it out?

Thanks for trying to help.
wendy_only post on 09/30/2014 03:19#3

PRO

@Folke
Hi,

To add a tag name "star" is for you to filter the tasks in the list and create the Filter by Advanced Search feature. You could create a filter to view all tasks with the tag "star".

Please see the attachment to know the pop-up window for Doit Now. Know more: http://enblog.doit.im/post/20771068182/doit-now

Best regards,
Doit.im Team

Doit now.png
Folke post on 09/30/2014 09:22#4

PRO

Thanks for trying to help, @wendy_only

But I think I will probably struggle on as I have so far :-(

I know, of course, that I can tag my tasks (e.g. with a Star tag) and that this will allow me to see those starred tasks both on their real "home list" and on the custom list (the star filtered saved list) BUT:

- in the home list I cannot see which ones are star-tagged (because the tags are invisible)
- in the saved filter list I cannot see which ones are Next and which ones are Waiting etc

It needs to be simple to be useful.

When you have time, please take a look at regular apps such as GMail, GDrive or to-do apps like Nirvana, Toodledo and many others to see how a star usually works.

Or maybe if you make Doit's tags visible in the lists and also improve your saved filtering by allowing grouping by "box", then tagging might become feasible. But it will still not be as elegant (easy to see and easy to use) as a built-in star feature that has a special icon in a special fixed position that you can just click and un-click very quickly.

But anyway, thanks for listening. I hope you give this development higher priority some day.
Folke post on 10/10/2014 13:42#5

PRO

I just saw the new web version. It looks very pretty :-)

It has a Doit Now icon visible on all pages. When you click it, the task gets automatically moved to the top of the Today list. Would it be easy for you to add a simple user preference option? The option would be to show it on the Today list, just as it is now, but not to move it away from the original list. In other words, show it on both list. In other words, let it "belong" on the Next or Waiting list but "show it anyway" on the Today list, too?

And here is yet another thought/possibility to accomplish roughly the same thing: I also just looked at the Daily Plan view. You can see the Today tasks on top, and the then you can see Next actions grouped according to whatever grouping you has last selected for the Next list, e.g. group by project. Would it be possible in this view to offer the option to show the tasks mixed, in other words see the today tasks mixed with the other next actions, project bt project or context by context etc. As it is now, when you scroll down you lo longer see the today tasks, but if I could have them mixed I could see them all under the respective group heading.

Just some further thoughts and possibilities. Maybe you can find better solutions.