Youssef - Mar 16, 2015
Hi There !


I wonder if there are GTD users here ? I'd very much like to have feedback on how you're working GTD using wunderlist.


For myself, the problem areas I'd say is the tickler. The only way to simulate a tickler is by scheduling due dates on tasks and putting them on the tickler list, so that they appear the day they're supposed to on the today view. then I have to move everythign to the inbox for processing every day. Does anybody have any ideas ?


Otherwise I have found the tags to be superpowerful for projects: for each project I give a tag, so I can see for each project everything across all lists. We all know project-specific lists aren't really productive, it's the context that matters. Wunderlist is very elegant in doing this. If you also do this I think it's a good idea to vote for a tag based smart list feature: that way we can have for example a smart list for everything under a tag, and share it with colleagues so that we can have a shared project but STILL do the things by seperating them by required context.
 
Please share your ideas, thoughts, and what you did with GTD on wunderlist !






 
Meho R. - Mar 20, 2015


Here is one GTDer. -:) My setup is quite simple.
 
1.    I have a list called “Contexts” in which I created a placeholder task for every context I use, e.g. a task named “Context #home”, another task named “Context #errands”, etc. The point of this is to be able to quickly filter next actions by clicking on any context in tasks’ names. Easier to have all contexts listed and clickable than searching for tags via “Search” facility. As you can see, I use tags for contexts only.


2.    I also have a folder containing basic GTD lists: “Miscellaneous” (for one- time actions, not part of any project), “Someday/Maybe”, “Waiting For”, “Tickler”, “References”. I prefer manually sorting tasks and placing them in lists they belong to. Notice that there is no “Next Actions” list. This is because a next action task may be located in “Miscellaneous” list, or in various projects lists. Having a dedicated “Next Actions” list would mean constantly moving tasks around, from this list to that. Instead, I simply assign contexts to every task which is a next action, no matter where the task is located. So, if I have a project with tasks A, B and C, I’d add, e.g., #computer tag to task A to mark it as a next action, and it will appear when I filter tasks by contexts; and as a bonus when filtering by tags, all tasks are categorized by lists they belong to. Sweet.


3.    A folder containing projects. Nothing special here. A list per project, filled with planned tasks. Those tasks which are next to be dealt with get contexts/tags to become next actions, others wait their turn.


***


As for “Tickler” list, I assign a date to every task and wait for it to appear in “Today”. Then I deal with them directly from “Today”: do it, assign a context to it (i.e. make a task “next action”), postpone it, move it to a list, etc.


But, if I use date to mark the last day by which a task must be finished, this means I have a next action to deal with, not a tickler candidate, so I assign a context to it and usually add a reminder.


I use star as “Focus on”: when I decide which tasks I am going to do next, this morning, afternoon, or today, I add a star to them to further filter next actions and due tasks.


There is one more tip for Android users: since there is no quick add for Android at the moment, as a workaround I use an app called “Custom Notification” to which I added Wunderlist widget to quickly add tasks to inbox (actually, any app which is able to add a widget to Android notification would do). This works very nicely.


With this setup, Wunderlist beats hands down any app out there because of
(1) quick and simple process of adding ideas/tasks: using widget in notification area makes this a breeze (plus, less clicks and choosing lists/options than any other app), (2) straightforward approach: no million features and as many complications to get in the way, (3) beautiful design: it does matter. :-)
 
Youssef E.B - Mar 22, 2015


Thanks Meho !


I hugely appreciate your input !
 
I think many of us can agree that wunderlist got most of the things right wrt to other apps, it struck exactly the right chord with those tags.


I use the tag system extensively too. Y.


 
Meho R. - Mar 22, 2015


My pleasure. :-)
 
I agree, written tags approach instead of open-a-dropdown-list-and-pick-a- tag-from-there is so much better, faster and easier to use, when you get used to it. I mean, I can add a new task in just two moves: (1) write task title and immediately assign a context to it in one move, and (2) choose a list to place it in in another (sometimes the right list is already selected, making things even faster). This process became even easier once I added tags I use in WL to keyboard shortcuts on my phone, so they are just a short swipe away.


Some would say that WL falls behind some other apps, that it lacks this feature, that feature..., but I think it’s just awesome as it is: simple to use and straight to the point, exactly what many of us need. It is funny, though, that, after trying so many GTD apps, I found that a general list manager, not a full- blown or wannabe GTD app, is the easiest to use for GTD too. :-) Sure, I have to manage 20K and higher outside of WL, but I do that anyway (writing a journal is one way to do this).






 
Youssef E.B. - Mar 29, 2015
 
Actually, I even manage 20k+ feet in WL ;) taks and subtaks, notes and comments can do everything. Plus you can use tags to "nest" projects under certain areas of focus ;)


Yeah I heard that many GTDers use Omnifocus, I dk the fact that it's only available on mac and so expensive is a bummer, and it might really be an overkill. David allen says, the more executive a software/office equipment is, the less it's functional.


The way I see it, only the basics need to be done right. And some basic that WL has are missing elsewhere (shared lists, anywhere access, multiplatform). If your mac goes down and your life is on Omnifocus, well the least I can say is good luck. If you use wunderlist, just open a browser ;) plus you can export and print stuff, indeed, I am really very satisfied with WL, quite a lot.


P.S: what better way to remember threads like this than a waiting list and a weekly review ! hahahaha I guess non-GTDers could never keep such a conversation up






 
Meho R. - Mar 31, 2015
 
Since I’m a Linux and Android kind of guy, I have no idea how OmniFocus works or even looks like (I did hear of it though). But I did try some available solutions for these platforms. Toodledo: waaaay over my head, so many options available that I got completely and utterly lost. DGT GTD: nice app, still too complicated for my taste. Doit.im: amazing GTD app, almost perfect. If I ever leave WL, it’s very likely it will be for this app. Pocket Informant (lately just Informant): another great GTD app. Actually, the best GTD app I’ve tried. It has great features, integrated tasks, calendars, notes and contacts, very feature-rich but still very intuitive and simple to use. Unfortunately, it works on iOS and Android, no web-app or anything. And after trying some more, I realized (as many a user of Linux will no doubt often say) that less is more. :-) Less fiddling around means more stuff actually getting done. And WL currently does the job very well...






 
Youssef - Apr 05, 2015


Yeah Toodledo is just ugly, if the interface isn't sexy then there's nothing to "lure" into using the system, or simply making it fun ! I didn't try out as many as those, but Reminder/Todo/OmniFocus/Things all miss the mark when it comes to the right balance






 
Michael Harvey - Apr 07, 2015


This is for Meho R. I'm hoping to get a little more clarification on your process.


What is the purpose of the Contexts list with tasks corresponding to the various Contexts you use? Since you're adding Context tags to those tasks (wherever they are located) to make them a Next Action (I assume you're adding the tag to the title of the Task), why do you need a separate list that just lists out the names of the Contexts?


Is this just so you can remember what Contexts you're using? Or does having that list fulfill a more fundamental purpose that I am not quite understanding.


Thanks for an awesome post! Michael


 
Meho R. - Apr 09, 2015


Hi Michael,


The "Contexts" list is there just for the convenience, because tags entered in task’s title are clickable, so why not use click/tap instead of searching for a tag via "Search" facility?


The "Context" list may be useful as a reminder which tags are used (especially for those who use a lot of tags), but the main purpose for me is to speed up the process of displaying all next actions which belong to a context.


1.    When I wich to assign a context to a task which is a next action, I do add a tag in task’s title, as you mentioned (e.g. "Check email #phone", "Buy milk
#errands", etc.). So, nothing special here.


2.    When I open WL and wish to see, e.g., all next actions with context
 
"#phone", I’m exactly two clicks/taps away: first click to open the "Contexts" list, and the second to click on the "#phone" tag. I can do this by going to "Search" and type in "#phone", but I find clicking/tapping on a tag link faster.


https://db.tt/9K6LdVe9










 
Meho R. - Apr 09, 2015
 
The link at the end of my previous post is a picture showing an example of a possible (and rather fancy, yet basic) "Contexts" list. Sorry for not clarifying it earlier (and for typos), no chance for editing posts here. :-/






 
Meho R. - Apr 09, 2015
 
Here’s a quick practical illustration of the method I described earlier in theory, and which I follow to manage tasks/to-dos with Wunderlist and GTD. I’ll risk spamming this thread with my third post today, hoping that someone, who searched this community for GTD application in Wunderlist, might find it useful as a reference, an idea, on which they will further improve and/or as an inspiration for completely different approach comparing to Youssef’s, described earlier, and mine, illustrated here.


1    QUICK ADD TIP


As mentioned earlier, while we’re waiting for real, native “quick add” in Wunderlist for Android, I’m using a workaround: the “Custom Notification” app for Android is able to place Wunderlist widget into Android’s notification area which enables me to quickly add a new task on the go.


Quick Add/Widget illustration: https://db.tt/LxzqHaV9


2    ADDING TASKS


To practical part then. Let’s add 4 tasks:


(1)    “Buy milk”,
(2)    “Pay electricity bill”,
(3)    “Attend conference X”, and
(4)    “Read ‘Getting Things Done’ book”.


By default, all new tasks go to “Inbox”. I usually leave it that way, putting everything in “Inbox” and dealing with sorting and organizing later. But, one can assign a context to a new task immediately after entering its title (as in the example below), or even do the processing and organizing (choose a list, set date and time, a reminder...). It’s up to the user.


Adding a new task: https://db.tt/gOnOeJxu


3    PROCESSING AND ORGANIZING


I use folders to organize my lists. So, I have a folder named “Main GTD lists”, which contains, well, the usual basic GTD lists. :-)
 
Main lists: https://db.tt/5tUlWf85


There is another folder, “Current Projects”, which contains all my active projects. And the third folder contains projects which are inactive/on hold.


Now, let’s deal with those 4 tasks.


(1)    “Buy milk”.
This is a one-time task, so it goes to my “Miscellaneous” list. Since I should do this task the first time I get to a store, it is a next action with context “#errands”. If I didn’t add the context while creating the task, I would do it now, and after that, I would move the task to “Miscellaneous” list.


>Note: It is a good idea to add tags, due dates, reminders, and notes before moving the task to another list, because, when moved, the task naturally disappeares from the currently opened list, meaning you will have to switch to the list the task has been moved to to edit it.


Moving a task: https://db.tt/roPZvmpb


>Note: The dialog for moving tasks simply displays all your lists, regardless of their location/folder they are in (the order is, luckily, retained), so it may be a little bit tedious to find the correct list if they are numerous. Did you notice “NEXT” and “LATER” among my main GTD lists earlier? The sole purpose of these empty lists is to make moving tasks between lists easier: spaced capital letters present a visual aid, pseudo-organizational units, to divide lists into “sections”, and enable me to quickly find the correct list.


(2)    “Pay electricity bill”.
This task is another one-time next action with “#errands” context, and it goes to the “Miscellaneous” list. But, it has due date by which it must be done. So, apart from adding a context and moving it to the appropriate list, I’d also add due date and a reminder to it.


(3)    “Attend conference X”.
Now, this is a calendar candidate. Still, I prefer having everything in Wunderlist, so I would set date and time for this task, add a reminder, and move it to the “Tickler File” list. I don’t want to know about it until a day or two before the conference. No tag/context for this one.


(4)    “Read ‘Getting Things Done’ book”.
And, finally, this one is “when I have time” kind of task, so it goes to “Someday/Maybe” list. No date, no reminder, no tag/context. But the moment I do decide to start, I’ll assign “#home” (or “#phone”, if it is an ebook) tag to it and move it to the “Read/Review” list.


4    DOING


Now, let’s say I’m going out, I would want to see what tasks can I do while I’m out there. Here “Contexts” list comes into play: I would open the list and click/tap on “#errands” tag to display all tasks for this context. If I want to do
 
only some of the tasks listed, I’d simply star those I want to focus on, and ignore the others.


Filtering by contexts: https://db.tt/9K6LdVe9






 
Christoffer - Apr 11, 2015


Pretty sweet Meho R :) Appreciate your tips.
 
I'm starting to get obsessed with GTD, I started using wunderlist first but gave it up with the lack of folders and tags, but what glorious days we live in now.
So i moved back from both omnifocus and todoist.


I'm just wondering tough, what do you use your reference list for?






 
Meho R. - Apr 11, 2015
 
I use References list mostly for small things that serve as a reminder when I need them. Those are not tasks that I intend to do, thus they are not in Someday/Maybe or any other list. E.g., I have there a link to Wunderlist pricing page and a picture which shows the difference between free and pro accounts; I have there a list of shortcuts and commands I need from time to time; I have there couple of app names I don’t want to forget, some fonts, etc. Basically, things that usually go to Note section, when they are related to specific tasks. The only difference is that there are no actionable tasks in References, just "placeholders" for notes.


Now, this is for small things I like having handy. All support/reference material linked to projects/tasks, or longer stuff like articles, I store out of WL (Evernote, Pocket, local files, etc.).






 
Christoffer - Apr 12, 2015
 
Here is a part of my setup, I decided to use the stars to determine "Next Action" I think that's pretty sweet :).


http://i.imgur.com/V5MQuzp.png


Also a tip on daily, weekly & monthly reviews. Add sub tasks for the actions required to prevent cheating or forgetting ;)


I use notes here as well to remind myself of the process: http://pastie.org/pastes/10087848/text






 
christoffer - Apr 12, 2015
 
Also i wish i could use bold, italic & bullets in notes. Please add this feature! <3






 
Youssef - Apr 12, 2015
 
The context tags Meho uses are a very itneresting concept. There is definitely something in that. I only use them for projects, for one reason: on iOS searching tags gives all completed tasks too, so it's kind of a flood. Also, one has usually to switch contexts a lot for some tasks (like from mac, to waiting, to phone, to waiting again). Changing tags for that is a hassle, while having
 
permanent bins (like WL lists) for holding them is easier. Plus, it's good to have some hardwired context lists, not tags for the following reason: WL automatically groups search results by list. so if for a project you have a tag, you searhc for it, you get an overview of what's being waited for, what's a someday/maybe, what actionable etc from a single view. I personally store even the project support info in notes + comments on the project description tasks, much easier usually. It's all self-contained.


One GREAT way to use these context tags of meho is this: smart lists. If wunderlist ever implements custom smart lists, then one could theoretically create smart lists that group all items under a #home tag for example, instead of "hard-wiring" the assignment. Frankly, with tags, it's really anything you can imagine. I find it VERY neat in Wunderlist.


I've checked out omnifocus. I think it's overpriced and overhyped, it tries to force you into a certain view or workflow, while that might not be optimal. The way I see it, WL + tags is by far the most elegant implementation mechanism for GTD, whichever way you use them (like Meho or myself). + You have got to realize not everybody is going to pay 40$ for omnicofocus, so doing some actual work with everyday people becomes easy as a pie with wunderlist. AND you can access your data while on vacation in zimbabwe for all I care, they kidna have acces from every kind of imaginable device.


Long story short: please add smart lists based on tags Wunderlist ! :)






 
Youssef - Apr 12, 2015
 
also, you can use tags in the search field to do some logic. Say you have a
#work area of focus. You're at home, you don't want to process work, only personal stuff. You can simply search for "!#work" (yes, with the "!"), and it would filter out everything that is tagged with work.


I also use #lowenergy and #shortttime tags, when you have fixed context lists, searching for those allows you for example to see what you can do that requires little energy (brain-dead mode) in all of your contexts, then simply pick the context you're currently at ;)


with some expertise (and some future features) I think WL could (and might already) be the best #GTD app ! (yes, I also have a tag for that ;) it's an area of focus haha)






 
christoffer - Apr 14, 2015
 
I didn't realize unti now that when search with tags you see completed tasks as well. Whoa that's super annoying :( any solutions? If not please vote for a this feature:


http://wunderlist.uservoice.com/forums/136230-wunderlist-feature- requests/suggestions/4247027-hiding-completed-tasks-when-clicked-on- tags






 
Youssef El Baba - Apr 19, 2015
 
Yeah that's a big problem, the support staff told me they would probably add hiding completed ones in the future.
 
But for now I guess the most practical way to "get things done" with wunderlist is using hard-wired context lists, and tags for projects (you're very likely to review a project's tag less often than your next-action context lists.


Other also for review, if you use a tag for the context, then the only way you can review a project is opening its hard-wired list. But then you don't see any separation of your contexts, so you'll have the waiting fors, someday, tickler stuff and whatever else mixed in one view. That's a bit complicated in my opinion.


Now if they implement tag-based smart lists ... :) hahaha I so want that feature
!






 
Marcus - Apr 22, 2015


Hi Folks,
 
thanks a lot for this thread, it told me the story so far and I decided to give WL a try with your help.


My idea to sort out completed stuff is: I tag every new Task at least with a tag
#A (short, I am lazy). When I complete the task, I chance this to #Z and adding one of both to the search will kind of sort things, wouldnt it?






 
Youssef - Apr 23, 2015
 
It could work yes, however the #A tag is pretty much useless, more so because it eould probably overlap with tagslike #AComputer (if you're using them) or project tags that start with a (think of a project like "Setting up the
#adobereader software"). You can search for !#Z to filter out completed stuff.


However the optimal solution would be to have wunder offer the completed filter on theiOS search lol






 
Marcus - Apr 23, 2015


Dear Youssef,
 
you are completely right. I could leave the #A Tag away.The #Z tag will do the job for the moment though. Until the completed filter will hit the ground ,-)






 
Paul - Apr 28, 2015


I just came across this thread. Not sure if people are still following it.
 
I love Meho's idea of create a context list so in 2 clicks, you can see everything tagged with that context.


However, I just realized it doesn't work on ios. When I try it on ios, it just opens up the task instead of showing me all the tasks tagged.


Anyway around that? Thanks,
Paul
 
Meho R. - May 04, 2015


Yeah, we‘re around. :-)
 
On Android, as well as in WL for Chrome extension or app, it works as long as you press/click exactly on the tag. E.g., if you create a task "Context
#computer", the "#computer" part of the title becomes a hyperlink and when you click on it, it opens all tasks containing that tag. But, if you press anywhere else but "#computer", it just opens the task instead. Now, I cannot provide any insight regarding iOS, since I don‘t have one, but I hope others might.


 
Youssef - May 10, 2015


Hi Paul,
 
I use iOS and actually tags work the same way on it as on the webapp & others: tags are clickable (blue hyperlinks). If they're not maybe you're not putting spaces before and after them, or not spelling them correctly.


And it's like Meho said, to open the tag you have to click on the tag itself not the normal text :)


Best of luck :)






 
Mark - Jun 01, 2015
 
I found this thread extremely helpful and thought-provoking! The information presented here could easily be the basis for a class (no joke).


As for clicking on the links within a Context list, I have found that while it works fine on the Mac, it does not work very well on the Iphone (6, in my case) or the Ipad. If anyone has any pointers about this, please advise.






 
Michael - Jun 06, 2015


@Mark


Open a task (on IOS) that has a #tag.
 
Once opened and the #tag has a blue hyperlink - long press it and WL should open up all tasks with that tag.


Michael






 
Brett - Jun 13, 2015


So there are 2 approaches:
 
#1. Use tags for contexts and lists for type of task (project, someday etc)
#2. Use lists for context and context for type of task (project, someday etc)


I am a new wunderlist user and didn't know tags existed (there is no clues
*anywhere* in the UI that these exist) so I setup with #2.


The problem with this is that I also want to have shared lists (e.g with
 
girlfriend for "house shopping list") This means that I have broken the context model. The only way I can use this, is if Wunderlist implement some kind of task "shortcut" to allow the same task to be in 2 or more lists. I created a uservoice http://wunderlist.uservoice.com/forums/136230-wunderlist- feature-requests/suggestions/8263182-allow-a-task-to-appear-in-multiple- lists for this.


So I'm now interested in setting up #1 as this would potentially solve this problem.


I will try to reorganise this with the advice here and see if it works better






 
Brett - Jun 13, 2015
 
So of course the problem with the #1 type is that if we have 2 tasks assigned to 2 different people but they are both assigned to the #Computer context.. then they both appear in the #Computer filter.


I still think that this on balance is better and hopefully this will improve when WL provides better filtering or custom smart lists






 
Youssef - Jun 14, 2015


@Brett, I've found the 2 options u outlined confusing.
 
I'd say I'm closer to option 2, but I consider someday/maybe as a context (so a list) also


For the tasks being broken up in several places. I think it's solved by the tag- based smart lists. You can combines approaches one and 2 in that case, and items contained on multiple smart lists, and if you're able to share a smart list then voilà ! you can share a tag (or a combination of tag logic) that way (for example #work !#private will share all work stuff, but not the specific things you want to keep private)


http://wunderlist.uservoice.com/forums/136230-wunderlist-feature- requests/suggestions/3692053-smart-lists-based-on-tags


http://wunderlist.uservoice.com/forums/136230-wunderlist-feature- requests/suggestions/4160964-custom-smart-lists


The problem with using tags for contexts in WL at the moment, is that let's say you want to open an #atcomputer context, on iOS (and other mobile apps I think) it shows completed tasks too and u can't remove them. It's kind of a flood then !






 
Jan - Jun 16, 2015
 
I'm struggling to get a good system for GTD in wunderlist. My current system is not working well at all.


With the information on this page, you basically gave me the blueprint to a solution to my problem. Thanks for that.
I also believe that the content of the page is perfect for a course or a class.
 
I'm now going to try to implement what I have learned. Wish me luck :-D






 
Youssef - Jun 21, 2015
 
You're welcome :) I especially like how WL is able to use tags as links very quickly. It's litteraly as if you're going up and down the stairs with the horizons of focus !






 
Lindsay - Jun 25, 2015
 
If you're bogged down by seeing completed tasks when you search by tags, just delete the completed tasks. I delete all my completed tasks every week as part of my Weekly Review. Most of my completed tasks are just clutter anyway, so that seems to fit with the GTD methodology. (For the ones that are not clutter, I use a non-GTD tool called a Done Journal.)


To delete completed tasks, select the Completed smart list (you might have to go to Main Menu > Account Settings > Smart Lists tab to make it visible) and click the trash can icon beside each list title (on the far right). Alternatively, you can select the first completed task by clicking on any non-text part of the task, Shift + click to select the last task (even from another list), and use the More menu > Delete N Selected Items to bulk delete completed tasks.


I've been working on a blog post series to explain why and how I started using GTD. Wunderlist has been key to my GTD implentation. I'll be sure to share a link here when I start publishing that series!






 
Youssef - Jun 28, 2015
 
Lindsay, I think a link here would be great for a lot off ppl. We presented different viewpoints that each help in a way. For me wunderlist has been completely crucial in surmounting overwhelming periods too. I feel at home when I use this app :)






 
Marsh - Jul 02, 2015


Hi,
 
I was looking for an alternative to Toodledo, which is great but has so much power that adding a single task takes too long because of all the data to input, check, etc. Then I came across this page, and based on what I've read have almost finalized my decision to go with WL instead.


So I have two questions, which also might actually solve some of the issues people are grappling with.


1)    Does WL allow you to add a tag to multiple tasks at once? For instance, if "Buy New Car" is a list with 10 tasks, can one easily add "#NewCar" to all 10 at once?


2)    If one could easily add "#Completed" to all completed tasks, as well as other tasks as they are completed, then (on IOS or anywhere) couldn't one, e.g., search for "#Work !#Completed" if one wants all uncompleted, work- related tasks?


BTW, Toodledoo's ability to construct complex searches and save them is
 
perhaps its most outstanding feature. WL would do well to add this feature.






 
Meho R. - Jul 05, 2015


Hi Marsh,
 
I also find Toodledo too complex for my liking, no way to enter a task quickly, too much time needed to process and organize stuff, etc. And with app’s hiding some tasks and recalculating their importance, it’s just too much fuss. I imagine it’s ideal for some extremely busy people who have to juggle a huge number of tasks daily, but, luckily, I’m not one of those. :-)


1)    I don’t think there is a way to assign a tag to multiple tasks at once, because tags in WL are actually words preceded by ‘#’, not a property, and you have to enter words manually.


2)    I see how this would be useful. Still, I think that inclusion of completed tasks on iOS during the search is more of a bug than a feature, and people should vote for changing that. If you have to include a tag just to hide some tasks, that will most certainly affect the simplicity and thus the beauty of WL.


Though I don’t use searches often, I do agree that it would be nice to have some more choice here, like filtering by lists, folders, tags, and any combination of those. WL team does have some plans for searches and smart lists, but it’s hard to say when we’re going to see anything related to that implemented.






 
Marsh - Jul 14, 2015


Hi Meho,
 
I sort of agree. My second item is a kludge to get around WL's current limitations. If it were easy to add text to the subject line, then this would be an acceptable if suboptimal way to search among completed tasks.


Also, is there any way to isolate just starred tasks among today's tasks? Marsh


 
Meho R. - Jul 19, 2015


Hi, Marsh
 
No isolation of starred only tasks is currently possible among today's tasks. You can see either one (starred) or the other (today). That's a perfect job for smart lists, which aren't among WL's features yet, except for those predefined ones.






 
Marsh - Jul 24, 2015
 
Meho mentions smart lists. Perhaps we should distinguish "saved searches" from "complex searches." A saved search would simply look like a list and contain the current results of the saved search. Complex searches would allow, for example, "all starred tasks due within the past two weeks and tagged to be done at the computer but not at home or while traveling."
 
Jon P - Aug 11, 2015
 
Thanks for these Meho R. Some great stuff here that's helped me refine my WL useage. I have a question though. How do you or anyone here treat projects that aren't really projects. My interpretation of a project is something that can be completed at some point. I tend to have lifelong jobs that require action like "parenting" or "home improvements". These lifelong jobs all have many smaller projects and actions associated. For instance in my parenting folder I might have "BMX Project with my son", and one of the actions is to "buy a bike hook for garage to hang the bmx on", another action might be to "research handlebars". These projects exist as sub projects under their respective lifelong area. But it seems strange to put "parenting" as a project under "active projects" when really it's something that'll never be completed all the time I'm a Dad.
Is anyone experiencing this aswell? David Allen talks about capturing everything, so I believe he does mean that these areas of life should be captured, I just can't work out how to organise in WL? Appreciate all feedback.


Regards Jon P


 
Meho R. - Aug 13, 2015


Hi Jon P


Since there are no subfolders in WL, here’s what I would do:
 
1.    I would define most important ‘areas’ in my life, kind of organizational units of highest order, and use folders for them. So, instead of having folder structure like (1) GTD Lists, (2) Active Projects, and (2) Inactive Projects, I would go with this one: (1) GTD Lists, (2) Work, (3) Home, (4) Family, (5) Friends, (6) Events etc.


2.    Alternatively, instead of changing folder structure, you can use ‘pseudo- organization’ approach for classification of projects (like ‘Next’ and ‘Later’ in https://db.tt/5tUlWf85). So, you can, under ‘Active Projects’ folder have something similar to this list structure:


W O R K (empty list, for organizational purpose only), Work Project A,
Work Project B, etc.


H O M E
Garden, Furniture, Car, etc.;


F A M I L Y
BMX Project with son, Project A with wife, Project B with brother, etc;


F R I E N D S
Project A,
 
Project B, etc.


***


I would probably go with this second approach, using empty lists to separate different ‘areas’, because in ‘Move task’ dialog, only lists are recognized, not folders, which means that, when moving a task from your Inbox, it could get messy, since you won’t be able to see tasks grouped by folder, only a long list of, well, lists. :-)


Also, I would keep these ‘areas’ at minimum, for practical reasons.






 
Meho R. - Aug 13, 2015
 
As for your question about lifelong projects, I personally don’t treat them differently than any other project. I have, e.g., Study, Fitness, and couple of other projects which I don’t think will ever be finished. I repopulate these regularly, and track progress outside of WL – I use WL for tasks only, while progress tracking goes to my journal.






 
Youssef - Aug 17, 2015


Let me ship in with my tag logic again haha
 
So first regarding the lifelong projects. I had the exact same problem, I'm not sure about Meho (glady would take ur input) but the way I see it these are areas of focus, not projects.


The difference is that a project needs constant weekly reviewing so that no nuclear bombs explode and for general updating / planning. Areas of focus (AOFs) don't need that kind of attention, and if you do find the time to give it to them you'll find you'll be wasting a lot more time on GTD than you would normally.


David Allen (DA) says these can be reviewed as part of the higher horizons. I assume you are a good parent, and as you said "parenting" is never going to end for you. This is a lifelong commitment like good health and having fun and keeping your living place clean (I hope ^^).


I recommend you review the part of GTD about AOFs, as mixing them in the same bucket with projects is unproductive in my opinion (been there, done that, trust me).


-> Jump to what it means for wunderlist: Tags again, they can do pretty much anything. Let's take #parenting, here's a tag for you ! You can create a list in a "high horizons" folder in Wunderlist and put a task for that like "Taking care of my kids #parenting" in there. Notice the formulation, it reflects how this is never going to end.


Then, let's say a project comes up for choosen a good school for your kid, let's call him Joey. You woud create an item in your projects list like "Getting
#joeyintoschool #parenting". The #joeyintoschool tag lets you do your searches by the project (cf my upper comments), and the fact that #parenting is in the title means that it's part of that AOF.
 
You see the point I guess. Here's how you can go up and down the stairs of committments in your life and hierarchize things without subfolders. You can even do it for projects. Get creative with tag names (the german language could inspire you, they like long words :P)


Love wunderlist lol. Thumbs up.






 
Shamir J - Aug 20, 2015


Hi guys,


Thank God, I've found people who have same issues than me! :)
 
I'm quite a guy who is looking for the rocking GTD app all the time with a lot of constraints: cross-platform (I'm using a Mac at home, a PC Windows at work with iPhone/iPad), working offline (as I'm using the underground), nice UI and most of all, implements GTD easily (if it's "guided" it's better, like Omnifocus, which is GTD-oriented only I would say)


Doing a lot of research, I found those:
-    Omnifocus: seems to be my favorite but not cross-platform and it seems that it's not perfect on sync with all devices but I really like the UI and the fact that it's GTD-oriented only (more "guided" like I said)
-    Todoist: I saw a lot of people using it but I don't like it, the UI is bad and not efficient (everytime you click on a task, you have to update the task) depsite the fact that it's cross-platform (and it seems very complete)
-    2Do: Same as Omnifocus but seems to be more flexible and it's cheaper, a good challenger
-    And... Wunderlist of course! It has almost everything: nice UI, cross- platform, working offline... Only thing, it's not very easy to implement GTD for beginners like me (I know GTD method for a long time but I haven't been able to stick to it, always moving around it, maybe it's time to beat myself up!)


So I have a few questions for you guys who seem to be quite comfortable with the method as I'm trying to clean my WL folders/lists/tags/tasks/...:
-    One general question where I couldn't find a clear answer: does "waiting for" has to be a list or a context (managed with a tag)?
I have some recurring tasks where I provide a report, waiting for an answer (so moved to "Waiting for" list), when I have the validation, I clear the task, but... It obviously stays in my "Waiting for" list as it shouldn't be there...
-    In WL, I'm managing both work and personal tasks and I saw @ Meho you proposed Work and Home specific folders with projects as lists and one "GTD Lists": do you manage both work and personal tasks in your "GTD Lists"?
Cause I don't know if it's a good idea to seperate or gather both type of tasks (working more with tags then...?). What I'm currently doing is duplicating your "GTD Lists" into my work and personal folders...


End of my novel and thank you very much for your help! :-) Shamir J


 
Youssef - Aug 20, 2015


Hello Shamir,
 
I saw Omnifocus and tried it for a little bit, but either it makes you overkill your tasks or restrains you so much that you can't be creative. With Wunderlist and tag logic you can do pretty much anything (on a mac that is at least :) )


-    The general question: it depends. I use tags for projects and Areas of focus, so context lists I represent using actual context lists. Meho and co use contexts as tags and represent projects with dedicated lists. Both approaches have their pros and cons. What do you mean by "clear" the task ? If you complete the task it will no longer show on the list, that's an advantage of my approach. With tags you can only currently hide completed tasks on a full PC/Mac and not on mobile devices, so indeed EVERY completed task will still show.
-    Again, Tags for your last point. This is why I prefer my approach: because some items belong to BOTH personal and work. It all depends on the projects
/ AOFs. If you know everything work related is tagged #work, you can search for “!#work" and on a mac at least it filters out ALL work related stuff. If you want to focus / search on work search for “#work". I simply prefer knowing which projects are work related and which ones are personal. In my case for example, I was working on my #masterthesis recently, including projects/AOFs like #masterthesisreports and such. If if search for "!#masterthesis" if filters out ANYTHING tagged with something beginning with masterthesis.


You see the point I guess. I think only wunderlist gives you this flexibility. For all the reasons stated in the discussion above, I think tag logic using Wunderlist goes FAR beyond omnifocus. Take this: I have S/M, Waiting, Home, Anwhere as context lists and specific agenda lists with names like "Joe Biden", if I search for "Joe Biden" not only it shows me the full agenda list but ALSO any waiting ans S/M tasks having comments and notes with that name, you don't have stuff like that (not that I know of) in Omnifocus.


And yes, Omnifocus is VERY expensive and only works on a mac/iOS, and you can't share lists. Wunderlist wins hands down (I can't speak for the other apps as I'm not familiar with them).


Best, Y.






 
Meho R. - Aug 21, 2015


Hi, Shamir J
 
–    If you have a lot of "waiting for" tasks, and from different projects, then tags may be the easier solution, since you don't have to move tasks from one list to another all the time. Actually, if you find yourself moving tasks around often, consider Youssef's tag-centric approach. Or a hybrid approach: you can use lists for projects, and use tags not only for context, as I suggested earlier, but you can replace the whole GTD Lists with tags: a tag for Someday/Maybe, another for Waiting For, yet another for Tickler, etc.


–    I personally don't separate my work and home projects/tasks, except that, among Active Projects, I have empty lists named HOME, WORK, STUDY ... which help me to quickly find a project when moving tasks from Inbox or from one list to another. Actually, if I have 3 or more projects in some areas ("area"
 
not necessarily matching DA's definition), I tend to group them under some meaningful term which will make navigating between projects easier.
Because, if I have 15 projects, it's quite a long list and it takes some time to find the one I'm looking for; but, if those 15 projects are "grouped" into chunks, e.g. 3 or 5 of them, it gets much, much easier to find the one I'm looking for when moving tasks from Inbox. However, this is just a visual aid, not a real separation. Thus being said, it doesn't mean that separating projects by folders wouldn't work for you. You'll just have to give some of the approaches explained in this thread a "test-ride" for couple of days or weeks and see which one suits your needs. And even better, test them, refine them, combine them, and share your conclusions. :-)


–    As for my "GTD Lists", it can't really be divided between Home or Work or something else, since every list there contains some kind of one-time action, not actions which are part of a project. So, e.g., if I have to pay a bill, I create a new task, assign a context/tag to it, and put it in Miscellaneous list (which is my repository for one-time actions) or Tickler, if it's a future task. It doesn't matter if this bill is home- or work-related. So, basically, while I do "group" projects, I don't do the same for one-time actions, be they Next Actions (Miscellaneous list), potential future actions or projects (Someday/Maybe list), reminder of future actions (Tickler List), etc.






 
Lindsay - Aug 24, 2015
 
"Projects that aren't really projects" sound like Areas of Focus (AoF). "Parenting" is a quintessential AoF. I organize my AoFs in a similar but separate way from my Projects. Explaining gets a little complicated and long, so I wrote about it for you on my blog.


Straight to the answer: http://lindsayloves.com/2015/08/23/wunderlist-and- gtd-projects-vs-areas-of-focus/#answer


The whole post: http://lindsayloves.com/2015/08/23/wunderlist-and-gtd- projects-vs-areas-of-focus/


I don't have a solution to scrolling through all your lists when you are organizing tasks on mobile. I usually use desktop for that! Click & drag is easy.






 
Shamir J - Aug 26, 2015


Thanks a lot guys!
 
I might avoid to create a lot of tags, I'm afraid to have it all messed up...


What I think is:
-    Create GTD lists, not in a specific folder but at the root:
> Actions: I think "Next Actions" is like trash, you put all your tasks here, I'll try with Meho approach with his "Misc" list
> Scheduled: the Tickler one, named it "Scheduled" cause Tickler is not really in my vocabulary
> S/M


- I'll create folders like Home/Work/Travel... and include lists which describes whether projects or areas (contexts?) that can help me to group some tasks easily
 
I'll use some contexts as tags and "Waiting for" as a tag as well.
And like Meho is doing, I have created at the root a "Context" list with all my tags as tasks so I can get related tasks easily by clicking on them.


I'll give it a try and let you know of my progress.
First of all, and quite a painful task, I have to reorganize all my tasks... Thanks again for your help! :-)


 
Joel - Sep 21, 2015
 
Thank you for the information in this thread. It really helped. One question about projects, planning, and WL:


How do you set up and organize local files for projects and planning vs. WL?


Currently I am having to make duplicate folders on my desk, and then in WL and try to keep up to date. This seems really ridiculous...


Is anyone just using WL for the task for each project? i.e project planning in computer files, or local files, and then transfer the actual next actions ONLY to WL?


That way there is just:


-Current Projects list
-Files for Planning in either computer or local (desk)
-Files in WL for next actions


Project planning and organizing especially are weak points for me so if anyone wants to chip in with their method or perspective it would be seriously welcome.


Thanks again for the great info here.






 
Lindsay - Sep 23, 2015
 
That is an interesting conundrum. My Project Plans are rarely more complicated than a list of Next Actions, maybe with a few URL's I keep for reference. I add each URL as a task in WL and mark them complete when I've finished the Project.


I try not to add actual files to WL. A few of my tasks have Dropbox files added to them, but since I organize and purge my Dropbox once a month, I break those links all the time. It's easier for me to write out the task and put "(in Dropbox)" into the task name so I know where to look for the support materials.


I'd advise against duplicating anything. I keep folders in my cloud storage and local/laptop storage that match my AoFs, Projects, and physical files, but I don't scan the hard copies to digital. I don't keep things both in the cloud and on my hard drive. Every item lives in just one place. I leave a note elsewhere (see previous paragraph) if I need a reminder of where something is. More details by Get-It-Done Guy (one of my faves):
 
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/productivity/organization/how-to-file- things-in-two-places-at-once






 
Youssef - Sep 27, 2015


Hi Joel,
 
I'll let you know what I do for project planning. A project plan is nothing else than a kind of roadmap, GTD + Wunderlist is sufficient for that.


Most material for projects is support material, rarely reference. So what I do is I comment and note on the project task (or its tagged tasks) for that, like "note: window needs a 100-150cm glass frame, frame is wood NOT aluminum". It's a bit like leaving purpose & principles on the relevant task (which I sometimes also do). For a calling task you can leave the number on the task in a comment for example etc, for print tasks you can attach the file or comment with its URL etc etc


For the project plan, you simply get a lot of ideas after brainstorming. I personally store the ideas in 4 lists on wunderlist: Someday / Maybe for possible project options / directions, Deferred actions for stuff I CAN'T do before a certain time, On Deck actions for stuff that I need to do other stuff before to be able to do them, and next actions (various lists). I think that can pretty much cover ur needs. Using due dates for example you can set stuff up to show up in daily reviews and processing, according to different rules you set with yourself.


For the physical ref system I have 1 folder covering 2-3 letters of the alphabet, I keep a ref file (plastic folder) with the same tag as a project for example inside each of them under the relevant letter.


If a plan is really more advanced than what can be input in that form in Wunderlist (here my tag-centered project classification mode is useful, the 4 bins I mentioned are list reviewable by tag/project ;) ), you can use a paper and draw a mindmap / block on it and store it in a plastic folder in ur phyisical ref folder, or also in a digital folder with the name of the project.


Best, Youssef






 
James - Oct 08, 2015


Meho,
I like your idea of adding the Wunderlust widget to the notification bar. However, I am unable to find the Custom Notification app you used.


Do you have a link to the app? Thank you!


 
Meho R. - Oct 09, 2015


James,
 
Unfortunately, it seems that the app has been removed for Google Play Store. I tried to find it again, or another app with similar capabilities, but without success. Most apps that customize notification bar allow apps’ shortcuts, but not widgets. Let’s hope WL gets native quick add soon. Still, if I manage to find an app, I’ll mention it here.






 
James - Oct 10, 2015


Meho,
 
I found the apk for the app but I saw this note on the website, "Android 5.0 (Lollipop) is NOT supported, because spedifications of Android APIs have changed. Only apps and shortcuts can be placed."


This probably explains why it isn't in the Google Play Store anymore. Thanks for looking.


 
James - Oct 10, 2015


Meho,
 
After a little more digging, I found an app called Notifidgets. This will allow Lollipop users to put widgets in the notification area.




http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/05/17/notifidgits-brings-widgets-back- to-the-lollipop-lockscreen-by-hiding-them-in-the-notification-bar/






 
Meho R. - Oct 10, 2015


Thanks, James.
 
There's been some talk about native quick add on Wunderlist Beta for Android G+ channel. Hopefully, we may see some progress soon.






 
Shaz - Oct 11, 2015
 
Over the last several years ive used a lot of the GTD tools out there. I was all in with Apple at first and went through Omnifocus, Things and RTM, in the world of business 95% of the world are using PC's, I tried hard to make it work but Apples walls are too high and something had to give, unfortunaltely it was a conector service I used to get actions into PC and I lost work. Ditched Apple and went open source and the way of Google and Android, suffice to say I left fast and am now happy with Microsoft. Along the way ive also used Toodledo, had a brief go with Wunderlist before MS bought them and now using Todoist.


Everyone uses GTD slightly differently and it can be bent to fit a lot of systems, for me Todoist is everywhere, and it is probably 7 to 10 months ahead of Wunderlist in functionality. The doen side of Todoist is Amir the CEO, he is a senior developer and has no concept of what customer service or experience mean. The latest release completely broke the backbone of their system, after much complaint they sorted it out. Now the Outlook integration is bugged with displays that scale. Having said all of that, Todoist is by far the more feature rich and 'ubiquitous' tool.
 
Seeing as Wunderlist and Microsoft are one and the same, I hope that the Outlook integration comes soon, works with drag and drop, Office integration, system wide rigt clicks to add tasks and the holy grail...OneNOte integration!! The day half of that happens is the day I leave Todoist.






 
Meho R. - Oct 12, 2015


Hey, I always say, use whatever suites you best. :-)
 
I also used Todoist for some time, year and a half I think. It is an awesome app (I actually liked the last changes and rebranding). Still, in my experience, it wasn’t the most intuitive out there. It is true it has some great features WL is still missing (like filters/smart lists), but more features doesn’t mean ‘better’ automatically. At least not for everyone. I personally find WL better fitting to my way of thinking and working, and much faster to actually get things done. Only Any.do app is close to it in that domain, with all its beautiful simplicity.


If I was about to pick a best GTD app I’ve encountered, though, I would almost certainly go with Doit.im, which is an amazingly well put app, with all the right features, and none superfluous ones.


But, I’m quite happy with WL and it passed the test of time. :-)






 
Michiel - Oct 14, 2015


Hi guys


Great post! Alot of interesting ideas here.
 
Im a GTD newbie and have almost finishes the book. I used to use tony robbins system for productivity, although it really helped me creating a vision for different areas of my life and really juice me, i felt overwhelmed because of all the daily actions coming at me that i couldnt really manage whilst following my visions.


So now im looking into using GTD, which feels alot more effective!


However im still kond of stuck with how to implement the system into WL to meet my needs. I hope some of you pros/longtime users give me some ideas


Lets say i have 3 areas of focus: health, work, self development. I would have one GTD list/folder and another folder for each aof. My question, what do i put in every aof folder in terms of additional lists? Do you implement the same lists as the main GTD per aof? Or do you solely put in projects concernjng that aof and make sure all items are tagged properly and come together in one of the main GTD lists (i.e. All scheduled/tickler actions come together in one list - so health/work comes tovether in one last but i would be able to filter this through using tags?


Hope someone can help me!










 
Lindsay - Oct 16, 2015
 
I'm not familiar with Tony Robbins's productivity method, but I've been implementing GTD over the course of a year (only ever with WL), so maybe I can help.


In WL, lists and folders are totally different concepts. A folder contains 1 or more lists. A list contains 1 or more tasks/NA's.


I've never found it useful to have one master NA list, although that is part of the GTD methodology. I find it much more helpful to sort my NA's by AoF or by Project. I have a folder called AoF with 1 list per AoF, and I have another folder called Project Plans with 1 list per Project.


Therefore, if I view my Friends & Family AoF list, I see all the things I need to do regarding my friends and family. If I view my Closet Purge Project list, I see all the things I need to do to purge my closet.


I use very few tags, so my filtering is just by date. (What gets scheduled gets done.) Thus, I click on the Today smart list to see what NA's I have scheduled for today in each AoF and each Project. Since they're separate lists in WL, they are visually labeled and separated in the Today smart list. I guess I could also tag my S/M list by AoF and future Project, but I don't. One giant S/M list *does* work for me.


For a different perspective, Andreah at Frazz2Fab has a post about maintaining separate NA, S/M, etc. lists for *each* AoF that you might find useful: http://www.frazz2fab.com/2013/07/6-worthwhile-lists-to-maintain- for-each-area-of-focus/






 
Josh Peyton - Oct 27, 2015
 
It looks like Wunderlist updated the "completed items still appear in Tag search" issue. In my test only uncompleted tasks show when clicking a live Tag, which is a big step forward for Meho R.'s implementation.






 
Richard Brand - Oct 29, 2015
 
WunderList makes a great GTD app, but for a pure GTD approach, FacileThings stands head and shoulders above any other app I have found.






 
Lindsay - Oct 29, 2015
 
FacileThings definitely seems powerful! Their intro and tutorial is awesome. (I went ahead and read it.) It's not free, though (or even freemium like WL is). Money is a big barrier to entry.


WL also has a ton of flexibility by nature. That's why we have this thread: to explore the possibilities! Many WL users like the open format for customizing our GTD implementations.






 
Meho R. - Nov 01, 2015
 
Some would say that for “pure GTD” implementation the tools used do not matter at all. Many people still consider pen and paper the best tools for the job. It is a choice and a very subjective one.


OT: For those interested, in latest beta versions for Android, WL got a nice Quick Add addition, which is accessible from mobile’s notification area.
 
Shah - Nov 08, 2015


Hi!
 
I'm in the same boat as many, that have read GTD, find it useful but struggle to implement it in real life.
I'm in the tech industry and almost 80% to 90% of my tasks arrive from digital forms (via email). I purchased the Outlook setup guide from GTD's website, but wasn't able to make the habits stick to using it.


Also had a setup of Todoist with Outlook sync, but failed(it wasn't the technology that failed, but the habit of using it)


Want to give WL a go, and have the app on phone, PC & web.


Is there a tutorial/guide/blog that can help lay basic foundation for setting the basic platform to start creating tasks?


Many thanks Shah






 
Youssef - Nov 22, 2015


Hi Shah,
 
I think the above already contains a lot of information on setting a system up. There are multiple approaches but the gist of it is using tags to dynamically filter your tasks.


I advice you to read up on the conversation, Youssef


 
Erica - Nov 25, 2015
 
Hi All,
Wow. There is lots of great info here. Like others above, I am a newbie to GTD. I'd actually like to hire one of you (Meho, etc) as a coach. I'm not a techie, I'm a life and wellness coach with a new social media component. I have tons of things to do, papers everywhere and am reading GTD.And a friend told me about the WL app.
But implementing is another story. I truly need hand-holding. (i.e. this week, do this, next week do that). Anybody who knows GTD, uses a mac and iPhone want to consider this? This coach needs a coach.Soon.
Thanks, Erica






 
Youssef - Nov 29, 2015


Hi Erica,
 
Happy to see our ideas ring a tone ! I am living in Europe, so not sure if I'm really suitable for the task. I was thinking or writing an ebook with a guide to this tag-based system (you can actually implement it in many apps). I'll write here if I do.
 
What are exactly your weak points ? What do you want to get GTD to deal with etc ?


Best, Youssef






 
crushedorange - Dec 02, 2015


Hi Meho,
 
Thanks for the efforts of Meho, Youssef and Lindsay. I am just reading up about GTD and also want to use Wunderlist to manage my lists and tasks. All your ideas are great.


I am thinking about following Meho's implementation and have a question about how you are using the Current Project or Active Project lists.


I like the idea of using empty lists as a visual separation between projects and to group them into areas of focus.


The question is how do you manage tasks within a project list.
So if I had a project "Build a Bird House" I would have tasks like below which sit under a list "Build a Bird House" under the Active Project folder.


*    Choose Design Plan
*    Purchase Require material
*    Construct Bird House
*    Paint Bird House
*    Install in Tree


When I am ready to do a task in the project do I move it to the GTD Lists >> Miscellaneous folder or put a star against the task.


The other questions is where do you put InActive Projects. Would they just sit as a task under the Someday | Maybe list?


Then when you are ready to work on it create a new list under Active Projects.


My final questions is about reoccurring tasks, such as enter my timesheets or send monthly newsletter. Would you create a list GTD Lists >> Reoccurring or do you use the Tickler File list?


Thanks


P.S. It would be wonderful if the suggested approached ended up in a unified blog post.






 
crushedorange - Dec 02, 2015
 
Like some other people have said on this thread, a lot of task come via email. We use Outlook for email and I have found Wunderlist are building an addin.


https://support.wunderlist.com/customer/portal/questions/15878686- wunderlist-tasks-in-outlook-tasks
 
To test it, just open Outlook online at outlook.office.com, click the settings cog icon and select “Manage add-ins.” Then click the “+” button, choose “Add from a URL” and enter this link: https://www.wunderlist.com/office-add- ins/outlook_manifest.xml.


There is also this 3rd party plugin which looks good too. https://wunderlist.yasoon.com/


But first I am going to try the office Beta Wunderlist add in.






 
Meho R. - Dec 03, 2015
 
@Erica, as Youssef suggested, it might be best if you provided an example you are struggling with or aren’t sure how to implement, so that people here can suggest how to move on.






 
Meho R. - Dec 03, 2015


@crushedorange, first, keep in mind the following:
 
(1)    Someday/Maybe list is for those one-time actions which I may consider in the future, and which are NOT part of a project. Same goes for Tickler, it is intended for one-time actions only, not for actions which belong to a project (though I may add a one-time task which will remind me to consider starting a project which I planned, but put among ‘Inactive Projects’).


(2)    All tasks which are part of a project remain in their project list at all time. No moving these tasks around should occur, ever. OK, maybe moving a task once, from Inbox to a project list, can be tolerated. ;-) It is important that all tasks belonging to a project stick together, to enable you to see the big picture, how the project is progressing, to correct your plan, etc.


Thus being said, using your example, I would first add contexts to one or two tasks which come first:


Build a Bird House
*    Choose Design Plan #computer
*    Purchase Require material #errands
*    Construct Bird House
*    Paint Bird House
*    Install in Tree


By assigning a context to a task I made it a next action which will show up when I open the Contexts list and tap on the context I am interested in at a particular moment. When I’m done with first and second tasks, and before ticking them off, I would go to ‘Build a Bird House’ project list and assign context to the third, etc.


Some people do use star to mark next actions, which is fine if that works for them. I personally use stars only for those tasks which are particularly important, or need immediate attention. Since every next action needs a context, I find adding a context AND starring a task kind of redundant.


As for Inactive Projects, if I already created a plan, defined necessary phases, steps, actions, etc., but decided not to go to the implementing phase yet, or
 
put the project on hold, I would move it to ‘Inactive Projects’ folder. But, if I just got an idea of a possible project which I might do in the future, with no detailed planning, I would put a task in Someday/Maybe list, with a short note describing the idea, so I don’t forget what it was about.






 
Erica - Dec 04, 2015
 
@Meho & Youssef - Thank you both for your attention. As you can tell, I'm having trouble organizing my businesses and my life and integrating my organizing systems. It's a bit embarrassing to reveal, but Here is where I am in 3 categories:


Email:
-    my email box is beyond full - with tens of thousands of items I can't manage
-    I dislike my current email situation - I use Applemail & really don't like it
-    Ive got way too many email addresses


Lists and files
-    I did a "brain dump" on paper and have 20 pages of things ranging from single items (like call a person) to projects (such as get my new website built and finish holiday shopping) and regular things I need to do (like post on social media daily and write blog posts). Looking at the list gets me overwhelmed.
-    I use the Notes feature in my iPhone and throw things on there as they come up - it's got everything on it from groceries to buy, to reminders to call the dentist, to ideas for blog posts.
-    I do have a good A-Z resource filing system in 4 file drawers, all cleaned out & current, & a word doc list on my computer with all the files. (Yay, one thing that works.)


Calendar
-    I schedule fixed appointments, use my iPhone Apple calendar most of the time, sometimes do so at my computer. I put things that have to get done at the top in a way they don't have a time attached.


Years ago, I was a pro at using GTD & synched written notes with Entourage. But times have changed. I have way more things to handle, don't use entourage anymore, and am at a loss with where to start.


My single next action item is to get rid of several email accounts and create 1 gmail account that will manage the remaining 3.


But my question is, where do I start after that? Do I jump into Wunderlist? Get some other app like Todoist? Do I use paper or not?


This is why I think I need a coach:/






 
Lindsay - Dec 04, 2015
 
Erica, that's a great start! Too many people would just avoid the whole situation.


Your defined Next Action (combining your email addresses into one account) sounds perfect. That doesn't involve WL, so I won't go into detail here.
However, I recommend researching Inbox Zero and email bankruptcy.
 
My next GTD+WL recommendation would be to define your Capture tool. For you, that would mean thinking, "I am now using WL for GTD" and typing each item/task/to-do from your paper list into your WL Inbox list. Just type it all in there.


You could stick with paper, but since you're posting in this thread, I'm guessing you want to try WL. The only way to really try it is to just do it. :)


In the middle of transferring tasks into WL (because 20 pages is a lot), you'll think of other things to do or receive new tasks from someone else. Apply the 2-minute rule or put it straight into WL.


New task received via email? Forward it to me@wunderlist.com (currently only works with the email address you use with your WL account) or type it into WL.


Suddenly remember you need to call your mom? Put that in WL. Need to buy cat food? Put that in WL.
If you're really doing GTD+WL, your new default thought process is, "Oh, I need to do X. I will put it in WL."


In your Notes app on iPhone, open each note and share it (the box with the arrow coming out of it) to the Wunderlist app. It will go straight to the Inbox list. (This tip works for any app that you can share from.) From now on, no more putting things in Notes. Everything goes straight into WL. You can refine that workflow later.


Once you've captured *everything* into WL, then you can go through the other GTD steps. I second Meho's advice to read this whole thread. We mostly talk about the Organize step here, and we have varying opinions and workflows. If you need more detail than that, Google and the actual GTD book are your friends.


Hope that helps!






 
Meho R. - Dec 05, 2015


@Erica,


Email is always a tough one. :) Here are some thoughts:
 




(1)    One email address per every business,
(2)    One email address for personal communication,
(3)    One email address for “other stuff” (signing up for promo material, mailing lists, forums, sales, newsletters, social networks, blogs, etc.)


Never use (1) and (2) for anything but strictly direct communication with your clients and family/friends. So, no signing up to client’s blog using business email, no using personal email address to access Facebook. With this simple strategy, you’ll have probably dozens or hundreds of emails that really matter separated from 10000 of those that just create noise.


You can set your remaining 3 email addresses to forward emails to your new 
gmail account, but make sure that among those three aren’t those used for “other stuff” I mentioned earlier, or you’ll end up with another thousand emails very soon. :) It may be worth keeping them separate and using an email client like Thunderbird, which is able to manage multiple email addresses. On the phone, there are many apps that do the same very nicely.


The key in managing emails is to immediately decide what to do with it: if it is actionable, do as Lindsay suggested, move it to WL; if it contains valuable data, archive it, be it by using email account’s “archive” feature, or by moving it to Evernote or some other app of similar purpose; but if an email isn’t actionable, nor it contains reference material, then read it and delete it. Never leave an email in inbox after you went through it.


Now that I told you everything you already know, let’s move on to the choice of app for GTD. Wunderlist, Todoist, Any.do…, are just a few in a sea of general todo apps, not specifically created for GTD, unlike Doit.im, Toodledo, Nozbe… Still, all of them are more than enough for most GTD implementations. They may require different approaches, but nothing too fancy. So, the real question here is which app do you LIKE best? It is very important that you feel comfortable with the app, that you like using it, that it feels intuitive to YOU. It is not those 1001 features it has or has not that matter, nor popular reviews. As long as you’re comfortable with the app, you can’t go wrong with any of them. Will WL do the job? It is very likely that it will. It does great job for many of us. Maybe create a new next action: Try WL for a week? :)


So, if you follow Lindsay’s suggestions and put EVERYTHING actionable into Wunderlist, and if you keep up with weekly review (which is probably the single most important part of GTD), you’ll be back on track in no time. Let us know how it went.






 
Erica - Dec 07, 2015


@Linday and @Meho
 
Thank you both so much for your time and input. It may not be obvious but U am hard at work implementing things. Hours of time so far. I am taking this one step at a time. I call it my GTD project. I do have a few questions for each of you. I get a bit obsessive once I start on things so just disregard if I'm asking too much of you.


- @Meho:
1) are you suggesting I set up 3 entirely new email accounts? or just start using the remaining 3 I have now in the way you suggest?
2A) in your examples, which email would I use for something such as this WL chat when it asks for my email each time I visit? The Business email? The personal email? The "other" email?
2B) I have a public page on FB that is for my business, but I access it thru one account - you said don't use personal email to access FB. Use Business?
Other?
3) Can I use Outlook rather than gmail to manage the emails - I don't know Thunderbird & I can't fathom something else new right now
Also:
-I will take the challenge of trying WL for 1 week! I am a Mac and iPhone user so I hope this is a good fit.
 
@Lindsay:
1)My single next action on that will be to begin the process of inputting everything actionable. Those 20 pages grow by the minute as I'm even sitting here so it may be awhile before I report back.


----To both of you: Are you guys suggesting I go through each and every one of the 18,000 emails and get to 0? Do I do that before or after I set up 3 new email accounts if doing so is what you meant?


That should do it for now. Regards,
Erica


P.S. If I can ever return the favor by giving either of you wellness or nutrition input, just say the word:)






 
Meho R. - Dec 08, 2015


Erica,
 
If your 3 email accounts do not receive spam and aren’t compromised in any way, I don’t see any reason to dump them then. You just need to do some cleaning.


You can use any of your email addresses to access your FB page. My previous suggestion was about trying to separate inflow of emails to those that are really important from those that are less important or not important at all.
Subscribing to social and other services very often results in automatic subscription to newsletters and other promotional stuff, which will flood your email accounts. Thus, for subscribing to apps, services, forums, etc., it is always a good idea to have one or two disposable email addresses which, even if breached, won’t enable access to any important infos.


So, your next “next action” could be: “Define email strategy.” :-)


And another one, a repeating one: “Take half an hour or an hour to clean inboxes”. Set it to, e.g., Saturday or Sunday. Because, you will have to do something about those 18000 emails sooner or later. If it is safe to simply delete them, then delete them. If not, then create a folder in every email account, and move everything from Inbox to those folders, so your Inbox in every account is clean. Then, every day or every weekend, process small batches of emails from those folders. Don’t forget to keep your Inbox clean in the meantime. Process every new email you receive, then archive or delete it. But do NOT move them to the folder containing those old emails.


Outlook should be able to manage multiple email accounts, no need to start with a completely new application. Some people even use it as the hub around which they built their GTD strategy.


Wunderlist does have couple of Chrome addons and a Chrome app, which are very useful. I think these are available for Safari too. Using webapp in starting phase is much easier than using phone. Sync between iOS and Mac should work nicely.
 
Erica - Dec 09, 2015


Hi.
@Meho - Big thanks again for the input!!
 
I'm happy to report I'm down to 12k email :) No worries, I won't be reporting every time I trash stuff. Just want you all to know I'making progress. Lots of things to put into place.


One more question: do you all trash or file and sort your sent mail? Tell me you don't file very single one? I just have one big sent folder that shows what was sent from all my email accounts.I'm not sure I've ever dumped it out. It's an archive for me. Am I missing something?






 
Lindsay - Dec 09, 2015
 
Meho's email advice is spot-on. He basically recommends email bankruptcy and inbox zero, and so do I.


Don't your sent emails just go in the Sent folder automatically? You shouldn't need to do anything with them. If you have sent emails in your inbox, throw those in a folder/label immediately. Any decent email program/client/app comes with a way to search through those if you need them.






 
crushedorange - Dec 10, 2015


@Meho R
 
Thanks for the advice. I figured some of those things out when I started the process.


I like to put the context on the task when I am creating it so I can see everything under that context.
I like to use the star to highlight what I want to achieve in the day/week. So far it is working.
My biggest frustration at the moment is how to link a task to an email.
My old system I would use Outlook and flag emails to create a ToDo list. It allowed me to easily respond and action the todo.


Now I don't flag the email but rather create a Wunderlist ToDo task based on the email. This give me the 0 inbox. The challenge is then when I am ready to do the task I have to search and find for the email.


I am using Outlook/Office 365 in my office environment and IOS mail app on my phone (Connected to the same Exchange account).


I discovered the me@wunderlist.com https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/turn- emails-and-attachments-into-todos-with-the-new-mail-to-wunderlist/ to easily create tasks but then there is no link back to the original email. I have to do a search by subject and from to find the email I need to respond or action.


I also discovered a Beta add in from wunderlist https://support.wunderlist.com/customer/portal/questions/15894620- wunderlist-tasks-in-outlook-tasks
 
To test it, just open Outlook online at outlook.office.com, click the settings cog icon and select “Manage add-ins.” Then, click the “+” button, choose “Add from a URL” and enter this link: https://www.wunderlist.com/office-add- ins/outlook_manifest.xml.


I have also found 3rd party add in that does something similar https://wunderlist.yasoon.com/


I am finding the official beta addin from Wunderlist to be the best so far. It creates a http link in the todo notes section which will open office 365 and the email you created the task from.


For Iphone the only way I have found is to use the me@wunderlist.com to create the todo task in wunderlist. But then there is no link back to the original email.


Does anybody have any advice on how they keep a link/relationship between the todo task and the email that generated the todo task.


I am looking for a simple 1 click in the notes of the task that will open the related email.


Thanks






 
Hilda - Dec 12, 2015
 
I am still waiting for WL to allow the task items in the Today List to be move up or down in order to prioritize your day. Otherwise, the Today List makes no sense to be and I'd really like to use it. Please consider this!!






 
Meho R. - Dec 13, 2015
 
Erica,
I don’t sort emails in Sent folder, just leave them sitting there, because storage space isn’t much of an issue these days.


crushedorange,
Since I check email regularly anyway, I deal with emails on the spot, in email app, without sending them to WL (IMO, sending stuff back and forth is counterproductive; todos should almost always move one-way only). Those emails that need more than 2 minutes to process I mark with a label or move to a folder. I send to WL only those emails that are actionable and don’t need a reply; I also create a reminder in WL to process those emails that are important or time sensitive. Still, direct links would be nice.


Hilda,
Though you can’t move todos in Today smart list itself, you can do that for all today’s todos in Week smart list, with some limitations:
(1)    Overdue todos always come first,
(2)    Starred todos come next,
(3)    Only todos belonging to the same list can be reordered; so, you can’t put todo from list A first, then from list B, and then some other from list A.






 
Kai - Dec 16, 2015
 


Hi Meho,


I found this thread today, and find your method extremely helpful in setting up my GTD system in WL.


I also read that you use Evernote for Reference & Project Support Materials, do you mind outlining your system in Evernote, e.g. how do you use Notebooks and Tags, do you strictly use Evernote for reference only etc.


I will be very interested to hear from you. Thanks










 
Meho R. - Dec 16, 2015


Kai,
 
My usage of Evernote is limited and uninspiring at the moment. :) These days I use it as an archive tool only. So, no reference material linked to a project is stored there until the project is finished (Wunderlist and Trello for live projects). I have only a couple of notebooks there, rarely use tags since they became unmanageable very quickly every time I tried. I do use search function extensively and it works well enough for me.






 
Kai - Dec 16, 2015


Meho,
 
That is interesting to know that you are using WL and Trello, how do you use them together?


BTW, I was looking for the 'Custom Notification' mentioned in your post but I couldn't find it in the store. The other notification apps do not support the widget.


Thanks






 
Kai - Dec 16, 2015


Mehu,
 
Interesting to know that you use both WL and Trello, how do you you manage them together? I use Trello for my work, and WL for personal stuff.


One other question, I couldn't find the 'Custom Notification' app in Google Store mentioned in your early post. Other similar apps do not support widgets.


Thanks






 
Kai - Dec 16, 2015


Mehu,
 
Interesting to know that you use both WL and Trello, how do you you manage
them together? I use Trello for my work, and WL for personal stuff.
 
One other question, I couldn't find the 'Custom Notification' app in Google Store mentioned in your early post. Other similar apps do not support widgets.


Thanks






 
Kai - Dec 16, 2015


Mehu,
 
Interesting to know that you use both WL and Trello, how do you you manage them together? I use Trello for my work, and WL for personal stuff.


One other question, I couldn't find the 'Custom Notification' app in Google Store mentioned in your early post. Other similar apps do not support widgets.


Thanks






 
Meho R. - Dec 19, 2015


Kai,
 
My team and I use Trello during ‘work hours’, while collaborating on a project. I do have the same project structure in both apps, but I do not duplicate tasks. Most of stuff reside in Trello. Still, when I’m away from my computer, I don’t use Trello, but capture every new idea in WL. Things related to a project that aren’t team-related go to WL too.


No need for Custom Notification or similar app anymore. Wunderlist got its own quick add (enable it in Account > Notifications > Quick Add Notification).






 
Christoph W. - Dec 20, 2015


@Meho R.
 
Can you please explain what is for you the difference between Miscellaneous plus due date on the one hand and Tickler on the other? Many thanks.






 
Meho R. - Dec 20, 2015


Christoph,
 
In Tickler we store actions we can not or do not want to deal with until some later date. E.g., if there’s a big game in town on 15/01/2016, and tickets sell from 05/01 to 13/01, we may create an action “Buy tickets for the game” and put it away until 05/01/2016. Since we can’t do anything about this particular action until 5th January, no point in having it anywhere in sight. Important note: these actions obviously ARE NOT Next Actions. They serve as a reminder and thus only get a date and a reminder, maybe a note, but no contexts.


In Miscellaneous list I store all those one-time actions which are not a part of a project. Note that these ARE Next Actions. E.g., using the same example, when 5th January comes, and when the action “Buy tickets for the game” pops
 
up in Today list, reminding me it is time to do something about those tickets, on that very day the action becomes a true Next Action, meaning I’ll add a context to it (#errands or #computer, depending on where I’m going to buy the tickets) and I’ll move it from Tickler to Miscellaneous. I can buy tickets on that day, or the day after, etc., when I have some time. But, since tickets sell only until 13th January, this Next Action must be done before that date, so I’ll change previously set date (5th January), when our action still wasn’t a Next Action, to a new one: 13th January.


So, in Tickler, we have future Next Actions, i.e., actions that will become Next Actions only on some later date, while in Miscellaneous we have actions which are already Next Actions and which may or may not have a due date.






 
Youssef - Dec 20, 2015


Just a quick update (I'm not dead yet :P)
 
I had to actually switch Todo managers at work, and WL wasn't an option (cloud) so I was able to discover 2Do.


I would say 2Do and WL both do this tag based filtering well, both with different advantages.


I think I've come up with a hybrid approach, I also think eventually one should have one Next Actions list and simply filter the context by tags like Meho is doing. But ALSO using tags for projects and AOFs is very handy (provided mobile apps can filter by completion, not sure what Josh Peyton's experience is but on iOS the issue is still there).


From my experience with using the hybrid approach (essentially the two at the same time), I can really say it's better than either one. When WL implements custom smart lists with advanced (tag) search, and the completed items filtering on mobile devices, I think this will really allow for a system needing much less maintenance.


Happy to see everyone chipping in in here (as was the purpose ^^). Special thanks to Meho and Lindsay for the active contributions.


Y.






 
Christoph W. - Dec 20, 2015
 
Thanks a lot, Meho. I think I got it now. I was a little bit confused by your "pay electric bill" example. But as I understand now it is a next action because I can do it from now until due date. Which makes it different from the "buy tickets" example which is not a next action because it can not start before the specific date.


Again thanks and have a great day.






 
Josh Peyton - Feb 03, 2016


@Meho
 
I really like your idea. It seems to be the best way to do GTD with Wunderlist.
 
The hard part for me to figure out is the volume of projects. Either you have a really long project list (David Allen estimates everyone has between 30-100) or you have that many lists. That seems unwieldy. How do you accommodate that many or am I misunderstanding that that is where the actions "live" are in a list of actions for every single project (unless it's a one-off action, that can go on a Misc. list). Thank you for being helpful to so many of us.






 
Meho R. - Feb 04, 2016
 
@Youssef,
Welcome back. :) I have successfully used Any.do and todo.txt (even via terminal on Linux), along with Wunderlist, just for the fun of it. 2Do looks like a nice app, but seems abandoned on Android.


@Josh,
I wouldn’t say there is “the best” way to do GTD with Wunderlist, since it is matter of personal preference. And what works flawlessly for me, might not work at all for you.


I personally do prefer having a separate list for every project I’m working on (luckily, still not as many as 100 lists). I also put every phase, step, or action needed to keep the project moving towards its completion into their project lists in Wunderlist. I find it extremely helpful to have everything in one place. Some useful insights of this topic can be found in this DA’s post: http://gettingthingsdone.com/newsletters/archive/0412.html


I use folders to group my projects by some criteria that makes sense to me, so that I never have more than a dozen of projects in the same folder (usually only 5 or 6 per folder). In addition to that, I use empty lists as additional organizational units, as I described in an earlier post, for easier navigation.
Here’s a quick hypothetical example:


Folder: Work Projects
E D I T I N G (This is an empty list, serving as a separator)
–    Project A
–    Project B
–    Project C
–    Project D
T Y P E S E T T I N G (Another empty list)
–    Project 1
–    Project 2
–    Project 3
P R O O F R E A D I N G (And one more empty list)
–    Project X
–    Project Y


Folder: Private Projects E D U C A T I O N
–    Course 1
–    Course 2
–    Course 3 S P O R T
–    Activity 1
–    Activity 2
–    Activity 3…
 
Lindsay - Feb 04, 2016
 
@Josh: I guess that depends on what you consider an "unwieldly" volume of Projects. I could not have empty lists like Meho does. I like WL's folders feature for organization.


As I write this, I have 12 active projects. As I mentioned in my October 16 post here, I keep one list of Project outcomes (which is what I think of as my "Projects list"). I also have a WL folder called "Project Plans" with one list per project. The project plans lists have my next actions, notes, outcomes, etc. as individual tasks.


I keep my number so low by applying 3 rules.


1.    If the goal/outcome repeats at least monthly (as opposed to something like buying a new computer, which has a point when it's "done"), then I consider it a checklist and keep it away from my Projects list entirely. I have 10 of those; several are for regular features on my blog.


2.    I only keep active projects on my list. Anything that I am not actually planning to complete an NA for within the next month or so gets postponed. I put the outcome on my Someday/Maybe list. If I have a project plan, I file that in my "Someday/Maybe Project Plans" folder.


3.    I review my Projects list monthly and force myself to postpone anything that hasn't seen any completed tasks in the last month. It's hard to acknowledge that I'm not actually going to clean out my closet this month, but it clears my mind, and that's one of the main goals of GTD.






 
Meho R. - Feb 07, 2016
 
Organization by folders would suffice if Wunderlist recognized the structure when moving tasks around. But it doesn’t, which means when you create a new to-do, or try to move an already created one from Inbox, you end up with a long list of all your lists, regardless of their parent folders. Even with a dozen of projects, it can become a tedious task to move things around. For those who have over 30 lists in total, it is a nightmare, especially on phones. Thus a workaround is warranted. I prefer word over picture in my task manager so I decided to use empty lists with capital letters as separators. One can use icons instead, to provide a visual cue, e.g., marking all lists inside a project folder with one type of icons or marking just the topmost list in a folder with an icon, so they become visually distinctive when moving to-dos.






 
Lindsay - Feb 12, 2016
 
Oh, that makes sense! I rarely do organization when I'm on my phone; that *is* tedious. On desktop, I've gotten used to scrolling down the sidebar and opening any folders *before* dragging an item to a new list. I also use emoji for visual distinction. Emoji seemed silly at first, but I can't deny how much faster I can tell which list is which!


Have you submitted that feature request to the WL Uservoice? They actually do implement suggestions from there; I've had 2 votes returned in a year and a half since the features were added.






 
ProductivityLover - Apr 02, 2016
 
This forum has been INVALUABLE to figuring out how to organise my life! I think I've finally figured out a system that works for me using GTD and WL. Here's my process.


Capture...


Inbox list - where I capture tasks throughout the day ready to be clarified and appropriately assigned during my daily/weekly review


Organize...


Date or time specific
-    I add the task to my calendar (I'm just using Apple calendar, set up with different calendars to implement GTD)


Recurring
-    Tasks such as weekly chores get added as scheduled tasks. Since these are repeat actions I don't want them clogging up my calendar. I keep them in WL and then star them on the relevant day


Next Actions
-    All next actions are stored in context lists that belong to a folder called 'contexts'. Each list is called '! Errand' '! Computer' etc so that they sit at the top of my 'All' list for easy review (see below)


Waiting
-    Pretty straightforward list of items I'm waiting on. I use the remind me function a lot here


Someday / Maybe
-    One list, lots of actions I will get to eventually! Tagged with projects if relevant




Reference
-    I have a 'To Buy' folder set up with lists by store i.e. grocery, Sephora, Target, Duane Reade (actions to GO to these stores are in my next actions!)
-    I use Evernote for all other reference documents


Projects
-    I have a list called 'Project Tasks' where I house all tasks tagged with a project #. This is just a storage area - I rarely look at it
-    I have a list call 'Projects' Where I keep a list of all of my project #s for easy searching (see Meho's comment). This is my go to for sorting through actions associated with each project


Review...
-    As I have context lists it's easy to get things done based on my current situation, however to view all next actions I look in the 'All' list (one of the defaults). The ! at the start of each context list title means all of my next actions sit at the top in this view
-    To look through my projects I click on the # in the 'Project' list and then move next action tasks up into the relevant context lists
-    If something becomes a high priority for that day I star it
 
-    Any items on my calendar that need to be done that day get added to WL and starred
-    Any scheduled reminders for the day get starred
-    I begin the day reviewing and know that by the end of the day anything starred MUST be completed regardless of the context it falls into. Anything else in my next action lists will be addressed when I am in that context


I'm pretty happy with this setup. It works well for me and is useful for the way I use WL across my macbook, iPhone, iPad, work PC and Apple Watch.


One thing I would love to see introduced is a way to search within subtasks. I would also love to be able to save searches! That would would negate the need for a folder of #s. Maybe one day!!




Meho R. - Apr 08, 2016
 
The beauty of WL is in that that it can be adapted to various styles and personal preferences. It does not try to impose certain way or system of managing tasks on its users, rather provide them with kind of blank canvas and just enough tools to make it versatile without getting a bloated mess. Being simple, straightforward, and intuitive, while being beautiful and actually useful, is not something easily achieved.


@Lindsay, I added a feature request regarding folders in "Move to-do to" list. We will see how it goes.