Hi, John Three comments 1. To remove a task from your working view (the one where you work, not necessarily the same as "active") - create a context for each non-active list. Exclude these contexts from your working view by creating an advanced filter that says ((context isnot xxx) and ( context isnot yyy) and (etc.... I'm doing this on mobile from memory, you might need "doesnotcontain" instead of "isnot" and you might need "context text" or something like that. Anyhow, then you need to create a workspace tab for each inactive list and create a view that shows each. That way one or two taps will assign a context to a task and drop in from the working view, one more tap will bring up a view of the relevant list showing thenewly added task and its new neighbors. There are no folders required, the tasks don't physically move. If relevant you can display a different set of columns in each inactive view and sort and group differently. Also, it may be helpful to have some tasks that appear on moore than one inactive list.
2. While you are imagining ways to open big new markets for MLO, consider an HTML5 version. It would involve big new risks to security and privacy but the people in the big new market are famously not that interested in those kinds of risks. It would instantly implement mlo on ios, Android, windows, windows phone, the Chrome os, blackberry, browser-enabled game consoles and a lot of stuff not invented yet. 3. The power of mlo is that most users build something that suits them well rather than dropping them into a bracket with lots of sort-of-similar people and providing them all witb a solution that doesn't really fit. At the end of the spectrum where simple solutions work there are vastly more customers, so a small payment per customer becomes a lot of money quickly. But there's a huge number of competitors so it is a hard fight to get a few points of market share, product quality may not be relevant, social skills may be the main determinant of success and this is not the mlo team's strength, and that small payment per customer is all you will ever see. -Dwight Mlo betazoid on Android sgn2 On Aug 13, 2015, J Smith <[email protected]> wrote: >Christoph - Thank you, I shall digest later and revert. > > >Pottster (good to see you're still here too!) - here is some feedback >for >MLO: > >When I used the word "bloatware" I used it cautiously. My point is not >that >it *is* bloatware necessarily, but more that it *feels* like bloatware. > >i.e. To the new user, the shear complexity of MLO is completely >overwhelming and this is a SERIOUS problem commercially for mainstream >users. > >To recap from previous discussions, the psychologically speaking "early > >adopters" (i.e. many people here??) enjoy new stuff, they don't mind >complexity and they thrive off new, cutting edge ideas. > >However "Mainstream" users hate it. They say "don't waste my time" and >"it >should be obvious". And every minute spent learning a new system is a >minute the software 'owes' them - and not only do they want it back, >they >want it back at a *multiple*. > >If I owned MLO itself I would stop all new developments and build a >hugely >simplified interface using the MLO platform. (Actually if you boil down > >what all advanced users are doing there are probably 4 or 5 >fundamentally >different ways in which 80% of them are working. I would show each of >these >to new users and I would then do user trials to choose between them.) > >I would then create a big obvious button with 3 modes "novice / >intermediate / expert" and only show the absolute minimum options to >the >user when in Novice mode. But what should be on the Novice mode would >be >the fruit of *extensive *user trials using with total newbies to see >how >much noise & clutter of non-essential features we could get rid of. > >The final version should be minimalist, slick and completely obvious. >==> I would then promote and market this like crazy (esp on social >media) >==> And then and only then I would conquer the known universe with MLO. > >More advanced users could do whatever the heck they like in Expert >mode, >and newbies could understand MLO swiftly, get on with using it, rave >about >it and tell all their friends using Novice and then Intermediate mode. > >On reflection, the interface I would start on would be mobile (using >both >iOS *and* Android simultaneously) rather than not computer (because >that is >where the buzz is these days). > >Another problem MLO has is that, if I'm correct, the old timers (most >people here) no longer contribute financially to MLO. There is >probably a >way to make at least some money out of them, but I don't know what it >is. >Listening to their advice regarding development is extremely dangerous >because they no longer see through the eyes of a newbie. But if we had >an >Expert mode then fine I guess. > > >* * * > >Btw, this has been an unexpectedly useful exercise to me because I may >have >solved one of my own problems for myself. If I now cut down the number >of >Contexts to something sensible - say 10 - then I can create a filter >for >each one in the left hand menu of views, simply by creating a filtered >copy >of my All Active Tasks outline (view) for each Contexts. This way I >end up >with 10 things to click on in the left hand menu, which with a single >click >will show just the Context I'm interested in. > > >P.S. *Christoph * > >Regarding my problem of how to move tasks out of my Active Tasks and >dump >them into my NON-active lists (folders), using a small number of >keystrokes.... > >Yes, F6 (collapse) and F7 (expand) look potentially useful, however I >still >can't work out how to move items out of my "All tasks Active" view into > >different lists that are NOT active. > >Wait - what very nearly works is *Control/M*. However it behaves in >slightly surprising ways i.e. if I hit Control/M and then cursor down, >it >goes to the last place where you left off. Yes v useful in some cases >but >not for me. >Whereas I need a way for it to go to the FIRST item in the list (in my >case >a folder holding a GTD list). Using the Tab key doesn't help either. >Neither does Control/cursor down, Shift/ cursor down nor Alt/cursor >down >behave any differently. :^( > >Ah okay so if I go Control/M, cursor down, and then Home, then yes, >that >does get to the 1st item in the list... but that's starting to be a lot >of >keystrokes if doing a LOT - which is after all my plan...! > > > >Must dash > >J > > > >On Thursday, 13 August 2015 13:17:15 UTC+1, J Smith wrote: >> >> >> >> Hello >> >> Confession time: >> I thought it would be helpful to this community to report back after >a few >> months of use just how *little* of MLO I am using. In part I am also >> asking for practical advice on how to make better genuinely >> *time-efficient* use of more features of MLO. >> >> >> SUMMARY >> I have discovered that in practice all I am using MLO for is: >> a) A glorified To-Do list - mostly for today >> b) A list of major projects (although this gets less attention that >it >> should) >> >> HOTKEYS >> In practice I am using VERY little of MLO. Here is what I am using: >> - I use *Alt/Shift/arrow keys...* a LOT to change priority and >> indentations into Projects. This is one of the best features of MLO >> interface. >> - I use Stars (*Control/Shit/S*) for "do today " - however I am NOT >using >> the Star outline because I think *visually* and like to see the 2D >shape >> of projects (indentations etc) on the page. >> - I use Highlighting (*Control/H*) to flag up IMPORTANT stuff to do >> (today). >> >> - I sit mostly in the Active Tasks outline view(**) and insert >> tasks/projects directly into it using *Insert* and *Alt/Insert*. >> - I use *Control/S* to input the Start date (e.g. "6h" or "2d") to >get >> things to disappear off the view for a few hours or days. >> >> From time to time I look at the (long/medium term) Goals outline >view. >> >> ...and (slightly shamefully) that's about it. >> >> >> BACKGROUND >> I discovered that I was wasting far, FAR too much time learning the >> system, trying to set things up and discussing the technology... and >not >> getting on with my life! i.e. Not actually Getting Things Done fast >enough! >> >> >> WEAKNESSES OF MLO >> I still think MLO is massively confusing to any newbie. "Bloatware" >comes >> to mind. And until this is sorted out I don't think MLO will ever >make many >> significant sales to consumers. I like and use this product. However >I am >> unable to recommend this product to any of my productive/busy friends >due >> to the hideous learning curve. This is product (productivity >platform) only >> for my friends who are hard-core geeks. I cannot imagine any highly >> productive CEO of a major corporation using this stuff. >> >> Also the Andriod app is - to be brutal - appalling. >> 1. It should sync automatically with my PC. [That's it - no >discussion!] >> 2. I want to be able to drag & drop items up and down my lists >(equivalent >> to using the Alt/Shift/arrow keys on my keyboard) and also sideways - >in >> and out of a hierarchy. [No discussion on this either!] >> Sorry but *only* if MLO gets these two things right does the app even > >> *begin* to become useful to me. >> >> >> ADVICE SOUGHT >> >> a) Moving tasks between lists >> From time to time I do a "weekly review" but I now have a ton of >stuff >> (250 - 500 items) on my various GTD style 'lists' and partly as a >result >> moving tasks/projects in out of my different lists is just too hard. >i.e. I >> can't do it in a couple of clicks. So in practice I just don't do it! >> - Is there a quick hotkey or 2-click way to move an item between my >> various GTD type lists? (e.g. I have: "Someday-Maybe" list, >"Definitely Do >> - but not yet" list, "Reflective thoughts" list ...) >> If I got this going I might find GTD "Weekly reviews" become easier >and >> became a more productive use of time >> ==> Any suggestions? >> >> >> b) Contexts >> I have completely failed to make Contexts work! Yes, when I remember >I do >> put Contexts into some tasks, but mostly I can't be bothered. What I >really >> mean is that it doesn't seem to be worth the input time because I >don't >> currently actually use Contexts! I think maybe I have too many >Contexts - >> I ended up with about 25. >> >> - Is there a *single-click* way to filter my Active Tasks to just >> show just the tasks that match a given Context? >> >> [ASIDE: Because I think so *visually* ideally I would like to still >> see the entire tree structure of my projects, but: >> i) it would be great if just the relevant tasks leapt out visually >(e.g. >> became highlighter, or the others became greyed out) >> ii) It would also be great to have some hotkey way of skipping to the >next >> relevant task (i.e. that matches the selected Context) ] >> >> ==> Any suggestions? >> >> J >> >> >> P.S. (**) Btw, why is an MLO Outline called an "Outline"? This is >> confusing for newbies. Why not "View" or "Report" ? >> >> >> >> >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MyLifeOrganized" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mylifeorganized. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mylifeorganized/1b50ca1d-d954-462e-a850-94dc5490a88c%40dwightarthur.us. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
