First, I absolutely love Omnifocus and can not live without it. :)
One feature I would like to utilize more is action groups. I currently avoid them at all costs.
I feel that these are hard to use because I can not see the action group a task belongs to when I am looking at a context based perspective. My Today perspective where I work from daily is context based.
Am I using this wrong? Does anyone else have a problem with this? Or maybe no one really uses Action Groups?
I’ve sent a message to support at least once over the last year or two requesting seeing the Action Group next to a task. There is definitely plenty of space now with the new layout in OSX and the iPad. It might be a little difficult to do on the iPhone, but I think it is necessary to see the Action group a task belongs to.
Please share your opinions and thoughts.
Thanks.
Stephen
Here is the online manual for action groups.
https://support.omnigroup.com/documentation/en/omnifocus-2-for-mac-user-manual/projects#creatingactiongroups
https://support.omnigroup.com/documentation/en/omnifocus-2-for-ios-user-manual/projects#creatingactiongroups
I think what you might want to do is to create a project-based perspective that is focused on only one project:
The screenshot above shows that I have focused on a project called “R&D FileMaker Pro 13.” I can see all the remaining actions including action groups inside the R&D FileMaker Pro 13 project.
If your action group is “sequential”, you will only see the next available action in your context perspectives. Try using “parallel” so that you can make all the actions inside the action group available. If it is a sequential action group, the first action will block the remaining actions.
I use Project based perspectives for a few key projects. My problem is really with having a subtask in an action group be flagged and then show up in my Today perspective or any other context based perspective. I have no idea which action group it belongs to. Yes I could have a longer more descriptive name, but I shouldn’t be forced to do that. Let’s say I have 3 chapters to complete. Reading, Notes, and Notecards are my three tasks in each of the action groups. So my action group names are the chapter titles. All that will show up in the Today Context based perspective is Reading. I have no idea which Chapter it belongs to. At my job and studies I have many examples where I don’t want full fledged projects but I am forced to use them rather than action groups b/c of this issue.
To me this make Acton Groups less desirable to use.
Stephen
