Just started using OmniFocus last week and almost immediately stumbled into the limitation of only one context. I used multiple contexts very often with MyLifeOrganized (which I loved but which is Windows only, and I’ve switched to Mac). Today’s case in point: my Action is “Make appointment with doctor”, where I need contexts for Phone-Business-Hours (to set up the appointment) and Meeting (because in the Notes for the Action I’ve listed multiple items I need to remember to discuss with her). I know I could either separate them into two Actions, or switch the context once I’ve made the appointment, but it’s really much easier to make it / keep it as one Action with multiple contexts.
Buck that is really two tasks isn’t it as per GTD methodology. What you can do is create a Single Threaded Task and one for Phone Doctor to make an appointment, then a second one for Doctor Visit.
We are a good chunk through 2017 now, is there any ETA for multiple contexts? - I am currently using 2do with omnifocus and am very close to making a full switch to 2do because of the friction caused by the single context design :( - is this coming soon or am I going to have to wave goodbye to my trusty task manager?
It’s been a month since @hackeron asked the question, maybe @kcase can give us an update? Its been a long few years of waiting. I’m with @enrvuk, I can’t recommend OF any longer until this gets fixed, I’m having to do too many hacks and work arounds.
I have made a full switch to 2Do and finding it a very pleasant experience. I’m just finding a lot less resistance accessing the information I need, the search is fantastic, I don’t have to have hacks and workarounds for things like repeat on first Monday of each month, multiple contexts, adding “actions” (you highlight a task and press p to immediately launch a website, or onenote, or email or whatever “action” you set, instead of adding links in task notes and then needing to expand/click those links in OmniFocus), there are fantastic keyboard shortcuts like . to move start date a day or shift + . to move it a week, etc, the information is presented nicely with colour coded project categories, repeating tasks show a round arrow so you know they will recur, it’s just very aesthetically pleasing.
With all this in mind, I do miss sequential vs parallel projects: in 2Do you can create a project but there’s no way to hide all tasks except the next one, but you can collapse the project task list in the “context” view which is more of a hybrid view. I also miss the “Review” feature which doesn’t exist in 2Do. I am hoping to switch back to OmniFocus once multiple contexts are available.
The roadmap can only ever be committed until WWDC. Omni has no idea what changes Apple may introduce in Mac OS 13 or IOS 11. In past years, those changes have forced substantial rebuild of functionality. @kcase would be foolish to promise now a feature for the second half of the year without knowing until June what other mandatory commitments may emerge.
I’ve tried 2Do and I continue to struggle with it. Lack of Preview is a serious impediment - while not an enthusiast for canonical GTD, I find it invaluable. To be sure, there are workarounds, as there are for next task and for sequential projects. But then I find those workarounds more burdensome than lack of multiple contexts.
In fact, one of my issues with 2Do is enthusiasm for tagging things automatically when, for example, I create a task from an email on the Mac. I may want multiple contexts, but I don’t want one for every person who sent me a mail that requires action or review or follow-up or is simply a note of something
I state that I began my ToDo life with 2Do many years ago. I loved it until one day the morass of data overwhelmed me. Then I tried OF1. Rest is history. I have had a recent look at 2Do and was disappointed due to the following…
Inability to attach pdf’s.
Inability to review.
They charge for email functionality when Omnigroup gave me a free email account that allows any number of emails/accounts.
Watch app has poor legibility.
No complications available for watch app.
No sequential lists. Don’t know why this feature alone makes OF2 the best.
Other big gripe for me is 2Do has an external server provider-OF2 has a dedicated, encrypted and fast, not to mention reliable and stable server.
@Nick I actually agree with you, and that’s not the part I’m disappointed by. What I find disappointing is that @kcase knows that Omni is likely going to throw out the back half of the roadmap when Apple releases something, and yet publishes a roadmap with long waited for features in that back half of that roadmap. This just dangles hope and adds to our disappointment when another year goes by.
If this were the case for my products I would do one of two things:
My roadmap would not contain anything my team couldn’t reasonably accomplish prior to WWDC.
Or more reasonably, I would give up on the calendar year. I would publish my roadmap for the year after WWDC ends, WWDC would mark the start of my new year.
2Do might not be the app, maybe it’s things, I’m not sure. But I am sure I’m not going to keep waiting Omni to deliver on this feature. Omni was a great tool when I was only responsible for my own work and was in the corporate office every day, but as my life and work has gotten more complicated Omni just hasn’t been able to keep up. I have no doubt as you’ve said there are things I will miss, but the friction level has just gotten too high for me.
I said our plans can and do change; I didn’t mean to suggest that we throw everything out! We always reserve some time in our roadmap to respond to WWDC’s announcements, and in each year’s roadmap I review the previous year’s roadmap to talk about where we diverged.
So, if you want to get a sense of just how much our roadmap is likely to change, your best bet is to look at how it’s changed in previous years. There’s always some divergence, but most of those changes are additions to the roadmap, not subtractions.
Having been on pure GTD I find the need of multiple contexts. My fixed additional context would be mostly time based, eg. for @morning and @afternoon - some things at work as an example can only be done at a certain point of the day (but not specific time), either because the service is available only then or for time-zone purposes.
If anyone has a valid workaround to this… let me know.
(This month, we’re shipping v2.20 with free trial support on iOS and will be starting the TestFlight of our v2.21 iOS 11 update which has rich Siri integration and Drag & Drop support.)
