Awesome! Thanks so much for the hard work and dedication.
Multiple contexts / tags is my top of the list most needed wow it would be so great request! Thanks.
My main use is to tag people involved in the task. I use OF to track some tasks Iâve delegated to others, which I currently tag with Context, but I also need to tag appropriate groups/committees for the task. I currently use the text hashtag hack but just a minor typo sends my system sideways.
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Since most of us are using tags by using @keyword can you maybe in your GUI update just put in tags. All it would be is a few very little changes, currently using @ inside the task is fine and can be searched, but it would be great if we had a GUI wrapped around it, so it is easier to search (Click on the tag?).
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Thanks for following up.
Multiple tags/contexts is very much needed.
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Hello @kcase,
So, is the ability to add multiple contexts/tags per task finally coming this year?
I am considering whether to migrate from 2Do, which allows tagging. I use two contextual sets: activity and energy level. So multiple contexts would be handy. I know that has been discussed at length in this 3-years old post!
Thanks!
M
From @kcase in his post in July (about 3 posts higher up the thread)
âThis is something we expect to ship in Q4.â
Long time Omnifocus 2 user here and productivity enthusiast. Iâll throw in my 2pence about multiple contexts.
I was adamant that multiple contexts was something OF2 had to have and was frustrated that it wasnât possible yet it was available in Things and 2Do (tags being their equivalent of contexts).
So after reluctantly jumping ship from OF2 to Things (and then 2Do) I was super happy with the option to assign multiple tags. However, after a few weeks using it, I realised that actually even with multiple tags, life wasnât any sunnier. In fact, it was more complex.
For example, when I started using the multiple tag feature, it got waaay out of hand. I forgot which tags Iâd already made and it raised decisions on how granular to go. Also, each tag/context was so hard to sift through because it was possible to attend to so many tasks in so many ways. Also, it took ages to tag each task every time I made one with all the potential contexts that it could have, not to mention the decision fatigue in deciding which contexts to tag and which to omit.
I realised that the multiple context feature simply enabled me to implement a flawed system, a system which I thought would make life so much more productive but in reality didnât.
I went back to OF2, tail between my legs almost, as it is more mature and customisable in many respects than I ever found Things or 2Do to be. I reviewed the actual system I was using since then, taking inspiration from people like Sven Fechner and Kourosh Dini and their take on perspectives and contexts, in particular the systems they use and the part OF2 plays in their daily productivity. After a few evolutions, I now have a wonderful, trusted system in Omnifocus that is working far better with just simple, single contexts.
No doubt the baying for this feature on the forums will manifest in OF2 eventually, I just wonder whether it will bring people the happiness (and productivity!) they think it will. I suppose having the feature with the option to use it (or not) will satisfy most.
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@rnbutler87 What great insights! You are right that multiple contexts arenât a silver bullet. Iâve had a similar experience coming full circle back to OF with greater clarity of my workflow and appreciation for just how good OF2 is.
I do plan to use multiple contexts, but I want to keep it simple: one extra tag to create a weekly list.
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I agree. I have tried these other apps and tagging can cause extra complexity.
I am however looking forward to tagging in OF2 because with careful usage I foresee I can link related items/tasks etc together across perspectives.
Sometimes this has been a pain to me so tagging with caution seems a good idea.
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Thanks and agreed, a tag for designated weekly items may be something I would consider using also. Currently jury-rigged this using a dedicated âBy Fridayâ single-action project which lists desired outcomes for the week with links to any relevant projects.
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This is interesting, am always interested in reading about others implementations so would love to hear an example use case for tags in your system.
Currently OF2 allows individual task scattered across the system to be hyperlinked for easy recovery. Tagging should replace this with greater versatility.
Personally I have projects in one area of my life that often cuts across other areas. I have 3 main âspheresâ that I keep separate. My Life, Business & Church. I am a Family man, a businessman and a church Minister here in Scotland. OF2 keeps me sane!
I envisage tags being useful where I have reports for church governance Iâm working on being tagged for my home life where I can also work on them. Currently my home life perspective wouldnât show that task, but with tagging it would.
The same can be said of business issues I have, I can tag appropriately for accomplishment in other areas of my life.
This advantage could be replicated across the system for various requirements where the task resides in one or other perspective but could be accomplished elsewhere. This saves me duplication of tasks for duplication sake-which is a pain.
I agree that tagging can cause friction and unnecessary complexity. I tried Things 3 and their tagging system is an unworkable nightmare. In T3 tagging is the only method of organisation so youâre stuck with it. In OF2 (when tagging arrives) it will be a supplemental advantage, not a sole means of organisation as in T3.
I envisage cautious use of tags in OF2, a small collection of important keywords to supplement the fantastic OF2 perspective system. I will not be creating the long lists of tags one needs for other apps. A list small enough list to enhance productivity, and provide superb efficiency when needed. Keeping tags to a small number means one can also easily memorise the tags.
I needs tags for people. I want to tag my waiting and calls context by the person I am waiting for or need to call.
This allows me to find a persons tag and immediately know what I need to speak to them about and what I am waiting for from them.
This cannot be done now in OF, can it?
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Only using workarounds, such as something like @name in the notes field - which works for some people
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I usually have a task titled âCall \Jack re: dinnerâ with a context of âPhoneâ. Then I can search for the backslash for any people I need to contact. Or make a custom perspective with the search text as "".
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@nick @wilsonng thank you , Iâve tried a \ and @ and whilst both work they both feel very clumsy, tags is the correct way forward for me. A natural progression to a GTD methodology.
Iâm not sure about multiple contexts. It might break my confidence in knowing that each task can only belong in one place. What Iâd really like is the ability to move tasks up and down ordered in a different sequence in the context view rather than being based on the projectsâ tasks order. Sort of like a âmanualâ sort order option.
A tip can be to have a context called âcallsâ/âmeetingsâ/âcolleaguesâ and then you start each task with the person âJason: call to talk about âŚâ, etc. Then the tasks get sorted by the names so theyâre grouped together. This also works for a âshoppingâ context where you prefix tasks with the actual shopping location: âgrocery store: buy âŚâ, âhardware store: buy âŚâ.
Omnifocus unfortunately does not make it easy and seamless to create contexts and moving them into the right parent context quickly and then manage them. So I donât think you should try to have a lot of contexts. I used to have it that way and I ended up managing the contexts more than getting stuff done. The UI/UX of Omnifocus makes that hard to keep flexible unfortunately.
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@jonolo6 I do not think a context and a tag as the same thing. I do not see that adding tags alters the way I work with contexts.
I always felt that a context was more physical or tangible whereas as tag could be much softer. As I said earlier having Call as a context but have a tag to tell me whom would help, the same for the Waiting context.
It is of course inevitable that context and tags will become blurred, perhaps just dropping contexts in place of being able to add multiple tags is the way forward. This give people the flexibility to use just contexts or a combination of tags.
If tags come this autumn Iâm certain there will be Supporters and Detractors.
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I get ya @lwaddo. Misunderstood earlier. Yes tags should solve for the creating many contexts problem.
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