If you use smart lists you could use the Sleeper tags trick, described here blog.rememberthemilk.com/2009/04/tips-tricks-tuesday-using-sleeper-tags/.

I'm a big fan of this the sleeper tags too, but it would be nice to have a start date built into the interface.

I agree, this is a solution waiting for that feature.

But then again, suppose that starting date is added to the task info, how would that work? In a regular list you would see all tasks even though the start date lies in the future (how would you otherwise be able to edit them?) so start dates only work in smart lists. So does sleeper tags.

I suppose there could be a check box "Don't show tasks before their start date", that would solve this in regular lists too.

Yes. This is the one missing feature, available in "Things" that keeps me from using RTM more regularly. I don't want to have to look at tasks that I can't even touch for month or two. the same thing with repeating tasks. If I set a task to repeat every Monday, once i complete it on Mondy, I don't want to have to see it again until the following Monday. Otherise the tasks list get unwieldy, I never feel like I've completed anything, and I have to wade through tasks I can't do anything about at the moment.

I use smartlists to show me things due, die within a time period, or not suppressed by sleeper tags, and I never see things I cannot touch for a month or two, or future repetitions, or things I can't do anything with at the moment. Given the many feature requests here that seek to accomplish something that cannot be done at all with the current RTM capabilities, I find the start date requests a little hard to figure. Clearly, many people desire this functionality. I think some Tuesday Tips might be usefully directed at some basic smart list ideas and concepts.