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Manage tasks where you wait for someone else to do something

quam says:
Hi,

sometimes it's not only up to me, to finish a task. But I like my active task list(s) clean. In this case I do the following:

- tag every task which needs action from somebody else with the "waiting" tag.

- add the following term to any smartlist I don't want "waiting" tasks to appear: () or (tag:waiting AND dueBefore:now)

- i find it useful to create a smartlist "waiting" with the criteria "tag:waiting" to see the tasks I am are waiting for

- Now I postpone "waiting" tasks to a due date or time when I expect a response. Until that time or day they disappear from my active tasks list. And i focus on the tasks I can do myself.


Examples:

I want to cancel a Newspaper subscription. I send the the letter, tag the task "waiting" and postpone it 3 days. If I did not get a confirmation letter the task reappears in my active List and I will call them. If get a confirmation letter, I complete the task in the waiting smartlist.

Or I want to go to the movies with my friend, if he has time. I send him a text, set the "waiting" tag on the task and set due date to today at 5.30 pm. The task disappears from my active task smartlist. If I did not get a text back until 5.30 pm the taks reappears in the active list and I delete it. He doesn't even have time to answer, he probably doesn't have time for the movies.
Posted at 5:28pm on December 30, 2016
quam says:
edit: I forgot to add 1 thing to the smartlist term. It has to look like this at the end:
(("previous smartlist conditions") NOT tag:waiting) OR (tag:waiting AND dueBefore:now)
Posted 7 years ago
quam says:
edit2:
I forgot 1 more thing, but now it should work. It has to look like this at the end:

(("previous smartlist conditions") OR tag:waiting) OR (("previous smartlist conditions) AND tag:waiting AND dueBefore:now)

The part I have to add is bold. "previous smartlist option" are the current rules of my smartlists, which I have to copy to the second part after the OR.

So the expression is long, but I it's very handy. And it can be applied to any existing smartlist.
Posted 7 years ago
raymond.bergmark Power Poster says:
There is something wrong with the boolean test above, the second () doesn't make a difference.
Posted 7 years ago
quam says:
Thats right, the () arround "previous smartlist conditions" can be left out. Tanks for noticing.
Posted 7 years ago
raymond.bergmark Power Poster says:
I mean that all the text to the right of the second OR could be left out. In order for that to be TRUE, all of (previous smartlist conditions), tag:waiting and dueBefore:now have to be TRUE. But in that case, the first part of the condition is also TRUE.
Posted 7 years ago
brownmiester says:
how do i create a smart list fro this? do i just copy and paste the entire thing to my search criteria and then create a list? or do i choose individual items? I love your idea but dont know how to create the smart list
Posted 6 years ago
raymond.bergmark Power Poster says:
A smart list is really a saved search.

In the web app, there's a green button "Save as smart list" on the right after you do a search.

In the iOS app, there's an arrow next to the text search at the top, click the arrot and choose "Save as smart list".

Good luck, smart lists are great!
Posted 6 years ago
raymond.bergmark Power Poster says:
Sorry, *arrow*
Posted 6 years ago
robfreundlich says:
I think you can simplify this. If I understand you correctly, you want to change an existing smart list to also show any waiting tasks that aren't yet due. To do that, you can change any smart list with "previous conditions" to the following:

(previous conditions) AND ((NOT tag:waiting) OR (tag:waiting AND NOT dueAfter:now))

This way, you don't have to repeat the previous conditions.
Posted 6 years ago
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