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Plain text tags

gmg2002 says:
Instead of using built in tags (which are unique to each task management system) I use plaintext tags either in the body of the note, or at the end of the subject line, prefixed by a letter combination to make the tags unique (and easy to find using Windows indexing or Spotlight search).

For example,

Invoice for service. llFU

The tags I most often use are

llFU = Follow Up
llDue = Deadline (when I want to remind myself that a task has a firm deadline)
llFile = task notes have info that I should permanently file in OneNote
llHot = self explanatory ;)
llProjxxxx = project specific tags. E.g. “llOutside” for landscaping / maintenance outside of home.

All of these tags are automated, using either iOS predefined keyboard shortcuts, or Texter on Windows, so applying a tag takes very little time. (E.g. to enter llOutside all I have to type is llo).

The advantages of this method:

1) It can be used to pull data across different apps / records / systems. Not only tasks. I can make a search for llOutside using Windows Indexing or Spotlight (or any other global indexing tool) and get the list of my tasks, OneNote records, contact names, PDF invoices and anything else tagged with this text.

2) It is infinitely transferable. I can sync to Outlook, switch to another tasks system, export to CSV, 30 years from now I will find all tagged records even if the original service is long gone.
Posted at 7:24pm on October 29, 2018
mmoore100 says:
Interesting. You've given me an idea on how to solve a problem I have coming from another application.

The other application had something called Context, which is similar to Location, but not quite. For example, I had a context called Commute, which meant I wanted to do that tag on my way to or from work, but I didn't want to clutter my Tags list. Another example is if I wanted to do a certain task that involved another person. (For example, the next time I see a colleague named Tim or things I want to discuss with my spouse or do while he's home, I'd use a Context of Tim or Hubby.)

I might give it a try. Thanks!
Posted 5 years ago
xtoq says:
@mmoore100: another tip I've seen about context vs location is to use RTM's location feature for your contexts but give them a ridiculous GPS location like the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That way you can still utilize the built-in location feature of RTM in searches and smart lists without cluttering up your tag list.

Of course, this is proprietary to RTM and doesn't solve the universality that OP does, but still. Maybe that might help you out!
Posted 4 years ago
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