Be productive everywhere: A simple hack for grouping tasks by "Location"
Like most users of RTM, I am a bit obsessed with getting things done in the most efficient way possible. Few things are more frustrating to me than realizing I forgot to stop by the grocery store while I was already running errands; or not realizing I could complete a few tasks on my phone while stuck waiting in line; or forgetting to tackle something at home before heading out for the day.
I struggled at first with how to solve this problem. I tried a few solutions that involved a lot of complex tagging (e.g. anything tagged with "chore" or "clean" or "pet" or "yard" would show on my "Home" smart list, and anything tagged with "errand" or "buy" would show on my "Errands" smart list, etc.). Inevitably, tasks slipped through the cracks because I would forget to apply a required tag.
I considered the Location feature, but it required a specific address. While that worked for tasks to be completed at Home, it did not work for Errands or Online tasks. I was forced to specify a single address for each Errand (tedious and not all that valuable to me), and it would not allow me to specify "The Internet" as a location... or would it?
That was my "Aha!" moment. I already knew what general locations I wanted to use for my tasks, and I could simply enter my Home address for each--who would care? Instead of trying to remember any number of valid tags, I could simply enter a single Location for every task:
🏠 I have to be Home to do this task.
🚙 I have to be away from Home to do this task.
📱 I can do this task from anywhere as long as I have internet.
🕳️ It doesn't really matter where I do this task; used rarely, these are more reminders than true tasks (like: "Think about cool new ways to use RTM").
I have a smart list for each Location, and it's organized by due date and priority. Before taking my daughter to practice, I check the "Home" list to see what I can accomplish before it's time to leave. While I wait for my daughter at practice, I complete "Online" tasks on my phone/laptop. Before I drive home from practice, I check the "Errands" list to see if I need to stop anywhere on the way.
I even have a smart list that tells me if I have missed setting the Location field on any tasks--so nothing slips through the cracks!
I struggled at first with how to solve this problem. I tried a few solutions that involved a lot of complex tagging (e.g. anything tagged with "chore" or "clean" or "pet" or "yard" would show on my "Home" smart list, and anything tagged with "errand" or "buy" would show on my "Errands" smart list, etc.). Inevitably, tasks slipped through the cracks because I would forget to apply a required tag.
I considered the Location feature, but it required a specific address. While that worked for tasks to be completed at Home, it did not work for Errands or Online tasks. I was forced to specify a single address for each Errand (tedious and not all that valuable to me), and it would not allow me to specify "The Internet" as a location... or would it?
That was my "Aha!" moment. I already knew what general locations I wanted to use for my tasks, and I could simply enter my Home address for each--who would care? Instead of trying to remember any number of valid tags, I could simply enter a single Location for every task:
🏠 I have to be Home to do this task.
🚙 I have to be away from Home to do this task.
📱 I can do this task from anywhere as long as I have internet.
🕳️ It doesn't really matter where I do this task; used rarely, these are more reminders than true tasks (like: "Think about cool new ways to use RTM").
I have a smart list for each Location, and it's organized by due date and priority. Before taking my daughter to practice, I check the "Home" list to see what I can accomplish before it's time to leave. While I wait for my daughter at practice, I complete "Online" tasks on my phone/laptop. Before I drive home from practice, I check the "Errands" list to see if I need to stop anywhere on the way.
I even have a smart list that tells me if I have missed setting the Location field on any tasks--so nothing slips through the cracks!
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