There is this little feature in OmniFocus called: 'Mark Complete when completing the last item’. This give you the option to mark a project complete when the last item is done. It is one of those trick options that OmniFocus provide for you. As I said before OmniFocus is a great tool, but you need to be careful, because there are certain things that if you are not careful will bring you in the down spiral fast; you know the crash and burn one.
Why do you want to click the project automatically. In my book, is because you are absolute sure that there is no way this project will be alive after that, and even if it is, you will have an easy reminder that this project is alive, but for me is only on the first case. In general, I don’t advise people doing this, I don’t think you should automate the thinking process, but if you do, this is a really cool feature.
When I have use this feature. Let’s say I create a project that is called “Buy Groceries for Friday Dinner” This assume that I will not cook, or do anything else than buy the stuff for the mentioned dinner, bring them home, and forget about it. In case of doubt I am really good about the last part, the forgot part.
Let’s get back to the creation of the project. I create the project and add the list of things that I need to buy, in the Context (Errands, or Groceries, or the appropriate one) and when you are done creating, populating, then I go and click on the Inspector (Yes that inspector is kind of helpful and useful.)
When you do that, you will see an option to “Mark Complete when completing the last item” click it, and a soon as you finish that last item, your project will be mark as complete.
I may insist that this is something that you or I should not use all the time, because have the risk that you will have more stuff coming relevant to this project that you will not be able to use, but in many cases is a cool feature.
The problem with automating the process that you should think about, is that instead of be part of a system that will create silence in your mind, and allow you to move faster the chance that things will get back into your head, are incredible high, because sadly, most of this automated process will not take into consideration other factors. For example, I have a recurring task in my system for every monday that reads: Wash baby’s Clothes. It is a recurring thing, and comes every monday. When that happen I need to think and choose, if it’s or not. Sometimes, especially when I was potty training her, I was doing so much laundry than coming monday there wasn’t nothing to wash, others, I made the decision that she didn’t have enough clothes to make a load, and I will wait until next week. The problem is you don’t think about this, and renegociate in a conscious level, is that will get back into your head, and if it is in your head, the only thing that it’s creating is stress and anxiety. (At least if something is in my head, thats what tend to create.)
So we aware of those things you automate, in OmniFocus or anywhere else, you want to automate only those things that are not going to bite you back, and are going to allow you to continue moving as fast as you really need to move.
That's a good point. The default behavior is not checked to complete, so you really have to set it yourself manually. That's the right thing in my opinion.
You can always change it when you feel like it, e.g. during a review process.
Posted by: AE Thanh | 05/07/2011 at 04:17 AM
I _only_ use this feature when I make different types of automated processes in OmniFocus (like populating lists with recurring tasks and such) and _never_ for regular projects. Why? Two reasons:
1. Even if I can lay out the entire project beforehand so that I'll be certain that it is dead when I do the last task, I doubt my self... I doubt the world... We (the world and I) are to complex. This could happen:
I'm in the store buying groceries for that friday dinner you spoke of when I realize "Oh I forgot the coupons for the blabla in the car..." I know that I can come back with the receipt and the coupons later and get money back because now I don't have the time. I also don't have time to make a note of it since the long queue behind me are getting annoyed with the guy who just emptied all his pockets on to the counter and floor in search for a stupid coupon... When I get to my weekly review I will hopefully remember the coupon-thing when I see the project.
2. Being the simple person that I am, I just love to mark projects of as completed in my weekly review on the iPad.
Posted by: Henrik | 05/27/2011 at 04:36 AM
By the way...
I would love it if you could post the three monkeys thoughts on someday/maybe (at least two of you are using Omnifocus right?). Do you just put the someday/maybe projects into your system and put them "on hold"? Do you put them as actions in a project named "Someday/Maybe"? Or do you use another method. What methods have you seen other Omnifocus users use for handling someday/maybe?
I love the review function on the iPad Omnifocus which, together with the Forecast, makes it the best GTD-program I've yet to come across. But I'd like to review first my active projects and _then_ my someday/maybe ones. Now I have no control in what order they appear during my review, do I?
It would be sweet if I could treat my someday/maybe different when it comes to reviewing them. Projects "in the pipe" I'd like to see often but things on the "do I want this"-list or on the "when I'm rich"-list I only want to see about once a year. Where do you input how often you want the project to appear in the iPad review?
Posted by: Henrik | 05/27/2011 at 07:02 AM
Dear Henrik,
I will prepare your question for Monkey Talks and you will get a post on here with your answer next monday.
best,
apo
Posted by: Augusto Pinaud | 05/29/2011 at 07:13 PM
Dear AE Thanh,
There are occasions in witch is useful and cool to finish the project automatically, but I agree, in general is better not to use it.
As always, thanks for the comment.
Posted by: Augusto Pinaud | 05/29/2011 at 07:15 PM