calendar vs todo

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Leila
Experienced
Posts: 61
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:57 am

calendar vs todo

Post by Leila »

I'm curious about the use of tasks in the calendar vs todo items. Is it common to see these as totally separate things or as related?

I'd love to know more about how people use EPIM and maybe for a few more people to share ideas on this forum.

Many of us learn from suggestions and ideas of others.

I had seen the calendar as a place to put appointments, especially things to do that involve meeting another person and/or travel.

I saw the todo list as things that I assign to a day that I'd like to do them, but are flexible if I don't get them done that day.

For those of you who "tie" these two features together, could you please explain how that works for you?

Thanks,
Leila
Cosmo

Post by Cosmo »

Hi Leila,

this is an interesting point, because it could lead to the consequence of some redesigning. Anyway, please note, that this is my point of view.

A task is something, that always takes place at a certain time and in many cases on a certain place. Also, in most cases there are other people involved (but not necessary, e. g. making a task for watching a sport event on T.V. will probably take place without any other person). But the most common point is: The event takes place, whether or not you join it. (Out of this follows, that the completion field doesn't make much sense, because i hardly can imagine, that somebody is changing it during the event in 25% steps. Also the priority field is superfluous in my eyes, as you can never say, that you deal at first with the most important tasks and afterwards with the less important ones - in contrary to todos.)

A Todo is something, that can be done without the need, to handle it at a very exact date. It can have a due date (of course), e. g. if I have to do the preparation for a task, the due time must obviously be before the task starts, but if you do it a week before, a day before or a hour before, isn't predetermined at the moment you plan it. Maybe, you want to do it at a certain time, but there might be the situation, that another todo, that gets known later, is more important or has a shorter due time and so you do the older todo later without missing something (obviously differently to tasks). A Todo-list is in my eyes a kind of memo to prevent, that you forget something to do. For me personally the todo-list is more important than the task-list, because the tasks are rather well stored in my head and: On a given day there will be nearly always be less tasks than to-dos, that have not been completed.

With these definitions I strongly make a difference, if I enter something in the task-list or in the todo-list. To be honest: Mostly I do so. EPIM's Todo-module has the lack of reoccurring todos (a discussion, that is more than 1 year old), and there I place very frequently reappearing todos as all day event, because there is the risk, that I forget to edit a completed todo with the next due date (and the appropriate starting time, so that it appears in the Today-module, when I really want to see it).

Coming back to the question on top of your post: The common thing is, that both takes your time. Whatever the amount of time is, that you can / want to spend on a day for your doings, you cannot (or only very seldom) do two things at the same time, not 2 tasks and not 2 todos and not a mix of both. (Okay, there are some possibilties: Let's say, you have a conference (that's the task) and it is important for you, to have some personal conversation with Mr. Smith and Mrs. Brown (that are todo's, you don't know exactly when there will be the situation during a break), than you go to this conference with a task and 2 todos.) One thing more: Let's say, the due time for a todo comes near, but you didn't complete it and you see the risk to miss the due time: In this case you might reserve some time for the todo as a task, where you do not plan and accept other tasks. (EPIM supports this.)

Well, rather lengthy, as I see now, but I hope, you find some interesting aspects in between. Also I think, that putting your question you knew in advance, that this is not a kind of question, where an answer could be done in one sentence.
moloko
Beta Team
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:38 pm

Post by moloko »

I am wondering how people use TO DOs and Schedule for bills and such. Since there is no re-occurring TO DO do you all use Schedule to do them or fill them out each month. I was hoping the intergration between EPIM and PALM was closer. With a PALM I can make a re-occurring TO DO.

So I am looking for tips and hints on how others are doing this. Yes I read everything in the forums and did searches here.

Prior to getting the Palm I just make everthing...bills, doc appts into a schedule with all day time. TO DOs were for like get milk or vacuum the floor.

Help me get more organized on this tool. I can test it all day and week as I have been but now I want to get more efficient in my daily work flow.



EDIT: Reading Cosmo's post does make things clear but does not offer a solution. So I am still curious to see how people make the work flow on their EPIMS
An "F" in english? Bobby you speak english.
paffett1069
Experienced
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:48 pm
Location: Ramstein, Germany

Post by paffett1069 »

After reading Getting Things Done (GTD), I started using my calendar strictly for commitments I have with another person or people. These are things that must take place at specific times and dates. The To Do list is full of personal things that are not necessarily time sensitive. Because EPIM does not yet support recurring To Do items, I will put recurring To Do items (pay bill, give dog pill, etc.) on my schedule as all day events. But remember to use the weekly view because the display of all day events is still bugged in the monthly view. I only disagree with Cosmo slightly, I feel a task is a piece of work that has to be finished within a certain time frame and not at a certain time. I feel an event (meaning an occurence) is a better way of describing something that happens at a specific place and time.

Just my two cents.
axhake
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Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:17 pm
Location: Essex, United Kingdon
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To-do v Calendar

Post by axhake »

I use two pieces of software to manage "To-do's" and "Calender" entries depending on what workstation i am using, why ? becouse I have purchased the software becouse it did what i needed at the time, as software progresses I re-evaluate and purchase what does the job best at that point in time.

I find that I use the "Calendar" for events that occur at spcific times that have a set duration.
They normaly consist of:
Event description
Note
Start Time
End Time
All day event
Priority
Percentage Complete
Repeat event option
Reminder before event

"To-Do" or "Task" items are set task's that need to be completed by a set time but have no fixed start.
They would normaly consist of:
Task description
Date "To-do" item was added
Target date for completion
Reminder date
Closed date
Assigned to
Priority - Colour code

The two pices of software I use are "EssentialPIM" and "Debrief", both have ther good points and bad, and I use them for different jobs.

Alan (axhake)
You4eea
Novice
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:03 pm

Re: calendar vs todo

Post by You4eea »

This has been a great thread. I figured I would throw in my two cents.

The concept to consider that might help when trying to decide the what, when, where, and how to use the calendar or the todo is to ask
yourself if the item you wanting to track is an "Action Item" or not.

I put all action items into the to do and all non-action items into calendar.

In general, most items I enter fall into three categories, they are, people, place/s or thing/s.
People = Birth dates, meetings, etc...
Place/s = Concerts, Events, etc...
Thing/s = Bills due dates, School papers due dates, Project due dates, etc...

These three categories are applicable to each role I play in my life, for example:
Business, Personal, Academia/school, etc...

Often people, places and things transcend into each role and the contacts grouping makes it easy to
apply those people, places, or things into each role very easily

Hope that helps.

You4eea
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