What are scheduled start dates?

1

I don’t understand the difference between a due date and a start date for scheduled tasks.

If a task has a due date that seems to me to be the start date. I have to go in and create due dates and start dates for the same day.

Functionally does it do something to schedule a start date Vs a due date?

2

Due date is a date that you have to finish your task. You can use it also when you delegate a task.
Start date is a date that you plan to work on particular task but there is no commitment to finish it. It is just a plan.

3

Functionally, how do they differ in Everdo?

If I set something as “started”, what happens?

I don’t notice anything happening different from next actions without start date.

4

It will appear in the focus list when the date comes

5

REALLY? Even if it has no due date?
Then what happens when it has a start date different from its due date?
It will show up twice?

6

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Gosh golly jee wiz! You are right. It appears in Focus without a due date. Interesting. I wonder what I can use that for…hmm…

I mean. If something is in my Focus list without a due date, I’m not gonna even see that.

Thank you.

7

The GTD people often talk about deferring tasks.
Using a start is like deferring that particular task into the future.
If I’m right it even won’t show up in your next action list because it’s a scheduled task and not a next action. But it is still a deferred action that turns into a next action at the start date.

8

Because of this, using the same start and due date is somewhat useless.

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9

Now that I think about it again, of course this can make sense in some situations.
But an action that starts and is due at the same day/time might deserve a place on your calendar.

10

What I mean is;
I think the focus list is inconsistent.

Something that is in the focus list without a due date, is no different than just a regular old next action.
So then, the next actions list becomes pointless. Focus and Next actions are now just the same list.

11

What are you talking about? :slight_smile: Focus list is a list that you use to see only items that you want to focus on. It contains items with due dates, items that you have planned to do at particular day and items that you manually marked as the most important for now. It allows you to build the list which contains tasks from any list, you can star a whole project or even reference list as a support material.

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12

So does the next list.

So does the next list

They’re already in the next list.

So now Next is hardly distinguishable from Focus.

13

There are two main distinctions.
Firstly, you can customize the Focus list. It is not possible to use filter options and achieves the same Next actions list as Focus list could be.
Secondly, you can add projects and references lists as a whole.

And the last but not least. On your Focus list you can have combined items from Next and Waiting and Scheduled lists

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14

Focus list is (or should be) much much shorter then the next list^^

15

Like I’ve been saying. Mine is about the same, but oh well. I never used the next list. Don’t see a single use for it when everything in it is already in the focus list , plus scheduled tasks and projects.

16

I really work a lot with start dates :slight_smile: I use them to keep my mind focused on about 5 tasks that I want to complete that day and with start dates I see exactly those in the focus list. First it’s about importance - what task from your next action list is the one you choose ? Of course what is due, but once the due tasks are done you have to sort through a maybe quite long list of next actions only to find out that you can’t do certain tasks because some stuff for it is still missing etc.

And then there are the big tasks, that take more than a day or week and you want to start them in time so you get them done when they are due. If you just let them sit in the NextAction List with a due date on it there is a good chance you miss the right date to start and suddenly there is too less time to complete it in time. Of course you can set a “due” date for the start and then you get a reminder for starting it, but then where do you put the due date ? You will end up with a Next Action List with mixed start or due dates and if you have a long list this creates chaos.

And the focus list has the psychological effect of giving you the feeling that you have achieved the important things of the day, while your next action list may still present you dozens of unfinished tasks :grinning:.

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