REQUEST: TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEW

[XnCelt]

AgendaOne version 1.00.3282

As a former Covey time managment instructor, I like your TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEWs. They act as a predesigned filter for displaying the tasks and appointments that you have slaved over in the task and calendar views . . . I like that they are designed to display what I have planned to work on for that period however . . . here are some suggested improvements.

#1
Don't worry about infringing on Covey "rights" to the idea of the Urgency Grid and using A,B,C to indicate "pay-off" and 1,2,3,4 for sequencing each of the alpha categories . . . Charles Hobbs another BYU prof came up with that idea years ago and put out training courses on the method before Franklin-Covey laid hold of the idea.

Use it I have been wishing MS would incorporate that in MS Outlook for years. Note that I saw another AgendaOne user posted a similar request.

#2
I like that in the Task view I can configure (1) grouping (2) sorting options. I would like to be able to configure the same options in the TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEW. I would also like to have the option to, with one global setting choose to 'apply my task view grouping and sorting setting to the TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEWs.

#3
I would also like to be able to hide future task on the TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEWs. I want to be able to see all my tasks on the Task view but not on the TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEWs. For example, when I look at the TODAY view I want to have it show my appointments for TODAY at the top and my tasks for TODAY grouped by Business and Personal categories then sorted by COMPLETE and then sorted by IMPORTANCE. I don't want high priority task for 3 days from now filtered to the top of the TODAY view. I DON'T THINK THIS IS JUST A NICE TO HAVE OPTION . . . THE LACK OF THIS FEATURE JUST ABOUT RENDERS AGENDAONE USABLE.

PS I do the future task filtering in MS Outlook with the following SQL logic: STARTDATE ON OR BEFORE TODAY - you might also want to do it STARTDATE ON TODAY

Thanks,

XnCelt

[Alex_DevOne]

Thank you very much for the suggestions and the rationale for implementing them. I will be sure to share your ideas with the Development Team.

[XnCelt]

Please, Please, Please . . . I paid good money for this . . . it has to work right! You can't call the TODAY view a TODAY view if it does not hide future tasks!

I REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE to be able to hide FUTURE TASKS on the TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEWs. I want to be able to see all my tasks on the Task view but not on the TODAY, WEEK & AGENDA VIEWs. For example, when I look at the TODAY view I want to have it show my appointments for TODAY not Tasks I have scheduled for future dates.

PS I do the future task filtering in MS Outlook with the following SQL logic: STARTDATE ON OR BEFORE TODAY - you might also want to do it STARTDATE ON TODAY

[XnCelt]

AgendaOne version 1.00.3282

I discovered that one of the "future" tasks that was showing up on my TODAY view had a start date of 11/21 (today) but a due date for 11/22 . . . so it looks like the task appear on the TODAY view based on the start date . . . I was confused because the due date is displayed as the second line of each task entry on the TODAY view.

I think I need to find a comprehensive manual for this product . . . does it exist?

XnCelt

[Alex_DevOne]

We do have a user guide in progress, and in the mean time we have set up a FAQ page here: http://www.developerone.com/agendaone/help.htm

[lilyblossomtv]

I have to agree that it is very, very frustrating that tasks do not seem to sort in task view. If you have more than one or two tasks it makes it very hard to know which is more important.

I think I mentioned this in another thread but I also find the task view unusable because undated tasks show at the top if I sort by date (earliest due at top). This really doesn't make sense because undated tasks clearly do not need to be completed before tasks that are due to start or finish tomorrow or the next day, etc.

I can see that it is possible to set colours for different status's, however, I am not sure where this is implemented. For example, it would be very useful if all overdue tasks were displayed in a different coloured text (on all views). I am using the 1 line display on the Today page so overdue tasks are not apparent.

Future tasks do not seem to show up on the Today, etc views for me, not sure why others are having problems?

It was me who wanted the A, B, C & D settings, I would really like to have it. However, don't add too much, simplicity is definitely the key to this software.

Otherwise, love the software and thanks for the last update. Entering dates on the keyboard really speeds things up.

Phillip

[marisa4755]

A, B, C etc settings would be extremely helpful, please see if this could be included in future updates

[XnCelt]

If the Developer One programmers have not studied Stephen Covey's time management teachings then I am afraid that you might implement it incorrectly.

Here my explanation of the Urgency/Important matrix and how the A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2 works.

There is a difference between the urgency and pay-off of a task. You determine how urgent a task is and how high or low the pay-off by considering the Urgency/Pay-off matrix that Stephen Covey and Charles Hobbs have been teaching about for years. BTW Charles Hobbs time management course was bought by the DayTimer Company so both Franklin-Covey and DayTimer both feature the same time mangement methodology.

Here is the matrix:

Urgent tasks: those that are screaming for attention.
High pay-off tasks: those that lead to goals upon which you place high personal value

(1) Not urgent & low pay-off | (2) Not urgent & high pay-off
(3) Urgent & low pay-off | (4) Urgent & High Pay-off

-- Tasks that are in quadrant (1) tend to NOT get done.
-- Tasks that are in quadrant (4) get done ( they usually got to this state because they were procrastinated until they became urgent )
-- Tasks that are in quadrant (2) tend to get procrostinated (unfortunately)
-- Tasks that are in quadrant (3) are tasks that we waste our time doing instead of doing high pay-off tasks

Proper use of the A1,A2,A3...,B1,B2,B3...C1,C2,C3 urgency/importance "task labeling" method is:

Alpha characters represent importance
Numerical characters represent sequence

This methodology helps you spend your time on tasks that are high pay-off! Since one may have several high pay-off tasks do be done, numbering them helps one determine in what order to do the highest pay-off tasks.

Here is an example: I have two tasks run 1 mile and do my expense reports so I can pay a bill.

My personal values:
1) Maintain my health
2) Keep a good credit rating

Which should I do first. With the MS Outlook and the Agenda One method of assigning importantance I am not differentiating between URGENCY and importance. Doing my expense report is URGENT; running the mile is not. I feel a sense of urgency about getting that $1000 back and want to drop everything and do it right now since I have to get my expense report turned in with-in 60 days of the expense and today is day 59.

Using Agenda One I would put an "!" on both tasks. But which should I do first. They both are high pay-off tasks but one should be done before the other.

My sense of urgency says do the expense report first; my sense of what is more important to me base on my life values (my health) says run.

The Covey/DayTimer scheme helps me identify them both as IMPORTANT but also identify which to do first.

A1 - run
A2 - do the expense report
C1 - watch the Today show (this is clearly of less value although it would be an easy way to procrastinate both of the above tasks)

Alex, let me know what you think. Are you familiar with these concepts? Is anyone on your staff? If not I would suggest, reading Stephen Covey's book "First Things First" http://www.amazon.com/First-Things-Learn-Leave-Legacy/dp/0684802031

XnCelt

[Administrator]

Thanks XnCelt, we are familiar with the Urgency/Important matrix and have this implemented in Agenda Fusion. We will review this request with the Development Team.

[minktoast]

Another vote for the above requested features please - I use the Covey method of prioritisation too.

(Many thanks for Agenda One it loos outstanding! Can't wait to get it all customised.)

[Administrator]

FYI:

The latest update (1.1.4418) now includes the option in the Task View to select how many days of future tasks that display within this view.

You will find this in the Task View under Menu > Filter > Future Tasks.

Thanks!

[graylion]

I will also agree we would very much like to have the option of filtering out future tasks. I currently set all start times to none but this seems a second choice answer that creates another step.

Even if we had the option to set all new tasks as start date none. Now if we could add the future task filtering we could start using the start date's again.

I am also a user of the covey task matrix and would very much appreiciate an upgrade of this nature. I would pay more for this upgrade as this interacts with every aspect of my life (business and personal).

Thank you for providing the best SP and PPC PIM on the market do date.

We are very pleased that you have kept is lean and easy and realize there is a fine line between features and ease of use.

Thanks for your efforts and hard work.

Regards

[graylion]

This is great! I am so happy to see this.

Now does this only work on the task view or does it also roll to the today view?

Thanks

[Administrator]

This is great! I am so happy to see this.

Now does this only work on the task view or does it also roll to the today view?

Thanks
This is only for the Task view. Also, in case you missed it, under Global Settings there is also a "Create Tasks as Undated" setting that defaults the start and end dates of a Task to "None" if you wish.

[graylion]

Well I am very pleased to have the Future Task Filtering for tasks. May we request that we have this new option for the tasks on the today screen as well.

Thanks again for the great program.

[Cybergator]

Is development of Fusion underway for use on Smartphone? I have Blackjack with WM5 and use Agenda One but readig the posts it sure sounds like I would prefer the robustness of Fusion instead!

[Developer One Support]

Agenda One is our version of Agenda Fusion for the Smartphone, it is intended to be a simpler program. And due to the limitations of the keyboards, no touch-screen and the operating system, we do not desire to try to duplicate the Agenda Fusion experience on a Smartphone as it would be cumbersome in functionality.