Task Management with OmniFocus

Manage the user's personal tasks and projects through the of CLI. Apply GTD principles to clarify work.

Use for: Tasks, inbox processing, project planning, follow-ups, meeting action items Not for: Code implementation planning, technical architecture

CLI Reference

Inbox

bash

of inbox ls                      # List inbox items
of inbox count                   # Get inbox count
of inbox add "Task name"         # Quick capture
of inbox add "Task" --note "Details" --due "Friday" --flagged

Tasks

bash

of task ls                       # List all tasks
of task ls --flagged             # Flagged tasks only
of task ls --project "ProjectName"
of task ls --tag "waiting"
of task create "Task" --project "Project" --tag "home" --due "tomorrow"
of task view "task-id"
of task update "task-id" --flagged --due "next week"
of task delete "task-id"

Projects

bash

of project ls                    # List active projects
of project ls --folder "Work"
of project create "Project Name" --folder "Area" --sequential
of project update "project-id" --status "on hold"

Search & Views

bash

of search "keyword"              # Search tasks by name/note
of perspective ls                # List perspectives
of perspective view "Today"      # View tasks in perspective

Tags & Folders

bash

of tag ls                        # List tags with usage
of folder ls                     # Folder hierarchy

Date Formats

Flexible: today, tomorrow, Friday, next week, in 3 days, 2024-01-15, Jan 15

Action Clarity

Transform vague into concrete:

Vague	Concrete
"Follow up with client"	"Draft email about contract terms"
"Handle the thing"	"Call vendor about pricing"
"Work on presentation"	"Outline three key points for deck"

Focus on effort, not results:

Outcome-focused	Controllable
"Close the deal"	"Send proposal by Tuesday"
"Get approval"	"Submit complete proposal for review"

Project vs Single Action: If multiple steps required, it's a project. Always identify the immediate next action first.

Common Workflows

Quick Capture: of inbox add "The thing they mentioned"

Process Inbox: Review each item, decide: delete, do now, delegate, defer, or file with of task update "item-id" --project "Relevant Project"

Weekly Review: of project ls + of task ls --tag "waiting" + of perspective view "Review"

Communication Style

Frame naturally: "Sounds like the next step is drafting that email?" / "Should I add that to your inbox?"

Avoid: "Here's your GTD structure with contexts..."

Principles

•Concrete beats vague: Actual next step, not intention
•Controllable beats outcome: Effort over results
•Capture beats remember: Get it into OmniFocus immediately