I had the privilege of reviewing Creating Flow with OmniFocus 2 by Kourosh Dini and I took many positive influences from it. In fact, the mainstay of my current setup is down to the advice and recommendations that are laid out in the book.

Learn how to make effective use of OmniFocus as you navigate your life and work. Owning this powerful app doesn't automatically make you more productive. For OmniFocus to truly live up to its promise, you'll need to get into the habit of using it regularly. As a Learn OmniFocus Member you’ll have full access to our extensive (and growing) library of articles, videos, and in-depth courses. Interactive LIVE Sessions Participate in engaging and interactive LIVE sessions that support you in making productive use of OmniFocus and complementary apps. A great youtube channel, hosted by Richard Baker, focused on Mac & iOS tutorials. He’s produced a ton of content—check out the iPad Masterclass, iPhone Masterclass, and Mac Masterclass, all about OmniFocus. Using OmniFocus by Joe Buhlig. Joe’s blog is dedicated to productivity, both Mac and “real world.”.

This post is being created as a direct result of the book. Now I am able to compartmentalize certain areas of my life and block out all of the ‘stuff’ that doesn’t currently need my attention. I’ve developed a writing habit which allows me to comfortably produce over 1,000 words per day and I know exactly when they are going to be written.

Omni Automation Plug-Ins for OmniFocus For your convenience, the Omni Automation plug-ins (actions) contained in this website’s documentation for OmniFocus are listed here. All plug-ins are fully documented on their “More info” links, and are completely user-editable, should you wish to make changes or alterations.

I’m comfortable with the decisions that I’m making and the actions that I am not currently taking–mainly because of this book.

I’m not going to give you a detailed summary of the contents. It is so valuable I’d recommend buying the book in order to fully embrace the philosophies that Kourosh suggests. Instead of a summary I’d like to discuss one specific aspect of my setup which has been heavily influenced by Creating Flow with OmniFocus 2 and that is Dashboard Perspectives.

If you are still reading this post, then I’m going to assume that you are an OmniFocus user and understand the concept of Perspectives. They are great because in order to reach our productivity potential, we need to be able to focus solely on the tasks that are important and available now whilst blocking out the noise that can siphon our attention away from the actions that really matter now.

To this end, the most used Perspective I have configured at the moment is, without doubt, the Dashboard perspective (others call this the Today perspective. I’m very simple. I just call it – Dashboard. In fact, I didn’t realise how simple I was until I typed that line!

The configuration for the Dashboard really is pretty basic. I don’t follow a project hierarchy, instead using the context view. The reasons for this are two-fold. One, I use this perspective on both my iPad and iPhone and perspectives based on the project hierarchy will not be available for view on these devices. Secondly, I like to be able to look at the day’s tasks organized by the different modes I will find myself in. What needs doing on my laptop at the office? Which calls do I need to make? When I meet up with my boss later, what key points do I need to discuss with him? This is all going to be displayed within my Dashboard perspective.

The options in the Presentation section differ dependent on the hierarchy you have decided to base your perspective on. By not using the project hierarchy, you have the ability to be able to group by Contexts I also sort them by their Due date.

The key configuration that supports the use case of the Dashboard perspective comes within the Filtering section. By setting the Filter by Status option to Due Or Flagged, only tasks that have a Due date of today (or has an upcoming due date, dependent on how you have configured this in Preferences), or tasks that are flagged, are present. This allows you to have a snapshot view of all of the key tasks you either have to, or would strongly like to, achieve today. All of the other cruft is gone.

There are many ways that you can utilize this to fit your own workflow and style of doing things. Personally, I populate my dashboard with the following, however there is no right or wrong way to do it, only your way that works for you.

When I complete my review of how the day has gone (I use Day One), I follow up with an OmniFocus review. I look at my Forecast to see what I have being released from their Defer status over the following days, as well as upcoming due tasks. If I want to clear one of these Due tasks early, I will flag it so it appears in the Dashboard perspective. I will then move to my Quarterly Goal perspective. This is a custom perspective that I created which lists the five primary goals I set myself for the quarter, alongside 3 secondary goals. Each of these goals has a link to a project within OmniFocus stored in the Notes field. I will decide which goal I have capacity to work towards, click the relevant link in the Notes field and flag either the project (if there are several short tasks that can be done) or the first available task itself. This then appears in my Dashboard perspective.

All maintenance tasks that really should be done at regular intervals appears as Flagged tasks, with repeating Defer dates (unless of course it is mission critical maintenance that has to happen on a certain date. However I really don’t have many of these). Most of my household chores appear and are subsequently closed down on Saturday. Electronic device maintenance on a Sunday as well as the essential OmniFocus Review (this is a DUE tasks on a Sunday. If I don’t do my review, I don’t function. It’s also scheduled into my Calendar).

There is nothing stopping you from taking this to the next level and having Dashboards for individual contexts. For example, I have a Home Dashboard which has exactly the same configuration as the regular Dashboard, but it focuses solely on a folder I have called Home. This houses all of my home projects and maintenance tasks. I have a Tech Dashboard for all of my technology maintenance tasks and projects, as well as a Study one for all of the studying and reading I am currently undertaking for both my career and personal improvement.

It should be noted that you need to have the Pro version of OmniFocus in order to fully leverage custom perspectives. I find this to be money very well spent, however because I am able to power through my tasks really quickly through the day without having to wade through a running list of tasks that don’t really warrant my attention. I can plan my days effectively, ensuring the core tasks, or MIT’s or knocked out as soon as possible.

Dashboards are just the tip of the iceberg in Creating Flow with OmniFocus. There are many hints and tips for how to deal with recurring tasks, link to external applications like OmniOutliner (something I am leveraging a lot now that the iOS app is universal), setup more custom perspectives. It really is a good read.

So if you are an OmniFocus user who doesn’t currently utilize some form of Today Dashboard, I urge you to set one up and just go play with it, see how it works for you and what you need to do to make it work for you. You’ll notice the change in your output very quickly.

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For your convenience, the Omni Automation plug-ins (actions) contained in this website’s documentation for OmniFocus are listed here. All plug-ins are fully documented on their “More info…” links, and are completely user-editable, should you wish to make changes or alterations.

Installing the Plug-Ins

Detailed instructions regarding the installation and removal of plug-ins is available in the Plug-Ins documentation. Other related Plug-In Links: Automation Controls • Edit Plug-Ins • Assign Keyboard Shortcuts

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APPLICATION
Omni Automation Website

This action will display a form from which you can choose which page in the OmniFocus section to display. Such as: Plug-In Collection, Action Templates, etc.

PROJECT
Create Packing List for Trip

Action uses Forms to present input controls for creating and displaying a packing list based on title and date parameters entered by the user.

PROJECT
Sort Non-Sequential Project Tasks by Name

This action will alphabetically sort the tasks of the selected non-sequential project.

TASK
Copy Tags Between Selected Tasks

This plug-in copies the tags of a chosen task to the other selected tasks selected in the OmniFocus window.

PROJECT/TASK
Adopt Tags from Tag Groups

This action plug-in will “adopt” the tags contained in tag groups that are assigned to the selected task or project.

APPLICATION
Tag Check

This action plug-in will select all tags whose name matches the provided title. If the tag is not found, an option to create and reveal it will be offered.

TASK
Clear Tags from Selected Tasks

This action will clear all tags assigned to the selected tasks.

PROJECT
Clear Tags from Selected Projects

This action will clear all tags assigned to the selected projects.

APPLICATION
Import Tags from File

This action will convert the paragraphs of the chosen text file into OmniFocus tags.

TASK
Display Parent Project of Selected Task

This action will focus the display of the parent project of the selected task.

PROJECT
Move Selected Projects into New Folder

Plug-in will move the selected projects into a folder created using the user-provided name. Option to ensure that folder name be unique.

TASK
Move Selected Tasks into New Project

Here’s an action plug-in that will move the selected tasks into a new project created using the user-provided name.

TASK
Move Selected Tasks into New Action Group

Move the selected tasks into a new top-level action group.

TASK
Duplicate Selected Tasks

This action will duplicate the selected tasks in their parent container.

TASK
Duplicate Selected Tasks and Set New Due Date

This action will duplicate the selected tasks in their parent container, and assign the user-provided date as the due date.

TASK
Tag Tasks whose Notes Contain…

This action will add the provided tag to every task whose note field contains the provided string.

TASK
Send Task Link

Here’s an example action plug-in that creates a new mail message containing a OmniFocus URL for generating a copy of the selected task.

APPLICATION
Send Database Backup

This action will add a copy of the OmniFocus database to a new outgoing mail message.

PROJECT/TASK
Open Project|Action Note URL

This action will open the URL string that is the value of the note of the selected action.

TASK
Delete All Tasks Tagged with Tag

This action will delete all tasks that have been tagged with the specified tag.

TASK
Set Time Zone Type for All Tasks

Converts the time zone type for all tasks to the chosen type.

TASK
Copy Selected OmniFocus Tasks to OmniPlan

This action creates copies of the selected OmniFocus tasks in the current OmniPlan project.

PROJECT
Push-Out Project Due Date

Will add specified number of days to due date of selected projects. If project has no due date, target date will be based upon today.

TASK
iCal File for Task

This action will create an iCal (ics) file matching the parameters of the currently selected task.

APPLICATION
Import TaskPaper Document

This action will import the contents of the chosen TaskPaper document.

APPLICATION
Import Chosen TaskPaper into Selected Folder

This action will import the contents of the chosen TaskPaper document into the selected folder.

PROJECT
Export Selected Projects to TaskPaper File

(macOS) This action will export plain-text descriptions of the selected projects to a new TaskPaper document.

TASK
New Link-Back Task

Creates a new task in the Inbox with a link to the selected task placed in the notes of the new task.

Omnifocus Youtube Live

TASK
Repeating Task Rule Info

This action will display an alert showing the ICS rule string and repetition method of the selected project or task.

TASK
Add Chosen Files to Task

This action will add chosen files as attachments to the selected task.

TASK
Add Chosen Files to Task as Links

This action will add chosen files as file links to the selected task.

TASK
Export All Task Attachments

This action will export all of the attachments of the selected tasks into a new folder placed in a user-chosen directory.

APPLICATION
Add Today’s Forecast

Creates a new window (tab on macOS) displaying the forecast for the current day.

APPLICATION
Add 7-Day Forecast

Creates a new window (tab on macOS) displaying the forecast for the next seven days.

TASK
Tasks to Projects

Convert the selected tasks into projects placed at either the beginning or ending of the library, or in a new folder placed at the beginning or ending of the library.

APPLICATION
Add Chosen Perspective

This action will open a new tab (macOS) or new window (iOS or iPadOS) displaying the chosen perspective.

TASK
Copy Plaintext & Delete

Copy a plaintext list of task titles and delete the selected tasks.

TASK
Complete and Await Reply

Mark the currently selected task as complete and add a new task to await the reply.

APPLICATION
Select All Items in View

This action will select all of the tasks and/or projects in the current content view. (macOS only)

PROJECT
Push Out All Deferred Projects

This action will push out all deferred projects the entered number of days.

APPLICATION
Delete All Unused Tags

This action will delete all tags that have not been associated with items.

TASK
Append to Note

(v3.8.2+) This action will append the provided text (and optional date/time stamp) to the end of the note of the selected task.

TASK
Assign Tags to Tasks

(iPadOS/iOS) This action will display a list of all tags (sorted), any or all of which may selected to be assigned to the selected tasks.

APPLICATION
Eisenhower Matrix (tags)

The Eisenhower Matrix as a set of 4 plug-ins perfect for the assignment of keyboard shortcuts. Tag selected projects and/or tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix from the keyboard!

TASK
Note to File

This action will save the note text of the selected task to a file.

Omnifocus Youtube Channel

TASK
Note to Email

This action will add the note text of the selected task to a new outgoing mail message.

APPLICATION
Export Custom Perspective (v3.9)

Exports the chosen custom perspective to file.

APPLICATION
eMail Custom Perspective (v3.9)

Creates a new outgoing mail message with the chosen custom perspective.

APPLICATION
Share Clipboard Text

Here’s a useful plug-in that summons the system Share Panel to share the current text contents of the clipboard.

TEMPLATE
New Task with Tasks

This plug-in creates a new task with the specified sub-tasks. Empty fields will be ignored.

TASK
Add Call Task

This plug-in will create a new task with a call link in its notes.

TASK
Add FaceTime Task

This plug-in will create a new task with a FaceTime call link in its notes. Option to make FaceTime Audio call.

TAG
Toggle Tag Status

This plug-in will toggle the status of the selected tag between active and on-hold. The status of any child tags will changed as well.

PASTEBOARD
Clipboard Objects to Markdown

Converts the OmniFocus objects currently copied to the clipboard, into a series of markdown text links, replacing the current clipboard contents with the markdown text.

PASTEBOARD
Clipboard to New Bear Note

Creates a new note in the Bear app with the text contents of the OmniFocus pasteboard.

TEMPLATE
New Project with Tasks

Creates a new project containing the specified tasks.

PASTEBOARD
Sort Active Tasks by Creation

Places on the clipboard a list of Markdown links to all active tasks sorted by creation date. Works with “Clipboard to New Bear Note”

PROJECT
Focused Outline Items to New Project

Create a new OmniFocus project containing the focused OmniOutliner items as tasks.

PASTEBOARD
Clipboard Text to Drafts

Creates a new draft in the Drafts app with the text contents of the OmniFocus pasteboard.

EXPORT
Export Contents to Drafts TaskPaper

This plug-in creates a new note in the Drafts app with the displayed contents expressed in TaskPaper format.

TASK MANAGEMENT
Kanban Board

A plug-in for creating and maintaining a tag-based Kanban Board in OmniFocus where the Kanban categories are displayed as stack of horizontal sections.

NAVIGATION
Show 1st Active Forecast Day

Selects the first forecast day in the Forecast perspective that has a positive badge count.

TRAINING
Learn OmniFocus Website

Provides a menu for quickly accessing resources on the Learn OmniFocus website.

IMPORT
Import TaskPaper Template

Presents a menu of the TaskPaper files stored in iCloud > OmniFocus > TaskPaper Templates folder. Chosen template will be imported.

ADJUST
Task Date Controls

A bundle plug-in providing actions for quickly changing defer and due dates of selected tasks.

TASK
Quick Appointment

Presents an interface for quickly creating an appointment task.

TASK
Add Standard Notifications

Replaces existing notifications of the selected task with: day before task due date/time; morning of task due date/time; and hour before task due date/time.

TASK
Process Inbox (Scotty Jackson)

Based upon a concept by Scotty Jackson, this plug-in will iterate each inbox task prompting the user to choose a set of procedures to apply to the iterated task.