Re: How do you manage complex project with Org-mode

[Sébastien Gendre]

Hello Matt,

Thanks for your reply and advice. :)

I already use Org-mode since a few years and it work great with little
tasks. Tasks that take a few hours maximum. My workflow is GTD, or
something very close (I'm not an expert of this subject).

My concern was more for school works that need many days. I don't want
to see, too late, on my agenda, a work to do. Like seeing 3 days before
the deadline that I need to do a 5 days work. It never append because,
when I got a lot to do for school, I stop using Org-mode to don't take
the risk. So, in reality, I don't know if it will append. Maybe it's an
irrational fear. But, because I often got a lot of work to do for school,
I spend a lot of time not using Org-mode.


Matt <matt@excalamus.com> writes:

>  ---- On Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:43:47 -0500 Sébastien Gendre <seb@k-7.ch> wrote 
> ----
>
>  > And I don't know how to manage this kind of projects with Org-mode. How
>  > to do it, without failing a 6 days project because I spent to much time
>  > on something else and I have only 3 days left with 3 half-day important
>  > appointment I cannot cancel. I can't risk failing a single one of these
>  > project by trying. So, when I am in a period with a lot of these
>  > projects, I stop using Org-mode and concentrate on doing these project
>  > as fast as I can. And because I often have this kind of project, I spend
>  > most of the year without being able to use Org-mode.
>
> It sounds like you have a lot going on! If none of what you need to do
> explicitly requires Org, you may have to scale back what you learn
> about Org to fit the time you've got. Give yourself permission to
> accept that the time you have right now for Org isn't what you want.
> (I hope that's because you're learning lots of other cool things in
> school.) In situations like these, I like to do just a little each
> day. Maybe that means reading one paragraph a night before bed. It
> sounds like you're really excited about Org. (If you are, you've come
> to the right place. The people here love Org :) Reading about Org
> would be something fun to look forward to each night. You might be
> surprised at how motivating that one little paragraph can be! Working
> through the manual in this way will give you a good overview of how
> Org can be used and what you personally might use Org it for.
>
>  > So, if you have any suggestion on how to manage, in Org-mode, projects
>  > with:
>  > * Lot of work to do (many days)
>  > * Short deadline (not enough time)
>  > * High importance (disastrous consequences in my future in case of fail)
>  > * Many of them in the same time
>  > * Progression need to be followed to chose where to sacrifice time to
>  >   limit the damages
>  > 
>  > I will be happy to read them. :)
>
> My suggestion is to not try something new on anything that has a tight
> deadline. Org is new to you and learning things takes time. This is
> all normal. Life will throw a lot at you. Some times all I get is 20
> minutes at the end of the day. Some days, I get nothing at all. This
> is because I've filled my life with other cool things, like a partner,
> a house, friends, etc. If I get to spend some time doing something I
> think is worthwhile (like trying to help a fellow Org enthusiast),
> that's time well spent in my book.
>
> Isn't there some saying that goes like, "every avalance starts as a 
> snowflake?" Read a little, experiment a little, and over time, you'll be 
> surprised at how much you've learned. You'll get there!