Question about "Profiles" and separating Work from Personal

[Eric Hart]

Hi Folks,

I am looking to separate work and personal.  I currently have them as two top-level folders in the outline.  But I would like two inboxes (and two "quick-entry" widgets on my Android phone).  So am looking at using "Profiles" on the Android platform, which looks to do what I want.

A few questions:

1. Profiles don't look to be the same on the Windows platform.  Would a new profile be a new "data file" with a corresponding "Synch Profile"?

2. Is there any way to move or copy existing tasks to the new profile?  Maybe copy the entire data file and delete everything I don't want?

3. Is it the case that EVERYTHING gets done from scratch in the new profile?  What can come over on Windows and Android platforms?

4. Is "profiles" a good way to go at all?  How do others separate work and personal?

Cordially,

Eric

[Stéph]

Hello Eric,

Here are some answers and my thoughts on your options for separating your work and home items:

1. Yes, a profile is a separate data file in Windows. You just need to make sure that, when you're synching, you've got the right file loaded in Windows.  If you're using WiFi synch, then your mobile will synch with whichever file is open on the desktop at the time.

2. I think I would do it the way you suggest - copy the whole file in Windows and then delete what you don't want.

3. If you save the file with a new name in Windows, it will save all the file appearance settings, contexts, flags, etc with it. Your custom views can be emailed across and opened in the mobile version on iOS, so I assume it's the same in Android.

4. Well, I wouldn't do it the way you suggest, because there are often times when I need to mix work and home tasks (eg if I'm going shopping and need to get something for work as well as home, or if I need to remember to make a dental appointment in the middle of my working day).  In fact, I have a single file set up in the same way as your's - with one root folder for home and another for work (plus one for "personal" and a final one for "community" - four quadrants). I have one, common in-box - That suits me, as it's no bother to send my tasks to the right folders from the in-box.

I think it would be more trouble than it's worth, trying to run two in-boxes.  If you want to separate home and work items at the time that you're putting them in the in-box, I think it would be easier to do that by adding @home and @work contexts (or flags) as you enter them into one, common in-box.  A view can always then be set up to show only the @home or @work items in the in-box.

As ever, MLO has the features (contexts, flags, folders, separate files) which allow you to set up your system in all sorts of ways. Good luck with finding what works best for you.

Stéphane

[Dwight]

Hi, Eric. My comments are inline, below.
-Dwight

On 6/15/2016 11:43 AM, Eric Hart wrote:

Hi Folks,

I am looking to separate work and personal.  I currently have them as two top-level folders in the outline.  But I would like two inboxes (and two "quick-entry" widgets on my Android phone).  So am looking at using "Profiles" on the Android platform, which looks to do what I want.

A few questions:

1. Profiles don't look to be the same on the Windows platform.  Would a new profile be a new "data file" with a corresponding "Synch Profile"?

You are using cloud sync, right? A profile on Android contains all of your contexts, tasks, folders and projects. An MLO file (*.ml) on Windows contains your contexts, tasks, folders and projects, it also contains your saved views, workspaces, and some of your choices in Settings. If your Android profile and windows MLO file are synching to the same cloud file then the contexts, tasks, folders and projects will be the same across the two platforms. (For this discussion, I am assuming that you are not using branch sync). Note that a "corresponding synch profile" would not be enough. You have to open up the (windows) synch profile and look at the Remote Data File (another name for cloud file) - it has to be the same as the cloud file on Windows.

If you want to have two profiles on Android then you should have two MLO files on Windows and two cloud files in the cloud system; be sure that the Work files on both platforms point to the identical cloud file, same for the Personal files on both platforms.

2. Is there any way to move or copy existing tasks to the new profile?  Maybe copy the entire data file and delete everything I don't want?

On both Android or Windows, you can copy a root level folder in one file and paste it into another file, all of the subtasks will be copies along with the parent. Views can be exported from one and imported into the other. For the most comprehensive everything-included copy, try this: On windows, use file explorer to make a new *ml file by copying your main file. Set it to synch to a new cloud file, then go ahead and synch. Next, create a new, empty Android profile. Do not create any tasks, folders or anything until after you have pointed it to the new cloud file and synched. When the profiles are all synched, go ahead and delete everything you don't want.

3. Is it the case that EVERYTHING gets done from scratch in the new profile?  What can come over on Windows and Android platforms?

I don't think I understand the question, maybe it is already answered?

4. Is "profiles" a good way to go at all?  How do others separate work and personal?

Accomplishing this thing by separate profiles has several significant advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include having separate inboxes and separate task-add shortcuts/windows. You mentioned both of these as requirements, that suggests that this is the right approach for you. This is also the easiest, most straightforward way of dealing with sections of your profile that have different sharing requirements, for example, you might want to share some sports-related tasks with your teammates without divulging anything about your work. Or your employer might not permit your personal tasks on the work network while welcoming job-related ones. You might want to synch work, personal and team profiles to your phone and home computer, only the work profile to your work computer, and only the team profile to your team. Disadvantages: If there is a task that could be done in either place (check weather forecast) you will have to enter it twice and then mark it completed twice. You will not be able to have a work task that's dependent on a personal task or vice versa. On Windows you can open two copies of MLO, one for each profile but on Android you may find yourself wasting time switching profiles a lot. One good way (there are others) of addressing these advantages is to have a Work context that includes all op the contexts you access from work and another for personal contexts, some contexts could be in both (calls) and some could be in neither (someday)

Cordially,

Eric

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[Dwight]

Hi, Stéph. I see that you answered this question while I was writing my
answer. Sorry, I wish I had noticed before sending my answer, I would
not want to appear to be stepping on your response. -Dwight


On 6/16/2016 5:41 PM, Stéph wrote:

[Stéph]

That's good, Dwight:  You answered from a cloud sync perspective and I answered from a Wi-Fi sync perspective. I see you have also added a few additional observations.  Between us both, we must have provided a pretty comprehensive answer!

I haven't tried experimenting with more than one instance of MLO open on my desktop at the same time.  I can see this is an advantage of cloud sync - you can synchronise both files / profiles at once.  I'll have to experiment with it, and reconsider my aversion to cloud sync.

Regards,

Stéphane

[Michael Emerald, CFA]

Hi.  Sorry for the late reply, but I have two profiles, as you suggested.  I do a save-as to create new files from old (that way my flags are preserved).

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