A Since date would be the date a task became listed (visibly) on the Next, Waiting or Someday lists. Maybe I created the task straight onto that list on that date. Or maybe I dragged it there from somewhere else on that date. Or maybe it became automatically (sequentially) released to that list from a suspended/dependent condition within a project on that date (or became manually released from such a state). Or maybe it arrived from the tickler file (directly or indirectly) on that date.
I always try to remember to write this “since” date down on every task, but it is a lot of work and I often think twice and often forget, and I sometimes swear out loud when I notice that the date is missing. Why?
Waiting is perhaps the most obvious use case. If I asked someone to do something, or ordered something from a supplier, or was informed by someone or some company or authority that I can expect such and such in the near future and later discover that the results have not shown up, I usually want to know since when I have been waiting. My memory often slips me. If it has been too long I might need to consider reminding them or asking them, but if it actually has not been all that long, then maybe I can wait a bit longer. Also, if I do choose to remind them it is always good to have the date of their promise handy (sounds professional, and may make it easier for them to remember what I am talking about and more difficult for them to pretend they never heard of it).
Next is another list where a Since date can be very useful indeed. Here the situation is often the reverse. I may have promised or led someone to believe that I will do something for them reasonably soon, or maybe someone mentioned to me that they expect something, which I made a note of. Later on, when I review my list, I may have forgotten how long it has been since I heard that or made that promise. The “age” of the promise or expectation is one of several important factors that I tend to consider when determining what to do now - the age may impact the task’s urgency or priority to some extent. Another valuable use of the “since” date is while doing a general review. If a task has been sitting on the Next list very long it could be that there is something “wrong” with how it is listed - maybe it does not have the tags it would need; maybe the wording is not clear enough etc.
Someday/Maybe is my list of stuff that I am not sure whether I will ever want or need to do, or will ever have a chance to do. Some of it (a minority, in my experience) can be moved into Next once some hesitation has been eliminated, but most of the Someday/Maybe tasks just sit there and get old, just in case I would want to revive them or if I should ever get that same thought again. The Since date then can be a helpful tool to determine whether something should be moved into some reference file or even be trashed.
Simple Possible Implementation
Most apps have a “scheduled” date (tickler date). For tasks in Next, Waiting and Someday this date field is not used for anything at all. A Since date might be an excellent way to make good use of that “investment” in data space and screen space/layout.
Why a past date - why not a timer?
Now, someone might say “Why don’t you just set a timer for when you need to look at it?” My answer to that is:
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timers have no past memory. A timer simply does not answer the original question “since when have I had this on my list” and simply does not fulfill the function that a Since date has.
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all a timer does is it leaves it for you to solve the complex and totally unnecessary riddle "What was I actually thinking back then, whenever it was - I can’t even remember when. Why remind myself today? Was there something special about this particular day of all days? Or was today just an arbitrary day that sounded reasonable at the time I set up the timer?
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I don’t want to be disturbed by loads of timers going off, especially not since this will typically happen on days that are not convenient or nothing needs to be done yet about that task. Instead, I want my lists organized such that I can easily review whatever I want when it suits me.
A Since date is something I always suggest on app forums, and the suggestion usually meets with quite some approval from fellow users, but developers never pay much attention to this. As far as I know, no app has this. And I think I understand why. Although it is such a simple feature, very much in line with GTD thinking, it goes totally against the more “busy” and “time management” oriented thinking that pervades the industry, even in apps that call themselves GTD, with features such as alarms/reminders, nagging/snoozing, location alerts, target due dates etc etc etc etc etc - in other words features designed to actually escape the fundamental GTD principle of reviewing your lists, and to replace objective facts with premature timing decisions. Conversely, a Since date is an objective and review oriented feature, constantly available whenever you need to review the facts and make an informed decision right there and then.
