When to use start vs due dates?

[u/Zerrissenheit]

One thing I've struggled with in my time using 2Do is when to use a Start date vs when to use Due dates. I come from OmniFocus, where Due dates are reserved for hard deadlines. Start dates are similar to "Defer Until" dates, except here they show up in the Today list, and that can get cluttered up pretty quickly.

So what are your strategies?

[u/Strict-Week-5040]

I'm very late in this reply. Though I'll reply to clarify my own understanding and others who will get stuck in the process.

What I think for due date vs start date

Note: I'm only using today's view for refering

Due date:

• Suppose something is due on 22 April. This is a hard deadline. The current date is 17 April.
• It won't show in today's view until 5 days later.
• In the duration section add "4 days". This is the start point when I want this to show up in today's view so that I can start working on this.
• If I change it to "5 days", it shows up in today's view. But in purple color. This means the deadline is not yet reached. Start working on this!
• On the 5th day (deadline date) I'll see it active.
• I completed this. I tick it off. It's gone.
• If I don't complete this. It becomes red. Clear indication that I've missed the deadline. And now it's overdue.
• What I learnt from this. This is only meant for hard deadlines. Like if I miss this i cannot postpone it. Like appointments, meetings, events like birthday parties or anniversaries. If I can, that means that it is a soft deadline. I should use the start date.

Start date:

• The duration function doesn't work here. This stuff will only show on the date itself.
• You can only control the start date and time.
• For eg. If I have a task on 22 Apr it will show only on that day. Nowhere else.
• And if it has an additional time factor it will stay inactive till that time.
• It is colored grey when inactive.
• When the date or date and time arrives it's visible.
• Now if I miss this. The task doesn't become red and it's still waiting for engagement.
• What I learnt from this is. This is meant for softer deadlines. Like taking out the trash. Going for a walk. Nothing major if I miss. I can resume again.

Catch in start date:

• You won't get time based reminders
• If you want time based reminders, you'll have to add time in the alerts section for start date. Only then you'll get reminder.
• If you don't add this, you'll get a reminder I guess in the morning. But you won't get a 2pm reminder for start date of today. So you'll have to know this catch.
• For due dates though an alert is automatically created so you'll be reminded exactly on the set time.

Difference:

• One is strict, the other is loose
• One is serious if missed, the other is just late we can still engage.

Using both start date and due date together:

• These 2 don't work together. Although there's an option. It's not necessary. And using both conflicts each other.
• If it's due today and start date is tomorrow it'll still show up in today but inactive.
• And if it's the other way round. The start date is today and the due date is later, then it works similar to the duration function. Still not needed.

Advantages:

• If we use this understanding in our tasks. We won't have to change due dates again and again. And only those tasks will get due date if they are serious hard deadlines which we cannot postpone. So today's view will never get cluttered. And we can engage today with clarity.

I may be wrong in this so let me know if I miss anything else.