Add Project and Progress Action to OmniFocus

Creates a project in the folder you choose and adds a progress action to the project.

This shortcut creates a parallel project in the folder you choose and opens the project to facilitate adding further actions. A prefix is added to the name (🧭 by default) to help differentiate projects with a defined outcome from single action lists wherever project names appear, including Quick Entry.

The project name states the outcome you’re working towards. Some people describe the finished state (e.g., Ready for Trip to Ireland) and others describe the work itself (e.g., Plan Trip to Ireland). Either way, the name makes clear what completing the project means.

A progress action is a repeating action that represents your commitment to making regular progress on a project. It has a distinct tag (▶ Progress by default), an estimated duration, and repeats daily based on the completion date. By default, the progress action is deferred to today, and its note links back to the project, so you can get straight to work from wherever the action appears.

Initial Setup

You’ll be asked three questions when you install the shortcut. These answers can be changed later at the top of the shortcut by editing the corresponding Text action.

Project Prefix – Added to the front of every project name (e.g., a prefix of “🧭” results in a project of “🧭 Ready for Trip to Ireland”). You can change the prefix or leave it empty if you prefer not to use one.

Progress Tag – The tag applied to every progress action (e.g., ▶ Progress). This tag is created automatically if it doesn’t already exist.

Default Duration – The default amount of time (in minutes) for progress actions. When you run the shortcut, you can either use the default or enter a different duration.

Using the Shortcut

Run the shortcut and name the project based on its outcome (e.g., “Ready for Trip to Ireland” or “Plan Trip to Ireland”). Next, enter a full or partial folder name, or leave it blank to see all of your folders, then tap or click the one you want. Then enter the number of minutes you plan to spend each time you work on the project. The project is created in that folder with a progress action already in place, and the project opens in OmniFocus. If a project with that name already exists, that project opens, and nothing is created.

Related Shortcuts

Add Project to OmniFocus creates a project in the folder you choose. Add Progress Action to OmniFocus adds a progress action to a project you’ve already created.