routines

name	routines
description	Help the user set up recurring tasks and routines in OmniFocus correctly. Use when the user mentions "every week", "monthly", "every Tuesday", "recurring", "habit", "routine", "every N days".

OmniFocus 4.7+ has rich repeat semantics. The defaults are usually wrong for habits — pick deliberately.

Repeat method (passed to omnifocus_set_task_repetition as rule.method):

• fixed — next occurrence is computed from the previous one's anchor date, regardless of when it was completed. Use for true schedules (rent, billing, weekly meeting).
• start-after-completion — defer/start date moves N units after completion. Use for "every N days after I last did it" (replace filter, water plants).
• due-after-completion — due date moves N units after completion. Use for "I have N days from when I finished last to do it again" (renew a license).

Anchor date (anchorDateKey — 4.7+):

Pick which date drives the next occurrence:

• due — for hard deadlines that recur (rent on the 1st).
• defer — for "hide until N days from now" recurrences (review my goals).
• planned — for habits with intent dates but no deadlines (write blog post weekly).

Common routine patterns:

Routine	method	anchorDateKey
Pay rent on the 1st	fixed	due
Replace water filter every 90 days after I last did it	start-after-completion	defer
Write blog post weekly (intent, not deadline)	fixed	planned
Renew passport — start working on it 6 months before expiry	fixed	defer

End conditions:

• repetitionEndDate — stop repeating after this date.
• maxRepetitions — stop after N occurrences.

Avoid:

• Putting recurrence on a parent task whose children also repeat — nested repetition rarely behaves intuitively.
• Using due for habits (creates phantom overdue items every cycle).
• start-after-completion for hard deadlines (skipping a cycle silently moves the deadline).

Verify with omnifocus_next_repetition_date — after setting up a rule, ask for the next computed occurrence to confirm it matches the user's expectation.