Tasks and projects
A task is one thing to do. A project is a list of tasks that belong together. This guide covers both, from adding a task to arranging projects inside each other.
On this page
Add a task#
Press q anywhere in a task list, type, and press Enter. The box stays focused so you can add several in a row.
You can fill in details as you type:
Order new taps friday #Home @errand p2 +20mThis creates "Order new taps", due Friday, in the project Home, with the label errand, priority 2 and an estimate of 20 minutes. Chips under the box show what was understood before you press Enter. The quick add reference has every word and symbol it knows.
New tasks without a project land in the Inbox. Tasks added inside a project go into that project, and tasks added in Today are due today.
Edit a task#
Click a task, or select it with j / k and press Enter, to open its panel. Every change is saved as you make it; there is no Save button.
In the panel you can change:
- Title and Notes. Notes can have headings, bold and italic text, links, and bullet, numbered and check lists.
- Project, Section and Parent task, to move it somewhere else.
- Priority, from P1 (most important) to P4 (the default).
- Due, a date with an optional time.
- Reminders, Estimate and Repeat. See Recurring tasks and reminders and Time blocking.
- Labels, Subtasks and, further down, Comments and History.
Close the panel with Esc or the × at the top. On a phone the panel covers the list; close it to go back.
Quick changes from the list#
You don't have to open a task to change it. Select it and press:
| Key | Does |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Set the priority |
| c | Complete or reopen |
| L | Add labels (type to search, Enter to add or create) |
| e | Set the estimate (20, 45m, 1h30) |
| s | Schedule it on the Day calendar |
| Delete | Move it to the Trash |
Write notes#
The notes field formats as you type. Start a line with - for a bullet list, 1. for a numbered list, [ ] for a checklist or # for a heading. Select text and press Ctrl+B for bold or Ctrl+K for a link (⌘ on a Mac). If two of your devices edit the same note at the same time, both sets of changes are kept.
Dates and times#
A due date is just a calendar day, and a time is the time on the clock where you are. A task due Tuesday at 09:00 shows Tuesday at 09:00 on every device, even when you travel.
For things that happen at a fixed moment, like a call with someone in another country, tick Fixed to time zone under Due (or press z with the panel open). The task is then tied to your current time zone, and devices elsewhere show it converted to their local time, with the original time as a hint.
Complete, reopen and delete#
Click the circle next to a task, or press c. Completed tasks move to Completed in the sidebar, where you can reopen them.
Deleting a task (the Delete button in the panel, or Delete in the list) moves it to the Trash, along with its subtasks. You can restore it from there. See Trash and history.
Break a task into subtasks#
Big tasks are easier as a few small steps. To add one:
- open the task and type in Add subtask, or
- select the task in the list and press a.
Subtasks appear indented under their parent, and the parent shows your progress, like 1/3. You can nest subtasks inside subtasks.
To turn an existing task into a subtask, select it and press Tab: it moves under the task above it. Shift+Tab moves it back out. You can also pick a Parent task in the panel. Use ← and → to fold and unfold a parent's subtasks.
Completing a parent completes all its open subtasks too. When you tick off the last open subtask, OpenTodo asks whether to complete the parent as well; press Enter for yes.
Organise with projects#
Projects keep related tasks together. To create one, click + next to Projects in the sidebar, type a name and choose Create. Pick a parent project in the same form to make it a sub-project.
The Project menu at the top right of a project lets you:
- pick a color,
- Move to another project, or back to the top level (shortcut m),
- Rename it,
- Archive it, which hides it and its sub-projects from the sidebar while keeping every task,
- Delete project, which moves it to the Trash.
The number next to each project in the sidebar counts its open tasks. When a project with sub-projects is folded, the number includes them.
Inside a project you can also group tasks into sections and show them as a board. That has its own guide: Sections and boards.
Sub-projects#
Sub-projects work like folders: "Work" can hold "Q4 launch", which can hold more. A project's page lists its sub-projects at the bottom with their task counts. Use the small arrow next to a project in the sidebar, or ← / →, to fold and unfold it. Folding is remembered on each device separately.
When a project is done#
When you complete the last open task of a project, OpenTodo offers to archive it; press Enter to accept or any other key to keep it. Projects that have had no open tasks for 30 days are archived automatically, with a notice you can undo. You can turn that off in Settings → Projects (each device has its own setting).
Put things in order#
In the Inbox and in projects, you decide the order. Drag a task to a new place (on a touch screen, press and hold first), or select it and press Alt+↑ / Alt+↓. Alt+Shift+↑ sends it to the top. Dropping a task on the middle of another one makes it a subtask. Projects in the sidebar can be reordered the same way.
Today, Upcoming, labels and filters sort themselves by date and priority, so dragging is switched off there.
Tips#
- Keep the Inbox as a landing spot: capture fast, then sort into projects once a day.
- Use priorities sparingly. If everything is P1, nothing is.
- A task with an estimate shows it on the row, like
30m, which makes it easy to spot quick wins. The Quick wins button above most lists shows only tasks of 15 minutes or less.