A task tracker

Start from an empty workspace

1. 1

   New workspace

   Choose File ▸ New Workspace… (⇧⌘N) and make a new workspace in an empty folder. Its Inbox is empty, and a card says Start with a note.

2. 2

   Make the supertag first

   Choose Sidebar ▸ Supertags. In the browser, click New supertag, type task and press Return. The supertag exists before any task does, so every task you make later gets its fields and box. No note is made in the Inbox.

Add a Status field with a default

1. 1

   Open the task page

   In the browser, click the task row's Open. Its page shows the Fields card.

2. 2

   Add the field

   Choose Note ▸ Add Field…. In the popover, type Status in the Field name box, choose Option in the Type menu, and click Apply. On a supertag's page the field is added to the supertag, so every task gets it.

3. 3

   Add the options

   Click the name Status on the Fields card. Field Settings opens. Type Open and press Return, then Waiting and Return, then Done and Return.

4. 4

   Set the default

   In Field Settings, the Default row reads No default. Click it and choose Open in the picker. The editor says how many notes have the supertag. Their values do not change. Each new task starts Open.

Add a due date

1. 1

   Add the field

   On the task page, choose Note ▸ Add Field…. Type Due in the Field name box, choose Date in the Type menu, and click Apply.

2. 2

   Read the date popover

   Click a Due value on a task to open the date popover. Type a day such as fri, +3d or 2026-11-20, or use the quick buttons Today, Tomorrow and Next week. Click Done to save.

Make a task's checkbox follow its status

1. 1

   Show a box on each task

   On the task page, fold open Configure and turn on Show as checkbox. Every task you make from now on starts with a box.

2. 2

   Tie the box to Status

   In Configure, open Behavior and find Checkbox follows. Choose Status. Then choose Done for Checked when, and Open for Unchecked when.

Add tasks

1. 1

   Write the first task

   In the Inbox, press Return and type Write the release notes, then a space and #task. Choose task and press Return. The task starts Open, with its box and its Due field.

2. 2

   Write two more

   Press Return at the end of the task, type Send the invitations #task and press Return. Then type Book the venue #task the same way.

3. 3

   Set a status and a date

   Click the Status value on Book the venue and choose Waiting. Click its Due value and type fri.

4. 4

   Check one

   Put the caret in Write the release notes and press ⌘Return. The box is checked, the text is struck through, and Status changes to Done.

See every task in a table

1. 1

   Open the table

   Open the task page and choose View ▸ Show as Table. Each task is a row, with a checkbox column and Status and Due as columns.

2. 2

   Sort by date

   Click the Due header. Click it again to reverse the order.

3. 3

   Count the checked tasks

   Under the checkbox column, open the calculation menu in the footer and choose Count checked.

See tasks on the days they are due

1. 1

   Switch to the calendar

   On the task page, choose View ▸ Show as Calendar.

2. 2

   Pick the date

   In the Date field menu in the view bar, choose Due. Each task appears on its day. Undated tasks wait in the tray at the right of the calendar.

3. 3

   Move a task

   Drag a task's chip to another day. Its Due value changes to that day.

4. 4

   Change the span

   Choose Day, Week or Month in the unit control. Previous, Next and Today move through the calendar.

Keep the open tasks in one list

1. 1

   Make the search

   Choose File ▸ New Search Note. Click the title, type Open tasks and press Return.

2. 2

   Set the conditions

   Keep All under Find notes matching. Click Add condition, choose Supertag and pick task. Click Add condition again, choose Checkbox and pick Not done.

3. 3

   Make an overdue list

   Add a second search the same way, called Overdue. Its conditions are Supertag is task, and Field Due, is before, Today. A checked task drops out of Open tasks, and a task with no due date stays out of Overdue.

Saved searches are listed under Searches in the sidebar. Open one to see its conditions and results, and to change them.

What each feature does here

Make it yours

• Archive finished tasksAdd an automation to #task: when a task is done, add #archived. A checked task is filed without an extra step.
• Show open tasks on each dayPut the Open tasks search below the day supertag's page, so each day lists what is still open.
• Share fields across workMake a Work item supertag with a Client field, and have #task extend it, so tasks, bugs and meetings share the field.
• Total a columnAdd a footer calculation to the Due column, such as Earliest, to see the next deadline in the table.
• Review each weekUse the same searches on a week page to see what was finished.