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Task Management

Comprehensive guide to creating, organizing, and managing tasks in TaskChute Plus.

Task Creation Methods​

TaskChute Plus offers multiple ways to create tasks, fitting naturally into your existing Obsidian workflow.

Method 1: Quick Task Panel​

The fastest way to add tasks:

  1. Press Option+T (⌥T) to open the task panel
  2. Click "Add Task" or the + button
  3. Fill in the task details:
    • Name: Descriptive title for the task
    • Estimated Duration: Time in minutes (e.g., 30, 45, 60)
    • Scheduled Time: Specific time or leave blank for next available slot
    • Project: (Optional) Link to an existing project
    • Priority: High, Medium, Low (affects ordering)

Method 2: Note-Based Tasks​

Create tasks directly in your notes:

# Weekly Planning Session

#task

Planning for next week's priorities and deadlines.

## Agenda
- Review last week's progress
- Set priorities for coming week
- Update project timelines

Key Points:

  • Any note with #task becomes a TaskChute Plus task
  • The note content becomes the task description
  • You can add additional metadata in the note frontmatter

Method 3: Frontmatter Tasks​

For advanced users, create tasks with detailed metadata:

---
task: true
estimate: 45
scheduled: "14:30"
project: "Website Redesign"
priority: high
tags: [design, review]
---

# Design Review Meeting

Review the new homepage mockups with the design team.

Method 4: Template-Based Tasks​

Create task templates for recurring work:

---
task: true
estimate: 60
project: "{{project_name}}"
---

# {{task_type}}: {{task_name}}

## Objective
{{objective}}

## Deliverables
- [ ] {{deliverable_1}}
- [ ] {{deliverable_2}}

## Notes
{{notes}}

Task Properties and Metadata​

Core Properties​

Task Name​

  • Purpose: Clear identification and description
  • Best Practices:
    • Use action verbs ("Review", "Write", "Analyze")
    • Be specific but concise
    • Include context when helpful
Good: "Review Q3 budget report for accuracy"
Avoid: "Budget stuff"

Estimated Duration​

  • Purpose: Time allocation and planning
  • Best Practices:
    • Start with your gut feeling
    • Round to 15-minute increments
    • Include buffer time for complex tasks
    • Track actuals to improve estimates

Scheduled Time​

  • Purpose: Time-based organization
  • Options:
    • Specific time: "14:30" or "2:30 PM"
    • Time slot: "morning", "afternoon", "evening"
    • Blank: Auto-assigned to next available slot

Project Linkage​

  • Purpose: Connect tasks to larger goals
  • Benefits:
    • Automatic progress tracking
    • Context switching awareness
    • Project time allocation analysis

Advanced Properties​

Priority Levels​

  • High: Must be completed today
  • Medium: Should be completed today
  • Low: Can be moved if necessary

Task Categories​

  • Deep Work: Requires sustained concentration
  • Administrative: Quick, low-energy tasks
  • Communication: Meetings, emails, calls
  • Learning: Study, research, skill development

Energy Requirements​

  • High Energy: Creative work, problem-solving
  • Medium Energy: Routine analysis, writing
  • Low Energy: Email, filing, simple edits

Task Organization Systems​

Time-Based Organization (Default)​

Tasks are automatically organized by time slots:

Morning (6:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
├── 09:00 - Team standup (15 min)
├── 09:30 - Code review (45 min)
└── 10:30 - Feature development (90 min)

Afternoon (12:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
├── 13:00 - Lunch break (60 min)
├── 14:00 - Client meeting (30 min)
└── 15:00 - Documentation update (60 min)

Project-Based Grouping​

View tasks grouped by project:

Website Redesign
├── Design review meeting
├── Update homepage copy
└── Test mobile responsiveness

Marketing Campaign
├── Write blog post
├── Design social media graphics
└── Schedule newsletter

Priority-Based Sorting​

Order tasks by importance:

🔴 High Priority
├── Fix production bug (30 min)
├── Prepare board presentation (120 min)

🟡 Medium Priority
├── Update team wiki (45 min)
├── Review job applications (60 min)

🟢 Low Priority
├── Organize bookmarks (15 min)
├── Clean up desktop (10 min)

Task Status Management​

Status Lifecycle​

Tasks progress through clearly defined states:

1. Pending (⏸️)​

  • Definition: Task is scheduled but not started
  • Appearance: Gray or muted colors
  • Actions: Start, edit, reschedule, delete

2. Running (▶️)​

  • Definition: Task is currently being worked on
  • Appearance: Green highlight, timer visible
  • Actions: Pause, complete, add time
  • Constraints: Only one task can run at a time

3. Completed (✅)​

  • Definition: Task is finished
  • Appearance: Struck through, green checkmark
  • Actions: View details, reopen, archive
  • Data: Shows actual vs. estimated time

4. Moved (⏭️)​

  • Definition: Task was rescheduled to another day
  • Appearance: Dimmed with forward arrow
  • Actions: Move back, delete, edit schedule

Status Transitions​

Starting a Task​

  1. Single-click the play button (▶️)
  2. Double-click the task name
  3. Keyboard shortcut: Space (when task is selected)
  4. Right-click menu: "Start Task"

What Happens:

  • Timer starts automatically
  • Task moves to "Running" status
  • Any other running task is paused
  • Time tracking begins

Pausing a Task​

  1. Click the pause button (⏸️)
  2. Keyboard shortcut: Space (when running task is selected)
  3. Start another task (auto-pauses current)

What Happens:

  • Timer stops
  • Task returns to "Pending" status
  • Elapsed time is saved
  • Can be resumed later

Completing a Task​

  1. Click the complete button (✅)
  2. Keyboard shortcut: Enter (when task is selected)
  3. Right-click menu: "Complete Task"

What Happens:

  • Final time is recorded
  • Task moves to completed section
  • Actual vs. estimated comparison is calculated
  • Optional completion notes can be added

Advanced Task Management​

Batch Operations​

Bulk Scheduling​

Select multiple tasks and:

  • Assign to same time slot
  • Set similar durations
  • Apply same project
  • Move to different day

Template Application​

Apply templates to multiple tasks:

  • Standard meeting template
  • Code review checklist
  • Writing task structure

Task Dependencies​

Sequential Tasks​

Link tasks that must be completed in order:

Task A → Task B → Task C

Parallel Tasks​

Tasks that can be worked on simultaneously:

Task A ┐
       ├→ Task C
Task B ┘

Prerequisite Tasks​

Tasks that must be completed before others can start:

[Prerequisite] → [Dependent Task]

Recurring Task Management​

Daily Routines​

  • Morning planning session
  • Email processing blocks
  • End-of-day review

Weekly Patterns​

  • Team meetings
  • Weekly planning
  • Status reports

Project Milestones​

  • Sprint planning
  • Code reviews
  • Client check-ins

Task Analysis and Insights​

Time Tracking Analysis​

Accuracy Metrics​

  • Estimation Accuracy: How close estimates are to actuals
  • Completion Rate: Percentage of planned tasks completed
  • Time Variance: Average difference between estimated and actual

Pattern Recognition​

  • Best Performance Times: When you're most accurate
  • Problem Task Types: Which tasks consistently run over
  • Energy Patterns: How task difficulty affects duration

Productivity Insights​

Daily Patterns​

  • Peak performance hours
  • Common interruption times
  • Energy level fluctuations
  • Most productive days
  • Meeting density impact
  • Context switching frequency

Project Analysis​

  • Time allocation by project
  • Project completion rates
  • Resource utilization

Next: Time Tracking - Learn how TaskChute Plus tracks and analyzes your time usage.