How do you handle tasks in Obsidian?

[ShaneNZ]

I’ve found this plugin to be very useful, it might also fit with your workflow: GitHub - delashum/obsidian-checklist-plugin

[jaipal2004]

One of the other challenges with Obsidian is you can’t tick/mark complete a to-do that’s been surfaced as part of a query. With Roam you can run the query and tick the box all from the same page.

For those of us using Obsidian to take meeting notes etc - it needs a bit more work.

Watching this thread to see what comes of it!

[itsallyours]

@uzerper , try searching for “- [ ]”

[schemar]

Hey there, I was struck by the exact same issues you are describing here. So I created a plugin:

Obsidian Tasks Available

Obsidian Tasks The tasks plugin is available from the community repos. See GitHub for details: As always with these new things: it may do unintended damage to your vault. It is modifying your files (marking tasks as done). Make sure you have a backup. Overview Track tasks across your entire vault through - [ ] checklist items Optionally, only track tasks with an identifier like - [ ] #task Supports due dates, recurring tasks, and done dates List tasks anywhere with a ```tasks block Mark t…

It is still an early version, but it can:

• track tasks
• show a list of all tasks from the entire vault (filtered)
• mark tasks as (un)done from the aggregate list view

See “Obsidian Tasks” on GitHub or the other topic I linked above for more details.

[JoeyAnthony]

Use Things, ToDoist, Reminders or one of the 2 dozen other apps designed to be task managers??

Although I’d love tasks and notes within the same app, I’ve yet to find a single app that did both of those things well. So I’m not against the idea of using two separate apps. That’s especially true because I’ve used Things for years and it meets my needs perfectly.

The problem I’m having is that while Obsidian URLs work in Things, allowing me to easily link to a note from within a task, Obsidian doesn’t seem to recognize Things URLs. So there’s no obvious way to link to a task from within a note.

And without being able to easily jump back and forth between the two apps, even a multiple app workflow is clunky right now.

[greasemonkey]

Sure - to be honest in my workflows there just is not a lot of value in linking notes to tasks. I use a task manager to make sure I don’t forget things I need to do. I use a knowledge management system to make sure I can resurface knowledge and as a system to force me to think through ideas instead of just buying into the zeitgeist. Obviously others may have very different needs but I do think folks often get obsessed with making a system work a specific way without asking whether that way actually adds value.

[schemar]

I have a different need, for example. I also keep work’s meeting notes in my vault. At work, tasks often come up during interactions that I am documenting in Obsidian while they are happening. I want to add the task right there and then and not keep a note to add the task to a task app later on. Plus: the task in its context may help me make sense of it later

[JoeyAnthony]

Obviously others may have very different needs but I do think folks often get obsessed with making a system work a specific way without asking whether that way actually adds value.

For better or for worse, my notes aren’t always just a knowledge base of information and ideas. Sometimes I’m documenting changes to a website during a phone call or collecting ideas for a marketing campaign during a meeting. And there might be screenshots and links, and files associated with all of this.

As having access to that information when I tackle the task is extremely helpful, my workflow typically involves me linking the tasks to my notes. But is linking back to my tasks absolutely necessary? No. I can simply switch apps and the task I’m working on is usually still in focus. But when I have crazy days with lots of calls, lots of meetings, and lots of requests (like I had today), I find it’s just easier to click a link in the note in front of me and jump right to the task.

[ControlAltPete]

Schemar this is wonderful. Why isn’t it in the community plugin list?

[schemar]

Thanks! I am still testing and it requires obsidian 12. I will ask for it to be added later. Possibly after v12 is available to everyone

[davecan]

I’m tracking tasks by moving away from the - [ ] construct and tracking actions as entire notes.

Then I’m using metadata in the note to link the action to relevant daily note or meeting note where it is from, person note it is delegated to or due to or waiting for something from, due date attached, etc.

An action note can contain 1…N - [ ] tasks if warranted, but so can a project note, etc.

Then dataview plugin to aggregate everything together. Daily notes have dataview queries that look for all items overdue or due in the next 3 days for example. Person notes have queries that show things like action items due to them, actions delegated to them, things I’m waiting for from them, notes that mention them, etc.

Creating new notes is easy with tools like Keyboard Maestro and Alfred. Ctrl M to create a meeting note that prompts for a title, Ctrl A to create an action, etc. Then just type [[name of meeting note]] in the From:: field and they are immediately tied together.

Even without dataview I think the key is creating that intermediary layer where an entire note represents an action that in turn can contain discrete tasks. It changes everything about task management because then you can use all of the note management features in Obsidian and its plugins to help solve the task management problem.

My approach is VERY similar to the one described by @arminta in her other threads. Easily 80% overlap.

Dataview task and project examples

Ok, here are some examples of templates and dataviews for task management: [Screen Shot 2021-04-22 at 14.35.12] name Add Task type note(New Task) template action Task Template class dataview-button Available Tasks table Completed, Priority, Project, defer-date as "Defer Date", due-date as "Due Date", recur-length as "Recur Length", defer-date + recur-length as "Next Date" from #tasks where defer-date < date(now) and completed != 1 sort doDate asc Upcoming Tasks table Completed, Priority, P…

[schemar]

@davecan

It changes everything about task management because then you can use all of the note management features in Obsidian and its plugins to help solve the task management problem.

Thank you for the write-up! Could you please elaborate on the section I quoted? I am curious what task management problems specifically you are solving with the intermediate layer.

[davecan]

Sure, its really straightforward. I’m no longer restricted to the one-line - [ ] format meaning I can put paragraphs into the task, screenshots, links, whatever is needed. (those aren’t really needed most of the time, but still)

Since each action is a note it can get tags, metadata for dataview queries, etc. Any plugin that works with notes therefore also works with my action item notes. I can even diff each action item note via git if I really wanted to, because its a note and not a random string floating around inside a note with all the various efforts to try to figure out how to manage those random strings – Obsidian is very good at managing notes, not strings inside notes, hence the friction with - [ ] management. So I just cut the Gordian knot and make each “action item” a note and it works so much better.

The power really comes with dataview because I can embed a query like this in a person or project note:

table from #action
where 
    file.from = this.file.link
    and 
    !completed
    and
    (
        date(today) > dueDate
        or
        dueDate <= date(today) + dur(3 days)
    )
sort 

And then in any action that includes the field From:: [[The Project or Person Note]] and completed:: N and has a dueDate:: within the next 3 days automatically shows up in the table it generates, and is updated dynamically whenever the action note is updated. (i.e. if I set completed:: 2021-04-27 it no longer shows up on that query)

Examples of metadata fields I use include delegatedTo:: [[Somebody]] and waitingFor:: [[Somebody]] and I have a query on each person note that rolls up all open actions where they are mentioned in either field. Etc.

Daily note has queries to identify all notes in the timeline folder with the same date, including meeting notes & significant actions I record, each as a separate note with the same date stamp. So with keyboard maestro I can press Ctrl M to create a meeting note and I just type in the title and the note is created automatically associated with the day. During the meeting I can create an action item and set From:: [[The meeting note name]] and now I have action items that came from a meeting, and the meeting note has a query that shows what action items are still open etc.

I have 2-4 queries on most notes in my project tracker. As I said very similar to @arminta in that other link.

Side note: I have a Zettelkasten that is managed completely differently from my projects, and thus they are in two separate vaults. Very different concerns, very different flows, very different in almost every respect. Separating those concerns made the above flow possible because I could tailor the vault to project management only.

[morlock]

I’ve been using Kanban boards for years… sometimes even in physical form. My tasks have previously been in Trello, but I recently migrated everything to the kanban plugin. I have folders for all active projects with various bits of notes and details within. Each folder gets a todo note with a standard task list. This note then gets linked to a Kanban card. It’s a very straightforward and simple approach.

[Bmosbacker]

I actually like OF because I need its power and perspectives for the large number of projects and tasks I manage. What I want to do is send a list of follow-ups that I write in meeting notes in Obsidian as discrete tasks in OF without the need to copy/paste each follow-up/todo in an Obsidian note to OF. Is that possible?

[jaded79]

Ok, shoutout to the best solution so far: google tasks integration. More ideally, ical specification integration options. tasks.org is a solid open-source project that would mesh amazingly well with obsidian for task management.

[ottovanluchene]

Quick Capture

• Mobile → Google Keep ( Integrated with Frames plugin in Obsidian )
• Desktop → Note in Obsidian Root Folder or a quick note with Typora

Obsidian Task Management

• Plugin Tasks ( Basically checkboxes in notes ) and Daily Notes

[ottovanluchene]

Someone liked me post, funny thing is my system is already totally different .
Main reason is for the TickTick App I’m now using.

TickTick

• Quick capture to inbox
  • Tasks or Notes (With Markdown support)
• All Tasks go in here - with a priority system and due dates if needed
• Useful information exported to Obsidian.

Obsidian

• Custom PARA System (Projects - Wiki - Resources - Journal)
• All Projects are managed here, not in TickTick.
  • Dataview helps me to collect projects

[DanielKie]

I using plugins Tasks, it allows me sort and group my tasks. Right now I finished last task on this day and I understand what i should do tomorrow

[cwhiii]

This plugin (Obsidian Tasks) is CRAZY HELPFUL. Thank you for creating it & sharing it with us.