Add a due date

Decide between a due or scheduled date

Ask yourself 2 questions:

• Does the task need to be completed by a certain date? Add a due date.
• Do you intend to do the action on a certain day, but it's not crucial? You should probably schedule it instead.

What's the difference?

Actions with a due date:

• Stay in their original list (unless they're also given a scheduled date)
• When the due date arrives, they get a Focus star
• Will continue to show their due date until completed

Scheduled actions:

• Stay in the Scheduled list until the date arrives
• Then move to the Next list and get a Focus star
• At this point, the date disappears and the action will remain in the focus list until done

How to add due dates

Adding a due date works similarly to adding other tags and attributes. Take a look at how to add tags and attributes, including the due date.

Quick methods:

• While editing an item: Click the due date icon 📅 and select a date
• Via context menu: Right-click an item and select due date options
• With Rapid Entry: Type #due followed by a date when using Rapid Entry

Best practices for due dates

• Use sparingly: Only add due dates when there's a real deadline
• Be realistic: Don't set artificial deadlines that add unnecessary pressure
• Review regularly: During weekly reviews, check if due dates are still accurate
• Combine wisely: You can have both a scheduled start date and a due date on the same item