Overview
Tasks is the to-do system in Self-Engine. Capture thoughts in the inbox first, then decide when and in which project you complete them. Like everything else, tasks work fully offline and sync across your devices.
Quick Capture
Never lose a thought — capture tasks from anywhere in the app:
Open the global quick capture from anywhere: press o then c, or Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+A
New tasks land in the inbox by default, where you clarify them later
Add tasks directly in any list or project via quick add
Press a to jump straight into the quick-add field of the current list
Views
The task lists are organized around how you actually work:
Inbox - New thoughts and tasks that still need to be clarified
Today - Scheduled, due today, and overdue tasks in one place
Upcoming - Tasks scheduled for or due on a later day
Open - Active tasks grouped by their current workflow status
Completed - Completed and cancelled tasks — reopen them at any time
Archived tasks stay hidden until you restore them — restoring reactivates the whole hierarchy
Deleted tasks can be restored from the trash or removed permanently
Archiving, trashing, restoring, and deleting always include all subtasks
Organizing Tasks
Give tasks structure so nothing gets lost:
Projects - Assign tasks to your work projects and see them in the project's task list
Subtasks - Break large tasks into nested subtasks
Status - Inbox, Open, In progress, Waiting, Completed, or Cancelled
Priority - Mark tasks as low, medium, or high priority
Tags - Use shared tags to categorize and filter tasks
Completion rule - A task can only be completed once all of its subtasks are done — and no linked timer is running
Planning & Dates
Decide when a task shows up — each date has a distinct meaning:
Planned date - The day you intend to work on the task — it appears in Today on that day
Due date - The deadline — overdue tasks are highlighted and surface in Today
Reminder - Get notified at a specific time
Available from - Hide a task until it becomes relevant
Estimated effort - Store an estimate in minutes to plan your day realistically
Working with Lists
Every list adapts to the way you want to work:
Grouping - Group any list by status, priority, due date, or project
Board view - Work with your tasks on a kanban board
Filters - Narrow lists down by status, priority, tags, and more
Bulk actions - Select multiple tasks and update, move, or complete them at once
Search - Search from the sidebar — optionally across all tasks including completed and archived; results appear as a flat list
Time Tracking Integration
Tasks are connected to the global time tracker:
Timers and time entries can be linked to tasks — the task details summarize them
Changing the project of a task with tracked time asks you: keep the history or move all entries
Tracked time counts toward the associated work project
Tips & Best Practices
Capture first, organize later — don't interrupt your flow to file a task
Review your inbox regularly and give every task a clear next step
Plan your day with planned dates instead of using due dates for everything
Reserve due dates for real deadlines, so overdue actually means something
Break big tasks into subtasks and complete them step by step