New tasks land in Inbox. When you have a minute, move each one to Next if it's yours to do, or to Waiting if someone else has to act first, like a shop processing a refund. Done keeps a record of what you finished.
What's in the template
A project made from Personal Tasks starts with these fields. You can rename, remove or add fields before you create it, or later.
- Title
- The name of each task.
- Status
- Inbox, Next, Waiting and Done. Moving a task to Done completes it.
- Date
- A date, with a time, alert or repeat if you want one.
- Priority
- High, Medium and Low.
- Tags
- Home and Work.Suggests Errands while you set it up.
- Attachments
- Photos and files.
- Subtasks
- Smaller steps inside a task.
- Time Tracking
- Timers and time added by hand.
Create it in Tasks
- On iPhone, tap + at the bottom of the Home screen and choose Project. On Mac, press ⌥⌘N, or click + at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Project.
- Type a name, pick a colour and an icon, then tap the checkmark.
- Under Project Template, tap Personal Tasks. The stages change to Inbox, Next, Waiting and Done. Tap Next.
- Check the fields the template brings, add anything else you want on every task, then tap the checkmark to create the project.
The projects guide shows each step with screenshots.
Download it
You can also download the template as a file and import it into Tasks. There are two versions. One is the board above with its 14 example tasks, so you can see how it works. The other is empty and ready for your own work. Both have every stage, field and tag, including the ones the app only suggests, and time tracking on every task.
- Download with the example tasks (Personal-Tasks.tasks)
- Download the empty template (Personal-Tasks-Template.tasks)
- Download one of the files on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- Tap the file, in your downloads or in Files. It opens in Tasks.
- Import Data? tells you what it will add. Tap Import, and the project appears on the Home screen.
If tapping the file doesn't open Tasks, open Settings in Tasks, scroll down to Import Data under Data & Integrations, tap it and pick the file. The example dates are made up, so move them to your own schedule. The backup and import guide has more on importing.
Make it yours
Tags starts with Home and Work. To add Errands, tap Tags on the Fields step while you set up the project, then tap Errands under Suggested Tags. Both downloads below already include it.
The Inbox only works if adding to it is quick. Pull down on the Home screen to add a task, share a page from Safari, or type something like "call the plumber tomorrow at 9" and tap the chips Tasks offers. The capture guide and Type or say a task cover each way.
Give every Waiting task the date you'll chase it. Filter the board by Date and pick Today or Late to see who to nudge, and save that filter as a Smart List so it's one tap away. The views guide shows how. If you want defer dates and a guided weekly review, I compare Tasks with OmniFocus in Tasks vs OmniFocus.
Questions
Can I use Tasks for Getting Things Done?
Yes. Personal Tasks gives you an Inbox to capture into, a Next list, and a Waiting list for things other people owe you. A filter by tag, saved as a Smart List, works as a context like Home or Errands. If your practice depends on defer dates and a weekly review, OmniFocus is built around those.
Is the Personal Tasks template free?
Yes. Every template is in the free version of Tasks. The first two projects are free, and more projects need Tasks Plus.
Can I add a Someday stage?
Yes. Open the project menu and choose Edit, then Statuses to add a Someday stage or rename the others. Keep Done last, since moving a task to the last stage completes it.
