Todoist Web

I've been using Todoist almost daily for the last 4 years. I've learned a lot of tips and tricks along the way, which I'd like to share with you. The official guide describes the basics to get started, but I want to cover some more advanced or lesser-known features in this post.

Todoist is a cloud-based service, so all your tasks and notes sync automatically to any device where you use the app. If you use the app offline, your changes sync the next time your device. Join 25 million people and teams that organize, plan, and collaborate on tasks and projects with Todoist. 'The best to-do list' by The Verge. Todoist Web Platform & Android App. Web view with Todoist is pretty bland, taking the form of primarily a text-based site. Not a lot of effort was put into making the design beautiful, though it is very straightforward and functional. I find myself navigating away from the web platform and using the Android app instead. Todoist was originally started as a passion project by Amir Salihefendic in 2007 while he was at university. In 2012, Todoist was launched for iOS and Android. Todoist is now part of Doist, which is a globally-based company without headquarters. Doist also makes Twist, a. Let Todoist go dark along with your iOS and Android with Auto Dark Mode. Manage your time better by syncing multiple Google Calendars with Todoist. Turn emails directly into tasks from Gmail on web or mobile with the Todoist for Gmail add-on. Stay more organized with the revamped Todoist.

Update: Todoist also published a Hidden Features post, covering even more tips & tricks.

Customize your start page

By default, Todoist uses the 'Next 7 days' view. But it's also possible to define any project, filter or custom query as home page. Go to Settings → General and select Custom query as your Start page.

That's the query I'm using: overdue, 3 days, @next, p:Inbox. This will show the following sections by default:

• overdue
• next 3 days
• tasks marked with @next label
• the inbox (depends on your language, e.g. it's p:Eingang in German)

Recurring tasks based on completion date

Todoist offers many ways to create recurring tasks using the every keyword. One overlooked feature is adding ! to every. Here's the difference:

• every month creates tasks based on the task's original date. This is useful for tasks with exact due dates, e.g. paying your rent.
• every! month creates tasks based on the task's last completion date. This is more appropriate for tasks that must be completed at regular intervals, e.g. working out.

Let's say we create a recurring task on January 10 and complete it on January 15. When every is used, the next occurrence is February 10, while every! leads to February 15:

Postponing recurring tasks

In a perfect world we would always complete our scheduled tasks on time. But sometimes you can't or don't want to finish a task today. There are various ways to deal with this:

• Leave the task as overdue and finish it later. This may not be the best solution for passionate procrastinators, though. This also reduces your Karma points if you leave a task overdue for more than 4 days.
• Mark the task as completed. However, this will distort your Karma points (as you check off a task that you did not actually complete).
• By editing the date field or using smart date recognition you are able to re-define the task's schedule. This is not the preferred way to reschedule tasks, but it's possible using the starting keyword, e.g. every day starting tomorrow
• Much more convenient is the built-in postponing mechanism. Open the task's menu and click on the circle arrow to reschedule the task to its next due date. This will not alter your task's original date query.

Structure subtasks

Subtasks are handy to structure your tasks within a project. Let's improve the hierarchy visually by connecting the following features:

• A task starting with * (followed by a space) will hide its checkbox. This makes it perfect for subheadings.
• Todoist supports basic Markdown formatting, so surround a text with **Text** to make it appear bold.

When combined, we are able to create a 'Scheduled' project with * **Monthly**, * **Weekly** and * **Daily** sections:

This makes it easier to distinguish parent projects from subprojects.

Archive subtasks

Completed tasks are archived automatically. However, this does not apply to subtasks by default. Instead, checking off a subtask marks it as completed without removing it from the view:

This may make sense for some people, but I don't like seeing completed tasks on my todo list. You can select the task's menu and click Archive, but there is an easier way to achieve it: Hold down Shift on your keyboard while checking off a subtask to automatically archive it.

Expand / Collapse all tasks

Subtasks are not only useful to structure your tasks. They also allow you to hide/collapse all children tasks by clicking the black arrow.

It would be great to collapse/fold or expand all subtasks at once, especially when dealing with many tasks. Unfortunately, Todoist does not offer such a feature, but it's possible with Bookmarklets, small scripts stored as browser bookmarks.

Drag and drop these links onto your bookmark bar and click them while your Todoist web app is open:

Projects comments (premium)

You might have been using task comments already: hover over a task and click the speech bubble that appears next to the task name.

But did you know that you may also attach comments to projects? It's quite useful for generic notes or discussions.

Backup your data

I manage most of my tasks in Todoist, and I'd really hate losing any of them. If you're a Premium user, Todoist already creates automatic backups for all your active tasks. You can also try my Export tool for Todoist — an app I have written several years ago. It's free, open source and doesn't require a premium account. It also allows you to download all your data, including account information and archived tasks (JSON only).

Conclusion

Todoist is a simple yet powerful task manager. I hope my post helps you to get even more out of this app. If you're looking for more tips, visit the (unofficial) Todoist subreddit, where people are sharing a lot of useful knowledge.

If you know more useful tips and tricks, feel free to leave a comment below.

Do you want to try out premium features? Use my referral link and get two free months of Todoist Premium!

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Todoist is a flexible tool with a lot of more or less hidden features. Here is a list of Todoist tips, possibly with a bunch of things you didn’t know was possible in Todoist.

Todoist tips no 1: Group your tasks with a heading

Start the task name with an asterisk followed by a space. “* Meeting preparations” This will create a Todoist task without the usual circle in front of it.

Todoist tips no 2: Bookmark your list of completed tasks

Do you like to look at the list of completed tasks at the end of the day, or during your GTD weekly review? Add the link to your favorites/bookmarks in your browser. Here is the link: https://todoist.com/app?lang=en#activity%2Fnull%2Fnull%2Fitem%3Acompleted

Todoist tips no 3: Copy and paste images directly into a comment

Yes, it’s as simple as that just copy and paste a picture into a comment in Todoist.

Todoist tips no 4: Work with multiple tasks

You can select multiple tasks by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key in Windows. By using the menu at the top, you can change projects, date and priority. From the More menu, you can also duplicate, archive, delete or change labels (contexts).

Todoist tips no 5: Use emojis

Todoist supports the use of emojis in project titles, task titles, task comments, and label titles.

Supported emojis can be found here:

Todoist tips no 6: Get good at using filters

Filters in Todoist is a powerful tool that can help you to both get an overview of the big picture, as well as to laser focus on what is important right now. Read my blog post to learn more.

The ultimate guide to Todoist filters

Todoist tips no 7: Add multiple tasks by using copy and paste

What is the easiest way to add multiple tasks to Todoist? Use a text editor.

1. Start by making a list in your favorite text editor. It can be Word, TextPad, Evernote, or any other application.
2. Make a list with each task on a separate line. Use hard return (Enter).
3. Copy the text.
4. Click + Add Task in Todoist. You then get a question, “Do you want to add X tasks?”
5. Answer “Yes”. (If you answer “No” the text will be pasted as a continuous text in a single task.)

Todoist tips no 8: Make a heading with a colon

Create a task in Todoist followed by a “:”. This will create a task without the usual circle in front of it, followed by a colon. This is also a great way to make a heading for a list of subtasks.

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In that case, I would appreciate if you use the below link. If you do that, I get two months Todoist Premium added to my account – with no extra cost for you. Thanks!
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Todoist tips no 9: Create location-based reminders

Want to be reminded of something when you arrive a work? No problem. In Todoist you can set up reminders that are triggered when you leave or when you enter a location. See https://support.todoist.com/hc/en-us/articles/205348301-Reminders for how to set this up on different platforms.

Todoist tips no 10: Use project comments

Project comments is a very useful way to provide high-level comments about a project. You’ll find the project comments icon to the right of the project name.

Todoist tips no 11: Make it easy to use a project as a template

Re-using a project is easy using the project templates function. One way to speed up this process is to add the web link to a project in the project comments of the same project. To do this, do the following:

Todoist Web

1. Open the project you want to use as a template.
2. In the top-righthand corner, click on the project actions icon.
3. Select “Export as a template”.
4. Click on the button “Export as shareable URL”.
5. Select “Copy link to clipboard” and close the dialogue box.
6. Click on the project comments icon.
7. Paste the link and Click “Add comment”.

Now, all you have to do to re-use this project is to click on the link in the project comments and choose which project to import into.

The above example is for the web version, for other platforms, see https://support.todoist.com/hc/en-us/articles/208821185-Import-Export

Todoist tips no 12: Format text as bold or italic

Task titles, project titles, and comments can be formatted as bold, italic, or both. The formatting is done by using asterisks (*)

• Italic: “* Text *” = Text
• Bold: “** Text **” = Text
• Italic and bold: “*** Text ***” = Text

Todoist tips no 13: Insert links

Todoist support the use of links in project titles, task titles, and task comments. To insert a link, use this format:

“http://www.dandywithlens.com/ (The worlds best blog)” = The worlds best blog

Todoist tips no 14: Use keyboard shortcuts

38 keyboard shortcuts that will improve productivity in Todoist and Evernote

Todoist tips no 15: Insert code in comments

If you need to insert code in the comments text, this is the way to do it:

• Inline code: ‘Insert code’
• Code block: ”’Insert code”’

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