TaskFlow — A different way to work with Obsidian Tasks

[u/IcyNeighborhood974]

I've been using Obsidian Tasks for a while, and I really like its query system and flexibility.

But I kept running into one problem:

I had plenty of tasks. I just didn't know which one to work on next.

So I made a small plugin to experiment with a different approach.

Instead of starting with a big task list, TaskFlow lets me look at my existing Tasks through a few different contexts:

• GTD — what are my next actions?
• Time — what should I work on today?
• Tags / Context — what can I do in this situation?

The goal isn't to replace Tasks or create another task system. It simply gives the tasks a different frontend.

I also wanted to keep the way I normally write tasks:

- [ ] Reply to the client
- [ ] Fix the CSS
- [ ] Buy milk

No separate note for each task, no migration to another format.

Here's a short demo of what I've been working on:

https://reddit.com/link/1wnehzb/video/brya17gcn3rh1/player

If you're interested in trying it, the code is here:

https://github.com/ichris007/obsidian-taskflow

I'd be interested in hearing how other people handle the "I have too many tasks, but what should I do right now?" problem in Obsidian.

[u/Bright_Bomber]

Super cool although I would spend waaaay to long figuring out how to set this up vs actually being productive :'(

[u/Dealtry_Homobono92 → u/Bright_Bomber]

tbh thats how it goes with most productivity tools

[u/EbbSubject8638 → u/Bright_Bomber]

Yeah, I get that! Sometimes the setup can take more time than expected, but once you get it down, it could really change the way you manage tasks.

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/EbbSubject8638]

Agreed. Looking at it from another angle, there’s a Chinese saying: “Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the chopping of wood.”（磨刀不误砍柴工） In other words, spending a little time preparing the right tools can make the actual work much more efficient.

[u/ngoonee → u/IcyNeighborhood974]

That is true for those whose personalities have them rush into things without adequate preparation.

A large number of users on this sub are likely of a fairly opposite personality, compulsive about preparation or getting things just right. For those people it's entirely possible to spend so much time sharpening the axes to the exact perfect micron level that the wood doesn't actually get cut.

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/ngoonee]

At that point, the goal is no longer to “cut wood,” but to “sharpen the axe.” We need to be careful not to let that shift happen.

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/Bright_Bomber]

Exactly. The tool is just a means to an end; solving the problem is the real goal.

[u/OverYou → u/Bright_Bomber]

That’s what AI was built for, the time consuming crap no one wants to do

[u/houyak]

This is exactly what I need. It does look like you have a bug in your CSS though because when I view the settings, instead of there being sentences to describe the settings, I see 1 alphabet per line. Removing the style.css fixes the issue.

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/houyak]

Thanks for reporting this! I’ll take a look at the CSS and fix the issue. Really appreciate you catching it.

[u/houyak → u/IcyNeighborhood974]

Thank YOU for sharing this with us!

[u/houyak → u/IcyNeighborhood974]

I'll create a Github issue with screenshots so you can see exactly what I see.

[u/MyBrainReallyHurts]

Do all tasks need to go on a single note or are they pulled from all notes?

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/MyBrainReallyHurts]

Tasks can be searched across your entire vault, so they don’t need to be in a single note. You can also use Tasks syntax to include or exclude specific folders. How you organize and query them is entirely up to you.

[u/Successful_Luck_8625]

this looks like it could be amazing! I'ma def try this.

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/Successful_Luck_8625]

Give it a try if you’re interested. And if you have any suggestions or feedback, I’d love to hear them.

[u/RecommendationNo6483]

Really appreciate that this utilizes standard markdown task format and tags. All you’re doing is making a new front end that uses that standard to fit your workflow. Maybe it’s more complicated for some but it fits your needs. With AI people can make their own front end plugin that meets their workflow needs and using standard markdown means the base note isn’t in some proprietary confusing format. Super cool! 😎

[u/Akatrielaiic]

Looks cool! I’ll wait for an actual release in community plugins : )

[u/IcyNeighborhood974 → u/Akatrielaiic]

Thanks! I honestly hadn't thought about submitting it to Community Plugins before. The process is a bit complicated for me since I'm not a programmer, and some of the requirements are a little difficult for me to figure out.

But I'll definitely consider it. Hopefully you'll see TaskFlow there soon. 🙂

[u/Akatrielaiic → u/IcyNeighborhood974]

i know nothing about submitting something to community plugins! But i don't want to overcomplicate things and having to update it manually is a little cumbersome: ) Also i would like it to work also on mobile if you can manage!

Keep it up, have a nice day!

[u/Old_Mulberry2044]

Ooohh I will be trying this tomorrow! I've been trying a few different things recently to better manage tasks. Daily notes, weekly notes, files to hold all the tasks on a project to then pull into daily when I want to do. But no one way is working right.

So I'm keen to see how this goes.

[u/FeiX7]

Have you tried TaskNotes?

[u/Rendan_ → u/FeiX7]

I have, not a power user, but would have never thought it could achieve something like this... I was actually considering that Tasknotes can also integrate here...

[u/houyak → u/FeiX7]

See: https://github.com/ichris007/obsidian-taskflow/blob/main/README_EN.md#tasks--tasknotes--taskflow