Task Management

Version: 1.3.1 | Status: Production Ready

Lokus provides a comprehensive task management system integrated directly into your notes. Track tasks, manage projects, visualize workflows in Kanban boards, and organize work alongside your knowledge base - all without leaving your note-taking environment.

What’s New in v1.3

Version 1.3 revolutionizes task management with a complete backend rewrite and keyboard-first workflow:

HashMap Backend - Completely rebuilt storage system using HashMap for 10x faster task operations and rock-solid reliability
Full Keyboard Control - Navigate and manage tasks without touching your mouse:
- H/L - Move between columns (left/right)
- J/K - Navigate cards within column (up/down)
- N - Create new card
- Q - Quick add card with minimal input
- Enter - Edit selected card
- Delete - Remove card with confirmation
- Esc - Cancel operation
Batch Operations - Multi-select cards with Shift+Click or Cmd/Ctrl+Click, then bulk move, delete, or edit properties across dozens of cards at once
Rich Card Properties - Each card now supports:
- Priority levels (low, medium, high, critical) with color coding
- Due dates with calendar picker and natural language input
- Tags for categorization and filtering
- Assignee with avatar display and user autocomplete
- Full markdown descriptions with formatting, links, and code blocks
- Links to related notes with bidirectional connections
Custom Board Features - Fully customizable Kanban boards:
- Create unlimited custom columns with drag-and-drop reordering
- Set column colors for visual organization
- WIP (Work in Progress) limits per column with visual warnings
- Archive completed cards to keep boards clean
Massive Performance Gains - Handles thousands of cards with smooth 60fps drag-and-drop, instant filtering, and zero lag even with complex boards

Overview

The task management system in Lokus goes beyond simple checkboxes, offering multiple task states, due dates, priorities, dependencies, and flexible views. Whether you’re managing personal to-dos or complex project workflows, Lokus adapts to your needs.

Key Features

Multiple task states (todo, doing, done, cancelled)
Kanban board view with drag-and-drop
Due dates and priorities for time management
Task dependencies for complex workflows
Progress tracking with statistics and charts
Filter and sort by multiple criteria
Calendar integration for time-based planning

Creating Tasks

Task Syntax

Create tasks using standard markdown checkboxes:

- [ ] Basic task
- [x] Completed task
- [>] In progress task
- [-] Cancelled task

Task States:

[ ] - Todo (not started)
[>] - Doing (in progress)
[x] - Done (completed)
[-] - Cancelled (won’t do)

Task Properties

Add metadata to tasks:

- [ ] Review pull request @john #development !high  2024-03-20
- [ ] Write documentation @sarah #docs !medium  2024-03-22  2h
- [ ] Deploy to production #devops !critical  2024-03-25  weekly

Property Types:

@user - Assignee
#tag - Category/project
!priority - Priority level (low, medium, high, critical)
date - Due date (YYYY-MM-DD)
duration - Estimated time
recurrence - Repeat pattern
^block-id - Task ID for references

Quick Task Creation

From Command Palette:

Press Cmd/Ctrl + P
Type “new task”
Enter task details
Choose location

From Editor:

Type - [ ] and Space
Enter task description
Add properties inline

From Sidebar:

Click ”+” in Tasks panel
Fill in task form
Assign properties
Save

Task Templates

Create reusable task templates:

## Meeting Preparation Template
- [ ] Review agenda #meeting  {{date}}
- [ ] Prepare materials #meeting  {{date-1}}
- [ ] Send invites @team #meeting  {{date-2}}
- [ ] Book conference room #logistics  {{date-3}}

Template Variables:

{{date}} - Today’s date
{{date+N}} - N days from now
{{date-N}} - N days ago
{{user}} - Current user
{{title}} - Note title

Task Views

List View

Default view showing tasks as list:

Features:

Hierarchical display (tasks and subtasks)
Inline editing
Quick state toggle
Drag to reorder
Expand/collapse sections

Grouping Options:

By status
By due date
By priority
By assignee
By project/tag
By note

Sorting Options:

Due date (ascending/descending)
Priority (high to low)
Created date
Modified date
Alphabetical
Custom order

Kanban Board

Visual workflow management:

Columns:

Backlog: Unscheduled tasks
Todo: Ready to start
Doing: In progress
Review: Awaiting review
Done: Completed
Cancelled: Won’t do

Board Features:

Drag tasks between columns
Swim lanes by priority/assignee
WIP (work in progress) limits
Quick add new tasks
Column collapse
Card customization

Card Display:

Task title
Due date indicator
Priority badge
Assignee avatar
Tags/labels
Progress bar (for subtasks)

Calendar View

Time-based task visualization:

Views:

Month view
Week view
Day view
Agenda view

Features:

Drag to reschedule
Visual date picker
Overdue highlighting
Multi-day tasks
Recurring tasks display
Task density indicators

Calendar Actions:

Click date to create task
Drag to change due date
Click task to edit
Right-click for options

Table View

Spreadsheet-like task management:

Columns:

Status (checkbox)
Title (text)
Due Date (date picker)
Priority (dropdown)
Assignee (user picker)
Tags (multi-select)
Progress (percentage)
Custom fields

Features:

Sort by any column
Filter by criteria
Bulk edit
Export to CSV
Column show/hide
Column reordering

Timeline View

Gantt chart for project planning:

Display:

Tasks on horizontal timeline
Duration bars
Dependencies as arrows
Milestones
Today indicator

Features:

Drag to adjust dates
Drag to adjust duration
Visual dependency editing
Critical path highlighting
Zoom levels (day/week/month)

Task Properties

Due Dates

Set and manage due dates:

Date Formats:

- [ ] Task  2024-03-20
- [ ] Task  tomorrow
- [ ] Task  next Monday
- [ ] Task  in 3 days
- [ ] Task  Mar 20

Date Picker:

Calendar interface
Quick date buttons (today, tomorrow, next week)
Natural language input
Clear date option

Due Date States:

Future: Normal display
Today: Yellow highlight
Overdue: Red highlight
No Date: Gray/dimmed

Priorities

Set task importance:

Priority Levels:

Critical: Must do immediately (red)
High: Important and urgent (orange)
Medium: Normal priority (yellow)
Low: Nice to have (blue)
None: No priority set (gray)

Priority Syntax:

- [ ] Critical task !critical
- [ ] High priority !high
- [ ] Medium priority !medium
- [ ] Low priority !low

Priority Indicators:

Color-coded badges
Sort by priority
Filter by priority
Priority icons

Assignees

Assign tasks to users:

Assignment:

- [ ] Task assigned to John @john
- [ ] Multiple assignees @sarah @mike

Features:

User autocomplete
Avatar display
Filter by assignee
Assignee workload view
Email notifications

Tags and Labels

Categorize tasks:

Tagging:

- [ ] Task #project-alpha #backend #review
- [ ] Task #personal #errands

Tag Features:

Nested tags (#project/alpha)
Tag autocomplete
Color-coded tags
Tag cloud view
Filter by tags

Time Tracking

Track time spent on tasks:

Time Estimate:

- [ ] Task  2h
- [ ] Task  30m
- [ ] Task  1d

Time Tracking:

Start/stop timer
Manual time entry
Time logs
Total time spent
Compare estimate vs. actual

Time Formats:

Minutes: 30m, 45m
Hours: 2h, 3.5h
Days: 1d, 2d

Recurrence

Repeating tasks:

Recurrence Patterns:

- [ ] Daily standup  daily
- [ ] Weekly review  weekly
- [ ] Monthly report  monthly
- [ ] Quarterly planning  quarterly
- [ ] Custom  every 2 weeks on Monday

Recurrence Options:

Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
Specific days of week
Specific dates of month
Custom intervals
End date or count

Recurring Task Behavior:

Auto-create next instance on completion
Skip weekends (optional)
Advance on completion or schedule

Task Dependencies

Creating Dependencies

Link tasks in sequence:

Syntax:

- [ ] Task A ^task-a
- [ ] Task B (depends on [[#^task-a]])
- [ ] Task C (after [[#^task-a]] and [[#^task-b]])

Dependency Types:

Finish-to-Start: B starts when A finishes
Start-to-Start: B starts when A starts
Finish-to-Finish: B finishes when A finishes
Start-to-Finish: B finishes when A starts

Dependency Visualization

Dependency Graph:

Visual connection between tasks
Critical path highlighting
Blocked task indicators
Dependency chain display

Blocked Tasks:

Dimmed appearance
Lock icon
“Blocked by” indicator
Automatic unblock on completion

Dependency Management

Actions:

Add dependency
Remove dependency
Change dependency type
View dependency chain
Find circular dependencies

Validation:

Detect circular dependencies
Warn about conflicts
Suggest resolution
Auto-fix option

Subtasks

Creating Subtasks

Hierarchical task structure:

- [ ] Main task
  - [ ] Subtask 1
  - [ ] Subtask 2
    - [ ] Sub-subtask 2.1
    - [ ] Sub-subtask 2.2
  - [ ] Subtask 3

Features:

Unlimited nesting levels
Indent with Tab
Outdent with Shift+Tab
Collapse/expand
Progress inheritance

Progress Tracking

Parent task shows subtask progress:

Display:

- [ ] Main task [2/5]
  - [x] Subtask 1
  - [x] Subtask 2
  - [ ] Subtask 3
  - [ ] Subtask 4
  - [ ] Subtask 5

Progress Indicators:

Fraction (2/5)
Percentage (40%)
Progress bar
Visual completion
Color coding

Subtask Behavior

Auto-complete:

Complete all subtasks → parent auto-completes
Optional (configurable)

Auto-expand:

Expand when parent clicked
Show/hide subtasks
Remember state

Task Statistics

Overview Dashboard

View task metrics:

Statistics:

Total tasks
By status (todo, doing, done, cancelled)
By priority
By due date (today, this week, overdue)
Completion rate
Average completion time

Visualizations:

Pie chart (by status)
Bar chart (by priority)
Line chart (tasks over time)
Heatmap (completion by day)
Burndown chart (project progress)

Personal Analytics

Track your productivity:

Metrics:

Tasks completed per day/week/month
Completion rate trend
Average task duration
Most productive times
Task velocity

Reports:

Daily summary
Weekly review
Monthly report
Custom date range
Export reports

Project Analytics

Project-level insights:

Metrics:

Project progress
Task distribution
Team workload
Blocked tasks count
At-risk tasks (overdue, no progress)

Forecasting:

Estimated completion date
Tasks remaining
Velocity trend
Resource allocation

Filtering and Search

Quick Filters

Pre-built filter buttons:

Status Filters:

All tasks
Active (todo + doing)
Completed (done)
Open (not done or cancelled)

Time Filters:

Today
This week
This month
Overdue
No date

Priority Filters:

Critical
High
Medium
Low
Any priority

Advanced Filters

Build complex filter queries:

Filter Syntax:

status:todo AND priority:high
due:before-today OR overdue:true
assignee:@john AND tag:#project-alpha
has:subtasks AND progress:under-50%
created:>2024-01-01 AND status:!done

Filter Operators:

AND, OR, NOT
=, !=, >, <, >=, <=
contains, starts-with, ends-with
has, is, in

Saved Filters

Save frequently used filters:

Creating Saved Filters:

Build filter query
Click “Save Filter”
Name the filter
Optionally set as default

Pre-built Saved Filters:

My tasks today
Overdue tasks
High priority open
Blocked tasks
Unassigned tasks
Completed this week

Task Search

Full-text search in tasks:

Search Features:

Task content search
Search in notes with tasks
Search in comments
Fuzzy matching
Regex support

Search Syntax:

task:"review code"
task-in:[[Project Notes]]
task-tag:#urgent
task-assignee:@sarah

Integration

Note Integration

Tasks embedded in notes:

In-Note Tasks:

Create tasks anywhere in notes
Tasks appear in task views
Click to jump to note
Context shown in task panel

Task Blocks:

## Tasks for Today
- [ ] Review PR #123
- [ ] Update documentation
- [ ] Team meeting at 2pm
 
## Project Tasks
- [ ] Design mockups  2024-03-20
- [ ] Implement feature  2024-03-22

Calendar Integration

Sync with external calendars:

Supported Calendars:

Google Calendar
Outlook Calendar
Apple Calendar
CalDAV

Sync Features:

Two-way sync
Due dates to events
Tasks to calendar
Event to task creation
Conflict resolution

Email Integration

Create tasks from emails:

Gmail Integration:

Forward email to create task
Email content becomes task description
Attachments preserved
Reply-to link
See Gmail Integration

Email Actions:

“Add to Lokus” button
Create task with email context
Link back to email
Set due date from email

API Integration

Connect with external tools:

REST API:

// Create task
POST /api/tasks
{
  "title": "Review documentation",
  "status": "todo",
  "priority": "high",
  "due_date": "2024-03-20",
  "tags": ["docs", "review"]
}
 
// Update task
PATCH /api/tasks/:id
{
  "status": "done"
}

Webhook Events:

Task created
Task updated
Task completed
Task deleted
Due date approaching

Collaboration

Shared Tasks

Collaborate on tasks:

Features:

Assign to multiple users
Mention users in comments
Real-time updates
Activity history
Notifications

Permissions:

View: See tasks
Comment: Add comments
Edit: Modify tasks
Admin: Manage permissions

Task Comments

Discuss tasks:

Comment Features:

Threaded discussions
Markdown support
@mentions
File attachments
Emoji reactions

Comment Actions:

Reply to comment
Edit/delete own comments
Resolve threads
Pin important comments

Activity Feed

Track task changes:

Events Logged:

Status changes
Property updates
Comments added
Assignments
Due date changes

Activity Display:

User who made change
Timestamp
Change description
Before/after values

Automation

Task Rules

Automate task management:

Rule Examples:

IF status changes to "done"
THEN move to "Completed" project

IF due date is tomorrow
THEN set priority to "high"

IF assigned to @john
THEN add tag #johns-tasks

IF overdue by 3 days
THEN notify @manager

Rule Components:

Trigger (when)
Condition (if)
Action (then)

Recurring Tasks

Automatic task creation:

Recurrence Setup:

Create task
Set recurrence pattern
Define end condition
Configure behavior

Recurrence Options:

Create on completion
Create on schedule
Skip weekends
Adjust for holidays

Task Templates

Template-based task creation:

Template Usage:

Create template with tasks
Apply template to project
Tasks auto-created
Dates calculated
Dependencies preserved

Mobile Support

Mobile Task Management

Tasks on mobile devices:

Features:

Quick task creation
Voice input
Swipe actions (complete, delete)
Offline support
Sync when online

Mobile Views:

List view (optimized)
Card view
Today view
Quick capture

Widgets

Home screen task widgets:

Widget Types:

Today’s tasks
Overdue tasks
Task counter
Quick add

Configuration

Task Settings

Configure in Settings > Tasks:

General:

Default task state
Auto-complete subtasks
Show completed tasks
Task counter badge

Appearance:

Task checkbox style
Completed task strikethrough
Priority colors
Date format

Behavior:

Move completed to bottom
Auto-archive completed
Confirm delete
Default due date

Notifications:

Due date reminders
Overdue alerts
Assignment notifications
Comment mentions

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
New Task	Cmd/Ctrl + N
Toggle Complete	Cmd/Ctrl + Enter
Set Due Date	Cmd/Ctrl + D
Set Priority	Cmd/Ctrl + P
Assign Task	Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A
Add Tag	Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + T
Open in Editor	Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E
Delete Task	Delete

Best Practices

Task Organization

Effective Tasking:

Break large tasks into subtasks
Use clear, actionable descriptions
Set realistic due dates
Assign priorities appropriately
Add relevant context and links

Project Structure:

# Project: Website Redesign
 
## Planning Phase
- [ ] Conduct user research  2024-03-25 @sarah #research
- [ ] Create wireframes  2024-03-28 @john #design
- [ ] Review stakeholder feedback  2024-03-30 #review
 
## Design Phase
- [ ] Design homepage  2024-04-05 @john #design
  - [ ] Header design
  - [ ] Hero section
  - [ ] Footer design
- [ ] Design inner pages  2024-04-10 @john #design
 
## Development Phase
- [ ] Setup development environment  2024-04-15 @mike #dev
- [ ] Implement frontend  2024-04-25 @mike #dev

Productivity Tips

Daily Workflow:

Review today’s tasks (morning)
Prioritize top 3 tasks
Focus on high-priority items first
Update task status as you work
Review completed tasks (evening)

Weekly Review:

Complete overdue tasks
Review upcoming week
Adjust priorities
Archive completed tasks
Plan next week’s focus

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Tasks not appearing in views Solution: Check filters, rebuild task index, verify task syntax

Issue: Subtask progress not updating Solution: Enable auto-progress in settings, manually refresh

Issue: Recurring tasks not creating Solution: Check recurrence pattern, verify future date, check errors

Issue: Task sync not working Solution: Check internet connection, verify permissions, re-authenticate

Next Steps

Explore Templates for task workflows
Use Canvas for visual task planning
Integrate with Gmail for email-based tasks
See Search for advanced task queries

Search & Discovery Overview