Tasks are first-class citizens in Amplenote. All tasks reside within a note, but it's easy to view tasks apart from their note-bound context. In this help article, we'll cover how to create tasks, and what options Amplenote provides for configuring them.
linkCreating tasks
There are many different paths by which tasks can enter your Amplenote world.
linkCreate tasks from a jot or note
Create a new task by opening a note or jot, then either:
Click the check icon in the formatting bar
Type [] (that is, open bracket, closed bracket, space) in the note area
linkCreate a task from mobile Quick Task Bar
Whenever you open the mobile app, the Quick Task Bar always display at the bottom of the screen. Screenshot
Tap the field to bring up the keyboard. Type in your task description Screenshot
As you start typing, a menu appears above the field. This indicates which note the task will be added to. Screenshot
When you're done, tap "add".
The task will be visible the top of your todo list. Screenshot
🔥Tip: If you tap the blue writing icon in the Quick to-do area, you will open a new note to write in
linkCreate a task from email
Every note offers the provision to have an email address associated with it using our mail-to-note feature. By creating a contact in Gmail (or your email app of choice) with your note address, you can quickly forward emails to your todo list.
linkCreate a task from within a mobile app
Amplenote will soon offer a native share extension for iOS and Android. In the meantime, we recommend creating a contact that is accessible to your mobile platform's mailing app. Then, you can email links to your applicable todo list(s) by typing a couple characters of the contact that you setup.
linkCreating a subtask
To create a subtask, use the tab key to indent, or shift-tab to outdent, child tasks. For example
Guinea pig grooming frenzy
Stare at the wall for an hour
When tasks are setup as sub-tasks, they will move along with the parent task when you move items around your list, or view the list in Tasks Mode.
linkHow can I add images, text, and other details to a task?
Often, there are details about a task that go beyond words. For example, if you're keeping a list of glitches to fix, it's handy to be able to include an image of the problem with each task. The way to do this in Amplenote is through Rich Footnotes.
As of September 2020, Rich Footnotes can be used to store any combination of
Check it out:
This task references an image, video, text , a link plus a combination thereof 😅
Adding a Rich Footnote is as simple as highlighting text, and pressing CMD-k (macOS) or Ctrl-K (PC), then jotting down text, pasting a link, uploading your extra detail.
Since Rich Footnotes add detail to a string of text, you can add as many of them as you want within a single task. This contrasts with most other to-do list apps that allow only a single field for "Details" per task.
linkHow do I use Task Details?
Use the expand icon on the right of the task bar to open the Task Details, or use the hotkey. This will make available the options listed below.
linkRepeating Schedule Options
There are three options for task repeat schedule in Amplenote
Doesn't repeat (bor-ing!)
Repeat on a fixed schedule. Set up a recurring schedule, so that task is due on specific day(s). Example.
Repeat after task is complete aka Flexible Recurrence. Sets up a recurring schedule, so that a task is due a certain number of days after you last completed it
Example: Hold a checkin with your employee 30 days after the last meeting
Example: Do the hokey pokey
Here's what it looks like for a task that doesn't repeat:
linkRepeat on fixed schedule
Select an option from the menu. Example values.
Or, create a custom schedule. Type "every" + a number, day of the week, or time interval to see options. Example values.
It will look something like this:
The time in the blue fields defines the rules for when this task will be due and when it is hidden. The times beneath the blue fields show when the next instance of the task will be triggered. You can click in the non-blue fields if you want to modify when the next instance of the task should occur, but you want to keep the rule for its recurrence unchanged.
linkRepeat after the last task was completed, aka Flexible Recurrence
Choose "When the task is complete" as the "Repeat" value
Select an option from the "Due" menu. Example values.
(Optional) Select an option from the "Hide until" menu, so the task won't pop back on to your list immediately after you finish it. Example values.
As with the Fixed Recurrence mentioned above, blue fields defines the rules for the recurrence, and the non-blue fields show the specific time that the next instance of the task is upcoming.
linkSet a Due time (aka "Start Time")
The fastest way to set a Due time is via the Quick Actions that appear when hovering on a task:
However, you can also set the "Due" field (set to be renamed "Start time" at some point) in the Task Details options. "Due" time dictates when you want your future self to pay heed to this task. When your Google or Outlook calendar is connected, the "Due" field dictates the time at which the task scheduled.
On the day the task is due, it receives an extra 10 points of Task Score to ensure that it is easy to spot if sorting list by Task Score.
If you've setup a reminder, that will get triggered at the Due/Start time.
linkSet a Reminder
In the Task Details panel, you can check if you want to receive a notification at the task's "Due" time. Notification options can be managed in Settings > Notifications. There you can configure yourself to receive push notifications, browser notifications, or email notifications.
linkIs it Urgent, Important, Both or Neither?
Based on the Eisenhower Method (aka the Covey Quadrants), lend your future self a hand by deciding whether the newly created task is Urgent, Important, both, or neither:
Here's how we think about the two:
Urgent tasks mean that some bad consequence will ensue if this doesn't get done in the next couple days. 😬
Important tasks mean that the task aligns with your existing long-term or short-term goals. 🌈
In general, we believe that a more successful and productive life results from minimizing time spent on Urgent tasks and maximizing time spent on Important ones.
linkSet the Duration
Duration allows you to specify how long you think a task will take.
Choose from the four options
Tip: if you have tasks that are 90+ minutes, it might help to break them down into a few smaller tasks
We find that tasks in the 15- and 30- minute range are often easier to take action on
Task Score is designed to prioritize shorter task
Shorter duration tasks accumulate Task Score more quickly because you once cared enough to pick a Duration for them, and they're easy opportunities to reduce the clutter on your todo list by completing them
linkEdit the Task Score
Click the number in the Task Score area, then enter a new score:
linkHide a task until later
Hiding a task until later is probably the most common operation users want to take on their to-do list items. Thus, we offer no fewer than four ways to hide tasks until later in Amplenote. 😴
Why so many options? Because strategic procrastination is a cornerstone of true productivity masters. 😉 For any list visited daily, if there are tasks that can't reasonably be expected to get completed that day, it should be considered a candidate for hiding (or dismissal! 💣). The only reason to keep a task on your regularly visited lists if you think it is worth doing soon.
link🐰 Fastest way: in Notes View mode, use !hide to hide a task for a set number of days
The fastest way to procrastinate is to type !hi, and then press enter. It will look something like this:
Using
!menu to hide a task without using the mouse
link🐰 Equally fastest way: in Jots View mode, move the task to a future day
An equally fast way to hide a task until later if you're in Jots mode is the move the task to a future day
Moving the task to tomorrow's Jot
Once you close the final curly brace on {tomorrow} in the "Task Move" dialog, the expression will transform to tomorrow's date. When you press enter, a Jot with tomorrow's date as the title will be created, possessing the same daily-jots tag that you had selected in order to view today's Jot. Thus, when you return to Jots mode tomorrow, "Why do this today?" will be the first task shown in your list.
link🐴 Second fastest way: hover over Quick Actions area in task
The next fastest way to snooze a task is by using the Quick Actions that appear when hovering on a task. This is especially good when you want to hide for a human-ish amount of time 🙂
link🐢 Third fastest way: Task Details
Finally, you can also set a task to be hidden in the Task Detail window. This is most useful when you're going to set up ✨fancy ✨ forms of hiding, like flexible recurrence. The Task Detail pane allows you to set up ongoing rules about when flexible recurring tasks should be hidden vs. not. To set a Hide Until time in the Task Details area:
Click the field for "Hide Until"
Provide a relative time like these example values.
For one-time due dates, change the date/time directly in the field
linkAlternate path to present a task later: via Future Jots
Aside from the task-snoozing methods described above, you can also bring a task to your attention by placing it in a future jot. Read more about that approach here.
linkDeleting Tasks
Once you complete a todo, simply click into the checkbox to check it off your list. It will be moved to the bottom of your note, where you will see the todo graph displaying your productivity score.
If you need to remove an item from your todo list altogether, click into the line and use the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard to remove the task.
Alternatively, you can expand the task details and use the "Delete" option in the menu.
