Tasks & repeating work · OrbitalNote

Keep the next action beside its context, from a single checkbox to a repeating routine.

Create a task

Use New task in the planner, or + → New task… in a note. Give it a title and choose the Org file. Select a parent heading if the task belongs inside a project.

Where available, Prepend / Append controls whether the task is inserted before or after its siblings. The destination preview and heading picker help you keep tasks with their context.

* TODO Draft the proposal :work:
SCHEDULED: <2026-10-26 Mon>
Keep the outline, links, and next steps here.

A task is an Org heading with a task state, so it remains editable in other Org tools.

Schedule versus deadline

Schedule: when you intend to work on something.
Deadline: when it needs to be finished.
Time range: a block of time in your calendar.

A task can have both a schedule and a deadline. Use tags to group related work, such as :work: or :home:, and priorities for another level of organization.

Complete tasks and checklists

Mark a task done in the agenda, calendar’s task controls, or heading actions. The task state changes in the source file. Interactive checkboxes in reading view update their original Org list item.

* TODO Prepare for the trip
- [X] Book the train
- [ ] Pack a charger
- [ ] Check the weather

A checklist item is not the same as an agenda task. Use a TODO heading when the item needs its own schedule, deadline, or task state.

Repeating tasks

Org repeaters let a task recur. Completing a repeating task advances its date rather than creating a separate copied note. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and timed hourly repeaters are supported.

* TODO Review the week
SCHEDULED: <2026-10-30 Fri +1w>

+1w advances by one week. ++1w advances enough intervals to get beyond the completion date. .+1w schedules the next occurrence relative to completion.

Agenda and Calendar can show projected future occurrences. These are previews of the repeating task, not independent tasks you can complete or drag. Completion history records actual completions; multi-day repeating ranges may require source editing.

Track time on a task

Use the heading’s clock action to clock in or out. OrbitalNote records time in Org logbook data alongside the task. This keeps the work and its history together.

See Agenda & calendar to bring tasks across your workspace into one view.