Overview
Views and filters let you look at the same underlying tasks in different ways. For example, you might have a view of tasks due this week, another filtered to a specific project, and a third showing only items tagged as deep-focus. Instead of duplicating tasks, you reuse them across these perspectives.
This documentation page describes how to design a small set of views that match recurring questions you ask your system, such as "What should I do today?" or "Which tasks are waiting for others?"
When to Use It
Views and filters become especially valuable once your task list grows beyond what comfortably fits on a single screen. If you often scroll and search manually to find relevant tasks, or if you find yourself rewriting similar searches, you are ready to benefit from saved views.
They are also useful in team environments where different roles need different perspectives on the same work, such as a manager focusing on status while contributors focus on next actions.
How It Works
Most tools allow you to define filters using criteria such as list, project, tag, due date, status, or assignee. You can then save these filtered configurations as named views. For example, a "Today" view might include all tasks with a due date of today or flagged as today, while a "Waiting" view might include tasks with a status tag of waiting.
When you switch between views, the underlying tasks remain the same. You are simply changing which subset is visible and how it is grouped or sorted. This allows you to use one consistent set of lists while still tailoring the interface to different decision-making moments.
Parameters or Options
Key parameters for views and filters include:
- Filter criteria: Common criteria include due date ranges, tags, list or project, priority flags, and ownership.
- Sort order: Views can be sorted by due date, creation date, priority, or custom ordering. Choose the order that best supports quick scanning.
- Grouping: Some tools allow grouping tasks by project, tag, or date within a view. Grouping can add clarity but may also add visual complexity.
- Saved vs ad-hoc: Saved views are predefined and reusable. Ad-hoc filters are temporary. A useful pattern is to create saved views for recurring needs and use ad-hoc filters for one-off questions.
Example Usage
A simple set of views might include "Today", "This Week", "Deep Focus", and "Waiting". The "Today" view filters tasks by today's date or a specific tag. "This Week" shows tasks due within the next seven days. "Deep Focus" filters for tasks tagged as deep-focus, regardless of due date, and sorts them by importance.
The "Waiting" view focuses on tasks tagged as waiting, grouped by the person or team responsible. During a weekly review, you might step through these views in sequence to ensure that each area is under control.
Common Pitfalls
A common pitfall is creating too many views. When every minor variation becomes a separate view, the navigation becomes cluttered and it is hard to remember which view to use. Another pitfall is relying on views to hide structural problems, such as vague task titles or outdated lists.
A further issue is inconsistent filter logic. If views overlap heavily or use different definitions of terms like "today" or "priority", you may struggle to understand why tasks appear in one view and not another. Clear naming and consistent criteria reduce this confusion.
Best Practices
Design views by starting from the questions you ask most often, not from the filter options available. For each view, write a short sentence that describes its purpose, such as "show me everything I plan to touch today" or "show me tasks that are blocked by others".
Limit your core set of views to a manageable number, such as three to six. Review them periodically and remove views that you no longer use. When you add new tags or lists, update your views so that they remain aligned with your system as it evolves.
Conclusion
Views and filters give you flexible, powerful ways to navigate a growing task system. When used thoughtfully, they reduce the need to manually scan long lists and help you focus on the subset of tasks that matters in the current context.
By defining a small set of well-named views based on recurring questions, you turn your task tool into a collection of perspectives rather than a single static list. This makes it easier to stay oriented as your responsibilities expand.