or: The place where your tasks live while you pretend you will finish them any minute now
The List view is the most classic way to see your tasks.
No charts.
No fancy productivity graphics.
No artificial intelligence telling you that you should meditate more today.
Just a list.
With things your brain once wrote down because it knew: “If I do not store this somewhere, it will disappear in about 12 minutes.”
And that is exactly what this view is for.
It shows everything that currently exists and is not finished yet.
In short: this is where your reality lives.
Structure of a Task
Every task appears as its own entry.
For example:
– Do the tax return I have been ignoring for way too long
– Compile presentation slides from the last meeting
– Change internet provider
– Chill in front of Netflix
Yes, chilling in front of Netflix counts.
Sometimes productivity also means scheduling breaks. We are not judging.
Next to each task you will see small icons that show task properties.
For example:
🔥 urgent
⭐ important
🚩 priority
📅 deadline
This lets you instantly see:
- what actually needs attention
- what can wait
- and what you have successfully ignored for three weeks
The Circle on the Right (Changing Status)
To the right of every task there is a circle. It looks like the classic “completed” button.
But vanilla9 is a little more realistic than most To-Do apps.
Because tasks are rarely just open or done.
Real life usually looks more like this:
– started
– paused
– delegated
– forgotten
– or existentially questioned
When you click the circle, a status menu opens.
The Possible Statuses
Here you can choose what should happen with the task.
Active
The default state.
The task exists.
You know it exists.
The list knows it exists.
The actual work, however, has not happened yet.
In Progress
You are actually working on it.
A state many tasks experience about as often as a unicorn in a city park.
But when it happens: respect.
Paused
You started. Then something happened.
For example:
– a meeting
– a phone call
– exhaustion
– life in general
The task is not dead.
It is just temporarily stored in the digital fridge.
Completed
The task is finished.
Mission accomplished.
We applaud briefly.
The task moves to the archive afterwards and can rest while you move on to the next catastrophe on your list.
Delegated
You delegated the task.
Which basically means: “Someone needs to do this. But that someone is not me.”
Teamwork.
Or self-preservation. Depending on perspective.
Cancelled
The task will not be done anymore.
Maybe the idea was bad.
Maybe the situation changed.
Maybe you realized the task makes about as much sense as a gym membership in January.
It happens.
The Daily Indicators Above the vLine
Right above the vLine you will see a row of small symbols.
Think of it as a mini dashboard for today.
It shows you your current task status at a glance.
🏆 Trophy – tasks completed today
The trophy shows how many tasks you finished today.
Basically your daily progress counter.
Everything you actually completed today.
Or in other words: “Okay… I actually did things today.”
Sometimes that is five tasks.
Sometimes two.
Sometimes it is just “take out the trash”.
But hey. Progress is progress.
⌖ Open tasks – still planned for today
The next icon shows how many tasks are still open today.
Things that are scheduled for today but not finished yet.
Think of it as the friendly reminder: “There are still a few things left.”
Not panicking.
Not aggressive.
Just a small reminder.
⚠ Warning – urgent tasks
The warning symbol shows how many urgent tasks exist today.
Tasks marked with !u (urgent).
These are the things where the system roughly thinks: “It would be good if this happens today.”
Or more realistically: “If you do not do this today, someone will probably ask about it.”
⚔ Crossed swords – overdue tasks
The crossed swords show overdue tasks.
Tasks whose deadline has already passed.
These tasks officially live in the status: “Oops.”
Do not worry.
It happens to everyone.
The swords are simply a signal: “These tasks have been waiting longer than planned.”
The vLine
At the bottom of the page you will find the vLine.
This is the central input field of vanilla9. Most of the magic happens here.
You can:
– create new tasks
– execute commands
– add properties
– modify tasks
All through a single line.
Example: Buy milk
Or: Cancel internet provider !i tomorrow
And vanilla9 understands:
– new task
– important (i = important)
– deadline tomorrow
No forms.
No dropdown menus.
No bureaucracy simulator.
Just write.
Quick Properties
When you type a task into the vLine, small icons appear on the right.
These allow you to set properties instantly.
For example:
🔥 urgent
⭐ important
🚩 priority
📅 deadline
⏱ duration
⚡ energy
🙂 motivation
Think of it as a small control panel for tasks.
Fast.
Direct.
Without menus.
In short
The List view is the most honest look at your tasks.
You see:
– what exists
– what is important
– what is urgent
– what is overdue
And through the vLine you can add new things anytime.
Or even simpler:
The list shows what you planned to do.
The statuses show what actually happened.
And the vLine is the place where your brain says: “Hey. Remember this.”