Hacker News Reader

Comment by koliber | Hacker News Reader

I’m wondering if there are any apps that combine the functionality of a todo list and a calendar with the concept of a daily agenda. I use Notion to do this but it requires manual work.

Each morning I create a daily agenda. I pull in my calendar entries. I also pull things I plan on doing from my todo list. I generally work off of my daily agenda.

When the day is over I put everything with doing back to the todo list.

View on HN

It's going to be work to get it set up, but Emacs + org-mode will do those things for you. Example:

  ** PROG [#C] Meeting with Bob and Alice
  SCHEDULED: <2024-10-23 Wed 18:00-18:30>

That's a TODO item in the PROG state (TODO->PROG->DONE, I like 4-letter words to keep the columns aligned) with priority C, and the meeting is scheduled from 1800 to 1830.

Clicking on the date or calling `org-agenda-list` which in my instance is bound to `C-c a a` will show something like this:

  Tuesday    22 October 2024
  Wednesday  23 October 2024
                8:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
                10:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
                12:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
                14:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
                16:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
                17:13 ┄┄┄┄┄ ◀── now ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
    2024-10-21: 18:00-18:30 Scheduled:  PROG [#C] WAF Updates
                18:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
                20:00 ┄┄┄┄┄ ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄
    2024-10-21: TODO [#D] Issues from deployment
  Thursday   24 October 2024

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) this doesn't sync my work office365 calendar. I can sync Jira tickets though :)

Notion supports this without too much manual work. Create a database, have two separate views, one a Board view and the other a Calendar view. To make a todo show up on the calendar, you can either set the date property manually or create a Button property defined to "Button is clicked → Edit `This page` → `Date`: `Date Triggered`. To make it even better, create a View of that database right next to itself, and you can keep both the Board and the Calendar view open simultaneously. Dragging from the Board to the Calendar works to set the dates for that entry/todo/page. I've been using this workflow since January and very happy with it.

I need to try this. Thank you.

I do something similar, and I've come to appreciate the manual work. It lets me take a moment and reflect on what's important before I copy it over to/from the endless list.

Sometimes I appreciate it too. At other times I wish I could click a button and everything would fall into place for the next day.

  > I’m wondering if there are any apps that combine the functionality of a todo list and a calendar with the concept of a daily agenda.

Org mode (emacs)

I use remind[1] with wyrd. I have a wyrd template to create reminders that will keep moving to the next (week)day, e.g.

REM Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri SCANFROM [float(2024,10,21)] AT 08:45 MSG %"Complete that thing%"%

where float is: FSET float(y,m,d) trigger(MAX(realtoday(), date(y,m,d)))

When I finish it, I delete it, or replace the floating date with the actual date if I want to keep track of when I completed it.

https://dianne.skoll.ca/projects/remind/

Todoist handles this pretty well now with their new calendar view and updated Google Calendar integration. I believe it also handles other calendar services.

I remember using Lotus Organizer for this until I switched over to macOS a few years ago. I still haven't found a good alternative that combines it all in one place and is as lightweight. It had all those goodies like automatically moving undone ToDo's to the next day, a lot of options for reminders/due dates, schedule conflict checker etc.

Notion is great, but I too find the extra work distracting and unnecessary.

Check out Twos App (https://www.twosapp.com/). The interface makes it pretty easy to move tasks around, has integrated Calendar and can keep notes/journal as well.

Not affiliated, just been trying it out for a month now. Developer has been very responsive as well.

Sunsama is the best at this:

https://www.sunsama.com/blog/time-blocking

More importantly, it offers a guided daily ritual to help through it gently, and make it a habit. This is shown in the second half of the blog post.

I highly recommend you checking Amazing Marvin. I was looking for the same thing and found this app a few months ago (I am not affiliated to them in any way).

https://amazingmarvin.com/

The screenshot on the homepage reminds me of my Notion setup. I will look at this. Thank you.

Around 8... maybe ask on /r/productivity! You just reminded me I'm paying for Skedpal but not using it..

If you’re an Apple person, consider Things. It’s a classic.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com