From the workshop

Keyboard-first task notes in SaneFocus

Published by JP Forge Studio. Updated .

SaneFocus is not a project manager. But scratch notes often turn into tiny task lists, and those tasks need to move without becoming another thing to manage.

The checklist shortcuts are built for the moment when a task is too small for a planning system, but too useful to leave floating in your head. You can mark a line, keep typing, and stay in the note instead of opening another app.

ControlX Done - [x]
ControlC Canceled - [c]
ControlI In progress - [i]
ControlP Pending - [p]
ControlW Waiting - [w]

One line or many

Put the cursor on a checklist line and press a shortcut to switch its state. Select several lines to update them together. Plain dash items work too, so a quick line like - email Alex can become a tracked task without extra setup.

Designed for scratchpad work

The states are intentionally small. Done means finished. Canceled means you decided not to do it. In progress, pending, and waiting are just enough structure for the kind of temporary task list that appears while you are focused on something else.

Keep the active note light

Completed and canceled items can be moved out of the way, so the note keeps showing the things that still need attention. The goal is not perfect organization. It is less friction between having a thought and getting back to work.

Press Control J to move done and canceled items down. If the note has an archive destination in its metadata, the same shortcut can move selected text or finished items into that Markdown archive instead.

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