The Gap Between “Done” and “Delivered”
You complete a task. You check it off. It’s done, right?
Not quite. Many tasks don’t end when you finish your part—they need someone else to respond, review, or take action. The proposal you wrote needs approval. The email you sent needs a reply. The code you submitted needs review.
This is the gap between “Done” (you finished your work) and “Delivered” (the outcome is achieved). Most task managers ignore this gap entirely, leaving you to remember—somehow—to follow up later.
MakeTime bridges this gap with two simple workflows.
Two Ways to Close the Loop
1. Complete + Followup (>)
Use when: You’re done with your part, but there’s a next step you’ll need to do later.
What happens:
- Current task is marked complete
- A new linked task is created in @next
- Optionally set a start date (Tomorrow, Next week, or custom)
- The followup task shows a link back to the original
Examples:
- “Write proposal” → Complete → Followup “Get feedback from Sarah”
- “Submit expense report” → Complete → Followup “Verify reimbursement received”
- “Send contract” → Complete → Followup “Check if signed”
Keyboard shortcut: > (with task selected)
Also available:
- Followup button in task card (→ icon)
- Followup button in calendar edit modal
- Followup link on completed tasks in table view
Design Philosophy: Don’t Over-Optimize on Dates
Notice that setting a specific start date is optional. This is intentional.
When you create a followup, you often don’t know exactly when you’ll need to act. Will the client reply in 2 days or 5? Will the review take a day or a week? Forcing you to pick “3 days” vs “2 days” creates false precision—you’re just guessing anyway.
Instead, MakeTime defaults followups to @next (meaning “soon, but not today”). The task will naturally surface when you review your @next bucket. If you do know timing, quick presets (Tomorrow, Next week) are one click away.
The principle: Make the common case effortless, make the specific case possible. Most followups are “check back soon”—let the bucket communicate that without forcing a decision.
2. Waiting For (w)
Use when: The ball is in someone else’s court. You’re blocked until they respond.
What happens:
- Task gets
@waiting_fortag added to title - Task moves to @next bucket (stays visible but not urgent)
- Task remains open—you haven’t “done” anything yet
Examples:
- “Get approval from manager” → Waiting For (they need to approve)
- “Wait for client feedback” → Waiting For (ball in their court)
- “Waiting for parts to arrive” → Waiting For (external dependency)
Keyboard shortcut: w or W (with task selected)
Also available:
- W button in task card
- Waiting For button in calendar edit modal
Decision Guide: Followup vs Waiting For
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| You completed your work, need to check back later | Followup |
| You’re blocked, waiting for someone/something | Waiting For |
| You sent something and need to verify receipt | Followup |
| You requested something and are waiting for response | Waiting For |
| Task has a clear “next action” you’ll take | Followup |
| No action until external event happens | Waiting For |
Simple test: Did you do something, or are you waiting to do something?
- Did something → Followup
- Waiting to do → Waiting For
Real-World Task Chains
Example 1: Document Review
Write draft proposal
↓ [Complete + Followup: 2 days]
Get feedback from Sarah
↓ [Complete + Followup: 1 day]
Incorporate feedback
↓ [Complete + Followup: 3 days]
Get final approval
↓ [Complete + Followup: next week]
Submit to client
Example 2: Hiring Process
Post job listing
↓ [Waiting For - applications come in]
Review applications @waiting_for
↓ [Complete + Followup: 1 week]
Schedule interviews
↓ [Complete + Followup: after interviews]
Make hiring decision
↓ [Complete + Followup: 2 days]
Send offer letter
↓ [Complete + Followup: 3 days]
Confirm acceptance
Example 3: Invoice Collection
Send invoice to client
↓ [Complete + Followup: 1 week]
Check if paid
↓ [Not paid? Followup: 3 days]
Send reminder
↓ [Complete + Followup: 1 week]
Escalate if needed
Planning Task Chains Upfront
Sometimes you know the full process before you start. Rather than discovering followups as you go, you can outline the entire chain upfront using subtasks or sequential tasks.
When to Plan vs React
| Approach | Best For |
|---|---|
| Plan upfront | Known processes, recurring workflows, multi-step projects |
| React with followups | Unknown dependencies, waiting on external events, emergent work |
Outlining with Subtasks
Use MakeTime’s outline mode to break down a project into its natural steps:
Ship Feature X
├── Write implementation
├── Submit for code review
├── Address review feedback
├── QA testing
└── Deploy to production
Each subtask can be completed independently. When you finish “Submit for code review,” you might mark it waiting for (review in progress) or immediately start “Address review feedback” when comments arrive.
Combining Approaches
The most effective workflow often combines both:
- Start with an outline for known steps
- Add followups when you discover dependencies
- Mark waiting for when blocked on others
Example: You outline “Hire Designer” with known steps, but after posting the job listing, you realize you need to followup with HR about the job description—that followup wasn’t in the original plan.
Templates for Common Processes
If you repeat similar processes, consider keeping template tasks in a Templates project in your outliner.
- New client onboarding checklist
- Content publication workflow
- Quarterly review preparation
When starting a new instance, copy the template and work through it, using followups for anything that emerges along the way.
How Other Tools Fall Short
Most task managers force awkward workarounds:
| Problem | Common Workaround | MakeTime Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Need to follow up later | Create separate task manually, try to remember the context | Followup creates linked task with one keystroke |
| Waiting for response | Keep task “open” cluttering @today, or complete and forget | Waiting For moves to @next with visible tag |
| Tracking task chains | Mental burden, sticky notes, spreadsheets | Followup links show task lineage |
| Finding original context | Search through completed tasks | Click link icon on followup to see original |
Integration with Your Workflow
Daily Shutdown Ritual
At end of day, review @next for @waiting_for tasks:
- Has anything changed? Remove tag if you can act now
- Nothing heard? Consider a followup nudge
- Too long waiting? Escalate or cancel
Weekly Review
- Check “Done this week” in focus view (shows count with “Followup?” hint)
- Click through to completed tasks table
- For any that need followup, click the → Followup button
- Review @next for stale
@waiting_fortasks
Processing Inbox
When processing new tasks:
- If task requires external input first → Waiting For
- If task has clear next step after completion → Plan the Followup as you work
Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
| Shortcut | Action | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
> | Complete + Followup | Finished your part, need to check back |
w / W | Waiting For | Ball in someone else’s court |
Both shortcuts work when a task is selected in the Zen list view.
Visual Indicators
Followup Link Icon (↩)
Tasks created as followups show a small curved arrow icon. Click it to jump to the original task (highlighted in table view).
@waiting_for Tag
Tasks marked as waiting show the tag in their title, making them easy to filter and review.
Done This Week Counter
The focus view shows how many tasks you completed this week with a “Followup?” hint, encouraging you to review and create any needed followups.
The GEDDIT Connection
This feature supports the GEDDIT workflow philosophy (Good Enough Done Delivered In Time).