Everything you capture in MakeTimeFlow lives in one tree, but not everything is a to-do. Task types let the system see your work the way you already do: some things are actions, some are outcomes, some are shelves, and some are just worth keeping. This page covers how types work day to day — for the philosophy behind them, read Let It Flow.
The four types
| Type | Mark | What it means | Shows in @today/@next/@later? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task | checkbox | A single action you complete | Yes |
| Project | hollow diamond, bold title | An outcome bigger than one sitting, usually with pieces under it | Yes |
| Folder | folder icon | Pure organization — a shelf that groups related work | No — organizational |
| Info | small dot, muted text | Something to keep, not to do | No — reference |
The rule underneath the table: your action buckets show only actionable things — tasks and projects. Folders and info nodes stay out of your daily lists, your bucket counts, and your focus queue, so what you see is always what you can actually do. They’re never gone: the inbox shows every type (it’s where you decide what things are), and the outliner and table views always show your whole tree.
Types govern what’s expected of a node, never what’s allowed. You can complete a folder (that’s how you retire one), put a timer on anything, and convert any node to any type at any time — nothing moves, nothing is lost.
Setting a type
In the text, anywhere task text works — quick add, the outliner, import:
Kitchen renovation type:project
Contractor prefers May type:info
Reference material type:folder
Typing type: pops up a menu of the four types so you don’t have to remember the spellings (type:info and type:information both work; so do type:task and type:normal).
In the quick add and on a task’s card, the type lives in the line of pills under the title — alongside parent, bucket, and duration. The hint shows what the capture will be by default; click it to choose, or click an explicit type pill’s ✕ to reset.
In the outliner, three ways:
- Cycle with the keyboard: ⌘T in the desktop app, CtrlT in a Mac browser, AltT on Windows/Linux. The cycle runs task → info → folder → project — from a task, one press gives you the smallest change.
- Type
type:in any node for the popup — it highlights what the node currently is, so one ↓ reaches a neighbor. - The Type button in the toolbar.
Capture defaults differ by where you are, on purpose. The quick-add window captures notables — things land as info until you act on them or say otherwise. The add-rows inside @today/@next/@later and the focus-mode input create tasks — you’re adding something to act on. An explicit type: always wins over any default.
You never have to decide upfront
Capture first. A note that turns out to be a project becomes one with a single keystroke — its notes, subtasks, and history all come along, and the trip back is just as easy.
Triaging your inbox
The inbox is the recognition surface — everything you’ve captured, waiting for you to decide what it is. Each decision is one motion:
- It’s something to do → send it to @today or @next, or drag it onto your calendar. Acting on it is the recognition: an info node becomes a task the moment you treat it like one.
- It’s worth keeping, not doing → press later. That’s the “seen it” motion: the node moves out of your inbox to @later and stays information.
- It’s a shelf or an outcome → mark it folder or project, and it triages itself to @later in the same motion — recognized and filed, one step.
Projects and the work they hold
A project is an outcome — “Q3 Website Redesign” — with the actual work as pieces underneath. Two things make projects special:
- Drag a project onto your calendar and MakeTimeFlow creates a work block under it — “Work on Q3 Website Redesign — Fri 3 Jul” — a plain task for one sitting. The project itself never gets pinned to a time slot; you schedule sessions of work on it.
- Flow mode knows the difference. Start a work block and your flow view opens the whole project’s outline — the piece you’re working from. Start a subtask you created yourself, and flow focuses just that subtask and its children.
When you complete or delete a project or folder that still has open items inside, MakeTimeFlow tells you how many and asks first — the whole subtree follows the parent.
FAQ
I moved something to a bucket and it disappeared. Where did it go?
It was a folder — or an info node you shelved to @later. Action buckets display only tasks and projects, so it’s filed but not listed there. (An info node moved to @today or @next converts to a task, so those stay visible; folders keep their type in any bucket.) You’ll find it in the table view, the outliner, or the inbox — and if you meant to act on it, open it and make it a task.
Why did my info node turn into a task?
You treated it like one — sent it to @today or @next, or scheduled it on the calendar. That’s the recognition model working: acting on something means it was actionable after all. If it should have stayed info, one keystroke converts it back, and @later never converts.
How do I clear info out of my inbox without it becoming a task?
Press later. Since @later is the shelf, an info node moved there stays information. (Changing something’s type to folder or project also files it to @later in the same motion.)
Why can’t I pick Folder or Info in the @today add-row?
Because the row you just added it to couldn’t show it — it would vanish on the next refresh. The inbox add and the quick-add window offer the full vocabulary; the bucket rows offer what the bucket can display.
Why can’t I change this node’s type?
Events, x-blocks, and markers are shown in the type pill but locked — they’re owned by your calendar or created by the system. Real calendar meetings are protected even from title-level type: changes.
Can I complete a folder?
Yes — completing a folder is how you retire it. You’ll be told how many open items it still holds before anything cascades.
Why doesn’t focus-mode search find my folder?
Focus search pulls things you can start right now, so it offers only actionable nodes. Find folders and info in the outliner, the table view, or the regular search.
Related
- Let It Flow — why types are recognition, not decisions
- Task Text Format — the full text syntax, including
type: - Task Outliner Shortcuts — the type cycle and everything else on the keyboard
- Task Trust System — how buckets build daily trust