Do-date and deadline

Most apps give a task one date, and it ends up meaning both “when I’ll do it” and “when it’s due”. Billine keeps two.

• The do-date is when you plan to work on it. It’s yours to move.
• The deadline is when it has to be done: what somebody else is expecting.

A report due Monday that you mean to write on Friday has both, and you can type them in one line:

Where each one shows

• A task becomes eligible on Today, below the fold, when its do-date or its deadline arrives, whichever comes first.
• Upcoming files each task under its do-date, or under its deadline if it has no do-date.
• The deadline appears on the task as a flag, and turns to the warning colour only in the last three days.

Set them in a task

Open the task. Under When:

• Do on: Today, Tomorrow, Weekend, Next week, Someday (no date), or Pick for any day. Turn on At a time if it has one.
• Deadline: turn it on, and pick the day. It starts a week out. Add By a time if it matters.

To move a task’s do-date quickly, touch and hold it (or right-click) and choose Do on….

Someday

A task with no do-date and no deadline waits in its project, or in the Inbox if it has none. It comes back to you in the Stale review if you leave it for weeks.