How I use Logseq to track my tasks

Task management in Logseq works best when tasks are labeled for fast retrieval at the moment they matter—then filtered into a short, daily “do list” rather than a sprawling inbox. The core workflow centers on using Logseq’s task states (later, to do, doing, done), lightweight time tracking, and a query system that pulls the right subset of tasks based on priority, schedule, and context like location, people, or projects.

Instead of treating task capture as the main goal, the approach treats it as a means to produce results when the day’s constraints hit. Tasks get assigned labels that reflect real-world context. For example, “errands” and “proxies” (a DIY store in the Netherlands) act like location-based buckets: once the person is out, a query surfaces everything tied to that location so errands don’t require re-planning mid-trip. The same idea generalizes beyond places—tasks can be linked to projects, people, or reading materials so the right work appears when a specific context becomes active.

Logseq’s built-in task workflow provides the operational backbone. Tasks can move through planned and active states: “later” for planned work, “to do” for upcoming items, and “doing” for what’s currently in progress. Switching a task into “doing” can also enable time tracking, showing how long the task took. Navigation through the workflow is streamlined with Ctrl + Enter, and tasks can also be placed into a “waiting” mode using /waiting—useful for tracking items dependent on someone else’s response. Priority is handled with slash commands (/a, /b, /c), mapping to an Eisenhower-style urgency/importance split: A items are “needs to be done now” and important, B is important but not immediate, and C is less important.

Scheduling and repetition keep tasks from vanishing. With /schedule, tasks are marked for a future date and can repeat; when a repeating task is checked off, the scheduled date advances while the task remains active for the next cycle. For retrieval, Logseq queries act as the “search engine” for tasks: “now” surfaces items in doing/to do, “next” looks ahead seven days, and “overdue” flags missed scheduled tasks.

The most important query pattern is a filtered task list that combines task state with priority and then narrows further by context using page or link references. In practice, this produces a reusable “top tasks” view: tasks that are still open and priority A float to the top, and additional queries slice tasks by the current page/link context—such as a person’s page for outstanding follow-ups or a location tag for errands.

Daily execution stays minimal. The day starts with a small set of focus points and a task list page built from queries, typically organized into priority A, then overdue/important, then remaining to-dos in time order. A key efficiency feature is reference copying: Ctrl + C copies a reference to a task line rather than duplicating it, letting the same task appear across multiple daily lists while still pointing back to the original details. Marking it done updates everywhere it’s referenced. The result is a system that keeps planning lightweight, reduces distraction, and makes it easy to jump into the right work without rebuilding context each time.