Project Management In Obsidian: NEW (and it's awesome)

A single Obsidian plugin—Task Notes—aims to replace a patchwork of task managers by combining agenda views, calendar time-blocking, time tracking, and a built-in Pomodoro timer in one workflow. The pitch is practical: instead of juggling separate tools for tasks, scheduling, and focus sessions, users can tag notes as tasks, drag them onto a calendar, track how long work actually takes, and see that time roll up into statistics.

Setup starts with installing Task Notes and configuring where task files live. Tasks default to a dedicated folder (task notes/tasks), with completed items moved into a separate archive folder to keep the workspace tidy. The plugin identifies task notes using a tag (the “task” tag), avoiding more complex property-based approaches. To prevent accidental interference with templates, the templates folder is excluded so completed tasks don’t cause template notes to appear as done. Interaction behavior is tuned so single-click edits a task while double-click opens the note.

The configuration also defines how task status and color coding work. Statuses map to a simple lifecycle: to-do (red), doing (yellow), and done (green), plus an extra “archived” state shown in black. Priority is kept minimal (high/normal/low), and the creator avoids adding extra custom fields to keep the system lightweight. Defaults matter: new tasks start as to-do with normal priority, and the “context” concept is used to represent where work belongs (e.g., home vs. work, or different client channels). Contexts are left flexible rather than forced onto every task via defaults that would later require cleanup.

Calendar behavior is tuned for planning rather than browsing. The default calendar view is weekly (not monthly), with Sunday as the first day and week numbers enabled. The calendar shows scheduled tasks and due dates, and it supports time entries so time logging stays visible. Time blocking is enabled so tasks can be dragged onto specific time slots. For Pomodoro alerts, notifications are routed to the system level (not just in-app) so timers still notify when focus moves to other apps.

Once configured, Task Notes exposes multiple views through the command palette: an agenda view, a Kanban-style board (“conbon” in the transcript), advanced calendar views, and statistics. Natural-language entry lets users create tasks quickly—typing “due Friday” and an estimate like “4 hours” automatically parses dates and durations. Tasks can appear in multiple calendar locations when they have multiple scheduled instances, and status changes propagate across views (dragging a card to doing or done updates the agenda and board).

Time tracking and Pomodoro are integrated into the same task system. Starting time tracking ties the timer to a specific task, and the elapsed time then feeds into task and project statistics. The interface supports both a front-and-center timer and a sidebar timer, with a blue indicator showing when tracking is active. The workflow is positioned as a replacement for older Obsidian plugins (tasks, reminders, and a deprecated projects plugin), consolidating task management, scheduling, focus sessions, and reporting into one place. The transcript also mentions optional integration with Morgan for further filtering, though it’s treated as advanced and not required for the core setup.