Managing Todos

Managing todos

Manage Tifan's personal todo list with Tuxedo and todo.txt.

Source of truth

• Use Tuxedo for personal todo work.
• Tuxedo stores tasks in $TODO_DIR/todo.txt.
• Do not assume the workspace's todo.txt is the active Tuxedo file.
• $TODO_DIR is always available in the user's environment.
• Check Tuxedo before editing:

tuxedo list

Format

Use standard todo.txt lines:

(A) 2026-06-14 task body +project @context due:2026-06-20 rec:+1w t:2026-06-18

Rules:

• Priority goes first: (A) through (Z).
• Creation date follows priority: YYYY-MM-DD.
• Completed tasks start with x and a completion date.
• +project names the larger outcome.
• @context names the mode, place, or tool needed.
• key:value is extension metadata. Tuxedo dims lowercase key:value tokens in the TUI.
• Avoid literal lowercase labels like text: unless metadata styling is intended.

Priority convention

Use priorities to separate action pressure, not importance in life:

• (A) active or soon.
• (B) useful learning, building, or research.
• (C) lifestyle or someday.
• (D) raw, unclear, parking-lot, or reference-like todos.

Do not over-prioritize. If unsure, choose the lower priority.

Project convention

Use +project for the outcome or area a task contributes to.

Tuxedo has no separate project registry. Projects exist because current tasks use them. Before tagging, inspect the live vocabulary:

tuxedo listproj

Prefer existing projects. Add a new project only when it names a durable outcome or area and helps filtering or grouping. Do not invent a project for every task.

Context convention

Use @context for the situation that makes the task doable now.

Tuxedo has no separate context registry. Contexts exist because current tasks use them. Before tagging, inspect the live vocabulary:

tuxedo listcon

Prefer existing contexts. Add a new context only when it names a reusable mode, place, or tool. Avoid generic contexts such as @laptop unless the user asks for them. Prefer contexts that change what Tifan can do now, such as @write, @study, @research, @phone, or @home.

Use one primary context per task. Add a second only when both filters are useful.

Editing workflow

Prefer Tuxedo commands for single-task changes:

tuxedo add "task body +project @context"
tuxedo pri 3 A
tuxedo append 3 "@write"
tuxedo done 3

Use direct file edits for bulk changes, then verify with Tuxedo. Never delete the source note or archive tasks unless the user explicitly asks.