8 ms·

Show HN: TaskTXT, plain text task-timing notepad

129 points by trafnar 4y ago

I built TaskTXT.com based on my experience timing my tasks. I found that committing to a task before I start helps with my focus, and guessing how long it will take, then timing it prevents me from wanting to give in to distractions because I'm "on the clock". Video Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOYO0c_D6w0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOYO0c_D6w0 There's also a Mac app which you can download here: https://dl.todesktop.com/22080519n9z1jew/mac https://dl.todesktop.com/22080519n9z1jew/mac Video overview of the Mac app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMs-V5v5gZY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMs-V5v5gZY But I didn't want the tool to be distracting, so its based on plain text. That means the UI is very familiar and you can use it for generic notes in any structure you like. When you work in TaskTXT you are working directly on its data format, I made a video about this concept here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZdBgVZn5NI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZdBgVZn5NI I think this tool is uniquely suited for programmers, so I'd be interested to hear any feedback about the product, or its viability as a business.

leobg 4y ago
Nice. I’ve done this manually a couple of times. So I like the format. What have you the idea to build it? What was the most challenging part of building it?
- trafnar 4y ago
  The idea came from doing it manually, fiddling with timers or calculating time passed was a pain, so I wouldn't actually use the technique often, but when I did, it was very helpful. One of the hardest parts for me has been dealing with parsing the text to extract the data from it, and to do syntax highlighting. It's not that hard to do in a naive way, but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out more robust ways of doing it. I'm still feeling stuck in that area, send help!
masukomi 4y ago
I was all ready to be like "yeah, but org-mode can already..." and then I watched the video. You know what? This is actually a great idea. I love the timer. The graphics are very clean and nice. This is a great simple little idea. Of course, now I'm like .... "huh, how could i get that functionality in org-mode?" but... ;) for those of you not using org-mode... watch the really short vid and see if it's something that'd work for your brain. [edit: yup. org-mode has something similar, just not a running timer visible _in_ your doc]
- trafnar 4y ago
  Many people have made comparisons to org-mode, and org-mode seems really cool. As someone who hasn't used emacs, its hard to get into, but I'd like to explore it more as I'm sure there are many ideas that would serve as inspiration for TaskTXT.
  - williamscales 4y ago
    It's worth getting in to emacs! It can replace every piece of software you likely use ;)
allang 4y ago
I've been using TaskTXT for a few weeks and it's a highly polished and very useful bit of software. Nice!
jpwgarrison 4y ago
Looks cool! I did a quick skim of the website and privacy policy. It was quick, so maybe I missed it, but where are the notes stored? How are they protected? Are the contents of the notes considered Personal Data as relates to the privacy policy?
- trafnar 4y ago
  The data is stored in Firebase, they are protected by https encryption in transit and firebase encrypts them at rest. Like most cloud services, I can access the notes but it is my policy never to do so and I never have. I'm hoping to implement a full offline mode and end to end encryption in the future.
  - eterps 4y ago
    How is the data stored? Per page?
  - Shank 4y ago
    > Like most cloud services, I can access the notes but it is my policy never to do so and I never have. I'd be more than happy to pay and even disable sync -- it seems like it should be trivial to offer a version that doesn't sync at all or uses E2EE. Frankly your product looks exceptionally nice, and I really like it. I just can't justify using it because it's too risky, from a data use standpoint, to allow other people into my mind. I hope you'll consider at least a fully offline / no sync mode.
    - hhh 4y ago
      Completely agree. I would pay $10-30 as a one-time cost for this. I don't want cloud sync with your servers, neither do any of the places that I would like to use this. I have never found a good time-tracking app that is useful for me, but this seems pretty good. I'd love to tie it to Gitlab so I can specify an issue and track time on it with a click.
billybuckwheat 4y ago
Interesting tool. I like the simplicity. In some ways, it reminds me of a (now defunct) web app called Daystack. And thanks for taking that time to make TaskTXT responsive. It works well on a phone. Will you be implementing a way to export/download tasks?
- trafnar 4y ago
  Yeah, I plan to eventually, for now you can at least copy/paste the text out of TaskTXT. You get all the same data that way, except maybe 'created at' and 'updated at' timestamps :)
  - billybuckwheat 4y ago
    Great. Also like the advice about using TaskTXT more as a transient space for your tasks -- what you need to do now or in the short term, rather than it being a long-term storage location for tasks that you might never get to.
syncerr 4y ago
Love this! I use Horo[0] to set timers for myself, but this fits the use-case I have far better. Just picked up the yearly plan. I would love to see the current timer in my mac status bar to see time remaining at a glance. Congrats on the launch! [0] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/horo-timer-for-menu-bar/id1437226581?mt=12 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/horo-timer-for-menu-bar/id1437...
- trafnar 4y ago
  Much appreciated! I have a half-finished branch with the mac status bar timer, but there were issues getting it to look just the way I wanted. Hope to get that in eventually. Horo looks like a nice one too.
- odysseus 4y ago
  Does Horo even work on Monterey on an M1? I tried launching it and nothing happened. No menu bar / menu extra icon, no dock icon, nothing.
justsomeuser 4y ago
I like it. Will you support nested tasks? I sometimes use a text editor just because the indenting works well. This allows me to break down the tasks into sub tasks. Would be useful to sum the time for each branch. What tech stack did you use front/back end?
- trafnar 4y ago
  Nested tasks are something I'd like to add. I'd like to first replace the text editor library with a code-editor like codemirror, which would allow me to more easily handle things like indentation level. I got stuck trying to implement codemirror in a way that works, but I'll try it again when I have time. The app is written in Imba (https://www.imba.io https://www.imba.io) and the back end is Firebase.
BeetleB 4y ago
Popup as soon as I go to the web site ==> Close tab. Sorry. Life is short.
- trafnar 4y ago
  I used this modal UI because I think it's less annoying than a traditional homepage. Most web apps have a homepage that requires you to sign in before you can use the app. I wanted to send people straight to the app and allow you to see and even try the app without signing in. I actually made a whole video about this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjKxpks13Zw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjKxpks13Zw
  - news_hacker 4y ago
    I think having a small "Dismiss" link or "X" button could feel a little less coercive. I do appreciate being able to click outside the modal to do this, but it wasn't immediately clear at first.
    - trafnar 4y ago
      True, I'll add it.
    - rob74 4y ago
      Thanks for that hint! I was already prepared to close the tab because I didn't realize I could dismiss the popup. I guess the main reason for that is because it's early in the morning where I live, but also, nowadays when you get a popup like that (e.g. on Twitter or on paywalled sites) and it doesn't have a "close" button, it really means "log in, sign up or §$%& off"...
      - trafnar 4y ago
        I've added a close button
    - bambax 4y ago
      Clicking outside of the modal doesn't really dismiss it? It just puts it at the bottom of the page.
ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
Amazing software. Will use it daily!
kweingar 4y ago
The app sounds really cool, but the videos are what stood out to me. Everything you need to know about the app is conveyed clearly and succinctly (and persuasively!). It’s high quality but not overdone. If I want to promote a side project, these videos are what I’m aiming for. Well done!
odysseus 4y ago
Nice concise video showing off the features. I love that it's plain text. Very cool UI. I'd like to use it, but as long as: - there's no local-only version (although I'm now seeing from another of your comments that you plan to do a full offline mode - hooray!) - there's a requirement to sign in (even before using any paid features) I'd rather not use it. Also, a better name might be TaskTimer, but I imagine that's taken.
- trafnar 4y ago
  You can try all the features before signing in, just click outside the modal or press escape. I am doing serious investigation/prototyping for a real offline mode, I want it as much as anyone
  - hhh 4y ago
    Is there a roadmap? I don't want a cloud service, but a roadmap with features planned as long as there's support is something that would get me to pay (or a one-time purchase.)
    - trafnar 4y ago
      Just vague ideas in my head :)
mozey 4y ago
Congrats on getting this far, your time tracking tool looks slick and marketable! I also like keeping text with tasks and time-tacking. My approach is to use a vim plugin and markdown files. Keyboard shortcuts let me start a timer, and calculate totals. There is also two scripts to export to JSON or CSV, I then use those to generate invoices. The result looks like this https://github.com/mozey/vim-timetracker#example https://github.com/mozey/vim-timetracker#example My plan with using markdown files was to have some kind of UI to display the time sheets, but I never got that far.
SLWW 4y ago
I get the paid tier; I do... although i really hate that "dark mode" is ever considered a paid option by any application what-so-ever. As someone who has very sensitive eyes (even when on HN I use a user script to turn everything dark) and works in low-light environments most of my day the sheer amount of applications I will not use due to the fact they will not give the option to enable dark mode is astounding. Cool concept, i don't really like the double lining after each task but it's nothing more than a slight annoyance; i just really hate that what is essentially an accessibility feature being paid only is something on principle i'm not going to pay for, as i shouldn't owe you money to save my vision. I'm not trying to complain too much; I think this is a really cool concept and the rest of the application seems to make sense. I like the simplicity etc.
- okamiueru 4y ago
  I completely agree. I wonder if it was Unity who started that trend.
- swah 4y ago
  What about something like https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-mode/dmghijelimhndkbmpgbldicpogfkceaj https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-mode/dmghijel...?
  - SLWW 4y ago
    There's also a version for Firefox. Thanks, I'll have to try it out.
- trafnar 4y ago
  Thanks for the feedback, I'll consider a change there for sure.
- trafnar 4y ago
  Update: I've made dark mode free, and I added a theme switcher in the bottom left.
  - 4y ago
pacifika 4y ago
What’s the concept around New page? I don’t see a search so does your work allow you to forget about remaining tasks? Or do you use another task manager and this is what you want to achieve each day? Is this more a sticky note approach rather than a full outstanding list right?
- trafnar 4y ago
  Yes, I use it much more like a sticky note for work I'm actively engaging in. I create new pages throughout the day. Sometimes I feel bad like I'm going to forget about the previous tasks, but I rarely actually go back to look at them. I put important things that I can't forget elsewhere.
plasma 4y ago
I've used many note taking apps (VS Code extensions for todo lists, Trello, plain text files, OneNote, etc) and this is nice, a few thoughts: 1) Was there a keyboard shortcut for starting/stopping a timer and marking a task done? 2) Note the 'forgot password' link doesn't work from the subscribe popup 3) Storing the notes locally by reading from a .txt file that's synced to a personal drive would be great Thanks!
- trafnar 4y ago
  Thanks, I'll fix that link. If you press escape, you enter a command mode where you can use the following shortcuts: j: Move down to the next task k: Move up to the previous task s: Start or stop the timer for the selected task d: Mark the selected task as done n: Create a new task
- trafnar 4y ago
  I fixed the link, thanks again.
Philipp0205 4y ago
I really like the idea that is not meant as long-term to-do list, but for tasks that you are currently working on. I am pretty sure everybody already has some kind to to-do list, so your app complements that perfectly :)
jotaen 4y ago
It’s cool that you’ve launched a native app for TaskTXT. I think the UI concept is terrific, as it let’s me see and manipulate my plain data, but then also dynamically amends it with useful extra information and functionality. Is the video that demonstrates the Mac app linked from your website? I’d personally prefer if the link in the navigation of your website was “Mac App”, which would take me to a separate page with more infos/screenshots/videos, instead of downloading it right away. That way I could get an impression of the app first, without having to “blindly” install. Despite the subscription vs. one-time payment question being an old story, I’m not sure I’d be willing to subscribe and pay recurringly. What would happen with an installed Mac App when the subscription expires? Another question, just out of curiosity: is there a more detailed write-up or specification of the underlying file format?
- trafnar 4y ago
  Good point, I'll do that. There isn't a writeup, but this older video introducing the beta of TaskTXT shows a little more detail about the format (timestamp link): https://youtu.be/gbGawb728xA?t=191 https://youtu.be/gbGawb728xA?t=191
- trafnar 4y ago
  I added the page you suggested: https://tasktxt.com/download-mac-app https://tasktxt.com/download-mac-app
tobr 4y ago
I first stumbled upon TaskTXT, and your really quite excellent YouTube channel, a few weeks ago. I’m a fan so far. I really appreciate the attention to detail in the app. You asked about its viability as a business - I have no idea but I really hope there is a market for small design-focused indie apps like this. One thing I’ve found a little contradictory. In one of your videos you mentioned that TaskTXT is not for long-term notes and todos, just a space for what you’re focusing on at the moment, and not be too concerned about losing data for example. To me the use of a plain-text format suggests the opposite, that this is something that is very easy to archive, search, backup, keep in a git repo, etc. And the opposite; if the purpose is not to plan out a long list of tasks with descriptions and notes before you start, then maybe there would be another design that makes it feel more like a quick throwaway timer that’s useful only for about as long as it’s running. I think it’s a very clever design though so I would encourage you to think about how to support planning for slightly longer time horizons as well.
- trafnar 4y ago
  Yeah, I've been thinking along these lines too. I think it could evolve into something more substantial with a few additions to the UI. I've found myself wanting to store more and more notes in it, but then I run up against lack of page organization. I don't want it to get bogged down in folders and tags and such, but I have some ideas to strike the right balance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
  - SimplGy 4y ago
    The distraction free workflow with timer motivation is a really killer feature. I wonder if you could handle the longer term PKM / organize / retrieve kinds of use cases by integrating really nicely with tools that focus on that, like Obsidian?
nilicule 4y ago
Really like the timer function, but not enough to justify $5/mo. Having a one-time purchase option might convince me to switch from my current solution. For now I'll stick with FromScratch: https://fromscratch.rocks https://fromscratch.rocks
- trafnar 4y ago
  I hope I can offer that in the future.
csala 4y ago
Awesome tool. I love its simplicity, and also the vim-like command mode. Right off the bat, here are a few improvements I would suggest for the command mode: - (i or Enter): Go back to edit mode - (dd): Delete the task - (u/r): Undo/Redo Another suggestion would be to spin up some sort of issue-tracker (github, discourse, canny...) where feedback can be given in an organized way.
- trafnar 4y ago
  I've added all these commands
- trafnar 4y ago
  I'll add these!
  - trafnar 4y ago
    Oh and feel free to email hello at wedeserveless.com if you want to share other feedback.
jbverschoor 4y ago
Congrats. I like a few things: 1) A task is a block of text. The tools I'm using kind can do something similar, using indents, but it doesn't work that well at all. 2) I love the estimate. It's exactly what I do when for example planning my day. 3) The timer is a very well thought out thin. While I wouldn't use this as my main or side driver, I'm def. gonna try it out during days where I work exactly like that.. When I have a ton of things to do, I estimate each thing, and want to make some good progress
d4rkp4ttern 4y ago
Related - I’ve been using Toggl Track to track how much time I spend on various projects, and it’s one of the most useful tech tools in my workflow, plus it has Mac and iOS apps. https://toggl.com/track/ https://toggl.com/track/
Cilvic 4y ago
Great video. I've been thinking about something similar in particular because of the distractions. What happens a lot for me is that in order to achieve one task ("analyze churn rate") i get into a bunch of other tasks "find a software to visualize the chart" > "try apache superset" > "update docker desktop" on Windows" which in term of effort are way out of proportion to what I was willing to spend on the first task. I'm eager to try how this tools handles the stacking/sub-tasks. Also the hardest bit is the change in behavior and really write down all the little things before actually doing them. Eager to try.
- Cilvic 4y ago
  Some feedback: * i find it irritating if i can not leave feedback directly on the site, at least I didn't find a way * the little icon for "start a task" looks like an expand/collapse arrow, not like a (usually filled) triangle for "play" * I'd love to have subtasks * After deleting the tutorial there is no way to get it back
  - Cilvic 4y ago
    Also when in navigation mode, pressing Enter should allow me to edit the current task again.
- trafnar 4y ago
  Yes, that is exactly what happens to me, I find writing the task down and starting the timer makes me less likely to jump to that next task, instead I just write it down. With a normal to-do list, you can write down your task, but you don't feel as committed to an "active" one. You mentioned feedback, I don't have anything on the site for that but feel free to email hello at wedeserveless.com
tremarley 4y ago
I like the tool a lot but it has an infuriating bug at the moment. If you create more than one page, the tasks from pages that are not in-use shows up and covers the tasks on the page we are currently editing. Apart from this, TaskTXT is perfect
- trafnar 4y ago
  I'd like to fix this, can you send me a screenshot or something? hello at wedeserveless.com
agmz 4y ago
Cool concept. I use the integrated timer in ClickUp to achieve something similar. Starting the timer acts like a mini psychological commitment that prevents me from diverting my attention until the task is done. It could be worth considering how your concept could be integrated with existing task management tools, as task management is notoriously personal and everyone seems to already have a favourite software tool for doing it.

129 points by trafnar 4y ago

leobg 4y ago

Nice. I’ve done this manually a couple of times. So I like the format. What have you the idea to build it? What was the most challenging part of building it?

trafnar 4y ago
The idea came from doing it manually, fiddling with timers or calculating time passed was a pain, so I wouldn't actually use the technique often, but when I did, it was very helpful. One of the hardest parts for me has been dealing with parsing the text to extract the data from it, and to do syntax highlighting. It's not that hard to do in a naive way, but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out more robust ways of doing it. I'm still feeling stuck in that area, send help!

masukomi 4y ago

I was all ready to be like "yeah, but org-mode can already..." and then I watched the video. You know what? This is actually a great idea. I love the timer. The graphics are very clean and nice. This is a great simple little idea. Of course, now I'm like .... "huh, how could i get that functionality in org-mode?" but... ;) for those of you not using org-mode... watch the really short vid and see if it's something that'd work for your brain. [edit: yup. org-mode has something similar, just not a running timer visible _in_ your doc]

trafnar 4y ago
Many people have made comparisons to org-mode, and org-mode seems really cool. As someone who hasn't used emacs, its hard to get into, but I'd like to explore it more as I'm sure there are many ideas that would serve as inspiration for TaskTXT.
- williamscales 4y ago
  It's worth getting in to emacs! It can replace every piece of software you likely use ;)

allang 4y ago

I've been using TaskTXT for a few weeks and it's a highly polished and very useful bit of software. Nice!

jpwgarrison 4y ago

Looks cool! I did a quick skim of the website and privacy policy. It was quick, so maybe I missed it, but where are the notes stored? How are they protected? Are the contents of the notes considered Personal Data as relates to the privacy policy?

trafnar 4y ago
The data is stored in Firebase, they are protected by https encryption in transit and firebase encrypts them at rest. Like most cloud services, I can access the notes but it is my policy never to do so and I never have. I'm hoping to implement a full offline mode and end to end encryption in the future.
- eterps 4y ago
  How is the data stored? Per page?
- Shank 4y ago
  > Like most cloud services, I can access the notes but it is my policy never to do so and I never have. I'd be more than happy to pay and even disable sync -- it seems like it should be trivial to offer a version that doesn't sync at all or uses E2EE. Frankly your product looks exceptionally nice, and I really like it. I just can't justify using it because it's too risky, from a data use standpoint, to allow other people into my mind. I hope you'll consider at least a fully offline / no sync mode.
  - hhh 4y ago
    Completely agree. I would pay $10-30 as a one-time cost for this. I don't want cloud sync with your servers, neither do any of the places that I would like to use this. I have never found a good time-tracking app that is useful for me, but this seems pretty good. I'd love to tie it to Gitlab so I can specify an issue and track time on it with a click.

billybuckwheat 4y ago

Interesting tool. I like the simplicity. In some ways, it reminds me of a (now defunct) web app called Daystack. And thanks for taking that time to make TaskTXT responsive. It works well on a phone. Will you be implementing a way to export/download tasks?

trafnar 4y ago
Yeah, I plan to eventually, for now you can at least copy/paste the text out of TaskTXT. You get all the same data that way, except maybe 'created at' and 'updated at' timestamps :)
- billybuckwheat 4y ago
  Great. Also like the advice about using TaskTXT more as a transient space for your tasks -- what you need to do now or in the short term, rather than it being a long-term storage location for tasks that you might never get to.

syncerr 4y ago

Love this! I use Horo[0] to set timers for myself, but this fits the use-case I have far better. Just picked up the yearly plan. I would love to see the current timer in my mac status bar to see time remaining at a glance. Congrats on the launch! [0] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/horo-timer-for-menu-bar/id1437226581?mt=12 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/horo-timer-for-menu-bar/id1437...

trafnar 4y ago
Much appreciated! I have a half-finished branch with the mac status bar timer, but there were issues getting it to look just the way I wanted. Hope to get that in eventually. Horo looks like a nice one too.
odysseus 4y ago
Does Horo even work on Monterey on an M1? I tried launching it and nothing happened. No menu bar / menu extra icon, no dock icon, nothing.

justsomeuser 4y ago

I like it. Will you support nested tasks? I sometimes use a text editor just because the indenting works well. This allows me to break down the tasks into sub tasks. Would be useful to sum the time for each branch. What tech stack did you use front/back end?

trafnar 4y ago
Nested tasks are something I'd like to add. I'd like to first replace the text editor library with a code-editor like codemirror, which would allow me to more easily handle things like indentation level. I got stuck trying to implement codemirror in a way that works, but I'll try it again when I have time. The app is written in Imba (https://www.imba.io https://www.imba.io) and the back end is Firebase.

BeetleB 4y ago

Popup as soon as I go to the web site ==> Close tab. Sorry. Life is short.

trafnar 4y ago
I used this modal UI because I think it's less annoying than a traditional homepage. Most web apps have a homepage that requires you to sign in before you can use the app. I wanted to send people straight to the app and allow you to see and even try the app without signing in. I actually made a whole video about this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjKxpks13Zw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjKxpks13Zw
- news_hacker 4y ago
  I think having a small "Dismiss" link or "X" button could feel a little less coercive. I do appreciate being able to click outside the modal to do this, but it wasn't immediately clear at first.
  - trafnar 4y ago
    True, I'll add it.
  - rob74 4y ago
    Thanks for that hint! I was already prepared to close the tab because I didn't realize I could dismiss the popup. I guess the main reason for that is because it's early in the morning where I live, but also, nowadays when you get a popup like that (e.g. on Twitter or on paywalled sites) and it doesn't have a "close" button, it really means "log in, sign up or §$%& off"...
    - trafnar 4y ago
      I've added a close button
  - bambax 4y ago
    Clicking outside of the modal doesn't really dismiss it? It just puts it at the bottom of the page.

ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago

Amazing software. Will use it daily!

kweingar 4y ago

The app sounds really cool, but the videos are what stood out to me. Everything you need to know about the app is conveyed clearly and succinctly (and persuasively!). It’s high quality but not overdone. If I want to promote a side project, these videos are what I’m aiming for. Well done!

odysseus 4y ago

Nice concise video showing off the features. I love that it's plain text. Very cool UI. I'd like to use it, but as long as: - there's no local-only version (although I'm now seeing from another of your comments that you plan to do a full offline mode - hooray!) - there's a requirement to sign in (even before using any paid features) I'd rather not use it. Also, a better name might be TaskTimer, but I imagine that's taken.

trafnar 4y ago
You can try all the features before signing in, just click outside the modal or press escape. I am doing serious investigation/prototyping for a real offline mode, I want it as much as anyone
- hhh 4y ago
  Is there a roadmap? I don't want a cloud service, but a roadmap with features planned as long as there's support is something that would get me to pay (or a one-time purchase.)
  - trafnar 4y ago
    Just vague ideas in my head :)

mozey 4y ago

Congrats on getting this far, your time tracking tool looks slick and marketable! I also like keeping text with tasks and time-tacking. My approach is to use a vim plugin and markdown files. Keyboard shortcuts let me start a timer, and calculate totals. There is also two scripts to export to JSON or CSV, I then use those to generate invoices. The result looks like this https://github.com/mozey/vim-timetracker#example https://github.com/mozey/vim-timetracker#example My plan with using markdown files was to have some kind of UI to display the time sheets, but I never got that far.

SLWW 4y ago

I get the paid tier; I do... although i really hate that "dark mode" is ever considered a paid option by any application what-so-ever. As someone who has very sensitive eyes (even when on HN I use a user script to turn everything dark) and works in low-light environments most of my day the sheer amount of applications I will not use due to the fact they will not give the option to enable dark mode is astounding. Cool concept, i don't really like the double lining after each task but it's nothing more than a slight annoyance; i just really hate that what is essentially an accessibility feature being paid only is something on principle i'm not going to pay for, as i shouldn't owe you money to save my vision. I'm not trying to complain too much; I think this is a really cool concept and the rest of the application seems to make sense. I like the simplicity etc.

okamiueru 4y ago
I completely agree. I wonder if it was Unity who started that trend.
swah 4y ago
What about something like https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-mode/dmghijelimhndkbmpgbldicpogfkceaj https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-mode/dmghijel...?
- SLWW 4y ago
  There's also a version for Firefox. Thanks, I'll have to try it out.
trafnar 4y ago
Thanks for the feedback, I'll consider a change there for sure.
trafnar 4y ago
Update: I've made dark mode free, and I added a theme switcher in the bottom left.
- 4y ago

pacifika 4y ago

What’s the concept around New page? I don’t see a search so does your work allow you to forget about remaining tasks? Or do you use another task manager and this is what you want to achieve each day? Is this more a sticky note approach rather than a full outstanding list right?

trafnar 4y ago
Yes, I use it much more like a sticky note for work I'm actively engaging in. I create new pages throughout the day. Sometimes I feel bad like I'm going to forget about the previous tasks, but I rarely actually go back to look at them. I put important things that I can't forget elsewhere.

plasma 4y ago

I've used many note taking apps (VS Code extensions for todo lists, Trello, plain text files, OneNote, etc) and this is nice, a few thoughts: 1) Was there a keyboard shortcut for starting/stopping a timer and marking a task done? 2) Note the 'forgot password' link doesn't work from the subscribe popup 3) Storing the notes locally by reading from a .txt file that's synced to a personal drive would be great Thanks!

trafnar 4y ago
Thanks, I'll fix that link. If you press escape, you enter a command mode where you can use the following shortcuts: j: Move down to the next task k: Move up to the previous task s: Start or stop the timer for the selected task d: Mark the selected task as done n: Create a new task
trafnar 4y ago
I fixed the link, thanks again.

Philipp0205 4y ago

I really like the idea that is not meant as long-term to-do list, but for tasks that you are currently working on. I am pretty sure everybody already has some kind to to-do list, so your app complements that perfectly :)

jotaen 4y ago

It’s cool that you’ve launched a native app for TaskTXT. I think the UI concept is terrific, as it let’s me see and manipulate my plain data, but then also dynamically amends it with useful extra information and functionality. Is the video that demonstrates the Mac app linked from your website? I’d personally prefer if the link in the navigation of your website was “Mac App”, which would take me to a separate page with more infos/screenshots/videos, instead of downloading it right away. That way I could get an impression of the app first, without having to “blindly” install. Despite the subscription vs. one-time payment question being an old story, I’m not sure I’d be willing to subscribe and pay recurringly. What would happen with an installed Mac App when the subscription expires? Another question, just out of curiosity: is there a more detailed write-up or specification of the underlying file format?

trafnar 4y ago
Good point, I'll do that. There isn't a writeup, but this older video introducing the beta of TaskTXT shows a little more detail about the format (timestamp link): https://youtu.be/gbGawb728xA?t=191 https://youtu.be/gbGawb728xA?t=191
trafnar 4y ago
I added the page you suggested: https://tasktxt.com/download-mac-app https://tasktxt.com/download-mac-app

tobr 4y ago

I first stumbled upon TaskTXT, and your really quite excellent YouTube channel, a few weeks ago. I’m a fan so far. I really appreciate the attention to detail in the app. You asked about its viability as a business - I have no idea but I really hope there is a market for small design-focused indie apps like this. One thing I’ve found a little contradictory. In one of your videos you mentioned that TaskTXT is not for long-term notes and todos, just a space for what you’re focusing on at the moment, and not be too concerned about losing data for example. To me the use of a plain-text format suggests the opposite, that this is something that is very easy to archive, search, backup, keep in a git repo, etc. And the opposite; if the purpose is not to plan out a long list of tasks with descriptions and notes before you start, then maybe there would be another design that makes it feel more like a quick throwaway timer that’s useful only for about as long as it’s running. I think it’s a very clever design though so I would encourage you to think about how to support planning for slightly longer time horizons as well.

trafnar 4y ago
Yeah, I've been thinking along these lines too. I think it could evolve into something more substantial with a few additions to the UI. I've found myself wanting to store more and more notes in it, but then I run up against lack of page organization. I don't want it to get bogged down in folders and tags and such, but I have some ideas to strike the right balance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
- SimplGy 4y ago
  The distraction free workflow with timer motivation is a really killer feature. I wonder if you could handle the longer term PKM / organize / retrieve kinds of use cases by integrating really nicely with tools that focus on that, like Obsidian?

nilicule 4y ago

Really like the timer function, but not enough to justify $5/mo. Having a one-time purchase option might convince me to switch from my current solution. For now I'll stick with FromScratch: https://fromscratch.rocks https://fromscratch.rocks

trafnar 4y ago
I hope I can offer that in the future.

csala 4y ago

Awesome tool. I love its simplicity, and also the vim-like command mode. Right off the bat, here are a few improvements I would suggest for the command mode: - (i or Enter): Go back to edit mode - (dd): Delete the task - (u/r): Undo/Redo Another suggestion would be to spin up some sort of issue-tracker (github, discourse, canny...) where feedback can be given in an organized way.

trafnar 4y ago
I've added all these commands
trafnar 4y ago
I'll add these!
- trafnar 4y ago
  Oh and feel free to email hello at wedeserveless.com if you want to share other feedback.

jbverschoor 4y ago

Congrats. I like a few things: 1) A task is a block of text. The tools I'm using kind can do something similar, using indents, but it doesn't work that well at all. 2) I love the estimate. It's exactly what I do when for example planning my day. 3) The timer is a very well thought out thin. While I wouldn't use this as my main or side driver, I'm def. gonna try it out during days where I work exactly like that.. When I have a ton of things to do, I estimate each thing, and want to make some good progress

d4rkp4ttern 4y ago

Related - I’ve been using Toggl Track to track how much time I spend on various projects, and it’s one of the most useful tech tools in my workflow, plus it has Mac and iOS apps. https://toggl.com/track/ https://toggl.com/track/

Cilvic 4y ago

Great video. I've been thinking about something similar in particular because of the distractions. What happens a lot for me is that in order to achieve one task ("analyze churn rate") i get into a bunch of other tasks "find a software to visualize the chart" > "try apache superset" > "update docker desktop" on Windows" which in term of effort are way out of proportion to what I was willing to spend on the first task. I'm eager to try how this tools handles the stacking/sub-tasks. Also the hardest bit is the change in behavior and really write down all the little things before actually doing them. Eager to try.

Cilvic 4y ago
Some feedback: * i find it irritating if i can not leave feedback directly on the site, at least I didn't find a way * the little icon for "start a task" looks like an expand/collapse arrow, not like a (usually filled) triangle for "play" * I'd love to have subtasks * After deleting the tutorial there is no way to get it back
- Cilvic 4y ago
  Also when in navigation mode, pressing Enter should allow me to edit the current task again.
trafnar 4y ago
Yes, that is exactly what happens to me, I find writing the task down and starting the timer makes me less likely to jump to that next task, instead I just write it down. With a normal to-do list, you can write down your task, but you don't feel as committed to an "active" one. You mentioned feedback, I don't have anything on the site for that but feel free to email hello at wedeserveless.com

tremarley 4y ago

I like the tool a lot but it has an infuriating bug at the moment. If you create more than one page, the tasks from pages that are not in-use shows up and covers the tasks on the page we are currently editing. Apart from this, TaskTXT is perfect

trafnar 4y ago
I'd like to fix this, can you send me a screenshot or something? hello at wedeserveless.com

agmz 4y ago

Cool concept. I use the integrated timer in ClickUp to achieve something similar. Starting the timer acts like a mini psychological commitment that prevents me from diverting my attention until the task is done. It could be worth considering how your concept could be integrated with existing task management tools, as task management is notoriously personal and everyone seems to already have a favourite software tool for doing it.