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Focus Lists — All, Today, Starred, Scheduled, Done, Inbox

At the top of the Lists screen sits a fixed cluster of Focus Lists — All, Today, Starred, Scheduled, Done, Inbox. They are not real lists; they're built-in saved perspectives that pull tasks from across your real lists according to specific rules. This page explains exactly what each one shows, and how to keep specific real lists out of it.

Inbox​

The Inbox is your GTD inbox — the place where new, un-triaged tasks land while you're capturing fast and thinking later.

  • Quick Add can use Inbox when you set it as your default collection list and enable Always Use in Quick Add.
  • Siri and Shortcuts captures can use Inbox when the GTD Inbox/default collection list is enabled under Settings > Default Collection List.
  • The iOS Share Extension and Email-to-2Do add-on also fit this workflow when you want new captures to start in one triage list.

Aim to keep Inbox empty at the end of each review session.

All​

All shows every task across every list, in one place. By default it includes everything except:

Tasks scheduled to start in the future are hidden from All by default — toggle the clock icon on the sort bar to show them alongside the current list.

Excluding a List from All​

  1. Tap and hold the list name on the Lists screen.
  2. Tap Edit in the sheet.
  3. Toggle Exclude from All on.
  4. Tap Done.

A small i icon appears next to the list name to show its global visibility has been customised.

Today​

Today is the daily working list. A task lands here if any of these are true:

  • It is due today (with or without a due time).
  • Include overdue tasks is enabled in Settings > Appearance — past-due tasks carry forward to Today until completed.
  • Always show Still Working On is enabled in Settings > Appearance and the task has a start date in the past or today.
  • It has a duration whose lead-up window or effective start time covers today.
  • Include Starred Tasks is enabled in Settings > Appearance — every starred task appears in Today.

Learn more in Dates and Durations.

Today Focus List on iPhone

Excluding a List from Today​

Tap-and-hold list → Edit → toggle Exclude from Today. The list's tasks won't appear in Today; you'll still get any Alerts set on those tasks.

Why Tasks "Show Up Mysteriously" in Today​

A task showing in Today before its due date is almost always one of:

  1. It has a duration creating an earlier working window before the due date.
  2. Always show Still Working On is enabled and the task has a start date of today or earlier.
  3. It is starred and Include Starred Tasks is on.

See the FAQ entry Why are tasks due tomorrow showing in the Today Focus list?.

Starred​

Starred collects every starred task across every list — a quick "what am I focusing on right now?" view. To star: swipe right past Done, use the tap-and-hold popup, or drag a task onto the Starred Focus List in batch-edit mode.

Starred Focus List on iPhone

Learn more in Stars and Priorities.

Scheduled​

Scheduled shows tasks with a future start date that are currently hidden from the regular list by Smart Scheduling.

It's the place to peek at what's coming up. The same effect is reachable from the Sort Bar's clock icon without leaving your current list.

Done​

Done shows everything you've recently completed.

Excluding a List from Done​

Tap-and-hold list → Edit → toggle Exclude from Done. Useful for shopping lists or scratch lists where the long history of completed items is just noise.

Sync Exclusion​

You can also stop a list from syncing entirely — Edit List → toggle Exclude from Sync. Useful for sensitive content you specifically don't want in the cloud.

Indicators on List Names​

When any exclusion is on, a small i icon appears next to the list name on the Lists screen — a permanent reminder that the list's contribution to one or more Focus Lists has been customised.

Tips​

tip

Treat Inbox as a true GTD inbox: drain it during your daily review.

tip

Combine Focus Lists with Smart Filters: select All and run type: hiprio AND duethisweek to answer "what high-priority work is due this week across everything?"

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