Staying Organized with todo.txt and the todo CLI

📆 2026-04-17 12:40

Keeping track of tasks shouldn't require a complex system. Sometimes, a simple text file is all you need. That's where todo.txt and the todo CLI shine.

What is todo.txt?

todo.txt is a plain text-based task management system. Each task lives on its own line in a file called todo.txt. No databases, no lock-in-just simple, portable text.

- Buy groceries
- Finish blog post +writing
- Call Alice @phone

Why use the todo CLI?

The todo CLI is a command-line tool that helps you manage your todo.txt file efficiently. It adds structure without sacrificing simplicity.

Benefits:

• Fast and keyboard-driven
• Works anywhere (local, SSH, containers)
• Easy to version control
• Completely transparent format

Getting Started

Install the CLI (varies by system)

then initialize your todo list:

todo.sh add "Write first task"

List your tasks:

todo.sh ls

Mark a task as done:

todo.sh do 1

That's it - you're already using it.

Organizing Tasks

Projects with +

Use +project to group tasks:

todo.sh add "Fix login bug +website"
todo.sh add "Write landing page +website"

Contexts with @

Use @context to indicate where, who or how a task gets done:

todo.sh add "Email client @work"
todo.sh add "Buy milk @errands"

Priorities

Add priorities like (A), (B):

todo.sh add "(A) Finish report"

Searching and Filtering

You can quickly filter tasks:

todo.sh list +website
todo.sh list @work

This makes it easy to focus on what matters right now.

Highlighting Due and Overdue Tasks

One small tweak made a big difference in my workflow: automatically showing urgent tasks whenever I open a terminal.

Here's the function I use:

todo_check() {
    today=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
    
    # Process the output of todo.sh line by line
    t ls | while read -r line; do
    
    # Extract the date in [] if it exists
    if [[ "$line" =~ ([0−9]4−[0−9]2−[0−9]2) ]]; then
        due_date="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
        if [[ "$due_date" < "$today" ]]; then
            # Overdue: Red
            echo -e "\e[1;31m$line\e[0m"
        elif [[ "$due_date" == "$today" ]]; then
            # Due Today: Yellow
            echo -e "\e[1;33m$line\e[0m"
        fi
    fi
    done
}

How it works

• it grabs today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• scans each task for a date (like [2026-04-10])
• compares it with today
• highlights overdue tasks in red
• highlights tasks due today in yellow

Running it automatically

To make this part of my daily flow, I call it whenever I start a terminal. Add this to your shell config (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):

todo_check

Here's another post in which I describe how I organize my .bashrc with imports from other files:

How I Organize My .bashrc with Imports

Screenshots of this function in action

Adding tasks

In the above screenshot you can see I use t add. That's because I have an alias for todo.sh:

alias t='/home/sava/.config/todo/todo.sh'

Showing overdue tasks

As you can see, whenever I fire up a new terminal tasks overdue are shown in red and today's tasks are shown in yellow.

Now every new terminal session gives me a quick, visual reminder of what actually needs attention-no extra commands required.

Why It Works

The power of todo.txt comes from constraints:

• no over-engineering
• no distractions
• just tasks

Because it's plain text, you can:

• sync it with Git
• edit it in any editor
• script around it

Tips for Daily Use

• keep it open in a terminal tab
• review tasks in the morning
• archive completed tasks regularly
• don't overcomplicate your tagging

Final Thoughts

If you're tired of bloated productivity apps, give todo.txt a try. It's minimal, flexible, and surprisingly powerful.

Todo.txt If you want to get it done, first write it down.

Sometimes, the best tool is just a text file and a few well placed shell functions.

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