Things
Thing info and time until
Every thing quietly records when it was created, completed or canceled.
Why you'd care
"When did I write this" answers a surprising number of questions, especially on a thing that has carried forward for weeks and no longer sits on the day it started.
Seeing it
Press ⌘⇧I on a thing. It shows creation, completion and cancellation dates, plus what it carries.
You can also surface dates inline while editing, without opening the sheet, via Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Show creation date while editing and Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Show completion date while editing.
Time until
A thing with a reminder can show a live countdown to it. It is free, and it is more useful than it sounds on anything with a real deadline, because "in 3 days" registers in a way that a date does not.
Going further
Completion date is the interesting one. A to-do written three weeks ago and finished today records today. That is what makes scrolling back through your days an honest record of what you actually did rather than what you planned.
Info is single-thing only. It is one of the two actions that does not work on a selection, because twenty creation dates is not a useful answer.
Settings that change this
- Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Show creation date while editing shows when a thing was written while you edit it.
- Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Show completion date while editing does the same for completion.
- Settings Appearance & Accessibility Show info buttons shows or hides info affordances throughout the app.
Tips
- If a to-do surprises you, check its creation date before deciding what to do with it. Age is usually the deciding factor.