Things
Thing types
A thing's type is the marker in front of it, and it is the only difference between a note and a to-do.
Why you'd care
Type is the lightest classification in NewTwos, and it is deliberately reversible. You are never asked what kind of thing you are writing before you write it. You write, and then, if it turns out to be a to-do, you give it a checkbox.
Only one type actually changes behavior. A to-do is the only thing that carries forward to the next day.
The types
| Type | Looks like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Note | Plain text, no marker | Most writing. The default for many people. |
| To-do | A checkbox | Anything you intend to finish. The only type that carries over. |
| Dash | A leading dash | Loose lists where a checkbox would feel like a commitment. |
| Bullet | A round bullet | Ordinary bulleted lists. |
| Number | 1, 2, 3, auto-numbered | Steps and rankings. Numbering renumbers itself when you reorder. |
| Divider | A horizontal rule | Splitting one day or list into sections. |
There is no "photo type" to choose. A thing with a photo on it is still whatever type it was.
Changing a type
Web, Mac, Windows, and Linux
Put your cursor in the thing and use the format menu, or type / at the start for the slash menu. To check a to-do off rather than change its type, press ⌘D.
iPhone, iPad, and Android
Tap the marker in front of the thing, or open the edit bar above the keyboard and pick a type. Swipe actions can also toggle a to-do, depending on how you have them set.
To change several at once, select them and use the selection bar. See select many things at once.
Going further
Complete, cancel, and delete are three different things. Completing a to-do checks it and stops it carrying over. Canceling strikes it through and also stops it carrying, but records that you decided not to do it rather than that you did it. Deleting removes it. A year later the difference between "done" and "decided against" is worth having.
Numbering is computed, not typed. Never type "1." yourself. Use the number type and NewTwos renumbers as you insert, delete, and reorder. Typed numbers go stale the first time you move something.
Indenting does not change type. A sub-item under a to-do can be a note, and a to-do can sit under a note. Indentation and type are independent, which is what lets you write a to-do with three notes under it.
Settings that change this
- Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Default <i>thing</i> type sets what a newly captured thing is before you touch it.
- Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Carry over unfinished to-dos is what makes the to-do type behave differently from all the others.
Tips
- Do not make everything a to-do. A day full of checkboxes you never intended to check is how the carry-over list gets noisy.
- If you find yourself wanting a checkbox on almost everything, change the default type instead of converting one at a time.
- Dividers are underrated on a busy day. One divider between "morning" and "afternoon" makes a long day readable.
If it's not working
A thing keeps moving to the next day and I do not want it to. It is a to-do. Change its type to a note or a dash, and it will stay where you wrote it.
My numbers are out of order. They were typed as text rather than set as the number type. Convert them and the numbering fixes itself.
Checking a to-do off made it disappear. Completed things can be collapsed into their own section rather than shown in place. That is a list display setting, not a deletion. Look for the completed section at the bottom.
Related
- How unfinished to-dos roll forward, the one behavior that depends on type
- Select many things at once, for converting a batch
- The capture bar, and the slash menu that sets a type as you write