Project Status With Emojis

GretchenCawthon

Quick visual tip for projects using emojis. I use 3 emojis to note projects status. Red circle for incomplete, stop sign for on hold, and check mark in green box for complete.

The bonus here is that the visual changing of the status means that the status is updated everywhere I have the note linked.

So instead of backtracking through multiple notes to check it off in a checklist, I only update it once in the project note.

Here’s an image from one of my hubs for reference.

I often link project notes across multiple days or in a month or quarter note, so one I mark that rejects complete by changing the emoji to a checked box, it shows as “checked” on every note.

tvillemw

Brilliant! You can even search for notes with a particular emoji, which would be useful for cleanup shortcuts (e.g., deleting completed tasks) and planning. I assume you're using the Journal features. Do you add a task to a future day and treat it like the due date in Reminders?

GretchenCawthon

tvillemw yes they are searchable, however, when you are linking the same note across multiple dates and hubs, the search results get very muddy because now those dates and hubs start showing in the results.

I also use a status tag so I can filter projects into smart folders by status. The emoji just helps with the visual cue.

I do add projects to future dates when I want reminders to keep moving or follow up. I typically will put it as a checklist item with a 1-2 word action step followed by the linked project note.