# Understand Inbox, Today and Backlog

> Inbox holds tasks you've captured but not decided on. Today holds what you've chosen for the current day. The Backlog holds tasks you deliberately put off, grouped by horizon from **Next week or two** to **Someday**. Capture freely into Inbox, then decide during planning.

Dayplan keeps writing a task down separate from committing to it. That way you can get a quick thought out of your head without it turning into a promise, and the day you planned stays the day you planned.

## Three places, three intentions

Every open task lives in one of three places, depending on what you've decided about it:

- **Inbox** means "I wrote this down, but I haven't decided what to do with it."
- **Today** means "I'm asking this task to compete for today's time." Tasks planned for other days sit on those days on Horizon, Dayplan's home view.
- **Backlog** means "I want to keep this, and I've chosen not to put it on a day yet."

```text
Capture without a date
        │
        ▼
      Inbox ───────► Today or another day ───────► Complete
        │                     │
        ▼                     ▼
     Backlog ◄──── not now ───┘
        │
        ├── Someday
        ├── Next week or two
        ├── Next month
        ├── Next quarter
        └── Next year
```

Which place a task is in depends only on its date and horizon:

| The task has… | It's in… |
| --- | --- |
| A date | That day: **Today** if it's today, otherwise that day on Horizon. |
| A Backlog horizon and no date | **Backlog**, under that horizon. |
| Neither | **Inbox**. |

## Capture a task

Select **+ New task** at the top of **Today**, **Inbox** or **All tasks**, type the task and press <kbd>Enter</kbd>. Where it lands depends on the page:

- From **Inbox**, it goes to Inbox.
- From **Today** or **All tasks**, it goes on today.
- A date in your text, such as "friday", puts it on that day instead.

You can also use the **Add task** row at the bottom of any list or day column. It adds to that list or day.

Quick Capture reads dates, times, durations, areas and priorities from what you type. See [How to add tasks fast with Quick Capture](https://dayplan.do/docs/quick-capture) and the Quick Capture cheat sheet.

## Triage Inbox

Inbox is a place to get things out of your head quickly, not to keep them for good. Open **Inbox** in the sidebar to see everything waiting.

For each task, decide one thing:

- **Do it on a day.** Right-click and choose **Move to today** or **Move to tomorrow**, or open the task and set a **Date**.
- **Keep it for later.** Choose **Move to the next week or two** or **Move to Someday**.
- **Let it go.** Choose **Delete**. It goes to Trash, where you can restore it. See Archived tasks, Trash and how to restore them.

The best moment to triage is when you plan your day. In **Plan today**, the **Inbox** tab lists these tasks so you can pull the relevant ones into today. See [Plan your day](https://dayplan.do/docs/daily-planning).

You can also open Inbox in the right-hand panel and drag a task straight onto the calendar when you already know when it should happen.

## Keep things for later in the Backlog

The Backlog groups postponed tasks under five horizons: **Someday**, **Next week or two**, **Next month**, **Next quarter** and **Next year**. Tasks you move there from the right-click menu, or during planning and shutdown, come back for review in **Plan today** after a while, so nothing is forgotten. See How to use the Backlog for later.

## Edit a task

Select a task to open its details. There you can change its title and description, and set:

- Its area. See How to organize tasks with areas.
- **Date** and **Time**.
- **Deadline**. See Deadlines vs scheduled dates.
- **Duration**.
- **Priority** and **Energy**. See Priorities and Must do.
- **Repeat**. See How to set up repeating tasks.
- Subtasks, comments, and planned versus actual time.

## Why Dayplan keeps Inbox and Backlog separate

Without the difference, every captured thought looks like a commitment, and the planner feels full before you've planned anything.

Inbox protects speed: write first, decide later. Backlog protects trust: a task you put off still has a named place and comes back when you plan. Today stays reserved for work that has earned a place in the current day.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why did my new task go to Today instead of Inbox?

That happens when you add it from **Today** or **All tasks**, where new tasks go on today, or when your text contains a date. Add it from **Inbox** to keep it undated, or right-click it and choose **Move to Inbox**.

### Is there a limit on how many tasks can sit in Inbox?

Inbox itself has no limit. On the Free plan, all your tasks together count toward a task limit. See [Plans and pricing](https://dayplan.do/docs/plans).

### What's the difference between Someday and deleting a task?

A task in **Someday** stays in your Backlog and comes back for review now and then. A deleted task goes to Trash and doesn't come back unless you restore it.

### Do tasks I don't finish today move to tomorrow?

No. We don't move your tasks to another day without you, so unfinished tasks stay on their day until you decide, for example during [Daily Shutdown](https://dayplan.do/docs/daily-shutdown) or when you plan the next day. If a task waits several days, auto-archive sets it aside, and you can restore it. See Unfinished tasks.

### Can I sort Inbox into groups?

Yes. Turn on **Use Inbox sections** in **Settings → Tasks & inbox** to add your own sections. Tasks without a section stay under **To triage**.

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Source: https://dayplan.do/docs/tasks-and-inbox