Tag Archive for: applescript

AppleScript for Creating Follow-up Tasks in Things

A macOS script editor window displays an AppleScript titled "Mark an Action Item as 'Waiting For'." The script automates task management in the Things 3 app by retrieving the current date, selecting to-dos, checking for selected tasks, and handling follow-ups. The code is color-coded, with keywords in blue, variables in green, and strings in purple. The interface includes standard toolbar icons and a description field at the bottom.

A major component of my job is asynchronously collaborating with other people, usually subject matter experts from whom I need to get additional information or content approval on something I have created.

All of my project templates have this approval process built in at the appropriate points. This creates a common challenge: the people I’m working with are often overworked or get appropriately distracted by dealing with some type of emergency at work, and reviewing a script for the trainer gets put on the back burner. So, tactful follow-up is a critical skill and often something I’m managing across multiple people and projects at the same time.

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Updated Evening AppleScript for Things

A task management app interface showing a to-do list titled "This Evening." One task is labeled "Feed Walle Dinner" with a reminder set for 18:00 (6:00 PM). The task has tags: "walle," "chore," and "evening." The task is part of the "Chores" group and repeats one day after completion. The background gradient transitions from orange to blue.

Improving existing solutions is a slippery slope for automators. You might improve things in a way that continues to save time and improve outcomes. But you might also be spending time rearranging apps in your Mac’s Dock to save milliseconds of mouse movement, only to realize you could have just used Alfred all along.

In this post, I share an improved automation for dealing with recurring tasks in Things that I think falls firmly on the side of worthwhile.

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AppleScript for Pulling Today’s Completed Tasks From Things

A screenshot of an AppleScript editor window titled "Pull Today's Completed Action Items from Things and Create a Day One Entry." The script is designed to retrieve completed tasks from the Things3 app and create a Day One journal entry. The script contains code to set the current date, format it in ISO 8601 format, initialize a list of completed tasks, and fetch tasks from the "Logbook" list. Syntax highlighting shows text in different colors: green for comments, blue for commands, and purple for logic conditions.

Balancing life’s necessary chores with meaningful progress toward our goals can be challenging, especially when greeted by an overflowing task list each morning.

To tackle this, I’ve been exploring ways to not just manage my tasks in Things but also to ensure I’m making real headway on projects that matter. In this post, I’ll show you how an AppleScript is helping me do just that.

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Using a Stream Deck to Control Things

A close-up of a Stream Deck device and part of a keyboard on a wooden desk. The Stream Deck, with 15 programmable buttons, displays various icons and labels, including "Home," "Someday," "Saturday," "Tomorrow," and "Complete." The keyboard, partially visible, features standard keys, including "esc," "tab," "caps lock," and "shift." The scene suggests a workspace setup for productivity or content creation.

I made a YouTube video showing you how I am using a Stream Deck, along with some AppleScripts in Keyboard Maestro, to improve my control of Things. Check out the video and find all of the resources in this post.

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Automating ‘This Evening’ Repeating Tasks in Things 3

Screenshot of a user interface for automation setup, with options to trigger actions at a specified time or by script. The focus is on an AppleScript code snippet, partially redacted, which interacts with the "Things3" application. It includes logic to handle tasks, involving tokens and URLs for updates, with conditions based on task properties such as whether a tag's name is "evening" or if a task is a project. The script is designed to automate task management based on time of day.

One of the most common issues I see fellow Things users complain about on the Things Sub-Reddit is the frustrating experience with repeating tasks and the evening section of the Today view.

I always forget that this is an issue for people because I automated a solution long ago. Let me show you how.

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