Recurring TODO Workflow

Purpose

Manage repeating tasks, habits, meetings, and maintenance routines.

When to Use

Regular meetings (weekly 1:1s, stand-ups)
Maintenance tasks (backups, updates, reviews)
Habits (exercise, journaling, reading)
Periodic reviews (daily, weekly, monthly)
Scheduled events (appointments, classes)

Recurring Task Types

1. Fixed Schedule

Same time, same day, always:

** STRT Weekly team meeting
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri 14:00 ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-11-28 Fri 14:00]
:CATEGORY: work
:END:

2. Flexible Schedule

After completion, schedule next occurrence:

** TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-01 Mon 13:40]
:END:

3. Deadline-Based

Must be done by certain interval:

** TODO Monthly backup check
DEADLINE: <2025-12-31 Wed +1m>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-11-30 Sat 15:30]
:END:

Repeater Syntax

`+` Repeater (Strict)

Repeats from original date, even if late:

SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri +1w>

If you complete on Dec 5 → next is Dec 12
If you complete on Dec 8 → next is still Dec 12
Use for: Time-sensitive events, meetings

`++` Repeater (Shift from today)

Repeats from completion date:

SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri ++1w>

If you complete on Dec 5 → next is Dec 12
If you complete on Dec 8 → next is Dec 15
Use for: Flexible tasks, maintenance, habits

`.+` Repeater (Shift and skip)

Like ++ but doesn’t nag if you skip:

SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri .+1w>

If you complete on Dec 5 → next is Dec 12
If you complete on Dec 15 → next is Dec 22 (skips Dec 12)
Use for: Habits you want to do but can skip

Time Intervals

Common Intervals

+1d    Daily
+1w    Weekly
+2w    Bi-weekly
+1m    Monthly
+3m    Quarterly
+1y    Yearly

Specific Days

+1w Mon        Every Monday
+2w Fri        Every other Friday
+1m 1          First of each month
+1m -1         Last day of each month

Complex Patterns

++1w Mon Wed Fri    Mon/Wed/Fri after completion
+1m 1 15            1st and 15th of each month

Habit Tracking

Basic Habit

** TODO Daily exercise
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri ++1d>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-04 Thu 07:00]
:END:

Habit with Consistency Goal

** TODO Morning journaling
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri .+1d>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-04 Thu 06:30]
:HABIT_CONSISTENCY: 5d
:END:

Goal: Journal at least 5 days per week

Common Recurring Patterns

Weekly Meeting

** STRT 1:1 with Manager
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri 10:00 +1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-11-28 Fri 10:18]
:CATEGORY: work
:END:

Meeting notes: [[file:~/notes/meeting-notes.org][Meeting Notes]]

Daily Standup

** STRT Daily standup
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri 09:00 +1d Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-04 Thu 09:00]
:CATEGORY: work
:END:

Team sync - what did I do, what am I doing, any blockers

Weekly Review

** TODO Weekly planning and review
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon 09:00 ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-01 Mon 09:15]
:END:

- Review last week
- Plan this week
- Archive completed items

Monthly Maintenance

** TODO Server maintenance and updates
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-15 Mon ++1m>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-11-15 Sun 14:30]
:CATEGORY: systems
:END:

- Update packages
- Check backups
- Review logs
- Security patches

Quarterly Review

** TODO Quarterly goal review
DEADLINE: <2025-12-31 Wed +3m>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-09-30 Mon 15:00]
:END:

Review progress on yearly goals and adjust

Annual Tasks

** TODO Annual tax preparation
DEADLINE: <2025-04-15 Wed +1y>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2024-04-10 Mon 20:00]
:END:

Gather documents and file taxes

Managing Recurring Tasks

Completing a Recurring Task

When you mark DONE:

# Before completion
** TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-01 Mon 13:40]
:END:

# After marking DONE on Dec 8
** TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-15 Mon ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-08 Mon 14:15]
:END:
:LOGBOOK:
- State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2025-12-08 Mon 14:15]
:END:

What happens:

State returns to TODO (or original state)
SCHEDULED advances by interval
LAST_REPEAT updated to completion time
LOGBOOK entry added

Skipping an Occurrence

Option 1: Mark DONE anyway

Advances schedule
Records you acknowledged it

Option 2: Reschedule to next occurrence

# Manually update SCHEDULED to next date
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-15 Mon ++1w>

Option 3: Add note explaining skip

:LOGBOOK:
- Note taken on [2025-12-08 Mon 10:00] \\
  Skipped this week due to holiday
:END:

Stopping a Recurring Task

Mark as CANX:

** CANX Weekly team sync (team disbanded)
CLOSED: [2025-12-08 Mon 10:00]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "CANX"       from "STRT"       [2025-12-08 Mon 10:00] \\
  Team disbanded, meeting no longer needed
:END:

Remove repeater (make one-time):

# Before
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++1w>

# After
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon>

Changing Frequency

Update repeater interval:

# Was weekly
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++1w>

# Now bi-weekly
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++2w>

Update day/time:

# Was Friday 14:00
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri 14:00 +1w>

# Now Monday 10:00
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon 10:00 +1w>

Recurring Task Templates

Daily Habit

** TODO [Habit name]
SCHEDULED: <YYYY-MM-DD Day .+1d>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [previous-completion]
:END:

[Description and notes]

Weekly Task

** TODO [Task name]
SCHEDULED: <YYYY-MM-DD Day ++1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [previous-completion]
:CATEGORY: [category]
:END:

[Context and links]

Monthly Maintenance

** TODO [Maintenance task]
SCHEDULED: <YYYY-MM-DD Day ++1m>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [previous-completion]
:CATEGORY: systems
:END:

Checklist:
- [ ] Item 1
- [ ] Item 2
- [ ] Item 3

Meeting with Notes

** STRT [Meeting name]
SCHEDULED: <YYYY-MM-DD Day HH:MM +1w>
:PROPERTIES:
:LAST_REPEAT: [previous-occurrence]
:CATEGORY: work
:END:

Agenda:
- Topic 1
- Topic 2

Notes: [[file:~/notes/meeting-notes.org::*Meeting Name][Meeting Notes]]

Tracking Habits

Simple Habit Tracking

Just mark DONE each time:

** TODO Morning exercise
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri .+1d>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-04 Thu 07:15]
:END:

Check LOGBOOK for consistency.

Habit with Notes

Track details:

** TODO Meditation
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri .+1d>
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE:    habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2025-12-04 Thu 06:30]
:END:
:LOGBOOK:
- State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2025-12-04 Thu 06:30] \\
  15 minutes, felt focused
- State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2025-12-03 Wed 06:45] \\
  10 minutes, distracted
:END:

Habit Streaks

Check consistency:

# See completion pattern
grep "State \"DONE\"" todos.org | \
  grep "Morning exercise" | \
  tail -14

Tips

Choose right repeater:
- Fixed schedule? Use +
- Flexible? Use ++
- Can skip? Use .+
Start with STRT or TODO:
- STRT for ongoing (meetings)
- TODO for tasks (reviews, maintenance)
Track in LOGBOOK: Notes about each occurrence
Use LAST_REPEAT: See when last completed
Keep in Routines section: Unless specific to other section
Link to resources: Meeting notes, checklists, docs
Review regularly: Are these still needed?
Adjust frequency: If consistently late, maybe less frequent

Viewing Recurring Tasks

All Recurring Tasks

grep -B2 "SCHEDULED:.*+\|DEADLINE:.*+" ~/desktop/org/todos.org | \
  grep "^\*\*"

Today’s Recurring Items

today=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")
grep -B2 "SCHEDULED: <$today.*+" ~/desktop/org/todos.org | \
  grep "^\*\*"

Habit Consistency

# Check last 10 completions of a habit
grep -A3 "^\*\* TODO Morning exercise" ~/desktop/org/todos.org | \
  grep "State \"DONE\"" | \
  tail -10

Common Issues

Missed Several Occurrences

# Task scheduled for Dec 1, today is Dec 15
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-01 Mon ++1w>

Solution: Mark DONE to advance to next

If ++1w: advances to Dec 22 (week from completion)
If +1w: would go to next scheduled (Dec 8, 15, 22…)

Wrong Interval

# Was daily but should be weekly
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri ++1d>

Solution: Update interval

SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri ++1w>

No Longer Needed

** STRT Old recurring meeting
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri +1w>

Solution: Mark as CANX with reason

** CANX Old recurring meeting
CLOSED: [2025-12-05 Fri 10:00]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "CANX"       from "STRT"       [2025-12-05 Fri 10:00] \\
  Project completed, meeting no longer needed
:END:

Integration

With Calendar

Recurring tasks show up on schedule in org-agenda.

With Notes

Link to meeting notes or habit journal:

** STRT Weekly 1:1
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-05 Fri 10:00 +1w>

With Projects

Track recurring reviews of projects:

** TODO Review project X progress
SCHEDULED: <2025-12-08 Mon ++1w>

Project: [[*Project X][Project X Details]]

Anti-Patterns

❌ Too many recurring tasks: Overwhelming, won’t complete ❌ Wrong repeater type: Using + when should use ++ ❌ Never completing: If consistently skip, maybe not needed ❌ No notes: Can’t remember what happened each time ❌ Outdated tasks: Keep running things no longer relevant ✅ Right amount: Only essential recurring tasks ✅ Appropriate interval: Matches actual need ✅ Complete regularly: Build the habit ✅ Track progress: Add notes each completion ✅ Review periodically: Cancel what’s no longer needed

Recurring TODO Workflow

Purpose

When to Use

Recurring Task Types

1. Fixed Schedule

2. Flexible Schedule

3. Deadline-Based

Repeater Syntax

+ Repeater (Strict)

++ Repeater (Shift from today)

.+ Repeater (Shift and skip)

Time Intervals

Common Intervals

Specific Days

Complex Patterns

Habit Tracking

Basic Habit

Habit with Consistency Goal

Common Recurring Patterns

Weekly Meeting

Daily Standup

Weekly Review

Monthly Maintenance

Quarterly Review

Annual Tasks

Managing Recurring Tasks

Completing a Recurring Task

Skipping an Occurrence

Stopping a Recurring Task

Changing Frequency

Recurring Task Templates

Daily Habit

Weekly Task

Monthly Maintenance

Meeting with Notes

Tracking Habits

Simple Habit Tracking

Habit with Notes

Habit Streaks

Tips

Viewing Recurring Tasks

All Recurring Tasks

Today’s Recurring Items

Habit Consistency

Common Issues

Missed Several Occurrences

Wrong Interval

No Longer Needed

Integration

With Calendar

With Notes

With Projects

Anti-Patterns

`+` Repeater (Strict)

`++` Repeater (Shift from today)

`.+` Repeater (Shift and skip)