Today's Focus Widget

The Today's Focus widget answers the question: what did I commit to working on today? It shows tasks whose start date is today or earlier that aren't yet done - your active commitments. Tasks are sorted by priority (urgent first) then by due date, so the most pressing work bubbles to the top. From here you can launch Focus Mode on any task with one click and get into deep work without ceremony.

This widget is part of the customisable Dashboard layout. To show, hide, or move it, see Dashboard Layout.

Today's Focus is start-date based

A task appears here when it is scheduled to start today or earlier, not simply because it is due today.

What you can do

See up to 5 tasks

scheduled to start today or earlier (configurable cap)

Launch Focus Mode

on any task with one click

Set a duration

for the focus session via the duration picker

Edit status and priority inline

with dropdowns

Delete a task

without leaving the dashboard

Open any task

to its detail page or edit modal

See the assignee avatar

at a glance

Which tasks appear

The widget filters tasks across your active Space using these rules:

The task has a start date of today or earlier
The task is not done (status isn't in the complete workflow category)
The task isn't archived

Tasks meeting all three appear in the list. They're sorted by:

Priority

Urgent first, then High, Medium, Low (using your Space's priority configuration)

Due date

closest first within the same priority

By default, up to 5 tasks appear. Older overdue tasks (start date in the past) show alongside today's start-date tasks - they're all "active commitments" until done.

Set start dates for intentional work

Use start dates when you want a task to become part of today's focus list.

Launching Focus Mode

Each task has a Focus action that opens Focus Mode scoped to that task:

A duration picker lets you choose the focus session length (5 / 10 / 15 / 25 / 30 / 45 / 60 / 90 / 120 minutes, or custom)
The default duration is 25 minutes (standard Pomodoro)
After confirming, Focus Mode opens with a full-screen timer

Focus Mode supports breaks, a checklist panel, a notes panel, sound settings, and pop-out windows. See Task Focus Mode for the complete focus system.

The Today + Overdue rule - Today's Focus is one of several ways to launch focus. Other entry points include the task detail page, calendar right-click, and the dashboard. See Focus Mode from Calendar for the calendar-side rule.

Focus starts from the selected task

Starting Focus Mode here opens a session for that task and can use its duration.

Inline editing

Each row supports inline edits without opening the task:

Delete removes the task

Use delete only when the task should leave PrimeTask, not when it only needs a new date or status.

Status dropdown - change the status; the change saves immediately
Priority dropdown - change the priority
Duration picker - set or change the task's planned duration (drives the Focus Mode default)
Delete - remove the task with a confirmation

For richer edits (description, tags, assignees, custom fields), open the task to its detail page or edit modal.

Empty state

When no tasks have a start date of today or earlier in the active Space, the widget shows a friendly "No focus tasks today" message. To populate it:

Set start dates on your active tasks via the task detail page or Quick Add (start:today)
Use the Day Planner to drag-schedule tasks into today's slot - see Day Planner View

Things worth knowing

Start date, not due date

The widget filters by start date - when you committed to begin work - not due date. A task due tomorrow but started today appears here; a task due today that hasn't started yet doesn't (until you set its start date). For due-date based views, use the Upcoming Tasks Widget.

"Today or earlier" includes overdue starts

Tasks you committed to start days ago and haven't completed still appear here as long as they're not done. This intentionally surfaces neglected commitments so they don't fall off your radar.

Sorting prioritises urgency

The list isn't chronological - it's priority-first. Urgent tasks always appear at the top regardless of when they were started. This makes it easier to see what to work on first when you have multiple active commitments.

The 5-task cap can be configured by widget reuse

The dashboard configuration shows up to 5 tasks. The same widget component is reused in other places (the expanded modal, etc.) where the cap may differ. The dashboard slot is fixed at 5.

Inline edits use your Space's configurations

Status and priority dropdowns pull from your active Space's status and priority configurations. If you've customised your statuses or priorities, the dropdowns reflect those - see Custom Statuses & Priorities.

Focus Mode tracks separately from the task timer

Focus Mode sessions are tracked separately from the basic task timer. Both contribute to project time at the project level. See Task Focus Mode and Task Time Tracking.

Recurring tasks count their current instance

A recurring task with today's start date appears as the current instance. Completing it generates the next recurrence - see Recurring Tasks.

Common questions

"How is this different from Upcoming Tasks?"

Today's Focus filters by start date (what you committed to work on today). Upcoming Tasks filters by due date (what's due in the next 7 days). A task can appear in both if its start date is today and its due date is in the next week. See Upcoming Tasks Widget.

"What if I haven't set a start date on my tasks?"

Tasks without start dates don't appear here. Use the Scheduling Insights Widget to find tasks missing start dates and quick-fix them - see Scheduling Insights Widget. Or use the Day Planner to drag-schedule tasks into today.

"Why doesn't a task I started yesterday show?"

Check that the task isn't already in the complete workflow category. The widget excludes done tasks. If the status is something like "In Progress", it should appear.

"Can I see more than 5 tasks?"

The dashboard widget shows up to 5. To see all your start-date-due tasks, use the Tasks page with a filter, or open the project's Tasks tab.

"What's the duration picker for?"

It sets the planned duration on the task (used by Focus Mode as the default session length). Without it, Focus Mode defaults to 25 minutes (standard Pomodoro). Setting durations on tasks gives you accurate focus session timing for each one.

"Can I drag tasks to reorder them?"

No - sort order is fixed (priority, then due date). To prioritise a task, change its priority - it'll move up automatically.

"What happens when I complete a task here?"

Change the status to a complete value via the inline status dropdown. The task drops off the widget on next render. If it's a recurring task, the next instance appears in its place.

"How do I hide this widget?"

Open the Layout Editor from the Dashboard Header and toggle Today's Focus off. See Dashboard Layout.

Where to go next

If you want to…	Read this
See your weekly focus stats and streak	Focus Stats Widget
See tasks due in the next 7 days	Upcoming Tasks Widget
Find tasks missing a start date	Scheduling Insights Widget
Understand Focus Mode in depth	Task Focus Mode
Track time with the basic task timer	Task Time Tracking
Drag tasks into today's schedule	Day Planner View
Manage recurring tasks	Recurring Tasks
Customise the dashboard	Dashboard Layout
Return to the Dashboard hub	Dashboard Overview