List Management

Organize your reminders into focused, manageable lists. Vigilare's list management helps you separate work from personal, current projects from archived ones, and keeps your task view clean and relevant.

List Dropdown

Filter your view to focus on specific projects or contexts.

Location and Access

Where: Top of the Vigilare window, below the title bar

Visual Design:

• Dropdown button showing current list name
• Task count badge "(5)" showing incomplete tasks
• Chevron icon indicating it's clickable
• Full width of window

Selecting Lists

Click to Open:

1. Click anywhere on the list dropdown
2. Menu appears showing all available lists
3. Each list shows incomplete task count
4. Current selection highlighted

List Options:

• All: Shows tasks from all lists combined
• Individual Lists: Each of your Apple Reminders lists
• List Count: Number in parentheses (incomplete tasks only)

Selection Updates:

• Click any list to switch
• View updates immediately
• Selection persists across app launches
• Only shows active (non-archived) lists

"All" View

What It Shows:

• Combined view of all tasks
• From all non-archived lists
• Sorted by due date, then creation time
• Most comprehensive view

When to Use:

Morning Review:
- Check all tasks across projects
- Identify what's most urgent
- Get complete picture of workload

Quick Task Check:
- See everything at once
- Don't remember which list
- Broad overview needed

Task Count in "All":

• Shows total incomplete across all lists
• Gives you full workload visibility

List Filtering

Focus your attention on one project at a time.

Benefits of Filtering

Reduces Cognitive Load:

• See only relevant tasks
• Less visual clutter
• Easier to prioritize

Context Switching:

Work Mode:
- Select "Work Projects" list
- Only see work tasks
- Personal tasks hidden

Personal Mode:
- Select "Personal" list
- Home/life tasks visible
- Work tasks hidden

Project Focus:

Client A Sprint:
- Select "Client A" list
- See only client tasks
- Ignore other projects
- Deep focus on one area

Filter Persistence

Remembers Selection:

• Last selected list saved
• Persists across app restarts
• Per-window setting
• Opens to your last view

Task Counts

See at-a-glance how many tasks need attention.

Count Display

Where Counts Appear:

• Next to each list name in dropdown
• Format: "List Name (5)"
• Number indicates incomplete tasks only
• Updated in real-time

What Gets Counted:

• ✅ Incomplete tasks
• ✅ Overdue tasks
• ❌ Completed tasks (not counted)
• ❌ Subtasks (counted as part of parent)

Color Coding:

• Normal count: regular text
• High count (10+): may be emphasized
• Zero count: shows "(0)" or may be hidden

Using Counts for Prioritization

Daily Planning:

Morning scan:
- Work Projects (8) ← High priority today
- Personal (3) ← Can wait
- Side Project (0) ← Nothing urgent

Load Balancing:

Too many in one list:
- Client A (15) ← Need to break down
- Client B (3) ← Manageable
- Personal (2) ← Under control

Action: Move tasks or archive old items

Progress Tracking:

Monday: Project X (12)
Wednesday: Project X (7)
Friday: Project X (2)
→ Visible progress!

Creating New Lists

Add lists directly from Vigilare without opening Apple Reminders.

How to Create

From List Dropdown:

1. Click list dropdown
2. Scroll to bottom
3. Click "+ New List" button
4. Enter list name in dialog
5. Press Enter or click Create

Naming Guidelines:

• Use clear, descriptive names
• Indicate context: "Work", "Personal", etc.
• Or project-based: "Client A", "Website Redesign"
• Avoid generic names like "List 1"

Where Lists Appear:

• Immediately available in Vigilare
• Also appears in Apple Reminders app
• Syncs to all your devices via iCloud

List Organization Strategies

By Context:

- Work
- Personal
- Home Projects
- Shopping
- Someday/Maybe

By Client (for freelancers):

- Client A
- Client B
- Client C
- Internal
- Proposals

By Project:

- Website Redesign
- Mobile App
- Documentation
- Bug Fixes
- Technical Debt

By Time Frame:

- This Week
- This Month
- This Quarter
- Backlog
- Archive

By Responsibility:

- My Tasks
- Delegated
- Waiting For
- Blocked

Archiving Lists

Hide completed or inactive lists without deleting them.

What Is Archiving?

Purpose:

• Removes lists from Vigilare view
• Keeps them in Apple Reminders
• Reduces clutter
• Maintains history

Not Deletion:

• Lists still exist
• Tasks remain accessible in Reminders app
• Can unarchive anytime
• Nothing is lost

How to Archive

From Settings:

1. Click Settings button (⚙)
2. Navigate to Lists tab
3. See all your lists
4. Toggle switches to archive/unarchive
5. Changes apply immediately

Archive Controls:

• Each list has a toggle switch
• ON = Active (visible in Vigilare)
• OFF = Archived (hidden from Vigilare)
• Current selection saves automatically

What Happens When Archived

In Vigilare:

• List removed from dropdown
• Tasks from that list hidden
• "All" view excludes archived tasks
• Search doesn't include archived tasks

In Apple Reminders:

• List still fully visible
• All tasks accessible
• No changes to the list
• Still syncs normally

In iCloud:

• List still syncs across devices
• Other devices see it normally (if not using Vigilare)
• Data remains in iCloud

When to Archive

Completed Projects:

Project finished:
1. Mark all tasks complete
2. Archive the list
3. Keeps Vigilare clean
4. History preserved in Reminders

Seasonal Work:

Tax Season list:
- Active in March-April
- Archive in May-February
- Unarchive next year
- Tasks remain for reference

Inactive Clients:

Client projects on hold:
- Archive client list
- Reduces active clutter
- Unarchive when project resumes

Reference Lists:

Lists you check occasionally:
- Ideas / Brainstorming
- Wishlist
- Books to Read
→ Archive to reduce noise
→ Unarchive when needed

Unarchiving Lists

Restore to Active:

1. Settings → Lists tab
2. Find archived list
3. Toggle switch to ON
4. List appears in dropdown immediately
5. All tasks visible again

No Data Loss:

• All tasks still there
• Completion history intact
• Everything as you left it

Search Across Lists

Find tasks without remembering which list they're in.

Search Bar

Location: Top of window, below list dropdown

How to Use:

1. Click in search field
2. Type search term
3. Results filter instantly
4. Searches current list selection

Search Scope:

• If list selected: searches that list only
• If "All" selected: searches all non-archived lists
• Real-time results
• Case-insensitive

What Gets Searched

Included:

• Task titles (primary)
• Task notes (secondary)
• Subtask titles
• Tags if present

Not Included:

• Archived list tasks
• Completed task notes (minimal)
• List names

Search Tips

Keywords:

Search: "bug"
Finds:
- "Fix login bug"
- "Bug in payment flow"
- "Debug API issue"

Phrases:

Search: "review pull"
Finds:
- "Review pull request #123"
- "Pull request review needed"

Partial Matches:

Search: "doc"
Finds:
- "Update documentation"
- "Doctor appointment"
- "Dockerfile changes"

Clear Search:

• Click X button in search field
• Or delete text manually
• View returns to full list

List Sync with Apple Reminders

Understanding how lists sync between Vigilare and Reminders.

Two-Way Sync

Changes in Vigilare:

• Create list → appears in Reminders
• Archive list → still visible in Reminders
• Task added to list → syncs to Reminders
• All real-time

Changes in Reminders App:

• Create list → appears in Vigilare
• Delete list → removed from Vigilare
• Rename list → updates in Vigilare
• Add tasks → appears in Vigilare

List Order

In Vigilare:

• Lists shown in alphabetical order
• "All" always first
• Consistent ordering

In Reminders App:

• May have different order
• User-customized sorting
• Vigilare doesn't control order

Smart Lists

Reminders App Smart Lists:

• "Today", "Scheduled", "All", "Flagged"
• Not shown in Vigilare
• These are filters, not actual lists
• Vigilare focuses on user-created lists

Why Not Included:

• Smart lists are dynamic filters
• Would duplicate "All" functionality
• Vigilare has own filtering
• Keeps interface focused

Best Practices

List Structure

Keep It Simple:

• 5-10 lists is ideal
• More than 15 gets unwieldy
• Use archiving for inactive lists

Clear Naming:

• Immediately recognizable
• Indicates content
• Consistent naming scheme

Regular Maintenance:

Weekly:
- Archive completed projects
- Clean up empty lists
- Consolidate similar lists

Monthly:
- Review archived lists
- Delete truly obsolete lists
- Reorganize if needed

Archive Strategy

Active vs. Archived:

Active (visible in Vigilare):
- Current projects
- Ongoing responsibilities
- This week/month work

Archived (hidden from Vigilare):
- Completed projects
- Inactive clients
- Seasonal work
- Reference lists

Don't Over-Archive:

• Keep frequently needed lists active
• Archive only truly inactive lists
• Easy to unarchive if needed

Search Workflow

Quick Finding:

Can't find task:
1. Switch to "All" view
2. Use search bar
3. Type key word from task
4. Click result
5. Note which list it's in

Batch Operations:

Find all related tasks:
1. Search for project name
2. See all tasks across lists
3. Good for project overview
4. Reschedule or complete in bulk

Common Workflows

The Daily Switcher

Morning:
1. Select "Work" list
2. Plan day from work tasks
3. When workday done:
4. Switch to "Personal" list
5. Focus on home tasks

The Project Completionist

Project finished:
1. Review project list
2. Complete remaining tasks
3. Archive the list in Settings
4. Vigilare view stays clean
5. History preserved in Reminders

The Context Juggler

Throughout day:
- Email interruption: switch to "Inbox Processing"
- Meeting ends: switch to "Follow-ups"
- Deep work: switch to "Development"
- Use lists as context containers

The Spring Cleaner

Monthly cleanup:
1. Settings → Lists
2. Review all archived lists
3. Unarchive still-relevant lists
4. Keep archived for history
5. Delete truly obsolete lists in Reminders app

Troubleshooting

List Not Showing

Check:

1. Is it archived? Settings → Lists
2. Unarchive if needed
3. Refresh (↻ button)
4. Check in Apple Reminders app

Task Count Wrong

Causes:

• Refresh needed (click ↻)
• Sync delay with iCloud
• Completed tasks counted (they shouldn't be)

Fix:

• Wait a moment for sync
• Refresh view
• Check task completion status

Can't Create New List

Verify:

• Reminders permission granted
• Not at list limit (unlikely)
• Name not duplicate
• Try in Apple Reminders first

Related Features

• Reminder Management - Working with tasks
• Search - Finding tasks
• Settings - Archive configuration